Information processing device

Abstract

To provide an information processor that can appropriately execute cooling control in a sleep state.SOLUTION: An information processor includes: a first control unit which implements an operating system; a cooling unit that cools the first control unit; and a second control unit which executes cooling control to drive the cooling unit so that a temperature of the first control unit is less than a threshold value, stops the cooling control when entering a sleep state as a power saving state that is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, executes polling to the first control unit to detect temperature abnormality in the first control unit, and restores the cooling control when the temperature abnormality in the first control unit is detected by the polling.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Information processing devices such as PCs (Personal Computers) are equipped with cooling devices such as fans for cooling built-in hardware such as processors. Information processing devices also have a function to switch to a sleep (standby) state, which allows for quick startup while keeping the display off and maintaining a power-saving state, depending on the software and hardware usage status. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-37737 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, the sleep state has become more diverse, and the processor and other components may operate and generate heat even in the sleep state. Conventional cooling device control methods may not provide adequate cooling in the sleep state.

[0005] Therefore, one of the objects of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing apparatus that can appropriately execute cooling control in a sleep state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first control unit that implements an operating system, a cooling device that cools the first control unit, and a second control unit that executes cooling control to drive the cooling device so that the temperature of the first control unit is below a threshold, and that stops the cooling control when a sleep state is entered as a power saving state that is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, polls the first control unit to detect a temperature abnormality of the first control unit, and resumes the cooling control when a temperature abnormality of the first control unit is detected by the polling. The first control unit outputs a first signal to the second control unit when a predetermined software condition related to the software usage status is satisfied, and outputs a second signal to the second control unit when a predetermined hardware condition related to the hardware usage status is satisfied, and the second control unit determines that it has entered a sleep state when it receives the first signal and the second signal, maintains the sleep state when it receives the first signal while in the sleep state, and resumes cooling control when an abnormal temperature of the first control unit is detected by polling. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the information processing device of the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately execute cooling control in the sleep state. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an SoC and an EC according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing in the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between SW DRIPS, HW DRIPS, and cooling control in the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the embodiments described below, as well as the actions and effects brought about by the configurations, are merely examples and are not limited to the following description.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device 1 according to an embodiment. The information processing device 1 may be, for example, a PC. The information processing device 1 includes an SoC (System on a Chip) 11 (an example of a first control unit), a cooling fan 12 (an example of a cooling device), an EC (Embedded Controller) 13 (an example of a second control unit), and a display 14.

[0011] The SoC 11 is hardware that implements an operating system (hereinafter abbreviated as OS) 20, and may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), memory, a communication interface, a sound card, a temperature sensor, etc. The OS 20 is system software that controls the basic operations of the information processing device 1, and runs by being deployed in a memory provided in the SoC 11.

[0012] The cooling fan 12 is a device that generates cooling air for cooling hardware such as the SoC 11 built into the information processing device 1.

[0013] The EC13 is a microcontroller (integrated circuit) that performs cooling control to drive the cooling fan 12 so that the temperature of the SoC 11 is below a threshold. The EC13 is connected to the SoC 11 via a first bus B1, a second bus B2, and a third bus B3. The first bus B1, the second bus B2, and the third bus B3 are each independent lines. The EC13 is also connected to the cooling fan 12 via a fourth bus B4. The EC13 generates a control signal for controlling the cooling fan 12 based on information input from the SoC 11 via the first bus B1, the second bus B2, and the third bus B3, and outputs the control signal to the cooling fan 12 via the fourth bus B4.

[0014] The display 14 is a device capable of displaying images, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc. The display 14 is controlled by a signal from the SoC 11.

[0015] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the SoC 11 and the EC 13 according to the embodiment. The SoC 11 includes a first power state management unit 101, a second power state management unit 102, and a temperature detection unit 103. These functional units 101 to 103 are realized by cooperation between hardware and software constituting the SoC 11.

[0016] The first power state management unit 101 outputs a first signal indicating a transition to a software-based power saving state (Software Deepest Runtime Idle Platform State (SW DRIPS)) when a predetermined software condition related to the software usage status is satisfied. The software condition may be satisfied, for example, when the software (application) is not running (not being executed). The OS 20 manages the processes such as determining whether the software condition is satisfied and outputting the first signal.

[0017] The second power state management unit 102 outputs a second signal indicating a transition to a hardware power saving state (HW DRIPS: Hardware Deepest Runtime Idle Platform State) when a predetermined hardware condition related to the usage status of the hardware is satisfied. The case where the hardware condition is satisfied may be, for example, a state where the hardware built into the SoC 11 or the hardware connected to the SoC 11 is not operating (no power is supplied).

[0018] The temperature detection unit 103 detects the temperature of the SoC 11. The temperature detection unit 103 may be configured to output a signal indicating that a temperature abnormality has occurred when the temperature of the SoC 11 is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

[0019] The EC 13 includes a power status determining unit 111, a polling processing unit 112, and a cooling control unit 113. These functional units 111 to 113 are realized by the cooperation of hardware and software that constitute the EC 13.

[0020] The power state determination unit 111 determines the power state of the information processing device 1 based on whether or not the first signal and the second signal have been received. The first signal output from the SoC 11 is received by the EC 13 (power state determination unit 111) via the first bus B1. The second signal output from the SoC 11 is received by the EC 13 via the second bus B2. When the power state determination unit 111 receives both the first signal and the second signal from the SoC 11, it determines that the power state of the information processing device 1 has entered a sleep state. The sleep state is a power-saving state in which less power is consumed than in a normal power state. The sleep state in this embodiment may be, for example, a state in which the display 14 is turned off and certain functions are available, such as a state known as modern standby. Examples of certain functions include communication between the information processing device 1 and an external device, audio output, etc. Examples of communication with an external device include receiving email, receiving a message in a social networking service application, and communication with another information processing device via a wireless LAN or a wired LAN.

[0021] The polling processor 112 executes polling to periodically inquire about the transmission of temperature information (presence or absence of temperature abnormality) from the SoC 11. The polling is executed via the third bus B3.

[0022] The cooling control unit 113 executes cooling control to drive the cooling fan 12 so that the temperature of the SoC 11 is below a threshold value. The specific method of cooling control is not particularly limited, but may be executed based on, for example, the temperature of the SoC 11 acquired by polling and a predetermined algorithm or table.

[0023] The EC 13 of this embodiment has a function for appropriately executing cooling control in the sleep state. The cooling control unit 113 of this embodiment stops cooling control when the power state determination unit 111 determines that the SoC 11 has entered the sleep state, i.e., when the first signal and the second signal are output from the SoC 11. Furthermore, the polling processing unit 112 of this embodiment performs polling to detect a temperature abnormality of the SoC 11 (for example, a state in which the temperature of the SoC 11 is equal to or higher than a threshold) after determining that the SoC 11 has entered the sleep state and cooling control has been stopped. Then, when a temperature abnormality of the SoC 11 is detected by polling after cooling control has been stopped due to the transition to the sleep state, the cooling control unit 113 resumes cooling control.

[0024] With the above-described function, even if the SoC 11 generates heat due to the operation of a predetermined function (for example, communication with an external device) after transitioning to the sleep state, it is possible to cool the SoC 11.

[0025] 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing in the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment. When the power state is normal, the EC 13 acquires the temperature of the SoC 11 by polling or the like (S101), and the cooling fan 12 performs cooling control based on the acquired temperature of the SoC 11 (S102).

[0026] The OS 20 generates an event when a software condition is satisfied (S103), and the SoC 11 outputs a first signal to the EC 13 indicating a transition to SW DRIPS in response to the event (S104). Furthermore, the SoC 11 outputs a second signal to the EC 13 indicating a transition to HW DRIPS when a hardware condition is satisfied (S105). The EC 13 stops cooling control when it receives both the first and second signals (S106). That is, the information processing device 1 enters a sleep state, and the cooling fan 12 is stopped. The EC 13 then performs polling to monitor the occurrence of a temperature abnormality in the SoC 11 (S107).

[0027] If a temperature abnormality of the SoC 11 is detected by polling performed in the sleep state, the EC 13 resumes cooling control (S108), which causes the cooling fan 12 to operate while the sleep state is maintained.

[0028] When a predetermined return condition is satisfied during the sleep state (for example, when the keyboard, mouse, etc. are operated), the OS 20 notifies the EC 13 via the SoC 11 that the OS 20 will transition to the normal state (S109). In response to the notification, the EC 13 resumes cooling control (S110).

[0029] According to the above process, when both the software and hardware conditions are satisfied, i.e., when SW DRIPS and HW DRIPS are satisfied, the power state of the information processing device 1 transitions to the sleep state. Then, if a temperature abnormality of the SoC 11 is detected by polling performed after the transition to the sleep state, cooling control is performed while the sleep state is maintained. This allows for appropriate temperature management of the SoC 11 in the sleep state.

[0030] 4 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between SW DRIPS, HW DRIPS, and cooling control in the information processing device 1 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 4, a case where the state of SW DRIPS or HW DRIPS changes after transitioning to a sleep state is illustrated.

[0031] After transitioning to the sleep state, if neither SW DRIPS nor HW DRIPS is in effect, the sleep state is canceled and cooling control is performed, as shown in row A. After transitioning to the sleep state, if SW DRIPS is no longer in effect but HW DRIPS is maintained, the sleep state is canceled and cooling control is performed, as shown in row B. After transitioning to the sleep state, if SW DRIPS is maintained but HW DRIPS is no longer in effect, the sleep state is maintained and cooling control is performed, as shown in row C. After transitioning to the sleep state, if both SW DRIPS and HW DRIPS are maintained, the sleep state is maintained and cooling control is maintained in a stopped state, as shown in row D.

[0032] That is, according to this embodiment, as shown in row C above, even if HW DRIPS is no longer enabled due to hardware factors after transitioning to sleep mode, if a temperature abnormality in SoC11 is detected by polling, cooling control is performed while maintaining the sleep mode.

[0033] As described above, according to this embodiment, cooling control is stopped when a predetermined condition is satisfied and the SoC 11 enters a sleep state as a power-saving state, and cooling control is resumed when an abnormal temperature of the SoC 11 is detected by polling performed after the transition to the sleep state. That is, in the sleep state, the cooling fan 12 is basically stopped and is driven only when cooling of the SoC 11 is necessary. This makes it possible to achieve both quiet operation in the sleep state and effective cooling control.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, the SoC 11 outputs a first signal to the EC 13 when a predetermined software condition related to the usage status of the software is satisfied, and outputs a second signal to the EC 13 when a predetermined hardware condition related to the usage status of the hardware is satisfied, and the EC 13 determines that it has entered the sleep state when it receives the first signal and the second signal. This allows the transition to the sleep state to be accurately determined based on both the software condition and the hardware condition.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, the SoC 11 and the EC 13 are connected to each other by a first bus B1, a second bus B2, and a third bus B3, each of which is an independent line, and the first signal is output from the SoC 11 to the EC 13 via the first bus B1, the second signal is output from the SoC 11 to the EC 13 via the second bus B2, and polling is performed via the third bus B3. This allows the notification of satisfaction of a software condition (transition to SW DRIPS), the notification of satisfaction of a hardware condition (transition to HW DRIPS), and polling to be performed as independent processes.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the sleep state is a state in which the display 14 is turned off and predetermined functions are available. This allows appropriate cooling control to be performed in a sleep state (e.g., modern standby) that can achieve both power saving and convenience.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined function includes communication with an external device, which allows appropriate cooling control of the information processing device 1 that can communicate with external devices (e.g., receive emails, receive messages in an SNS application, communicate with other information processing devices via a wireless LAN or a wired LAN, etc.) in the sleep state.

[0038] The program that causes the information processing device 1 to execute the processing for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiment may be provided in a state in which it is pre-stored in, for example, a storage element mounted on the information processing device 1, but is not limited to this. The program may be provided in a state in which it is stored in an appropriate storage medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be provided via a computer network such as the Internet.

[0039] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1...information processing device, 11...SoC, 12...cooling fan, 13...EC, 14...display, 20...operating system, 101...first power state management unit, 102...second power state management unit, 103...temperature detection unit, 111...power state determination unit, 112...polling processing unit, 113...cooling control unit, B1...first bus, B2...second bus, B3...third bus, B4...fourth bus

Claims

1. a first control unit implementing an operating system; a cooling device that cools the first control unit; a second control unit that executes cooling control to drive the cooling device so that the temperature of the first control unit is below a threshold, and that stops the cooling control when a sleep state is entered as a power saving state that is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, polls the first control unit to detect a temperature abnormality of the first control unit, and resumes the cooling control when a temperature abnormality of the first control unit is detected by the polling; the first control unit outputs a first signal to the second control unit when a predetermined software condition related to a software usage status is satisfied, and outputs a second signal to the second control unit when a predetermined hardware condition related to a hardware usage status is satisfied; the second control unit determines that the sleep state has been entered when the first signal and the second signal are received, maintains the sleep state when the first signal is received in the sleep state, and resumes the cooling control when a temperature abnormality of the first control unit is detected by the polling. Information processing device.

2. The system further includes a first bus, a second bus, and a third bus, which are independent lines connecting the first control unit and the second control unit, the first signal is output from the first control unit to the second control unit via the first bus; the second signal is output from the first control unit to the second control unit via the second bus; the polling is performed via the third bus. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The sleep state is a state in which the display is turned off and predetermined functions are available.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1.

4. the predetermined function includes communication with an external device; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

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