CN101866203B - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic device. An electronic device includes a processing unit and a gravitational acceleration sensor. The gravity acceleration sensor is electrically connected with the processing unit, wherein the gravity acceleration sensor can be used for detecting the posture of the electronic device and outputting a corresponding sensing signal to the processing unit according to the posture of the electronic device. The processing unit can generate a thermal control signal according to the sensing signal so as to reduce the heat energy generated by the electronic device or improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic device. Compared with the traditional electronic device, the invention not only can detect whether the electronic device is operated in a normal posture or not in real time, but also can keep the temperature of the internal system stable, so that the invention can be widely applied to notebook computers, tablet computers or other portable electronic devices.

Description

electronic device

technical field

The invention relates to an electronic device, in particular to an electronic device provided with a gravitational acceleration sensor.

Background technique

A general notebook computer is usually equipped with a heat pipe (heat pipe), which is mainly used to transfer the heat energy generated by the electronic components to a heat sink (heat sink), so as to achieve the effect of heat dissipation, thereby preventing the computer from being damaged due to heat dissipation. Crash or malfunction due to overheating. It should be understood that the working principle of the heat pipe is to make the working fluid inside the heat pipe evaporate from a heated end into a gaseous state and then flow to a cooling end, and then condense back to a liquid state from the cooling end and return to the heated end by capillary force. Such a steady cycle to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation.

However, the working fluid in the heat pipe will be affected by gravity to affect its flow smoothness, so if the notebook computer is not placed in a horizontal posture (as shown in Figure 1), the heat conduction effect of the heat pipe will easily be poor. causing the computer to overheat. In view of this, how to improve the aforementioned known problems has become an important issue.

Contents of the invention

An embodiment of the invention provides an electronic device, including a gravity acceleration sensor and a processing unit. Wherein, the gravity acceleration sensor is used to detect the attitude of the electronic device, and output a sensing signal according to the attitude of the electronic device. The processing unit is electrically connected to the gravitational acceleration sensor for receiving the sensing signal and generating a thermal control signal according to the sensing signal, so as to reduce heat energy generated by the electronic device or improve heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic device.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned electronic device further includes a heat dissipation module electrically connected to the processing unit, and the processing unit transmits the thermal control signal to the heat dissipation module to regulate the output power of the heat dissipation module for the Electronics dissipate heat.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned electronic device further includes a heating element electrically connected to the processing unit, and the processing unit transmits the thermal control signal to the heating element to switch the heating element to an energy-saving mode, thereby reducing The heat energy generated by the heating element.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned gravity acceleration sensor is a complementary metal oxide semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical system chip.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit includes a processor and a data storage, wherein the processor correspondingly generates the aforementioned thermal control signal to Cooling module.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned data storage is a read-only memory or a random access memory.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned sensing signal includes an inclination angle data of the electronic device, and when the aforementioned inclination angle is greater than a reference angle value in the aforementioned preset data, the processor sends a thermal control signal to the cooling module to improve heat dissipation output power of the module.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit is an integrated circuit device, and the processor and the data storage are built in the processing unit.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processor and data storage are two independent integrated circuit components, and are electrically connected to each other through wires.

In an embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit outputs the thermal control signal to the heat dissipation module through a pulse width modulation interface.

In one embodiment, the heat dissipation module includes a fan, and the processing unit outputs a thermal control signal through a pulse width modulation interface to regulate the speed of the fan.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit outputs a thermal control signal to the cooling module through a system management bus.

In one embodiment, the heat dissipation module includes a fan controller and a fan, the thermal control signal is transmitted to the fan controller through a system management bus, and the fan controller regulates the speed of the fan.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned heating element is a display.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit outputs the thermal control signal to the display through a pulse width modulation interface.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit outputs a thermal control signal to turn off the power of the display.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting display (OLED).

In one embodiment, the aforementioned heat-generating component is a central processing unit or a memory, and when the aforementioned heat-generating component switches to an energy-saving mode, the operating frequency of the aforementioned central processing unit or the memory is reduced.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned memory is, for example, a DDR memory.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned electronic device further includes a system basic input-output system, and the aforementioned processing unit outputs a thermal control signal to the system basic input-output system, and lowers the operating frequency of the heating element through the system basic input-output system.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit outputs the thermal control signal to the basic input and output system of the system through a low pin count bus.

Compared with traditional electronic devices, the present invention can not only detect whether the electronic device is operating in a normal posture in real time, but also keep the temperature of its internal system stable, so it can be widely used in notebook computers, tablet computers or other in portable electronic devices.

In order to make the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a notebook computer not placed in a horizontal posture;

FIG. 2 shows a system block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a system block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a system block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a system block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a system block diagram of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Description of main component symbols:

Electronic device 100 Gravity acceleration sensor 10

Processing unit 20 Processor 21

Data Storage 22 Heat Dissipation Module 30

Fan controller 31 Fan 32

Display 40 System BIOS 50

CPU 51 Memory 52

Detailed ways

Referring to FIG. 2 , an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a notebook computer. The electronic device 100 includes a gravitational acceleration sensor (G-sensor) 10, a processing unit 20 and a cooling module 30, The processing unit 20 can correspondingly generate a thermal control signal to the heat dissipation module 30 according to a sensing signal output by the acceleration of gravity sensor 10 , so as to regulate the output performance of the heat dissipation module 30 .

Specifically, the gravitational acceleration sensor 10 in this embodiment can be used to sense the direction of gravity in a three-dimensional space, so as to know whether the posture of the electronic device 100 is tilted, because the posture tilt of the electronic device 100 will be As a result, the heat conduction performance of the heat pipe decreases, so the present invention prevents the system from overheating by taking corresponding measures. It should be understood that the general acceleration of gravity sensor can also be called an accelerometer (accelerometer), which is mainly used to sense the acceleration of gravity in a three-dimensional space; for example, the acceleration of gravity sensor can be set in The inside of the hard disk is used to detect the current attitude of the hard disk. When the hard disk accidentally falls, it can be sensed instantly through the gravity acceleration sensor, and at the same time, the magnetic head will be separated from the disk body and return to its position automatically, so as to prevent accidental damage during the read and write operations. Damaged by impact. Other practical applications related to the acceleration of gravity sensor can also refer to existing technologies such as US patents US 6,754,021, US 6,453,266, and US 7,469,571. In addition, the above-mentioned acceleration of gravity sensor can also be applied to game controllers (video game controllers), such as Nintendo A remote control (remote) used in the Wii game console produced by (Nintendo).

Please continue to refer to FIG. 2, the gravitational acceleration sensor 10 in this embodiment is, for example, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor micro-electro-mechanical system sensor chip (CMOS-MEMS chip), when the attitude of the electronic device 100 is tilted At this time, the acceleration of gravity sensor 10 can immediately detect the tilt angle of the electronic device 100, and transmit a sensing signal to the processing unit 20 through the System Management Bus (SMBus). It should be noted that the processing unit 20 in this embodiment includes a processor 21 and a data storage 22, wherein the processor 21 can transmit the sensing signal according to the acceleration of gravity sensor 10 and the data storage 22 A preset data inside is compared with each other, and a thermal control signal can be correspondingly generated to the heat dissipation module 30, so as to regulate the output power of the heat dissipation module 30 in real time, wherein the aforementioned data storage 22 can be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) Or Random Access Memory (RAM). It should be understood that the aforementioned sensing signal may include, for example, tilt angle data of the electronic device 100. When the tilt angle is greater than a reference angle value in the aforementioned preset data, the processor 21 will immediately send a thermal control signal to the heat sink. module 30 to increase its output power.

In this embodiment, the aforementioned processing unit 20 can be an integrated circuit component, and the processor 21 and the data storage 22 are built in the integrated circuit component; however, the aforementioned processor 21 and the data storage 22 can also be It is two independent integrated circuit components, which can be electrically connected to each other through wires.

It should be noted that when the inclination angle of the electronic device 100 is too large, the circulation of the working fluid in the heat pipe will be hindered, resulting in a decrease in heat dissipation efficiency. At this time, the processing unit 20 can And the cooling module 30 is directly regulated through a pulse width modulation interface (PWM interface). In this embodiment, the aforementioned heat dissipation module 30 may include, for example, a fan or a thermoelectric cooler (Thermoelectric cooler, TEC), and the processing unit 20 may output a thermal control signal through a pulse width modulation interface to increase the output power of the heat dissipation module 30 (such as boosting fan speed or increase the output power and heat dissipation performance of the thermoelectric cooler), so as to prevent the internal components of the electronic device 100 from overheating.

Next, please refer to FIG. 3 , in another embodiment, the processing unit 20 can also output a thermal control signal to the cooling module 30 through a system management bus (SMBus). As shown in Figure 3, the aforementioned cooling module 30 includes a fan controller 31 and a fan 32, wherein the thermal control signal is transmitted to the fan controller 31 through the system management bus, and then the fan controller 31 is used to regulate and increase the speed of the fan 32 , so that the problem of overheating of the internal components of the electronic device 100 can be prevented.

In addition to increasing the fan speed, the present invention can also reduce the generation of internal heat by automatically switching the electronic device 100 to an energy-saving mode, thereby avoiding the problem of overheating. Please refer to FIG. 4 , when the tilt angle of the electronic device 100 is too large, the aforementioned processing unit 20 can output a thermal control signal to a display 40 of the electronic device 100 through the pulse width modulation interface, so as to make it enter an energy-saving mode or turn off the power supply, Since the display 40 in the energy-saving mode can reduce heat generation, it can effectively prevent the electronic device 100 from overheating, wherein the display 40 is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic light emitting display (OLED).

Please refer to FIG. 5 again, another embodiment of the present invention is to reduce the heat generation by lowering the operating frequency of the CPU or the memory. As shown in FIG. 5, the aforementioned processing unit 20 can output a corresponding thermal control signal to a system basic input and output system through a Low Pin Count (Low Pin Count, LPC) bus according to the sensing signal of the gravity acceleration sensor 10. (system BIOS) 50, and then regulate the operating frequency of the central processing unit 51 or memory 52 (such as DDR memory) by the system basic input and output system 50. In other words, the aforementioned central processing unit 51 or memory 52 is switched to an energy-saving mode by reducing the frequency. Since the operating frequency of the central processing unit 51 and the memory 52 is reduced, heat generation can be effectively suppressed, thereby ensuring that the electronic device 100 can reduce heat dissipation performance. It can still be maintained in a stable temperature range.

It should be noted that the aforementioned processing unit 20 may also include a central processing unit 51 (as shown in FIG. 6 ). When the tilt angle of the electronic device 100 is too large, the central processing unit 51 may automatically lowers its own operating frequency based on incoming sensing signals. In addition, the processing unit 20 can also simultaneously generate a thermal control signal to the system BIOS 50 , and then lower the operating frequency of the memory 52 through the system BIOS 50 .

To sum up, the present invention provides an electronic device with a gravitational acceleration sensor. When the aforementioned electronic device is not placed horizontally or tilted in a posture, its posture can be sensed by the gravitational acceleration sensor, and according to The attitude of the electronic device outputs a sensing signal. In particular, the present invention can receive the sensing signal through a processing unit and generate a thermal control signal according to the sensing signal, so as to reduce the heat energy generated by the electronic device or improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the electronic device. For example, the processing unit can output a thermal control signal to the heat dissipation module electrically connected to it, so as to increase the output power of the heat dissipation module, or the processing unit can also reduce the frequency of the electronic device or enter the energy saving mode, etc. The heat-generating components (such as central processing unit, memory or other electronic components) electrically connected to the processing unit generate heat, so as to prevent the problem of overheating. Compared with traditional electronic devices, the present invention can not only detect whether the electronic device is operating in a normal posture in real time, but also keep the temperature of its internal system stable, so it can be widely used in notebook computers, tablet computers or other in portable electronic devices.

Although the present invention is disclosed above with the foregoing embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs should be able to make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. electronic installation comprises:

One acceleration of gravity sensor in order to detecting the attitude of said electronic installation, and is exported a sensing signal according to the attitude of said electronic installation; And

One processing unit electrically connects said acceleration of gravity sensor, in order to receive said sensing signal and to produce a heat control signal according to said sensing signal, uses the radiating efficiency that improves said electronic installation;

Wherein, said electronic installation also comprises a radiating module, electrically connect said processing unit, and said processing unit is sent to said radiating module with said heat control signal, uses the output power of the said radiating module of regulation and control, so that said electronic installation is dispelled the heat;

Wherein, said processing unit comprises a processor and a data storage, and the result that said processor is compared according to the preset data in said sensing signal and the said data storage each other produces said heat control signal to said radiating module accordingly;

Wherein, Said sensing signal comprises angle of inclination data of said electronic installation; When said angle of inclination greater than one in the said preset data during with reference to angle value, said processor sends said heat control signal to said radiating module, to promote the output power of said radiating module;

Wherein, said electronic installation is notebook computer or flat computer.

2. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said data storage are ROM (read-only memory) or random access storage device.

3. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit are an integrated circuit package, and are built among the said processing unit in said processor and the said data storage.

4. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor and said data storage are two independently integrated circuit packages, and electrically connect each other.

5. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to said radiating module through a pulse-length modulation interface.

6. electronic installation as claimed in claim 5, wherein said radiating module comprises a fan, said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to regulate and control the rotating speed of said fan via said pulse-length modulation interface.

7. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to said radiating module through a System Management Bus.

8. electronic installation as claimed in claim 7; Wherein said radiating module comprises a fan governor and a fan; Said heat control signal is sent to said fan governor via said System Management Bus, and regulates and control the rotating speed of said fan through said fan governor.

9. electronic installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein said acceleration of gravity sensor are a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip of micro-electro-mechanical system.

10. electronic installation comprises:

One acceleration of gravity sensor in order to detecting the attitude of said electronic installation, and is exported a sensing signal according to the attitude of said electronic installation; And

One processing unit electrically connects said acceleration of gravity sensor, in order to receive said sensing signal and to produce a heat control signal according to said sensing signal, uses and reduces the heat energy that said electronic installation produced;

Wherein, Said electronic installation also comprises a heat generating component, electrically connect said processing unit, and said processing unit is sent to said heat generating component with said heat control signal; To switch said heat generating component to an energy saver mode, use and reduce the heat energy that said heat generating component produced;

Wherein, said heat generating component is a display, and said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to said display through a pulse-length modulation interface;

Wherein, said electronic installation is notebook computer or flat computer.

11. an electronic installation comprises:

One acceleration of gravity sensor in order to detecting the attitude of said electronic installation, and is exported a sensing signal according to the attitude of said electronic installation; And

One processing unit electrically connects said acceleration of gravity sensor, in order to receive said sensing signal and to produce a heat control signal according to said sensing signal, uses and reduces the heat energy that said electronic installation produced;

Wherein, Said electronic installation also comprises a heat generating component, electrically connect said processing unit, and said processing unit is sent to said heat generating component with said heat control signal; To switch said heat generating component to an energy saver mode, use and reduce the heat energy that said heat generating component produced;

Wherein said heat generating component is a central processing unit or storer, when said heat generating component switches to said energy saver mode, reduces the operating frequency of said central processing unit or said storer;

Wherein, said electronic installation is notebook computer or flat computer.

12. electronic installation as claimed in claim 11, wherein said storer are a DDR storer.

13. an electronic installation comprises:

One acceleration of gravity sensor in order to detecting the attitude of said electronic installation, and is exported a sensing signal according to the attitude of said electronic installation; And

One processing unit electrically connects said acceleration of gravity sensor, in order to receive said sensing signal and to produce a heat control signal according to said sensing signal, uses and reduces the heat energy that said electronic installation produced;

Wherein, Said electronic installation also comprises a heat generating component, electrically connect said processing unit, and said processing unit is sent to said heat generating component with said heat control signal; To switch said heat generating component to an energy saver mode, use and reduce the heat energy that said heat generating component produced;

Wherein, said electronic installation also comprises system's ROM-BIOS, and said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to said system ROM-BIOS, and downgrades the operating frequency of said heat generating component through said system ROM-BIOS;

Wherein, said electronic installation is notebook computer or flat computer.

14. electronic installation as claimed in claim 13, wherein said processing unit is exported said heat control signal to said system ROM-BIOS through a low pin count bus.

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