JP2008084010A - Information processing apparatus and control method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus capable of performing efficient cooling. <P>SOLUTION: The information processing apparatus 1 comprises a main control part 30 mounted on a main substrate 20 stored in a housing 10, a first temperature detection part 31 for detecting the temperature of the main control part 30, a second temperature detection part 32 for detecting the temperature of the main substrate 20, a power supply device 50 stored in the housing 10, a fan 52 for cooling the power supply device 50, and a fan control part 53 for controlling the rotation of the fan 52 according to the temperature of the power supply device 50. The main control part 30 controls the rotation of the fan 52 independently of the fan control part 53 when a prescribed condition is formed, and controls the rotation of the fan 52 through the fan control part 53 when the prescribed condition is not formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus having a function of controlling a cooling fan for a power supply device.

  Information processing devices such as notebook PCs (Personal Computers), desktop PCs, and servers are equipped with devices that generate heat, such as CPUs (Central Processing Units) and HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). Must control the temperature of each device to operate within the specified temperature.

  As a conventional cooling technique, in addition to natural air cooling, forced cooling means that performs cooling by forcibly flowing air into a casing using a fan has become mainstream. However, the amount of heat generated from each element tends to increase as the performance of the CPU increases and the storage capacity of the HDD increases.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-260260 discloses a technique for cooling a fan to an appropriate temperature by driving a fan at high speed even when the temperature suddenly becomes high.
JP 2006-172269 A (page 12, FIG. 1)

  By the way, there is a power supply device as one of the high heat generation devices mounted on an information processing apparatus such as a desktop PC. The power supply generally has a thermistor to control a fan that cools the power supply. That is, cooling is performed by controlling the rotation of the fan included in the power supply device using the change in the resistance value according to the temperature change of the thermistor.

  On the other hand, in the information processing apparatus, a main board on which a CPU which is a high heat generating component is mounted is accommodated. The CPU on the main board is often forcedly cooled by a fan by measuring the temperature of the CPU separately from the power supply device.

  However, a desktop PC often mounts a general-purpose device (unit), and a power supply device incorporating a thermistor is not always mounted. In this case, there is a problem that the power supply device is cooled more than necessary and consumes more power than necessary.

  Even when a power supply device incorporating a thermistor is mounted, there may be a large temperature difference between the temperature inside the housing (for example, on the main board) and the temperature inside the power supply device. For example, even if the temperature inside the housing is increased, the temperature in the power supply device is not increased, and the cooling operation by the power supply device may not be performed.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and has a function of switching the cooling of the power supply device between the case of control by the fan control unit and the case of control by the main control unit under predetermined conditions. It aims at providing the information processor which can perform efficient cooling by having.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing, a main control unit mounted on a main board accommodated in the housing, and a first temperature detecting the temperature of the main control unit. Temperature detector, a second temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the main board, a power supply device housed in the housing, a fan for cooling the power supply device, and a temperature of the power supply device An information processing apparatus having a fan control unit that controls rotation of the fan, wherein the main control unit rotates the fan without going through the fan control unit when a predetermined condition is satisfied. If the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the fan control unit controls the rotation of the fan.

  In addition, another information processing apparatus of the present invention includes a housing, a housing, a CPU, a first temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU, and a second that detects its own temperature. A power supply device having a main board on which a temperature detection unit is mounted; a fan housed in the housing for cooling the own device; and a thermistor that controls rotation of the fan according to the temperature of the own device; The CPU controls the rotation of the fan without passing through the thermistor when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and rotates the fan with the thermistor when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. It is characterized by being controlled.

  The information processing apparatus control method according to the present invention includes a housing, a CPU housed in the housing, a first temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU, and a second that detects its own temperature. An information processing apparatus comprising: a main board on which the temperature detection unit is mounted; a fan for cooling the own device; and a power supply device including a thermistor that controls rotation of the fan according to the temperature of the own device. In this control method, the CPU is configured such that the temperature of the power supply device converted by the thermistor is higher than the temperature of the main substrate detected by the second temperature detection unit, and the first temperature detection is performed. When the temperature of the CPU detected by the control unit is higher than a predetermined temperature and the rotation speed of the fan controlled by the thermistor is less than the predetermined rotation speed, the fan is not connected via the thermistor. Times Controls, if not satisfied at least one of said condition of said condition is characterized thereby controlling the rotation of the fan by the thermistor.

An information processing apparatus that can perform efficient cooling can be provided.

  Embodiments of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a view of the information processing apparatus as seen from the top surface after being cut along a predetermined cross section. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a casing 10, a main control unit 30, a power supply device 50, an ODD (Optical Disk Drive) 60, an HDD 70, and an FDD (Floppy Disk Drive) 80 (“FLOPPY” is a registered trademark. ) And a fan 90 as main components. The information processing apparatus 1 is, for example, a desktop PC, a server, a PC server, or the like.

  Next, details of each element will be described.

  The main control unit 30 is mounted on the main board 20. Further, a fan 40 for cooling the main control unit 30 and a temperature sensor (second temperature detection unit) 32 for detecting the temperature on the main substrate are mounted on the main substrate 20. A plurality of mounting components (not shown) are mounted on the main board 20. The power supply device 50, the ODD 60, the HDD 70, the FDD 80, and the fan 90 may be mounted on the main substrate 20 as mounting components. In this embodiment, however, the connecting device (not shown) such as a connector or a harness is used. It is connected to the main board 20. As will be described later, the main control unit 30 controls the information processing apparatus 1 as a whole. The main control unit 30 is a CPU, for example.

  The main control unit 30 is one of the elements that generate particularly high heat in the entire information processing apparatus 1, and the fan 40 is mounted as shown in FIG. 1 for the main purpose of cooling the main control unit 30. . The main control unit 30 includes a first temperature detection unit 31 that plays the role of a temperature sensor, as will be described later.

  The ODD 60 is a part that reads or writes information by inserting an optical disk medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM. The ODD 60 may include a temperature sensor 61 inside or around it, as will be described later.

  The HDD 70 is a part for storing information, and stores an OS and other information in addition to a program indicating a control method of the main control unit 30. In this embodiment, there is one HDD 70, but there may be one HDD or a plurality of HDDs. Note that the HDD 70 may include a temperature sensor 71 inside or around it as described later.

  The FDD 80 stores information in the medium by inserting a floppy disk ("floppy" is a registered trademark). As will be described later, the FDD 80 may include a temperature sensor 81 inside or around it.

  The power supply device 50 supplies power to the information processing apparatus 1 via an AC commercial power supply (not shown). That is, the power supply device 50 supplies power to the main board 20, ODD 60, HDD 70, FDD 80, and fan 90 by a harness (not shown). The main controller 30 is also supplied with power via the main board 20. The power supply device 50 is also one of the elements that generate high heat, and a fan 52 is mounted as shown in FIG. 1 for the main purpose of cooling the power supply device 50. The fan 52 is mounted, for example, at a position close to the side surface of the housing 10. In FIG. 1, the fan 52 is built in the power supply device 50, but may not necessarily be built in if it is around the power supply device 50.

  The casing 10 is mounted with an intake fan 90 for the purpose of cooling the information processing apparatus 1. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the fan 90 is mounted near the side surface of the housing 10 opposite to the fan 52, and a suction hole 12 is provided in a portion of the housing 10 that faces the fan 90. .

  Therefore, air (fresh air) that has entered from the intake hole 12 is mainly discharged from the exhaust hole 11 and the exhaust hole 13. A temperature sensor 91 is provided near the fan 90 in order to detect the ambient temperature of the housing 10.

  Next, the cooling control function according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for illustrating a cooling control function in the information processing apparatus 1.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a main control unit 30, a fan 40, a power supply device 50, a storage unit 100, an operation unit 110, a display unit 120, and a second temperature detection unit 32. And have. Each element is connected to each other by a bus B. In addition, the information processing apparatus 1 includes a first temperature detection unit 31 that is a temperature sensor, and is connected to the main control unit 30. In FIG. 2, the ODD 60, HDD 70, FDD 80, fan 90, etc. are not shown.

  The main control unit 30 is a part that controls cooling of the entire information processing apparatus 1. That is, the main control unit 30 controls not only the fan 40 but also the fan 52 and the fan 90. This fan control is performed based on the instructions of the fan control program 300 stored in the storage unit 100. The main control unit 30 detects the temperature of the main control unit 30 constantly or every predetermined time by the first temperature detection unit 31. Further, the temperature of the main substrate 20 is detected constantly or every predetermined time by the second temperature detector 32. Similarly, when temperature sensors 61, 71, 81, 91 are provided, these temperatures are also monitored every predetermined time or constantly.

  The power supply device 50 includes a fan 52 and a fan control unit 53 that controls the rotation of the fan 52. The fan control unit 53 is a thermistor whose resistance value changes with a change in temperature of the power supply device 50, for example. Note that the information processing apparatus 1 may be provided with a general-purpose power supply device that does not include the fan control unit 53. Therefore, as will be described later, the main control unit 30 determines whether or not the power supply device 50 has a fan control unit 53.

  The storage unit 100 is a part that stores other information of the fan control program 300. The storage unit 100 is, for example, an HDD, an FDD, or a memory.

  The operation unit 110 is a part for inputting commands to the information processing apparatus 1 by the user. The operation unit 110 is, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device.

  The display unit 120 is a part that outputs the processing result of the information processing apparatus 1. The display unit 120 is a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a speaker, or the like. In FIG. 2, the operation unit 110 and the display unit 120 are incorporated in the information processing apparatus 1, but may be provided outside the information processing apparatus 1.

  Next, a method for cooling the power supply device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the fan control program 300.

  The main control unit 30 first determines whether or not the power supply device 50 is driven (step S10). As a result, when the main control unit 30 determines that the power supply device 50 is not driven (No in step S10), the processing by this program ends.

  On the other hand, when the main control unit 30 determines that the power supply device 50 is being driven (Yes in step S10), the main control unit 30 next determines whether the power supply device 50 has the fan control unit 53 or not. Is determined (step S20). As a result, when the main control unit 30 determines that the power supply device 50 does not have the fan control unit 53 (No in step S20), the main control unit 30 performs a process in step S60 described later. That is, if the fan control unit 53 is not provided, the main control unit 30 controls the fan 52.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the main control unit 30 has the fan control unit 53 (Yes in step S20), the main control unit 30 determines that the temperature TS of the power supply device 50 detected by the fan control unit 53 is Then, it is determined whether or not the temperature is higher than the main substrate 20 temperature TH detected by the second temperature detector 32 (step S30).

  As a result, when the temperature TS of the power supply device 50 is not higher than the main substrate 20 temperature TH (No in step S30), the main control unit 30 does not control the fan 52, and the fan control unit 53 causes the fan 52 to Is controlled (step S70). As a result, the cooling of the power supply device 50 is left to the fan control unit 53 that controls the rotational speed of the fan 52 in accordance with the temperature of the power supply device 50.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the concept of control of the fan 52. In step S70, as shown in FIG. 4A, the cooling of the power supply device 50 is left to the fan control unit 53.

  On the other hand, when the main control unit 30 determines that the temperature TS of the power supply device 50 is higher than the temperature TH of the main substrate 20 (Yes in step S30), the main control unit 30 then selects the first temperature detection unit 31. It is determined whether or not the temperature TC of the main control unit 30 detected is higher than a predetermined temperature α (step S40).

  As a result, when the main control unit 30 determines that the temperature TC of the main control unit 30 is not higher than the predetermined temperature α (No in step S40), the main control unit 30 does not control the fan 52. Then, the fan controller 53 controls the fan 52 (step S70). In other words, the cooling of the power supply device 50 is left to the fan control unit 53.

  On the other hand, if the main control unit 30 determines that the temperature TC of the main control unit 30 is higher than the predetermined temperature α (Yes in step S40), then the main control unit 30 is controlled by the fan control unit 53. It is determined whether or not the rotation speed N of the fan 52 is lower than a predetermined rotation speed β determined in advance (step S50).

  As a result, when the main control unit 30 determines that the rotation speed N is not lower than the rotation speed β (No in step S50), the main control unit 30 does not control the fan 52, and the fan control unit 53 The fan 52 is controlled (step S70). In other words, the cooling of the power supply device 50 is left to the fan control unit 53.

  On the other hand, when the main control unit 30 determines that the rotation speed N is lower than the rotation speed β (Yes in step S50), the control of the fan 52 is performed by the control unit 30 (step S60), and this process ends. To do. That is, in step S60, as shown in FIG. 4B, the main control unit 30 directly controls the rotational speed of the fan 52.

  Note that the processing described above may always be processed as a routine. Accordingly, when any of the above conditions is not satisfied, the process from step S60 can be changed to the process of step S70 at any time. Conversely, if the predetermined condition is satisfied, the process from step S70 can be changed to the process of step S60.

  As described above, the cooling of the power supply device 50 in the information processing apparatus 1 has a function of switching between the case of the control by the fan control unit 53 and the case of the control by the main control unit 30 under a predetermined condition. Cooling can be performed.

The conceptual diagram of the information processing apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. 3 is a functional block diagram for illustrating a cooling control function in the information processing apparatus 1. FIG. The flowchart which showed the fan control program 300. The figure which showed the concept of control of the fan 52. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information processing apparatus 10 Cases 11 and 13 Exhaust hole part 12 Intake hole part 20 Main board 30 CPU (main control part)
31 Temperature sensor (first temperature detector)
32 Temperature sensor (second temperature detector)
40, 52, 90 Fan 50 Power supply 53 Fan control unit 60 ODD
61, 71, 81, 91 Temperature sensor 70 HDD
80 FDD
100 Storage Unit 110 Operation Unit 120 Display Unit 300 Fan Control Program

Claims (9)

A housing,
A main control unit mounted on a main board housed in the housing;
A first temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the main control unit;
A second temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the main substrate;
A power supply device housed in the housing;
A fan for cooling the power supply;
A fan control unit for controlling rotation of the fan according to the temperature of the power supply device;
An information processing apparatus having
The main control unit controls the rotation of the fan without going through the fan control unit when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and when the predetermined condition is not satisfied, the main control unit controls the fan by the fan control unit. An information processing apparatus that controls the rotation of the computer. The predetermined condition is
The temperature of the power supply device converted by the fan control unit is higher than the temperature of the main board detected by the second temperature detection unit,
The temperature of the main control unit detected by the first temperature detection unit is higher than a predetermined temperature, and the rotational speed of the fan controlled by the fan control unit is less than the predetermined rotational speed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The main control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the power supply apparatus includes the fan control unit. When the main control unit determines that the power supply device does not include the fan control unit, the main control unit The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit controls rotation of the fan.   The main control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the power supply device is driven. When the power supply device is determined not to be driven, the main control unit does not control the fan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1. A housing,
A main board that is housed in the housing and has a CPU, a first temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU, and a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU;
A power supply device housed in the housing and having a fan for cooling the device itself, and a thermistor for controlling the rotation of the fan according to the temperature of the device;
With
The CPU controls the rotation of the fan without passing through the thermistor when the predetermined condition is satisfied, and controls the rotation of the fan with the thermistor when the predetermined condition is not satisfied. An information processing apparatus characterized by the above. The predetermined condition is
The temperature of the power supply device converted by the thermistor is higher than the temperature of the main substrate detected by the second temperature detection unit,
The temperature of the CPU detected by the first temperature detector is higher than a predetermined temperature;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation speed of the fan controlled by the thermistor is less than a predetermined rotation speed.   The main control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the power supply apparatus includes the thermistor. When it is determined that the power supply device does not include the thermistor, the main control unit does not pass through the thermistor. 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation of the fan is controlled.   The main control unit includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the power supply device is driven. When the power supply device is determined not to be driven, the main control unit does not control the fan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5. A housing,
A main board that is housed in the housing and has a CPU, a first temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU, and a second temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the CPU;
A power supply device having a fan for cooling the own device, and a thermistor for controlling rotation of the fan according to the temperature of the own device;
A method for controlling an information processing apparatus comprising:
The CPU
The temperature of the power supply device converted by the thermistor is higher than the temperature of the main substrate detected by the second temperature detector,
The temperature of the CPU detected by the first temperature detector is higher than a predetermined temperature;
When the rotation speed of the fan controlled by the thermistor is less than a predetermined rotation speed, the rotation of the fan is controlled without going through the thermistor, and at least one of the conditions does not satisfy the condition The control method of the information processing apparatus, wherein the thermistor controls the rotation of the fan.

Images