JP2020119243A - Electronic apparatus, means for detecting fitting of cooling means, and program for detecting fitting of cooling means - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus, a method for detecting fitting of cooling means, and a program for detecting fitting of cooling means which, in a state in which an electronic circuit has the highest load, can correctly inspect whether or not cooling means sufficiently cools the electronic circuit.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus 10 according to the invention has a processor 11 including an integrated circuit for executing a program, cooling means 12 fitted to the processor 11 for cooling the processor 11, a temperature sensor 14 for measuring temperature of the processor 11, and a memory 13 for storing a program which the processor 11 executes. The processor 11 carries out temperature increasing processing for setting a use ratio of the processor 11 to a predetermined ratio or higher. If the temperature of the processor 11 is lower than the predetermined temperature after the temperature increasing processing, the processor 11 determines that the cooling means 12 is normally fitted to the processor 11. If on the other hand the temperature of the processor 11 is the predetermined temperature or higher, the processor 11 determines that the cooling means 12 is not normally fitted to the processor 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, a cooling unit mounting detection method, and a cooling unit mounting detection program.

In order to cope with complicated and high-speed processing of electronic devices, ICs (Integrated Circuits) including LSIs (Large Scale Integrated Circuits) are being highly integrated and clocked year by year. The power consumption of the IC has increased along with the high integration and the high clock, and the heat generation amount of the IC itself has also increased. As described above, in order to prevent the operation upper limit temperature of the IC from being exceeded due to heat generation of the IC itself, a component for heat dissipation called a heat sink is mounted to lower the temperature of the component.

Generally, the heat sink is mounted on the upper surface of the IC. However, if a gap is formed due to the unevenness of the IC and the surface of the heat sink, the heat conduction efficiency is deteriorated and sufficient heat cannot be dissipated. Therefore, a heat conductive sheet or a heat conductive grease made of a soft material is sandwiched between the IC and the heat sink so that the heat sink is brought into close contact with the heat conductive sheet to increase the heat conductive efficiency.

However, if you forget to attach the heat-conducting sheet or apply heat-conducting grease, or if the connection area is insufficient due to air bubbles that occur when attaching the heat-conducting sheet, gaps in the attaching position, or insufficient amount of heat-conducting grease applied, In some cases, a sufficient heat dissipation effect cannot be obtained.

On the other hand, since the heat sink is usually made of an opaque metal material, it is difficult to visually observe the heat conductive sheet or the heat conductive grease. Therefore, image analysis by X-ray or the like is required to see the attachment state of the heat conductive sheet and the application state of the heat conductive grease, and the time required for capital investment and observation is required.

Patent Document 1 describes an abnormality inspection system that determines that an abnormality has occurred in a cooling unit when the component circuit has a high temperature even though the electronic circuit on which the heat-generating component is mounted consumes less current.

JP2012-64975A

However, in the abnormality inspection system described in Patent Document 1, since the inspection is not performed in the state where the electronic circuit generates the most heat, the cooling unit can sufficiently cool the electronic circuit when the load of the electronic circuit is the highest. There was a problem that it could not be correctly inspected whether or not it is.

According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a processor including an integrated circuit that executes a program, a cooling unit that is mounted on the processor to cool the processor, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the processor, and the processor executes the temperature sensor. And a memory for storing a program, wherein the processor performs a temperature raising process for making the usage rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio, and the processor, after the temperature raising process, has a predetermined temperature of the processor. If it is less than, it is determined that the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor, and after the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor. I decided that it wasn't installed.

A cooling means mounting detection method according to an embodiment causes a processor equipped with a cooling means to perform a temperature raising process for making a utilization rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio, and measures the temperature of the processor after the temperature raising process. Then, after the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is lower than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor, and after the temperature raising process, the temperature of the processor is predetermined. When the temperature is equal to or higher than the temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor.

A cooling unit mounting detection program according to an embodiment includes a step of causing a processor mounted with a cooling unit to perform a temperature raising process for making a utilization rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio, and a temperature of the processor after the temperature raising process. And a step of measuring the temperature rise process, and if the temperature of the processor is lower than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is properly attached to the processor, and the processor after the temperature rise process, If the temperature is higher than or equal to a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor.

According to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the present invention, it is possible to correctly inspect whether or not the cooling unit can sufficiently cool the electronic circuit when the load of the electronic circuit is the highest. ..

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to a second embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of CPU which mounted the cooling means. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the electronic device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of an electronic device according to a third embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the electronic device according to the third embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electronic device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 includes a processor 11, a cooling unit 12, a memory 13, and a temperature sensor 14.

The processor 11 is a device including an integrated circuit that executes a program. The processor 11 is connected to the memory 13 via a bus. Then, the processor 11 can read the programs and data stored in the memory 13. The processor 11 is also connected to the temperature sensor 14. Then, the processor 11 can read the temperature data measured by the temperature sensor 14.

The cooling unit 12 is a device mounted on the processor 11 to cool the processor 11.
The memory 13 is a storage circuit that stores a program executed by the processor 11.
The temperature sensor 14 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the processor 11.

In the above-described configuration, the processor 11 executes the temperature raising process that makes the usage rate of the processor 11 equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio. Then, if the temperature of the processor 11 measured by the temperature sensor 14 is lower than the predetermined temperature after the temperature raising process, the processor 11 determines that the cooling unit 12 is normally attached to the processor 11. After the temperature raising process, the processor 11 determines that the cooling unit 12 is not normally attached to the processor when the temperature of the processor 11 measured by the temperature sensor 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

As described above, according to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the first embodiment, the temperature rising process is executed to make the usage rate of the processor equal to or higher than the predetermined ratio, and the processor after the temperature rising process is executed. By measuring the temperature of, it is possible to determine whether or not the cooling means is properly attached to the processor.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the device in which the cooling means is mounted and whose temperature is measured and the device which determines whether or not the cooling means is properly mounted in the processor are the same device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electronic device according to the second embodiment. 2, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 2, the electronic device 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a cooling unit 12, a memory 13, a temperature sensor 14, a display device 25, and a peripheral device 26.

The CPU 111 has a configuration corresponding to the processor 11 of the first embodiment. The CPU 111 is connected to the memory 13 via an address bus, a data bus and a control bus. The CPU 111 is a processor that reads the program and data stored in the memory 13 and executes the program.

The cooling means 12 is a member mounted in contact with or close to the CPU 111 in order to release the heat generated in the CPU 111 to the outside of the electronic circuit to cool it. For example, the cooling means 12 is preferably a heat sink, a cooling fan, a heat pipe or a Peltier element. Further, the cooling means 12 may be a combination of a heat sink, a cooling fan, a heat pipe and a Peltier element. The cooling means 12 is preferably a combination of a heat sink and a cooling fan.

The memory 13 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 131 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 132. The ROM 131 is a storage circuit that stores data such as programs and settings. The ROM 131 may be either a mask ROM or a PROM (Programmable ROM). The RAM 132 is a storage circuit that holds program data and temporary data obtained by converting the program in the ROM 131 into an executable format. The RAM 132 may be any of SRAM (Static RAM), DRAM (Dynamic RAM), FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM), ReRAM (Resistive RAM) or PRAM (Phase change RAM).

The temperature sensor 14 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the CPU 111 in the processor 11. For example, the temperature sensor 14 may be any of a thermistor, a thermocouple, and a resistance temperature detector.

The display device 25 is a display device for displaying at least the state of the CPU 111. The display device 25 is a display device that can distinguish between a state where the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor and a state where the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor. For example, the display device 25 is a device that can display, in characters or graphics, a state where the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor and a state where the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor.

Specifically, the display device 25 is preferably a liquid crystal display or an LED (light emitting diode) display. In addition, the display device 25 is a device that can distinguish between a state in which the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor and a state in which the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor by displaying continuous or blinking colors or displays. It may be. Specifically, the display device 25 is preferably an LED of a different color or an LED whose display can be switched continuously or by blinking.

The peripheral device 26 is a device that is connected to an external device and provides a unique function. For example, the peripheral device 26 is a device that communicates with an external device.

Next, an example of mounting the cooling means 12 will be described. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an example of a CPU equipped with a cooling means. FIG. 3 shows an example in which a heat sink is attached to the CPU 111 as an example of the cooling unit 12. In FIG. 3, the CPU 111 has a heat sink 121 mounted on one surface via a heat conductive sheet 112.

Instead of the heat conductive sheet 112, heat conductive grease may be applied to one surface of the CPU 111, and the heat sink 121 may be mounted on the applied one surface of the CPU 111.

As described above, when the cooling means 12 is properly attached to the CPU 111, the heat of the CPU 111 is conducted to the cooling means 12, and the temperature rise of the CPU 111 is suppressed. However, when the cooling means 12 is not properly attached to the CPU 111, the heat of the CPU 111 is not sufficiently conducted to the cooling means 12, and the temperature of the CPU 111 continues to rise.

Therefore, the electronic device 20 according to the second embodiment raises the temperature of the CPU 111 by performing a process of increasing the usage rate of the CPU 111 to a predetermined ratio or more, measures the temperature of the CPU 111, and attaches the heat sink 121 normally. Determine if.

Next, a process of determining whether or not the cooling means 12 is properly mounted will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electronic device according to the second embodiment.

First, in step S41, the CPU 111 reads the program from the ROM 131, and proceeds to step S42.

In step S42, the CPU 111 converts the read program into an executable format. Then, the CPU 111 writes the converted program in the RAM 132, and proceeds to step S43.

In step S43, the CPU 111 reads the inspection program from the RAM 132, and proceeds to step S44. In this inspection program, processing for setting the usage rate of the CPU 111 to a predetermined rate or higher is described. For example, in Linux (registered trademark) which is an OS (Operating System) of Unix (registered trademark) system, the CPU usage rate can be set to 100% by performing the process of "# yes >/dev/null &".

In step S44, the CPU 111 executes the inspection program, and proceeds to step S45.

In step S45, the CPU 111 waits for a predetermined time while executing the inspection program, and proceeds to step S46. For example, the predetermined time is 60 seconds.

In step S46, the CPU 111 reads the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 14, and proceeds to step S47.

In step S47, the CPU 111 compares the temperature T of the CPU 111 read from the temperature sensor 14 with a predetermined upper limit temperature T(limit). Here, the upper limit temperature T(limit) is a threshold value determined by confirming the temperature increase in the normal state by the preliminary evaluation.

If the temperature T of the CPU 111 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature T(limit), the process proceeds to step S48. If the temperature T of the CPU 111 is lower than the upper limit temperature T(limit), the process proceeds to step S49.

In step S48, the CPU 111 causes the display device 25 to display a message indicating that it is in an abnormal state (a state in which the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor), and proceeds to step S50.

In step S49, the CPU 111 causes the display device 25 to display a message indicating that the display device 25 is in a normal state (a state in which the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor), and proceeds to step S50.
In step S50, the CPU 111 ends the inspection program.

As described above, according to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the second embodiment, the temperature of the CPU is raised by performing the process of setting the CPU usage rate to be equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio. By measuring the temperature of the CPU, it is possible to know whether the desired heat dissipation effect is obtained, and it is possible to judge whether the heat sink is properly mounted.

Further, according to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the second embodiment, it is possible to inspect whether the heat sink is mounted correctly without using special equipment. Can be suppressed. Further, according to the electronic device of the second embodiment, it is possible to perform the inspection in a shorter time as compared with the case of performing the image analysis and the like, and it is possible to shorten the inspection time.

Then, according to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the cooling unit can sufficiently cool the electronic circuit when the load of the electronic circuit is the highest. Can be inspected correctly.

(Embodiment 3)
In the third embodiment, an example in which a device in which a cooling unit is mounted and whose temperature is measured and a processor which determines whether or not the cooling unit is normally mounted in the device are different will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the electronic device according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 5, the electronic device 30 includes a CPU 111, a memory 13, a display device 25, a cooling unit 32, a peripheral device 36, and a temperature sensor 34. 5, the same components as those in FIG. 1 or 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

The cooling unit 32 is a member mounted in contact with or in proximity to the peripheral device 36 in order to release the heat generated in the peripheral device 36 to the outside of the electronic circuit to cool it. For example, the cooling means 32 is preferably a heat sink, a cooling fan, a heat pipe or a Peltier element. Further, the cooling means 32 may be a combination of a heat sink, a cooling fan, a heat pipe and a Peltier element. The cooling means 32 is preferably a combination of a heat sink and a cooling fan.

The peripheral device 36 is a communication device. For example, the peripheral device 36 may be an Ethernet (registered trademark) communication device. Specifically, the peripheral device 36 may have a loopback function for artificially creating a communication state by folding a transmission signal back into a reception signal for testing, and a function for changing the amplitude of the transmission signal. The power consumption of the communication component is higher in the communication state than in the non-communication state, and the power consumption increases as the amplitude of the transmission signal increases. Therefore, the CPU 11 can intentionally increase the power consumption by enabling the communication function of the peripheral device 36. For example, the peripheral device 36 is connected to the CPU 11 via a serial bus, and the CPU 111 enables the communication function of the peripheral device 36.

The temperature sensor 34 is a sensor that measures the temperature of the peripheral device 36. For example, the temperature sensor 34 may be any of a thermistor, a thermocouple, and a resistance temperature detector. Further, for example, the temperature sensor 34 can be connected to the CPU 111 via a serial bus, and the CPU 111 can read the measured temperature of the peripheral device 36.

With the above configuration, the electronic apparatus 30 according to the third embodiment raises the temperature of the peripheral device 36 by performing a process of increasing the usage rate (load) of the peripheral device 36 to a predetermined ratio or higher, and Is measured to determine whether the cooling means 32 is properly attached.

Next, a process of determining whether or not the cooling means 32 is properly attached will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the electronic device according to the third embodiment. 6, the same processes as those in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In step S53, the CPU 111 reads the inspection program from the RAM 132, and proceeds to step S54. This inspection program includes a program for causing the peripheral device 36 to execute a loopback function for artificially creating a communication state by folding a transmission signal back into a reception signal for testing, and a function for changing the amplitude of the transmission signal. There is.

In step S54, the CPU 111 executes the inspection program, and proceeds to step S55.

In step S55, the CPU 111 waits for a predetermined time while executing the inspection program, and proceeds to step S56. For example, the predetermined time is 60 seconds.

In step S56, the CPU 111 reads the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 14, and proceeds to step S57.

In step S57, the CPU 111 compares the temperature T of the peripheral device 36 read from the temperature sensor 14 with a predetermined upper limit temperature T(limit). Here, the upper limit temperature T(limit) is a threshold value determined by confirming the temperature increase in the normal state by the preliminary evaluation.

If the temperature T of the CPU 111 is equal to or higher than the upper limit temperature T(limit), the process proceeds to step S58. If the temperature T of the CPU 111 is lower than the upper limit temperature T(limit), the process proceeds to step S59.

In step S58, the CPU 111 causes the display device 25 to display a message indicating that it is in an abnormal state (a state in which the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor), and proceeds to step S50.

In step S59, the CPU 111 causes the display device 25 to display a message indicating that the display device 25 is in a normal state (a state in which the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor), and proceeds to step S60.
In step S60, the CPU 111 ends the inspection program.

As described above, according to the electronic device, the cooling unit mounting detection method, and the cooling unit mounting detection program of the third embodiment, the peripheral device is intentionally set to have higher power consumption, and the processing is performed at a predetermined time. By doing so, the temperature of the peripheral device is raised, and by measuring the temperature of the peripheral device, it is possible to know whether the desired heat radiation effect is obtained, and it is possible to judge whether the cooling means is properly mounted. it can.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, instead of the CPU, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), a programmable logic device, or an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) may be used.

Note that the CPU usage rate in the above description is generally defined as the ratio of the time when the CPU is not executing the idle thread divided by the time when the CPU is executing the thread. The Busy time of the CPU is referred to as the Busy time. You may define with the ratio divided by the total of Waiting time. Further, it may be defined by the usage rate of other CPUs.

In addition, the program that realizes whether or not the cooling unit is properly mounted is stored using various types of non-transitory computer readable media, and is stored in the computer. Can be supplied. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of the non-transitory computer-readable medium are magnetic recording media (for example, flexible disk, magnetic tape, hard disk drive), magneto-optical recording media (for example, magneto-optical disk), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory) CD-R, CD. -R/W, semiconductor memory (for example, mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (Random Access Memory)) are included. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer by various types of transitory computer readable medium. Examples of transitory computer-readable media include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer-readable medium can supply the program to the computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or a wireless communication path.

10, 20, 30 Electronic device 11 Processor 12, 32 Cooling means 13 Memory 14, 34 Temperature sensor 25 Display device 26, 36 Peripheral device 111 CPU
112 heat conduction sheet 121 heat sink 131 ROM
132 RAM

Claims (8)

A processor including an integrated circuit for executing a program;
Cooling means attached to the processor for cooling the processor;
A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the processor,
A memory that stores a program executed by the processor,
The processor performs a temperature raising process to make the usage rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio,
The processor is
After the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is lower than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor,
An electronic device that determines that the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor when the temperature of the processor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature after the temperature raising process. The processor executes a program that sets the usage rate of the processor to 100% for a predetermined time,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein after the temperature raising process, it is determined whether the cooling unit is properly attached to the processor. The processor executes instructions continuously for a predetermined time without idling time,
The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein after the temperature raising process, it is determined whether the cooling unit is normally attached to the processor. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that displays a determination result of the processor. The processor includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit),
The cooling means is attached to the CPU to cool the CPU,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the CPU. The processor includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a communication device,
The cooling means is attached to the communication device to cool the communication device,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor measures a temperature of the communication device. A processor equipped with a cooling unit is caused to execute a temperature raising process for making the usage rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio,
Measuring the temperature of the processor after the temperature raising process,
After the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is lower than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling means is normally attached to the processor,
After the temperature increasing process, if the temperature of the processor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor. A step of causing a processor equipped with a cooling means to perform a temperature raising process for making the usage rate of the processor equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio;
Measuring the temperature of the processor after the temperature raising process,
After the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is lower than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling means is normally attached to the processor,
After the temperature raising process, if the temperature of the processor is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, it is determined that the cooling unit is not normally attached to the processor.

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