JP2010276525A - Information processing apparatus and object detection method - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing apparatus that realizes detection of a distance of an object in addition to presence / absence of the object by a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element is provided.
A proximity sensor is constituted by a set of a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The regulator 25A controls the voltage value of the driving power supplied to the light emitting element 251 based on the control signal. Via this regulator 25A, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting element 251 is switched in multiple stages in a time-division manner within a predetermined period, and the light receiving state of reflected light by the light receiving element 252 within this predetermined period is synchronized with this switching. Is detected by monitoring the detection signal output from the light receiving element 252. Based on the detection result, the distance of the object is detected in multiple stages in addition to the presence / absence of the object.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor technology suitable for an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC).

  In recent years, various types of PCs such as a desktop type and a notebook type are widely used. Notebook-top type PCs are configured to be battery-powered so that they can be used while on the go or on the move. For the purpose of ensuring a long continuous operation time with this battery, it is intended to save power. Various ideas have been applied. For example, when the display is closed, the display is turned off or the PC is shifted to a sleep state. As a mechanism for detecting the open / closed state of the display reliably and at low cost, a method of using a set of light emitting elements and light receiving elements has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-22472 A

  Detection of the open / closed state of the display using a set of light emitting elements and light receiving elements is performed by monitoring whether reflected light of light emitted by the light emitting elements is received by the light receiving elements. That is, it is detected whether or not there is an object (reflecting light) within a predetermined distance that the light reaches.

  By the way, it is possible to detect not only whether or not the display is closed but also whether or not a user is present in front of the display using a set of light emitting elements and light receiving elements. If the user disappears from the front of the display, the security can be further enhanced by performing control such as starting a screen saver or key-locking.

  However, for example, the detection condition (search range) is different between the detection of the open / closed state of the display and the detection of the presence / absence of the user so as not to misrecognize a state in which the user exists in front of the display as a state in which the display is closed. Therefore, two sets of light-emitting elements and light-receiving elements are required, resulting in an increase in cost.

  In addition, there are high-performance sensors that also have a function of detecting the distance to the object that reflects the emitted light. However, mounting such a high-performance sensor naturally increases the cost.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an information processing apparatus that realizes detection of the distance of an object in addition to the presence / absence of the object with a set of light emitting elements and light receiving elements, and An object is to provide an object detection method.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an information processing apparatus according to the present invention receives a light emitting unit, a luminous intensity control unit that controls the luminous intensity of the light emitting unit, and reflected light of light emitted by the light emitting unit. And the light intensity of the light emitting part is switched in multiple stages in a time-division manner within a predetermined period, and the light reception status of the reflected light by the light receiving part within the predetermined period is monitored via the light intensity control means And detecting means for detecting the distance to the object in multiple stages together with whether or not the object exists within a predetermined distance.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect the distance of an object in addition to the presence / absence of the object with a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements.

1 is an external view of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the system configuration | structure of the information processing apparatus of the embodiment The figure for showing the outline | summary of the object detection which added the distance detection function which the information processing apparatus of the embodiment performs The block diagram which shows the structure of the proximity sensor with which the information processing apparatus of the embodiment is provided, and its peripheral part 1st figure for demonstrating the operation principle of the object detection which added the distance detection function which the information processing apparatus of the embodiment performs (the figure which shows the light emission pattern of a light emitting element) 2nd figure for demonstrating the operation principle of the object detection which added the distance detection function which the information processing apparatus of the embodiment performs (the figure which shows the light reception pattern of a light receiving element)

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of an information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. This information processing apparatus is realized as a notebook type PC (computer 10).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the computer 10 includes a computer main body 1 and a display unit 2. The display unit 2 is attached to the computer main body 1 so as to be rotatable between an open position where the upper surface of the computer main body 1 is exposed and a closed position covering the upper surface of the computer main body 1. That is, the display unit 2 also serves as a lid of the computer 10. And the proximity sensor 25 mentioned later is arrange | positioned at the front upper end part of this display unit 2. As shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the computer 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11, a memory controller hub (MCH) 12, a main memory 13, an I / o controller hub (ICH) 14, and a graphics processing unit (GPU). ) 15, video memory (VRAM) 15A, sound controller 16, BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) -ROM (Read Only Memory) 17, LAN (Local Area Network) controller 18, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 19, ODD ( An optical disc drive (20), a wireless LAN controller 21, an IEEE 1394 controller 22, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) 23, an EC / KBC (Embedded Controller / KeyBoard Controller) 24, a proximity sensor 25, and the like are provided.

  The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the computer 10 and executes the OS 100 and various application programs 200 that are loaded into the main memory 13 from the HDD 19 or the ODD 20 and operate under the OS 100. The CPU 11 also executes the BIOS stored in the BIOS-ROM 17.

  The MCH 12 operates as a bridge device that connects the CPU 11 and the ICH 14 and also operates as a memory controller that controls access to the main memory 13. The MCH 12 has a function of executing communication with the GPU 15.

  The GPU 15 is a display controller that controls, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) built in the display unit 2 that is used as a monitor of the computer 10. The GPU 15 includes an accelerator that draws an image to be displayed by the various application programs 200 in place of the CPU 11.

  The ICH 14 controls each device on a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus and each device on an LPC (Low Pin Count) bus. The ICH 14 incorporates an IDE (Integrated Device Electronics) controller for controlling the HDD 19 and the ODD 20. The ICH 14 also has a function of executing communication with the sound controller 16.

  The sound controller 16 is a sound source device, and outputs audio data to be reproduced by various application programs 200 to a speaker or the like.

  The LAN controller 18 is a wired communication device that executes, for example, IEEE 802.3 standard wired communication. On the other hand, the wireless LAN controller 21 is, for example, a wireless communication device that performs wireless communication of the IEEE 802.11 standard. Further, the IEEE 1394 controller 22 executes communication with an external device via an IEEE 1394 standard serial bus.

  The EC / KBC 24 is a one-chip MPU (Micro Processing Unit) in which an embedded controller for performing power management and a keyboard controller for controlling a keyboard and a pointing device are integrated. The EC / KBC 24 has a function of controlling the proximity sensor 25. The proximity sensor 25 is a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the computer 10 has a “near” distance by one proximity sensor 25 (consisting of a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements) disposed at the upper front end of the display unit 2. The present invention realizes detection of both an object existing at a distance and an object existing at a “far” distance while recognizing the difference in distance, and this point will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the proximity sensor 25 and its peripheral portion.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the proximity sensor 25 is composed of a set of a light emitting element 251 and a light receiving element 252. The light emitting element 251 is, for example, an infrared light output LED (Light Emitting Diode). Between the EC / KBC 24 that controls the proximity sensor 25 and the proximity sensor 25, a regulator 25A for controlling the voltage value of the driving power supplied to the light emitting element 251 is provided. The EC / KBC 24 is connected to the regulator 25A. The luminous intensity of the light emitting element 251 can be switched by switching the control signal input to. On the other hand, the light receiving element 252 outputs the light reception status of the reflected light of the light emitted by the light emitting element 251 as a detection signal, and the EC / KBC 24 can detect the presence or absence of the object by this detection signal.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, an operation principle of object detection using a proximity sensor 25 including a pair of light emitting elements 251 and light receiving elements 252 and having a distance detection function will be described.

  First, the EC / KBC 24 switches the control signal input to the regulator 25A, so that the light emission quantity of the light emitting element 251 is “strong” and “weak” within a certain period of 100 ms to 200 ms, for example, as shown in FIG. The voltage value of the driving power supplied from the regulator 25A to the light emitting element 251 is controlled so as to change in a time-sharing manner.

  More specifically, (1) When “weak”, only the reflected light from the object existing at the “near” distance is detected by the light receiving element 252, and the reflected light from the object present at the “far” distance is The light emission amount of the light emitting element 251 is set to a level that is not detected. (2) When “strong”, the reflected light from an object existing at a “near” distance and the reflected light from an object present at a “far” distance The EC / KBC 24 adjusts the control signal input to the regulator 25A so that the light emission amount of the light emitting element 251 is set to a level at which both are detected by the light receiving element 252.

  The EC / KBC 24 monitors the detection signal output from the light receiving element 252 while synchronizing with the switching of the control signal input to the regulator 25A. As described above, since the EC / KBC 24 adjusts the control signal input to the regulator 25A, when an object is present at a “near” distance, when an object is present at a “far” distance, When there is no object at any of the “far” distances, each is detected by the detection signal pattern shown in FIG.

  6, (A) is a detection pattern of an object existing at a “near” distance, (B) is a detection pattern of an object existing at a “far” distance, and (C) is a no object (“near” distance). And no detection object at any of the “far” distances.

  In other words, if the reflected light is detected when the light intensity is “weak”, it is determined that “an object at a“ near ”distance has been detected”. When the light intensity is “weak”, the reflected light is not detected, but the light intensity “ If the reflected light is detected when it is “High”, it is determined that “an object at a distance” is detected. If no reflected light is detected even when the intensity is “High”, “No object” Is determined.

  The light emitting element 251 has a mechanism for switching the amount of light emitted in two steps of “strong” and “weak”, and appropriately sets the light amounts of “strong” and “weak” to detect the condition (search target). For example, the computer 10 can execute the following control.

  (1) The open / close state of the display unit 2 is detected based on whether or not an object at a “near” distance is detected, and the presence or absence of a user is detected based on whether or not an object at a “far” distance is detected.

  As a result, control such as display off when the display unit 2 is closed, transition to a sleep state, activation of a screen saver when the user disappears from the front of the display unit 2, and key lock can be performed (one set of light emitting elements). One proximity sensor 25 (consisting of 251 and light receiving element 252) makes this possible.

  (2) The brightness of the LCD is changed when an object at a “near” distance is detected and when an object at a “far” distance is detected.

  It is not preferable from the viewpoint of eye health to stare at an LCD with high brightness at a short distance. Thus, when the face approaches the LCD, it is possible to perform control in consideration of the user's health, such as automatically reducing the brightness of the LCD.

  (3) A different application program 200 is automatically activated when an object at a “near” distance is detected and when an object at a “far” distance is detected.

  For example, when a hand is held in front of the display unit, the application program 200 associated with each distance is started in accordance with the distance (for example, “near” 2-3 cm, “far” 10-15 cm). It is possible to substitute the role of a so-called application switch.

  In addition, as an application, when the detection result fluctuates within a predetermined period, such as “near” → “far”, “far” → “near”, an operation corresponding to the fluctuation content is performed. If the application program 200 is created, the so-called motion sensor can be substituted.

  As described above, according to the computer 10, it is possible to detect the distance of an object in addition to the presence / absence of the object with a pair of light emitting elements and light receiving elements.

  Here, an example in which distance detection is performed in two steps by switching the light emission amount of the light emitting element 251 to two steps of “strong” and “weak” has been described. Naturally, it is possible to carry out distance detection in three or more stages by setting it to three or more stages of “strong”, “medium”, and “weak”.

  That is, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine a component suitably in different embodiment.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Computer main body, 2 ... Display unit, 10 ... PC, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... MCH, 13 ... Main memory, 14 ... ICH, 15 ... GPU, 15A ... VRAM, 16 ... Sound controller, 17 ... BIOS-ROM, 18 ... LAN controller, 19 ... HDD, 20 ... ODD, 21 ... wireless LAN controller, 22 ... IEEE1394 controller, 23 ... EEPROM, 24 ... EC / KBC, 25 ... proximity sensor, 25A ... regulator, 100 ... OS, 200 ... various Application program, 251... Light emitting element, 252.

Claims (9)

A light emitting section;
Luminous intensity control means for controlling the luminous intensity of the light emitting unit;
A light receiving unit for receiving reflected light of the light emitted by the light emitting unit;
The luminous intensity of the light emitting unit is switched in multiple stages in a time-division manner within a predetermined period via the luminous intensity control means, and the light reception status of the reflected light by the light receiving unit within the predetermined period is monitored, Detecting means for detecting the distance to the object in multiple stages, along with whether or not the object exists within the distance;
An information processing apparatus comprising: The body,
A lid attached to the main body so as to be rotatable between an open position where the upper surface of the main body is exposed and a closed position covering the upper surface of the main body;
Have
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged at a front upper end portion of the lid that faces the upper surface of the main body when in the closed position.   Based on whether or not the detection means has detected an object at a first distance, it is determined whether the lid is in an open position or a closed position, and the detection means is longer than the first distance. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a determination unit that determines whether a user exists based on whether an object is detected at a distance of 2. A display device built in the lid, the display screen being exposed from the front surface of the lid;
Brightness control means for controlling the brightness of the display device according to the distance to the object detected by the detection means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:   3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a program activation unit that selects and activates any one of a plurality of programs according to a distance to the object detected by the detection unit. .   If the detection means detects an object at a second distance longer than the first distance within a predetermined period after the detection means detects the object at the first distance, a first operation is performed. If the detection means detects an object at the first distance within a predetermined period after the detection means detects the object at the second distance, it is determined that the second operation has been performed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an input unit configured to perform the operation.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting section includes an infrared light output LED (Light Emitting Diode).   8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the luminous intensity control means is a regulator that controls a voltage value of driving power supplied to the infrared light output LED. An object detection method in an information processing apparatus having a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit for receiving reflected light of light emitted by the light emitting unit,
Switching the luminous intensity of the light emitting unit in multiple stages in a time division within a predetermined period,
Monitoring the light reception status of the reflected light by the light receiving unit within the predetermined period, and whether or not the object exists within a predetermined distance, and detecting the distance to the object in multiple stages;
An object detection method characterized by that.

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