TW202036218A - Fan control method and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

A fan control method and an electronic device are provided according to embodiments of the disclosure. The method includes: determining whether an audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external head phone; if the audio output interface is connected to the external head phone, controlling a fan speed of a fan of the electronic device to be a first fan speed to satisfy a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device; and if the audio output interface is not connected to the external head phone, controlling the fan speed to be a second fan speed which is not higher than the first fan speed.

Description

Fan control method and electronic device

The present invention relates to a fan control technology, and particularly relates to a fan control method and electronic device.

Generally speaking, electronic devices with computing functions such as computers are equipped with fans to assist in heat dissipation when the central processing unit (CPU) is running at high speed. However, most fans make noise at high speeds, which affects the user experience. Therefore, in most cases, in order to reduce fan noise, it is often necessary to limit the performance of the computer to avoid overheating of electronic devices.

The present invention provides a fan control method and an electronic device, which can dynamically determine the fan speed according to whether the electronic device is connected to an external earphone, thereby effectively improving the above-mentioned problem.

The embodiment of the present invention provides a fan control method, which is used in an electronic device. The fan control method includes: determining whether the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone; if the audio output interface has been connected to the external earphone, controlling the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device at a first rotation speed , To meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device; and if the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan is controlled at a second rotation speed, wherein the second rotation speed is not higher than all The first speed.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, which includes an audio output interface, a fan, and a controller. The controller is coupled to the audio output interface and the fan, wherein the controller is used to determine whether the audio output interface is connected to an external earphone, and if the audio output interface is connected to the external earphone, The controller is used for controlling the rotation speed of the fan at a first rotation speed to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device, and if the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, the controller is used for controlling the fan The rotation speed is controlled at a second rotation speed, wherein the second rotation speed is not higher than the second rotation speed.

Based on the above, if the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device can be controlled at the first rotation speed to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device. However, if the audio output interface is not connected to an external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan can be controlled at the second rotation speed, and the second rotation speed is not higher than the first rotation speed. Thereby, the electronic device can be effectively dissipated without affecting the user experience.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 can be a notebook computer, a desktop computer, an industrial computer, a car computer, or other types of electronic devices equipped with a fan for heat dissipation.

In one embodiment, the electronic device 10 includes an audio output interface 101, a fan 102 and a controller 103. The audio output interface 101 is used for outputting audio signals. The audio signal may be provided by other circuits (such as an audio chip) inside the electronic device 10. The audio output interface 101 can be connected to an external earphone by wire (for example, the user inserts the connecting wire of the external earphone into the earphone hole of the electronic device 10) or wireless (for example, Bluetooth). After the connection between the audio output interface 101 and the external earphone is established, the audio signal can be transmitted to the external earphone via the audio output interface 101 and the sound is played by the external earphone.

The fan 102 is a physical fan installed in the electronic device 10 and used to dissipate the electronic device 10. For example, the fan 102 includes rotatable blades. When the blades of the fan 102 rotate, the hot air inside the electronic device 10 can be taken out of the electronic device 10.

The controller 103 is coupled to the audio output interface 101 and the fan 102. The controller 103 is used to dynamically control the rotation speed of the fan 102. For example, the controller 103 can use a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to control the speed of the fan 102. For example, the controller 103 may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSP), programmable controllers, special-application integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable logic device (PLD) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices.

In one embodiment, when the temperature of the electronic device 10 is high (for example, the temperature is higher than a threshold value) and the fan 102 needs to be activated, the controller 103 can determine whether the audio output interface 101 is connected to an external earphone. If the audio output interface 101 is connected to an external earphone, the controller 103 can control the rotation speed of the fan 102 to a specific rotation speed (also referred to as the first rotation speed). The fan 102 operating based on the first rotation speed can meet the current heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device 10. For example, the first rotation speed may be dynamically determined according to the current temperature of the electronic device 10. For example, the first rotation speed may be positively related to the temperature of the electronic device 10. In addition, if the audio output interface 101 is not connected to an external earphone, the controller 103 can control the rotation speed of the fan 102 at another rotation speed (also referred to as the second rotation speed). The second rotation speed is not higher than the first rotation speed.

In an embodiment, the first rotation speed may be the maximum rotation speed of the fan 102 to increase the rotation speed of the fan 102 to the maximum. For example, after determining that the audio output interface 101 has been connected to an external earphone, it can be assumed that the user is currently listening to music through the external earphone. Therefore, even if the rotation speed of the fan 102 is increased to the highest and a loud noise is generated, it will not affect users who listen to music using external headphones.

In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 further includes a microphone (also referred to as a first microphone) 104 and a microphone (also referred to as a second microphone) 105. Both microphones 104 and 105 are coupled to the controller 103. The microphone 104 may, for example, be disposed outside the electronic device 10 and/or the sound receiving interface of the microphone 104 faces the outside of the electronic device 10. The microphone 105 may be disposed inside the electronic device 10 and/or the sound receiving interface of the microphone 105 faces the inside of the electronic device 10, for example.

In one embodiment, if the audio output interface 101 is not connected to an external earphone, the controller 103 can detect the environmental noise outside the electronic device 10 through the microphone 104 and the internal noise of the electronic device 10 through the microphone 105 (also Called fan noise). It should be noted that the environmental noise is mainly the noise around the environment where the electronic device 10 is currently located, such as the sound from a television, people's conversation, and/or the sound of a vehicle's engine. The internal noise of the electronic device 10 (ie, fan noise) is mainly caused by the fan 102. For example, the number of decibels of fan noise may be positively related to the rotation speed of the fan 102.

In one embodiment, the position of the microphone 105 (or the radio interface) is closer to the fan 102 than the position of the microphone 104 (or radio interface). In this way, compared to the microphone 104, the sound detected by the microphone 105 can more accurately reflect the noise caused by the rotation of the blade of the fan 102.

In an embodiment, the controller 103 may determine the second rotation speed according to the measured environmental noise and internal noise. For example, the controller 103 may determine an initial value of the second rotation speed according to the environmental noise and control the rotation speed of the fan 102 according to the initial value.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the environmental noise and the corresponding initial value of the fan speed according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2, in one embodiment, the controller 103 can query the table information 201 according to the measured environmental noise to obtain the initial value of the rotation speed of the fan 102. For example, according to the table information 201, if the measured environmental noise is less than 30 decibels (dB), the initial value of the fan 102 speed can be set to 1500 revolutions per second; if the measured environmental noise is between 30 decibels and In the range of 60 decibels, the initial value of the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be set to 3,500 revolutions per second; if the measured environmental noise is greater than 60 decibels, the initial value of the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be set to 5,500 revolutions per second. In other words, if the ambient noise is louder, it means that the noise caused by the fan 102 can be hidden in the ambient noise. Therefore, the initial value of the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be set higher to provide better heat dissipation capability.

After the fan 102 starts to operate according to the determined initial value, the controller 103 can dynamically adjust the rotation speed of the fan 102 according to the measured internal noise. For example, the controller 103 may reduce the rotation speed of the fan 102 in response to a specific numerical relationship between environmental noise and internal noise (also referred to as a first numerical relationship), and/or the controller 103 may respond to the relationship between environmental noise and internal noise Another numerical relationship (also referred to as a second numerical relationship) between the two increases the speed of the fan 102.

For example, the first numerical relationship may be that the decibel of environmental noise is lower than the decibel of internal noise. If the decibel of the environmental noise is lower than the decibel of the internal noise, it means that the noise caused by the fan 102 is still too loud, so the controller 103 can moderately reduce the speed of the fan 102. In addition, the second numerical relationship may be that the decibel of environmental noise is higher than the decibel of internal noise. If the decibel of the ambient noise is higher than the decibel of the internal noise, it means that the current noise caused by the fan 102 is not greater than the ambient noise, so the controller 103 can appropriately increase the speed of the fan 102.

For example, assuming that the currently detected environmental noise is about 40 decibels, according to the table information 201, the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be initially set to 3500 revolutions per second. Then, according to the numerical relationship between the environmental noise and the internal noise, the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be dynamically adjusted (for example, reduced or increased) based on 3500 revolutions per second. In this way, when the ambient noise becomes louder, the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be increased to provide better heat dissipation capability. Conversely, when the ambient noise becomes quieter, the rotation speed of the fan 102 can be reduced to avoid excessive noise from the fan 102.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a fan control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 3, in step S301, system initialization (such as booting) is performed. In step S302, it is determined whether the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone. If it is determined that the audio output interface of the electronic device has been connected to the external earphone, in step S303, the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device is controlled at the first rotation speed to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device. In addition, if it is determined that the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, then in step S304, the rotation speed of the fan is controlled at a second rotation speed, wherein the second rotation speed is not higher than the first rotation speed. Rotating speed.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a fan control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 4, in step S401, system initialization (such as booting) is performed. In step S402, it is determined whether the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone. If it is determined that the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to the external earphone, in step S403, the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device is controlled at the first rotation speed to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device. In addition, if it is determined that the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, then in step S404, the first microphone is used to detect the environmental noise outside the electronic device and the second microphone is used to detect the internal noise of the electronic device. Next, in step S405, a second rotation speed is determined according to the internal noise and the external noise, and the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device is controlled at the second rotation speed.

However, each step in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 has been described in detail as above, and will not be repeated here. It should be noted that each step in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 can be implemented as multiple program codes or circuits, and the present invention is not limited. In addition, the methods in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be used in conjunction with the above exemplary embodiments, or can be used alone, and the present invention is not limited.

In summary, if the audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan of the electronic device can be controlled at the first rotation speed (for example, the maximum rotation speed) to meet the heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device. However, if the audio output interface is not connected to an external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan can be controlled at the second rotation speed, and the second rotation speed is not higher than the first rotation speed. In addition, the second rotation speed can be dynamically determined and adjusted according to the environmental noise outside the electronic device and the fan noise caused by the fan inside the electronic device, so as to balance the heat dissipation capacity of the fan and the fan noise that can cause hearing problems to the user Therefore, the electronic device can be effectively dissipated without affecting the user experience.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

10: Electronic device 101: Audio output interface 102: Fan 103: Controller 104, 105: Microphone 201: Form Information S301~S304, S401~S405: steps

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the environmental noise and the corresponding initial value of the fan speed according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a fan control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a fan control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

S301~S304: steps

Claims (10)

A fan control method is used in an electronic device. The fan control method includes: Determine whether an audio output interface of the electronic device is connected to an external earphone; If the audio output interface is connected to the external earphone, controlling the rotation speed of a fan of the electronic device to a first rotation speed to meet a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device; and If the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, the rotation speed of the fan is controlled to a second rotation speed, wherein the second rotation speed is not higher than the first rotation speed. The fan control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application further includes: If the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, a first microphone is used to detect an environmental noise outside the electronic device and a second microphone is used to detect an internal noise of the electronic device; and The second rotation speed is determined according to the internal noise and the environmental noise. For the fan control method described in item 2 of the scope of patent application, the step of determining the second rotation speed according to the internal noise and the environmental noise includes: Determine an initial value of the second rotation speed according to the environmental noise and control the rotation speed of the fan according to the initial value; and The rotation speed of the fan is dynamically adjusted according to the internal noise. For the fan control method described in item 3 of the scope of patent application, the step of dynamically adjusting the rotation speed of the fan according to the internal noise includes: In response to a first numerical relationship between the environmental noise and the internal noise, reducing the rotation speed of the fan; and In response to a second numerical relationship between the environmental noise and the internal noise, the rotation speed of the fan is increased. According to the fan control method described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the first rotation speed is a maximum rotation speed of the fan. An electronic device including: An audio output interface; A fan; and A controller coupled to the audio output interface and the fan, The controller is used to determine whether the audio output interface is connected to an external earphone, If the audio output interface is connected to the external earphone, the controller is used to control the rotation speed of the fan to a first rotation speed to meet a heat dissipation requirement of the electronic device, and If the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, the controller is used for controlling the rotating speed of the fan to a second rotating speed, wherein the second rotating speed is not higher than the second rotating speed. For example, the electronic device described in item 6 of the scope of patent application includes: A first microphone coupled to the controller; and A second microphone coupled to the controller, If the audio output interface is not connected to the external earphone, the controller is further used for detecting an environmental noise outside the electronic device through the first microphone and detecting an internal noise of the electronic device through the second microphone Noise, and The controller is further used for determining the second rotation speed according to the internal noise and the environmental noise. For the electronic device described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, the operation of the controller to determine the second speed according to the internal noise and the environmental noise includes: Determine an initial value of the second rotation speed according to the environmental noise and control the rotation speed of the fan according to the initial value; and The rotation speed of the fan is dynamically adjusted according to the internal noise. For the electronic device described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, the operation of the controller to dynamically adjust the rotation speed of the fan according to the internal noise includes: In response to a first numerical relationship between the environmental noise and the internal noise, reducing the rotation speed of the fan; and In response to a second numerical relationship between the environmental noise and the internal noise, the rotation speed of the fan is increased. The electronic device described in item 6 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the first rotation speed is a maximum rotation speed of the fan.

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