Electronic apparatus having a cooling fan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016270256-A1
Application number	US-201615064263-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic apparatus which is capable of suppressing temperature increase in an interior of the electronic apparatus and also reducing effects of noise arising from operation of a fan during sound recording even when sound is recorded over a long time period. A duct unit joins an inlet and an outlet, which are formed in a cabinet of the electronic apparatus, to each other and is thermally connected to a heat source. A first fan blows air in the duct unit from the inlet toward the outlet. A second fan circulates air inside the electronic apparatus. According to a sound recording operation, the first fan and the second fan are drivingly controlled in a selective manner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electronic apparatus that has a heat source and a sound recording function, comprising:
a duct unit configured to join an inlet and an outlet, which are formed in a cabinet of the electronic apparatus, to each other and be thermally connected to the heat source; a first air blowing unit configured to blow air in said duct unit from the inlet toward the outlet; a second air blowing unit configured to circulate air inside the electronic apparatus; and a control unit configured to, according to a sound recording operation, drivingly control said first air blowing unit and said second air blowing unit in a selective manner.

2 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said control unit drivingly controls said first air blowing unit when power is turned on, and when the sound recording operation is started, said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit.

3 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source thermally connected to said duct unit, wherein, when the sound recording operation is in progress, and the temperature sensed by said temperature sensing unit is equal to or lower than a set temperature, said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit.

4 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein, when the temperature sensed by said temperature sensing unit becomes higher than the set temperature after said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit, said control unit drivingly controls said first air blowing unit and stops said second air blowing unit.

5 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source thermally connected to said duct unit; and a second temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source other than the heat source thermally connected to said duct unit, and sense a temperature of a power source, wherein, when the sound recording operation is in progress, said control unit controls an amount of air blown by said first air blowing unit and said second air blowing unit according to a relationship between temperatures sensed by said first temperature sensing unit and said second temperature sensing unit and a set temperature set in advance.

6 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic apparatus is an image pickup apparatus that records an image of a subject.

7 . An electronic apparatus that has a heat source and an image pickup function, comprising:
a duct unit configured to join an inlet and an outlet, which are formed in a cabinet of the electronic apparatus, to each other and be thermally connected to the heat source; a first air blowing unit configured to blow air in said duct unit from the inlet toward the outlet; a second air blowing unit configured to circulate air inside the electronic apparatus; and a control unit configured to, according to an image pickup operation, drivingly control said first air blowing unit and said second air blowing unit in a selective manner.

8 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said control unit drivingly controls said first air blowing unit when power is turned on, and when the image pickup operation is started, said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit.

9 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source thermally connected to said duct unit, wherein, when the image pickup operation is in progress, and the temperature sensed by said temperature sensing unit is equal to or lower than a set temperature, said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit.

10 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, when the temperature sensed by said temperature sensing unit becomes higher than the set temperature after said control unit stops said first air blowing unit and drivingly controls said second air blowing unit, said control unit drivingly controls said first air blowing unit and stops said second air blowing unit.

11 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising:
a first temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source thermally connected to said duct unit; and a second temperature sensing unit configured to sense a temperature of a heat source other than the heat source thermally connected to said duct unit, and sense a temperature of a power source, wherein, when the image pickup operation is in progress, said control unit controls an amount of air blown by said first air blowing unit and said second air blowing unit according to a relationship between temperatures sensed by said first temperature sensing unit and said second temperature sensing unit and a set temperature set in advance.

12 . The electronic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the electronic apparatus is an image pickup apparatus that takes an image of a subject.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Abe Naoyuki

Classifications

• H05K7/20145

  Means for directing air flow, e.g. ducts, deflectors, plenum or guides · CPC title

• H05K7/20209 Primary

  Thermal management, e.g. fan control · CPC title

• G03B21/16 Primary

  Cooling; Preventing overheating · CPC title