Device, cooling function monitoring apparatus, and fan deterioration monitoring program storing medium

Abstract

A relationship between an operating rate and a temperature of a metal part when a fan is in a normal state is stored in advance, a temperature of a heat-generating part and a temperature of a reference point are actually measured in an operation to designate a temperature of the heat-generating part, and it is determined that a cooling capability deterioration state is set when the actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part is higher than an estimated temperature by a predetermined threshold value or higher.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graph showing a relationship between a temperature of a CPU and a rotating speed of a fan;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing throttling of the CPU;

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of a notebook personal computer according to an embodiment of a device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a hardware block diagram of a notebook personal computer the appearance of which is shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic arrangement diagram in a main-body unit;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a relationship between an operating rate and a temperature of the CPU; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a fan deterioration monitoring program.

Claims

1. A device having a heat-generating part which generates heat in operation and a fan which generates an air flow to air-cool the heat-generating part, comprising: a storing section in which a relationship between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part when the fan is in a normal state is stored;a temperature sensor which measures a temperature of the heat-generating part and a temperature of a reference point separated from the heat-generating part;a temperature estimating section which calculates an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of the relationship stored in the storing section and an actually measured temperature of the reference point;a determining section which determines whether a cooling capability deterioration state is set on the basis of an actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part measured by the temperature sensor and the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section; anda warning section which gives a warning to a user in response to a determination that the cooling capability deterioration state is set, the determination being made by the determining section.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the determining section determines the cooling ability deterioration state when the actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part measured by the temperature sensor is higher than the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section by a predetermined threshold temperature or higher.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the storing section stores a relationship between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part at a predetermined environmental temperature, andthe temperature estimating section corrects the relationship stored in the storing section on the basis of an actually measured temperature of the reference point measured by the temperature sensor, and calculates an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of the corrected relationship.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is a computer in which a CPU which executes a program is built, and the CPU is used as the heat-generating part.

5. The device according to claim 1, comprising: a display screen which displays an image, and wherein the warning section displays an image expressing a warning on the display screen.

6. A cooling function monitoring apparatus used in a device having a heat-generating part which generates heat in operation and a fan which generates an air flow to cool the heat-generating part, the cooling function monitoring apparatus comprising: a temperature estimating section which, using a relationship, stored in a storing section, between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part in a normal state of the fan, calculates an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of the relationship stored in the storing section and an actually measured temperature of a reference point separated from the heat-generating part;a determining section which determines whether a cooling capability deterioration state is set on the basis of the actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part and the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section; andan output section which outputs a determination result obtained by the determining section.

7. A fan deterioration monitoring program storing medium which stores a fan deterioration monitoring program executed in a device which includes a heat-generating part generating heat in operation and a fan generating an air flow to air-cool the heat-generating part and executes a program, the fan deterioration monitoring program causing the device to operate as a device comprising: a temperature estimating section which, using a relationship, stored in a storing section, between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part in a normal state of the fan, calculates an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of the relationship stored in the storing section and an actually measured temperature of a reference point separated from the heat-generating part;a determining section which determines whether a cooling capability deterioration state is set on the basis of the actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part and the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section; anda warning section which gives a warning to a user in response to a determination that the cooling capability deterioration state is set, the determination being made by the determining section.

8. The fan deterioration monitoring program storing medium according to claim 7, storing the fan deterioration monitoring program causing: the determining section to determine that the cooling capability deterioration state is set when the actually measured temperature measured by the temperature sensor is higher than the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section by a predetermined threshold value or higher.

9. The fan deterioration monitoring program storing medium according to claim 7, storing the fan deterioration monitoring program causing: the storing section to store a relationship between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part at a predetermined environmental temperature; andthe temperature estimating section to correct the relationship stored in the storing section on the basis of a actually measured temperature of the reference point measured by the temperature sensor, and to calculate an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of a corrected relationship.

10. A fan deterioration monitoring program storing medium which stores a fan deterioration monitoring program executed in a device which includes a heat-generating part generating heat in operation and a fan generating an air flow to air-cool the heat-generating part and executes a program, the fan deterioration monitoring program causing the device to operate as a cooling function monitoring apparatus comprising: a temperature estimating section which, using a relationship, stored in a storing section, between an operating rate of the heat-generating part and a temperature of the heat-generating part in a normal state of the fan, calculates an estimated temperature of the heat-generating part corresponding to a current operating rate of the heat-generating part on the basis of the relationship stored in the storing section and an actually measured temperature of a reference point separated from the heat-generating part;a determining section which determines whether a cooling capability deterioration state is set on the basis of the actually measured temperature of the heat-generating part and the estimated temperature calculated by the temperature estimating section; andan output section which outputs a determination result obtained by the determining section.