Power supply control mechanism

Abstract

To provide a power supply control mechanism for radio equipment which is inexpensive and can perform power supply control with low power consumption.SOLUTION: The power control mechanism M of the radio equipment 1 is provided with a radio unit 2 and at least one operation unit 3 connected via an Ethernet cable 4, and the Ethernet cable 4 is provided with RJ45 connectors 41 at both ends. The RJ45 connector 41 has a dead pin which is not used in data communication between the radio unit 2 and the radio unit 3, the radio unit 2 includes a power source switch A and a first power source 5, the operation unit 3 includes a power source switch B, when the power source switch B of at least one operation unit 3 is turned on, impedance of the dead pin changes to low impedance, and the change to the low impedance is converted into an electric signal by pulling up the dead pin by the first power source 5. The electric signal is transmitted to the power switch A of the radio unit 2 to turn on the power switch A of the radio unit 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply control mechanism that controls the power supply of a radio device that includes a radio unit and at least one operation unit connected via a communication cable. [Background technology]

[0002] Ethernet (registered trademark) is widely used as a communication standard for connecting electronic devices via wires. However, since Ethernet only provides a data transmission function, in order to control the power supply, it is necessary to connect a PoE (Power over Ethernet) compatible device and supply power via PoE (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-284116 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, supplying power via PoE requires an expensive dedicated integrated circuit (IC), and the electronic device supplying the power also needs to have a high power capacity, making it difficult to implement inexpensively.

[0005] In some cases, wireless devices are used by connecting one wireless unit to multiple operation units with communication cables, allowing one wireless unit to be controlled from the multiple operation units. In this case, it is necessary to control the power supply of the wireless unit from any one of the operation units. However, if this control is to be achieved using PoE, the wireless unit's CPU (Central Processing Unit) must be kept running at all times, which creates the problem of high power consumption.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a power control mechanism that is inexpensive and capable of controlling the power supply with low power consumption in a radio device that has a radio unit and at least one operation unit connected via a communication cable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a power supply control mechanism for a radio device comprising a radio unit and at least one operation unit connected via a communication cable, wherein the communication cable has connectors on both ends, the connectors having dead pins that are not used for data communication between the radio unit and the operation unit, the radio unit having a power switch and a first power source, and the operation unit having a power switch, wherein when the power switch of at least one of the operation units is turned on, the impedance of the dead pin changes to low impedance, and the first power source pulls up the dead pin to convert the change to low impedance into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is transmitted to the power switch of the radio unit, which turns on the power switch of the radio unit.

[0008] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the power supply control mechanism of claim 1, the wireless unit further comprises a second power supply and a control unit, and when the power switch of at least one of the operation units is turned off, the impedance of the dead pin changes to high impedance, the second power supply pulls up the dead pin to convert the change to high impedance into an electrical signal, and the electrical signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit turns off the power switch of the wireless unit when it confirms that the power switches of all the operation units connected to the wireless unit have been turned off. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the invention of claim 1, among the pins of the connectors provided at both ends of the communication cable, the free pins not used for data communication are used for power supply control, eliminating the need for expensive dedicated ICs and enabling inexpensive power supply control of the radio. Furthermore, since the power-on of the operation unit is transmitted to the radio unit as an impedance change rather than an electrical signal, in a radio device in which multiple operation units are connected to the radio unit, it becomes possible to control the power supply of the radio units from the multiple operation units. Furthermore, since the power switch of the radio unit is turned on after the power switch of the operation unit is turned on, there is no need to keep the radio unit (especially the CPU) running at all times, making it possible to reduce power consumption.

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 2, when turning off the power of the radio, the power switch of the radio unit is turned off only after it is confirmed that the power switches of all operation units connected to the radio unit are turned off, thereby enabling appropriate power control of the radio. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a power supply control mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing an example in which a plurality of operation units are connected to one wireless unit via communication cables. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.

[0013] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a power supply control mechanism M according to this embodiment. This power supply control mechanism M is a mechanism for controlling the power supply of a radio device 1 that includes a wireless unit 2 and at least one operation unit 3 connected via a communication cable, and in this embodiment, a radio device in which the wireless unit 2 and operation unit 3 are connected via an Ethernet communication cable (hereinafter referred to as an Ethernet cable) 4 will be described.

[0014] The power supply control mechanism M mainly includes an Ethernet cable (communication cable) 4 and a wireless device 1 (a wireless unit 2 and an operation unit 3).

[0015] The Ethernet cable 4 is a communications cable for connecting the wireless unit 2 and the operation unit 3 via Ethernet, and is equipped with RJ45 connectors 41 on both ends. The RJ45 connector 41 has multiple pins (male terminals). The multiple pins include pins for data communication between the wireless unit 2 and the operation unit 3, and unused pins that are not used for data communication. More specifically, the unused pins include a control signal pin and a GND pin, and of these, the control signal pin is used to transmit to the wireless unit 2 impedance changes that occur when a power switch B (not shown) of the operation unit 3 is turned on and off.

[0016] The radio device 1 comprises a radio unit 2 and at least one operation unit 3. The radio device 1 is configured so that the power supply of the radio unit 2 side can be controlled from the operation unit 3 side (power switch A of the radio unit 2 can be turned on and off by turning on and off power switch B of the operation unit 3), but the reverse is not possible, that is, the power supply of the operation unit 3 side cannot be controlled from the radio unit 2 side (power switch B of the operation unit 3 can be turned on and off by turning on and off power switch A of the radio unit 2).

[0017] The wireless unit 2 is a device that functions as a wireless section of the radio device 1 and is connected to at least one operation unit 3 via an Ethernet cable 4 .

[0018] The wireless unit 2 mainly includes a power switch A, a first power supply 5, a second power supply 6, a CPU (controller) 7, and an RJ45 connector terminal TA (not shown).

[0019] The power switch A is a switch for turning the power of the wireless unit 2 on and off.

[0020] The first power supply 5 is, for example, a 3.3V power supply located on the left side of the wireless unit 2, and is a power supply related to the operation of turning on the power switch A of the wireless unit 2. The first power supply 5 converts the impedance change (i.e., change to low impedance) transmitted when the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on into an electric signal by pulling up the free pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41.

[0021] The second power supply 6 is, for example, composed of a 3.3V power supply located to the right of the wireless unit 2, and by pulling up the free pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41, converts into an electrical signal the impedance change (i.e., change to low impedance) transmitted when the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on, and also converts into an electrical signal the impedance change (i.e., change to high impedance) transmitted when the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned off.

[0022] The CPU 7 is a device that controls each component of the radio device 1 according to a predetermined control program. As will be described later, the CPU 7 starts up after the power switch A of the radio unit 2 is turned on, and stops after the power switches B of all the operation units 3 connected to the radio unit 2 are turned off and the power switches A of the radio units 2 are turned off.

[0023] The RJ45 connector terminal TA is a terminal (female terminal) on the wireless unit 2 side that is connected to a free pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41 provided at the end of the Ethernet cable 4. The RJ45 connector terminal TA has the function of transmitting to the wireless unit 2 side the impedance change of the free pin (control signal pin) that occurs when the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on and off. Note that the wireless unit 2 also has terminals for other RJ45 connectors 41 that are connected to pins other than the free pins (control signal pins) of the RJ45 connector 41 (for example, pins used for data communication between the wireless unit 2 and the operation unit 3).

[0024] The operation unit 3 is a device that functions as an operation section of the radio device 1, and at least one operation unit 3 is provided in the radio device 1. When the radio device 1 is provided with one operation unit 3, the operation unit 3 is connected to the radio unit 2 via an Ethernet cable 4. On the other hand, when the radio device 1 is provided with multiple operation units 3, as shown in FIG. 2, only one operation unit 3 is connected to the radio unit 2 via the Ethernet cable 4, and the remaining operation units 3 are connected in series to that one operation unit 3 via the Ethernet cable 4.

[0025] The operation unit 3 mainly includes a power switch B and an RJ45 connector terminal TB (not shown). The operation unit 3 may also include, for example, an operation knob, a liquid crystal display, a microphone, and a speaker.

[0026] The power switch B is a switch for turning the power of the operation unit 3 on and off.

[0027] The RJ45 connector terminal TB is a terminal (female terminal) on the operation unit 3 side that is connected to an empty pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41 provided at the end of the Ethernet cable 4. The RJ45 connector terminal TB has the function of transmitting to the empty pin (control signal pin) an impedance change that occurs when the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on and off. Note that the operation unit 3 also has terminals for other RJ45 connectors 41 that are connected to pins other than the empty pins (control signal pins) of the RJ45 connector 41 (for example, pins used for data communication between the wireless unit 2 and the operation unit 3).

[0028] Next, the function and operation of the power supply control mechanism M of the radio device 1 configured as above will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] First, a case where the power of the radio device 1 is turned on, that is, a case where the power switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on to turn on the power switch A of the radio unit 2 will be described.

[0030] In this case, when the power switch B of the first ("first" meaning the earliest) operation unit 3 among at least one operation unit 3 connected to the wireless unit 2 is turned on, the FET (short for Field Effect Transistor) of the operation unit 3 is turned on, the impedance of the RJ45 connector terminal TB becomes low, and the free pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41 connected to the RJ45 connector terminal TB changes to low impedance. The impedance change (change to low impedance) of the free pin (control signal pin) is transmitted to the wireless unit 2 via the RJ45 connector terminal TA connected to the free pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41. On the wireless unit 2 side, the first power supply 5 converts the transmitted impedance change (change to low impedance) into an electrical signal by pulling up the free pin (control signal pin) with a predetermined pull-up resistor (to 3.3 V, for example). This electrical signal is then transmitted from the first power supply 5 to the gate of the FET 1 via the FET and AND circuit, causing current to flow between the drain and source of the FET 1, thereby turning on the power switch A.

[0031] When power switch A is turned on, current flows between the drain and source of FET 2, and the CPU 7 connected to power switch A via FET 2 starts up. After the CPU 7 starts up, it becomes possible for the CPU 7 to control the power supply of the radio device 1.

[0032] When the power switch B of a second or subsequent operation unit 3 is turned on after the CPU 7 has started up, the impedance change (change to low impedance) is pulled up by the second power supply 6, not the first power supply 5 of the wireless unit 2, and converted into an electrical signal. Then, the electrical signal is transmitted to the CPU 7. This allows the CPU 7 to know which operation unit 3 has its power switch B turned on.

[0033] Secondly, a case where the power supply of the wireless device 1 is turned off, that is, a case where the power supply switch A of the wireless unit 2 is turned off by turning off the power supply switch B of the operation unit 3, will be described.

[0034] In this case, when the power switch B of at least one operation unit 3 is turned off, the FET of the operation unit 3 is turned off, the impedance of the RJ45 connector terminal TB becomes high, and the idle pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41 connected to the RJ45 connector terminal TB changes to high impedance. The impedance change (change to high impedance) of the idle pin (control signal pin) is transmitted to the wireless unit 2 via the RJ45 connector terminal TA connected to the idle pin (control signal pin) of the RJ45 connector 41. On the wireless unit 2 side, the second power supply 6 converts the impedance change (change to high impedance) into an electrical signal by pulling up the idle pin (control signal pin) with a predetermined pull-up resistor (for example, to 3.3 V). This electrical signal is transmitted to the CPU 7. The CPU 7 receives electrical signals indicating that the power switch B has been turned off from all operation units 3 connected to the wireless unit 2, and turns off the power switch A of the wireless unit 2 when it confirms that the power switches B of all operation units 3 connected to the wireless unit 2 have been turned off.

[0035] As described above, according to the power supply control mechanism M of the radio device 1 of this embodiment, among the multiple pins of the RJ45 connectors 41 provided at both ends of the Ethernet cable 4, the free pins (control signal pins) not used for data communication are used for power supply control, eliminating the need to use an expensive dedicated IC and enabling inexpensive power supply control of the radio device 1. Furthermore, since the power-on of the operation unit 3 is transmitted to the radio unit 2 as an impedance change rather than an electrical signal, in a radio device 1 in which multiple operation units 3 are connected to the radio unit 2, it becomes possible to control the power supply of the radio unit 2 from the multiple operation units 3. Furthermore, since the power supply switch A of the radio unit 2 is turned on after the power supply switch B of the operation unit 3 is turned on, there is no need to keep the radio unit 2 (especially the CPU 7) running all the time, making it possible to reduce power consumption.

[0036] Furthermore, when turning off the power of the radio device 1, the power switch A of the radio device 2 is turned off only after it is confirmed that the power switches B of all operation units 3 connected to the radio unit 2 are turned off, thereby enabling appropriate power control of the radio device 1.

[0037] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the specific configuration is not limited to the above embodiment, and even if there are design changes or the like within the scope of the gist of the present invention, they are included in the present invention.

[0038] 1 radio 2 Wireless Unit 3 Operation Unit 4 Ethernet cables (communication cables) 41 RJ45 connector (connector) 5. First power source 6 Secondary Power Source 7 CPU (control unit) A Wireless unit power switch M Power control mechanism

Claims

1. A power supply control mechanism for a radio device including a radio unit and at least one operation unit connected via a communication cable, the communication cable has connectors on both ends, and the connectors have unused pins that are not used for data communication between the wireless unit and the operation unit; the wireless unit includes a power switch and a first power source; the operation unit includes a power switch; When a power switch of at least one of the operation units is turned on, the impedance of the dead pin changes to low impedance, and the change to low impedance is converted into an electric signal by pulling up the dead pin with the first power supply, and the electric signal is transmitted to the power switch of the wireless unit, thereby turning on the power switch of the wireless unit. A power supply control mechanism characterized by:

2. the wireless unit further comprises a second power source and a control unit; When the power switch of at least one of the operation units is turned off, the impedance of the dead pin changes to high impedance, and the change to high impedance is converted into an electric signal by pulling up the dead pin with the second power supply, and the electric signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit turns off the power switch of the wireless unit at a timing when it has confirmed that the power switches of all the operation units connected to the wireless unit have been turned off.

2. The power supply control mechanism according to claim 1.

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