Power management system and method using selective power supply of EPAPER board

Abstract

The power management system of the ePaper board of the present invention comprises: a plurality of ePaper displays each performing information display; a control unit determining whether to change the content to be displayed on each of the plurality of ePaper displays; a power distribution unit configured to selectively supply power only to the ePaper display where a screen change has occurred according to the determination result of the control unit; a battery unit that receives power from at least one of a solar charging system, a wind charging system, and an external power source and provides power to the power distribution unit; and a battery management unit that manages the charging and discharging states of the battery unit; wherein the power distribution unit is configured to cut off power supply to ePaper displays where no screen change has occurred, and to supply power only to ePaper displays requiring a screen change while a screen update is performed, thereby minimizing standby power even in a board environment equipped with a plurality of ePaper displays.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to display power management technology for electronic bulletin boards, and more specifically, to a power management system and method that minimizes standby power by selectively supplying power only to displays requiring screen changes in a bulletin board system including a plurality of ePaper displays, and efficiently manages a battery by utilizing a combination of solar, wind, and external power sources. Background Technology

[0002] General information boards have provided information using LCD displays, LED displays, or paper boards.

[0003] However, LCD and LED displays require a continuous power supply even while the screen is active, resulting in high energy consumption and increased maintenance costs when applied in outdoor or public environments.

[0004] On the other hand, while paper bulletin boards do not consume electricity, they have limitations such as wasting paper because they require printing and replacement whenever information changes, and making it difficult to provide real-time information.

[0005] Recently, ePaper displays have been attracting attention as an alternative to solve these problems. ePaper displays have the advantages of consuming almost no power while the screen is on, offering excellent visibility even in sunlight, and high readability.

[0006] However, ePaper displays have the characteristic of consuming relatively large amounts of power instantaneously during screen switching. When multiple ePaper displays are applied to a single bulletin board system, standby power required to maintain circuit operation even after screen switching accumulates, leading to a problem where the overall system's energy efficiency is reduced.

[0007] In particular, in a structure where multiple ePaper displays are constantly connected to a common power source, standby current may be generated constantly regardless of display maintenance by the driving board, voltage regulator, communication interface, or standby mode circuit of each display, and this standby current can accumulate and become a factor in reducing the overall energy efficiency of the system.

[0008] Furthermore, when using battery power based on self-generation sources such as solar or wind power, power resources are limited, making the management of unnecessary standby power a problem directly related to system stability.

[0009] In conventional technology, methods such as supplying common power to the entire ePaper display or simply increasing battery capacity have been primarily used, but these methods have limitations in that they cannot fundamentally eliminate standby power. The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art. The objective of the present invention is to provide a power management system and method using selective power supply of an ePaper board that drastically reduces standby power by selectively supplying power only to the display where a screen change occurs in a board system comprising a plurality of ePaper displays.

[0011] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a power management system and method using selective power supply of an ePaper bulletin board that fundamentally blocks unnecessary power application by utilizing whether content is changed as a direct trigger for power supply.

[0012] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a power management system and method using selective power supply of an ePaper board that enables stable and efficient power operation through a battery management algorithm even in an environment that utilizes a combination of solar, wind, and external power sources.

[0013] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a power management system and method using selective power supply for an ePaper board, which provides scalability applicable to large-scale bulletin boards and smart city environments by controlling a plurality of displays in a group unit.

[0014] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0015] The power management system of the ePaper board of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose comprises: a plurality of ePaper displays each performing information display; a control unit determining whether to change the content to be displayed on each of the plurality of ePaper displays; a power distribution unit configured to selectively supply power only to the ePaper display where a screen change has occurred according to the determination result of the control unit; a battery unit that receives power from at least one of a solar charging system, a wind charging system, and an external power source and provides power to the power distribution unit; and a battery management unit that manages the charging and discharging states of the battery unit; wherein the power distribution unit is configured to cut off power supply to ePaper displays where no screen change has occurred, and to supply power only to ePaper displays requiring a screen change while a screen update is performed, thereby minimizing standby power even in a board environment equipped with a plurality of ePaper displays.

[0016] In addition, the control unit is characterized by specifying the target ePaper display for change based on a request to change image data or text data, and controlling the power distribution unit to activate only the power supply path corresponding to the specified ePaper display.

[0017] In addition, the battery management unit is characterized by controlling the selective use of one or more power sources among a solar charging system, a wind charging system, and an external power source, taking into account the remaining battery charge and the availability status of the charging power source.

[0018] In addition, the power distribution unit includes an independent power supply line for each ePaper display and is configured to individually turn the power supply line on or off according to a control signal from the control unit.

[0019] In addition, the control unit is characterized by using a change in at least one of the hash value, checksum, text, or image data of the content data as a trigger for power supply.

[0020] In addition, the control unit classifies a plurality of ePaper displays into a plurality of display groups and controls the power supply on a per-display group basis when the content is changed.

[0021] A power management method for an electronic bulletin board including a plurality of ePaper displays according to the present invention comprises: a step of determining whether content to be displayed on each ePaper display has changed; a step of identifying the ePaper display where a screen change has occurred; a step of selectively supplying power only to the identified ePaper display to perform a screen update; and a step of cutting off the power supply to the ePaper display after the screen update is completed. Effects of the invention

[0022] According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

[0023] First, by supplying power only to the ePaper display where a screen change occurs, standby power is significantly reduced even in environments equipped with multiple displays.

[0024] In particular, unlike a structure that constantly supplies a common power source, it is structurally possible to suppress the phenomenon where standby current accumulates in displays that do not require updating even if the number of displays increases.

[0025] Second, battery usage time can be significantly extended even in solar and wind-powered environments with limited power.

[0026] Third, it is possible to implement an eco-friendly bulletin board system that prevents resource waste compared to paper bulletin boards and offers superior energy efficiency compared to LCD or LED displays.

[0027] Fourth, it can be applied to various environments such as public bulletin boards, smart city information systems, bus stops, and school and hospital information boards.

[0028] The effects according to the technical concept of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art from the description below. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an ePaper bulletin board power management system according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the selective power supply structure that is the core of the present invention. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the power management configuration of the battery section and the battery management section. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the power control flow according to the content update. Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the concept of display group control. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0030] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but can be implemented in various different forms. These embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning that is commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted arbitrarily or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0032] Additionally, the singular form in this specification may include the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. As used in this specification, "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, actions, and / or elements to the mentioned components, steps, actions, and / or elements.

[0033] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an ePaper bulletin board power management system according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the selective power supply structure which is the core of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the power management configuration of the battery unit and the battery management unit, FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the power control flow according to content updates, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the display group control concept.

[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the ePaper board power management system according to the present invention includes a plurality of ePaper displays (10-1 to 10-n), a control unit (20), a power distribution unit (30), a battery unit (40), and a battery management unit (50). The battery unit (40) may receive power from at least one of a solar charging system (41), a wind charging system (42), and an external power source (43).

[0036] Multiple ePaper displays (10-1 to 10-n) are display units that each perform information display independently. Due to the characteristics of ePaper, the screen display state can be maintained without power supply, but relatively large power may be required momentarily when updating (switching) the screen.

[0037] Taking this into account, the present invention structurally eliminates the accumulation of unnecessary standby power even in a bulletin board environment with multiple displays by supplying power only to displays requiring screen changes and cutting off power to other displays.

[0038] The control unit (20) determines whether content (image data or text data, etc.) received from an external server or local storage has been changed, and specifies a target display to which the changed content will be displayed. Subsequently, the control unit (20) outputs a control signal to the power distribution unit (30) so that power is supplied only to the specified display.

[0039] The power distribution unit (30) distributes power supplied from the battery unit (40) to each ePaper display (10-1 to 10-n), and selectively turns on / off the power supply path to the individual display according to the control signal of the control unit (20).

[0040] In particular, since the voltage converter, communication transceiver, and status monitoring circuit of the driving board connected to each display can consume current in standby mode regardless of display maintenance, in a structure where a common power supply is always applied, the accumulated standby current may increase in proportion to the number of displays.

[0041] In contrast, the present invention fundamentally suppresses the accumulated standby current generated in a display that does not require updating by physically blocking the corresponding power line by the power distribution unit (30).

[0042] The battery management unit (50) manages the charging and discharging status of the battery unit (40) and, if necessary, can perform control for stable operation, such as selecting a power source, controlling charging, and limiting discharging.

[0043] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the power distribution unit (30) includes independent power supply lines for each ePaper display (10-1 to 10-n). That is, when the screen of a specific display (e.g., 10-2) needs to be updated, the power distribution unit (30) activates only the power line connected to that display and keeps the power line connected to other displays in an inactive (OFF) state. The power distribution unit (30) can cut off the power supply by electrically disconnecting each power supply line by means of a switching element. Power cutoff can be performed on one or more power rails (panel driving power and / or logic power) for driving the display.

[0044] Specifically, the control unit (20) may transmit a control signal including a power supply target display ID or a power supply path identifier to the power distribution unit (30) according to the result of determining the content change. The power distribution unit (30) performs on / off switching of each power line using a switching element (relay, MOSFET, power switch IC, etc.) according to the control signal.

[0045] The switching element of the power distribution unit (30) may be configured as a load switch IC, MOSFET switch, relay, or a combination thereof depending on the implementation, and may include a soft-start or current limiting function for stable switching. In addition, considering the outdoor installation environment, at least one of overcurrent protection (fuse or electronic cutoff), surge protection (TVS diode), and reverse current protection (ideal diode controller or reverse current cutoff switch) may be further included.

[0046] Additionally, the power distribution unit (30) may be configured to include a current monitoring circuit that senses the current of each power supply line and automatically cut off the line if an overcurrent or short circuit is detected.

[0047] Meanwhile, the ePaper display (10-1 to 10-n) may include not only the panel but also a driver and interface circuit for driving the panel. Accordingly, when the power distribution unit (30) cuts off the power line, it may be configured to cut off one or more power rails, such as the panel driving power and the logic power, and in certain implementations, it is also possible to cut off only the panel driving power and maintain the logic power in an ultra-low power mode. However, the core of the present invention is to substantially minimize unnecessary standby power of a display that does not require updating.

[0048] In addition, the power distribution unit (30) can suppress the peak current of the system by controlling the power application time, application order, and number of simultaneous applications per display or display group, going beyond the function of simply branching power. For example, even in situations where simultaneous updating of multiple displays is required, an upper limit of the number of simultaneously activated channels can be set so that the instantaneous discharge current of the battery unit (40) does not rise excessively, and any excess can be loaded into a sequential update queue and updated sequentially. At this time, the priority of sequential updates can be determined by priority of urgent notification, priority of installation location, priority of the time of the most recent update, etc.

[0049] The above sequential update queue may be composed of a set of items including a display ID, priority, estimated update time, and / or estimated power consumption information.

[0050] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the solar charging system (41) and the wind charging system (42) can perform charging by providing the generated power to the battery unit (40), and the external power source (43) can be used as a commercial power source or adapter power source to charge the battery unit (40) or drive the system directly.

[0051] The battery management unit (50) can perform charge / discharge control based on at least one of the charge state (SoC), battery voltage, charge / discharge current, battery temperature, battery degradation state (SoH), or internal resistance estimate of the battery unit (40). For example, if the battery temperature is outside the set range or the discharge current exceeds a threshold value, the battery management unit (50) can control the number of simultaneous update channels or the update frequency to be limited in conjunction with the control unit (20).

[0052] Additionally, the battery management unit (50) selects available power sources among solar / wind / external power sources, and in one embodiment, the battery management unit (50) can execute a battery management algorithm that determines power source priority and update policy using current power generation, expected power generation (solar radiation / wind speed prediction or estimation based on past patterns), content update schedule and power consumption history as input values.

[0053] In one embodiment, the output of the algorithm may include an upper limit (m) on the number of concurrently active channels, a time period for allowing updates, whether updates are allowed by content priority, and / or a limit value on the update frequency.

[0054] For example, during the daytime when solar power generation is sufficient, the solar charging system (41) is used first, and when wind power generation is high, the wind charging system (42) is used as an auxiliary power source. When renewable energy power is insufficient or the battery level is low, the system may switch to using an external power source (43). In an environment without an external power source, if the battery level falls below a threshold, the policy may be changed to delay the updating of non-urgent content, limit the number of displays to be updated, or update only content of a higher priority.

[0055] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the control unit (20) receives a content update request (S10). The update request can be implemented in a push method in which the server notifies the change event or in a polling method in which the control unit periodically queries the server. The control unit (20) can transmit and receive data with an external server through a wired / wireless communication unit (not shown).

[0056] The control unit (20) determines whether the received content has been altered (S20). The determination of whether the content has been altered can be performed by at least one of comparing the hash value, checksum, version number, timestamp, file size, metadata, or text / image difference of the content data. Text content can be determined by comparing strings after normalization, and image content can be determined by using thumbnail or diff areas in addition to file-unit comparison.

[0057] The control unit (20) stores the previous content or its hash value in memory (not shown) and compares it with the value of the new content.

[0058] When a change in content is confirmed, the control unit (20) specifies the target ePaper display where the changed content will be displayed (S30). The target specification may use a display ID, installation location, bulletin board area, or a content-display mapping table.

[0059] After that, the control unit (20) transmits a control signal to the power distribution unit (30) to supply power only to the target display (S40). After power is applied, the control unit (20) transmits update data through the display interface (SPI / I2C / UART, etc.) and performs a screen update (S50).

[0060] The completion of an update can be determined via the display driver's completion flag or status register value; if no completion flag is provided, it may be determined by the expiration of a timer according to a predefined update time table. Additionally, depending on the implementation, power supply may be cut off after a guard time is granted following the completion of the update.

[0061] Additionally, if the update is not completed within a predefined maximum allowable time, the control unit (20) may forcibly cut off the power supply line to protect the system and perform a retry or record an error log.

[0062] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the control unit (20) can classify a plurality of ePaper displays into a plurality of display groups. For example, displays displaying the same content can be grouped into Group A, and displays displaying different content can be grouped into Group B. The criteria for group classification can be set in various ways, such as content type, bulletin board area, update cycle, installation location, etc.

[0063] In group-unit control, when a request for update for a specific group occurs, the control unit (20) may update the displays within the group simultaneously, or perform sequential updates based on the status of the battery unit (40) and the simultaneous activation limit of the power distribution unit (30). In the case of sequential updates, the control unit (20) may organize the list of displays to be updated into a queue and activate the power line of the next display whenever the completion of the update for each display is confirmed. Through this, the requirement for content synchronization can be satisfied while controlling power peaks even in a large-scale bulletin board environment.

[0064] Here, 'content synchronization requirement' may mean that all displays within the same group are updated within a certain time (t).

[0065] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and the following modifications are possible.

[0066] The power distribution unit (30) can be implemented in various ways, such as relay-based, semiconductor switch-based, or MOSFET-based, and may include a fuse, overcurrent cutoff, and surge protection circuit for safety.

[0067] Content change determination can be performed using version, timestamp, or difference comparisons in addition to hashes and checksums, and it is also possible to perform the change determination logic on the control unit or server side and simply transmit the result.

[0068] The power supply unit can also be configured to include only some of the solar, wind, or external power sources.

[0069] Update scheduling can be changed to concurrent updates, sequential updates, or priority-based updates.

[0070] Selective power supply can be extended not only to the display but also to peripheral modules such as communication modules and sensor modules (illumination / temperature / humidity, etc.), and overall power consumption can be further reduced by lowering the refresh frequency in night / low power modes or by switching the communication module to sleep mode.

[0071] For example, the communication module is selectively activated only at a scheduled synchronization time or when a change event is received, and the update policy can be relaxed at night based on the illuminance sensor's measurement value or time zone information to further reduce overall power consumption.

[0072] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments and should be interpreted according to the claims. In this regard, those skilled in the art should consider that many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. Industrial applicability

[0073] The present invention is a low-power, eco-friendly electronic display technology that can be widely used in various industrial fields, such as smart cities, public guidance systems, traffic information provision systems, and industrial site information display boards. Explanation of the symbols

[0074] 10 : ePaper display 20 : Control unit 30: Power distribution unit 40: Battery section 41: Solar charging system 42: Wind charging system 43 : External power 50: Battery Management Department

Claims

Claim 1 A system for power management of an electronic bulletin board comprising a plurality of ePaper displays, comprising: a plurality of ePaper displays each performing information display; a control unit for determining whether to change the content to be displayed on each of the plurality of ePaper displays; a power distribution unit configured to selectively supply power only to the ePaper display where a screen change has occurred according to the determination result of the control unit; and a battery unit that receives power from at least one of a solar charging system, a wind charging system, and an external power source and provides power to the power distribution unit. The battery management unit manages the charge and discharge states of the battery unit; wherein the control unit specifies the ePaper display to be changed based on a request to change image data or text data, and controls the power distribution unit to activate only the power supply path corresponding to the specified ePaper display, the power distribution unit includes an independent power supply line for each ePaper display and is configured to individually turn the power supply line on or off according to a control signal of the control unit, the control unit uses a change in at least one of the hash value, checksum, text data, or image data of the content data as a trigger for power supply, the control unit classifies a plurality of ePaper displays into a plurality of display groups and controls power supply on a display group basis when content is changed, the battery management unit controls the selective use of one or more power sources among the solar charging system, wind charging system, and external power source by considering the remaining battery amount, charge state, and availability of the charging power source, and the control unit creates a sequential update queue when an update request for a plurality of ePaper displays occurs to sequentially update the displays to be updated. Controlling, the above sequential update queue includes a display identifier (ID), priority,A power management system using selective power supply for an ePaper board, characterized by including at least one of an estimated update time and an estimated power consumption, wherein the control unit sets an upper limit on the number of display channels that can be simultaneously activated according to the battery status or the instantaneous power consumption status, and controls update requests exceeding the upper limit to be stored in the sequential update queue and processed sequentially, wherein the power distribution unit electrically disconnects the power supply line corresponding to an ePaper display where no screen change has occurred to eliminate standby current generated in the driving board, voltage converter, communication interface, and status monitoring circuit of the ePaper display, wherein the control unit is configured to suppress the peak current of the system by limiting the number of display channels that can be simultaneously activated and controlling the update order using the sequential update queue, and is configured to minimize standby power and instantaneous power consumption even in a board environment equipped with multiple ePaper displays. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete

Images