Electronic apparatus for minimizing standby power in consideration of use time of user and control method thereof

Abstract

This e-paper display apparatus includes a main power source, a sub-power source, an IR communication module, an RF communication module, a first processor, and a second processor. The first processor is activated by power supplied by the main power source, controls the IR communication module and the RF communication module in a normal mode of the e-paper display apparatus, controls the sub-power source to supply power to the second processor, and controls the main power source to deactivate the first processor and the RF communication module by stopping the supply of power. The second processor is activated by the power supplied by the sub-power source, controls the IR communication module in a low power mode, and switches to a normal mode by controlling the supply of power to the first processor and the RF communication module.

Description

Electronic device and its control method for minimizing standby power considering the user's usage time

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an electronic device and a control method thereof that minimizes standby power by taking into account a user's usage time.

[0002] Due to the various functions provided by electronic devices and also for faster booting, electronic devices require very high standby power, which increases the wasted power.

[0003] For example, even when the user is not using the electronic device, Internet of Things (IoT) electronic devices activate the RF communication module to continuously perform RF communication, and do not provide a power-saving state to minimize the delay that occurs during booting, which is gradually increasing the standby power of electronic devices in the home.

[0004] There has been a need for a device and method that considers the user's usage time for electronic devices and reduces standby power by appropriately activating standby mode without activating all functions and loads unnecessarily.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic paper display device includes a power supply unit including a main power supply and a sub power supply; an IR (Infrared) communication module; an RF (Radio Frequency) communication module; a first processor; and a second processor. The first processor is activated by receiving power supplied by the main power supply in a normal mode of the electronic paper display device, controls the IR communication module and the RF communication module in the normal mode, and controls the power supply unit to supply power from the sub power supply to the second processor based on a first condition being satisfied in the normal mode, and controls the power supply unit to stop supplying power from the main power supply to deactivate the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low power mode. The second processor is activated by receiving power supplied by the sub-power supply in the low power mode, controls the IR communication module in the low power mode, and controls the power supply to supply power to the first processor and the RF communication module based on a second condition being satisfied in the low power mode, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an electronic paper display device includes: a step in which a first processor of the electronic paper display device, which is activated by receiving power supplied by a main power supply in a normal mode of the electronic paper display device, controls an IR communication module and an RF communication module of the electronic paper display device; a step in which the first processor, based on a first condition being satisfied in the normal mode, controls a sub-power supply to supply power to a second processor of the electronic paper display device to activate the second processor and controls the main power supply to stop supplying power from the main power supply to deactivate the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low power mode; a step in which the second processor, which is activated by receiving power provided from the sub-power supply in the low power mode, controls the IR communication module in the low power mode; and a step in which the second processor, based on a second condition being satisfied in the low power mode, supplies power to the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program executed to perform a method of controlling an electronic paper display device, the method comprising: a step of: controlling an IR communication module and an RF communication module of the electronic paper display device by a first processor of the electronic paper display device, which is activated by receiving power supplied by a main power supply in a normal mode of the electronic paper display device; a step of: controlling a sub-power supply by the first processor to supply power to a second processor of the electronic paper display device to activate the second processor based on a first condition being satisfied in the normal mode, and controlling the main power supply to deactivate the first processor and the RF communication module by stopping the supply of power from the main power supply, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low-power mode; a step of: controlling the second processor, which is activated by receiving power provided from the sub-power supply in the low-power mode, and controlling the IR communication module in the low-power mode; And the second processor, based on the second condition being satisfied in the low power mode, supplies power to the first processor and the RF communication module to switch the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

[0008] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a plurality of electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device operating in a normal mode or a low-power mode in consideration of a user's usage time according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 4A is a drawing for explaining a power supply unit and a processor provided in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 4b is a drawing for explaining a power supply unit and a processor provided in an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5A is a graph illustrating an electronic device switching from a low power mode to a normal mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 5b is a graph illustrating an electronic device switching from a low power mode to a normal mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a sub-power source including a battery charged by solar energy or other methods according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a sub-power source including a battery charged by thermoelectric harvesting according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of electronic devices communicating with a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining an e-paper display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram illustrating an electronic device including an electronic paper display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0025] The terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected from widely used, current terms, taking into account the functions of this disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names of terms, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0026] In this specification, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0027] The expression "at least one of A or B" should be understood to mean "A", "B" or "A and B".

[0028] As used herein, the expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” etc., may describe various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the components.

[0029] When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “(operatively or communicatively) coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to the other component, or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component).

[0030] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "consist of" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0031] In the present disclosure, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented in hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, multiple "modules" or multiple "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented as at least one processor, excluding any "modules" or "parts" that need to be implemented as specific hardware.

[0032] In this specification, the term user may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device).

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

[0034] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a plurality of electronic devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, as various types of electronic devices are developed and distributed, multiple electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may be provided in a home.

[0036] Each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) illustrated in FIG. 1 is an example for convenience of explanation, and each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) can be implemented as various types of home appliances, such as air conditioning devices, kitchen / cooking devices, wired / wireless cleaning devices, image processing devices, or clothing care devices.

[0037] For example, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may include at least one of a TV, a user terminal device, a tablet PC, an e-paper display device, a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a PDA, a portable multimedia player (PMP), an MP3 player, a medical device, a camera, a virtual reality (VR) implementation device, or a wearable device. Here, the wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, glasses, a contact lens, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), a fabric or clothing-integrated type (e.g., an electronic garment), a body-attached type (e.g., a skin pad or a tattoo), or a bio-implantable circuit. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may include a television, a digital video disk (DVD) player, an audio, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washing machine, an air purifier, a source device (e.g., a set-top box, a cloud server, an over-the-top media service (OTT) server, etc.), a home automation control panel, a security control panel, a media box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync). TM , Apple TV TM , or Google TV TM ), game consoles (e.g. Xbox TM , PlayStation TM , Switch TM ), may include at least one of an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, or an electronic picture frame.

[0038] In another embodiment, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may be configured to include various medical devices (e.g., various portable medical measuring devices (e.g., blood glucose meters, heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitors, or body temperature monitors), magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), cameras, or ultrasound machines), navigation devices, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), event data recorders (EDR), flight data recorders (FDR), automotive infotainment devices, marine electronic equipment (e.g., marine navigation devices, gyrocompasses, etc.), avionics, security devices, vehicle head units, industrial or home robots, drones, ATMs of financial institutions, point of sales (POS) of stores, or Internet of Things devices (e.g., light bulbs, various sensors, sprinkler devices, fire alarms, thermostats, street lights, It may include at least one of the following: a toaster, exercise equipment, hot water tank, heater, boiler, etc.

[0039] According to an embodiment, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may be implemented as an Internet of Things (IoT) device and may communicate with other electronic devices, user terminal devices, remote control devices, servers, etc. provided in a home. For example, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may include an RF (Radio Frequency) communication module and may transmit and receive RF signals.

[0040] According to an embodiment, when each of a plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) has its RF communication module activated to transmit and receive RF signals, there is a problem of power waste due to relatively high standby power. For example, the standby power of each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) with their RF communication modules activated is as shown in Table 1 below.

[0041] Standby power (W) Standby time (h) Standby power (Wh) Usage time (h) Television 21.3 17.1 44.5 6.9 Set-top box 212.2 17.5 427.0 6.5 Stand 10.6 22.8 13.7 1.2 Computer 12.6 19.9 103.5 4.1 Internet modem 16.0 20.2 121.2 3.8 Internet phone 20.2 24.0 9.6 0.0 Video 14.9 17.3 8 4.6 6.7 DVD Player 13.7 18.6 6 8.9 5.4 Printer 12.6 15.5 4 0.28.5 Home theater 15.1 18.6 9 4.9 5.4 Air conditioner 15.8 20.1 16.6 3.9 Fan 20.2 18.2 7.3 5.8 Microwave 12.2 23.9 5 2.60.1 Cell phone charger 10.3 13.8 16.6 10.2 Air purifier 10.3 18.9 5.75.1 Dishwasher 11.0 23.6 23.60.4 Total 49.0 1 230.5

[0042] For example, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) had a problem in that the RF communication module was always activated in addition to the user's usage time (e.g., the time when transmission and reception of RF signals are required), thereby unnecessarily wasting about 1230.5 Wh of power per day. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) can activate or deactivate the RF communication module in consideration of the user's usage time, thereby minimizing the unnecessarily wasted power.

[0043] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an IoT device can minimize standby power by dynamically activating an RF communication module in consideration of a user's usage time.

[0044] In the following, for convenience of explanation, one of a plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) is assumed to be an electronic device (100).

[0045] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the electronic device (100) includes a power supply (110), a communication interface (120), and a processor (130).

[0047] According to an embodiment, the power supply unit (110) includes a main power supply (111) and a sub power supply (112).

[0048] According to an embodiment, the main power source (111) is connected to a power outlet that provides commercial power (e.g., 90 to 264 V), and is hardware that converts AC power into DC power to stably supply power to an internal load of the electronic device (100) (or an external device connected to the electronic device (100).

[0049] The main power supply (111) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a diode bridge (or bridge rectifier), an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter, an AC / DC block, and a DC / DC block.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) included in the processor (130) in the normal mode of the electronic device (100) corresponding to the user's usage time, and the first processor (131) can control the IR communication module (121) and the RF communication module (122).

[0051] For example, the first processor (131) may identify the user's usage time based on user settings or usage history information of the electronic device (100), and may identify a time or time interval related to the general mode of the electronic device (100) or a time or time interval related to the low power mode of the electronic device (100) based on the user's usage time.

[0052] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may transmit at least one of a time associated with a normal mode or a time associated with a low-power mode to the second processor (132). According to an embodiment, when the time associated with the normal mode arrives (or the time associated with the low-power mode elapses) while the electronic device (100) is operating in the low-power mode, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131).

[0053] The first processor (131) is activated using power provided by the main power supply (111) and can control the IR communication module (121) and the RF communication module (122) to operate the electronic device (100) in a normal mode.

[0054] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the second processor (132) when the time associated with the low power mode arrives (or when the time associated with the normal mode elapses) while the electronic device (100) is operating in the normal mode.

[0055] The second processor (132) is activated using power provided by the sub power supply (112) and can control the IR communication module (121) to operate the electronic device (100) in a low power mode.

[0056] According to an embodiment, the communication interface (120) includes an IR communication module (121) and an RF communication module (122).

[0057] According to an embodiment, the RF communication module (122) may include various interfaces such as AP-based Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi, Wireless LAN network), Bluetooth, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), 3G, LTE, 5G, 6G, Ad-Hoc Network-based Wi-Fi Direct and LTE Direct, Zigbee NFC (Near Field Communication), etc.

[0058] However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the communication interface (120) may include a wired interface (or wired terminal) according to various standards. For example, the communication interface (120) may include various interfaces such as HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), USB (Universal Serial Bus), DP (Display Port), Thunderbolt, VGA (Video Graphics Array) port, RGB port, D-SUB (D-subminiature), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), wired LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), Ethernet, IEEE 1394, AES / EBU (Audio Engineering Society / European Broadcasting Union), optical, coaxial, etc.

[0059] According to an embodiment, the processor (130) controls the overall operation of the electronic device (100). Specifically, the processor (130) is connected to each component of the electronic device (100) and can control the overall operation of the electronic device (100).

[0060] The processor (130) can perform operations of the electronic device (100) according to various embodiments by executing at least one instruction stored in the memory.

[0061] According to an embodiment, the processor (130) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a timing controller (TCON) that processes digital signals. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a communication processor (CP), an ARM processor, or an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, or may be defined by the relevant terms. In addition, the processor (130) may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) having a built-in processing algorithm, a large scale integration (LSI), or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor (130) may perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions stored in a memory.

[0062] The processor (130) may include one or more of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), a MIC (Many Integrated Core), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an NPU (Neural Processing Unit), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. The processor (130) may control one or any combination of other components of the electronic device, and may perform operations related to communication or data processing. The processor (130) may execute one or more programs or instructions stored in a memory. For example, the processor (130) may perform a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in a memory.

[0063] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor or by multiple processors. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor) and the third operation may be performed by the second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence-dedicated processor).

[0064] The processor (130) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicores or heterogeneous multicores). When the processor (130) is implemented as a multicore processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multicore processor may include an internal processor memory, such as a cache memory or an on-chip memory, and a common cache shared by the multiple cores may be included in the multicore processor. In addition, each of the multiple cores (or some of the multiple cores) included in the multicore processor may independently read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, or all (or some) of the multiple cores may be linked to read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] When a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations may be performed by one core among a plurality of cores included in a multi-core processor, or may be performed by a plurality of cores. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to an embodiment, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, and the third operation may be performed by a second core included in the multi-core processor.

[0066] In embodiments of the present disclosure, a processor may mean a system on a chip (SoC) in which a processor and other electronic components are integrated, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a core included in a single-core processor or a multi-core processor, wherein the core may be implemented as a CPU, a GPU, an APU, a MIC, a DSP, an NPU, a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0067] According to an embodiment, the processor (130) includes a first processor (131) and a second processor (132).

[0068] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) is activated in the normal mode of the electronic device (100) and can control all functions of the electronic device (100), the IR communication module (121) included in the communication interface (120), the RF communication module (122), etc.

[0069] For example, the first processor (131) is a high-performance processor with relatively high power consumption, and can control and perform each component of the electronic device (100), so it may be called a main processor, but for convenience of explanation, it will be collectively referred to as the first processor (131) hereinafter.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may be activated in the low power mode of the electronic device (100) to control some functions of the electronic device (100), the IR communication module (121) included in the communication interface (120), etc. According to an embodiment, when the time related to the low power mode arrives, the second processor (132) may be activated by itself (or by itself) by power provided by the sub-power supply (112) to control some functions of the electronic device (100), the IR communication module (121) included in the communication interface (120), etc.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) and the sub power supply (112) cuts off power provided to the second processor (132) when the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed (or when the time associated with the normal mode has arrived). According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) controls the power supply (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131), so that the first processor (131) may be activated.

[0072] For example, when a time period related to the low power mode has elapsed, the second processor (132) can control the power supply unit (110) to activate the DC / DC block included in the main power supply (111) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) and cuts off the power provided by the sub power supply (112) to the second processor (132), thereby switching the electronic device (100) to the normal mode.

[0073] For example, the second processor (132) is a low-power processor (e.g., a microcontroller or microcontroller unit (MCU)) with relatively low power consumption, and may be called a subprocessor, but for convenience of explanation, it is collectively referred to as the second processor (132) hereinafter.

[0074] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device operating in a normal mode or a low-power mode in consideration of a user's usage time according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may obtain time information based on user settings or input usage history information of the electronic device (100) into a neural network model to obtain time information. For example, the first processor (131) may obtain the time at which the low power mode starts (or the time at which the normal mode ends) and the time at which the low power mode ends (or the time at which the normal mode starts) as time information based on user settings.

[0076] For example, the first processor (131) can input the user's usage history information for the electronic device (100) into a neural network model to obtain the time at which the low power mode starts (or the time at which the normal mode ends) and the time at which the low power mode ends (or the time at which the normal mode starts) as time information.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the neural network model may be a model trained to output time information including time related to a low-power mode (e.g., time to start the low-power mode and time to end the low-power mode) based on the usage time of the electronic device (100) included in the usage history information when usage history information is input.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) is activated using power provided by the main power supply (111) during a time period associated with the normal mode (e.g., 06:00 - 24:00), and can activate the IR communication module (121) and the RF communication module (122).

[0079] According to an embodiment, when the time associated with the normal mode elapses (e.g., 24:00) (or when the time associated with the low-power mode arrives), the first processor (131) may control the power supply unit (110) to cause the sub-power supply (112) to provide power to the second processor (132) and to cut off the power provided by the main power supply (111) to the first processor (131). According to an embodiment, when the time associated with the normal mode elapses, the first processor (131) may transmit time information including the time associated with the low-power mode to the second processor (132).

[0080] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may be activated using power provided by the sub-power supply (112) during a time period (e.g., 24:00 - 06:00) associated with the low-power mode according to time information, and may activate the IR communication module (121). Since the RF communication module (122) is deactivated in the low-power mode, the standby power of the electronic device (100) is minimized during the time period associated with the low-power mode, and power may not be wasted unnecessarily.

[0081] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) and the sub power supply (112) cuts off power provided to the second processor (132) when the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed (e.g., 06:00) according to time information (or when the time associated with the normal mode has arrived).

[0082] In Fig. 3, for convenience of explanation, the time related to the low power mode is assumed to be the user's sleeping time (e.g., 24:00 - 06:00), and the time related to the normal mode is assumed to be the user's activity time (e.g., 06:00 - 24:00). However, this is an example for convenience of explanation and is not limited thereto.

[0083] For example, the first processor (131) may identify the user's absence time at home (e.g., work time, 08:00 - 18:00) as a time associated with the low power mode, and may identify the user's presence time at home (e.g., 18:00 - 08:00 the next day) as a time associated with the general mode, based on user settings or usage history information.

[0084] In addition, the first processor (131) may, of course, further distinguish between the time associated with the low power mode and the time associated with the normal mode. For example, the first processor (131) may identify 24:00 - 06:00 as the time associated with the low power mode, 06:00 - 12:00 as the time associated with the normal mode, 12:00 - 18:00 as the time associated with the low power mode, and 18:00 - 24:00 as the time associated with the normal mode among 24 hours of the day.

[0085] FIG. 4A is a drawing for explaining a power supply unit and a processor provided in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 4a, each of the main power supply (111) and the sub power supply (112) included in the power supply unit (110) can be connected to a power outlet that provides commercial power (e.g., 90 to 264 V).

[0087] According to an embodiment, the main power supply (111) can convert AC power into DC power by rectifying and smoothing AC power through an AC / DC block (e.g., AC / DC converter).

[0088] According to an embodiment, the main power supply (111) can convert the rectified power to a preset intensity through a DC / DC block (e.g., a DC / DC converter) connected to the AC / DC block.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the DC / DC block may provide power to a load (e.g., if the electronic device (100) includes a display, a light-emitting element of the display, an LED Driver, etc.). For example, the DC / DC block may provide 13 V to a control board including a first processor (131) and an RF communication module (122), and the first processor (131) and the RF communication module (122) may be activated using power provided by the main power supply (111). In addition, the IR communication module (121) may also be activated using power provided by the main power supply (111).

[0090] According to an embodiment, when a preset condition related to entering a low power mode is satisfied, for example, when a time related to the low power mode arrives or a time period related to the normal mode elapses, the first processor (131) controls the power supply unit (110) to switch the electronic device (100) to the low power mode so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the second processor (132) and the main power supply (111) cuts off power provided to the first processor (131).

[0091] According to an embodiment, the sub-power supply (112) may convert AC power into DC power by rectifying and smoothing AC power through an AC / DC block (e.g., an AC / DC converter). According to an embodiment, the sub-power supply (112) may include a voltage regulator. According to an embodiment, the voltage regulator may include a linear regulator, and may be implemented as, for example, a 3.3V LDO (Low Dropout) regulator.

[0092] For example, a 3.3V LDO regulator included in the sub-power supply (112) provides 3.3V to the second processor (132), and the second processor (132) can be activated using the power provided by the sub-power supply (112). In addition, the IR communication module (121) can also be activated using the power provided by the sub-power supply (112).

[0093] According to an embodiment, when a condition related to entering the normal mode is satisfied, for example, when a time period related to the low power mode elapses or a time related to the normal mode arrives, the second processor (132) activates a DC / DC block included in the main power supply (111) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) and controls the power supply unit (110) so that the sub power supply (112) cuts off power provided to the second processor (132), thereby switching the electronic device (100) to the normal mode.

[0094] FIG. 4b is a drawing for explaining a power supply unit and a processor provided in an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] For example, even after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, the user may not use the electronic device (100), and if all functions and all loads (e.g., LED Driver) of the electronic device (100) are activated while the electronic device (100) is not being used, there is a problem of unnecessary power waste.

[0096] Referring to FIG. 4B, the power supply (110) may include a switch (140). In an embodiment, when a time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, the DC / DC block is not activated, and the second processor (132) may control the power supply (110) to turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board.

[0097] For example, the second processor (132) can control the power supply (110) to turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides 13 V of power to the control board without activating the DC / DC block so that the main power supply (111) provides power to all loads of the electronic device (100) even after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed.

[0098] According to an embodiment, after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, when the switch (140) is turned on so that the sub power supply (112) provides 13 V of power to the control board, not all loads of the electronic device (100) are activated, but the first processor (131) and RF communication module (122) included in the control board are activated, so that the electronic device (100) can transmit and receive RF signals.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board for a preset period of time (e.g., 2 hours) after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, and when the preset period of time has elapsed, turn off the switch (140) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the control board and activate the DC / DC block.

[0100] According to an embodiment, when a control command is received from a remote control device through an IR communication module (121), or a control command is received from a user terminal device (or, server (200), etc.) through an RF communication module (122), or when a preset time elapses, the second processor (132) can activate the DC / DC block to activate all loads of the electronic device (100).

[0101] FIG. 5A is a graph illustrating an electronic device switching from a low power mode to a normal mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0102] Referring to FIG. 5A, before the time associated with the low power mode elapses, the electronic device (100) operates in the low power mode, and when the time associated with the low power mode elapses, the second processor (132) can transmit a wakeup signal to the DC / DC block based on time information to activate the DC / DC block.

[0103] According to an embodiment, when the DC / DC block is activated and the relay switch is turned on, the DC / DC block provides 13 V to the control board, and the first processor (131) and RF communication module (122) included in the control board are activated using the power provided by the main power supply (111), so that the electronic device (100) can operate in a normal mode.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the first processor (131) when a control command is received through the IR communication module (121) in a low power mode of the electronic device (100). The control command may include various types of signals that activate (or turn on) the electronic device (100).

[0105] For example, when a control command output by a remote control device is received through the IR communication module (121), the second processor (132) can control the power supply unit (110) to activate the DC / DC block so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the control board including the first processor (131) and the RF communication module (122).

[0106] FIG. 5b is a graph illustrating an electronic device switching from a low power mode to a normal mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0107] Referring to the circuit diagram of FIG. 4b and the graph of FIG. 5b, when the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, the DC / DC block is not immediately activated, and the second processor (132) can control the power supply (110) to turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board.

[0108] According to an embodiment, after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, when the switch (140) is turned on so that the sub power supply (112) provides 13 V of power to the control board, not all loads of the electronic device (100), such as the screen of the electronic device (100), are activated, but the control board (131) and the RF communication module (122) are activated, so that the electronic device (100) can transmit and receive RF signals (e.g., Wi-Fi, BT signals, etc.).

[0109] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board for a preset period of time (e.g., 2 hours) after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, and may activate the DC / DC block after the preset period of time has elapsed.

[0110] According to an embodiment, when the DC / DC block is activated and the relay switch is turned on, the second processor (132) uses the power provided by the main power source (111) to activate all loads of the electronic device (100), so that the electronic device (100) can operate in a normal mode.

[0111] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) is activated using power provided by the main power supply (111) in the normal mode for a time associated with the normal mode, thereby activating all loads of the electronic device (100) (e.g., turning on the screen), and when the time associated with the normal mode has elapsed, the power supply (110) is controlled to switch the electronic device to a low power mode.

[0112] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating a sub-power source including a battery charged via solar energy or other methods according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 4, the sub-power supply (112) is connected to a power outlet that provides commercial power (e.g., 90 to 264 V), and rather than including an AC / DC block, as shown in FIG. 7, the sub-power supply (112) may be implemented in a form that includes a battery and a charge / discharge circuit that controls charging / discharging of the battery.

[0114] According to an embodiment, the sub-power source (112) includes a solar harvesting diode that collects energy using solar light, and the solar harvesting diode (e.g., a solar cell) may include a photovoltaic element. According to an embodiment, the solar harvesting diode may harvest energy by the photovoltaic effect.

[0115] According to an embodiment, the charge / discharge circuit may provide charging power to the battery to charge the energy collected through the solar harvesting diode.

[0116] Additionally, the charge / discharge circuit can control the battery to output (or discharge) the power charged in the battery.

[0117] For example, the charge / discharge circuit provides a constant current (CC) to the battery under the control of the second processor (132), and when the internal voltage of the battery continuously rises and reaches a reference value, the internal voltage of the battery is changed to a constant voltage (CV) to prevent overvoltage, and the amount of current provided to the battery is continuously reduced to complete charging of the battery. The charging method of the charge / discharge circuit for the battery is not limited to the above-described CC / CV charging method, and it goes without saying that the battery can be charged using various charging methods.

[0118] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the charging / discharging circuit based on time information so that the battery prevents overcurrent and outputs a constant current (CC) during a time period associated with the low power mode. According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) and the IR communication module (121) may be activated using the power output from the battery, so that the electronic device (100) may operate in the low power mode.

[0119] However, the charge / discharge circuit can also charge the battery using power provided by the main power source (111) in the normal mode of the electronic device (100) in addition to the energy collected by the solar harvesting diode illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0120] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the second processor (132) when the remaining power of the battery is less than the threshold power.

[0121] For example, if the electronic device (100) uses 100 W of power per hour, and the voltage of the battery is 12 V and the capacity is 10 Ah, the battery provides 120 W of power, so the electronic device (100) can operate for 1.2 hours. According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power source (111) provides power to the second processor (132) when the remaining power of the battery is less than 20% of the total capacity (e.g., when the remaining power is 24 W).

[0122] However, the hourly power consumption of the electronic device (100) and the voltage and capacity of the battery can be varied, and the second processor (132) can also control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power source (111) provides power to the second processor (132) under various conditions, such as when the remaining power of the battery is less than 10% (or less than 5%) of the total capacity.

[0123] For example, the discharge may be completed when the battery outputs a certain amount of power (i.e., discharges) and the internal voltage of the battery drops below a threshold voltage.

[0124] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the second processor (132) to continuously activate the second processor (132) and the IR communication module (121) even when the battery is discharged in low power mode.

[0125] FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating a sub-power source including a battery charged by thermoelectric harvesting according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0126] According to an embodiment, the sub-power supply (112) includes a thermoelectric harvesting diode that collects energy using heat generated while the electronic device (100) is operating, and the thermoelectric harvesting diode can harvest energy using the thermoelectric effect.

[0127] For example, a thermoelectric harvesting diode converts a temperature difference of an electronic device (100) into a potential difference, and electrons in an object with a high temperature have higher kinetic energy than electrons in an object with a low temperature, and when the two objects are connected, electrons in the high temperature area spread to the low temperature area, and the potential difference that occurs can be used to generate electricity and charge a battery.

[0128] Descriptions of embodiments in which a battery is charged or discharged using a charge / discharge circuit, an embodiment in which a battery is charged using power provided by a main power source (111), and an embodiment in which the main power source (111) provides power to a second processor (132) when the battery is below a critical power level are omitted as they overlap with those in FIG. 6.

[0129] In FIGS. 6 and 7, an embodiment of collecting energy using sunlight and heat and charging a battery is illustrated, but of course, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0130] For example, the charging / discharging circuit of the sub-power supply (112) can charge the battery using vibration, wind, etc. as an energy source, and can provide the power charged in the battery to the second processor (132) during a time period related to the low-power mode to operate the electronic device (100) in the low-power mode.

[0131] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of electronic devices communicating with a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0132] Referring to FIG. 8, each of a plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) in the home can communicate with the server (200).

[0133] For example, while each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) is operating in a normal mode, each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) can communicate with the server (200) to receive time information including at least one of a time associated with a low power mode and a time associated with a normal mode.

[0134] In FIG. 8, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed and illustrated that each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) operates in a normal mode between 06:00 and 24:00, but this is not limited thereto, and the time associated with the normal mode (or the time associated with the low-power mode) corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) may be different.

[0135] For example, among a plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60), a first electronic device (10) can communicate with a server (200) to receive a time associated with a low power mode.

[0136] According to an embodiment, a user terminal device can set time information (at least one of a time related to a low power mode or a time related to a normal mode) of each of a plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) through a server (200) according to user settings, and the server (200) can transmit time information corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60).

[0137] For example, if the time associated with the low power mode of the first electronic device (10) is set to 08:00 - 13:00 through the user terminal device according to the user settings, the server (200) can transmit the time associated with the low power mode of the first electronic device (10) to the first electronic device (10).

[0138] According to an embodiment, the first electronic device (10) receives a time associated with a low power mode from the server (200), and the first processor (131) of the first electronic device (10) can control the sub power supply (112) to provide power to the second processor (132) when the time associated with the low power mode arrives.

[0139] As another example, if the time associated with the normal mode of the second electronic device (20) is set to 18:00 - 22:00 through the user terminal device according to the user settings, the server (200) can transmit the time associated with the normal mode of the second electronic device (20) to the second electronic device (20).

[0140] According to an embodiment, the second electronic device (20) that receives the time related to the normal mode from the server (200) can control the main power supply (111) so that when the time related to the normal mode arrives, the second processor (132) of the second electronic device (20) provides power to the first processor (131).

[0141] As another example, the server (200) can obtain time information (e.g., time related to low power mode and time related to normal mode) corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) by using the time of presence of the user in the home and the usage history information corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60).

[0142] For example, the server (200) can identify the user's presence time (or absence time) based on the user's user terminal device, and obtain time information so that each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) operates in a normal mode during the user's presence time.

[0143] For example, the server (200) can identify the user's schedule based on the user's user terminal device and obtain time information so that each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) operates in a low power mode during the user's long-term absence (e.g., travel, business trip, etc.).

[0144] For example, the server (200) may obtain time information (e.g., time related to a general mode) for activating the RF communication module of the first electronic device (10) that the user mainly uses at the current time zone based on usage history information corresponding to each of the plurality of electronic devices (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) so that the first electronic device (10) that the user mainly uses at the current time zone can transmit and receive RF signals (or control the first electronic device through an application of the user terminal device). In addition, the server (200) may obtain time information (e.g., time related to a low-power mode) for deactivating the RF communication modules of the remaining electronic devices (e.g., the second electronic device (20) to the sixth electronic device (60)) that the user mainly does not use at the current time zone.

[0145] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining an e-paper display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] According to an embodiment, the electronic device (100) may further include an electronic paper display. According to an embodiment, the electronic paper display may include a display having characteristics similar to a paper printout, using electronic ink (e-ink).

[0147] In some embodiments, an e-paper display may provide a screen by reflecting external light, without a backlight. For example, an e-paper display may operate at low power because it does not emit light but instead utilizes natural light to provide a screen.

[0148] In some embodiments, e-paper displays consume power only when refreshing the screen, and can continue displaying the screen without additional power consumption after refreshing. Due to these advantages, e-paper displays are being used in applications such as e-books, price tags, and menu boards.

[0149] According to an embodiment, an electronic device (100) including an electronic paper display can control a power supply (110) based on a time associated with a normal mode for refreshing a screen (or a normal mode for providing power to the electronic paper display) and a time associated with a low-power mode for not providing power to the electronic paper display after the screen displayed by the electronic paper display is refreshed.

[0150] For example, the first processor (131) communicates with the server (200) through the RF communication module (122) in a normal mode, and can display a screen corresponding to data (or image) received from the server through an electronic paper display.

[0151] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may control the power supply unit (110) so that the electronic device (100) operates in a low power mode that does not provide power to the electronic paper display when the screen is displayed through the electronic paper display.

[0152] For example, the first processor (131) can control the power supply (110) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the second processor (132) and cuts off the power provided by the main power supply (111) to the first processor (131).

[0153] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram illustrating an electronic device including an electronic paper display according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0154] Referring to FIG. 10, the second processor (132) controls the power supply (110) so as not to provide power to the electronic paper display, thereby minimizing the standby power of the electronic device (100).

[0155] When the time associated with the normal mode arrives according to the embodiment, the second processor (132) controls the main power supply (111) to provide power to the control board, and the first processor (131) and RF communication module (122) included in the control board can be activated using the power provided by the main power supply (111). In addition, the main power supply (111) can provide power to the electronic paper display.

[0156] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may communicate with the server (200) via the RF communication module (122) and receive an image from the server (200). According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may control the electronic paper display to display the received image.

[0157] According to an embodiment, the first processor (131) may control the power supply (110) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the second processor (132) and the main power supply (111) cuts off power provided to the first processor (131) when the electronic paper display displays an image or when a time associated with the normal mode has elapsed.

[0158] According to an embodiment, the time associated with the normal mode corresponds to the time required for the electronic paper display to display the image by communicating with the server (200) and receiving the image, and may generally be a short time (e.g., less than 5 minutes). However, this is an example for convenience of explanation and is not limited thereto.

[0159] For example, the time associated with the normal mode is the time when the date changes (e.g., 24:00 - 01:00), and the first processor (131) displays an image received through the RF communication module (122) at the time when the date changes through the electronic paper display, and after cutting off the supply of power to the electronic paper display, the electronic paper display can maintain the image being displayed for a day. However, this is an example for the convenience of explanation, and regardless of the time associated with the normal mode or the time associated with the low-power mode according to a user input, the electronic device (100) can activate the RF communication module (122) to receive an image from the server (200) and control the electronic paper display to update the screen.

[0160] FIG. 11 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 11, the power supply unit (110) may include a switch (140). According to an embodiment, when a time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, the second processor (132) may control the power supply unit (110) to turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board.

[0162] For example, even if the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, the user may not use the electronic device (100), and if all functions and all loads (e.g., LED Driver) of the electronic device (100) are activated while the electronic device (100) is not being used, there is a problem of unnecessary power waste.

[0163] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may control the power supply (110) to turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board, without controlling the power supply (110) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to all loads of the electronic device (100) even after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed.

[0164] After the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed according to the embodiment, when the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board, not all loads of the electronic device (100) are activated, but the RF communication module (122) is activated, so that the electronic device (100) can transmit and receive RF signals.

[0165] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) may turn on the switch (140) so that the sub power supply (112) provides power to the control board for a preset period of time (e.g., 2 hours) after the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, and when the preset period of time has elapsed, turn off the switch (140) so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the control board and activate the DC / DC block.

[0166] According to an embodiment, when a control command is received from a remote control device through an IR communication module (121) or a control command is received from a user terminal device (or, server (200) etc.) through an RF communication module (122), the second processor (132) may activate the DC / DC block to activate all loads of the electronic device (100). For example, the control command may include various types of signals that activate the electronic device (100).

[0167] In an embodiment, after a time associated with the low power mode has elapsed, while the sub power supply (112) is providing power to the control board, if the remaining power of the sub power supply (112) (e.g., a battery) is below a threshold power, the second processor (132) may activate the DC / DC block so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the control board.

[0168] For example, the second processor (132) may activate the DC / DC block so that the main power supply (111) provides power to the control board when the remaining power of the battery is less than 20% of the total capacity of the battery (however, this is not limited to a specific number and may vary depending on the embodiment).

[0169] FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining an electronic device including a switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0170] FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 11, but assumes that the second sub-power source includes a thermoelectric harvesting diode that collects energy by utilizing heat generated while the electronic device (100) is operating.

[0171] Referring to FIG. 12, the second processor (132) can turn on the switch (140) to provide 13 V to the control board through the sub power supply (112) when the time associated with the low power mode has elapsed based on the time information.

[0172] According to an embodiment, the second processor (132) controls the IR communication module (121) and the RF communication module (122), and when a control command is received through at least one of the IR communication module (121) and the RF communication module (122), the second processor (132) can activate the DC / DC block so that the electronic device (100) is activated. In addition, the second processor (132) can also communicate with an external device or server through the RF communication module (122) to transmit and receive data.

[0173] FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0174] A method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises: a first processor is activated using power provided by a main power source in a normal mode of the electronic device to control an IR communication module and an RF communication module (S1310).

[0175] When the time associated with the low power mode arrives while the electronic device is operating in the normal mode, the power output from the sub power is provided to the second processor and the power provided from the main power to the first processor is cut off to switch the electronic device to the low power mode (S1320).

[0176] The second processor is activated using power provided by the sub power supply in low power mode and controls the IR communication module (S1330).

[0177] According to an embodiment, the step S1320 of switching the electronic device to a low power mode may include a step of providing power output from a sub-power source to a second processor when a time associated with the low power mode arrives and a step of transmitting time information including a time associated with the low power mode to the second processor, and the step S1330 of controlling the IR communication module may include a step of controlling the IR communication module by the second processor during a time associated with the low power mode based on the time information.

[0178] According to an embodiment, the control method may further include a step of switching the electronic device to a normal mode by providing power output from the main power source to the first processor and cutting off power provided from the sub power source to the second processor when a time associated with the low power mode has elapsed based on time information.

[0179] According to an embodiment, the control method may further include a step of switching the electronic device to a normal mode by providing power output from the main power supply to the first processor when a control command is received through the IR communication module in the low power mode.

[0180] According to an embodiment, the main power source includes an AC / DC block and a DC / DC block connected to the AC / DC block, and the step of switching to a normal mode may include a step of, when a control command is received, causing the second processor to activate the DC / DC block to provide power output by the main power source to the first processor.

[0181] According to an embodiment, the first processor may be disabled in a low power mode, and the second processor may be disabled in a normal mode.

[0182] According to an embodiment, the control method further includes a step of obtaining time information based on a user setting or by inputting usage history information of an electronic device into a neural network model to obtain time information, wherein the neural network model may be a model trained to output time information including a time related to a low power mode based on a usage time of the electronic device included in the usage history information when the usage history information is input.

[0183] According to an embodiment, the sub-power source includes a battery and a charging / discharging circuit that controls charging / discharging of the battery, and the control method may further include a step of controlling the charging / discharging circuit by the first processor to charge the battery using power provided by the main power source in a normal mode of the electronic device, a step of controlling the charging / discharging circuit by the second processor to allow the battery to provide power to the second processor in a low-power mode of the electronic device, and a step of controlling the main power source by the second processor to allow the main power source to provide power to the second processor when the remaining power of the battery is less than a threshold power.

[0184] According to an embodiment, the sub-power supply may further include a step of providing power harvested by the thermoelectric harvesting diode using heat generated by the operation of the electronic device in a normal mode to a second processor in a low power mode.

[0185] According to an embodiment, the electronic device further includes an e-paper display, and the first processor may further include a step of controlling the e-paper display to display an image received through an RF communication module in a normal mode, and a step of controlling a power supply unit to provide power to a second processor from a sub-power supply and cut off power provided to the first processor from a main power supply, thereby switching the electronic device to a low-power mode when the image is displayed through the e-paper display.

[0186] However, it goes without saying that the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied not only to electronic devices but also to various types of electronic devices including power supplies.

[0187] Meanwhile, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in a computer-readable recording medium or similar device using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the embodiments described herein may be implemented by the processor itself. In a software implementation, embodiments, such as the procedures and functions described herein, may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein.

[0188] Meanwhile, computer instructions for performing processing operations of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium. When the computer instructions stored in such a non-transitory computer-readable medium are executed by a processor of a specific device, the computer instructions cause the specific device to perform processing operations in the electronic device according to various embodiments described above.

[0189] A non-transitory computer-readable medium refers to a medium that permanently stores data and can be read by a device, rather than a medium that stores data for a short period of time, such as a register, cache, or memory. Specific examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include CDs, DVDs, hard disks, Blu-ray discs, USBs, memory cards, and ROMs.

[0190] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In an electronic paper display device, Power supply unit including main power and sub power; IR(Infrared) communication module; RF(Radio Frequency) communication module; first processor; and a second processor; The above first processor, The electronic paper display device is activated by receiving power supplied by the main power supply in the normal mode, and controls the IR communication module and the RF communication module in the normal mode. Based on the first condition being satisfied in the normal mode, the power supply is controlled to supply power from the sub-power supply to the second processor, and the power supply is controlled to stop supplying power from the main power supply to disable the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low-power mode. The second processor, It is activated by receiving power supplied by the sub-power in the low-power mode, and controls the IR communication module in the low-power mode, An electronic paper display device, wherein the power supply is controlled to supply power to the first processor and the RF communication module based on the second condition being satisfied in the low power mode, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

2. In paragraph 1, The first condition includes that a time interval associated with the low power mode arrives, The first processor transmits time information including the time interval associated with the low power mode to the second processor based on the arrival of the time interval associated with the low power mode, An electronic paper display device, wherein the second processor controls the IR communication module during a time period related to the low power mode based on the time information.

3. In paragraph 2, The second condition includes that a time interval associated with the low power mode has elapsed, An electronic paper display device, wherein the second processor controls the power supply to supply power from the main power source to the first processor and the RF communication module to activate the first processor and the RF communication module and to stop supplying power from the sub power source to the second processor to deactivate the second processor, based on the elapse of a time period associated with the low power mode, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

4. In paragraph 1, The second condition includes that a control command is received through the IR communication module, The second processor, An electronic paper display device, wherein the power supply is controlled to supply power from the main power source to the first processor and the RF communication module to activate the first processor and the RF communication module based on a control command received through the IR communication module in the low power mode, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

5. In paragraph 4, The above main power supply is, It includes an AC / DC block and a DC / DC block connected to the AC / DC block, The second processor, An electronic paper display device, wherein, based on the control command being received in the low power mode, the DC / DC block is activated to supply power from the main power supply to the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

6. In paragraph 1, The above power supply unit, In the above normal mode, power is supplied to the IR communication module and the RF communication module to activate the IR communication module and the RF communication module, In the low power mode, power is supplied to the IR communication module to activate the IR communication module and power is cut off to the RF communication module to deactivate the RF communication module. The second processor, An electronic paper display device, wherein the electronic paper display device is controlled to switch from the low power mode to the normal mode by supplying power to the first processor to activate the first processor and stopping the supply of power to the second processor to deactivate the second processor based on the second condition being satisfied in the low power mode.

7. In paragraph 1, The above first processor, Obtaining time information based on user settings or by inputting usage history information of the electronic paper display device into a neural network model to obtain the time information, The above neural network model is, An electronic paper display device, which is trained to output the time information including the time period related to the low power mode based on the usage time of the electronic paper display device included in the usage history information.

8. In paragraph 1, The above sub power supply is, It includes a battery and a charging / discharging circuit that controls charging / discharging of the battery, The above first processor, Controlling the charging / discharging circuit to charge the battery using power supplied by the main power supply in the normal mode of the electronic paper display device; The second processor, Controlling the charging / discharging circuit to provide power supplied by the battery to the second processor in a low power mode of the electronic paper display device; An electronic paper display device, wherein the power supply is controlled to supply power from the main power source to the second processor based on the remaining power of the battery being less than a threshold power.

9. In paragraph 1, The above sub-power source includes a thermoelectric harvesting diode, The above thermoelectric harvesting diode, An electronic paper display device that provides power harvested by using heat generated by driving the electronic paper display device in the normal mode to the second processor in the low power mode.

10. In paragraph 1, further including an electronic paper display; The above first processor, Controlling the electronic paper display to display an image received through the RF communication module in the above general mode; An electronic paper display device, wherein the sub power supply supplies power to the second processor and the main power supply cuts off power provided to the first processor based on the image being displayed on the electronic paper display, thereby switching the electronic paper display device to the low power mode.

11. In a control method of an electronic paper display device, A step of controlling an IR communication module and an RF communication module of the electronic paper display device by a first processor of the electronic paper display device that is activated by receiving power supplied by a main power source in a normal mode of the electronic paper display device; A step of controlling the sub-power supply to supply power to the second processor of the electronic paper display device based on the first condition being satisfied in the normal mode to activate the second processor, and controlling the main power supply to stop supplying power from the main power supply to deactivate the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low-power mode; The second processor is activated by receiving power provided from the sub-power supply in the low-power mode and controls the IR communication module in the low-power mode; and A control method comprising: a step of supplying power to the first processor and the RF communication module to switch the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode based on the second condition being satisfied in the low power mode; 12. In paragraph 11, The first condition includes that a time interval associated with the low power mode arrives, The step of the first processor switching the electronic paper display device from the normal mode to the low power mode is as follows: A step of transmitting time information including a time interval related to the low power mode to the second processor; The step of controlling the IR communication module by the second processor is as follows: A control method, comprising: a step of the second processor controlling the IR communication module during a time period related to the low power mode based on the time information; 13. In paragraph 12, The second condition includes that a time interval associated with the low power mode has elapsed, The step of the second processor switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode is as follows: A control method comprising: a step of controlling the main power supply to activate the first processor and the RF communication module by providing power to the first processor and the RF communication module based on the elapse of a time period associated with the low power mode, and stopping the supply of power from the sub-power supply to the second processor, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode; 14. In paragraph 11, The second condition includes that a control command is received through the IR communication module, The step of the second processor switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode is as follows: A control method comprising: a step of controlling the main power supply to supply power to the first processor and the RF communication module based on a control command received through the IR communication module in the low power mode to activate the first processor and the RF communication module, thereby switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode; 15. In paragraph 14, The above main power supply is, It includes an AC / DC block and a DC / DC block connected to the AC / DC block, The step of the second processor switching the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode is as follows: A control method comprising: activating the DC / DC block to supply power from the main power supply to the first processor and the RF communication module to switch the electronic paper display device from the low power mode to the normal mode.

Images