Amplifier Stage Power Control for Low-Idle Signal Amplification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power amplifiers consume high power even when not in use, leading to increased energy consumption and reliability issues when trying to turn them off, especially due to the large load imposed on relay contacts.
Innovation Solution
A signal amplifying apparatus with a voltage amplifier, power amplifier, and control system that lowers the power feed voltage to a non-drive state when the power amplifier is not needed, using a voltage controller and control signal generator to determine when to shut off power to the voltage amplifier, thereby reducing power consumption without requiring additional transformers or space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If power is turned off to the power amplifier to decrease power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but a large load is imposed on relay contacts degrading reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The power amplifier is divided into two separate amplification stages: a voltage amplification stage and a power amplification stage. The voltage amplifier handles low-power signal conditioning while the power amplifier handles high-power output. This segmentation allows the voltage amplifier to be turned off completely when not needed, avoiding the reliability issues of switching high power through relay contacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage amplifier is designed with dynamic power control capability, allowing it to switch between active and standby states based on system demands. When the power amplifier is not needed, the voltage amplifier receives a shutdown signal and enters a low-power state, decreasing overall power consumption without requiring high-power relay switching.
2Reliability
If a relay is used upstream from the transformer to control power before it becomes large, then relay contact load is reduced, but a transformer is required for each amplifier increasing space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A single transformer is shared between the voltage amplifier and power amplifier, eliminating the need for separate transformers for each stage. This merging of power supply resources reduces the overall space requirement while maintaining reliable power control through the voltage amplifier's dynamic shutdown capability.
3Measurement precision
If the voltage amplifier limits maximum amplitude based on power feed voltage, then output signal control is improved, but power consumption increases when not in use
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage amplifier implements dynamic power management by responding to shutdown signals from the control circuit. When shutdown is commanded, the amplifier enters a low-power state while maintaining the ability to quickly resume normal operation with precise output control when needed, thus reducing power consumption without sacrificing control precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An amplification system of the invention can decrease power consumption in a power amplification section if the power amplification section need not be used. The power consumption in the power amplification section can be decreased by shutting off power feed into a voltage amplification stage by a power control section, and the power feed state into a power amplification stage from a power supply section is not changed. Thus, power feed into the voltage amplification stage of the circuit wherein a large current does not flow needs only to be controlled using limiter means also used for a different application, so that the power consumption of the power amplification section can be decreased without the need for enlarging the circuit scale, with saved space, and simply.