Battery-Powered Camera Sleep Mode Timer Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote monitoring systems with battery-powered cameras face rapid battery drain due to continuous power consumption in sleep mode, even when waiting for activation signals, necessitating frequent battery replacements and reliance on expensive and unreliable solar power.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered camera system with a dual sleep mode and a voltage booster circuit, utilizing a timer to periodically activate the signal receiving circuit only during the duration of an activation signal, and a voltage booster to maximize battery power usage, ensuring minimal power consumption and extended battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the signal receiving circuit remains continuously powered in sleep mode to detect activation signals, then the camera can respond immediately to activation signals, but the battery power is drained quickly requiring frequent replacements
Solution Approach 1:
The signal receiving circuit operates in periodic intervals rather than continuously. A timer circuit periodically wakes the receiving circuit from sleep mode to check for activation signals, then returns it to sleep mode. This periodic operation dramatically reduces power consumption while ensuring signals are detected within each activation window, resolving the contradiction between continuous monitoring and battery conservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the timer to wake the receiving circuit at appropriate intervals before activation signals are likely to arrive. The receiver is activated in advance of potential signal arrival windows, ensuring it is ready to detect signals without needing to remain continuously powered, thus balancing reliability with energy conservation.
2Reliability
If the receiving circuit is activated continuously to ensure no activation signal is missed, then signal detection is reliable, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous activation, the receiving circuit is activated periodically according to a timer schedule. The activation duration is calibrated to be slightly longer than the expected activation signal duration, ensuring complete signal capture during each wake period while minimizing total active time and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the operational state of the receiving circuit between active and sleep modes based on timing parameters. The timer controls the duty cycle of the receiving circuit, adjusting the proportion of time spent in high-power versus low-power states to optimize the balance between signal detection reliability and energy conservation.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If solar power is used to charge the battery, then continuous operation is possible, but the system becomes expensive and unreliable in many locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system serves itself by using ultra-low power consumption modes that allow the battery to last through multiple charge/discharge cycles without external power sources. The periodic activation scheme enables the battery to be recharged intermittently from small solar panels or hand-crank generators without requiring continuous external power, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for expensive, complex solar power infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system significantly conserves battery power by keeping the receiving circuit off except during signal activation, extending the camera's operational time and reducing the need for frequent battery replacements, while ensuring reliable operation even with low battery voltage.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage booster circuit to maximize the usable power from a battery. The booster will boost battery voltage up to at least a minimum required by the camera
Implementation Method 2
An RF transmitter to send an activation signal to the camera
Data Source
AI summary
An energy conserving remote viewing system comprising an instantaneous analog video transmission camera, an analog video receiver that receives and transmits a video image to a video monitor and a remote transmitter that activates the analog video transmission camera. The remote camera device is normally in a low power, sleep mode that has a minimal power drain. The system includes a battery powered camera requiring a first voltage to operate and an RF transmitter to send an activation signal to the camera. The activation signal has a duration. A camera power circuit includes a normally sleeping signal receiving circuit and a first timer. The first timer periodically activates the signal receiving circuit to check for the presence of the activation signal and turns off the signal receiving circuit if the activation signal is not present and turns on the camera if the activation signal is present, and wherein the time the signal receiving circuit sleeps is less than the activation signal duration.