Capacitor-Powered Power Failure Notification for Smart Meters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices without batteries, driven by commercial power supplies, face challenges in notifying external devices of power failures since they exhaust charging power before completing communication during multiple retry attempts after a power failure.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a capacitor charged with commercial power supply voltage to write power failure occurrence time information to a nonvolatile memory and using this stored energy for communication, ensuring notification even after the power failure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If smart meters retry communication many times after power failure, then communication reliability is improved, but capacitor charging power is exhausted before communication completes
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting power failure occurrence and storing essential data (power failure start time, device ID) in non-volatile memory before capacitor power is exhausted. This preliminary data preservation enables subsequent communication after power restoration without requiring continuous power during communication retries.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication process is segmented into two phases: (1) immediate power failure detection and essential data storage in non-volatile memory using capacitor power, and (2) subsequent communication of stored data after power restoration. This segmentation allows critical information to be preserved even if communication cannot complete during the power outage window.
2Duration of action of moving object
If smart meters are equipped with large-capacity super-capacitor, then power supply duration after power failure is extended, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing enough capacitor capacity to sustain full communication operations throughout the entire power outage, the system uses the capacitor only for partial action - specifically for detecting power failure, storing essential data in non-volatile memory, and maintaining basic operation until power restoration. This reduces the required capacitor capacity and associated complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the critical function of data preservation from the power supply function. By storing essential power failure information in non-volatile memory that can be written with minimal power, the system separates the requirement for long-duration power supply from the requirement for data preservation, eliminating the need for large-capacity capacitors.
3Speed
If smart meters transmit power failure information immediately after power failure, then notification speed is improved, but communication errors increase due to power instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data preparation by storing power failure information in non-volatile memory immediately when power failure is detected. This preliminary action ensures data readiness without requiring stable power during the actual communication transmission, which occurs after power restoration when communication reliability is higher.
Solution Approach 2:
Non-volatile memory acts as an intermediary between power failure detection and communication transmission. It temporarily holds the power failure information, decoupling the immediate power failure event from the subsequent communication action, thereby avoiding communication attempts during unstable power conditions.
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
Ensures reliable notification of power failure information to external devices, reducing communication errors and extending operational time during power outages by utilizing stored capacitor energy.
Implementation Method 1
a capacitor charged with the power supply voltage
Data Source
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AI summary
According to an embodiment, this electronic device, which operates by means of a power supply voltage obtained from a commercially available power source, is provided with: a capacitor charged by the power source voltage; a recording means for recording in a nonvolatile memory, power outage occurrence time information by using power from the capacitor after the power outage; and a communication means for reading the power outage occurrence time information from the nonvolatile memory and transmitting the power outage occurrence time information to an external device.