Low Power Management Microcontrollers for Appliance Standby
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern appliances consume excessive power in standby mode due to minimal power requirements of electronic features, exceeding industry and regulatory power consumption limits, despite advances in reducing power usage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating low power management microcontrollers to monitor and place system microcontrollers in a lower power mode when inactive, reducing overall power consumption by limiting the functions of these microcontrollers to monitoring and stimulus signal detection, thereby reducing power usage during standby.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electronic features (clocks, timers, displays) are maintained in standby mode, then appliance functionality is preserved, but power consumption exceeds regulatory limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the microcontroller system into multiple independent microcontrollers, each responsible for specific appliance functions. This allows individual microcontrollers to be placed in low-power modes independently while maintaining overall system functionality through a wake-up mechanism that reactivates only the necessary components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically transitions microcontrollers between active and low-power states based on operational requirements. A wake-up mechanism continuously monitors for events and dynamically reactivates microcontrollers from low-power mode when needed, enabling adaptive power management that balances functionality with energy conservation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple system microcontrollers are used to manage appliance components, then appliance control capability is improved, but overall power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the control system into multiple specialized microcontrollers, each managing specific appliance components. This segmentation enables independent power management where each microcontroller can enter low-power mode separately, reducing total power consumption while maintaining the system's overall control capability through coordinated wake-up and operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Each microcontroller is equipped with independent wake-up capabilities that allow it to autonomously transition from low-power mode to active state when specific events occur. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for continuous monitoring by all microcontrollers, enabling energy-efficient operation while preserving rapid response capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for managing appliance power consumption. In one embodiment, an appliance can include a plurality of microcontrollers. Each of the microcontrollers can be associated with at least one appliance component. The appliance can further include one or more low power management microcontrollers. The low power management microcontrollers can be configured to monitor a state of each of the microcontrollers. The low power management microcontrollers can be further configured to determine that one or more of the microcontrollers of the plurality of microcontrollers are in an inactive state. The low power management microcontrollers can be configured to send one or more command signals to place the one or more microcontrollers in the inactive state in a lower power mode based at least in part on the determination that the microcontroller is in the inactive state. The respective microcontroller can consume less power in the lower power mode than while in an active state.