Power Supply Circuit for Zero Standby Power Remote Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical appliances in stand-by mode consume significant energy due to the constant supply needed for microcontrollers and driving circuits, limiting energy efficiency and convenience when trying to eliminate this consumption without losing remote control functionality.
Innovation Solution
A power supply circuit with a remote-controlled transducer, such as a phototransistor, is used to trigger the transition from an off state to a turned-on state in response to a wireless signal, allowing for efficient activation of the appliance while minimizing standby power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the power supply circuit continuously supplies power to the microcontroller and driving circuit to enable remote control functionality, then the appliance can be remotely switched on, but the standby power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the remote control reception function from the continuously powered microcontroller system and places it in a separate standby circuit with its own dedicated power supply path. This allows the main microcontroller to be completely powered off during standby while a simplified circuit with a sensor and minimal processing logic remains active to detect remote control signals and trigger power-on.
Solution Approach 2:
The power supply system is segmented into multiple independent paths: a main power path for full operation, a standby power path for remote control reception, and a power-on trigger path. The standby path includes a sensor connected to a simplified processing circuit that can operate with minimal power and trigger the main power supply when a remote signal is detected.
2Loss of energy
If the power supply circuit is completely turned off to eliminate standby power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but the appliance cannot be remotely switched on
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary standby circuit that acts as a mediator between the completely powered-off main system and the external remote control. This intermediary circuit includes a sensor and minimal processing logic that consumes negligible power, detects remote control signals, and triggers power-on of the main system when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The standby circuit performs preliminary detection of remote control signals before the main power system is activated. The sensor and simplified logic in the standby path are prepared in advance to detect incoming remote signals and initiate the power-on sequence, allowing the main microcontroller to remain completely off until activation is required.
3Loss of energy
If a simplified standby circuit with minimal components is used to reduce power consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but the reliability of remote control signal detection may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The standby circuit uses a sensor with higher sensitivity than strictly necessary, allowing it to detect remote control signals reliably even with minimal processing logic. The sensor is designed to produce a sufficiently strong output signal to trigger the power-on sequence, compensating for the reduced processing capability of the simplified standby circuit.
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 solution enables the appliance to be turned on remotely with negligible standby power consumption, maintaining convenience while reducing energy usage during stand-by mode, with activation times of a few hundred milliseconds.
Implementation Method 1
said turning-on stage comprises a transducer, of a remote-controlled type, configured for triggering said transition in response to a reception of a wireless signal
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply circuit for an electrical appliance, including a turning-on stage configured for determining a transition from a turned-off state, in which the power supply circuit is off and does not supply electric power, to a turned-on state of the power supply circuit. The turning-on stage includes a transducer of the remote-control type configured for triggering the transition in response to the reception of a wireless signal. In some embodiments, operating power is transmitted from a remote controller to a control circuit of the electronic equipment, such that the electronic equipment can be turned on remotely but draws zero standby power.