Switching Power Supply Control for Sub-1W Appliance Standby
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic control devices for household appliances fail to reduce standby-state energy consumption to below the one watt threshold, as required by recent energy regulations, despite efforts to automatically switch off power to appliance devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and electronic control device utilizing a switching mode low power supply unit with control terminals and an output terminal to generate voltage variations, allowing the appliance to switch between standby and operating states, while maintaining a low power supply during standby, ensuring compliance with energy regulations by minimizing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If electronic control devices switch off power to devices at the end of an operating cycle, then standby-state energy consumption is reduced, but the energy consumption remains above the one watt threshold required by recent regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system is segmented into multiple independent power supply units, each capable of being switched on or off independently. This allows selective powering of only essential components during standby state, enabling the system to meet the one watt threshold while maintaining basic functionality through minimal power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of different power supply units based on the appliance state. During standby, the parameter change involves switching from full-power mode to minimal-power mode by activating only necessary power supply units, thereby reducing overall power consumption to comply with regulatory thresholds.
2Loss of energy
If all power supply units are switched off during standby state, then energy consumption is minimized, but the appliance cannot quickly respond to user commands to start a new operating cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system dynamically adjusts its configuration based on operational requirements. During standby, only essential power supply units remain active to maintain low power consumption. Upon detecting a user command, the system dynamically activates additional power supply units as needed, ensuring rapid response time without compromising energy efficiency during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Essential power supply units are kept in a preliminary active state during standby, maintaining just enough power to detect user commands and initiate operation. This preliminary action ensures that the system can respond immediately to user input while keeping overall power consumption minimal by leaving non-essential components powered down.
3Ease of operation
If multiple switches are used to control power to different devices, then precise control over power distribution is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a user interface and as a central control unit that manages multiple power supply units. This universal design eliminates the need for separate switches for each device, as the control device can selectively activate or deactivate power to different components through software control, thereby reducing hardware complexity while maintaining precise power distribution control.
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 effectively reduces standby-state energy consumption of household appliances to below one watt, aligning with regulatory requirements while maintaining functionality, and includes a low voltage auxiliary supply to manage state transitions efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
a switching mode low power supply unit (6) having a first control terminal (11) and an output terminal (9) which supplies a main prefixed supply voltage (V3) to the electronic control unit (20)
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance (1) is provided with an electronic control device (3) configured to reduce standby consumption. The appliance includes: —an electronic control unit (20); and—a switching mode low power supply unit (6) having at least a first control terminal (11) and at least an output terminal (9) which supplies a main prefixed supply voltage (VB) to the electronic control unit (20). The switching mode low power supply unit (6) is further configured to switch between a standby state and an operating state, when it detects a prefixed voltage variation (ΔV) on the first control terminal (11). The electronic control device (3) is configured to connect, at least temporarily, the first control terminal (11) to the output terminal (9), or to an independent auxiliary terminal (31) having a predetermined voltage, to generate the prefixed voltage variation (ΔV) on the first control terminal (11) to cause the switching mode low power supply unit (6) to switch from one of the states to the other state.