Wireless Control System Power Management via Automatic Signal Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wireless control systems continue to consume power even when wireless communication is not required, due to user-operated mode switching that fails to fully disable power supply to communication adapters.

Innovation Solution

A wireless control system that includes a wireless adapter with a module for transmitting and receiving signals, a control unit for analyzing and converting signals, and a display unit to show communication status, along with a household appliance that stores wireless settings and controls power consumption based on these settings, ensuring power is only supplied when wireless communication is needed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If power supply to the communication adapter is stopped when wireless communication is not required, then power consumption is reduced, but user convenience deteriorates because the system cannot automatically detect when communication is needed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoiduser convenience
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables the wireless control system to automatically detect and determine whether wireless communication is required through the determination unit, eliminating the need for manual user operation to switch modes. The system serves itself by autonomously making decisions about communication state based on received wireless signals, thereby resolving the contradiction between automatic operation and user convenience.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Loss of energy

If mode switching by user operation is implemented to stop wireless communication, then power consumption is reduced during manual control, but the system complexity increases due to mode switching mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the mode switching function from manual user operation and transfers it to an automatic determination unit within the wireless control system. By removing the need for user-operated mode switching and replacing it with automatic determination based on wireless signal reception, the system reduces complexity while maintaining power saving capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If the wireless control system continuously monitors for communication needs, then user convenience is improved through automatic detection, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser convenienceVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements periodic monitoring rather than continuous monitoring by having the determination unit check whether wireless communication is required at specific intervals or triggered by specific events (such as receiving wireless signals). This periodic detection approach maintains user convenience through automatic detection while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3419347B1Wireless control system
Publication Date: 2020.04.29 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP3419347B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3419347B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3419347B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

In order to provide a wireless control system that can suppress power consumption more than before, the wireless control system performs wireless communication with a communication device 15 and includes a wireless adapter 5 and a household electrical appliance 7. The wireless adapter 5 includes a wireless module 8 transmitting/receiving wireless signal, a wireless control unit 9 analyzing and converting the wireless signal and controlling the wireless adapter 5, and a wireless display unit 10 displaying wireless communication state by the wireless signal. The household electrical appliance 7 includes an appliance control unit 12 communicating with the wireless adapter 5 and controlling the household electrical appliance 7, an appliance storage unit 13 storing wireless setting and wireless state of the wireless communication, an appliance display unit 14 displaying stored content of the appliance storage unit 13, and an appliance operation unit 11 receiving request for the wireless setting from user by a user operation, and the appliance control unit 12 executes control such that power consumption of the wireless module 8 and the wireless display unit 10 is suppressed based on the wireless setting stored in the appliance storage unit 13 from startup time of the wireless adapter 5.