Wireless Power-On Circuit for Standby Energy Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power supply systems for electronic devices in stand-by mode consume non-negligible amounts of energy due to the presence of microcontrollers, which are not efficiently managed, leading to significant daily energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A power supply apparatus with a power-on circuit that includes a remote-controlled transducer, a switch, and a capacitor, configured to transition from an off state to an on state in response to a wireless signal, using a code driver and controller to ensure only valid activation signals trigger power-on, thereby minimizing energy consumption during stand-by mode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a microcontroller is kept active in stand-by mode to enable remote control functionality, then the device can be controlled remotely, but energy consumption increases to non-negligible levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the microcontroller from continuous operation during stand-by mode, putting it into low-power sleep mode. Only essential circuitry remains active, and the microcontroller is fully activated only when a valid remote control signal is received and processed, thereby eliminating unnecessary energy consumption while preserving remote control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by maintaining a minimal active circuit that can detect remote control signals even when the microcontroller is in sleep mode. The circuit prepares for full operation by having the switching element and power supply ready to activate the microcontroller immediately upon receiving a valid signal, thus enabling remote control without continuous power consumption.
2Reliability
If the power supply circuit is fully activated to ensure reliable operation, then circuit performance is improved, but energy consumption during stand-by increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply circuit is segmented into multiple operational stages: a minimal active stand-by mode with only essential detection circuitry, and a fully activated mode with complete circuit performance. The switching element enables transition between these segments, ensuring that full circuit performance is achieved only when needed, thereby reducing energy loss during stand-by while maintaining reliability during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit implements dynamic operation by allowing the power supply to transition between different power states. The switching element dynamically controls the activation of various circuit components based on whether a remote control signal is present, ensuring optimal balance between reliability and energy conservation at different operational phases.
3Device complexity
If a simple transducer is used to detect remote signals, then circuit complexity is reduced, but the circuit becomes sensitive to false activation from ambient light
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit incorporates feedback mechanisms where the detected signal is processed and validated before triggering activation. The microcontroller analyzes the received signal characteristics to determine if it represents a valid remote control command or merely ambient light interference, providing feedback control that prevents false activation while maintaining simple transducer hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The microcontroller serves as an intermediary between the simple transducer and the power supply activation. It receives the raw signal from the transducer, processes and validates it, and only then triggers the switching element to activate the power supply, thereby filtering out false signals from ambient light while keeping the transducer itself simple.
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 power consumption to zero watts during stand-by mode by ensuring only valid activation signals trigger the power supply, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the power supply system under diverse light conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a transducer configured to detect a wireless control signal and to generate an enable signal based thereupon
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply includes a power supply circuit and a power-on circuit controlling transitioning of the power supply circuit to a turned-on state. The power-on circuit includes a code driver, a controller coupled to the power supply circuit and code driver, and a transducer to detect a wireless control signal and generate an enable signal based thereupon. A transistor has a first conduction terminal coupled to the code driver, a second conduction terminal coupled to the controller, and a control terminal coupled to the transducer to receive the enable signal so the transistor switches based thereupon. The code driver detects a code embedded in the wireless control signal based upon switching of the transistor, and generates a power on signal for the controller based upon the code. The controller causes the power supply circuit to transition from the turned-off state to the turned-on state based upon the power on signal.