Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Switching systems – Condition responsive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-10
2001-10-16
Fleming, Fritz (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Switching systems
Condition responsive
C307S139000, C307S140000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06304008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic device and more particularly to an electronic device capable of decreasing the power consumption (stand-by power) while not in operation (not in use).
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional electronic devices will now be described by way of VTRs for example. Most of VTRs have a timer recording function, and usually because of the necessity of performing the timer recording, a primary power supply circuit is kept ON and part of a secondary power supply circuit remains connected thereto, even in the state of power OFF (including a timer recording stand-by state).
Therefore, even with the second power supply circuit OFF (including a timer recording stand-by state), electric power is supplied continually to the primary power supply circuit, that is, electric power continues to be consumed, which corresponds to a power consumption of several watts or so even while not in use (not in operation).
A power control system circuit in such a VTR, as shown in
FIG. 9
which is a circuit diagram of principal portions, substantially comprises a primary power supply circuit
1
to which AC 100V is fed through a terminal
1
a
, a power transformer
2
, a signal and motor system power circuit
3
and a control system power circuit
4
both serving as secondary power supply circuits, a signal and motor system circuit
6
, a control system circuit
7
constituted of a microcomputer, a power control transistor
8
, a resistor
9
, a switching transistor
10
, and an ON/OFF switch
11
which provides a switching signal between start-up state and stand-by state.
When electric power is fed to the power control system circuit and the power supply of the electronic device is ON, the switch
11
is turned OFF by an operator or a shift to a timer recording stand-by mode is instructed by an inputting operation, the control system circuit
7
detects this state and sends a signal to the power control transistor
8
to turn OFF the transistor, whereby the switching transistor
10
is turned OFF and the supply of electric power from the signal and motor system power circuit
3
to the signal and motor system circuit
6
is cut off, so that the electronic device is turned OFF.
In the conventional electronic device, even with power OFF, the signal and motor system power circuit
3
and the control system power circuit
4
both constituting the secondary power supply circuit are connected to the primary power supply circuit
1
to which AC 100V is inputted through the power transformer
2
, thus giving rise to the problem that the consumption of power is continued as a stand-by power.
For solving this problem there has been proposed an electronic device in which a relay is connected to the primary power supply circuit
1
, though not shown. In such an electronic device with a relay connected to the primary power supply circuit, the control system circuit
7
, on detecting an ON/OFF operation of the switch
11
, turns ON or OFF a relay driving transistor (not shown), thereby turning the relay ON or OFF, whereby the primary power supply circuit
1
can be turned ON or OFF.
In such a conventional electronic device, however, in the event a malfunction such as runaway should occur in the control system circuit
7
for some reason or other, it becomes impossible for the control system circuit
7
to detect the operation of the switch
11
even if the switch is operated ON or OFF and thus it becomes impossible to control the ON/OFF operation of the relay. If the primary power supply circuit
1
is ON in such a case, there is a fear that an excessive current may flow in the power control circuit.
Since the interior of the aforesaid relay is hermetically sealed, it has been impossible to operate the relay manually from the exterior. Therefore, in the event the control system circuit
7
should become uncontrollable as mentioned above, the user had no choice but to pull out the terminal la from the associated plug receptacle to stop the supply of electric power to the primary power supply circuit
1
in order to ensure safety.
At ordinary homes, however, an electronic device such as TV or VTR is in many cases disposed in close proximity to a wall of a room, and a plug receptacle for insertion therein of the terminal
1
a
is wired in the wall. For pulling out the terminal
1
a
from the plug receptacle it is necessary to move the electronic device disposed in close proximity to the wall, which movement is difficult for a powerless person.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a highly safe electronic device which can make the power consumption zero while the electronic device is not in use and in which, even in the event a malfunction such as runaway should occur in the control system circuit
7
, the primary power supply circuit can be cut off directly without the need of pulling out the terminal
1
a
from the plug receptacle.
According to the first embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object there is provided an electronic device having an auto-OFF function and comprising a primary power supply circuit, a secondary power supply circuit which is supplied with electric power from the primary power supply circuit, a control system circuit connected to the secondary power supply circuit, and a switch unit having a switch and an operating member which can operate the switch ON and OFF manually and OFF automatically, the switch unit being connected to the primary power supply circuit and having a drive source which can operate the operating member automatically, thereby causing the switch to turn auto-OFF, wherein, in accordance with a signal provided from the control system circuit, the drive source is operated to turn the switch auto-OFF or the operating member is operated manually to turn the switch OFF, thus permitting the supply of electric power to the primary power supply circuit to be cut off automatically or manually.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object, in the switch unit, the switch is turned ON when the operating member is in a locked state and is turned OFF when the operating member is in an unlocked state, the operating member can be operated from locked to unlocked state automatically by operating the drive source, and the operating member can also be operated manually from locked to unlocked state.
According to the a third embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object there is provided an electronic device having an auto-ON/OFF function and comprising a primary power supply circuit, a secondary power supply circuit which is supplied with electric power from the primary power supply circuit, a control system circuit connected to the secondary power supply circuit, a switch unit having a switch and an operating member which can operate the switch ON and OFF manually and automatically, and an electric power storage means connected between the control system circuit and the switch device, the switch unit being disposed in the primary power supply circuit and having a drive source which can operate the operating member automatically, wherein the drive source is operated with a signal provided from the control system circuit or with electric power fed from the electric power storage means to turn the switch auto-ON and OFF, thus permitting the supply and cut-off of electric power for the primary power supply circuit to be done automatically, and the supply and cut-off of electric power for the primary power supply circuit can be done manually by manually operating the operating member to turn the switch ON and OFF.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention for achieving the foregoing object, the operating member in the switch unit can be operated to a locked state and an unlocked state automatically or manually, the switch is turned OFF when the operating member is in the locked state and is
Goto Yoshimi
Mori Toshiharu
Soeta Kaoru
Tanabe Yoshio
Alps Electric Co. ,Ltd.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
DeBeradinis Robert L.
Fleming Fritz
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