Electric power conversion systems – Current conversion – With means to introduce or eliminate frequency components
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-15
2004-01-13
Han, Jessica (Department: 2838)
Electric power conversion systems
Current conversion
With means to introduce or eliminate frequency components
C363S082000, C323S286000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06678173
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus, and particularly, relates to apparatuses where electrical power consumption can be greatly reduced. The power supply apparatus according to the invention can be suitably applied to any electrical appliance having a remote controlling system, such as television equipment, video equipment, audio equipment and air conditioning systems; electrical appliances where a sub-switch is provided to change the operational mode between a standby mode and a driving mode; electrical appliances, which should keep them in their standby mode even when the main functions of the appliance are not being used, such as telephone equipment, facsimile equipment and personal computers; or electrical appliances, such as modems and printers, which are designed such that electrical power is supplied through AC adapters.
2) Related Prior Arts
A remote controlling system is used in many kinds of electrical appliances, due to its convenience. Recently, such appliances are so designed that a main switch for turning on or off the main unit of these appliances is omitted and thus the appliances always keep their standby mode for receiving an on/off signal from the remote controller during when the main unit is not being used. Further, in some of these appliances, the main switch is omitted but a small sub-switch is equipped to switch the function mode between a standby mode and a driving mode. Appliances having a remote controlling system are always in a standby mode in order to watch and wait a remote controlling signals; and the appliances having a sub-switch are also always in a standby mode so that it makes possible to put the appliance in a driving mode every time even if the main unit of the appliance is not working. Therefore, either appliances always consume some electrical power for watching and waiting for a signal even when the main units of the appliances do not work.
Telecommunication appliances, such as telephone equipment and facsimile equipment, should always keep themselves in a standby condition for telecommunication signals. Therefore, in order to keep the standby function, a certain amount of electrical power is always being consumed in these appliances. Further, in the electrical equipment using an AC adapter, even if the main switch is turned off, only the secondary side of a transformer of the AC adapter is turned off, however the primary side is always kept on. Therefore, as long as the equipment is connected to a commercial AC power supply, some wasted power, so-called “no-load loss”, is always consumed in the AC adapter.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram showing a basic circuit construction of an electrical power supply for use in a typical electrical appliances, such a having a remote controlling system, a timer display, etc. an audio equipment, television and video equipment. In
FIG. 1
, an alternative electrical current is supplied into a main unit
102
of the electrical appliance through a commercial AC power supply input terminal
101
. The main unit
102
includes a main power supply (not shown) for supplying electrical voltage and current to conduct the main functions of the appliance.
On the power supply line from the commercial AC power supply
101
to the main unit
102
, is provided a switching device
103
, which is operated so as to open or close the power supply line in accordance with a signal coming from a control circuit
104
for use in a remote controlling function.
In the control circuit
104
, are provided an auxiliary power supply
105
, a light receiving circuit
106
for receiving a remote controlling signal, a CPU
107
for outputting several kinds of control signals for driving the main unit
102
, and a timer
108
for displaying a time; these elements constituting the control circuit
104
are driven by an electrical current supplied via the auxiliary power supply apparatus
105
. In response to the remote control signal coming from outside, the CPU
107
sends a signal to the switching device
103
to close the circuit for supplying electrical power from the commercial AC power supply
101
to the main unit
102
and the CPU
107
also sends control signals to the main unit
102
for controlling the functions thereof.
The timer
108
, which is necessary to be driven even during when the appliance is in a standby mode, is provided in the circuit
104
to drive a liquid crystal display
109
to display a time thereon. However, since a back light system
110
for the liquid crystal display
109
consumes a great amount of power, the system
110
is arranged so as not to be lit on during the standby mode but to be lit on only when the main unit
102
is in a driving mode by obtaining power from the main power supply apparatus provided in the main unit
102
.
The control circuit
104
also comprises an electrical charge storing element
111
, such as a capacitor, where electrical charges to maintain a standby condition of the appliance are stored. It should be noted that the initial current for operating the switching device
103
after the standby condition is released is supplied from the charge storing element
111
. The current consumed in the switching device
103
at that time is filled up from the main power supply apparatus provided in the main unit
102
via a diode
112
.
In this manner, even in the conventional electrical appliance, some effort is paid to save the power consumption. That is to say, an auxiliary power supply is provided separately from the main power supply of the main unit, and the system, such as a remote controlling system, which needs to always be supplied with some electrical power even if the main unit of the appliance is in a standby condition is designed to be driven by the auxiliary power supply in order to save power consumption in the main unit during when the appliance is in a standby condition.
However, even if such an auxiliary power supply is provided, it is still not sufficient to save energy. Because, the apparatus, which should always be operated even when the main unit is in a standby mode, is required to be always in an electrically conductive condition, and thus a significant amount of electrical power is consumed in the apparatus.
The following four electrically conductive conditions are considered for the electrical appliance having a remote controlling function or a signal standby function or for the electrical appliance which is so designed that an electrical power is supplied through an AC adapter.
(1) Complete off condition, which means a plug for connecting the appliance to the commercial AC power source is pulled off:
(2) The plug is still connected to the commercial AC power supply, i.e. inserted into the consent, but the main switch of the appliance is switched off:
(3) The appliance is in a and standby condition for a remote control signal or a telecommunication signal:
(4) The appliance is in a driving condition, which means the main unit is working.
Under the condition (1), there is no problem because no current goes through the appliance: under the condition (2), the appliance having a remote controlling function or the appliance which should always be in a standby condition has no problem because almost no current goes therethrough, but in the appliance using an AC adapter the above mentioned non-load loss is generated; and under the condition (3), the amount of current, which is consumed in the condition for and standby the remote control signal or the telecommunication signal, is not smaller than we expect. Because, the power supply apparatuses for use in electrical appliances are generally constructed such that only the main circuits provided in the secondary side of the transformer are switched off while keeping the circuits in the primary side of the transformer ON during the standby condition, so that some electrical current is always consumed at the primary inductance of the transformer and then so-called copper loss, which is Joule heat of the coil, and so-called iron loss, which is ge
Fidelix Y.K.
Han Jessica
Norris & McLaughlin & Marcus
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