Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Computer power control – Power conservation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-25
2004-03-16
Lee, Thomas (Department: 2185)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Computer power control
Power conservation
C713S322000, C347S017000, C702S099000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708279
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of devices and a method for controlling the supply of power to the electronic apparatus, as well as a recording apparatus and a method for controlling the supply of power to the recording apparatus.
Conventionally, there have been some methods for supplying power to an electronic apparatus. In one of the methods, a power switch is used to shut off the power to the input of the power supply circuit of the apparatus, thereby shutting off the supply of the power to the whole apparatus. In another method, even when the power switch is turned off, supply of the power is kept to part of the apparatus.
In detail, in some of such electronic apparatuses as TV sets, computer devices or the like, their circuits are partially kept applied with power even when the power switch is off as long as its AC plug is connected to an AC outlet. In such an apparatus, for example, a remote controlling device which uses an infrared beam, or the like, can be used to turn on/off the power supply thereof.
Hereunder, a configuration of a power supply circuit for a conventional electronic apparatus will be described with reference to
FIGS. 15 through 22
.
In
FIGS. 15 through 22
, reference number
101
denotes an AC plug, reference number
102
denotes a main power switch, reference number
103
denotes a power supply circuit, reference numbers
104
and
105
denote control circuits dedicated to the operation of the apparatus. Reference number
106
denotes a sub-power switch, reference number
107
denotes an operation panel, and reference number
108
denotes an infrared beam remote controlling device. Reference number
109
denotes an infrared beam signal input device and reference number
110
denotes a battery.
FIG. 15
is a block diagram for a configuration of such an electronic apparatus which has no power switch.
The AC plug
101
is connected to an AC outlet, thereby supplying a commercial power to the power supply circuit
103
. The power is then supplied from the power supply circuit
103
to the control circuit
104
dedicated to the apparatus, which is thus enabled for an operation. The apparatus power is turned on/off by connecting/disconnecting the AC plug
101
to/from the AC outlet. Although such power on/off controlling is troublesome, the configuration can save both space and cost of the apparatus since it includes no power switch.
FIG. 16
is a block diagram for another configuration of the apparatus shown in
FIG. 15
, in which a power switch
102
is added newly.
The power switch
102
is disposed between the AC plug
101
and the power supply circuit
103
, and thereby the supply of the power to the power supply circuit
103
can be shut off. In this case, the power switch
102
is turned on to supply the power to the whole apparatus. Compared with the configuration shown in
FIG. 15
, this configuration makes it easier to turn on/off the power to the apparatus.
FIG. 17
is further another block diagram for the power supply configuration of the electronic apparatus shown in
FIG. 16
, in which a sub-power switch
106
is also added in addition to the main power switch
102
.
In the power supply configuration shown in
FIG. 17
, the control circuit
104
shown in
FIG. 16
is divided into two control circuits
104
and
105
. In one control circuit
104
, no power switch is disposed between the control circuit
104
and the power supply circuit
103
and the control circuit
104
is kept supplied with a power from the power supply circuit
103
. In the other control circuit
105
, a sub-power switch
106
is disposed between the control circuit
105
and the power supply circuit
103
, so that the power to the control circuit
105
can be shut off. Such a type of the control circuit
104
to which a power is kept supplied is materialized as, for example, a preheating circuit or the like. In such a preheating circuit
104
, the main power switch
102
is turned on to actuate the control circuit
104
, thereby starting preheating. After that, the sub-power switch
106
is turned on to supply the power to the whole apparatus so as to start the operation quickly.
FIG. 18
is another block diagram for the power supply configuration shown in FIG.
17
. Although no power supply controlling is made between the two control circuits
104
and
105
in
FIG. 17
, the supply of the power from one control circuit
104
shown in
FIG. 20
to the other control circuit
105
is controlled in this case. A power is kept supplied to the control circuit
104
shown in FIG.
20
.
In this configuration, the control circuit
104
to which a power is supplied non stop is provided with a control signal input/output circuit used to decide whether to shut off the power to the other control circuit
105
. The control signal input/output circuit is connected to the operation switch
106
provided on the operation panel
107
. An operator turns on/off this operation switch
106
to supply the power or stop the supply of the power to the other control circuit
105
. Consequently, the power supply wiring can be made more freely, as well as whether to provide a power switch to the object apparatus can be selected more freely. This is an advantage of this power supply configuration.
FIG. 19
is a block diagram for another power supply configuration in which the switch
106
of the control signal input circuit shown in
FIG. 18
is replaced with an infrared beam signal input circuit.
In this case, an infrared beam signal is output from the infrared beam remote controlling device
108
provided outside the electronic apparatus, thereby transmitting a power on/off signal, which is then received at the infrared beam input circuit
109
provided to the electronic apparatus body and used to start/stop the supply of the power to the other control circuit
105
. This configuration is realized by controlling the supply of the power shown in
FIG. 18
with the input of a signal.
FIG. 20
is a block diagram for another power supply configuration shown in
FIG. 18
, from which the main power switch
102
is removed.
An object of this power supply configuration is to save both cost and space of the object apparatus, as well as to keep operating one control circuit
104
.
FIG. 21
is another block diagram for the power supply configuration shown in FIG.
19
. This power supply configuration shown in
FIG. 21
is not provided with any power switch. It stops the operation of the other control circuit
105
so as to save the power consumption by transmitting a stop signal to the control circuit
105
from the control circuit
104
to which a power is kept supplied.
In this configuration, the operation of the control circuit
105
is stopped with the use of a stop signal transmitted, for example, after the operation of the apparatus is ended.
FIG. 22
is another block diagram of the power supply configuration shown in FIG.
16
. In this power supply configuration shown in
FIG. 22
, the AC input circuit shown in
FIG. 16
is replaced with a battery.
In this case, a power switch
102
is disposed between the battery
110
and the power supply circuit
103
. The power switch
102
is turned off when the apparatus is not used, thereby saving the power consumption of the battery
110
. In the same way, the AC input circuit may be replaced with a battery even in the power supply configurations shown in
FIGS. 17 through 21
.
As described above, there have been proposed various power supply configurations so far. In the conventional electronic apparatus, however, only part of the circuit in the electronic apparatus is operated to save the power consumption of the object apparatus.
If a power is kept supplied to an apparatus and part of the apparatus while the AC plug is just connected to an AC outlet such way, the power consumption becomes a problem. Concretely, almost all persons will not disconnect the AC plug from the AC outlet each time the electronic apparatus such as a TV set, a video tape recorder, a computer device or the l
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Lee Thomas
Wang Albert
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