POWER SOURCE CIRCUIT AND POWER SOURCE MANAGEMENT METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120080951A1
• Filed: 08/09/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: KUNG, Kuo-Sen, TU, Chun-Hao, JHAN, Ren-Hong, LIAN, Wei-Jhih, LIU, Yu-Jung, CHANG, Jiun-Jye, CHEN, Po-Lun
• Application Number:
  US13/205,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20120080951A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/48
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells

Abstract

A power source circuit includes a power source detection unit, a control unit and a switch unit. The power source detection unit detects whether a plurality of power sources including a green power source is supplied to the power source circuit, and detects and outputting a power value of the green power source. In addition, the control unit is electrically coupled to the power source detection unit and a load, and the control unit further detects a power consumption value of the load, to generate a switch signal to the switch unit according to the power consumption value of the load and a result detected by the power source detection unit. Therefore, the switch unit selects the green power source and at least one of other power sources thereof to supply electric power to the load when necessary.

Claims

1. A power source circuit, comprising:

a power source detection unit, detecting whether a plurality of power sources including a green power source is supplied to the power source circuit, and detecting a power value supplied by the green power source;

a control unit, electrically coupled to the power source detection unit and a load, the control unit further detecting a power consumption value of the load, and generating a switch signal according to the power consumption value of the load and a result detected by the power source detection unit; and

a switch unit, electrically coupled to the control unit and the power source detection unit, and configured for selecting the green power source and at least one of other power sources of the plurality of power sources to supply electric power to the load when the power value of the green power source is less than the power consumption value of the load.

2. The power source circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the power sources comprise an additional power source, when the control unit determines the green power source is not enough to supply an electric power needed by the load according to the power value outputted from the power source detection unit, the control unit outputs the switch signal to the switch unit such that the switch unit is controlled to use the additional power source and the green power source to supply the electric power to the load simultaneously.

3. The power source circuit according to claim 1, wherein the power source comprises a power source generated by solar energy, a power source generated by thermal energy, and a power source generated by mechanical energy.

4. The power source circuit according to claim 1, wherein the load comprises a rechargeable battery.

5. The power source circuit according to claim 1, wherein the power source detection unit comprises:

a green power source receiving terminal, receiving the power source;

an additional power source receiving terminal, receiving an additional power source;

a potential pulling-up module, electrically coupled to the green power source receiving terminal to receive the green power source and pull up the green power source to a predetermined potential;

a power source detecting module, electrically coupled to the potential pulling-up module, for detecting the power value of the pulled-up potential of the green power source and outputting the power value to the control unit; and

an additional power source detecting module, electrically coupled to the additional power source receiving terminal, for detecting whether the additional power source is supplied to the additional power source receiving terminal and outputting a result thereof to the control unit.

6. The power source circuit according to claim 5, further comprising:

a unilateral conducting element, electrically coupled between the power source detecting module and the switch unit such that the power source detecting module unilaterally supplies the electric power to the switch unit.

7. The power source circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switch unit comprises:

a battery switch module, electrically coupled to the control unit and a battery, the battery switch module being configured for determining whether the battery supplies electric power to the load according to the switch signal;

a power source management module, electrically coupled to the control unit, the power source management module being configured for determining which of the power sources supplies the electric power to the load or the battery according to the switch signal; and

an additional power source switch module, electrically coupled to the power source detection unit, the control unit and the power source management module, the additional power source switch module being controlled by the control unit to determine whether at least one of the power sources except of the green power source supplied to the power source detection unit is supplied to the power source management module.

8. The power source circuit according to claim 7, wherein the switch unit comprises a unilateral conducting element electrically coupled between the battery switch module and the load.

9. A power source management method, comprising:

providing a green power source;

detecting whether an additional power source exists;

detecting a power consumption value of a load;

detecting a power value of the green power source; and

using the green power source and the additional power source to supply electric power to the load when the power value of the green power source is less than the power consumption value of the load and the additional power source exists.

10. The power source management method according to claim 9, further comprising:

just using the green power source to supply the electric power to the load when the power value of the green power source is larger than the power consumption value of the load.

11. The power source management method according to claim 10, wherein the step of just using the green power source to supply the electric power to the load when the power value of the green power source is larger than the power consumption value of the load, comprises:

turning off an electrical route between the additional power source and the load when the additional power source exists; and

using the green power source to supply the electric power to the load.

12. The power source management method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing a rechargeable battery as the load; and

using the green power source to charge the rechargeable battery.

13. The power source management method according to claim 12, wherein the rechargeable battery is used to supply the electric power to the load when no additional power source exists, and the green power source is not enough to supply the electric power to the load.

14. The power source management method according to claim 10, further comprising:

providing an electronic system as the load; and

using the green power source to supply the electric power to the electronic system such that the electronic system normal operates.

15. The power source management method according to claim 9, further comprising:

providing a rechargeable battery as the additional power source.

16. The power source management method according to claim 15, wherein the rechargeable battery is uses as a part of the load when the rechargeable battery is not used as one of the power sources.