Household Appliance Circuit Arrangement

• US 20130062968A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corporation NV (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Corporation NV (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Lovisotto, Giuliano, Dorigo, Hubert, De Luca, Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 9,647,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/109
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/05 Capacitor coupled rectifiers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

An electric household appliance has a low-voltage capacitive power means (10) connected to an electrical power network (3) and is designed to generate a low-voltage (S2,V2). The low-voltage capacitive power means (10) comprise a capacitive dividing circuit (28) comprising a first (30) and second input terminal (31) connected to a first and second power line (3) at a first (V₁) and second (V_REF) predetermined potential respectively; a first output terminal (32) adapted to generate said low-voltage enabling signal (S2); first (37) and second charge-accumulating means (38) connected between said first and second input terminal; and at least one voltage limiter (40) connected parallel to said second charge-accumulating means (38) and designed to switch from a non-conducting to a conducting state when subjected to a voltage above a predetermined breakdown voltage (VZ). The first (37) and second charge-accumulating means (38) are designed so that the voltage (V_C2) at the terminals of said second charge-accumulating means (38) is below the predetermined breakdown voltage (VZ).

Claims

1. An electric household appliance comprising a low-voltage capacitive power supply connected to an electrical power network and designed to generate a low-voltage, wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply comprise a capacitive dividing circuit comprising a first and second input terminal connected to a first and second power line at a first and second predetermined potential respectively;

a first output terminal adapted to generate said low-voltage enabling signal;

first and second charge-accumulating means connected between said first and second input terminal; and

at least one voltage limiter connected parallel to said second charge-accumulating means and designed to switch from a nonconducting to a conducting state when subjected to a voltage above a predetermined breakdown voltage;

said first and second charge-accumulating means being so designed that the voltage at the terminals of said second charge-accumulating means his below said predetermined breakdown voltage.

2. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said capacitive dividing circuit comprises a second output terminal and third charge-accumulating means connected between said first and second output terminal.

3. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 2, wherein said voltage limiter comprises a Zener diode having the anode and cathode terminals connected respectively to said input terminal of said capacitive dividing circuit and to a node between said first and second charge-accumulating means.

4. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first, second, and third charge-accumulating means respectively comprise a first, second, and third capacitor designed according to the equation—

;

V_A*(2*C1)/(C2+C1)−

0.7=V_c2≦

VZ

where V_A is the peak value of the main supply voltage;

V_C2 is the voltage at the terminals of the second capacitor; and

VZ is the Zener voltage.

5. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply is adapted to supply said low-voltage to at least one device of the appliance.

6. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein said device comprises a switch and/or a sensor and/or a control unit of the appliance and/or a low-voltage power unit of the appliance.

7. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, wherein said device comprises said switch, and said switch is adapted to be switched by the low-voltage from an open state to a closed state.

8. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising said low-voltage power unit, which is adapted to be connected to the electrical power network to receive a main supply voltage and supply a low supply voltage and further comprising said switch, which is adapted to connect/disconnect the low-voltage power unit to/from the electrical power network.

9. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising said low-voltage power unit, said switch and said control unit of the appliance, said low voltage power unit being adapted to supply a low supply voltage to said control unit so that the switch in the closed state connects the low-voltage power unit to the electrical power network to turn on the low-voltage power unit and the control unit.

10. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising said sensor, said sensor comprising a proximity sensor adapted to generate an enabling signal when a user is detected within a given distance from the appliance.

11. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising said low-voltage power unit and said control unit of the appliance, said low-voltage power unit being adapted to be connected to the electrical power network to receive a main supply voltage and supply a low supply voltage to said control unit of the appliance, wherein the low-voltage power unit is designed to go from an active state, in which it supplies a low voltage to the control unit, to an idle state, in which the low-voltage power unit cuts off low-voltage supply to the control unit, but still remains partly active so it can be reactivated by a control signal and wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply is adapted to provide a control signal for switching the low-voltage power unit from the idle state to the active state and/or from the active state to the idle state.

12. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising a hand-operated control device having an input connected to said low-voltage capacitive power supply to receive said low-voltage and an output connected to said device of the appliance to supply a low-voltage.

13. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 12, wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply and said hand-operated control device are designed to generate a pulse-type low-voltage signal.

14. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 6, comprising said switch, said low-voltage power unit, and an EMC Filter which is interposed between outputs of said switch and inputs of said low-voltage power unit.

15. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply comprises a current-limiter interposed between said capacitive dividing circuit and said device of the appliance.