Power supply circuit for electric devices

• US 6,107,698 A
• Filed: 09/14/1999
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kochi, Tsuyoshi, Senoo, Soji, Ochiai, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Stephen W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): POLK, SHARON A
• Application Number:
  US09/395,736
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 307/43, 307/64, 307/80, 348/730, 362/109
• US Class Current: 307/43
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/63 Redundant transmissions
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers

Abstract

When the power key on the remote controller 12 is pressed, the electromagnetic wave is sent from the remote controller 12 to the main unit 100 of the electric device and the switch circuit 23 or 43 as the first switching means is turned on. Upon turning on of the first switching means by the power key operation, the power starts to be supplied from the second power supply 22 or 41 serving as the stand-by power supply circuit to the load circuit required for stand-by operation such as the microcomputer 24 and the light receiver 10. After that, corresponding to the first infrared signal sent from the remote controller 12, the relay 3 as the second switching means is turned on so that the commercial AC power source 1 is supplied to the main power supply circuit 2 in the main unit 100 of the electric device and the load circuit for the ordinary operation in the main unit 100 (main circuit of the device) start operation. The power is supplied from the second power supply 22 or 41 serving as the stand-by power supply circuit to the load circuit required for stand-by operation only for a short period from the start of the stand-by status after the power key operation to the ordinary operation status, and the power supply amount for the second power supply 22 or 41 serving as the stand-by power supply circuit can be only a little. When any power supply other than the commercial AC power source 1 such as a solar battery 221 is used as the second power supply, the stand-by power of the electric device in stand-by status can be reduced to zero.

Claims

1. A power supply circuit for an electric device having a main power supply circuit and a stand-by power supply circuit in the main unit of said electric device which can control turning on and off of said main power supply circuit according to the key operation on the remote controller,

wherein said remote controller comprises:

operation keys;

means for generating an electromagnetic wave and transmitting it to said main unit;

means for generating a remote control signal containing a first signal to turn on said main power supply circuit and transmitting it to the main unit; and

first control means for providing instruction for the emission of said electromagnetic wave corresponding to the operation of a certain key among said operation keys and providing instruction for the transmission of said first signal after the emission of said electromagnetic wave; and

wherein said main unit comprises;

a main power supply circuit for supplying the power to a first load circuit required for ordinary operation during ordinary operation based on the commercial AC power source;

receiving means for receiving said remote control signal from said remote controller;

second control means to which the remote control signal received by said receiving means is supplied and which controls the main unit in response to the remote control signal;

a first power supply for receiving the electromagnetic wave from said remote controller, converting the received electromagnetic wave to the electric energy and generating the DC voltage;

a second power supply serving as a stand-by power supply circuit for supplying the power to a second load circuit (including at least said second control means and said receiving means) required for stand-by operation during stand-by status;

first switching means provided between said second power supply and said second load circuit to turn on and off the connection between said second power supply and said second load circuit corresponding to whether or not the DC voltage is received from said first power supply; and

second switching means for turning on and off the power supply from said commercial AC power source to said main power supply circuit which, under the control by said second control means, makes switch operations corresponding to the remote control signal received by said receiving means.

3. A power supply circuit for an electric device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a certain key of said remote controller is a power key and said first power supply turns on said first switching means corresponding to the DC voltage caused by said electromagnetic wave only when said power key is operated so that said stand-by power supply circuit and said second load circuit are connected.

5. A power supply circuit for an electric device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the power fed by a solar battery or the power stored while said main power supply circuit is in operation in the main unit is used as said stand-by power supply circuit.

6. A power supply circuit for an electric device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said second control means in the main unit receives the power supplied from the main power supply circuit after the rise-up of said main power supply circuit.

2. A power supply circuit for an electric device having a main power supply circuit and a stand-by power supply circuit in the main unit of said electric device which can control turning on and off of said main power supply circuit according to the key operation on the remote controller, wherein said remote controller comprises:

operation keys;

first transmitting means for generating an electromagnetic wave and transmitting it to said main unit;

second transmitting means for generating a first remote control signal containing a first signal to turn on said main power supply circuit and transmits it to the main unit;

first receiving means for receiving a second remote control signal indicating the rise-up completion of said main power supply circuit transmitted from the main unit; and

first control means for providing instruction for the emission of said electromagnetic wave corresponding to the operation of a certain key among said operation keys and providing instruction for the transmission of said first signal after the emission of said electromagnetic wave, and further for stopping the generation of said electromagnetic wave when the receiving of said second remote control signal is detected; and

wherein said main unit comprises;

a main power supply circuit for supplying the power to a first load circuit required for ordinary operation during ordinary operation based on the commercial AC power source;

second receiving means to receive the first remote control signal from said remote controller;

second control means to which the first remote control signal received by said second receiving means is supplied and which controls the main unit in response to the remote control signal;

a first power supply for receiving the electromagnetic wave from said remote controller, converting the received electromagnetic wave to the electric energy and generating the DC voltage;

a second power supply serving as a stand-by power supply circuit for supplying the power to a second load circuit (including at least said second control means and said second receiving means) required for stand-by operation during stand-by status;

first switching means provided between said second power supply and said second load circuit to turn on and off the connection between said second power supply and said second load circuit corresponding to whether or not the DC voltage is received from said first power supply;

second switching means for turning on and off the power supply from said commercial AC power source to said main power supply circuit which, under the control by said second control means, makes switch operations corresponding to said first remote control signal received by said second receiving means; and

third transmitting means for detecting the rise-up completion of said main power supply circuit and, under the control by said second control means, transmitting said second remote control signal to said remote controller.

4. A power supply circuit for an electric device according to claim 2, wherein said first control means further comprises means to count the elapse of time after the emission of said electromagnetic wave, and the emission of said electromagnetic wave is stopped when said second remote control signal is not sent from the main unit within a predetermined period of time after the emission of the electromagnetic wave from said remote controller.

7. A power supply circuit for an electric device having a main power supply circuit and a stand-by power supply circuit in the main unit of said electric device which can control turning on and off of said main power supply circuit according to the key operation on the remote controller,

wherein said remote controller comprises:

operation keys;

means for generating an electromagnetic wave and transmitting it to said main unit;

means for generating a remote control signal containing a first signal to turn on said main power supply circuit and transmitting it to the main unit; and

first control means for providing instruction for the emission of said electromagnetic wave corresponding to the operation of a certain key among said operation keys and providing instruction for the transmission of said first signal after the emission of said electromagnetic wave; and

said main unit comprises;

a main power supply circuit for supplying the power to a first load circuit required for ordinary operation during ordinary operation based on the commercial AC power source;

receiving means for receiving the remote control signal from said remote controller;

second control means to which the remote control signal received by said receiving means is supplied and which controls the main unit in response to the remote control signal;

a first power supply for receiving the electromagnetic wave from said remote controller, converting the received electromagnetic wave to the electric energy and generating the DC voltage;

a stand-by power supply circuit for supplying the power to a second load circuit (including at least said second control means and said receiving means) required for stand-by operation during stand-by status based on said commercial AC power source;

first switching means to turn on and off the power supply from said commercial AC power source to said stand-by power supply circuit for connecting said commercial AC power source to said stand-by power supply circuit when DC voltage is generated by said first power supply; and

second switching means to turn on and off the power supply from said commercial AC power source to said main power supply circuit which, under the control by said second control means, makes switch operations corresponding to the remote control signal received by said receiving means.