Power supply switching circuit, real time clock device, electronic apparatus, mobile unit, and method of controlling power supply switching circuit

• US 9,438,073 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kamiyama, Masayuki, Kiya, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiao, David
• Application Number:
  US13/927,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20140008984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• 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

A power supply switching circuit includes a switching circuit that electrically connects a VCC terminal and a VBK terminal in a connected state, a switch control circuit, and a power supply monitoring circuit that monitors a voltage of the VCC terminal, and outputs a voltage of the VBK terminal. The switch control circuit switches a mode from a normal mode in which the switching circuit is intermittently connected to a standby mode in which the switching circuit is opened according to an output signal of the power supply monitoring circuit.

Claims

1. A power supply switching circuit comprising:

a first power supply node configured to electrically couple to a first power supply;

a second power supply node electrically coupled to a second power supply;

a power supply monitoring circuit that intermittently monitors a voltage at the first power supply node;

a switching circuit that connects and disconnects the first power supply node and the second power supply node; and

a switch control circuit that switches a mode from a first mode to a second mode according to an output signal of the power supply monitoring circuit, wherein;

the switch control circuit controls the power supply monitoring circuit to have the power supply monitoring circuit intermittently monitor the voltage at the first power supply node by intermittently providing an enable signal to turn on the power supply monitoring circuit,

in the first mode, the first power supply node supplies power to a load, the switching circuit intermittently connects the first power supply node and the second power supply node, the power supply monitoring circuit is enabled to monitor the voltage at the first power supply node when the switch circuit is open to disconnect the second power supply node and the first power supply, and the power supply monitoring circuit is disabled from monitoring of the voltage at the first power supply node when the switch circuit is closed to connect the second power supply node and the first power supply, and

in the second mode, the switching circuit disconnects the first power supply node and the second power supply node, the power supply monitoring circuit is intermittently enabled to monitor the voltage at the first power supply node for a predetermined time period, and the second power supply node supplies power to the load.

2. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the voltage of the first power supply node is monitored when the switching circuit disconnects the first power supply node and the second supply node, and, if the voltage of the first power supply node is equal to or smaller than a voltage having a desired value, the mode is switched to the second mode and the voltage of the second power supply node is output to the load.

3. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the switching circuit includes a first switch element having a parasitic diode,

the first switch element is provided with an anode side of the parasitic diode at the first power supply node side and a cathode side of the parasitic diode at the second power supply node side.

4. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 1, further comprising a pull-down resistor electrically connected to the first power supply node.

5. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the switching circuit serves as a first switching circuit,

the power supply switching circuit further comprises a second switching circuit that electrically connects the second power supply node and a third power supply node in a connected state, and

the switch control circuit intermittently connects both the first switching circuit and the second switching circuit in the first mode, and opens the first switching circuit and connects the second switching circuit in the second mode.

6. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 5, wherein the power supply monitoring circuit is a first power supply monitoring circuit, the power supply switching circuit further comprises a second power supply monitoring circuit that monitors a voltage of the third power supply node,

wherein the control circuit switches the mode from the first mode to a third mode in which the first switching circuit connects the first power supply node and the second power supply node and the second switching circuit is open according to an output signal of the second power supply monitoring circuit.

7. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 6, further comprising a third power supply monitoring circuit that monitors a magnitude relationship between the voltage of the first power supply node and the voltage of the third power supply node,

wherein the control circuit switches the mode from the first mode to the third mode according to an output signal of the third power supply monitoring circuit.

8. The power supply switching circuit according to claim 5, wherein the second switching circuit includes a second switch element and a third switch element having parasitic diodes,

the second switch element is provided with an anode side of the parasitic diode at the second power supply node side and a cathode side at the third power supply node side,

the third switch element is provided in series with the second switch element with an anode side of the parasitic diode at the third power supply node side and a cathode side at the second power supply node side, and

the switch control circuit connects both the second switch element and the third switch element for connecting the second switching circuit and opens the second switch element and connects the third switch element for opening the second switching circuit in the first mode.

9. A real time clock device comprising:

the power supply switching circuit according to claim 1; and

a real time clock circuit to which an output voltage of the power supply switching circuit is supplied as a power supply voltage.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising:

the power supply switching circuit according to claim 1;

a first power supply that supplies a power supply voltage to the first power supply node; and

a second power supply electrically connected to the second power supply node.

11. A mobile unit comprising:

the power supply switching circuit according to claim 1;

a first power supply that supplies a power supply voltage to the first power supply node; and

a second power supply electrically connected to the second power supply node.

12. A method of controlling a power supply switching circuit including a power supply monitoring circuit that monitors a voltage of a first power supply node when the power supply monitoring circuit receives an enable signal to turn on the power supply monitoring circuit and a switching circuit that electrically connects and disconnects the first power supply node and a second power supply node, wherein the first supply node is configured to connect to a first power source and the second power supply node is connected to a second power source, the method comprising:

switching a mode from a first mode to a second mode according to an output signal of the power supply monitoring circuit, wherein in the first mode, the switching circuit intermittently connects the first power supply node and the second power supply node and the first power supply node supplies a voltage to a load, and in the second mode, the switching circuit disconnects the first power supply node and the second power supply node, and the second power supply node supplies a voltage to the load;

in the second mode, intermittently providing the enable signal to the power supply monitoring circuit to monitor the voltage at the first power supply node for a predetermined time period;

in the first mode, providing the enable signal to the power supply monitoring circuit to monitor the voltage at the first power supply node in response to the switching circuit being open to disconnect the second power supply node and the first power supply; and

in the first mode, not providing the enable signal to the power supply monitoring circuit to disable monitoring the voltage at the first power supply node in response to the switching circuit being closed to connect the second power supply node and the first power supply during the first mode.