Device for reducing standby-mode energy consumption of an electric household appliance

• US 9,906,026 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Original Assignee: Electrolux Home Products Incorporated (AB Electrolux)
• Inventors: Lovisotto, Giuliano, Dorigo, Hubert, De Luca, Fernando
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warmflash, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/637,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130200729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,527 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307134
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

An electric household appliance (1) has an electronic control unit (5) powered by a low-voltage power unit (6), and a device (7) for reducing energy consumption of the electric household appliance in standby mode. The device includes: a bistable relay (21) which is switched by a low-voltage enabling signal (S2) to a closed position to turn on the low-voltage power unit (6), or is switched by a disabling signal (S3) to an open position to turn off the low-voltage power unit (6); a low-voltage capacitive power unit (10) designed to generate the low-voltage enabling signal (S2); and a hand-operated control device (11) interposed between the low-voltage capacitive power unit (10) and the bistable relay (21) to supply the low-voltage enabling signal (S2) to the bistable relay.

Claims

1. An electric household appliance comprising:

a control unit;

a low-voltage power unit configured to receive a main supply voltage from an electrical power network and supply a low supply voltage to said control unit, wherein the electrical power network comprises a neutral line at a reference potential and a phase line at a phase potential; and

a device for reducing energy consumption of the electric household appliance in a standby mode, wherein the device comprises;

a switch which is switched by a low-voltage enabling signal from an open state to a closed state to connect the low-voltage power unit to the electrical power network to turn on the low-voltage power unit and said control unit;

a low-voltage capacitive power supply input-connected to said electrical power network and designed to generate and output said low-voltage enabling signal, wherein the low-voltage capacitive power supply has a terminal connected to the phase line and a terminal connected to the neutral line; and

a hand-operated control device having an input connected to said low-voltage capacitive power supply to receive said low-voltage enabling signal, and an output connected to supply the received low-voltage enabling signal to said switch.

2. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch is adapted to be switched, by a disabling signal, to said open state, thereby disconnecting the low-voltage power unit from the electrical power network to turn the low-voltage power unit and said control unit off completely.

3. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit is adapted to generate and output said disabling signal, which is a pulse-type low-voltage signal.

4. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch comprises a bistable relay.

5. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 4, wherein said bistable relay comprises at least one electric contact movable between a first position, which is associated with said open state in which a power line connecting said low-voltage power unit to the electrical power network is opened, and a second position, which is associated with said closed state in which said power line is closed.

6. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein said bistable relay comprises an electromagnetic device designed to move said electric contact from the first position to the second position on the basis of the low-voltage enabling signal, or to move the movable electric contact from the second position to the first position on the basis of a disabling signal different from the low-voltage enabling signal.

7. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to detect whether a user actuates the hand-operated control device while the appliance is running, and the control unit is adapted to generate a disabling signal in response to the actuation of the hand-operated control device.

8. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sensor is provided for detecting the low-voltage enabling signal.

9. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit is adapted to detect actuation of the hand-operated control device on the basis of a signal generated by the sensor.

10. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit is adapted to generate a disabling signal when the signal generated by the sensor meets a prearranged condition.

11. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to control operation of a plurality of electric loads and to selectively disconnect each electric load from the electrical power network when a working cycle of the electric household appliance is concluded or when the electric household appliance switches to a standby mode.

12. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine, after a power failure and when low voltage is restored by the low-voltage power unit, whether the control unit is turned on by power being restored or by a user actuating the hand-operated control device.

13. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low-voltage capacitive power supply comprises a capacitive dividing circuit comprising:

a first input terminal and a second input terminal connected to a first power line and a second power line at a first predetermined potential and a second predetermined potential respectively;

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

a first charge-accumulating device and a second charge-accumulating device that are connected between said first input terminal and said second input terminal; and

at least one voltage limiter connected in parallel to said second charge-accumulating device and designed to switch from a non-conducting state to a conducting state when subjected to a voltage above a predetermined breakdown voltage,

wherein said first charge-accumulating device and said second charge-accumulating device are designed such that a voltage at terminals of said second charge-accumulating device is below said predetermined breakdown voltage.

14. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 13, wherein said capacitive dividing circuit comprises a second output terminal and a third charge-accumulating device connected between said first output terminal and said second output terminal.

15. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 14, wherein said voltage limiter comprises a Zener diode having an anode terminal and a cathode terminal connected respectively to said second input terminal of said capacitive dividing circuit and to a node between said first charge-accumulating device and said second charge-accumulating device.

16. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said low-voltage enabling signal is a pulse signal.

17. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, comprising an electro magnetic compatibility (EMC) filter which is interposed between outputs of said switch and inputs of said low-voltage power unit.

18. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch is switched by a disabling signal received from the control unit via a line separate from a line on which the switch receives the low-voltage enabling signal.

19. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the low-voltage capacitive power supply comprises an input terminal that receives the phase potential.

20. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the low-voltage capacitive power supply comprises:

a first capacitor comprising;

a first terminal coupled to the phase line and having the phase potential; and

a second terminal; and

a second capacitor comprising;

a third terminal coupled to the second terminal; and

a fourth terminal coupled to the neutral line and having the reference potential.

21. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 20, wherein the low-voltage capacitive power supply further comprises:

a first diode comprising;

a first cathode terminal coupled to the second terminal; and

a first anode terminal coupled to the neutral line and having the reference potential;

a second diode comprising;

a second cathode terminal coupled to an output terminal of the low-voltage capacitive power supply; and

a second anode terminal coupled to the second terminal; and

a third capacitor comprising;

a fifth terminal coupled to the output terminal of the low-voltage capacitive power supply; and

a sixth terminal coupled to the neutral line,

wherein the output terminal of the low-voltage capacitive power supply supplies the low-voltage enabling signal.

22. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor that detects the low-voltage enabling signal output from the low-voltage capacitive power supply, generates a logic signal, and outputs the logic signal to the control unit,

wherein the sensor is different from the switch and the hand-operated control device.

23. An electric household appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the low-voltage capacitive power supply comprises a capacitive divider that divides a supply voltage of the electrical power network, the capacitive divider comprising at least two capacitors.