CA2142644C - Standby power circuit arrangement - Google Patents

Standby power circuit arrangement

Info

Publication number
CA2142644C
CA2142644C CA002142644A CA2142644A CA2142644C CA 2142644 C CA2142644 C CA 2142644C CA 002142644 A CA002142644 A CA 002142644A CA 2142644 A CA2142644 A CA 2142644A CA 2142644 C CA2142644 C CA 2142644C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
voltage
arrangement
impedance
control circuit
circuit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA002142644A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Marc Etienne Bonneville
Peter Laurens Schuck
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Paradigm Electronics Inc
Original Assignee
Paradigm Electronics Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Paradigm Electronics Inc filed Critical Paradigm Electronics Inc
Priority to CA002142644A priority Critical patent/CA2142644C/en
Priority to US08/390,025 priority patent/US5636288A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2142644C publication Critical patent/CA2142644C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J9/00Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting
    • H02J9/005Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting using a power saving mode
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02MAPPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M7/00Conversion of ac power input into dc power output; Conversion of dc power input into ac power output
    • H02M7/02Conversion of ac power input into dc power output without possibility of reversal
    • H02M7/04Conversion of ac power input into dc power output without possibility of reversal by static converters
    • H02M7/06Conversion of ac power input into dc power output without possibility of reversal by static converters using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J9/00Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting
    • H02J9/005Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting using a power saving mode
    • H02J9/007Detection of the absence of a load
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02MAPPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M1/00Details of apparatus for conversion
    • H02M1/0003Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits
    • H02M1/0006Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02MAPPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC, BETWEEN AC AND DC, OR BETWEEN DC AND DC, AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS; CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER; CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF
    • H02M1/00Details of apparatus for conversion
    • H02M1/0003Details of control, feedback or regulation circuits
    • H02M1/0032Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02BCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B70/00Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
    • Y02B70/10Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02BCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
    • Y02B70/00Technologies for an efficient end-user side electric power management and consumption
    • Y02B70/30Systems 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
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y04INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
    • Y04SSYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
    • Y04S20/00Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
    • Y04S20/20End-user application control systems

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Amplifiers (AREA)

Abstract

A power supply circuit arrangement for electrical equipment, such as a loudspeaker with an integral power amplifier, which can be switched between an operational mode and a standby mode in response to a detected on/off signal, provides a desirable isolation of the main supply voltage from the detector. The arrangement comprises a transformer, having a primary winding and a secondary winding, and a switched impedance device between the transformer and the power supply input. The switched impedance device is switchable between high and low impedance states in response to the detected on/off signal. A control circuit for detecting the on/off signal and switching the variable impedance states is connected in common with a main circuit of the equipment to the secondary winding of the transformer, so that their respective supply voltages are both switched, in common, by switching of the impedance device. The control circuit and variable impedance device isolate the detector from the power supply. In the operational mode, the variable impedance is switched to its low impedance and the common voltage supplied to the main circuit and the control circuit is sufficient to operate both of them. In the standby mode, the variable impedance is high and the common voltage is inadequate for normal operation of the main circuit but adequate for normal operation of the control circuit.

Description

~ 21~2~4~
STANDBY POWER CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS
The invention relates to power supply circuit arrangements for electrical equipment and is especially applicable to power supply circuit arrangements which allow the equipment to be 5 switched between an operational mode and a standby mode.
It is known to provide electrical equipment, such as a television receiver, with a separate electronic control circuit which is connected across the input tPrmin~l~ of the equipment, upstream of a main on/off switch. The control circuit controls 10 the switch to control application of the power supply voltage to a transformer in the equipment's main power supply circuit. The electronic control circuit has its own step-down transformer and AC-DC converter. In addition, it has a detector for detecting a control signal, perhaps an infra-red signal from a remote 15 control. In the standby mode, the main on/off switch i8 open, but the control circuit i8 still energized. In response to a control signal, the control circuit closes the main on/off switch and energizes the main power supply circuit.
For safety reasons, it is desirable for the control circuit 20 to be isolated from the main supply voltage when the equipment is in the standby mode. While such known control circuits operated by an infra-red, ultrasonic or other such electrically-isolated remote control device provide isolation, it is sometimes desirable for the control signal path to be supplied via a direct 25 electrical connection. For example, some high fidelity audio systems and so-called "surround sound" systems employ a sub-woofer which has its own audio power amplifier. It is desirable 21426~4 for the sub-woofer power amplifier to ~e connected to a nearby power outlet and to receive only the audio signal from the audio preamplif ier. When a control circuit in the sub-woofer detects receipt of an audio signal via the audio channel, it will operate a switch to connect the power supply to the sub-woofer power amplifier. It is desirable for the control circuit to provide a degree of electrical isolation between the power amplifier and the preamplifier when in the standby mode.
An object of the present invention is to eliminate, or at least mitigate, the disadvantages of known power supply arrangements and to provide an improved power supply arrangement for electrical equipment which permits switching between operational and standby modes while providing a desired degree of electrical isolation and/or reduced power consumption.
According to the present invention there is provided a power supply circuit arrangement, switchable between operational and standby modes, comprising:
input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply;
a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;
a main circuit and a control circuit, each connected to derive its power supply voltage from the secondary winding;
the control circuit having detector means for detecting an externally-derived signal and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, the detector means being isolated electrically from the input means;

21426~4 variable-impedance means connected between the input means and the primary winding and responsive to the control signal to switch between first and second ;mr~lAn~e states producing corresponding first and second voltages at the secondary winding 5 of the transformer, the first and second voltages corresponding to operating and standby modes, respectively;
the arrangement being such that, with the f irst impedance state selected, the corrosp~n~l;n~ power supply voltage supplied to the main circuit permits its normal operation and, with the 10 second impedance state selected, the coLL~onding power supply voltage supplied to the main circuit is inadequate for its normal operation whereas a corresponding power supply voltage supplied to the control circuit is adequate for its normal operation.
In a preferred embodiment, when the first; ^~i~n~ e state 15 is selected, the supply voltage applied to the control circuit is the correct operating voltage for the main circuit. The control circuit is designed to operate at both the higher and lower supply voltages.
The main circuit and the control circuit may be connected 20 to the transformer secondary winding by way of an AC-DC converter circuit, the common voltage then being a DC output voltage of the converter circuit.
The variable-impedance means may conveniently comprise a relay having its operating coil connected to the control circuit 25 and a switch contact conn~rtPd, in parallel with an ;mrP~iin.-P, between the input means and the transf ormer primary winding .
Opening of the switch contact inserts the;, e~l~n~ in series with the winding, reducing the common voltage to the lower level.
Conversely, closing the switch contact short-circuits the impedance, selecting a low, indeed, negligible impedance and raising the common voltage to the higher level.
Instead of a relay, an optoelectronic switch, or other suitable electrically-isolated switch may be substituted. In a preferred embodiment, the switch comprises an opto-coupler and a TRIAC.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a loudspeaker switchable between operational and standby modes comprises an integral power supply circuit arrangement and audio input means, the power supply circuit arrangement comprising:
power input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a speaker drive circuit and a control circuit connected to receive a common supply voltage derived from the secondary winding, the control circuit being operational in said standby mode at a supply voltage that i8 inadequate for operation of the speaker drive circuit in said operational mode;
the control circuit having detector means for detecting an audio signal at the audio input means and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, the audio input means being isolated electrically from the power input means, variable-impedance switching means connected between the power input means and the primary winding and responsive to the 21~264~
control signal to switch between f irst and second impedance states, the arrangement being such that, with the first; ^~l~n,~e state selected, the common voltage is sufficient for normal operation of the speaker drive circuit and, with the 6econd ~ qnc.e gtate selected, the conmon voltage is inadequate for normal operation of the speaker drive circuit but adequate for normal operation of the control circuit.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in con~unction with the accompanying drawings, of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is described by way of example only.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a block schematic diagram of a power supply arrangement for switching electrical apparatus between an operational mode and a standby mode; and Figure 2 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a control circuit of the arrangement of Figure 1.
Figure 1 illustrates a so-called "sub-woofer" loudspeaker 10 driven by a main amplifier circuit 12 which derives power from the output of an AC-DC converter formed by a bridge rectifier 14 and smoothing capacitors 16. The bridge rectifier is connected across the secondary winding 18 of a supply transformer 20. A
primary winding 22 of the transformer 20 has one end connected directly to an input tPrm;n~l 24A. The other end of the primary winding 22 is connected to the other input t~rm;n~l 24B via a ' 21426~
pair of torminAl^- 26A and 26B of a relay 26, which also comprises a switch contact 26C and operating coil 26D. In the normal operating mode, the coil 26D is energized causing contact 26C to connect the corresponding end of primary winding 22 to the input torminAl 24B. In use, the input ~orminsllc 24A and 24B will be connected to a suitable source of power. In North America, the source would usually be 110-120 volts A.C. and 60 Hz.
An i ^ lAn~e 28, specifically a resistor, is connected in parallel with the switch t^rminAl~ 26A and 26B, so that closure of the switch contact 26C short-circuits the resistor 28. The relay operating coil 26D is connected to the output of a control circuit 30. The control circuit 30 is connected to the DC output tormin^l^ of the AC-DC converter, i.e. in parallel with the main amplifier circuit 12. Four audio input lines 32 are coupled to the main amplifier circuit 12 by way of the control circuit 30.
When there is no audio signal present on any of lines 32, the control circuit 30 leaves the relay coil 26D de-energized and the switch contact 26c is open. The resistor 28 reduces the voltage applied to the primary winding 22 to ~uch a reduced level that the voltage at the output torm;nAlA of the AC-DC converter is about ~ 5 volts. This is sufficient to operate the control circuit 30, but is well below the normal operating voltage, i.e.
+ 40 volts, of the main amplifier circuit 12, which consequently remains inoperative.
When control circuit 30 detects an audio signal on one of the audio lines 32, it energizes the relay coil 26D to close the switch contact 26C and short-circuit the resistor 28. As a 2142~
result, the full supply voltage (120 volts) is applied to the transformer primary winding 22 and the DC voltage at the output of the AC-DC converter increases to about + 40 volts DC, which is the normal operating voltage of the main amplifier circuit 12.
5 The same voltage is also applied to control circuit 3 0 . The control circuit 3 0 is designed to operate at both the lower voltage and this increased supply voltage without being overloaded .
When no audio input has been present on lines 32 for a 10 predetPrmined period (e.g. five minutes), the control circuit 30 de-energizes the relay coil 26D, opening switch contact 26C. The transformer 20 is not totally de-energized since resistor 28 is switched back in series with primary winding 22 reducing the output voltage of the AC-DC converter correspondingly.
The relay 26 provides electrical isolation between the input tPrm;n~1~ 24A and 24B and the control circuit 30. Consequently, a required degree of isolation is provided even though the signal which triggers switching from standby mode to operational mode is coupled by way of a direct electrical connection, i. e. the 20 audio lines 32.
It will be appreciated that other forms of electrically-isolating switch means could be substituted for the relay 26.
In Figure 2, which shows control circuit 30 in more detail, the switch means 34 comprises an optical coupler formed by an LED 34A
25 and photo-TRIAC 34B coupled to the trigger of a TRIAC 34C. The four audio inputs 32 are connected to a summing node 36, the output of which is supplied by way of frequency selective filter 2142~4~
38 to an amplifier 40. The filter 38 comprises a resistor 38A
connected in series with a capacitor 38B to the input of amplifier 40. A second resistor 38C and resistor 38D are connected in parallel between the amplif ier input and ground.
5 The filter 38 restricts the signal applied to the amplifier 40 to a selected band of frequencies. For example, since this particular embodiment is an audio application, the filter 38 restricts the signal to the audio frequency band, or part of it, so as to exclude mains interference or radio frequency signals.
The output of amplifier 40 is supplied to the additive input of a comparator 42. The subtractive input of the comparator 42 i8 connected to a Zener diode 44, which is connected to a suitable supply voltage V (+5 or +40 as convenient) by way of a feed resistor 46. The Zener diode 44 provides a first reference voltage Vl against which the comparator 42 compares the output of amplifier 40. Typically the amplifier 40 would have a 70 dB
gain and the voltage reference V1 would be 1 volt. When the amplitude of the audio signal at any one of the audio inputs 32 increased to such a level that the output from the amplifier 40 PY~ PP~Pd the voltage reference V1, the voltage at the output of the comparator 42 would switch high. Conversely, if the audio signals ceased, and the output of the amplifier 40 fell to less than the voltage reference Vl, the output of the comparator 42 would switch low.
The output of comparator 42 is supplied to a timer circuit 48, which has its output connected to the positive input of a second comparator 50. The subtractive input of the second 21~2~4 comparator 50 is connected to a second Zener diode 52 which is fed from supply voltage V by way of a second feed resistor 54 so a6 to provide a second reference voltage V2. The output of second comparator 50 is coupled to the LED 34A of optical coupler 34 by way of a resistor 56. The photo-TRIAC 34B of optical coupler 34 is connected, in series with resistor 58, between the transformer primary winding 22 and the trigger electrode T of TRIAC 34C. The TRIAC 34C constitutes the "switch contact" and is connected, in parallel with bypass resistor 28, between the 120 volt supply line and the primary winding 22 of transformer 20 .
Hence, when the output of comparator 50 is high, the optical coupler 34A is turned on, operating TRIAC 34C and connecting the 120 volt supply directly to the transformer primary winding 22.
Following ces6ation of the audio input signal, the output of timer circuit 48 will decay. When comparator 50 detects that it is less than reference voltage V2, the output o~ comparator 50 will switch low, causing the optical coupler 34A/B to switch the TRIAC 34C to its open circuit state. As described with reference to Figure 1, the resistor 28 maintains the supply to transformer primary winding 22, but at such a reduced voltage that only control circuit 30 will be operative, the voltage applied to the main amplifier circuit 12 being insufficient for normal operation .
When charging, the timer circuit 48 has a relatively short time constant, for example one second. When discharging, however, it has a relatively long time constant, say f ive 2142~44 minutes. Consequently, wheh an audio signal is detected, the output of the charging circuit 48 rises fairly rapidly, causing the TRIAC 34C to "close" promptly. The turn-on delay or time period is sufficient to ensure that the equipment is not switched 5 to the operational mode by transient signals, such as interference on the audio lines or from elsewhere. On the other hand, when the output of the comparator 42 switches low, because the audio input signal has ceased, the TRIAC 34C will not "open"
for about five minutes. This time period ensures that the drive 10 amplifier 12 of the sub-woofer loudspeaker 10 is not turned off as a result of a temporary period of silence in the audio signal.
The timer circuit 48 may be relatively simple. Figure Z
illustrates a suitable circuit comprising a capacitor 60 in parallel with a resistor 62, the combination being connected to 15 the output of the comparator 42 by way of a resistor 64 and diode 66, in series. Suitable values for capacitor 60, resistor 62 and resistor 64 are 100 micro~arads, 1 Megohm and 10 kilohm, respectively .
It is cnvisaged that either or both of the turn-on and turn-20 off time periods could be made adjustable so that the user couldselect suitable time intervals. This could be achieved by making resistor 64 adjustable to control the duration of the turn-on time period, which is det~ n~d by resistors 62 and 64 in parallel, resistor 64 having the lower value, and/or making 25 resistor 62 adjustable to control the duration of turn-off time period .
It should be noted that, although the control circuit 30 is energized in the standby mode, there is no direct electrical connection between the 120 volt supply line and the audio inputs 32 since the switch means 26/34 and transformer 20 provide electrical isolation.
The value of impedance may be relatively low. Thus, in a practical circuit embodying the invention, with a supply voltage of 120 volts, a 150 VA transformer 20, impedance 28 of 5000n was selected to give the following currents I5, IM and Ic and voltage Vp (see Figure 1) werG measured in operational and standby modes:
0"erational Mode Supply voltage Vg = 120 VAC;
Primary voltage Vp = 12 0 VAC;
Supply current Is (quiescent) = 185 mA.;
Supply current I, (full power) = 2 A;
Main circuit current IM (full power) = 3 A;
Main circuit current (quiescent) = 100 mA;
Control circuit current Ic = 6 mA.
St~n~9hv Mode Supply voltage Vs = 120 VAC;
Primary voltage Vp = 20 VAC;
Supply current Is = 2 0 mA .;
Main circuit current IM < 1 mA;
Control circuit current Ic = 5 mA.
It should be noted that the value of impedance required to reduce the secondary voltage by a predet-rm; n~-l amount is less than might be expected for a given transformer primary i ~ n~-e In particular, reducing the voltage on the primary by enough to 214264~
prevent partial saturation of its core, will result in higher transformer; ---nre Such circuits usually work with the transformer core partially saturating. A relatively small reduction in the primary voltage, sufficient to stop the partial 5 saturation of the core, will cause the leakage current to fall rap idly .
In the above-described embodiment, the main circuit 12 is inoperative at the reduced supply voltage. It should be appreciated that this does not preclude there being other 10 circuits in the equipment connected in common with the either the main circuit or the control circuit which, like the control circuit, would be operative at the reduced voltage. Such other circuits might operate, for example, in response to other conditions to force the equipment into the standby mode, or parts 15 of it into a low current-consumption mode or "sleep" mode.
Indeed, it is not noc~qfiAry to reduce the main circuit voltage to such a low level that it does not operate at all. It may be sufficient to reduce the supply voltage to the circuit by, say, 18 or 20 per cent, with a corresponding reduction in the 20 voltage applied to the main circuit.
So far as the main circuit is concerned, the reduction in voltage at the transformer, and the increased i ~nre due to the variable ; _ - ~Anre being ref lected to the secondary of the transformer, and the increased impedance of the transformer, may 25 be such that it will not operate because it is unable to draw the n~ c~:Ary power from the supply. Nevertheless, even in the standby mode, it might still consume power due for example, to 21426~4 bia6 current. In the case of a sub-woofer loudspeaker with integral amplifier, there might still be enough power for the loudspeaker to make clicks and other noises due to interference, which would be disconcerting and irritating for the user.
5 Consequently, it is preferable to reduce the voltage supplied the main circuit to such an extent that the loudspeaker is incapable of even such intermittent or ~hnnrr-l operation.
The control circuit, however, may draw much the same current in both modes of operation of the equipment.
The following table shows results of tests on a 150 VA
transformer, as used in the practical example, with the secondary winding open-circuit:

Primary VAC Current (mA) Equivalent Regulation (VP) Impedance (n) go 63 1429 16 1250*

Corresponds to he values given a ove for the practical circuit .

.
21~26~4 With 120 VAC primary voltage, the current consumption i5 quite significant due to partial saturation of the transformer core. At the reduced primary voltage, core saturation is greatly reduced and primary leakage current is reduced in a non-linear 5 fashion. Thus, halving the primary voltage reduces output current to approximately one quarter of its original value.
Various modif ications and alternatives are embraced by the present invention. For example, the invention is not limited to the specific examples of switch means 26/34 described herein, but 10 embraces any other arrangement which will provide the required isolation between the power supply and the control circuit.
Moreover, the resistor 28 could be a reactive component, or a combination of resistive and reactive components, i.e. resistors, inductors, capacitors, or non-linear components, diodes, Zener 15 diodes, transistors, etc. to provide a complex impedance to suit a particular circuit impedance for the transformer 20. In the described :a;r^lt, the main circuit 12 and the control circuit 30 are connected to the output of the AC-DC conversion circuitry, which avoids duplication of rectifiers and smoothing capacitors.
20 It will be appreciated, however, that the two circuits could have their own AC-DC conversion circuitry and be connected directly to the transformer secondary winding. It is also envisaged that the control circuit might be connected across only part of the secondary winding 18 or, indeed to an additional secondary 25 winding.
Although the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein is a sub-woofer loudspeaker with its own integral power 21~26~4 amplifier, it 6hould be appreciated that the invention is applicable to other equipment which needs to be switched between standby and operational modes in response to a control signal which is derived externally. For example, ~mhor~;r l_s of the 5 present invention could be used to turn on a high-f idelity amplifier when a peripheral component has been switched on; or to turn on an appliance by remote control, perhaps via a telephone line or control computer.
Although an advantage of circuits embodying the invention 10 is that they provide isolation, enabling the control or "stimulus" signal to be "hard-wired", it should be noted that the invention is not limited to such applications but could also be implemented with an infra-red, ultrasonic, radio or other electrically-isolated control signal.
Although an embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of the limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (23)

1. A power supply circuit arrangement, switchable between operational and standby modes, comprising:
input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply;
a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;
a main circuit and a control circuit, each connected to derive its power supply voltage from the secondary winding;
the control circuit having detector means for detecting an externally-derived signal and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, the detector means being isolated electrically from the input means;
variable-impedance means connected between the input means and the primary winding and responsive to the control signal to switch between first and second impedance states producing corresponding first and second voltages at the secondary winding of the transformer, the first and second voltages corresponding to operating and standby modes, respectively;
the arrangement being such that, with the first impedance state selected, the corresponding power supply voltage supplied to the main circuit permits its normal operation and, with the second impedance state selected, the corresponding power supply voltage supplied to the main circuit is substantially inadequate for its normal operation whereas a corresponding power supply voltage supplied to the control circuit is adequate for its normal operation.
2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the main circuit and the control circuit are connected to receive a common supply voltage as their respective power supply voltages.
3. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the main circuit and the control circuit are connected to the transformer secondary winding by way of an AC-DC converter circuit, the power supply voltage of each of the main circuit and the control circuit being the output voltage of the converter circuit.
4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the variable-impedance means comprises switch means and impedance means connected in parallel with each other between the input means and the primary winding, the switch means being operable in response to the control signal to select, alternatively, said second impedance state by inserting the impedance in series with the primary winding, reducing the voltage across the primary winding, and said first impedance state by short-circuiting the impedance, raising the voltage across the primary winding.
5. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein the switch means comprises a relay having switch contacts connected in parallel with said impedance and switch operating means connected to said control circuit.
6. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein the switch contact means comprises an active device.
7. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein the switch means comprises a semiconductor switching device coupled to said control circuit by means of an optical coupler.
8. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein the impedance comprises a resistance.
9. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, wherein the impedance comprises a combination of resistive and reactive components.
10. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the variable impedance means comprises one or more non-linear elements.
11. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying switching from the first voltage to the second voltage for a predetermined period after the detecting means has detected a corresponding change in the externally-derived signal.
12. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying selection of the first voltage for a first time period after the detecting means has detected presence of the externally-derived signal, and delaying selection of the second voltage for a second time period after the detecting means has detected discontinuance of the externally-derived signal, the first time period being longer than the second time period.
13. A power supply circuit arrangement, switchable between operational and standby modes, comprising input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, AC-DC converter means having an input and an output, the input being connected to the secondary winding, a main circuit and a control circuit connected in common to the output of the AC-DC converter means to receive a common supply voltage, the control circuit being operable at a supply voltage that is insufficient for operation of the main circuit, the control circuit having detector means for detecting an externally-derived signal and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, the detector means being isolated electrically from the input means, variable-impedance switching means connected between the input means and the primary winding and responsive to the control signal to switch between higher and lower impedance states, the arrangement being such that, with the lower impedance state selected, the common voltage is the prescribed operating voltage of the main circuit and, with the higher impedance state selected, the common voltage is inadequate for normal operation of the main circuit but adequate for normal operation of the control circuit.
14. An arrangement as defined in claim 13, wherein the variable-impedance means comprises a switch means connected, in parallel with an impedance, between the input means and the primary winding, and operating means electrically isolated from the switch means and responsive to the control signal to operate the switch means to select said first and second impedance sates, alternatively, by inserting the impedance in series with the winding, reducing the common voltage, and short-circuiting the impedance, raising the common voltage to said prescribed operating voltage of the main circuit.
15. An arrangement as defined in claim 14, wherein the switch means and operating means comprise switch contacts and operating means, respectively, of a relay.
16. An arrangement as defined in claim 13, wherein the switch means comprises an active device.
17. An arrangement as defined in claim 13, wherein the switch means comprises a semiconductor switching device connected to the control circuit by means of an optical coupler.
18. An arrangement as defined in claim 13, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying switching from the first voltage to the second voltage for a predetermined period after the detecting means has detected a corresponding change in the externally-derived signal.
19. An arrangement as defined in claim 13, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying selection of the first voltage for a first time period after the detecting means has detected presence of the externally-derived signal, and delaying selection of the second voltage for a second time period after the detecting means has detected discontinuance of the externally-derived signal, the first time period being longer than the second time period.
20. A loudspeaker switchable between operational and standby modes comprising an integral power supply circuit arrangement and audio input means, the power supply circuit arrangement comprising:
power input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a speaker drive circuit and a control circuit connected to receive a common supply voltage derived from the secondary winding, the control circuit being operational in said standby mode at a supply voltage that is inadequate for operation of the speaker drive circuit in said operational mode;
the control circuit having detector means for detecting an
21 audio signal at the audio input means and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, the audio input means being isolated electrically from the power input means, variable-impedance switching means connected between the power input means and the primary winding and responsive to the control signal to switch between first and second impedance states, the arrangement being such that, with the first impedance state selected, the common voltage is sufficient for normal operation of the speaker drive circuit and, with the second impedance state selected, the common voltage is inadequate for normal operation of the speaker drive circuit but adequate for normal operation of the control circuit.

21. A loudspeaker as defined in claim 20, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying selection of the standby mode for a predetermined period after the detecting means has detected discontinuance of the audio signal.
22. A loudspeaker as defined in claim 20, wherein the control circuit comprises timer means for delaying selection of the operational mode for a first time period after the detecting means has detected presence of the audio signal, and delaying selection of the standby mode for a second time period after the detecting means has detected discontinuance of the audio signal, the first time period being longer than the second time period.
23. A loudspeaker comprising an integral power supply circuit arrangement and audio input means, the power supply circuit arrangement being switchable between operational and standby modes and comprising:
power input means for connecting the power supply circuit arrangement to an alternating voltage supply, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, a speaker drive circuit and a control circuit connected to receive a common supply voltage derived from the secondary winding, the control circuit having detector means for detecting a signal at the audio input means and providing a control signal in dependence thereupon, variable-impedance switching means connected between the power input means and the primary winding and responsive to the control signal to switch between first and second impedance states, the control circuit being responsive to said signal at the audio input to select the first impedance state and the second impedance state alternatively and switch the loudspeaker between said operational mode and said standby mode.
CA002142644A 1995-02-16 1995-02-16 Standby power circuit arrangement Expired - Fee Related CA2142644C (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002142644A CA2142644C (en) 1995-02-16 1995-02-16 Standby power circuit arrangement
US08/390,025 US5636288A (en) 1995-02-16 1995-02-17 Standby power circuit arrangement

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002142644A CA2142644C (en) 1995-02-16 1995-02-16 Standby power circuit arrangement
US08/390,025 US5636288A (en) 1995-02-16 1995-02-17 Standby power circuit arrangement

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2142644C true CA2142644C (en) 1996-11-26

Family

ID=25677793

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002142644A Expired - Fee Related CA2142644C (en) 1995-02-16 1995-02-16 Standby power circuit arrangement

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US5636288A (en)
CA (1) CA2142644C (en)

Families Citing this family (57)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5991142A (en) * 1996-08-29 1999-11-23 Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Inc. Detection of ophthalmic surgical handpiece by injecting current signal
JP3929553B2 (en) * 1997-06-11 2007-06-13 株式会社フィリップスエレクトロニクスジャパン Reception control method for data broadcasting receiver
US6205500B1 (en) * 1997-09-24 2001-03-20 Compaq Computer Corp. System and method for electrically isolating a device from higher voltage devices
WO2000019581A1 (en) * 1998-09-25 2000-04-06 Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. Signal processing apparatus having means for reducing the power consumption
US6182230B1 (en) * 1998-10-02 2001-01-30 International Business Machines Corporation Active accelerated discharge of a capacitive system
US6118267A (en) * 1999-02-04 2000-09-12 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Apparatus for switching a reference voltage between high and low impedance states
US6928001B2 (en) 2000-12-07 2005-08-09 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Programming and erasing methods for a non-volatile memory cell
US6396741B1 (en) * 2000-05-04 2002-05-28 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Programming of nonvolatile memory cells
JP2002026812A (en) * 2000-07-05 2002-01-25 Sharp Corp Power source control apparatus, receiving device for remote controller and optical communication apparatus
US6766026B2 (en) 2000-12-15 2004-07-20 Thomson Licensing, S.A. Dynamic allocation of power supplied by a power supply and frequency agile spectral filtering of signals
US6842527B2 (en) * 2000-12-15 2005-01-11 Thomson Licensing, Inc. Dynamic allocation of power supplied by a power supply and frequency agile spectral filtering of signals
US6584017B2 (en) 2001-04-05 2003-06-24 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method for programming a reference cell
US6909659B2 (en) * 2001-08-30 2005-06-21 Micron Technology, Inc. Zero power chip standby mode
US6791396B2 (en) * 2001-10-24 2004-09-14 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Stack element circuit
US6917544B2 (en) 2002-07-10 2005-07-12 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Multiple use memory chip
US6781897B2 (en) 2002-08-01 2004-08-24 Infineon Technologies Flash Ltd. Defects detection
US6826107B2 (en) * 2002-08-01 2004-11-30 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. High voltage insertion in flash memory cards
US7136304B2 (en) 2002-10-29 2006-11-14 Saifun Semiconductor Ltd Method, system and circuit for programming a non-volatile memory array
US7148739B2 (en) * 2002-12-19 2006-12-12 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Charge pump element with body effect cancellation for early charge pump stages
US20040151032A1 (en) * 2003-01-30 2004-08-05 Yan Polansky High speed and low noise output buffer
US6842383B2 (en) 2003-01-30 2005-01-11 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method and circuit for operating a memory cell using a single charge pump
US7178004B2 (en) 2003-01-31 2007-02-13 Yan Polansky Memory array programming circuit and a method for using the circuit
US6885244B2 (en) 2003-03-24 2005-04-26 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Operational amplifier with fast rise time
US7142464B2 (en) * 2003-04-29 2006-11-28 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Apparatus and methods for multi-level sensing in a memory array
US6906966B2 (en) 2003-06-16 2005-06-14 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Fast discharge for program and verification
US6922099B2 (en) * 2003-10-21 2005-07-26 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Class AB voltage regulator
US7050319B2 (en) * 2003-12-03 2006-05-23 Micron Technology, Inc. Memory architecture and method of manufacture and operation thereof
US7176728B2 (en) * 2004-02-10 2007-02-13 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd High voltage low power driver
US8339102B2 (en) * 2004-02-10 2012-12-25 Spansion Israel Ltd System and method for regulating loading on an integrated circuit power supply
US7561396B2 (en) * 2004-03-09 2009-07-14 Samsung Measuring Instruments Co., LTD Apparatus for monitoring open state of the secondary terminals of a current transformer
US7652930B2 (en) 2004-04-01 2010-01-26 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method, circuit and system for erasing one or more non-volatile memory cells
US7187595B2 (en) * 2004-06-08 2007-03-06 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Replenishment for internal voltage
US7190212B2 (en) * 2004-06-08 2007-03-13 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd Power-up and BGREF circuitry
US7256438B2 (en) * 2004-06-08 2007-08-14 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd MOS capacitor with reduced parasitic capacitance
US7840142B2 (en) * 2004-07-23 2010-11-23 Thomson Licensing System and method for reducing standby power consumption
US7095655B2 (en) * 2004-08-12 2006-08-22 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Dynamic matching of signal path and reference path for sensing
US7638850B2 (en) 2004-10-14 2009-12-29 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Non-volatile memory structure and method of fabrication
US7702120B1 (en) * 2005-01-31 2010-04-20 Bogen Communications, Inc. Self-amplified loudspeakers with switching amplifier technology
US8053812B2 (en) * 2005-03-17 2011-11-08 Spansion Israel Ltd Contact in planar NROM technology
US8400841B2 (en) 2005-06-15 2013-03-19 Spansion Israel Ltd. Device to program adjacent storage cells of different NROM cells
US7184313B2 (en) 2005-06-17 2007-02-27 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method circuit and system for compensating for temperature induced margin loss in non-volatile memory cells
EP1746645A3 (en) 2005-07-18 2009-01-21 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Memory array with sub-minimum feature size word line spacing and method of fabrication
US7668017B2 (en) 2005-08-17 2010-02-23 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method of erasing non-volatile memory cells
US7221138B2 (en) * 2005-09-27 2007-05-22 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd Method and apparatus for measuring charge pump output current
US7808818B2 (en) 2006-01-12 2010-10-05 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Secondary injection for NROM
US8253452B2 (en) 2006-02-21 2012-08-28 Spansion Israel Ltd Circuit and method for powering up an integrated circuit and an integrated circuit utilizing same
US7692961B2 (en) 2006-02-21 2010-04-06 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Method, circuit and device for disturb-control of programming nonvolatile memory cells by hot-hole injection (HHI) and by channel hot-electron (CHE) injection
US7760554B2 (en) 2006-02-21 2010-07-20 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. NROM non-volatile memory and mode of operation
US7638835B2 (en) * 2006-02-28 2009-12-29 Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. Double density NROM with nitride strips (DDNS)
US7701779B2 (en) 2006-04-27 2010-04-20 Sajfun Semiconductors Ltd. Method for programming a reference cell
GB0706401D0 (en) * 2007-04-04 2007-05-09 Universal Concepts Ltd Power saving means
US9013060B2 (en) * 2010-04-30 2015-04-21 Infosys Limited Method and system for measuring, monitoring and controlling electrical power consumption
CN102035411B (en) * 2010-07-19 2012-12-05 四川九州电子科技股份有限公司 Single power supply buck standby circuit
ES2715986T3 (en) * 2012-04-16 2019-06-07 Abb Schweiz Ag Standby power supply circuit for 2-wire bus intercom system and its device
TWI594664B (en) * 2016-08-17 2017-08-01 緯創資通股份有限公司 Light-emitting diode driving device and short protection method for driving device
US10503235B2 (en) 2017-10-24 2019-12-10 Hing S Tong Wake from off state power system
CN109067383A (en) * 2018-07-12 2018-12-21 坎德拉(深圳)科技创新有限公司 Pulse signal processing circuit and power supply circuit

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4107462A (en) * 1977-06-09 1978-08-15 Satya Pal Asija Electroventriloquist
JPS5717255A (en) * 1980-07-04 1982-01-28 Hitachi Ltd Bipolar waveform forming circuit
DE3323371A1 (en) * 1983-06-29 1985-01-17 Telefunken Fernseh Und Rundfunk Gmbh, 3000 Hannover Switched-mode power supply for an apparatus having a standby mode, especially a television receiver
US4809339A (en) * 1985-09-12 1989-02-28 Kelvin Shih Audio transducer
US4941078A (en) * 1989-03-07 1990-07-10 Rca Licensing Corporation Synchronized switch-mode power supply
US5003578A (en) * 1989-08-11 1991-03-26 Lin Den K Power-saving device for a cable-information receiving/transmitting apparatus
KR0141217B1 (en) * 1993-11-30 1998-06-15 김광호 Power reduction circuits

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US5636288A (en) 1997-06-03

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
CA2142644C (en) Standby power circuit arrangement
KR100827001B1 (en) Control circuit and control method for current and voltage control in a switching power supply
CA2290759C (en) Intelligent switch control circuit
US5351177A (en) Switch mode power supply with standby mode operation
US5469349A (en) Power supply circuit and control circuit for use in a power supply circuit
US4652984A (en) Self-oscillating power-supply circuit
US6377163B1 (en) Power line communication circuit
JPH07322612A (en) Electric current presumption circuit for switch mode power supply
US6181586B1 (en) Current-to-voltage converter and associate closed-loop control circuit
US6590789B2 (en) Method and apparatus for regulating output voltage of a voltage converter
EP0588173B1 (en) Switch mode power supply with standby mode operation
US4205269A (en) Remote control variable attenuation device for an antenna amplifier
US4128867A (en) Power supply regulation using switching transistors
US20070085574A1 (en) Audio signal detection utilizing low power standby power supply
CA1085741A (en) Muting circuit for loudspeaker
US7023710B2 (en) Method of operating a switched-mode power supply and switched-mode power supply
CA2523166A1 (en) Audio signal detection utilizing low power standby power supply
EP4118936A1 (en) Ac to dc converter
US6501236B1 (en) Variable switch with reduced noise interference
US5161082A (en) Overload-limiting method based on the pwm (or lc3) control technique, and an electronic circuit implementing the method
US5708577A (en) Regulated power supply
JP3335838B2 (en) Circuit breaker
JPS63232584A (en) Control circuit of chop type source in waiting mode
US3953682A (en) Loop current detector
CN102195489B (en) Current peak compression method for switching circuit

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
MKLA Lapsed