JP2002125315A - Power breaking device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power breaking device, capable of automatically breaking standby power of various types of electrical apparatuses, using an inexpensive configuration. SOLUTION: When a user gives instantaneous depressing of an operation button 6 for turning it on, power inputted from a plug 1 instantaneously energizes a reset coil 5 of a latching relay to turn on a relay contact 3 for self-holding. By turning on the power switch of the electrical apparatus for start before the reset time of a startup timer B12 is up, the on-state of the relay contact 3 is continued. When the user turns off the power of the electrical apparatus, power current passing through a receptacle 2 drops, which is then detected by a minute current detector circuit 9 and a comparator 10, and current for releasing the self-holding is passed through the reset coil 5 to turn off the relay contact 3. Thus standby power to the electrical apparatus can be broken completely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply shut-off device for supplying power to various electric devices and cutting off power consumption when the electric devices are on standby.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in personal computers and various home electric appliances, a certain amount of standby power is consumed even in a standby state in which the original operation is not performed. This is not preferable in terms of cost increase due to consumption, waste of resources, and environmental destruction due to generation of CO ₂ . On the other hand, recently, various types of home appliances having a function of reducing standby power have been proposed in home appliances themselves, and commercialization has been progressing, but as a user, for the purpose of reducing standby power, However, it is not possible to replace the existing charge product with a new one.

In order to solve such a problem, a power supply cutoff device of, for example, a power strip type has been proposed which can reduce standby power by connecting a power supply cable of a personal computer, a home electric appliance or the like which has existed conventionally. ing. For example, Japanese Patent No. 28503838 discloses a power tap capable of sequentially controlling a power supply of each computer or the like in a system in which a plurality of computers or the like are configured in a master / slave relationship.
This power tap continuously supplies a constant current even during standby, and does not completely shut off standby power.

On the other hand, as a configuration for completely shutting off standby power, for example, a power cutoff device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-152499 has been proposed. In this power cut-off device, when power is turned on, a power control relay contact provided on a power line is turned on in response to a user's button operation, and power is supplied to an outlet to which home appliances and the like are connected, In response to the power-on, the self-holding relay contact (normally open contact) is turned on (closed), and the power control relay contact is held in the on state. Then, when the power is turned on, the minute current detection circuit is turned on, and the state of the home appliance is monitored based on the minute current flowing in the power supply line by the minute current detection circuit. Then, the self-holding release relay contact (normally closed contact) is turned on (open), the power control relay contact is turned off, and the power is cut off. In addition, after the user presses the button, the timer restricts the ON operation of the self-holding release relay contact for a certain period of time, and during this period, turns on the power switch of the home appliance or the like, starts the home appliance or the like, and starts the desired operation. You can get the action.

[0005] With such a configuration, for example, a button operation is performed with a power cut-off device of a table tap specification, a power switch of a home appliance or the like is turned on, and a desired operation is performed.
When the power switch of the home electric appliance is turned off and the system shifts to the standby state, this operation is detected by the minute current detection circuit, and the relay contact for self-hold release of the power cutoff device is automatically opened, and the power control relay The contacts are turned off and the power is completely shut off. Therefore, in the standby state of home electric appliances or the like, the power supply line is completely cut off, and the standby power can be completely reduced.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional power cut-off device, it is necessary to provide two relays, a self-holding relay and a self-holding release relay, which increases the cost of parts and consumes the relay itself. There was a problem that the current also increased. In particular, since the power shut-off device of the above-mentioned table tap specification is used only for personal computers, home electric appliances, and the like to the last, if the cost itself is high, the cost burden for the user increases. , Will not be established as a product. On the other hand, in a configuration in which the power is shut off manually instead of providing the relay as described above, the operation is complicated, and there is a case where standby power is still consumed due to forgetting to shut off the power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a power cutoff device which can automatically cut off standby power of various electric devices with an inexpensive configuration.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a power supply input section connected to a predetermined power supply, a power supply output section connected to an electric device, and a current flowing through a set coil. A latching relay that closes a power control relay contact inserted between the power input unit and the power output unit, and opens the relay contact by passing a current through a reset coil; and the power input unit. A current detection unit that detects a current value flowing from the power supply output unit to a power supply output unit; a comparison unit that compares the current value with a predetermined level; an operation unit for a user to perform a power-on operation; And a relay control unit that controls the latching relay by flowing a current through the set coil and flowing a current through the reset coil based on a comparison result of the comparison unit. It is characterized in that.

In the power supply shut-off device of the present invention, when the power is turned on, when the user performs a power-on operation using the operation means, the relay control unit supplies a current to the set coil of the latching relay based on the operation of the operation means, and Close the relay contact between the input section and the power output section. As a result, power is supplied from the power input unit to the power output unit,
By turning on the power switch of the electric device connected to the power output unit, a desired operation of the electric device can be obtained. When the operation of the electric device is terminated and the power switch of the electric device is turned off, a change in the current value from the power input unit to the power output unit due to this operation is detected by the current detection unit, and the detected current value is detected. Is compared with a predetermined level by the comparing unit. Then, based on the result of the comparison, it is detected that the power switch of the electric device is turned off, and the relay control unit supplies a current to the reset coil of the latching relay to open a relay contact between the power input unit and the power output unit. I do. As a result, the power supplied from the power input unit to the power output unit is completely shut off, and no standby power is supplied even when the electric device is in a standby state, thereby reducing power consumption.

In the above-described power supply cutoff device, the relay contact for power supply control for opening and closing the power supply line is controlled using one latching relay, so that the component cost is reduced as compared with the case where two relays are used. As well as
Control of the latching relay can also be realized by temporary current supply, so that an inexpensive device with reduced current consumption can be configured. In addition, the standby current can be completely cut off, which can effectively contribute to labor saving, and can effectively cope with cost reduction, energy resource saving, and the like.
In addition, the power supply can be automatically cut off, eliminating the trouble of the user, and effectively preventing power waste due to forgetting to turn off the power supply.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power cutoff device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the power cutoff device according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation outline of the power cutoff device shown in FIG. First, the configuration of the power cutoff device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The power cutoff device according to the present embodiment is configured in, for example, a single case of a table tap specification, and includes a general power supply AC.
A plug is connected to a 100 V outlet, power is input, and the power is output to a personal computer, a home electric appliance, or the like. The plug 1 constitutes a power input unit,
Connected to the end of the cable provided in the case, AC1
It is plugged into a 00v outlet. The outlet 2 constitutes a power output unit, is provided on the upper surface of the case, and a plug of a power cable led from a personal computer or various electric devices is inserted therein.

The relay contact 3 is a power input unit (plug 1)
A power supply relay contact provided to the power supply line from the power supply to the power supply output unit (outlet 2) for opening and closing the power supply line. The power supply line is closed by applying a current to the set coil 4 to make the power supply line conductive. The power supply line is opened by supplying a current to the reset coil 5 to cut off the power supply line. That is, the relay contact 3, the set coil 4, and the reset coil 5 constitute one latching relay. Then, the relay contact 3 is switched from open to closed by the temporary energization of the set coil 4 and is held by itself, and the relay contact 3 is switched from the closed to open by the temporary energization of the reset coil 5. Instead, they are self-maintained, all of which can be controlled by temporary energization and have low power consumption.

The operation button 6 is an operation means for a user to perform a power-on operation, and uses a normally-open momentary contact switch that is momentarily turned on only when the user performs a pressing operation. One terminal of the operation button 6 is connected to the plug 1 side terminal of the relay contact 3, and the other terminal of the operation button 6 is connected to the smoothing capacitor 7 via the diode D1. The outlet 2 side terminal 3 is connected to a smoothing capacitor 7 via a diode D2.

A smoothing capacitor (smoothing means) 7 smoothes the power supply voltage input from the plug 1 via the operation button 6 and the relay contact 3 and rectified by the diodes D1 and D2, and this smoothed output. DC-DC voltage
This is supplied to the converter 8. The DC-DC converter (conversion means) 8 converts the smoothed voltage obtained by the smoothing capacitor 7 into a voltage suitable for an electronic circuit.
It is converted and output. Based on the output voltage of the DC-DC converter 8, the following minute current detection circuit 9, comparator 10, start-up timers A11, B1
2. The display LED lamp 13 and the like are driven.

A minute current detecting circuit (current detecting section) 9 detects a minute current flowing in the power supply line between the relay contact 3 and the outlet 2 by the current transformer CT, and compares the detected current value with a comparator 10. Is output to Although the current transformer CT is provided between the relay contact 3 and the outlet 2 in the example of FIG. 1, the current transformer CT may be provided behind the outlet 2 like a current transformer CT ′ shown by a broken line in FIG. Similarly, a very small current flowing in the power supply line can be detected, and such a configuration is also included in the present invention. Further, the current value detected by the minute current detection circuit 9 is output to the comparator 10 as a voltage level signal. The comparator (comparing unit) 10 compares the detection current value (detection voltage level) input from the minute current detection circuit 9 with a predetermined setting voltage level, and when the detection voltage level becomes lower than the predetermined setting voltage level. Supplies a reset current to the reset coil 5 of the latching relay via a relay drive circuit (not shown).

When the output voltage from the DC-DC converter 8 is input, the start-up timer A (first timer means) 11 activates the relay drive circuit and temporarily supplies current (instantaneously) to the set coil 4 of the latching relay. Current). When the set coil 4 is energized, the relay contact 3 is turned on (closed) to be in a self-holding state, and power is supplied from the power input unit (plug 1) to the power output unit (outlet 2). When the output voltage from the DC-DC converter 8 is input, the start-up timer B (second timer means) 12 limits the operation of the comparator 10 for a predetermined period (for example, several tens of seconds), This is to prevent a reset current from being supplied to the reset coil 5.

Such a start-up timer A11,
When the user instantaneously presses and releases the operation button 6 by the operation of B12 to release the operation, a current temporarily flows through the set coil 4 of the latching relay by the relay drive circuit, and the relay contact 3 is switched to the ON state. The self-holding is performed, the charging of the capacitor 7 is continued, and thereafter, the comparator 10 is controlled so that the current does not flow through the reset coil 5 for a sufficient time, and the relay contact 3 is kept on. Accordingly, it is possible to secure a sufficient time for the user to turn on the power of the electric device connected to the outlet 2 after the user operates the operation button 6 and start the operation, thereby maintaining the power supply.

After a lapse of a predetermined time, the startup timer B12 times out, and the reset coil 5 can be energized. Therefore, the outlet 2 is controlled by the minute current detection circuit 9 and the comparator 10.
Is detected, the comparator 10 supplies a reset coil 5 with a current for canceling self-holding, the relay contact 3 is turned off (opened), and self-holding is performed. The supply is completely shut off.

The display LED lamp 13 is a means for indicating that the power cutoff device is in a power supply state, and is turned on in accordance with the output of the DC-DC converter 8. In addition, the smoothing capacitor 7, DC-D
C converter 8, minute current detection circuit 9, comparator 1
0, the start-up timers A11, B12, etc., constitute a relay control unit for controlling the latching relay. The operation button 6 and the display LED lamp 13 may be provided adjacent to the outlet 2 or the like in the case of the power supply cutoff device. However, as will be described later, a starter box for remote operation is provided separately from the case. It may be provided.

Next, an operation procedure in the power cut-off device having the above configuration will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. First, the plug 1 of the power cut-off device is connected to the outlet of the AC 100V power supply, and the outlet 2 of the power cut-off device is connected.
It is assumed that the power cable of the electric equipment (personal computer etc.) to be used is connected. In this state, when the user turns on the operation button 6 by an instantaneous pressing operation (step S
1), the smoothing capacitor 7 is charged by the power supplied from the plug 1 via the diode D1 (step S2).

Then, the DC-DC converter 8 operates by the output of the smoothing capacitor 7, and starts outputting the power supply for the circuit. Thereby, the timer operations of the start-up timers A11 and B12 are started (step S3). When the start-up timer A11 is activated, the set coil 5 of the latching relay is instantaneously energized, and the relay contact 3 is turned on (closed). The on state of the relay contact 3 is maintained as it is, and the charging of the smoothing capacitor 7 through the diode D2 is continued even after the operation button 6 is turned off (step S4). Therefore, power supply to each section of the relay control section is ensured by the charging state of the smoothing capacitor 7 thereafter.

Thereafter, the current flowing through the outlet 2 is detected by the minute current detection circuit 9 (step S).
5) Since the operation of the comparator 10 is limited until the start-up timer B12 times out (for example, several tens of seconds), if the power switch of the electric device is turned on and started within this time, the outlet 2 is activated by the start of the electric device. The detected current value (detected voltage level) of the minute current detecting circuit 9 becomes larger than the set voltage level compared by the comparator 10, and the current to the reset coil 5 flows even after the time-out of the start-up timer B12. Instead, the ON state of the relay contact 3 is continued, and power supply to the outlet 2 and each part of the relay control unit is secured (step S6).

Then, even after the time-out of the start-up timer B12, the current detection by the minute current detection circuit 9 and the comparison operation by the comparator 10 are continuously performed (steps S5 to S7). Here, if the power supply of the electric device is turned off by the user, the power supply current flowing through the outlet 2 is greatly reduced. Therefore, when the detected voltage level becomes lower than the set voltage level, the comparator 10 determines that the power of the electric device is turned off by the user and shifts to the standby state, and flows the self-hold release current to the reset coil 5. Then, the relay contact 3 is turned off (opened) (step S8). Thereby, the standby power supplied from the plug 1 to the outlet 2 is completely shut off (step S9).

By the way, in this type of power cut-off device, the relay consumes the most current. In the power cut-off device of the present embodiment, however, the relay contact 3 is provided by instantaneous current supply using one latching relay. , Only the momentary current is consumed during the switching operation of the relay contact 3. The steady power consumption in other circuits is about several tens mW. Therefore, an increase in operating current when the power supply cutoff device of the present embodiment is used is insignificant, and can be realized with extremely small power consumption.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. This power cutoff device is provided with an outlet 2 between the relay contact 3 of the latching relay and the minute current detection circuit 9.
A second outlet 14 is provided in parallel with the first outlet, the outlet 2 is used for the master device, and the outlet 14 is used for the slave device. That is, in such a configuration, when the electric device connected to the outlet 2 is turned off and enters a standby state, the relay contact 3 is turned off and connected to the outlet 2 as in the configuration of FIG. The standby power of the connected electrical device is cut off, and at the same time, the standby power of the electrical device connected to the outlet 14 can be automatically cut off. Conversely, even when the power of the electric device connected to the outlet 14 is turned off to be in a standby state, the relay contact 3 is not turned off, and the operation of the electric device connected to the outlet 2 is continued.

Therefore, for example, by connecting a personal computer (master device) to the outlet 2 and connecting a peripheral device (slave device) of the personal computer to the outlet 14, the peripheral device can be appropriately turned on and off during the operation of the personal computer. When performing various tasks and ending the work of the personal computer, it is possible to take the form of turning off the personal computer and peripheral devices collectively and shutting off the standby power altogether, It is possible to effectively save power in the system by using a personal computer and peripheral devices. In addition, one outlet 2
Instead of providing one second outlet 14, a plurality of outlets may be provided for one outlet 2. That is, one personal computer often has a plurality of peripheral devices, and it is possible to effectively cope with such a system configuration.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. This power cutoff device is provided between the minute current detection circuit 9 and the outlet 2 in parallel with the outlet 2,
Outlet 15 is provided. In this configuration, the outlets 2 and 15 have the same relationship with each other, and when all the electric devices connected to the outlets 2 and 15 are turned off and in a standby state, the above-described FIG. Similar to the configuration, the relay contact 3 is turned off and each outlet 2,
The standby power of the electric device connected to the power supply 15 is cut off. For example, in an office where a plurality of electric devices are used in parallel, when the working hours end and all the electric devices are turned off, the standby power of all the electric devices is automatically cut off. Can be. Outlets 2 and 15 are 2
Instead of three, three or more may be used.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In this power cutoff device, a fourth outlet 16 is provided between a plug 1 and a relay contact 3 in parallel with an outlet 2. That is, in this configuration,
The outlet 16 always outputs power regardless of the function of the power cutoff device. Therefore, if a device such as a modem, which constantly monitors reception, is connected to the outlet 16, the device such as the modem can always be energized regardless of the operation of the outlet 2. It should be noted that the three types of outlets 14, 15, and 16 shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 may not be individually combined with the outlet 2, but may be combined and combined to form a power cutoff device.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of the external configuration of the power supply cutoff device according to the present embodiment. As an example, one outlet 2 for the master device described in FIG.
Three second outlets 14 for a slave device are provided. That is, one outlet 2 and three outlets 14 are arranged at an interval from each other on the upper surface of the case 20 formed in the table tap specification, and a power plug of a personal computer or the like is inserted into each outlet. In this example, a starter box 21 is provided separately from the case 20, and the starter box 21 is connected to the case 20 via a cable 22. The operation button 6 and the display LED lamp 13 are provided on the upper surface of the starter box 21. The plug 1 is connected to the case 20 via a cable 23. In the power cutoff device as described above, by providing the starter box 21 which is separate from the case 20, the case 20 provided with the outlets 2 and 14 is hidden behind a variety of devices or desks and arranged so that the appearance is clear. At the same time, only the starter box 21 is placed near a personal computer or the like,
Operability can be improved.

In each of the power cut-off devices described above,
The following effects can be obtained respectively. (1) By reducing the standby power of connected equipment to zero, power consumption can be reduced, power cost can be reduced, and a device that is advantageous for resource problems and environmental problems can be provided. Also, by reducing the standby power to zero,
It is possible to suppress a rise in the temperature of the installation environment. (2) Since only one latching relay is required, the cost of the device can be reduced, and the burden on the purchase price of the user can be suppressed. (3) By using a latching relay, the power consumption of the relay itself can be reduced, and a power cutoff device with low power consumption can be configured. (4) Since a microcomputer or the like is not used, it is possible to configure an apparatus which is hardly affected by noise and hardly generates noise. (5) With the configuration shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to turn off the power of the slave device only by turning off the power of the master device, and it is possible to prevent forgetting to turn off the power of peripheral devices and the like. (6) With the configuration shown in FIG. 6, by providing the operation buttons on the starter box separate from the outlet case, it is possible to improve both the aesthetic appearance and the operability.

[0031]

As described above, the power supply cutoff device of the present invention has a power supply input section connected to a predetermined power supply, a power supply output section connected to an electric device, and a current flowing through a set coil. A latching relay that closes a relay contact for power control inserted between a power input unit and a power output unit, and opens the relay contact by passing a current through a reset coil; and A current detection unit that detects a current value flowing to the power output unit, a comparison unit that compares the current value with a predetermined level, an operation unit that allows a user to perform a power-on operation, and based on an operation of the operation unit. A relay control unit that controls the latching relay by passing a current through the set coil and passing a current through the reset coil based on a comparison result of the comparison unit. The features.

Therefore, in the power cutoff device of the present invention,
Controlling the relay contacts for power control that opens and closes the power line using a single latching relay reduces component costs compared to using two relays, and controls the latching relay with a temporary current. Since this can be realized by supply, an inexpensive device with reduced current consumption can be configured, and there is an effect that the purchase cost burden on the user can be suppressed. In addition, the standby current can be completely cut off, which can effectively contribute to labor saving, and can effectively cope with cost reduction and energy resource saving. In addition, the power can be automatically turned off, eliminating the user's trouble,
This has the effect of effectively preventing power wasting due to forgetting to turn off the power.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the power supply cutoff device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a power cutoff device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view showing an example of an external configuration of the power supply cutoff device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... plug, 2, 14, 15, 16 ... outlet,
3 relay contact 4 set coil 5 reset coil 6 operation button 7 smoothing capacitor 8 DC-DC converter 9 minute current detection circuit 10 Comparator, 11 Startup timer A, 12 Startup timer B, 13
LED lamp for display, 20 ... case, 21 ... starter box, 22, 23 ... cable.

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A power input unit connected to a predetermined power source, a power output unit connected to an electric device, and a power supply unit inserted between the power input unit and the power output unit by flowing a current through a set coil. A latching relay for opening the relay contact by closing a relay contact for power supply control and passing a current through a reset coil; and a current detection unit for detecting a current value flowing from the power input unit to a power output unit. A comparing unit that compares the current value with a predetermined level; operating means for allowing a user to perform a power-on operation; flowing a current to the set coil based on an operation of the operating means; And a relay control unit that controls the latching relay by supplying a current to the reset coil based on the comparison result. 2. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein said operation means is an operation button having a momentary contact. 3. A first timer for detecting the operation of the operation means, and for temporarily flowing a current to a set coil of a latching relay by the relay control section after the operation of the operation means. 2. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising means. 4. The relay control unit detects an operation of the operation unit so that the relay control unit does not supply a current to a reset coil of the latching relay for a predetermined time after the operation of the operation unit. Control to the second
2. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising: timer means. 5. The relay control unit includes: a smoothing unit that smoothes a power supply voltage input through the operation unit and a relay contact of a latching relay; and a conversion unit that converts an output voltage of the smoothing unit into a predetermined level. 2. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion unit that generates a drive voltage for the relay control unit. 6. The power cutoff device according to claim 5, wherein said smoothing means is a capacitor, and said conversion means is a DC-DC converter. 7. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein the current detection unit is a minute current detection circuit using a current transformer. 8. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein the current detection unit detects a current between a relay contact of the latching relay and the power output unit. 9. The power supply output unit according to claim 8, further comprising a second power output unit connected in parallel with the power output unit between the relay contact of the latching relay and the current detection unit. Power cut-off device. 10. The power supply according to claim 8, further comprising a third power output unit connected between said current detection unit and said power output unit in parallel with said power output unit. Blocking device. 11. The power supply unit according to claim 8, further comprising a fourth power output unit connected in parallel with the power output unit, between the power input unit and a relay contact of the latching relay. Power cut-off device. 12. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying that power is being supplied from said power input unit to said power output unit. 13. The power cutoff device according to claim 11, wherein said display means is an LED indicator light. 14. The power cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein the power cutoff device is provided in a single case. 15. The power cutoff device according to claim 14, wherein a plurality of power cutoff devices are provided in the single case. 16. The power supply output unit has an outlet provided in the case.
A power cut-off device as described. 17. The power cutoff device according to claim 14, wherein the power input unit includes a cable with a plug provided in the case or a connector for connecting the cable.