JP3065488U - Standby power reduction device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To reduce standby power consumed by an electric device operated by power supply power obtained from a commercial AC power supply via a power supply transformer in a standby mode. SOLUTION: A reactive current rectifier circuit 13 for rectifying a reactive current taken out through a capacitive coupling part Cc constantly connected to a commercial AC power supply 10 is provided, and the rectified output enables the signal receiving part 14 to operate even in a standby mode. The power is applied so that the start signal can always be received. There is also provided a command signal output unit 15 which is always operated by the rectified output of the reactive current rectifier circuit 13, and this output unit 15 outputs a power supply command signal when the signal receiving unit 14 receives a start signal. The power supply command signal issued from the command signal output unit 14 acts on the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20, and the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20 is provided in series between the commercial AC power supply 10 and the primary winding of the electric device power supply transformer 51. The power supply line opening / closing means 26 is shifted from the power supply line open state in the previous standby mode to the power supply line closed state.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention operates to achieve a predetermined function using the secondary side output of the power transformer connected to the commercial AC power supply as the power supply power in the operation mode. The present invention relates to a device for reducing power consumption during standby in an electric device configured to be able to receive a start signal unpredictably transmitted from a signal transmission unit operated by a user.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 In various electric appliances operated by the secondary output of a power transformer connected to a commercial AC power supply, for example, a heater or a water heater such as a fan heater, a signal transmitting means operated by a user, for example, a remote controller (hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller) In order to be able to start the operation of the device at any time in response to the start signal transmitted from the remote control as an infrared signal or a radio frequency signal, the standby mode is entered even when the device is not operating and at least from the remote control. In many cases, it is necessary to always supply power to the circuit that receives this signal. For this reason, conventionally, the primary side of the power transformer remains connected to the commercial AC power supply not only in the operation mode in which the device is operating, but also in the standby mode. Naturally, the primary current continues to flow and the secondary side However, power of about several watts was constantly generated.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 However, the power required to start the equipment by recognizing the start signal can be reduced to a few milliwatts as long as the latest elemental technology or circuit technology is applied. Nevertheless, as described above, conventionally, the main power supply was always operated, and power of several watts or more was wasted as “standby power”. It was not desirable from the viewpoint of the situation.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a standby power reduction device for electric equipment which can significantly reduce standby power and contribute to energy saving. However, the objective is to not break the situation where the equipment can be isolated from the commercial AC power supply system. In other words, it is assumed that the power supply of the equipment must be supplied via a power transformer, as required for a heater or a water heater, for the safety of electric shock and leakage prevention. Although some attempts have been made to reduce standby power, there have been many attempts at transformerless devices that do not require insulation for commercial AC power systems, and devices that require insulation Application did not work.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in the operation mode, the secondary side output of the power transformer in which the primary winding is connected to the commercial AC power supply is operated to realize the predetermined function using the secondary side output as the power supply, and the operation is performed. A standby power reduction device for an electrical device in the standby mode, wherein the standby mode is set to be able to receive a start signal unpredictably transmitted from a signal transmission unit operated by a user even during a standby mode. A reactive current rectifier circuit for rectifying a reactive current taken out through a capacitive coupling part which is constantly connected to a commercial AC power supply; operating power is supplied even in a standby mode by a rectified output of the reactive current rectifier circuit, and the above-described start-up is performed. A signal receiving unit that can always receive signals; always operates by the rectified output of the reactive current rectifier circuit, and outputs a power supply command signal when the signal receiving unit receives a start signal Receiving a power supply command signal from the command signal output section, the power supply line opening / closing means provided in series between the commercial AC power supply and the primary winding of the power supply transformer, and waits for the power supply line opening / closing means up to that point. And a power supply switching unit for supplying a primary current from a commercial power supply to a primary winding of a power supply transformer by shifting from a power supply line open state to a power supply line closed state in a machine mode. suggest.

Of course, the configuration of the present invention can be developed as a lower-level configuration when shifting from the operation mode to the standby mode, and in addition to the above-described basic configuration, the signal receiving unit operates the device from the signal transmission means. The stop signal can also be received, and the command signal output section outputs the power supply command signal or the power cutoff command signal when the signal receiving section receives the device operation stop signal, and the power supply open / close execution section outputs the power supply command signal. When the power is cut off or the power cutoff command signal is received, the power supply line switching means is shifted from the power supply line closed state to the power supply line open state in the previous operation mode, and supplied from the commercial power supply to the primary winding of the power supply transformer. It can be configured to shut off the primary current that has been in operation and return to the state under the standby mode.

[0007] Further, as a lower aspect of the present invention, when rectified power of an ineffective current is not enough to drive the power supply line opening / closing means, and a certain amount of power is required, power is supplied when necessary. However, in order to prevent power consumption in the standby mode, the power supply opening / closing execution unit includes a driver means for selectively supplying the power supply line opening / closing means to the power supply line closed state by supplying the operating power; A power supply control circuit for a driver for controlling power supply to the driver means. The driver power supply control circuit, when receiving the power supply command signal, supplies operating power from the commercial AC power supply to the driver means, and It is also proposed to configure so that when the signal is cut off or the power cutoff command signal is received, the operating power supplied to the driver means from the commercial AC power supply is cut off.

[0008]

[Embodiment of the invention]

 FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated case, the electric device main body 50 to be controlled is described as a heater such as a fan heater, but this electric device main body or the heater 50 has a primary winding connected to the commercial power supply 10 in an operation mode. It is operated by the secondary output of the power transformer 51, and implements a predetermined function, that is, a function of basically heating the room to a set temperature. At this time, a device control device 52 generally including a micro computer (hereinafter, also referred to as “micro computer” in the drawing) controls the overall operation of the device main body 50. The aspect and the type of control itself are not directly defined by the present invention, and may be any form of existing equipment. However, as typified by the heater here, in the present invention, the equipment main body 50 needs to be insulated from the commercial power supply. It is assumed.

As described above, in a conventional heater or the like, signal transmission means generally configured as a remote controller (hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 11 even when not in operation, that is, when not operating. In order to receive the transmission signal St from the power supply 11, the power must be continuously supplied to the receiving circuit, so that the commercial AC power supply 10 and the primary winding of the power transformer 51 are always kept in a conductive state, Side was generating power output. However, this created a large waste of power consumption, and as a result of solving the problem, the present invention first selectively connects the commercial AC power supply 10 and the primary winding of the power transformer 51 selectively. The power supply line opening / closing means 26 for opening and closing the power supply line between them is interposed. As will be described later, the power supply line opening / closing means 26 supplies the power supply between the commercial AC power supply 10 and the primary winding of the power supply transformer 51 when the device body 50 is at rest and in the standby mode. The track is open, so that no power is supplied to the power transformer 51 at all. Therefore, naturally, the power consumption of the device main body via the power transformer 51 in the standby mode is zero.

[0010] Then, when the signal St transmitted from the signal transmitting means 11 can be received even in the standby mode, in order to reduce power consumption as much as possible, the present invention device uses a commercial AC power supply. Reactive current (leakage current) that can be extracted from the power supply 10 is intended to be used effectively, contrary to its name. As is well known, power consumption due to a 90 ° phase difference reactive current flowing through a reactance circuit such as a short-circuit of an AC power supply with a capacitor is zero. Therefore, in the device of the present invention, a reactive current is extracted from the commercial AC power supply 10 through the capacitive coupling section Cc from the commercial AC power supply 10, rectified through the reactive current rectification circuit 13, and transmitted from the signal transmission unit 11. The signal receiving unit 14 capable of receiving the incoming signal St is constantly operated.

In the illustrated case, the reactive current rectifier circuit 13 includes, but is not limited to, a bridge rectifier type rectifier circuit 13a, a smoothing capacitor 13b for smoothing its output, and preferably a zener diode 13c for forming a simple stabilized power supply. The capacitive coupling section Cc is composed of a pair of capacitors 12a and 12b, which are respectively connected in series between both ends of the commercial AC power supply 10 and one of the two AC inputs of the bridge rectifier circuit 13a. Made up of However, of course, one of the pair of capacitors 12a and 12b in the capacitive coupling section Cc can be replaced with a simple line, and in other words, if a capacitive coupling circuit capable of extracting a reactive current is configured, good. Although it is a detailed matter, in the case of the circuit configuration shown in the figure, the time constant differs between the case where both capacitors 12a and 12b are used and the case where one of them is omitted, and the electric cord is inserted into a commercial power outlet. Since the time from when the standby power reduction device described below starts up differs, it may be necessary to adjust the capacitance of the capacitor.

The signal receiving unit 14 is, for example, a remote control that uses an infrared light receiving element and uses a radio frequency when the signal transmitting unit 11 is a so-called infrared remote controller and the transmission signal St is an infrared signal. In such a case, it can be configured to include a receiving circuit for receiving the radio frequency signal. In any case, using the latest circuit technology, the operating power required for such a signal receiving unit 14 can be configured to be extremely small, and a very small amount of rectified reactive power is sufficient. . Here, an infrared remote control is assumed for the first time.

However, the activation signal of the device transmitted as the transmission signal St by the signal transmission means 11 arrives at the signal reception unit 14 to which the operating power is always supplied even in the standby mode, and the signal reception unit 14 When this is received and detected, the detection signal or the received signal Sr is sent to the subsequent command signal output unit 15. The command signal output unit 15 also operates constantly using the rectified output of the reactive current rectification circuit 13 as operating power, and based on a signal Sr indicating that a start signal has been received from the signal receiving unit 14, a power supply switching unit. The power supply command signal So is output to the power supply 20. Similarly, if a recent circuit technique is used, the command signal output unit 15 can be configured to include a microcomputer, for example, so that it can operate with extremely low power. In other words, the power supply command signal So may be a signal having only a very small amount of energy in terms of energy. For example, by increasing the input impedance of the subsequent circuit system, a voltage that consumes little power in principle It can be configured by signaling.

Upon receiving the power supply command signal So from the command signal output unit 15, the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20 supplies power to the power supply line between the commercial AC power supply 10 and the primary winding of the power supply transformer 51. The power supply line opening / closing means 26 is driven to shift from the power supply line open state in the previous standby mode to the power supply line closed state. As a result, operating power is supplied from the commercial AC power supply 10 to the device main body 50 via the power transformer 51, and the device main body can be shifted from the standby mode to the operation mode.

Therefore, as described above, if the power supply command signal So selectively output from the command signal output unit 15 can be made extremely small in terms of energy, the command signal output Only by the unit 15 and the signal receiving unit 14, the standby power consumed in the standby mode can be significantly reduced, and in fact, the experimental apparatus of the present applicant has succeeded in reducing the power to at most several milliwatts. I have.

However, when the power supply line opening / closing means 26 is finally closed by the power supply command signal So via the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20, the electric power is generated only by the reactive current output from the reactive current rectifier circuit 13. May be missing. For example, in the case where a normally open relay contact having a high reliability for a relatively long time is used as the power supply line opening / closing means 26, the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20 uses , A relay excitation coil 23 must be provided. In such a case, the operating power from the commercial AC power supply 10 must be supplied to the exciting coil 23, but the situation in which the power is always supplied to the driver means 23 even in the standby mode is considered as the present invention. Violates the purpose of Thus, as described above, when a large amount of electric power is required more than a certain amount when the power supply opening / closing means 26 is finally closed by the driver means 23, the electric power supplied to the driver means 23 is supplied to the power supply opening / closing section execution section 20. A power supply control circuit 22 for the driver for controlling the supply is provided, and the power supply command signal So from the command signal output unit 15 substantially acts on the power supply control circuit 22 for the driver in the power supply open / close execution unit 20. When the driver power supply control circuit 22 receives the signal So, it is preferable that the operating power obtained by rectifying the commercial AC power supply 10 via the rectification circuit 21 be supplied to the driver means 23. The rectifier circuit 21 may have a bridge type or any other suitable configuration.

The driver power supply control circuit 22 can be easily constructed by a general circuit technology, and responds to the input of the power supply command signal So as a minute energy or a voltage signal from the rectification circuit 21 to the driver means. It can be assembled as a circuit that closes the power supply line to 23. However, although not limited, in a normally conceivable circuit configuration, the driver power supply control circuit 22 includes a semiconductor power switching element, and is provided from the rectifier circuit 21 with a predetermined duty ratio to secure a predetermined output voltage. Since a line to the means 23 is choppered or a switching circuit including a dedicated switching transformer is used, a high-frequency AC component may be superimposed on the output. In the illustrated case, such a circuit configuration is assumed, and the output current of the driver power supply control circuit 22 is applied to the driver means 23 after being smoothed by a smoothing circuit including a diode 24a and a smoothing capacitor 24b.

In any case, when the driver means 23 consumes a considerably large amount of power, the operating power is supplied to the driver means only when necessary via the driver power supply control circuit 22 as described above. In the standby mode, power is consumed substantially only by the signal receiving unit 14 and the command signal output unit 15, which can be configured to use only a small amount of power. In addition, very desirable results can be obtained.

The power supply line opening / closing means 26 is a semiconductor in which an element line is interposed in series in a power supply line between the commercial AC power supply 10 and the power transformer primary winding 51 in addition to the above-described normally open relay contact. Power switching elements can also be used. In such a case, naturally, the driver means 23 can be configured as a driver circuit including a driver transistor for controlling the element line of the element to be selectively turned on. Also in this case, the driving power supply control circuit 22 is configured to supply the operating power to the driver circuit 23 only when it is necessary to receive the power supply command signal So from the command signal output unit 15. desirable. However, conversely, if the power supply line opening / closing means 26 can be driven by an electric signal of extremely small energy, for example, a microcomputer or the like included in the command signal output unit 15 is used as a driver means to selectively output the command signal. The power supply command signal So may be used as a driver signal as it is, and the power supply line opening / closing means 26 may be closed. In that case, the driver power supply control circuit 22 becomes unnecessary.

Furthermore, the signal transmission means 11 operated by the user to selectively transmit the activation signal may be a manually operated electromechanical switch. In this case, the signal receiving unit 14 connected to the manual operation switch 11 by wire can generally have a very simple configuration. For example, if a series circuit of the switch and the resistor is assembled and a line is drawn from the connection point between the resistor and the switch, a voltage is generated in the line only when the switch is turned on, and a start signal is generated. You can judge. It is easy for a microcomputer included in the command signal output unit 15 to understand this signal, and the power supply command signal So may be output based on the signal.

The device of this embodiment can be advantageously applied to a case where the device is in operation and shifts to a standby mode. When the transmission signal St selectively transmitted by the signal transmission means by the user's operation is a device operation stop signal, the information that can be recognized by the command signal output unit 15 via the reception unit 14 is the previous activation signal. The signal form may be determined so as to be different from the time when it was received. When the command signal output unit 15 detects the reception of this operation stop signal via the signal receiving unit 14, the power supply command signal So that the command signal output unit 15 has been sending to the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20 is cut off. Alternatively, by configuring the power supply opening / closing execution unit 20 to transmit a power cutoff command signal for causing the power supply line opening / closing means 26 to return to the original open state from the power supply line closed state, In the initial standby mode, the power using the reactive current is supplied only to the signal receiving unit 14 and the command signal output unit 15, and all electric power is supplied to the main unit 50 from the commercial AC power supply 10. It can be returned to a state without it. As described above, when the driver power supply control circuit 22 is used, the power supply command signal So is cut off or a power cutoff command signal is received. In addition, it is configured to stop the operation power supply.

By the way, as described above, when the device control device 52 generally including a microcomputer controls the entire operation of the device main body 50, the power is transmitted to the power transformer 51 of the device main body 50. This does not necessarily mean that the equipment is configured to start operating immediately. Rather, when an operation start signal is applied to the device control unit 52 in a state where the operating power is supplied to the device control unit 52, the control unit 52 is configured to start the control operation only there. There are quite a lot. Therefore, in the device of this embodiment of the present invention, a signal communication unit 30 is separately provided to satisfy this condition.

That is, when the start signal as the transmission signal St from the signal transmission unit 11 is given to the signal receiving unit 14 while in the standby mode, the present apparatus performs the command signal output according to the mechanism already described. The operating power is supplied to the driver means 23 via the driver power supply control circuit 22 based on the command from the unit 15, and the power supply transformer 51 is energized. At this time, in the illustrated device, the operating power is also supplied to the transmission unit 31 of the signal communication unit 30 via the driver power supply control circuit 22 at the same time. In this case, the transmitting unit of the signal communication unit is desirably a light transmitting unit 31 that follows optical signal communication for the reason described later. The light transmitting unit 31 includes, for example, a light emitting element 31a and its driver transistor 31b. And a series circuit. Here, the driver transistor 31b is configured as a bipolar npn transistor, and the main current path between the emitter and the collector, which is a current path between the emitter and the collector, is connected in series with the light emitting element 31a including a light emitting diode.

An output of a command signal output unit 15, which can be constituted by a microcomputer, for example, is connected to a base terminal which is a control input of the driver transistor 31 b. When outputting the power supply command signal So, after a predetermined time delay, a significant voltage signal with a significant pulse width or a significant value having a meaning as a logical value is applied to the base terminal of the driver transistor. A pulse train voltage signal is applied. Thus, the light emitting element 31a emits light in response to the input signal, and the receiving element 32a (light receiving element 32a) in the receiving section 32 (in this case, the light receiving section 32) provided in cooperation with the device control section 52. Receives this signal and transmits it to the device control unit 52. The operating power to the receiving unit 32 may be provided via the power transformer 51. The signal communication unit 30 is operated with a predetermined time delay after the command signal output unit 15 outputs the power supply command signal So, of course, to the device control unit 52 and the light receiving unit 32. This is because a signal is sent when stable operation is started by creating a condition that the operating power is given in advance. When stopping the device, in principle, it is sufficient to simply open the power supply line opening / closing means 26 by the operation described above. However, if necessary, a stop signal is first sent to the device control unit 52, and then the power supply of the device is turned off. If it is necessary to cut off the power, the command signal output unit 15 first transmits a stop signal in a specific signal form via the signal communication unit 30 and then, after a predetermined time delay, sends a power cutoff command signal to the power on / off execution unit 20. May be transmitted or the power supply command signal So may be cut off.

Such a signal communication unit 30 can be expected to be used more effectively. Generally, when a device such as a heater is in use, an infrared signal for changing a set temperature is transmitted from a remote controller, for example, and the device control unit 52 receives the signal and controls according to the content of the signal. It works to control. In such a case, a dedicated receiving unit is usually provided, but in the present apparatus, as shown in the drawing, the signal receiving unit 14 is already provided, and this can be used as a receiving unit for such a control signal. . That is, a signal carrying device setting information or setting change information (for example, a signal for changing the desired room temperature) transmitted from the signal transmitting means 11 is received by the signal receiving unit 14, and the command signal output unit 15 receives the signal. The signal may be transmitted to the device control unit 52 via the signal communication unit 30 in a signal form according to the signal content. In this way, the signal receiving unit 14, the command signal output unit 15, and the signal communication unit 30 can always be used even after the power of the device main body 50 is turned on, which is reasonable.

The optical communication configuration including the light emitting element 31a and the light receiving element 32a in the signal communication unit 30 is necessary because the equipment main body 50 needs to be insulated from the commercial AC power supply 10 as described above. In some cases, such a requirement is not impaired even when the light transmitting unit 31 is configured to be driven by a commercial AC power supply as illustrated. Of course, such a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit can be constituted by a single, extremely small so-called photocoupler as a component.

In the illustrated embodiment, the operating power of the signal communication unit 30, particularly the transmission unit (light transmission unit) 30, is rationally selectively supplied by sharing the driver power supply control circuit 22. However, in principle, a dedicated power supply control circuit for the signal communication unit may be provided in principle. As the designated signal output section 15 outputs the power supply command signal, the signal communication section power supply control circuit may be configured to supply the operating power from the commercial AC power supply to the signal communication section, particularly to the transmission section 31. is there.

[0028]

[Effect of the invention]

 According to the present invention, it is necessary to provide a power transformer because of the need to ensure insulation from the commercial AC power supply, and to receive external signals even when the equipment itself is in a practically stopped state. In a device that must enter the standby mode, the power consumption during the standby can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional example. Eliminating unnecessary energy consumption can also contribute to environmental issues.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a standby power reducing device according to the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Commercial AC power supply 11 Signal transmission unit 12 Capacitive coupling unit 13 Reactive current rectifier circuit 14 Signal reception unit 15 Command signal output unit 20 Power supply switching unit 22 Power supply control circuit for driver 23 Driver unit 26 Power supply line switching unit 30 Signal communication unit 31 Transmitter 32 Receiver 50 Device main unit 51 Power transformer 52 Device controller

Claims (11)

[Utility model registration claims] In an operation mode, a secondary side output of a power transformer in which a primary winding is connected to a commercial AC power supply operates to realize a predetermined function by using a secondary side output as power supply power, and stands by even during a pause when the operation is not performed. A standby power reduction device for an electric device capable of receiving a start signal unpredictably transmitted from a signal transmission means operated by a user in a standby mode in the standby mode; A reactive current rectifier circuit for rectifying a reactive current taken out through the connected capacitive coupling unit; operating power is provided even in the standby mode by a rectified output of the reactive current rectifier circuit, and the start signal can always be received. A signal receiving unit; a command signal that is always operated by the rectified output of the reactive current rectifier circuit and outputs a power supply command signal when the signal receiving unit receives the start signal. An output unit; upon receiving the power supply command signal from the command signal output unit, sets a power supply line opening / closing means provided in series between the commercial AC power supply and a primary winding of the power supply transformer to a standby mode up to that time; A power supply opening / closing execution unit that causes a primary current to be supplied from the commercial power supply to the primary winding of the power supply transformer by shifting from a power supply line open state below to a power supply line closed state. 2. The standby power reducing device according to claim 1, wherein the signal receiving unit is capable of receiving a device operation stop signal from the signal transmitting unit; and the command signal output unit is configured to receive the signal. When the receiving unit receives the device operation stop signal, the power supply command signal is cut off or a power cutoff command signal is output; and the power supply opening / closing execution unit is cut off or receives the power cutoff command signal. And the power supply line opening / closing means shifts from the power supply line closed state to the power supply line open state in the operation mode up to that time, and cuts off the primary current supplied from the commercial power supply to the primary winding of the power supply transformer. Returning to a state in the standby mode. 3. The standby power reducing device according to claim 2, wherein the power supply switching unit selectively supplies the power supply line switching unit to a power supply line closed state by supplying operating power. A driver power supply control circuit for controlling power supply to the driver means; the driver power supply control circuit operates the driver means from the commercial AC power supply when receiving the power supply command signal; Supplying electric power and, when the power supply command signal is cut off or receiving the power cutoff command signal, cuts off operating power supplied to the driver means from the commercial AC power supply;
A standby power reduction device for electrical equipment, characterized in that: 4. The standby power reducing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the power supply line switching means is a normally open relay contact interposed in series in the power supply line; and the driver means supplies the operating power. A relay excitation coil for closing the relay contact when activated. 5. The standby power reducing device according to claim 3, wherein the power supply line opening / closing means includes an in-element line in series with the power supply line between the commercial AC power supply and the power supply transformer primary winding. And a driver circuit for closing the element line of the semiconductor switching element when the operating power is supplied when the operating power is supplied. And a standby power reduction device for electrical equipment. 6. The standby power reducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting unit is a remote controller that transmits the start signal as an infrared signal; and the signal receiving unit can receive the infrared signal. Including a light receiving element;
A standby power reduction device characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The standby power reducing device according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting unit is a remote controller that transmits the activation signal as a radio frequency signal; and the signal receiving unit receives the radio frequency signal. A standby circuit for reducing standby power. 8. The standby power reducing device according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting unit includes a manual operation switch unit wired to the signal receiving unit; and the signal receiving unit includes a manual operation switch unit. A standby power reduction device, comprising: a circuit for determining that the start signal has been received when the start signal is set to the ON position. 9. The standby power reducing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric device has a device control unit for controlling an operation of the electric device; and the device control unit is in a state where power is supplied. Receiving the operation start instruction signal, the device operation is started; the command signal output unit outputs the power supply command signal, and then, after a predetermined time delay, sends a signal to the device control unit. Outputting the operation start instruction signal via a communication unit; 10. The standby power reduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric device has a device control unit for controlling an operation of the electric device; and the device control unit is in a state where power is supplied. When receiving the setting information or the setting change information in the above, it is configured to perform a control according to the content; the signal receiving unit, the setting information signal carrying the setting information sent from the signal transmitting means or The command signal output unit is configured to receive a setting change information signal carrying setting change information; or the setting information signal or the setting carrying the setting change information is transmitted by the signal receiving unit. Receiving the change information signal and transmitting the setting information or the setting change information to the device control unit via the signal communication unit; 11. The standby power reduction device according to claim 9, wherein the signal communication unit has a light transmitting unit and a light receiving unit that communicate by placing a signal on light. Operating power is supplied from the commercial AC power supply by operating the power control circuit for the signal communication unit as the command signal output unit outputs the power supply command signal; the operating power to the light receiving unit is The standby power reduction device is provided through a power transformer of the device body.