KR20140057990A - Remote controller and power control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a remote controller and a power control method thereof capable of reducing battery exchange frequency by enhancing energy utilization within a battery, improving energy efficiency and reducing a bad influence on environment. The remote controller according to the present invention includes a remote control circuit operated based on battery supplying voltage, and additionally includes a boosting circuit, a voltage regulator, a switch and a timer. The boosting circuit boosts the battery supplying voltage. The voltage regulator receives boosted voltage and the battery supplying voltage from the boosting circuit, regulates them and outputs drive voltage for driving the remote control circuit. The switch selectively activates the boosting circuit, and the timer activates the boosting circuit only for a set time after the switch is pushed. Even though the output voltage of the battery does not reach at a requested voltage level of the remote control circuit, the present invention may operate the remote controller and reduce the number of batteries used. Additionally, the present invention may lower the used amount and the exchange frequency of the battery, enhance the energy efficiency, reduce the bad influence of wasted batteries on the environment, and save social costs for processing the wasted batteries. The present invention may be used in electric devices operated based on the battery, such as a small sized toy and a lantern as well as the remote controller.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote controller and a power control method therefor,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a remote controller for remote control of an electric apparatus, and more particularly to a remote controller operated by a battery.

Remote controls are widely used in the operation of home electric appliances such as A / V devices such as televisions and audios, and air conditioners. The remote control allows a user who wants to control the operation of the electric device to conveniently operate the electric device from a remote place without accessing the electric device, and is widely used in most electric devices because of its convenience in use.

Generally, the remote control is powered by the battery installed inside. As the use period expires, the chemical energy stored in the battery gradually decreases. If the output voltage of the battery does not reach the required voltage level of the remote controller, the battery must be replaced. In particular, as the user frequently controls the operation of the remote controller, the life of the battery is shortened, and the frequency of battery replacement is inevitably increased.

A large amount of chemical energy remains in the batteries that are no longer supplying active power to the remote control, and this residual energy is discarded whenever the batteries are replaced. For example, in a household electric appliance or a toy remote controller, two batteries of 1.5V output voltage are mounted in series to provide a total of 3V to the remote controller. When the output voltage of 3V is lowered to about 2.4V, And the energy that can produce an output voltage of 2.4V is discarded due to battery replacement.

Such discarded batteries can cause not only the inefficiency of energy use but also cause environmental destruction. Therefore, there is a desperate need for a method that can more effectively use the internal energy of the battery.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a remote control capable of lowering the frequency of replacing batteries, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing adverse effects on the environment by increasing energy utilization inside the battery do.

In addition, the present invention can improve the energy utilization of a battery to be installed in an electric device operated by a battery, such as a remote controller, thereby reducing the frequency of battery replacement, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing power consumption Another technical problem is to provide a method.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a remote controller including a remote control circuit that operates based on a battery supply voltage, and further includes a booster circuit, a voltage regulator, a switch, and a timer.

A boost circuit boosts the battery supply voltage. The voltage regulator receives the step-up voltage and the battery supply voltage output from the step-up circuit, regulates it, and outputs a drive voltage for driving the remote control circuit. The switch is for selectively activating the step-up circuit, and the timer causes the step-up circuit to be activated only for a certain period of time after the switch is pressed.

In a preferred embodiment, the remote controller further includes a power detector for detecting the output of the driving voltage and supplying a detection signal to the voltage regulator, so that the regulation operation of the regulator is determined based on the detection signal. The power detector may include a light emitting element that emits an optical signal corresponding to the driving voltage, and a light receiving element that generates a detecting current corresponding to the illuminance of light emitted from the light emitting element.

In a more general aspect, the present invention may be implemented in an electrical device having an electrical function circuit that operates based on the battery supply voltage. The electric device to which the present invention is applied further includes a booster circuit, a voltage regulator, an event detection unit, and a timer.

A boost circuit boosts the battery supply voltage. The voltage regulator receives the step-up voltage and the battery supply voltage output from the step-up circuit, regulates it, and outputs a drive voltage for driving the function circuit. The event detection unit detects a predetermined event, and the timer causes the booster circuit to be activated only for a predetermined time after the event is generated.

In a preferred embodiment, the electric device further includes a power detector for detecting an output of the driving voltage and supplying a detection signal to the voltage regulator, so that the regulation operation of the regulator is determined based on the detection signal. The power detector may include a light emitting element that emits an optical signal corresponding to the driving voltage, and a light receiving element that generates a detecting current corresponding to the illuminance of light emitted from the light emitting element.

In one embodiment, the event detector of the electric device may include a switch that is turned on according to a user's operation. In this case, the event includes the switch being turned on.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power control method of a remote controller including a remote control circuit that operates based on a battery supply voltage.

First, the remote controller is provided with a step-up circuit for stepping up the battery supply voltage and a voltage regulator for regulating the step-up voltage output from the step-up circuit. In this state, when a predetermined event occurs, the booster circuit is activated only for a certain period of time after the occurrence of the event, and the voltage output from the voltage regulator is supplied to the remote control circuit as the drive voltage. The driving voltage is determined based on the battery supply voltage and supplied to the remote control circuit after a predetermined period of time after the occurrence of the event.

In a preferred embodiment, the output of the drive voltage is detected, and the regulation operation of the voltage regulator is controlled according to the detected output power. Preferably, the event is that a predetermined switch is turned on.

According to the present invention, since the battery output voltage is stepped up and supplied to the remote control circuit inherent to the remote control, the remote control circuit can be operated even when the battery output voltage does not reach the required voltage level of the remote control circuit. It is possible to reduce the number.

For example, when the remote control circuit of the remote controller has a rated input voltage of 3V, two batteries having an output voltage of 1.5 volts (V) must be mounted, but only one remote controller can operate the remote controller. In addition, if the total output voltage of the battery of 3V is lowered to 2.4V, that is, if the average output voltage of each battery is lowered from 1.5V to 1.2V in total, the operation of the remote control circuit is impossible. However, according to the present invention, The battery will be available until the output voltage of the 1.5V battery reaches 0.9V. As described above, although the battery can only use 20% of the energy of the battery, according to the present invention, it is possible to use up to 40%, so that the battery energy utilization is increased by 100%, and the ratio may be further increased according to the boost ratio.

As a result, the energy utilization of the battery is increased, the amount of the battery used and the frequency of replacing the battery can be reduced, and the energy efficiency can be increased.

In addition, it is possible to reduce the adverse effects of the waste batteries on the environment, and to reduce the social cost for treating the waste batteries.

The present invention can be applied not only to a remote control but also to all electric devices that operate based on dry batteries such as small toys and lanterns.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figure,
1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a remote controller according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The remote controller 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention operates by the voltage of the battery 20 and includes a key matrix 30 and a remote control circuit 32 and a power control circuit 40 Respectively.

The key matrix 30 is installed on the front surface of the remote controller 10 and has a plurality of keys that can be pressed by the user. The remote control circuit 32 generates an infrared control signal corresponding to the pressed key according to the operation of the key matrix 30 by the user so that the electric device (not shown) at the remote place corresponds to the operation of the key matrix 30 .

The power control circuit 40 receives the output voltage of the battery 20 and generates and outputs a driving voltage for operating the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32. In the preferred embodiment, the power control circuit 40 includes a booster circuit 50, a voltage regulator 60, a power detector 70, a switch 80, and a timer 82.

The booster circuit 50 receives the output voltage of the battery 20, boosts it, and outputs a boosted voltage of the boosted level. In one embodiment, the step-up ratio of the step-up circuit 50 is 2.67 times. For example, when the output voltage of the battery 20 is 1 volt (V), the step-up voltage becomes 2.67V. On the other hand, in the modified embodiment, the step-up ratio of the step-up circuit 50 is not fixed, but the step-up ratio may be varied to maintain the step-up voltage level within a constant range.

The voltage regulator 60 receives the output voltage of the battery 20 and the step-up voltage from the step-up circuit 50 and generates the power of the drive voltage of a stable level to supply to the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32 . The voltage regulator 60 generates and outputs the driving voltage based on the output voltage of the battery 20 or outputs the output voltage of the battery 20 as the driving voltage to the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32, Respectively. On the other hand, when the output voltage of the battery 20 is low, a driving voltage is generated based on the step-up voltage from the step- The voltage regulation operation of the voltage regulator 60 is based on the power detection signal of the power detection unit 70. [ In a preferred embodiment, the voltage regulator 60 operates in a constant current mode.

The power detection unit 70 detects the output level of the drive voltage signal and supplies the detected signal to the voltage regulator 60. [ In one embodiment, the power detection section 70 includes a laser diode (LD), a photodiode (PD), and a detection signal generation circuit 72. The laser diode LD operates based on the driving voltage or the branched driving voltage, and emits an optical signal corresponding to the driving voltage. The photodiode PD generates a detection current in accordance with the illuminance of the light emitted from the laser diode LD. The detection signal generation circuit 72 supplies the voltage regulator 60 with a power detection signal corresponding to the current flowing from the photodiode PD. In one embodiment, the detection signal generation circuit 72 may be implemented as a comparator circuit. In another embodiment, a separate detection signal generation circuit 72 is not provided, and a detection current flowing through the photodiode PD And may be supplied to the voltage regulator 60 as a power detection signal.

The switch 80 and the timer 82 are for selectively activating the power control circuit 40. When the user depresses the switch 80, the timer 82 activates the enable signal EN To the booster circuit (50). The switch 80 is shown in the key matrix 30 and the power control circuit 40 is provided with a switch 80 as shown in the figure although the switch 80 is shown as being within the power control circuit 40 for convenience of illustration. It is preferable that only a terminal for connection is provided. The enable signal EN supplied from the timer 82 to the booster circuit 50 is activated only for 3 minutes, for example, from the moment the switch 80 is pressed. Accordingly, the booster circuit 50 can operate only immediately after the user who has determined that the output voltage of the battery 20 is low has pressed the switch 80, thereby minimizing power consumption.

The operation of the remote controller 10 shown in the figure will be described below.

The voltage step-up circuit 50 does not operate unless the switch 80 is depressed and the voltage regulator 60 does not operate unless the battery 20 has been replaced for a long time and the supply voltage of the battery 20 is maintained at a sufficient level. Bypasses the supply voltage of the battery 20 as it is and supplies it to the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32 as a driving voltage. The voltage regulator 60 regulates the output voltage of the battery 20 based on the power detection signal of the power detection unit 70 and outputs the voltage Voltage may be generated.

On the other hand, when the battery 20 has been replaced for a long time and the supply voltage of the battery 20 is insufficient, the driving voltage outputted from the voltage regulator 60 does not drive the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32 The key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32 may not operate. In this case, the user can press the switch 80 to activate the voltage boosting function. When the switch 80 is pressed, the enable signal EN supplied from the timer 82 to the step-up circuit 50 is activated for a certain period of time, so that the step-up circuit 50 operates, And the voltage regulator 60 generates and outputs the driving voltage based on the step-up voltage from the step-up circuit 50. The voltage regulator 60 outputs the step-up voltage to the voltage regulator 60, Therefore, even when the supply voltage of the battery 20 is insufficient, the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32 can be operated.

On the other hand, when the user presses the switch 80 even though the supply voltage of the battery 20 maintains a sufficient level, the voltage regulator 60 regulates the step-up voltage from the step-up circuit 50, The voltage is output to the key matrix 30 and the remote control circuit 32, and after a lapse of a predetermined time, the booster circuit 50 is inactivated.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

For example, in the above description, the enable signal EN outputted from the timer 82 is supplied only to the booster circuit 50, but this signal can also be supplied to the voltage regulator 60 and the power detector 70. In the embodiment in which the enable signal EN is also supplied to the voltage regulator 60, the voltage regulator 60 basically bypasses the supply voltage of the battery 20 to generate a key matrix 30 and a remote control circuit It is also possible to use the step-up voltage from the step-up circuit 50 by switching the signal path by the relay only when the enable signal EN is activated.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to a remote controller for remotely controlling an electric device, the present invention is not limited thereto and can be applied to all electric devices that operate based on a battery power source. Depending on the appliances to which it is applied, the key matrix 30 may be omitted, in which case the switch 80 is preferably provided. In the present specification including the following claims, the term "electric appliance" is used to mean any appliance including appliances or lanterns as well as electrically operated elements such as toys including speakers or motors do.

In the present specification including the following claims, the term "electrical function circuit" is used as a term to mean a circuit that performs a function inherent to the device, such as the remote control circuit 32 of the remote controller 10 in the drawing. Such an electrical functional circuit may be a light bulb as in a lantern or may be a single speaker as in a toy, but may be a signal receiving / tuning / amplifying circuit and a speaker in a portable radio, And may be an entire system including a microphone and a speaker.

The term "battery" is used to include a rechargeable battery.

Further, although the embodiment using the switch 80 has been exemplarily described, the event for activating the power control circuit 40 is not limited to pressing the switch, and other events such as shaking the device or applying an impact .

Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

10: Remote control
20: Battery
30: key matrix, 32: remote control circuit
40: Power control circuit
50: boost circuit, 60: power regulator, 70: power detector
LD: laser diode, PD: photodiode, 72: detection signal generating circuit
80: switch, 82: timer

Claims (6)

1. A remote controller for controlling an electric apparatus having a remote control circuit that operates based on a battery supply voltage,
A boosting circuit for boosting the battery supply voltage;
A voltage regulator for receiving a step-up voltage output from the step-up circuit and the battery supply voltage to regulate and output a drive voltage for driving the remote control circuit;
A switch for selectively activating said step-up circuit;
A timer for activating the booster circuit only for a predetermined time after the switch is pressed;
. The method according to claim 1,
A power detector for detecting an output of the driving voltage and supplying a detection signal to the voltage regulator;
Wherein a regulation operation of the voltage regulator is determined based on the detection signal. The power control apparatus according to claim 2,
A light emitting element for emitting an optical signal corresponding to the driving voltage; And
A light receiving element for generating a detection current corresponding to an illuminance of light emitted from the light emitting element;
. A remote control comprising a remote control circuit that operates based on a battery supply voltage,
A step-up circuit for raising the battery supply voltage in the remote control; and a voltage regulator for regulating a step-up voltage output from the step-up circuit;
When the predetermined event occurs, activating the booster circuit only for a predetermined time after the occurrence of the event and supplying the voltage output from the voltage regulator to the remote control circuit as a driving voltage; And
Supplying the driving voltage to the remote control circuit on the basis of the battery supply voltage other than the predetermined time after the occurrence of the event;
The power control method comprising: The method of claim 4,
Detecting an output of the drive voltage, and controlling a regulation operation of the voltage regulator according to the detected output power. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
And the event is that a predetermined switch is turned on.

Images