POWER CONVERTER WITH AUTOMATIC MODE SWITCHING

摘要

A POWER CONVERTER (12) IS PROVIDED THAT HAS AN ALTERNATING-CURRENT (AC) TO DIRECT-CURRENT (DC) SWITCHED-MODE POWER CONVERTER CIRCUIT (122) THAT CONVERTS ALTERNATING-CURRENT POWER INTO DIRECT-CURRENT POWER FOR POWERING AN ATTACHED ELECTRONIC DEVICE (10). POWER CAN BE CONSERVED BY AUTOMATICALLY PLACING THE POWER CONVERTER CIRCUIT (122) IN A LOW-POWER STANDBY MODE OF OPERATION WHENEVER THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE (10) IS DETACHED FROM THE POWER CONVERTER (12). A MONITORING CIRCUIT CAN BE POWERED BY A CAPACITOR OR OTHER ENERGY STORAGE ELEMENT (50) WHILE THE POWER CONVERTER (12) IS OPERATING IN THE STANDBY MODE. IF THE MONITORING CIRCUIT DETECTS AN OUTPUT VOLTAGE CHANGE THAT IS INDICATIVE OF ATTACHMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE (10) OR IF THE STORAGE ELEMENT NEEDS TO BE REPLENISHED, THE MONITORING CIRCUIT CAN PLACE THE POWER CONVERTER CIRCUIT (122) IN AN ACTIVE MODE OF OPERATION. (FIG. 1)