Anti-condensation control panel device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of electric appliances, and particularly relates to an anti-condensation control panel device. The control panel comprises a control panel and a PCB (Printed Circuit Board), wherein a heating unit is arranged at a connector position on the PCB; the first temperature sensing unit is used for detecting the temperature of the control panel, and the temperature of the control panel is a first temperature; the control unit is used for acquiring the first temperature from the first temperature sensing unit; if the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold value, voltage corresponding to the first temperature is output to the heating unit to control the heating unit to heat. The temperature of the control panel is detected through the first temperature sensing unit, and if the temperature of the control panel is lower than the preset temperature threshold value, the control unit determines the voltage corresponding to the first temperature according to the first temperature and outputs the voltage to the heating unit, so that different voltages are output to the heating unit at different first temperatures; and condensation is prevented in time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of electrical appliance technology, and specifically relates to an anti-condensation control panel device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, many electrical devices are equipped with control panels. In a high humidity environment, such as when the ambient temperature reaches the dew point, water vapor in the air will condense inside or outside the control panel, which may cause the control panel buttons to fail or be triggered by mistake.

[0003] In view of the above-mentioned condensation problem of the control panel, one solution is to install a heating element in the sensitive parts inside the control panel to prevent condensation by increasing the local temperature.

[0004] However, the prior art applies a fixed voltage to the heating element, which results in failure to prevent condensation from occurring in a timely manner when the ambient temperature is low. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides an anti-condensation control panel device to solve the technical problem in the prior art that a fixed voltage is applied to a heating element, resulting in failure to prevent condensation in time when the ambient temperature is low.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an anti-condensation control panel device, comprising: a control panel and a PCB board, wherein a heating unit is provided at a connector position on the PCB board;

[0007] It also includes: a first temperature sensing unit, used to detect the temperature of the control panel, the temperature of the control panel is a first temperature;

[0008] The control unit is used to: obtain the first temperature from the first temperature sensing unit; if the first temperature is lower than a preset temperature threshold, output a voltage corresponding to the first temperature to the heating unit to control the heating unit to generate heat.

[0009] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the heating unit is a resistance element.

[0010] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the control unit is specifically used to: if the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, obtain the first duty cycle corresponding to the first temperature, and output a pulse voltage with a duty cycle of the first duty cycle to the heating unit.

[0011] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the device further includes:

[0012] The second temperature sensing unit is used to obtain the second temperature of the heating unit.

[0013] In the above preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the control unit is further used for:

[0014] If the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, determining a target temperature of the heating unit according to the first temperature;

[0015] Acquire the second temperature from the second temperature sensing unit at a fixed time period, and use the difference between the second temperature and the target temperature as an input of a PID control algorithm, wherein the output of the PID control algorithm is a second duty cycle;

[0016] A pulse voltage having a duty ratio of the second duty ratio is output to the heating unit.

[0017] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the device further includes:

[0018] A temperature sensor is arranged at the control panel.

[0019] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the device further includes:

[0020] Temperature and humidity sensor.

[0021] In the above preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the device further includes a dew point calculation unit for:

[0022] Controlling the temperature and humidity sensor to detect the air temperature and relative humidity of the environment where the control panel is located;

[0023] The dew point temperature of the environment where the control panel is located is calculated according to the air temperature and relative air humidity of the environment where the control panel is located.

[0024] In the above preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the control unit is also used for:

[0025] Acquire the dew point temperature from the dew point calculation unit;

[0026] The preset temperature threshold is determined according to the dew point temperature.

[0027] In the above-mentioned preferred technical solution of the anti-condensation control panel device, the connector is arranged on one side of the PCB board, and the heating unit is arranged at a corresponding position of the connector on the other side of the PCB board.

[0028] In a second aspect, the present application also provides an electrical device, comprising the anti-condensation control panel device as described above.

[0029] The present application provides an anti-condensation control panel device, which detects the temperature of the control panel, i.e., the first temperature, through a first temperature sensing unit. If the temperature of the control panel is lower than a preset temperature threshold, it indicates that condensation may occur at this time. At this time, the control unit determines the voltage corresponding to the first temperature according to the first temperature, and outputs the voltage to the heating unit, thereby achieving different first temperatures to output different voltages to the heating unit, thereby ensuring that when the first temperature is low, condensation can be prevented in time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0031] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Description of reference numerals:

[0035] 101-Control Panel;

[0036] 102-PCB board;

[0037] 103-heating unit;

[0038] 104-a first temperature sensing unit;

[0039] 105- control unit;

[0040] 106-second temperature sensing unit;

[0041] 107-Dew point calculation unit.

[0042] The above drawings have shown clear embodiments of the present application, which will be described in more detail later. These drawings and text descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way, but to illustrate the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions in this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0044] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein, for example.

[0045] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a specific way.

[0046] The control panel is currently widely used and can be seen on many devices.

[0047] In some special scenarios, the control panel needs to work in a high humidity environment, such as a dryer that produces a lot of water vapor during the drying process. In a high humidity environment, if the ambient temperature reaches the dew point, the water vapor in the air will condense inside or outside the control panel, especially when condensation appears on the circuit board connector inside the control panel, it may cause the control panel buttons to fail or be triggered by mistake, and accelerate the insulation aging of the internal circuit of the control panel.

[0048] One solution to the condensation problem on the control panel is to use a structural casing and a sealing strip to seal the control panel to prevent water vapor from entering, but this is relatively costly.

[0049] Another solution is to install a heating element in the sensitive part of the control panel to prevent condensation by raising the local temperature. Since condensation is caused by the temperature of the control panel falling below the dew point, raising the local temperature of the control panel can effectively prevent condensation. However, the prior art applies a fixed voltage to the heating element, resulting in an insufficient heating speed of the heating element when the ambient temperature is low, and condensation cannot be prevented in time.

[0050] In view of the technical problem that a fixed voltage is applied to the heating element in the prior art, the technical concept proposed in this application is to apply different voltages to the heating element according to different ambient temperatures, so as to prevent the generation of condensation in time.

[0051] The technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0052] A possible embodiment of the present application provides an anti-condensation control panel device, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 1 The positions of the various elements are only used as an example and do not constitute a specific limitation to the present application.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the anti-condensation control panel device comprises: a control panel 101 and a PCB board 102, and a heating unit 103 is arranged at the connector position on the PCB board 102;

[0054] First, let's explain the connector:

[0055] Connectors refer to the circuit board connectors of PCB boards. Commonly used circuit board connectors include FFC connectors and FPC connectors. FFC connectors are used to connect ribbon flat flexible cables (FFC) to PCB circuits in line-to-board applications. They also provide cable-to-cable configurations. These connectors have high density and very narrow form factors, suitable for small spaces. They are currently widely used in electronic devices, such as various consumer applications such as laptops, cameras, computer peripherals, appliances, and phones.

[0056] Single-row or dual-row connector housings are typically made of flexible plastic, polymer, engineered rubber, or film surrounding an embedded metal connector.

[0057] An FPC connector connects a flexible printed cable (FPC) to a circuit board. An FPC connector is a type of FFC connector in which the conductors are printed on the cable substrate rather than embedded in it. FPC / FFC connectors are sometimes called ribbon connectors.

[0058] As can be seen from the above content, if condensation occurs at the connector, it is very easy to cause the control panel buttons to fail or be triggered by mistake.

[0059] In this embodiment, the heating unit 103 can be a resistor element, which is used to generate heat by inputting voltage, and prevent condensation by raising the local temperature near the connector. The resistor element can be a chip resistor. The chip resistor (SMDResistor), also known as the chip fixed resistor (Chip Fixed Resistor), is a type of metal glass glaze resistor. It is a resistor made by mixing metal powder and glass glaze powder and printing it on a substrate using screen printing. It has the characteristics of moisture resistance and high temperature resistance and a small temperature coefficient, which can greatly save circuit space costs and make the design more refined. Using chip resistors as heating elements in this application can reduce the manufacturing cost of the device of this application.

[0060] It should be noted that the heating unit 103 can be set at any position that can affect the temperature at the connector. Preferably, when the connector is set on one side of the PCB board 102, the heating unit 103 is set at the corresponding position of the connector on the other side of the PCB board 102.

[0061] The device further includes: a first temperature sensing unit 104, which is used to detect the temperature of the control panel 101, the temperature of the control panel 101 being a first temperature;

[0062] Optionally, the first temperature sensing unit 104 may be a temperature sensor including a thermistor, which is disposed at the control panel 101 and is used to detect the temperature at the control panel 101 under the control of the control unit 105 .

[0063] The control unit 105 is used to: obtain the first temperature from the first temperature sensing unit 104; if the first temperature is lower than a preset temperature threshold, output a voltage corresponding to the first temperature to the heating unit 103 to control the heating unit 103 to generate heat.

[0064] The control unit 105 may be an MCU or a chip with a control function. The control unit 105 may be integrated on a main control element of a device on which the control panel 101 is installed, or may be separately provided. The specific installation location of the control unit 105 is not limited in this application.

[0065] Optionally, the device can be connected to a power supply unit through the control unit 105 to supply power to other units of the device.

[0066] Optionally, when the device of the present application is applied to a device such as a clothes dryer or a drying machine that generates high-temperature water vapor during operation, the control unit 105 can be configured to respond to an instruction to start the device, control the first temperature sensing unit 104 to detect the temperature of the control panel 101, obtain the first temperature from the first temperature sensing unit 104, and if the first temperature is lower than a preset temperature threshold, output a voltage corresponding to the first temperature to the heating unit 103 to control the heating unit 103 to generate heat.

[0067] The preset temperature threshold can be set to the dew point of the environment where the device is located. When the control unit 105 monitors that the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, condensation may occur. The control unit 105 determines the voltage corresponding to the first temperature based on the temperature value of the first temperature and outputs the voltage to the heating element 103.

[0068] Different correspondence tables of first temperatures and voltages may be pre-stored in the storage element and the server. When the control unit 105 receives the first temperature, it may obtain the correspondence table from the storage element or the server to determine the voltage corresponding to the current first temperature.

[0069] Preferably, different first temperatures correspond to different voltages, so that the heating unit 103 has different heating powers. A lower first temperature can correspond to a higher voltage value, so that when the first temperature, i.e., the control panel temperature, is lower, the heating unit 103 can quickly increase the temperature near the connector to avoid condensation.

[0070] Optionally, if the heating unit 103 only includes a resistor element, the voltage corresponding to the first temperature may be a DC voltage; if the heating unit 103 includes elements such as a transistor, the voltage corresponding to the first temperature may be a pulse voltage.

[0071] The technical effect of this embodiment is: the temperature of the control panel, i.e., the first temperature, is detected by the first temperature sensing unit. If the temperature of the control panel is lower than the preset temperature threshold, it means that condensation may occur at this time. At this time, the control unit determines the voltage corresponding to the first temperature according to the first temperature, and outputs the voltage to the heating unit, thereby achieving different first temperatures to output different voltages to the heating unit, ensuring that when the first temperature is low, condensation can be prevented in time.

[0072] Regarding how to generate different voltages, in a possible embodiment of the present application, the control unit 105 is specifically used to: if the first temperature is lower than a preset temperature threshold, obtain a first duty cycle corresponding to the first temperature, and output a pulse voltage with a duty cycle of the first duty cycle to the heating unit.

[0073] It should be noted that the duty cycle refers to the ratio of the high level time of the pulse signal to the entire cycle time within a pulse cycle, and the unit is % (0%-100%).

[0074] In this embodiment, PWM control, i.e., pulse width modulation, is applied. The pulse width of the pulse voltage can be adjusted by adjusting the duty cycle. At a certain frequency, output analog voltages of different sizes can be obtained through different duty cycles. PWM realizes digital-to-analog signal conversion through this principle.

[0075] In this embodiment, different correspondence tables between the first temperature and the first duty cycle may be pre-stored in the storage element and the server. When the control unit 105 receives the first temperature, the correspondence table between the first temperature and the first duty cycle may be obtained from the storage element or the server to determine the first duty cycle corresponding to the current first temperature. A duty cycle algorithm may also be stored in the control unit 105, and the first temperature may be used as an input of the duty cycle algorithm, and the output of the duty cycle algorithm may be the first duty cycle.

[0076] It should be understood that, at a certain frequency, the analog voltage value of the pulse voltage is related to the duty cycle. The larger the duty cycle, the larger the analog voltage value of the pulse voltage.

[0077] In this embodiment, the control unit 105 may be configured with a pulse voltage generating device for generating a pulse voltage under the control of the control unit 105 .

[0078] Furthermore, after the control unit 105 obtains the first duty cycle corresponding to the first temperature, it can send a first instruction to the pulse voltage generating device, and the pulse voltage generating device responds to the first instruction to output a pulse voltage with a duty cycle of the first duty cycle to the heating unit 103.

[0079] In this embodiment, by adjusting the duty cycle of the pulse voltage, the magnitude of the analog voltage applied to the heating unit 103 can be flexibly adjusted, thereby meeting the need to prevent condensation at different first temperatures.

[0080] Since the control panel 101 and the PCB board 102 are located close to each other, the control panel 101 is directly touched by the user's fingers, and the temperature of the heating unit 103 cannot be too high, so as to prevent the user from feeling the heat of the control panel and affecting the user's experience. In a possible embodiment of the present application, another anti-condensation control panel device is provided. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the device also includes:

[0081] The second temperature sensing unit 106 is used to obtain the second temperature of the heating unit 103 .

[0082] The second temperature sensing unit 106 is disposed near the heating unit 103 . Optionally, the second temperature sensing unit 106 may be a temperature sensor.

[0083] The control unit 105 is further specifically configured to:

[0084] If the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, determining the target temperature of the heating unit 103 according to the first temperature;

[0085] In order to prevent the user from feeling hot when operating the control panel 101, the temperature value of the target temperature can be determined through experiments, so that when the temperature of the heating unit 103 reaches the target temperature, condensation can be prevented and the user can avoid feeling obvious temperature differences when operating the control panel, thereby improving the user experience.

[0086] A correspondence table between the first temperature and the target temperature is pre-stored in the storage element or the server. When the control unit 105 obtains the first temperature, it obtains the target temperature corresponding to the first temperature from the storage element or the server.

[0087] Acquire a second temperature from a second temperature sensing unit at a fixed time period, use a difference between the second temperature and a target temperature as an input of a PID control algorithm, and output of the PID control algorithm is a second duty cycle;

[0088] In this embodiment, the control unit 105 obtains the second temperature from the second temperature sensing unit at a fixed time period, calculates the difference between the current second temperature and the target temperature, and uses the difference as the input of the PID control algorithm, and the output of the PID control algorithm is the second duty cycle.

[0089] Optionally, a program of a PID control algorithm may be configured in the control module 105 , or a PID controller may be connected outside the control module 105 .

[0090] Through the PID control algorithm, the second duty cycle of the output can be dynamically adjusted according to the difference between the current second temperature of the heating unit 103 and the target temperature, thereby dynamically adjusting the analog voltage applied to the heating unit 103 and accurately controlling the temperature of the heating unit 103.

[0091] In this embodiment, the length of the time period is determined according to actual needs and is not specifically limited in this application.

[0092] A pulse voltage having a second duty ratio is output to the heating unit 103 .

[0093] In the case where the preset temperature threshold is not set in advance, it is also necessary to determine the dew point temperature in the current environment. In this regard, in a possible embodiment of the present application, another anti-condensation control panel device is provided, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another anti-condensation control panel device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the device also includes: a temperature and humidity sensor and a dew point calculation unit 107.

[0094] The dew point calculation unit 107 is used to: control the temperature and humidity sensor to detect the air temperature and relative humidity of the environment where the control panel is located;

[0095] The dew point temperature of the environment where the control panel is located is calculated according to the air temperature and relative air humidity of the environment where the control panel is located.

[0096] It should be noted that the dew point temperature is related to the air temperature and the relative humidity of the air. When the device of the present application is applied to some equipment that is frequently used in a different location, the dew point calculation unit 107 can detect the air temperature and relative humidity of the environment where the control panel 101 is located, and calculate the current dew point temperature in real time.

[0097] Optionally, the dew point calculation unit 107 may also be configured with a network communication interface to obtain the weather forecast of the environment where the control panel 101 is located from the Internet, thereby obtaining the air temperature and relative humidity of the environment where the control panel 101 is located.

[0098] In this embodiment, the control unit 105 is further configured to:

[0099] Obtain the dew point temperature from the dew point calculation unit 107;

[0100] Based on the dew point temperature, the preset temperature threshold is determined.

[0101] In this embodiment, when a dew point calculation unit 107 is provided, the dew point temperature of the current environment of the control panel 101 can be calculated more accurately, and the dew point temperature is used as the current preset temperature threshold to control the heating unit 103 to generate heat, thereby more effectively preventing the generation of condensation.

[0102] In a possible embodiment of the present application, an electrical device is further provided, including the anti-condensation control panel device as described above.

[0103] Specifically, in this embodiment, the electrical device is any device that can be controlled by the control panel 101, and the anti-condensation control panel device of the present application does not need to be installed on the electrical device. The anti-condensation control panel device of the present application can be installed on a dryer, a drying machine, a washing machine with a drying function, or a clothes drying machine, for example.

[0104] So far, the technical solution of the present application has been described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the protection scope of the present application is obviously not limited to these specific embodiments, and the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present application rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein by equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. An anti-condensation control panel device, characterized in that: include: A control panel and a PCB board, wherein a heating unit is arranged at a connector position on the PCB board; It also includes: a first temperature sensing unit, used to detect the temperature of the control panel, the temperature of the control panel is a first temperature; The control unit is used to: obtain the first temperature from the first temperature sensing unit; if the first temperature is lower than a preset temperature threshold, output a voltage corresponding to the first temperature to the heating unit to control the heating unit to generate heat.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating unit is a resistor element.

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that The control unit is specifically configured to: if the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, obtain a first duty cycle corresponding to the first temperature, and output a pulse voltage having a duty cycle equal to the first duty cycle to the heating unit.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The device also includes: The second temperature sensing unit is used to obtain the second temperature of the heating unit.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that The control unit is also specifically used for: If the first temperature is lower than the preset temperature threshold, determining a target temperature of the heating unit according to the first temperature; Acquire the second temperature from the second temperature sensing unit at a fixed time period, and use the difference between the second temperature and the target temperature as an input of a PID control algorithm, wherein the output of the PID control algorithm is a second duty cycle; A pulse voltage having a duty ratio of the second duty ratio is output to the heating unit.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The device also includes: A temperature sensor is arranged at the control panel.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The device also includes: Temperature and humidity sensor.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The device also includes a dew point calculation unit, which is used to: Controlling the temperature and humidity sensor to detect the air temperature and relative humidity of the environment where the control panel is located; The dew point temperature of the environment where the control panel is located is calculated according to the air temperature and relative air humidity of the environment where the control panel is located.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that The control unit is also used for: Acquire the dew point temperature from the dew point calculation unit; The preset temperature threshold is determined according to the dew point temperature.

10. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The connector is arranged on one side of the PCB board, and the heating unit is arranged at a corresponding position of the connector on the other side of the PCB board.

11. An electrical device, characterized in that: It comprises the anti-condensation control panel device as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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