Power management method and corresponding control device and electrical equipment

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a power management method, including: receiving first information associated with a group of slave modules coupled to a main module of a device, the first information at least indicating the working power of each of the group of slave modules in a normal working mode; receiving second information associated with a power supply, the power supply being configured to supply power to the main module and a group of slave modules; calculating the sum of the working power of a group of slave modules based on the first information; determining a power limit value based on the second information; and if the sum of the working power of a group of slave modules is not greater than the power limit value, sending an instruction for changing the working mode to a group of slave modules, so that a group of slave modules is changed from a low power working mode to a normal working mode. A corresponding control device and electrical equipment are also provided. The scheme of the present disclosure can effectively improve the module management and power management of modular electrical equipment, and enhance the performance of the electrical equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to power management, and more particularly to a modular controller and power management thereof. Background Art

[0002] In electrical systems, some controllers are widely used to implement specific control functions. For example, a power conversion controller used in residential buildings, factories, and automated production lines can determine whether the power supply is valid based on the measurement results of electrical parameters such as voltage, frequency, and imbalance of the main power supply and the backup power supply, and if the main power supply fails, the dual power conversion controller can drive related devices to convert the power supply in the above scenarios from the main power supply to the backup power supply.

[0003] In recent years, with the continuous increase in user demand, the auxiliary functions of controllers in electrical systems have become more and more diverse. Taking the power conversion controller as an example, the power conversion controller can provide a variety of control functions, such as for fire protection applications, it is necessary to force no power conversion under fire conditions, and for example, for multi-rate applications, the user can manually or through a programmable logic controller (PLC) to select a low-rate power supply; the power conversion controller can provide a variety of human-machine interface (HMI) functions, for example, some users need simple knob settings and lights, some users need a powerful LCD screen, and some users need a display screen plug-in; in addition, the power conversion controller can also provide a variety of communication functions, for example, some users will choose fieldbus communication (such as Modbus), some users will choose wireless communication (such as Zigbee), and some users will choose powerful Ethernet communication.

[0004] Based on these requirements, modularization of controllers has become a trend. However, modular controllers still have some problems. For example, for the sake of module versatility, the main module of the controller usually does not mechanically limit the type of slave modules coupled, so theoretically, users can connect any combination of slave modules. However, the power that the main module of the controller can provide is usually limited, which may result in some module combinations not being able to obtain sufficient power support. Therefore, for modular controllers, module management issues including power management need to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on the above problems, according to example embodiments of the present disclosure, a power management method and a corresponding control device and electrical equipment are provided.

[0006] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a power management method is provided, the method comprising: receiving first information associated with a group of slave modules coupled to a main module of a device, the first information at least indicating the operating power of each of the group of slave modules in a normal operating mode; receiving second information associated with a power supply, the power supply being configured to supply power to the main module and a group of slave modules; calculating the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules based on the first information; determining a power limit value based on the second information; and if the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules is not greater than the power limit value, sending an instruction for changing the operating mode to the group of slave modules so as to cause the group of slave modules to change from a low power consumption operating mode to a normal operating mode.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, by identifying the current power supply and determining the maximum power that can be provided to the slave module, the number and type of slave modules coupled to the master module can be adjusted according to the maximum power to avoid the slave modules being unable to operate normally due to power limitations of the power supply, thereby effectively improving module management and power management of modular electrical equipment and enhancing the performance of the electrical equipment.

[0008] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the method further includes: if the sum of the working powers of a group of slave modules is greater than the power limit value, determining some slave modules in the group of slave modules, wherein the sum of the working powers of some slave modules is not greater than the power limit value; and sending instructions for changing the working mode to the determined part of the slave modules, so that some of the slave modules are changed from the low power working mode to the normal working mode. Through this embodiment, when the total power of the slave modules is too large, some of the slave modules can be made to enter the normal working mode to ensure that some auxiliary functions of the device can operate normally, thereby minimizing the impact of power limitation on the operation of the device.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information further indicates at least a priority level of each of a group of slave modules, and determining some of the slave modules from the group of slave modules includes: determining some of the slave modules based on the priorities of each of the group of slave modules, wherein the some of the slave modules include slave modules with high priorities. Through this embodiment, when the total power of the slave modules is too large, a slave module with a higher priority level can be selected to operate normally to ensure the realization of important auxiliary functions of the device.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second information at least indicates the voltage of a bus, and the bus is at least coupled between a power supply and a group of slave modules. Through this embodiment, by detecting the bus voltage, the currently used power supply can be simply and reliably identified.

[0011] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, determining the power limit value based on the second information includes: if the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of the first power circuit in the master module, determining the maximum power that the first power circuit in the master module can provide to a group of slave modules as the power limit value. Through this embodiment, the power supply of the device itself can be identified as the power supply currently used, and the slave modules that are operating normally are prevented from exceeding the power that the power supply of the device itself can provide.

[0012] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, determining the power limit value based on the second information includes: if the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of the second power circuit in the power extension module coupled to the master module, determining the maximum power that the second power circuit of the power extension module can provide to a group of slave modules as the power limit value. Through this embodiment, the additional power supply of the device can be identified as the power supply currently in use, and the slave modules that are operating normally are prevented from exceeding the power that the additional power supply can provide, thereby effectively improving the power limit of the device.

[0013] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a bus is coupled to an energy storage circuit and coupled to respective control devices of a group of slave modules via a power switch, and the power management method further includes: in response to a voltage of the bus being lower than a power supply threshold indicating a power outage, turning off the power switch to prevent the pre-stored power of the energy storage circuit from being provided to respective control devices of a group of slave modules, and performing a data storage operation in the master module using the pre-stored power in the energy storage circuit. Through this embodiment, when a power outage occurs in the device, it can be ensured that the pre-stored power of the energy storage circuit is sufficient to enable the control device of the master module to complete the data storage operation.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a power management method is provided, the method comprising: sending first information to a main module coupled to the slave module in a low-power operating mode of a slave module of a device, the first information at least indicating the operating power of the slave module in a normal operating mode, the main module being configured to determine whether to send an instruction for changing the operating mode to the slave module based at least on the first information; and in response to the slave module receiving the instruction for changing the operating mode from the main module, changing the operating mode of the slave module from the low-power operating mode to the normal operating mode.

[0015] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information further indicates at least a priority of the slave module.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a control device of a main module is provided, the control device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions causing the processor to perform actions when executed by the processor, the actions comprising: receiving first information associated with a group of slave modules coupled to the main module of the device, the first information at least indicating the operating power of each of the group of slave modules in a normal operating mode; receiving second information associated with a power supply, the power supply being configured to supply power to the main module and a group of slave modules; calculating the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules based on the first information; determining a power limit value based on the second information; and if the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules is not greater than the power limit value, sending an instruction for changing the operating mode to a group of slave modules so as to cause a group of slave modules to change from a low power consumption operating mode to a normal operating mode.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a control device of a slave module is provided, the control device comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions causing the processor to perform actions when executed by the processor, the actions comprising: sending first information to a main module coupled to the slave module in a low-power working mode of the slave module of the device, the first information at least indicating the working power of the slave module in a normal working mode, the main module being configured to determine whether to send an instruction for changing the working mode to the slave module based at least on the first information; and changing the working mode of the slave module from the low-power working mode to the normal working mode in response to the slave module receiving the instruction for changing the working mode from the main module.

[0018] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical device is provided, comprising: a master module including a control device according to the third aspect; and at least one slave module, each slave module being removably coupled to the master module, each slave module including a control device according to the fourth aspect.

[0019] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the main module also includes a first power supply circuit, which is coupled to a first external power supply, and the electrical device also includes: a power extension module, which is removably coupled to the main module and includes a second power supply circuit, which is coupled to a second external power supply; and a bus, which is coupled to the first power supply circuit when the power extension module is not coupled to the main module, and is coupled to the second power supply circuit when the power extension module is coupled to the main module.

[0020] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the bus is coupled to the first power supply circuit via a first anti-reverse circuit, and when the power supply extension module is coupled to the main module, the bus is also coupled to the second power supply circuit via a second anti-reverse circuit, and the first anti-reverse circuit and the second anti-reverse circuit are configured to only allow power to flow from the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit to the bus, respectively.

[0021] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the voltage provided by the first power supply circuit is lower than the voltage provided by the second power supply circuit.

[0022] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical device is used for power conversion control, and the main module further includes a drive circuit configured to drive a switch for power conversion, the drive circuit being coupled to the first power circuit so that the drive circuit is powered by the first power circuit.

[0023] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the master module further includes a power switch and an energy storage circuit, the bus is coupled to the energy storage circuit and is coupled to the respective control device of at least one slave module via the power switch, wherein the control device of the master module is configured to control the turning on and off of the power switch.

[0024] It should be understood that the contents described in the summary of the invention are not intended to limit the key or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1A A schematic block diagram showing an electrical device in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0027] Figure 1B An exemplary circuit diagram of an electrical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 2 A flow chart of a power management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 3 A flowchart showing a power management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic block diagram of an example device that can be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will describe the embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein, which are instead provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment / implementation" or "the embodiment / implementation" should be understood as "at least one embodiment / implementation". The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0033] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of an electrical device 100 in which an embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. The electrical device 100 may include a main module 110. As an example, the electrical device 100 may be used in some scenarios (such as residential buildings, factories, and automated production lines) to control the conversion of power supply that provides power to electrical devices in the scene. When the electrical device 100 is used as a power conversion controller, the main module 110 of the electrical device 100 may include a drive circuit 112, which is used to drive a power conversion switch (not shown) to switch between a main power supply 160 and a backup power supply 170, so that the power of the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170 can be provided to the electrical device in the scene (not shown). The main module 110 of the electrical device 100 may include a control device 114, which can obtain various electrical parameters (such as voltage, frequency, etc.) of the main power supply 160 and the backup power supply 170 to determine whether the main power supply 160 and the backup power supply 170 are available, so that, for example, when the main power supply 160 fails, the power supply for the electrical device in the scene can be switched to the backup power supply 170. In addition, the control device 114 can also be used to control other related circuits in the electrical device 100. It can be understood that the electrical device 100 can also be a controller in the electrical system for implementing other control functions, rather than a power conversion controller. Accordingly, when the electrical device 100 is used to implement other control functions, the electrical device 100 can include a corresponding circuit that implements the other control function to replace the drive circuit 112.

[0034] In some embodiments, the main module 110 may include a power circuit 111, which may generally be coupled to an external power source. As an example, when the electrical device 100 acts as a power conversion controller, the power circuit 111 of the main module 110 of the electrical device 100 may be connected to the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170 to obtain power. That is, the electrical device 100 itself may obtain power from the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170 to maintain operation. The power circuit 111 may provide the obtained power to various circuits in the main module 110 (e.g., the drive circuit 112 and the control device 114 and other circuits) and to the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N coupled to the main module 110.

[0035] In some embodiments, the main module 110 may include a bus 140, which may feed the power provided by the power supply circuit 111 to various circuits or devices in the electrical device 100. In some embodiments, the main module 110 may also include a power supply circuit 115, which may be coupled to the bus 140 and convert the output voltage of the power supply circuit 111 (or the voltage of the bus 140) into a voltage suitable for the control device 114, thereby providing power to the control device 114. In some cases, the main module 110 may also include a detection circuit 118 and an energy storage circuit 116, which may be coupled to the bus 140.

[0036] The electrical device 100 may include slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N. By providing slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N, a variety of auxiliary functions can be provided to the user. As an example, the slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N may be Ethernet modules, DI / DO modules, etc. It is understood that, according to user needs and the inherent functions of the electrical device (such as functions for power conversion), the slave module may be any module that implements the auxiliary function. The slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N may respectively include control devices 121-1, 121-2...121-N to help implement the auxiliary functions of each slave module. The slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N can be coupled to the master module 110 in a removable manner, and when the slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N are coupled to the master module 110, the power supply circuit 111 in the master module 110 can provide power to these slave modules, and the powered-on control devices 121-1, 121-2...121-N can communicate with the control device 114 of the master module 110 in a wired or wireless manner.

[0037] In some embodiments, when the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N are coupled to the master module 110, the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N can be coupled to the bus 140, so that the power supply circuit 111 can provide power to the slave modules via the bus 140. In some embodiments, the bus 140 can be coupled to the control devices 121-1, 121-2 ... 121-N of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N via the above-mentioned power supply circuit 115 to provide power to the control devices of the slave modules. In addition, in some cases, a power switch 117 can be provided between the power supply circuit 115 and the control devices of the slave modules.

[0038] In order to further improve the power supply capacity of the electrical device 100, the electrical device 100 may further include a power extension module 130. The power extension module 130 is removably coupled to the main module 110 and includes a power circuit 131 coupled to an external power supply, which may be an auxiliary power supply 180. The power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130 may replace the power circuit 111 and provide power to the circuits or devices in the main module and the slave module. In some embodiments, when the power extension module 130 is coupled to the main module 110, the power circuit 131 may be coupled to the bus 140. In addition, the main module 110 and the power extension module 130 further include anti-reverse circuits 113 and 132, respectively, and the power circuits 111 and 131 are coupled to the bus 140 via the anti-reverse circuits 113 and 132, respectively. In some cases, the electrical device 100 may further include an external expansion module 150 having a control device 151, and the external expansion module 150 may be coupled to the bus 140 via the power supply expansion module 130 or the protection circuit 133 of the power supply expansion module 130 to obtain power from the bus 140. That is, in addition to being coupled to the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N using the inherent interface, the main module 110 may also be coupled to the external expansion module 150 through an additional cable, and it is understood that the electrical device 100 may be provided with one or more external expansion modules.

[0039] Figure 1B An exemplary circuit diagram of an electrical device 100 is shown. Figure 1A and Figure 1B In the present invention, the same components are identified by the same reference numerals. However, it is understood that Figure 1B The circuit implementation in is only exemplary, and Figure 1AThe various units or modules shown in the boxes can be implemented in any appropriate manner. As shown in the figure, the main power supply 160 can provide a 266V AC voltage to the power supply circuit 111, and the backup power supply 170 can provide a 480V AC voltage to the power supply circuit 111. The transformer and rectifier in the power supply circuit 111 can transform and rectify the received AC voltage. Then, the DC-DC converter in the power supply circuit 111 can convert the transformed and rectified 14.7V-40.7V DC voltage into a 13.5V DC voltage, and provide it to the drive circuit 112, and provide it to the bus 140 via the anti-reverse circuit 113. The power supply circuit 115 as a DC-DC converter can convert the voltage of the bus 140 into a 3.3V DC voltage, and provide it to the control device 114 as an MCU and the control devices 121-1, 121-2...121-N. The DC-DC converter 131 in the power extension module 130 can convert the 24V DC voltage from the auxiliary power supply 180 into a 14.5V DC voltage, and provide it to the bus 140 via the anti-reverse circuit 132 .

[0040] The power that the power supply of the electrical device 100 can provide to the slave module is usually limited, and it is necessary to ensure the power supply of the control device 114 and the functional circuits such as the drive circuit 112. In addition, the power required by different slave modules is not the same, for example, the DI / DO module requires less power, while the Ethernet module needs to consume more power. Therefore, when more slave modules with high power consumption (such as multiple Ethernet modules) are coupled to the main module, the power provided by the power supply may be difficult to support the required power of these slave modules, resulting in the slave modules coupled to the main module being unable to operate normally. In addition, providing an additional power supply (i.e., the power extension module 130) alleviates the shortage of power supply to a certain extent, but how to achieve effective management of power supply in the electrical device in the presence of two or more power supplies is also a problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0041] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an improved power management solution is provided. In the solution of the present disclosure, it is possible to determine in the electrical device 100 which power supply is supplying power to the slave module and whether the current power supply can support the normal operation of the slave module combination, so that the slave module that can enter the normal operation mode can be actively adjusted based on the judgment result to ensure that the electrical device obtains the best operating performance.

[0042] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a power management method 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 200 may be performed in Figure 1Ais implemented in the electrical device 100 in the embodiment and is executed by the processor of the control device 114 of the main module 110. For the convenience of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1A and Figure 1B Method 200 is described.

[0043] In block 201, the control device 114 may receive first information associated with a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N coupled to the master module 110 of the device 100. The first information at least indicates the operating power of each of the group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N in a normal operating mode.

[0044] Specifically, after the electrical device 100 is powered on, the power from the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170, or the power from the auxiliary power supply 180 can be supplied to the various circuits of the main module 110 and the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N via the power circuits 113, 115 and 131 and the power switch 117 (initially in a closed state). As a result, the control device 114 of the main module 110 and the control devices 121-1, 121-2 ... 121-N of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N start to work. The control devices 121-1, 121-2 ... 121-N of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N can be in a low power consumption working mode after power-on and wait for a configuration instruction to determine whether it is necessary to enter a normal working mode. The control devices 121-1, 121-2 ... 121-N only have very low power consumption in the low power consumption working mode. The control device 114 of the master module 110 can receive the first information from the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N in a wireless or wired manner, and the first information indicates the power required by each slave module in the normal working mode. In some cases, the first information may also include the ID of the slave module or other information that helps to identify the slave module.

[0045] At block 202 , the control device 114 may receive second information associated with a power supply configured to supply power to the master module 110 and a set of slave modules 120 - 1 , 120 - 2 . . . 120 -N.

[0046] Specifically, since it is possible that one of the multiple power supply circuits is supplying power to the master module and the slave module, the second information may be information that can identify the power supply circuit that is supplying power. For example, the power supply may be the power supply of the electrical device 100 itself or an additional power supply. Figure 1AAs shown, the power supply of the electrical device 100 itself can be a power supply circuit 111 in the main module 110, and the power supply circuit 111 can be coupled to a first external power supply such as a main power supply 160 or a backup power supply 170. Figure 1B As shown, the power supply circuit 111 may include a transformer, a rectifier, and a DC-DC converter, so that an AC voltage (e.g., 266V or 480V) from an external power source may be converted into a DC voltage (e.g., 13.5V) to provide to the master module 110 and the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N. In addition, the additional power supply may be, for example, a power supply circuit 131 in the power supply extension module 130, and the power supply circuit 131 may be coupled to a second external power source such as an auxiliary power supply 180. The power supply extension module 130 may be coupled to the master module 110 in a removable manner. Figure 1B As shown, the power supply circuit 131 can be a DC-DC converter to convert the DC voltage (e.g., 24V) of the external power supply into a DC voltage (e.g., 14.5V) suitable for the electrical device 100 to provide to the master module 110 and the slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N.

[0047] For example, the second information may include electrical parameters related to the current power supply (such as voltage, current, and power, etc.). For example, based on these electrical parameters, the control device 114 may identify the current power supply as the power supply circuit 111 in the main module 110 or the power supply circuit 131 in the power supply extension module 130, thereby determining the maximum power that the current power supply can provide. It is understandable that the second information may also include other information associated with the power supply, as long as it can help the control device 114 determine the maximum power that the current power supply can provide, for example, the second information may also directly indicate the maximum power that the current power supply can provide.

[0048] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the second information may indicate a voltage of a bus 140 , which is coupled between at least a power supply and a group of slave modules 120 - 1 , 120 - 2 . . . 120 -N.

[0049] For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , the bus 140 may be coupled to the power circuit 111 of the master module 110, and when the power extension module 130 is coupled to the master module 110, the bus 140 may be coupled to the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130. The bus 140 may also be coupled to a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N. The bus 140 may be directly coupled to functional units (not shown) such as input units and output units of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N; in addition, the bus 140 may be coupled to control devices (e.g., Figure 1B MCU) 121-1, 121-2...121-N. It can be understood that Figure 1A and Figure 1B This is exemplary only, and bus 140 may be coupled between the power supply and the slave modules in any suitable manner.

[0050] The detection circuit 118 of the master module 110 can detect the voltage of the bus 140 and provide the detected voltage to the control device 114. Since the power supply provides power to the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N via the bus 140, the voltage of the bus 140 can be used as identification information of the power supply.

[0051] For example, the voltages outputted to the bus 140 by the power circuit 111 of the main module 110 and the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130 may be different. Figure 1B As shown, the output voltage of the power supply circuit 111 is 13.5V, while the output voltage of the power supply circuit 131 is 14.5V. In addition, anti-reverse circuits 113 and 132 are respectively provided between the power supply circuit 111 and the bus 140 and between the power supply circuit 131 and the bus 140, wherein the anti-reverse circuit 113 is provided in the main module 110, and the anti-reverse circuit 132 is provided in the power supply extension module 130. The anti-reverse circuits 113 and 132 allow power (or current) to flow only from the power supply circuits 111 and 131 to the bus 140, but not in the reverse direction. As an example, Figure 1B As shown, the anti-reverse circuits 113 and 132 can be diodes, and the diodes are configured to have anodes connected to the power circuits 111 and 131 and cathodes connected to the bus 140. However, any appropriate circuit or device can also be configured to achieve a unidirectional flow of power or current. According to the circuit principle, as long as one of the power circuits 111 and 131 has an output current, there is current on the bus 140, and the voltage value on the bus 140 depends on the higher one of the output voltages of the power circuits 111 and 131, and the load is powered by the power circuit with the higher output voltage.

[0052] In some embodiments, the output voltage of the power circuit 111 may be lower than the output voltage of the power circuit 131. Thus, when the power extension module 130 is not coupled to the main module 110, the power circuit 111 with a lower output voltage provides power to the bus 140; when the power extension module 130 is coupled to the main module 110, only the power circuit 131 with a higher output voltage provides power to the bus 140 (at this time, due to the existence of the anti-reverse circuit 113 and the voltage of the bus 140 is higher than the voltage of the power circuit 111, there is no power exchange between the power circuit 111 and the bus 140). It can be understood that, instead of the anti-reverse circuit, other types of circuits can also be set, such as a controllable switch circuit. For example, when the additional power supply is coupled to the main module 110, the connection between the power circuit 111 of the main module 110 and the bus 140 can be disconnected by the controllable switch circuit. Therefore, in this case, when the power circuit 111 is supplying power to the bus 140, the voltage of the bus 140 will be close to the output voltage of the power circuit 111 (e.g., 13.5V), and when the power circuit 131 is supplying power to the bus 140, the voltage of the bus 140 will be close to the output voltage of the power circuit 131 (e.g., 14.5V). Therefore, the voltage of the bus 140 can be used to indicate whether the power of the bus 140 comes from the power circuit 111 of the main module 110 or the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130. The method of detecting the bus voltage to determine the power supply has the advantages of being simple and reliable.

[0053] In block 203 , the control device 114 may calculate the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules 120 - 1 , 120 - 2 . . . 120 -N based on the first information.

[0054] Specifically, the first information includes the power required by the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N to be in the normal working mode. Therefore, the control device 114 can calculate the total power required by the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ... 120-N to enter the normal working mode based on the first information.

[0055] In box 204, the control device 114 can determine the power limit value based on the second information. Specifically, based on the second information, the maximum power that the current power supply can provide to the slave module can be determined, thereby determining the power limit value. For example, the second information may include identification information, based on which it can be determined whether the power circuit 111 of the main module or the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130 is currently supplying power. In addition, the control device 114 may pre-store information related to the power supply of the electrical device 100, such as the maximum power that each power supply of the electrical device 100 can provide to the slave module. Thus, the control device 114 can determine the maximum power that can be provided to the slave module, and determine the maximum power as the power limit value.

[0056] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, if the voltage of the bus 140 corresponds to the output voltage of the power circuit 111 in the master module 110, the control device 114 may determine the maximum power that the power circuit 111 in the master module 110 can provide to a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N as the power limit value. In addition, in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, if the voltage of the bus 140 corresponds to the output voltage of the power circuit 131 in the power extension module 130 coupled to the master module 110, the control device 114 may determine the maximum power that the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130 can provide to a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N as the power limit value.

[0057] As an example, the control device 114 may set a threshold voltage, the magnitude of which is set between the output voltage of the power supply circuit 111 and the output voltage of the power supply circuit 131. For example, if the output voltage of the power supply circuit 111 is 13.5V, and the output voltage of the power supply circuit 131 is 14.5V, the threshold voltage may be set to 14V. Then, the voltage of the bus 140 may be compared with the threshold voltage, and if the voltage of the bus 140 is less than or equal to the threshold voltage, it is determined that the voltage of the bus 140 corresponds to the output voltage of the power supply circuit 111 with a lower output voltage, and if the voltage of the bus 140 is greater than the threshold voltage, it is determined that the voltage of the bus 140 corresponds to the output voltage of the power supply circuit 131 with a higher output voltage. It is understandable that other methods may also be used to determine which power supply circuit the output voltage of the bus 140 corresponds to, for example, the voltage of the bus 140 may be directly compared with the output voltage of the corresponding power supply circuit to determine which power supply circuit the voltage of the bus 140 is closer to.

[0058] The maximum power that each power supply can provide to the slave module can be predetermined and stored in the control device 114. When the maximum power that each power supply can provide to the slave module is predetermined, the power of other circuits other than the slave module provided by the power supply needs to be determined. For example, the drive circuit 112 is coupled to the power supply circuit 111, so that the drive circuit 112 is powered by the power supply circuit 111; and the power supply circuits 111 and 131 also need to supply power to the control device 114 of the master module 110. Therefore, when the maximum power that the power supply circuit 111 can provide to the slave module is predetermined, the power provided to the drive circuit 112 and the control device 114 needs to be subtracted from the maximum power that the power supply circuit 111 can provide; when the maximum power that the power supply circuit 131 can provide to the slave module is predetermined, the power provided to the control device 114 needs to be subtracted from the maximum power that the power supply circuit 131 can provide.

[0059] There is a significant difference between the power that the power supply of the electrical device 100 itself (e.g., the power circuit 111 of the main module 110) can provide to the slave module and the power that the additional power supply of the electrical device 100 (e.g., the power circuit 131 of the power extension module 130) can provide to the slave module. The power that the power supply of the electrical device 100 itself can provide is limited, and the power supply of the circuits related to its inherent functions (e.g., the drive circuit 112) must be ensured first. For example, the power circuit 111 of the main module can provide a total of 6W of power, but the power that can be provided to the slave module is only 2.5W, which limits the number and type of slave modules coupled to the main module. The additional power supply such as the power extension module 130 can only supply power to the control device and the slave module of the main module, without having to supply power to the drive circuit 112 (the drive circuit 112 is still powered by the power circuit 111 of the main module). For example, when the power circuit 111 of the main module can only provide 2.5W of power to the slave module, the power extension module 130 coupled to the auxiliary power supply 180 can provide 6W of power to the slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N. Therefore, providing an additional power supply in the electrical device 100 actually further improves the power supply capacity of the electrical device 100, so that the electrical device 100 can carry a high-power slave module combination. It should be noted that if the power extension module 130 and the auxiliary power supply 180 are coupled to the main module, but the power circuit 111 is not coupled to the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170, or the main power supply 160 or the backup power supply 170 is not powered, the electrical device 100 cannot realize the functions of electromagnet driving and power conversion, but can realize some other functions, such as reading data of the electrical device 100 through the main module and the slave module.

[0060] It can be seen that the control device 114 can determine whether the power extension module 130 is coupled to the main module 110 according to the voltage of the bus 140, and thus determine the power limit value of the current power supply.

[0061] In block 205, the control device 114 determines whether the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N is not greater than the power limit value. Specifically, the control device 114 may compare the calculated total power required by the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N in the normal operating mode with the determined power limit value.

[0062] In box 206, if the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N is not greater than the power limit value, the control device 114 sends an instruction for changing the operating mode to a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N, so that a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N are changed from the low power consumption operating mode to the normal operating mode.

[0063] Specifically, if the sum of the operating powers of a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N is not greater than the power limit value, it can be determined that the current power supply can support the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N to enter a normal working state. Therefore, the control device 114 can send a command signal to the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N in a wireless or wired manner to change the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N from the initial low-power working mode after power-on to the normal working mode.

[0064] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the power management method 200 further includes blocks 207 and 208 .

[0065] In block 207, if the sum of the operating powers of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N is greater than the power limit value, a portion of the slave modules is determined from the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N, wherein the sum of the operating powers of the portion of the slave modules is not greater than the power limit value. Specifically, when the total power required for the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N to enter a normal operating mode exceeds the maximum power that the power supply can provide, the control device 140 can select a portion of the slave modules that can be supported by the power supply from the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N.

[0066] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the first information at least further indicates the respective priorities of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N, and determining some of the slave modules from the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N includes: determining some of the slave modules based on the respective priorities of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N, wherein the some of the slave modules include slave modules with high priorities. Specifically, when the power supply cannot support the normal operation of all the slave modules, the control device 114 can select a slave module with high priority from the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N to enter the normal operating mode, so as to ensure that the electrical device 100 can provide important auxiliary functions in priority to improve the user experience.

[0067] In block 208, an instruction for changing the working mode is sent to the determined part of the slave modules, so that the part of the slave modules changes from the low power working mode to the normal working mode. Specifically, the control device 114 can send an instruction signal to the determined part of the slave modules in a wireless or wired manner, so that the part of the slave modules enters the normal working mode. The remaining slave modules can be kept in the low power working mode or decoupled from the master module 110.

[0068] It is understandable that, when the sum of the operating powers of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N is greater than the power limit value, the user may also replace all or part of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N to obtain replaced slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N. Then, the control device 114 may re-execute blocks 201 to 206 until the sum of the operating powers of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N is not greater than the power limit value.

[0069] In addition, in some cases, the electrical device 100 is further provided with an external expansion module 150. For example, the external expansion module 150 may be a module for realizing a human interface (HMI) function. It is understood that when the external expansion module 150 is coupled to the bus 140 or coupled to the bus 140 via the power extension module 130, the power supply of the external expansion module 150 may be managed in the same manner as the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N. For example, the control device 114 of the main module 110 may also receive information indicating the working power of the external expansion module 150 in the normal working mode from the external expansion module 150, and determine whether the total working power of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N and the external expansion module 150 is within the power limit value, and then the control device 114 of the main module 110 may determine whether the external expansion module 150 enters the normal working mode according to the judgment result. That is, the external expansion module 150 may be managed as one of the slave modules, and the description of the slave module above is also applicable to the expansion module 150.

[0070] In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the bus 140 is coupled to the energy storage circuit 116 and is coupled to the respective control devices 121-1, 121-2...121-N of a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N via the power switch 117, and the power management method 200 also includes: in response to the voltage of the bus 140 being lower than the power supply threshold indicating that a power outage has occurred, the control device 114 turns off the power switch 117 to avoid the pre-stored power of the energy storage circuit 116 from being provided to the respective control devices 121-1, 121-2...121-N of a group of slave modules 120-1, 120-2...120-N, and the control device 114 uses the pre-stored power in the energy storage circuit 116 to perform data storage operations in the master module 110.

[0071] like Figure 1A As shown, the energy storage circuit 116 can be coupled to the bus 140 and the control device 114 of the main module 110, so as to obtain the pre-stored power from the bus 140 when the power is normally supplied, and provide the pre-stored power to the control device 114 for the operation of storing data when the power is interrupted. Figure 1B As shown, the energy storage circuit 116 can be, for example, an energy storage capacitor. In addition, the power switch 117 can be coupled between the bus 140 and the control devices 121-1, 121-2, ... 121-N of the slave modules 120-1, 120-2 ... 120-N. In some embodiments, the bus 140 can provide power to the control devices of the master module and the slave modules via the power circuit 115, wherein the power circuit 115 can convert the voltage of the bus 140 into a voltage suitable for the control device (such as Figure 1B As shown, the power circuit 115 may be a DC-DC converter to convert the bus voltage into a 3.3V voltage. Thus, the power switch 117 may be coupled between the power circuit 115 and the control devices 121-1, 121-2, ... 121-N of the slave modules. The power switch 117 may be controlled by the control device 114 of the master module 110 to be turned on and off.

[0072] When a power outage occurs, the control device 114 can turn off the power switch 117 to prevent the pre-stored power in the energy storage circuit 116 from flowing into the control devices 121-1, 121-2, ... 121-N of the slave modules. Thus, it can be ensured that the control device 114 of the master module 110 obtains sufficient pre-stored power to perform the operation of storing important data.

[0073] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a power management method 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be Figure 1A and Figure 1BThe method 300 is implemented in the electrical device 100 in the embodiment and is executed by a processor of any control device in the control devices 121-1, 121-2, ..., 121-N of the slave modules. It is understood that when the electrical device 100 is also provided with an external expansion module 150, the power supply of the external expansion module 150 can be managed in the same manner as the slave modules 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. Therefore, the method 300 can also be executed by a processor in the control device 151 of the external expansion module 150. For the convenience of discussion, the method 300 will be described below by taking the slave module 120-1 as an example, and will be referred to as Figure 1A and Figure 1B The method 300 is described below.

[0074] In box 301, the control device 121-1 sends first information to the main module 110 coupled to the slave module 120-1 in the low power consumption working mode of the slave module 120-1 of the electrical device 100, and the first information at least indicates the working power of the slave module 120-1 in the normal working mode. The main module 110 is configured to determine whether to send an instruction for changing the working mode to the slave module 120-1 based on at least the first information.

[0075] At block 302 , it is determined whether the slave module 120 - 1 receives an instruction from the master module 110 to change the operating mode.

[0076] In block 303, in response to the slave module 120-1 receiving an instruction for changing the working mode from the master module 110, the working mode of the slave module 120-1 is changed from the low power working mode to the normal working mode. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the current power supply can be identified, and the maximum power that can be provided to the slave module can be determined, so that the number and type of slave modules coupled to the master module can be adjusted according to the maximum power to avoid the device operation being limited by the power supply power, thereby effectively improving the module management and power management of the modular electrical device and improving the operating performance of the electrical device.

[0077] Figure 4 4 is a schematic block diagram of an example device 400 that can be used to implement an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 400 can be implemented as Figure 1A The device 400 can be used to implement the control device 114 or the control devices 121-1, 121-2, ..., 121-N. Figure 2 Method 200 and Figure 3 Method 300.

[0078] As shown, the device 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 401, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to computer program instructions stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 402 or loaded from a storage unit 408 into a random access memory (RAM) 403. In the RAM 403, various programs and data required for the operation of the device 400 can also be stored, for example, the measurement data mentioned above can be stored. The CPU 401, the ROM 402, and the RAM 403 are connected to each other via a bus 404. An input / output (I / O) interface 405 is also connected to the bus 404.

[0079] A number of components in the device 400 are connected to the I / O interface 405, including: an input unit 406, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output unit 407, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 408, such as a disk, an optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 409, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 409 allows the device 400 to exchange information / data with other devices through a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0080] Processing unit 401 performs method 200 or method 300 described above. For example, in some embodiments, method 200 and method 300 may be implemented as a computer software program or a computer program product, which is tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as storage unit 408. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and / or installed on device 400 via ROM 402 and / or communication unit 409. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 403 and executed by CPU 401, one or more steps of method 200 or 300 described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, CPU 401 may be configured to perform method 200 or 300 in any other suitable manner (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0081] Those skilled in the art should understand that the various steps of the method disclosed above can be implemented by a general computing device, they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed on a network composed of multiple computing devices, optionally, they can be implemented with program codes executable by the computing device, so that they can be stored in a storage device and executed by the computing device, or they can be made into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps therein can be made into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

[0082] It should be understood that although several devices or sub-devices of the device are mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is only exemplary and not mandatory. In fact, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more devices described above can be embodied in one device. Conversely, the features and functions of one device described above can be further divided into multiple devices to be embodied.

[0083] The above description is only an optional embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A power management method, comprising: Receiving first information associated with a group of slave modules coupled to a master module of a device, wherein the first information at least indicates a working power of each of the group of slave modules in a normal working mode; receiving second information associated with a power supply, the power supply being configured to supply power to the master module and the group of slave modules, wherein the second information at least indicates a voltage of a bus, the bus being coupled at least between the power supply and the group of slave modules, the power supply comprising a power supply of the device itself and an additional power supply, the power supply of the device itself outputting a voltage different from a voltage output by the additional power supply; Calculating the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules based on the first information; determining a power limit value based on the second information; as well as If the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules is not greater than the power limit value, an instruction for changing the operating mode is sent to the group of slave modules, so that the group of slave modules is changed from the low power consumption operating mode to the normal operating mode.

2. The power management method according to claim 1, further comprising: If the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules is greater than the power limit value, determining some slave modules from the group of slave modules, wherein the sum of the operating powers of the some slave modules is not greater than the power limit value; as well as An instruction for changing the working mode is sent to the determined partial slave module, so that the partial slave module is changed from the low power consumption working mode to the normal working mode.

3. The power management method according to claim 2, wherein the first information further indicates at least respective priorities of the group of slave modules, and determining the part of the slave modules in the group of slave modules comprises: The part of the slave modules is determined based on respective priorities of the group of slave modules, wherein the part of the slave modules includes slave modules with high priorities.

4. The power management method according to claim 1, wherein determining the power limit value based on the second information comprises: If the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of the first power supply circuit in the master module, the maximum power that the first power supply circuit in the master module can provide to the group of slave modules is determined as the power limit value.

5. The power management method according to claim 1, wherein determining the power limit value based on the second information comprises: If the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of a second power circuit in a power extension module coupled to the master module, the maximum power that the second power circuit of the power extension module can provide to the group of slave modules is determined as the power limit value.

6. The power management method according to claim 1, wherein the bus is coupled to a tank circuit and coupled to respective control devices of the group of slave modules via a power switch, the power management method further comprising: In response to the voltage of the bus being lower than a power supply threshold indicating a power outage, the power switch is turned off to prevent the pre-stored power of the energy storage circuit from being provided to the respective control devices of the group of slave modules, and the pre-stored power in the energy storage circuit is used to perform data storage operations in the master module.

7. A control device for a main module, comprising: processor; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform actions, the actions comprising: Receiving first information associated with a group of slave modules coupled to a master module of a device, wherein the first information at least indicates a working power of each of the group of slave modules in a normal working mode; receiving second information associated with a power supply, the power supply being configured to supply power to the master module and the group of slave modules, wherein the second information at least indicates a voltage of a bus, the bus being coupled at least between the power supply and the group of slave modules, the power supply comprising a power supply of the device itself and an additional power supply, the power supply of the device itself outputting a voltage different from a voltage output by the additional power supply; Calculating the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules based on the first information; determining a power limit value based on the second information; and If the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules is not greater than the power limit value, an instruction for changing the operating mode is sent to the group of slave modules, so that the group of slave modules is changed from the low power consumption operating mode to the normal operating mode.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein the actions further comprise: If the sum of the operating powers of the group of slave modules is greater than the power limit value, determining some slave modules from the group of slave modules, wherein the sum of the operating powers of the some slave modules is not greater than the power limit value; as well as An instruction for changing the working mode is sent to the determined partial slave module, so that the partial slave module is changed from the low power consumption working mode to the normal working mode.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the first information further indicates at least respective priorities of the group of slave modules, and determining the part of the slave modules in the group of slave modules comprises: The part of the slave modules is determined based on respective priorities of the group of slave modules, wherein the part of the slave modules includes slave modules with high priorities.

10. The control device according to claim 7, wherein determining the power limit value based on the second information comprises: If the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of the first power supply circuit in the master module, the maximum power that the first power supply circuit in the master module can provide to the group of slave modules is determined as the power limit value.

11. The control device according to claim 7, wherein determining the power limit value based on the second information comprises: If the voltage of the bus corresponds to the output voltage of a second power circuit in a power extension module coupled to the master module, the maximum power that the second power circuit of the power extension module can provide to the group of slave modules is determined as the power limit value.

12. The control device of claim 7, wherein the bus is coupled to a tank circuit and coupled to respective control devices of the group of slave modules via a power switch, the actions further comprising: In response to the voltage of the bus being lower than a power supply threshold indicating a power outage, the power switch is turned off to prevent the pre-stored power of the energy storage circuit from being provided to the respective control devices of the group of slave modules, and the pre-stored power in the energy storage circuit is used to perform data storage operations in the master module.

13. An electrical device comprising: A main module comprising a control device according to any one of claims 7 to 12; as well as At least one slave module, each slave module is removably coupled to the master module, and the control device of each slave module includes: Processor; and A memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform actions, the actions comprising: Sending first information to a master module coupled to the slave module in a low power consumption working mode of the slave module of the device, wherein the first information at least indicates the working power of the slave module in a normal working mode, and the master module is configured to determine whether to send an instruction for changing the working mode to the slave module based on at least the first information; and In response to the slave module receiving an instruction for changing the working mode from the master module, the working mode of the slave module is changed from the low power consumption working mode to a normal working mode. The electrical device according to claim 13 , wherein the first information further indicates at least a priority of the slave module.

15. The electrical device of claim 13, wherein the main module further comprises a first power supply circuit coupled to a first external power source, The electrical device further comprises: a power extension module removably coupled to the main module and comprising a second power circuit coupled to a second external power source; as well as A bus is coupled to the first power circuit when the power extension module is not coupled to the main module, and is coupled to the second power circuit when the power extension module is coupled to the main module.

16. An electrical device according to claim 15, wherein the bus is coupled to the first power supply circuit via a first anti-reverse circuit, and when the power supply extension module is coupled to the main module, the bus is also coupled to the second power supply circuit via a second anti-reverse circuit, and the first anti-reverse circuit and the second anti-reverse circuit are configured to only allow power to flow from the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit to the bus, respectively.

17. The electric device according to claim 16, wherein the voltage provided by the first power supply circuit is lower than the voltage provided by the second power supply circuit.

18. The electrical device according to claim 16, wherein the electrical device is used for power conversion control, and the main module further comprises a drive circuit configured to drive a switch for power conversion, the drive circuit being coupled to the first power circuit so that the drive circuit is powered by the first power circuit.

19. An electrical device according to claim 15, wherein the master module further comprises a power switch and an energy storage circuit, the bus is coupled to the energy storage circuit and is coupled to the control device of each of the at least one slave modules via the power switch, wherein the control device of the master module is configured to control the turning on and off of the power switch.

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