Control method of optical switchable device, control system and optical switchable device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a control method, a control system and an optical switchable device, wherein the control method of the optical switchable device includes: controlling the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode; adjusting the optical switchable device to be in at least one designated dimming gear, and obtaining at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the designated dimming gear; based on the at least one actual state voltage, combined with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or combined with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage, determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device. The method performs a self-calibration operation based on the state voltage, which can solve the gear offset problem caused by aging of the optical switchable device during use, and improve the service life of the device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical switchable devices, and in particular to a control method and control system of an optical switchable device and an optical switchable device. Background Art

[0002] Electrochromism refers to the reversible color change of electrochromic materials under the action of an electric field. It is essentially an electrochemical redox reaction. After the reaction, the material shows a reversible change in color. An electrochromic device is a device containing the above electrochromic material, also known as an optically switchable device. Through the charge / discharge of the electrochromic device, the device can show different colors in multiple gears such as transparent state, intermediate state, dark state, etc.; but after long-term charge / discharge use, the material will age, causing the state voltage and transmittance corresponding to the device dimming gear to change, that is, the gear shift occurs. When the gear shift occurs, the accuracy of the device transmittance adjustment is reduced, and the device may always be unable to reach certain gears initially set, such as the state voltage transmittance corresponding to the lowest gear, causing the device to be in an overcharged or over-discharged state for a long time in this gear, which will cause certain damage to the device (especially long-term overcharge, which will cause greater damage to the device), thereby reducing the service life of the device. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a control method, a control system and an optically switchable device, which can improve the accuracy of gear adjustment and prevent damage to the device due to overcharging or over-discharging, thereby increasing the service life of the device.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an optically switchable device, comprising: controlling the optically switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode; adjusting the optically switchable device to at least one specified dimming gear, and obtaining at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear; based on the at least one actual state voltage, combined with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or combined with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage, determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optically switchable device.

[0005] In the second aspect, the embodiment of the present application also provides a control system for an optical switchable device, including: a mode control module, used to control the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode; a shift control module, used to adjust the optical switchable device to be in at least one specified dimming gear, and obtain at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear; a calibration calculation module, used to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device based on the at least one actual state voltage, combined with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or combined with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage.

[0006] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides an optically switchable device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program to implement the above-mentioned control method of the optically switchable device.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, the embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed on a processor, implements the control method of the optical switchable device described above.

[0008] The embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects: the control method of the optical switchable device of the embodiments of the present application updates the gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device by adopting one or more designated dimming gears, and combining the correlation between different dimming gears and preset state voltages, or the correlation between the gear capacity of different dimming gears and the state voltage, so as to obtain the latest charging or discharging reference data for each dimming gear, which can effectively solve the gear offset problem caused by aging of the optical switchable device during use, improve the accuracy of transmittance adjustment, and effectively prevent damage to the optical switchable device due to overcharging or over-discharging, thereby increasing the service life of the device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the implementation mode of the present application, further explanation is given below in combination with the specific implementation mode and its corresponding drawings. The drawings required for use in the implementation mode in the specific implementation mode are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain implementation modes of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0010] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a state voltage offset corresponding to a dimming gear position of an optically switchable device;

[0011] Figure 2A flow chart showing a control method of an optical switchable device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0012] Figure 3 Another flow chart showing a control method of an optical switchable device according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0013] Figure 4 A flow chart showing a control method of an optical switchable device for self-calibration based on a pre-stored data table in some embodiments of the present application;

[0014] Figure 5 A flow chart showing a control method of an optical switchable device that performs self-calibration based on a preset relationship in some embodiments of the present application;

[0015] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a control system of an optical switchable device according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The technical solutions in the specific implementation modes of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the specific implementation modes of the present application. Obviously, the described specific implementation modes are only part of the implementation modes of the present application, rather than all the implementation modes.

[0017] The components of the specific embodiments of the present application generally described and shown in the drawings herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0018] Hereinafter, the terms "including", "having" and their cognates used in various embodiments of the present application are intended only to indicate specific features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items, and should not be understood as first excluding the existence of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items or increasing the possibility of one or more features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or a combination of the foregoing items. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are only used to distinguish descriptions and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0019] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the various embodiments of the present application belong. The terms (such as those defined in generally used dictionaries) will be interpreted as having the same meanings as the contextual meanings in the relevant technical field and will not be interpreted as having idealized meanings or overly formal meanings unless clearly defined in the various embodiments of the present application.

[0020] Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the state voltage offset corresponding to the dimming gear of the optical switchable device is shown. After the optical switchable device has been used for a certain period of time, its electrochromic material will age, and then the following will occur: Figure 1 The dimming gear offset and other problems shown are, that is, the preset state voltages initially corresponding to each dimming gear when the product leaves the factory will have a state voltage offset problem after aging due to use, that is, the actual state voltages corresponding to each dimming gear will change. If the optical switchable device is still charged and discharged according to the original state voltage, the transmittance corresponding to each gear will change, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of its transmittance adjustment, affecting the user experience; further, the state voltage corresponding to the lowest or highest gear of the optical switchable device cannot always be reached, which will cause the device to be repeatedly charged or discharged at the lowest or highest gear, that is, overcharging or over-discharging. Long-term overcharging or over-discharging will reduce the service life of the optical switchable device.

[0022] The state voltage here refers to the real-time voltage or holding voltage corresponding to the current transmittance, or the open circuit voltage (OCV) corresponding to the current transmittance; the actual state voltage is the actual voltage detected under each dimming gear, and the preset state voltage is the preset voltage corresponding to each preset dimming gear.

[0023] Therefore, in order to solve the problem of accuracy in adjusting the transmittance of the optically switchable device, as well as the problem of overcharging or over-discharging, a capacity calibration method can be adopted, such as the patent previously submitted by the applicant (application number: 202111260799.4), which calibrates the actual available capacity of the device and re-divides the capacity corresponding to each gear according to the actual available capacity to improve the accuracy of the device in adjusting the transmittance.

[0024] After creative work, the applicant further proposed the technical solution of the present application, namely, by automatically calibrating the state voltage corresponding to each dimming gear to provide more accurate charging or discharging reference data (i.e., gear dimming standard) corresponding to each dimming gear, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of transmittance adjustment, preventing the device from overcharging or over-discharging, and increasing its service life.

[0025] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a control method of an optical switchable device according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 2 In some embodiments, the control method of the optical switchable device may include steps S110 to S130, wherein: step S110 is to control the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode; step S120 is to adjust the optical switchable device to at least one specified dimming gear and obtain at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear; step S130 is to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device based on at least one actual state voltage, combined with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or combined with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage.

[0026] The designated dimming gear refers to the corresponding dimming gear used for self-calibration. The designated dimming gear can be any dimming gear automatically selected by the device, or any dimming gear manually designated; in addition, the number of the designated dimming gears is not limited, and can be one or more, depending on the self-calibration method, etc. Correspondingly, when there are multiple designated dimming gears, there will also be multiple corresponding actual state voltages, and then the latest gear dimming standard can be determined based on the actual state voltages of these designated dimming gears.

[0027] In step S110, the self-calibration mode is a preset working mode of the optical switchable device. In some embodiments, when the corresponding trigger conditions are met, the working mode is automatically entered to automatically update the dimming level standard. The conditions for triggering the entry into the self-calibration mode may include but are not limited to any one or more combinations of the following conditions A to E:

[0028] Condition A: When the number of gear shifts of the optical switchable device reaches the preset number threshold. Among them, gear shifting refers to the operation of switching the optical switchable device from one dimming gear to another dimming gear, and the number of times this operation is performed is the number of gear shifts; in addition, the preset number threshold is the preset number of gear shifts or value range in the optical switchable device, such as the preset number of gear shifts that the device has when it leaves the factory to form a finished product, wherein the value or value range of the preset number threshold is not particularly limited, and devices of different sizes or shapes or different performances may have different preset number thresholds, such as 300 times, 500 times or 800 times; in some embodiments, the same optical switchable device may also have different preset number thresholds under different application scenarios or application requirements to enable the start of the self-calibration mode in different situations.

[0029] In some embodiments, if the optical switchable device has performed at least one self-calibration operation, the condition for triggering the entry into the self-calibration mode may also be condition B: when the time interval from the last entry into the self-calibration mode reaches a preset interval threshold. That is, from the time dimension, the optical switchable device can perform a self-calibration operation every once in a while to improve the accuracy of its light transmittance adjustment; similarly, there is no special restriction on the value or value range of the preset interval threshold, and it can also be different according to the size, shape, performance, use scenario or use requirements of the optical switchable device, so as to improve the applicability and reliability of the device.

[0030] Condition C: When the use cycle of the optical switchable device reaches the preset use time threshold. In some embodiments, the use cycle can refer to the length of the interval from the time when the optical switchable device can be used after the product is installed at the factory to a certain time after installation; in other embodiments, the use cycle can also refer to the total time for the optical switchable device to adjust or maintain the transmittance, that is, although the device is installed in a certain scene for use, the transmittance is not actually adjusted or maintained, and it is considered to be in an unused state. Only the time when the transmittance is adjusted or maintained is calculated as the use cycle.

[0031] Similarly, there is no particular restriction on the value or value range of the preset usage time threshold, and it can also be set to different values ​​according to the size, shape, performance, usage scenario or usage requirements of the optical switchable device to improve the applicability and reliability of the device.

[0032] Condition D: When the shift operation is not completed after exceeding the maximum shift time. As mentioned above, shifting refers to the operation of the optical switchable device switching from one dimming gear (current dimming gear) to another dimming gear (target dimming gear). The sign of the completion of the shift operation is that the current actual dimming gear reaches the target dimming gear. Under normal circumstances, the shift operation will be completed within a certain period of time. However, after the device ages, in some cases, if the device has not reached the target dimming gear after exceeding the maximum shift time, it means that the device may not be able to reach the target dimming gear at present, so it can trigger the update of the dimming gear standard of the optical switchable device.

[0033] In some embodiments, the maximum shifting time may be the maximum shifting time for the optical switchable device to shift from any dimming gear to any other dimming gear. In other embodiments, the maximum shifting time may also be the time required for the optical switchable device to shift from the lowest dimming gear to the highest dimming gear, or from the highest dimming gear to the lowest dimming gear, such as 90s, 120s, or 200s. In some other embodiments, the maximum shifting time may also be any time preset in advance, or may be a test time after detection according to the current state of the device. There is no special limitation on the value or value range of the maximum shifting time, and it may also be different values ​​according to the size, shape, performance, usage scenario, or usage requirements of the optical switchable device to improve the applicability and reliability of the device.

[0034] Condition E: When the difference between the actual state voltage at the specified dimming gear obtained the most recently and the preset state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear exceeds the preset voltage difference range. For example, taking the specified dimming gear as gear 1, if the difference between the actual state voltage at gear 1 obtained the most recently and the currently corresponding preset state voltage exceeds a certain range, that is, exceeds the preset voltage difference range, it can be considered that the gear of the device has a large deviation and needs to be calibrated, so the device can be triggered to enter the self-calibration mode.

[0035] The preset state voltage can be obtained by querying a data table preset in the device, or by calculating a fitting function between the capacity and the state voltage; in addition, there is no particular limitation on the value or value range of the preset voltage difference range, which can also be taken differently according to the size, shape, performance, usage scenario or usage requirements of the optical switchable device to improve the applicability and reliability of the device. In some embodiments, the preset voltage difference range can be, for example, 0.1V, 0.2V or 0.3V.

[0036] It can be understood that the several conditions listed above can be used individually or in combination, that is, the self-calibration mode is triggered only when multiple conditions are met at the same time, which also avoids frequent self-calibration operations, or different conditions can be used to trigger at different times, etc., which is not limited here.

[0037] In other embodiments, the self-calibration mode may also be entered through manual adjustment, that is, a self-calibration mode signal may be manually input into the optical switchable device to make it enter the self-calibration mode, thereby automatically updating the dimming level standard.

[0038] Figure 3 Another flow chart of a control method of an optical switchable device according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 3 As shown, before step S110, the control method of the optical switchable device further includes: step S210 is to detect whether the condition for triggering entering the self-calibration mode is met.

[0039] If the triggering condition for entering the self-calibration mode is met, step S220 is executed, otherwise, the detection is continued. The triggering condition is not described again here, and the details can be found in the above content.

[0040] Step S220 is to detect whether the optical switchable device is currently in use.

[0041] After the conditions for triggering the self-calibration mode are met, considering that the optical switchable device is currently in use, in order to avoid affecting the user experience, it is preferred to perform self-calibration when the device is not in use. Exemplarily, if it is not currently in use, step S110 is executed. Otherwise, continue to wait until it stops being used. Optionally, if it is currently in use, the current dimming gear state of the optical switchable device can be further determined to determine whether to start the self-calibration operation.

[0042] Here, the so-called "being in use" means that the transmittance of the optical switchable device changes or remains in a specific state after the transmittance changes. If the dimming level corresponding to the specific state of its transmittance is inconsistent with the specified dimming level, it can also be considered to be in use.

[0043] Step S230 is to enter the self-calibration mode if the device is in use and the current dimming level is the designated dimming level, that is, to execute step S110 .

[0044] It can be understood that if the device is currently in an available state, when there is a situation that the current dimming gear is exactly the specified dimming gear, since there is no need to adjust the gear, it will not cause the device to suddenly switch from one transmittance state to another transmittance state. At this time, even if the self-calibration operation is started, it is not easy for the user to notice, so the user experience is less affected, or even does not affect the user experience.

[0045] Taking into account the influence of ambient temperature on the performance of the device, in some embodiments, before controlling the optical switchable device to enter the self-calibration mode, the control method also includes: detecting whether the current ambient temperature meets the preset temperature range or preset temperature value; if so, starting the self-calibration operation, that is, entering the self-calibration mode; otherwise, not starting the self-calibration operation, that is, not entering the self-calibration mode.

[0046] Among them, the above-mentioned preset temperature interval or preset temperature value is used to determine whether the current environment is suitable for starting the self-calibration operation. Under normal circumstances, the electrochemical state of the same electrochromic material will change in different temperature ranges, and its ion transfer amount will change, which will show different state voltages, such as OCV values, in different temperature ranges; therefore, the self-calibration process of the device can be carried out within a certain temperature range to ensure the consistency of the state voltage, such as OCV changes. In addition, the difficulty of charging or discharging is different at different temperatures. For example, if the temperature is too low, the activity of the electrolyte is low, resulting in slower ion or electron transmission during charging or discharging. Therefore, associating the temperature factor with the state voltage or capacity here can make self-calibration more accurate.

[0047] For example, the current ambient temperature of the optical switchable device can be detected by a temperature sensor such as a thermistor. If the gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device needs to be obtained within a specific temperature range, such as 10°C to 40°C, it can be determined whether the current ambient temperature meets the specific temperature range. If so, the self-calibration operation is started, otherwise the self-calibration operation is not performed.

[0048] Step S120 is to adjust the optical switchable device to at least one designated dimming gear and obtain at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the designated dimming gear. In step S120, the designated dimming gear can be set to different numbers according to different adjustment methods, for example, one or two or more.

[0049] In some embodiments, after entering the self-calibration mode, self-calibration can be performed only through a designated dimming gear. For example, the optical switchable device can be controlled to directly adjust to the designated dimming gear, and at this time, it can be determined whether the designated dimming gear is reached by the cut-off current, the charging or discharging time, etc., and then the actual state voltage corresponding to the current designated dimming gear, such as the actual OCV, can be detected and obtained.

[0050] In other embodiments, there may be multiple designated dimming gears, and the optical switchable device may be controlled to adjust to the corresponding designated dimming gears in sequence, and then the actual state voltage corresponding to each designated dimming gear, such as the actual OCV, is recorded.

[0051] When the detected actual state voltage is OCV, the circuit can be disconnected for a period of time after the device reaches the specified dimming level, and then the OCV can be detected to make the detected OCV value more stable and accurate. The time for disconnecting the circuit is not particularly limited and can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the performance of the device, for example, 60s, 90s, 120s or 150s.

[0052] It is understood that the designated dimming gear at this time can be any multiple gears of all dimming gears set by the optical switchable device, and is not limited here. In some embodiments, the designated dimming gear can be the highest dimming gear or the lowest dimming gear of the optical switchable device to simplify the self-calibration process and improve the accuracy of the self-calibration.

[0053] Step S130 is to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device based on at least one actual state voltage, in combination with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or in combination with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage.

[0054] In step S130, different methods may be used to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device. In some embodiments, when self-calibration is performed only through one designated dimming gear, self-calibration is performed in combination with a pre-stored data table between different dimming gears and preset state voltages. In other embodiments, when self-calibration is performed through multiple designated dimming gears, self-calibration may be performed by constructing a fitting function relationship between the gear capacity of the dimming gear and the state voltage.

[0055] Figure 4 A flow chart showing a control method for an optical switchable device that performs self-calibration based on a pre-stored data table in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 4 In some embodiments, the control method of the optical switchable device can perform self-calibration with a specified dimming level and in combination with a pre-stored data table between different dimming levels and preset state voltages. The specific steps are described below.

[0056] Step S310 is to control the optical switchable device to be in a specified dimming gear after entering the self-calibration mode (ie, after step S110 ), and obtain the actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear, such as OCV.

[0057] The number of dimming gears of the optical switchable device is not particularly limited, and different numbers of dimming gears can be set according to different user needs, usage scenarios, etc. For example, the dimming gears can be finite, or infinite to achieve a stepless dimming effect.

[0058] In some embodiments, the optical switchable device may include, for example, 11 dimming gears, and the above-mentioned designated dimming gear may be any one of gears 1 to 11. In other embodiments, the designated dimming gear may be the highest dimming gear or the lowest dimming gear of the optical switchable device, that is, gear 1 or gear 11 mentioned above. This is because the cut-off current actually detected can be used to determine whether the lowest gear or the highest gear is reached, and does not involve the capacity of the gear and the assumptions of the functional relationship, so the accuracy is higher and the adjustment method is more convenient.

[0059] Step S320 is to query the pre-stored data table that has a corresponding relationship between different dimming gears and preset state voltages, and use the group of pre-stored data including the actual state voltage corresponding to the dimming gear specified in step S310 as the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

[0060] The above-mentioned pre-stored data table reflects the corresponding relationship between different dimming gears and preset state voltages, which can be obtained in advance through testing. For example, as shown in Table 1, the aging degree of the optical switchable device is different under different usage time, so the preset state voltage corresponding to the same dimming gear may be different, wherein the preset state voltage in Table 1 takes the value of the preset OCV as an example. It can be understood that the data in the pre-stored data table here is only an example and is not used as a corresponding limitation on the state voltage of each dimming gear, such as OCV.

[0061] Table 1

[0062]

[0063] Taking the 1st gear as the designated dimming gear and the above data table as an example, when obtaining the actual OCV of the current 1st gear, if the actual OCV is -0.5V, it can be known by querying the above data table that the OCV corresponding to the 1st gear contained in the second group of data is -0.5V, so it can be determined that the second group of pre-stored data meets the current offset state of the device, so it is used as the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device. In other words, the data in the second group will be used as the charging or discharging reference data of the target gear when shifting gears.

[0064] Considering that the state voltage of each dimming gear, such as OCV, may be different at different temperatures, in some embodiments, multiple pre-stored data tables can be obtained according to different temperatures. For example, multiple temperature intervals can be divided according to the temperature, such as the intervals of -20℃~10℃, 10℃~40℃, and 40℃~85℃, etc., and then, different temperature intervals correspond to a different data table in the form of Table 1 (the form of each table is the same, but the specific data values ​​may be different). For example, the OCV-related data in Table 1 above is obtained by testing in the temperature range of 10℃~40℃.

[0065] Furthermore, the span of each of the above-mentioned temperature intervals can be narrowed, that is, the temperature range can be divided more finely to obtain more temperature intervals. For example, the span is narrowed to 5°C, 10°C, 20°C, etc., and the corresponding temperature intervals can include 10°C~15°C, or 10°C~12°C, or 10°C~20°C, or 10°C~30°C, etc. The specific temperature intervals can be selected according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0066] In other embodiments, a temperature value may be set to correspond to a data table. For example, when the temperature is T1, a data table such as shown in Table 1 above may be obtained by testing; when the temperature is set to T2, a data table may be obtained by testing, and so on. Then, it is only necessary to perform self-calibration according to the temperature value or the data table under the temperature range that matches the current ambient temperature. Thus, by setting the pre-stored data tables at different temperatures, the state voltage, such as the OCV data, may be more accurately regulated to achieve a more accurate calibration effect.

[0067] Based on the above method, the ambient temperature when entering the self-calibration mode is obtained, and after obtaining the corresponding actual state voltage, a target pre-stored data table matching the current ambient temperature is determined from multiple pre-stored data tables, and a query operation is performed based on the target pre-stored data table to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

[0068] The above matching refers to the temperature interval in which the current ambient temperature falls, indicating that it matches the temperature interval; or, when a temperature corresponds to a pre-stored data table, the pre-stored data table corresponding to the current ambient temperature is selected.

[0069] The optical switchable device provided in the embodiment of the present application can effectively solve the problem of gear shift caused by aging of electrochromic materials during use by using a specified dimming gear and combining with a pre-stored data table to determine the state voltage corresponding to each current dimming gear, such as the OCV value, to obtain the latest gear dimming standard; in addition, the influence of temperature on the state voltage, such as OCV, is also considered. By setting the data table corresponding to different temperature intervals or temperature values, the consistency of the electrical state of the electrochromic material at the same temperature can be ensured. When the division of the temperature interval or temperature value is finer, a more accurate calibration effect can also be obtained. The method is easy to implement and does not increase the calculation burden of the device.

[0070] Figure 5 A flow chart showing a control method for an optical switchable device that performs self-calibration based on a preset relationship in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 5 Some embodiments propose a control method for an optical switchable device, which performs self-calibration with multiple specified dimming gears and a fitting function between the gear capacity and the state voltage of different dimming gears. The specific steps are described below.

[0071] Step S410 is to control the optical switchable device to be in a plurality of different designated dimming gears in sequence after entering the self-calibration mode, and obtain the actual state voltage corresponding to each designated dimming gear.

[0072] Among them, the multiple designated dimming gears can be randomly generated by a program or manually designated, which is not limited here. The specific number is not limited, for example, it can be set according to the actual needs, for example, according to the order of the fitting function, that is, when the fitting function is a third-order function, the number of designated dimming gears can be selected to be at least three, when the fitting function is a fourth-order function, the number of designated dimming gears can be selected to be at least four, etc. Still taking the optical switchable device with 11 dimming gears as an example, for example, the designated dimming gears can be 2, 5, 8, or 1 to 4, or 3, 6, 9, 11, etc., or 5 to 9, etc.

[0073] Step S420 is to calculate the fitting function between the state voltage and the gear capacity of the optical switchable device in the current state according to the actual state voltage corresponding to each specified dimming gear, combined with the preset relationship between the dimming gear and the gear capacity; and according to the fitting function and the preset gear capacity of each dimming gear, calculate the state voltage corresponding to each dimming gear as the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

[0074] Regarding the preset relationship between different dimming gears and gear capacities, due to the state voltage of the optical switchable device, such as after the OCV is offset, the OCV corresponding to each dimming gear will change, but in some embodiments, the gear capacity may remain unchanged, or the change difference is small and is defaulted to be unchanged. As shown in Table 2, if the total capacity of the optical switchable device remains unchanged or unchanged by default, set to Q0, the gear capacities corresponding to each dimming gear are preset to have the following relationship. It can be seen that when the optical switchable device is in different aging states, the proportion of the gear capacity corresponding to each dimming gear to the total capacity may remain unchanged.

[0075] Table 2

[0076]

[0077] In other embodiments, after the state voltage of the optically switchable device, such as OCV, is offset, the OCV corresponding to each dimming gear will change, and the corresponding total capacity will also change accordingly, for example, the values ​​of Qa, Qb, Qc and Qd shown in Table 3 may be different from the initial total capacity Q0. As shown in Table 3, when the optically switchable device is in different aging states, its total capacity changes, and the proportion of the gear capacity corresponding to each dimming gear to the total capacity may remain unchanged (that is, the proportional fraction or proportional factor may remain unchanged).

[0078] In this case, since the total capacity of the optical switchable device changes after aging, the corresponding total capacity after the change can be obtained by detection. In some embodiments, the device can be fully charged first (for example, the dimming gear of the device is adjusted to the lowest gear or the highest gear), and then the device is discharged from the fully charged state to the fully discharged state (for example, the dimming gear of the device is adjusted to the highest gear or the lowest gear accordingly), and the discharge capacity of the device during the process from full charge to full discharge can be detected to determine the total capacity of the current device. In other embodiments, the device can be fully discharged first (for example, the dimming gear of the device is adjusted to the highest gear or the lowest gear), and then the device is charged from the fully discharged state to the fully charged state (for example, the dimming gear of the device is adjusted to the lowest gear or the highest gear accordingly), and the charging capacity of the device during the process from full discharge to full charge can be detected to determine the total capacity of the current device. In some other embodiments, the discharge capacity and charging capacity of the device can also be detected at the same time, and the smaller value is used as the total capacity of the current device.

[0079] Table 3

[0080]

[0081] The above Tables 2 and 3 only show that under different aging conditions, the ratio (proportional factor) of the gear capacity of the same dimming gear to the total capacity remains consistent; of course, depending on the usage scenario or requirements, the ratio of the gear capacity of the same dimming gear to the total capacity may also be different.

[0082] Exemplarily, after obtaining multiple groups of actual state voltages of multiple specified dimming gears, such as OCV, combined with the preset relationship between the gear capacity and the specified dimming gear, the state voltage of the dimming gear, such as the functional relationship between OCV and the gear capacity, can be fitted. Then, according to the fitted functional relationship, the state voltage of other dimming gears, such as OCV, can be calculated without the need to detect them one by one. Thus, the OCV corresponding to all dimming gears is obtained and used as the latest reference data for gear charging or discharging. It is worth noting that when assuming the functional relationship between OCV and gear capacity, the corresponding type of function can be selected according to the different materials, adjustment logic, etc., such as third-order, fourth-order or fifth-order polynomial functions, which are not limited here.

[0083] Taking the third order as an example, assume that the functional relationship between the two is: Q = aX 3 +bX 2 +cX+d, where X is the state voltage corresponding to each dimming gear, such as OCV, Q is the gear capacity of the corresponding dimming gear, and a, b, c and d are constants to be solved. For example, by obtaining the actual OCV corresponding to at least 4 specified dimming gears, and substituting the corresponding gear capacity and actual OCV into the above functional relationship, all constant terms can be calculated, thereby obtaining an updated functional relationship. Furthermore, using the updated functional relationship, the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device can be obtained.

[0084] In some embodiments, in combination with the preset relationship between the gear capacity and the specified dimming gear, multiple functional relationships between the state voltage of the dimming gear and the gear capacity can also be fitted, for example: when the specified dimming gear is 1-3 gears or any gear therebetween, the first functional relationship between the state voltage and the gear capacity within the gear interval can be fitted; when the specified dimming gear is 4-8 gears or any gear therebetween, the second functional relationship between the state voltage and the gear capacity within the gear interval can be fitted; when the specified dimming gear is 9-11 gears or any gear therebetween, the third functional relationship between the state voltage and the gear capacity within the gear interval can be fitted. Thus, according to the actual needs, multiple functional relationships between the state voltage and the gear capacity within different dimming gear intervals can be fitted, and then according to the corresponding functional relationships, the gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device can be obtained, so as to achieve more comprehensive and effective dimming.

[0085] As an optional solution, the preset relationship between the gear capacity and the dimming gear mentioned above may result in different performance responses due to different temperatures. For this reason, multiple sets of the above preset relationships corresponding to different temperature values ​​or temperature ranges can be pre-tested here, so that self-calibration can be performed using the set that matches the current ambient temperature, thereby obtaining a more accurate calibration result.

[0086] Exemplarily, after obtaining the ambient temperature during the self-calibration operation, a set of preset relationships matching the current ambient temperature can be determined, and then the set of preset relationships is used to calculate the fitting function between the state voltage of the optical switchable device in the current state and the gear capacity of the dimming gear, thereby determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device. It can be understood that the above-mentioned related description can be referred to for the division of temperature, which will not be repeated here.

[0087] The optical switchable device provided in the embodiment of the present application adopts multiple designated dimming gears to perform fitting update of the functional relationship between the gear capacity and the state voltage, such as OCV, of each gear, and obtains the functional relationship between the gear capacity and OCV of the device at different times, and the updated functional relationship is used to determine the latest reference data for charging or discharging of each gear. This method can effectively solve the problem of gear shift caused by aging of electrochromic devices during use, prevent damage to the device caused by overcharging and over-discharging, and thus increase the service life of the device.

[0088] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the control system of the optical switchable device in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 6 Some embodiments provide a control system 100 for an optically switchable device. Exemplarily, the control system 100 for the optically switchable device includes:

[0089] A mode control module 110, for controlling the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode;

[0090] A shift control module 120, configured to adjust the optical switchable device to be in at least one designated dimming gear, and obtain at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the designated dimming gear;

[0091] The calibration calculation module 130 is used to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device based on the at least one actual state voltage, combined with the correlation between the dimming gear and the preset state voltage, or combined with the correlation between the gear capacity and the state voltage.

[0092] It can be understood that the device of this embodiment corresponds to the method of the above embodiment, and the options in the above embodiment are also applicable to this embodiment, so they will not be described repeatedly here.

[0093] The present application also provides an optically switchable device. Exemplarily, the optically switchable device includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor runs the computer program to enable the optically switchable device to execute the functions of each module in the above-mentioned optically switchable device control method or the above-mentioned optically switchable device control system.

[0094] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing the computer program used in the above-mentioned optical switchable device.

[0095] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can also be implemented in other ways. The device implementation described above is only schematic. For example, the flowchart and structure diagram in the accompanying drawings show the possible architecture, functions and operations of the devices, methods and computer program products according to multiple embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment or a part of the code, and the module, program segment or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in an alternative implementation, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive boxes can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the structure diagram and / or the flow chart, and the combination of boxes in the structure diagram and / or the flow chart, can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or action, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0096] In addition, the functional modules or units in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist separately, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

[0097] If the function is implemented in the form of a software function module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for a computer device (which can be a smart phone, a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disk or an optical disk.

[0098] The above description is only a specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for an optical switchable device, characterized in that: include: If the optical switchable device is not currently in use, or is currently in use and the current dimming gear is a specified dimming gear, controlling the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode; The self-calibration mode includes: Adjusting the optical switchable device to be in at least one of the specified dimming gears, and acquiring at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear; When self-calibration is performed only through one designated dimming gear, the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device is determined by combining a pre-stored data table between different dimming gears and preset state voltages, or when self-calibration is performed through multiple designated dimming gears, by constructing a fitting function relationship between the gear capacity of the dimming gear and the state voltage; wherein the state voltage is the actual voltage detected under each dimming gear.

2. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In a case where the number of the designated dimming gears is one, determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device includes: The pre-stored data table showing the correspondence between different dimming gears and preset state voltages is queried, and the pre-stored data table including the specified dimming gear corresponding to the actual state voltage is used as the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

3. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The designated dimming level is the highest dimming level or the lowest dimming level of the optical switchable device.

4. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Different temperature values ​​or temperature ranges correspond to different pre-stored data tables; The control method further comprises: Acquire the ambient temperature when entering the self-calibration mode; From the plurality of pre-stored data tables, a target pre-stored data table matching the ambient temperature is determined and a query operation is performed to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

5. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the case that the number of the designated dimming gears is multiple, determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device includes: According to the actual state voltage corresponding to each designated dimming gear, combined with the preset relationship between the dimming gear and the gear capacity, a fitting function between the state voltage of the optical switchable device in the current state and the gear capacity is calculated; According to the fitting function and the preset gear capacity of each dimming gear, the state voltage corresponding to each dimming gear is calculated to serve as the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

6. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Different temperature values ​​or temperature ranges correspond to different preset relationships; the control method further includes: Acquire the ambient temperature when entering the self-calibration mode; A set of preset relationships matching the ambient temperature is determined, and the set of preset relationships is used to calculate a fitting function between the state voltage and the gear capacity of the optical switchable device in the current state, thereby determining the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device.

7. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gear capacity of each dimming gear is a different preset proportion of the total capacity of the optical switchable device.

8. The control method of an optical switchable device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The conditions for triggering the self-calibration mode include any one or more combinations of the following conditions A to E: Condition A: when the number of gear shifts of the optical switchable device reaches a preset number threshold; Condition B: When the time interval from the last time the self-calibration mode was entered reaches the preset interval threshold; Condition C: when the usage period of the optical switchable device reaches a preset usage time threshold; Condition D: When the gear shift operation is not completed after exceeding the maximum gear shift time; Condition E: when the difference between the most recently acquired actual state voltage at the designated dimming level and the preset state voltage corresponding to the designated dimming level exceeds a preset voltage difference range.

9. The control method of the optical switchable device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before controlling the optical switchable device to enter the self-calibration mode, the control method further includes: Detect whether the current ambient temperature meets the preset temperature range or preset temperature value; If so, the self-calibration mode is entered; otherwise, the self-calibration mode is not entered.

10. A control system for an optical switchable device, characterized in that: include: A mode control module, configured to control the optical switchable device to enter a self-calibration mode if the optical switchable device is not currently in use, or is currently in use and the current dimming gear is a designated dimming gear; a shift control module, used for adjusting the optical switchable device to be in at least one of the specified dimming gears, and obtaining at least one actual state voltage corresponding to the specified dimming gear; A calibration calculation module is used to determine the latest gear dimming standard of the optical switchable device by combining a pre-stored data table between different dimming gears and preset state voltages when self-calibration is performed only through one specified dimming gear, or by constructing a fitting function relationship satisfied between the gear capacity of the dimming gear and the state voltage when self-calibration is performed through multiple specified dimming gears; wherein the state voltage is the actual voltage detected under each dimming gear.

11. An optical switchable device, characterized in that: The optically switchable device comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to implement the control method of the optically switchable device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The device stores a computer program, which, when executed on a processor, implements the control method of the optical switchable device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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