Intelligent controller and system

Abstract

The application provides a kind of intelligent controller and system, suitable for being connected in the alternating current loop of a load to control the working state of load, comprising: electronic switch, can be turned on or off to switch the working state of the load;Power unit, configured to obtain electrical energy under the condition that the electronic switch is turned on or off;Communication processing unit, the communication processing unit has the first state and the second state that exist alternately, and data interaction is carried out in the second state, the power consumption of first state is less than the power consumption of second state;Compensation unit, coupled between the power unit and the communication processing unit, and configured to: can be supplemented with electrical energy in the first state of the communication processing unit, to power the communication processing unit in the second state of the communication processing unit;And current limiting part is arranged between the power unit and the compensation unit, for limiting the current in the power unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of smart home technology, and more particularly to a smart controller and system. Background Technology

[0002] As people's living standards improve, the intelligent control of home appliances is becoming increasingly important. Traditional mechanical switches are no longer suitable for the use of smart appliances, and smart switches with wireless communication modules are becoming more and more popular.

[0003] Among the existing related technologies, one type is a neutral and live wire switch connected in parallel with the load (such as a lamp), and the other type is a single live wire switch connected in series with the load. The latter is more widely used because it is easy to install without rewiring and can directly replace traditional mechanical switches.

[0004] However, when a single-wire switch is transmitting or receiving signals, the communication module may generate a high peak current, which may cause a dim or flickering phenomenon when the lights are off. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One objective of this invention is to provide an intelligent controller and system, wherein the intelligent controller can prevent the load from being affected by the transmission and reception of signals during data interaction by the communication processing unit, thereby changing the operating state of the load, such as the flickering / dim lighting of lights.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide an intelligent controller and system, wherein the communication processing unit in the intelligent controller is powered by a compensation unit, thereby avoiding the influence of the communication processing unit on the power supply circuit and improving the load-carrying capacity of the intelligent controller.

[0007] Another objective of this invention is to provide an intelligent controller and system, wherein the intelligent controller can draw power once per half cycle when the electronic switch is turned on, resulting in a high power draw frequency, a large amount of electrical energy obtained, and minimal impact on the load.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent controller and system, wherein the intelligent controller is capable of rapidly charging the compensation unit upon first power-on, thereby shortening the waiting time for first power-on.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent controller and system, wherein the intelligent controller can continuously replenish energy to the compensation unit through a current limiting unit after power-on, so as to maintain the power supply of the communication processing unit.

[0010] To achieve at least one of the above objectives, the present invention provides an intelligent controller suitable for controlling the operating state of a load in an AC circuit connected in series with the load, the intelligent controller comprising:

[0011] An electronic switch is capable of turning the load on or off to switch the operating state of the load.

[0012] The power-collecting unit is configured to collect electrical energy whether the electronic switch is turned on or off.

[0013] A communication processing unit has an alternating first state and a second state, and performs data interaction in the second state. The power consumption of the first state is less than that of the second state.

[0014] A compensation unit is coupled between the power extraction unit and the communication processing unit and is configured to: be able to be replenished with electrical energy in a first state of the communication processing unit so as to power the communication processing unit in a second state; and a current limiting section is provided between the power extraction unit and the compensation unit to limit the current in the power extraction unit.

[0015] In one embodiment, a first switching circuit is provided between the power-taking unit and the current-limiting part for turning on or off the charging circuit of the compensation unit, and is turned on when the output voltage of the power-taking unit reaches a preset value.

[0016] In one embodiment, the power-gathering unit includes a first power-gathering circuit and a second power-gathering circuit. The first power-gathering circuit and the second power-gathering circuit share an output terminal. The first switching circuit is electrically connected to the output terminal to turn off the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power-gathering unit is within a preset value, and to turn on the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power-gathering unit reaches the preset value.

[0017] In one embodiment, the power-taking unit is provided with a first capacitor shared by the first power-taking circuit and the second power-taking circuit at the common output terminal;

[0018] The intelligent controller further includes a first driving circuit for monitoring the output voltage of the first capacitor. When the output voltage of the first capacitor reaches a preset value, the first switching circuit is driven to turn on; when the output voltage of the first capacitor does not reach the preset value, the first switching circuit is driven to turn off.

[0019] In one embodiment, the second power-drawing circuit charges the first capacitor through at least one second capacitor, wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor is greater than that of the second capacitor.

[0020] The second power-taking circuit has an intermittently arranged power-taking phase and a non-power-taking phase, and is configured as follows:

[0021] During the power extraction phase, the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the compensation unit are charged using the alternating current.

[0022] During the non-power-drawing phase, the compensation unit is charged through the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

[0023] In one embodiment, the power-taking unit forms a first charging circuit for the compensation unit through the current-limiting part, providing a first current to the compensation unit, the first current being less than the maximum value of the current entering the communication processing unit in the second state.

[0024] In one embodiment, a second charging circuit is further provided between the power-taking unit and the compensation unit, which is configured to short-circuit the first charging circuit when enabled, and to provide the compensation unit with a second current greater than the first current.

[0025] In one embodiment, an enabling circuit is further included, which is electrically connected to the second charging circuit; the communication processing unit is configured to: before power-on, enable the second charging circuit to work through the enabling circuit when the output voltage of the power-taking unit reaches a preset value; after power-on, cut off the enabling circuit so as to replenish the compensation unit with power through the first charging circuit.

[0026] In one embodiment, the current limiting part includes an impedance element;

[0027] The second charging circuit includes a power switch; the first switching circuit includes a combination of devices with switching function, consisting of any one or at least two of MOSFETs, transistors, and IGBTs.

[0028] In one embodiment, the capacitance of the first capacitor is set to 1000uF, the capacitance of the second capacitor is set to 470uF, and the compensation unit is a supercapacitor with a capacitance of 0.5F.

[0029] To achieve at least one of the above objectives, according to a second aspect of the present invention, an intelligent control system is provided for controlling a load device, the control system comprising:

[0030] Remote control equipment, which is used to generate and transmit a control command; and,

[0031] The intelligent controller described in the first aspect above;

[0032] The intelligent controller is connected in series to the AC power circuit of the load device and controls the working state of the load device based on the control commands.

[0033] In one embodiment, the remote control device includes at least one of a wireless battery switch, a passive inductive switch, a wall switch with wireless signal transmission function, and a speaker device with voice interaction function. It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. These drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrating embodiments consistent with this application and serving together with the specification to explain the principles of this application. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0035] Figure 1-2 Figures 4-5, 8, 10, and 12-13 are schematic diagrams of the circuit structure of the intelligent controller in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the first power-taking circuit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the first charging circuit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a circuit structure including a first driving circuit, a second switching circuit, and an enable circuit in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 9a This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the second power supply control circuit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 9b This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the second power supply circuit in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the second charging circuit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the power monitoring circuit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply circuit of the communication processing unit in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 16 This is a flowchart illustrating an intelligent control method in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of an intelligent control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail. When the description relates to the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] It should be understood that in the description of all embodiments of the present invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. Terms such as "coupled" and "connected" should be interpreted broadly; for example, they can refer to electrical connections or mutual communication, direct connections, or indirect connections through an intermediate medium to form a linkage relationship, or they can refer to the internal connection of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0048] Please see Figures 1-15 The accompanying drawings illustrate an intelligent controller proposed by the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention also provides an intelligent control method and an intelligent control system based on this intelligent controller. These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the detailed description given herein with respect to these drawings is for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

[0049] like Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of an intelligent controller provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The intelligent controller 10 is adapted to be connected in series in an AC circuit of a load 20 to control the working state of the load 20. In one example, the load 20 can be any kind of lighting device such as an energy-saving lamp, an LED lamp, or an incandescent lamp, and the present invention does not limit it in any way. The working state can be a running state (e.g., the lamp is on) or a non-running state (e.g., the lamp is off).

[0050] The intelligent controller 10 includes an electronic switch 102, which can be turned on or off to switch the operating state of the load 20. The electronic switch 102 can be, for example, any device or combination of devices that can use electronic circuits and power electronic devices to achieve circuit switching, such as a thyristor, transistor, field-effect transistor, silicon controlled rectifier, or relay. This invention does not limit the type of electronic switch. It is understood that when the electronic switch 102 is on, the load 20 is supplied with high power and enters the operating state; when the electronic switch 102 is off, the load 20 is cut off from the high-power supply and enters the non-operating state. Therefore, by controlling the electronic switch 102 to be on or off, the load 20 can be switched between the operating state and the non-operating state. Taking a lamp as an example, when the electronic switch 102 is on, the lamp is lit; when the electronic switch 102 is off, the lamp is turned off. By controlling the electronic switch 102 to be on or off, the lamp can be turned on or off.

[0051] The power extraction unit 101 is configured to obtain electrical energy whether the electronic switch 102 is turned on or off.

[0052] The communication processing unit 105 has an alternating first state and a second state, and performs data interaction in the second state. The power consumption of the first state is less than that of the second state.

[0053] The data interaction can include states where the communication processing unit 105 transmits signals to other devices (such as other controllers), receives signals transmitted by external devices, and controls the on / off state of the electronic switch 102, etc. Furthermore, the lower power consumption of the first state than the second state can be understood as the average power consumption of the first state being lower than the average power consumption of the second state, or the maximum power consumption of the first state being lower than the maximum power consumption of the second state. In one example, the communication processing unit 105 enters a low-power standby mode in the first state, resulting in lower power consumption (e.g., 2-3 mA). Then, when it needs to transmit or receive signals, it enters the second state. During signal transmission / reception in the second state, a peak current several times higher than that in the first state (e.g., 30-40 mA) is generated. After transmission is complete, the communication processing unit 105 switches back to the first state.

[0054] The compensation unit 104 is coupled between the power extraction unit 101 and the communication processing unit 105, and is configured to: be able to be replenished with electrical energy in a first state of the communication processing unit 105 so as to power the communication processing unit 105 in a second state; and a current limiting section 103 is provided between the power extraction unit 101 and the compensation unit 104 to limit the current in the power extraction unit 101.

[0055] It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the compensation unit 104 not only powers the communication processing unit 105 in its second state, but also powers it as needed throughout its entire operation. When the communication processing unit 105 cannot obtain sufficient power from the power supply unit 101, the compensation unit 104 provides it with energy to support its normal operation. For example, when the light fixture is on, the communication processing unit 105 is fully powered by the compensation unit 104 during non-power supply periods to maintain its normal operation (including both the first and second states). Similarly, the compensation unit 104 is replenished with power not only when the communication processing unit 105 is in its first state, but also throughout its entire operation. When the energy in the compensation unit 104 is consumed, and the power supply unit 101 is in a power supply circuit connected in series with the load 20, the compensation unit 104 can be replenished with electrical energy through the current in the power supply unit 101 to maintain sufficient energy storage in the compensation unit 104.

[0056] Thus, based on the intelligent controller provided by the above technical solution, during the first state of the communication processing unit 105, the compensation unit 104 stores the electrical energy obtained by the power-taking unit 101 to power the communication processing unit 105 during the second state, providing the current required during signal transmission and reception. After transmission and reception, the power-taking unit 101 replenishes the consumed electrical energy in the compensation unit 104 through the current-limiting unit 103 to maintain the energy in the compensation unit 104. The current-limiting unit 103 is used to limit the current entering the compensation unit 104. When the compensation unit 104 consumes a large amount of electrical energy, the power-taking unit 101 still replenishes its energy with a small current under the action of the current-limiting unit 103, limiting the current flowing through the lamp in the off state and avoiding the problem of lamp flickering / dim lighting caused by transmitting / receiving signals in the off state. It can prevent the peak current generated by transmitting and receiving signals from affecting the load 20 during the data interaction period of the communication processing unit 105.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the power extraction unit 101 includes a first power extraction circuit 1011 and a second power extraction circuit 1012; the electronic switch 102 and the first power extraction circuit 1011 can be selectively connected in series with the load 20 based on the on or off state of the electronic switch 102; wherein, the second power extraction circuit 1012 is connected in series with the electronic switch 102, so that when the electronic switch 102 is on, the second power extraction circuit 1012 is connected in series with the load 20 to obtain power, and when the electronic switch 102 is off, the second power extraction circuit 1012 is cut off and power is obtained through the first power extraction circuit 1011.

[0058] When the electronic switch 102 is off, the first power-taking circuit 1011 obtains electrical energy from the series circuit formed with the load 20; when the electronic switch 102 is on, the first power-taking circuit 1011 is short-circuited by the electronic switch 102, and the second power-taking circuit 1012 forms a series circuit with the electronic switch 102 and the load 20; wherein the first power-taking circuit 1011 and the second power-taking circuit 1012 can be any form of circuit structure, such as a circuit structure containing a thyristor rectifier / switching transistor, or a voltage regulation circuit such as a BUCK, BOOST, or flyback converter, etc. The present invention does not impose any limitations on the circuit structure of the power-taking circuit.

[0059] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the first power supply circuit in one embodiment; in this embodiment, the first power supply circuit is an isolated flyback topology converter.

[0060] like Figure 1-2 As shown, in one embodiment, the power-taking unit 101 forms the first charging circuit of the compensation unit 104 through the current limiting part 103, and provides a first current to the compensation unit 104. The first current is less than the maximum value of the current entering the communication processing unit 105 in the second state.

[0061] In the second state, the maximum current entering the communication processing unit 105 can be understood as the maximum current required by the communication processing unit 105 during data interaction, such as the peak value of the transmission current during signal transmission. The communication processing unit 105 has a relatively high power during signal transmission and reception; for example, the transmission current during WiFi protocol communication is typically above 10mA, and can even reach 30mA to 40mA or higher. The current limiting unit 103 is connected at one end to the power extraction unit 101 and at the other end to the compensation unit 104. The magnitude of the first current provided by the power extraction unit 101 to the compensation unit 104 via the current limiting unit 103 is equal to the ratio of the voltage difference across the current limiting unit 103 (i.e., the difference between the output voltage of the power extraction unit and the output voltage of the compensation unit) to the impedance of the current limiting unit 103. By reasonably setting the voltage and impedance across the current limiting unit 103, the magnitude of the first current can be controlled, making it less than the peak value of the transmission current, thereby improving the flickering phenomenon of the lamp. Those skilled in the art can set the voltage and impedance across the current limiting unit 103 in conjunction with actual circuit parameters.

[0062] In one embodiment, a first switching circuit 106 is provided between the power-taking unit 101 and the current-limiting part 103, for turning on or off the charging circuit of the compensation unit 104, and is turned on when the output voltage of the power-taking unit 101 reaches a preset value. Specifically, as follows... Figure 4As shown, one end of the current limiting unit 103 is connected to the power taking unit 101, and the other end is connected to the compensation unit 104. When the output voltage of the power taking unit 101 reaches a preset value, the first switching circuit 106 is turned on to charge the compensation unit 104. This allows the power taking unit to reach a relatively stable state before charging the compensation unit 104. In this way, it can effectively avoid the continuous drop in the input potential of the second power taking circuit caused by the charging of the compensation unit 104 during the operation of the second power taking circuit, which would cause the circuit to crash.

[0063] In one embodiment, the first power-drawing circuit 1011 and the second power-drawing circuit 1012 share an output terminal, and the first switching circuit 106 is electrically connected to this output terminal to turn off the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power-drawing unit 101 is within a preset value, and to turn on the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power-drawing unit 101 reaches the preset value. Further, in a specific example, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the power supply unit 101 is provided with a first capacitor C3 shared by the first power supply circuit 1011 and the second power supply circuit 1012 at the common output terminal; the intelligent controller 10 also includes a first driving circuit 107, which is used to monitor the output voltage of the first capacitor C3, drive the first switching circuit 106 to turn on when the output voltage of the first capacitor C3 reaches a preset value, and drive the first switching circuit 106 to turn off when the output voltage of the first capacitor C3 does not reach the preset value.

[0064] In one embodiment, the current limiting unit 103 includes an impedance element to limit the current in the first charging circuit using impedance characteristics. The first switching circuit 106 includes a combination of devices with switching functions, consisting of any one or at least two of a MOSFET, a transistor, and an IGBT. Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a specific circuit structure of the first charging circuit is shown. The first switching circuit 106 includes a PMOS transistor Q1, the compensation unit 104 includes a capacitor C1, and the current limiting part 103 includes a resistor R1. Specifically, the PMOS transistor Q1 is connected in series with the resistor R1 and then in series with the capacitor C1 to ground. The anode of diode D1 is connected to the output terminal VON of the second power supply circuit 1012, the anode of diode D2 is connected to the output terminal VOFF of the first power supply circuit 1011, the cathodes of D1 and D2 are connected to the drain of Q1, capacitor C3 is connected in parallel between the drain of Q1 and ground, and resistor R2 is connected in parallel across the gate and drain of Q1. Capacitor C1 supplies power to the electronic switch 102 through diode D3. The anode of diode D3 is connected to capacitor C1, and the cathode is connected to the power supply terminal V_RELAY of the electronic switch 102, while simultaneously being grounded through capacitor C2. The circuit's operation is as follows:

[0065] When power is drawn through the first power supply circuit 1011, the output terminal VOFF of the first power supply circuit 1011 charges the capacitor C3 through the diode D2, and the potential of the output terminal Vin gradually increases as the output voltage VOFF of the first power supply circuit 1011 increases; when power is drawn through the second power supply circuit 1012, the output terminal VON of the second power supply circuit 1012 charges the capacitor C3 through the diode D1, and the potential of Vin gradually increases as the output voltage VON of the second power supply circuit 1012 increases.

[0066] The control terminal CTRL1 of Q1 is controlled by Vin. When the potential of Vin does not reach the preset value, CTRL1 outputs a high potential, Q1 is turned off, and the potential of Vin continues to rise as capacitor C3 is continuously charged.

[0067] When Vin's potential reaches the preset value, CTRL1 is triggered to output a low potential, Q1 is turned on, and Vin charges capacitor C1 through resistor R1.

[0068] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the first driving circuit 107 in one embodiment. The control terminal CTRL1 of Q1 is specifically controlled by Vin through the first driving circuit 107. U2 is a voltage monitoring chip. The input terminal of the voltage monitoring chip U2 is connected to Vin through a series resistor R4, and the output terminal is grounded through series-connected voltage divider resistors R5 and R6. The collector of transistor P1 is connected to the base of transistor P2 and to the end of resistor R6 furthest from ground. The base of transistor P1 is grounded through a series resistor R8, and the emitters of transistors P1 and P2 are grounded respectively. The collector of transistor P2 outputs the control signal CTRL1 through a series resistor R7. The circuit operation is as follows:

[0069] When the voltage monitoring chip U2 detects that the voltage of Vin has reached the preset value at its input terminal, the output terminal VOUT2 outputs a high level. The high level of VOUT2 triggers the transistor P2 to conduct. Since the emitter of P2 is grounded, CTRL1 outputs a low level, triggering the PMOS transistor Q1 to conduct.

[0070] Conversely, when the input terminal of the voltage monitoring chip U2 detects that the voltage of Vin is less than the preset value, the output terminal VOUT2 outputs a low level. At this time, the transistor P2 is cut off. Since the collector of P2 is connected to Vin through the resistor R2, there is almost no voltage difference between the gate and source of Q1, so the PMOS transistor Q1 is turned off.

[0071] In one embodiment, such as Figure 8As shown, the second power-drawing circuit 1012 charges the first capacitor C3 through at least one second capacitor C10, where the capacitance of the first capacitor C3 is greater than that of the second capacitor C10. The second power-drawing circuit has an alternately arranged power-drawing phase and a non-power-drawing phase, and is configured to: in the power-drawing phase, charge the first capacitor C3, the second capacitor C10, and the compensation unit 104 through the alternating current; and in the non-power-drawing phase, charge the compensation unit 104 through the first capacitor C3 and the second capacitor C10.

[0072] Furthermore, the capacitance values ​​of the first capacitor C3 and the second capacitor C10 are set to [10uF~6800uF]. When the capacitance values ​​of the first capacitor C3 and the second capacitor C10 are less than 10uF, the voltage at the output terminal of the power-taking unit and the output terminal of the second power-taking circuit may be unstable, causing the second power-taking circuit to be unable to replenish energy to the compensation unit 104 in a timely manner. When the capacitance value exceeds 6800uF, the charging timing of the compensation unit 104 may be delayed due to the excessive capacitance, or the power-taking time of the second power-taking circuit may be increased, causing the lamp to flicker. Therefore, in this embodiment, a more preferred value is given through experiments: the capacitance value of the first capacitor C3 is set to 1000uF, and the capacitance value of the second capacitor C10 is set to 470uF.

[0073] As shown in the figure Figure 9a , Figure 9b The diagram shows a specific circuit diagram of a second power supply circuit. As can be seen, in this embodiment, a switching circuit composed of switching transistors Q3 and Q4 is used to achieve power supply to the circuit when the electronic switch 102 is in the on state. The electronic switch K can be, for example, a dual-coil magnetic latching relay. The compensation unit 104 includes a capacitor C1, and the current limiting part 103 includes a resistor R1.

[0074] The first power-up time is controlled by controlling the conduction time of switching transistors Q3 and Q4. U6 is a circuit structure capable of providing a reference voltage; this invention does not limit its specific configuration. In this embodiment, U6 is a linear voltage regulator. U7 is an operational amplifier. The positive terminal +IN of U7 is connected to the input voltage VIN_ON of the first power-up circuit 1011 through a Zener diode D12, and the negative terminal -IN is connected to the reference voltage (provided by the output of U6) through a resistor R30. The output terminal OUT5 outputs high and low levels based on the voltage difference between the positive and negative terminals. D12 is a Zener diode, and R30, R31, and R32 are voltage divider resistors for the reference voltage. The circuit operation is as follows:

[0075] When the first power supply circuit 1011 is working, the VON potential is low, and the second power supply control circuit 1012 is not working.

[0076] During the power-taking phase of the second power-taking circuit 1012, the switching transistors Q3 and Q4 are turned off, the voltage of VON_IN rises, and the presence of capacitor C10 causes the VON potential to rise rapidly and stabilize. U6 and U7 operate stably during power taking.

[0077] When the voltage of VON_IN rises to a certain value (such as 3V), the Zener diode D12 is broken down, VON_IN charges the capacitor C12, and the input voltage of U7 positive terminal +IN continues to rise. At this time, the switching transistors Q3 and Q4 are turned off, CTRL3 is at a low level, the switching transistor Q5 is turned off, and the voltage of U7 negative terminal -IN is the voltage across the voltage divider resistors R31 and R32, which is the first reference voltage.

[0078] When the positive +IN input voltage is higher than the first reference voltage, OUT5 (CTRL3) outputs a high level, and switching transistors Q3 and Q4 are turned on, ending the power-drawing phase and entering the non-power-drawing phase, at which point the VON_IN voltage begins to decrease.

[0079] After OUT5 (CTRL3) outputs a high level, when the high level is divided by resistors R28 and R29 and turns on the switch Q5, both ends of the voltage divider R32 are grounded. At this time, the voltage at the negative terminal -IN of U7 is the voltage across the voltage divider resistor R31, which is the second reference voltage.

[0080] When the voltage of VON_IN drops below the second reference voltage, OUT5 (CTRL3) outputs a low level, the switching transistors Q3 and Q4 are turned off, the non-power-feeding phase ends, and the power-feeding phase begins again, and so on in a cycle.

[0081] The first reference voltage is [(R31+R32) / (R30+R31+R32)]*VOUT 4;

[0082] The second reference voltage is [R31 / (R30+R31)]*VOUT 4.

[0083] When electronic switch K is turned on and CTRL3 outputs a low-level signal, switching transistors Q3 and Q4 are turned off, and the circuit is in the power-drawing phase. During the positive half-cycle, the second power-drawing circuit 1012 is formed by the following path: live wire L → fuse F → diode D7 → diode D9 → second capacitor C10 → ground → parasitic diode of switching transistor Q4 → electronic switch K → load L1 → neutral wire N. During the negative half-cycle, the second power-drawing circuit 1012 is formed by the following path: neutral wire N → load L1 → electronic switch K → diode D8 → diode D9 → second capacitor C10 → ground → parasitic diode of switching transistor Q3 → fuse F → live wire L.

[0084] The second power-drawing circuit 1012 can draw power during both the positive and negative half-wave periods of the AC current, storing electrical energy in the first capacitor C3 and the second capacitor C10. Compared to a circuit that draws power only once in one cycle, it draws power more frequently and obtains more electrical energy. The capacitance of the second capacitor C10 is smaller than that of the first capacitor C3, and it is also used to stabilize the VON voltage at the output terminal of the second power-drawing circuit 1012.

[0085] After power is drawn, the second capacitor C10 is charged first, and the voltage VON at the output terminal of the second power-drawing circuit 1012 gradually increases. When the voltage VON is slightly higher than the output terminal Vin of the power-drawing unit (for example, the voltage difference is greater than the diode forward voltage drop), the diode D1 conducts (see...). Figure 6 The second power supply circuit 1012 charges the first capacitor C3. At this time, the second power supply circuit 1012 charges the second capacitor C10 and the first capacitor C3. The second capacitor C10 is used to stabilize the output voltage VON of the second power supply circuit 1012, and its capacitance is smaller than that of the first capacitor C3. This reduces the time when the Vin potential is pulled down and ensures the charging timing of the first capacitor C3, thereby reducing the power supply time of the second power supply circuit and avoiding the problem of lamp flickering / dimming that may be caused by the power supply time.

[0086] When Vin reaches the preset value, the switch Q1 is turned on, and the capacitor C1 is coupled to the second power supply circuit 1012. The second power supply circuit 1012 charges the second capacitor C10, the first capacitor C3, and the capacitor C1.

[0087] When CTRL3 outputs a high-level signal, switches Q3 and Q4 are turned on, and the second power supply circuit is bypassed by switches Q3 and Q4, during which the circuit is in a non-power-supply phase. During the positive half-cycle, a path is formed from the live wire L → fuse F → switches Q3 and Q4 → electronic switch K → load L1 → neutral wire N, providing normal power to the load. During the negative half-cycle, a path is formed from the neutral wire N → load L1 → electronic switch K → switches Q3 and Q4 → fuse F → live wire L, providing normal power to the load. During the non-power-supply phase, the energy stored in capacitor C1 supplies power to the communication processing unit, maintaining its normal operation, such as standby, transmission and reception, and driving relays. During the non-power-supply period, the first capacitor C3 keeps the potential of Vin relatively stable. If the potential of Vin still reaches the preset value, switch Q1 remains in the on state. When the charge in capacitor C1 is consumed, the second capacitor C10 and the first capacitor C3 continue to charge capacitor C1 through resistor R1 to replenish the consumed energy.

[0088] It is evident that the first capacitor C3 and the second capacitor C10 can still replenish the energy of the compensation unit through the electrical energy stored in C3 and C10 during the non-power-drawing phase of the second power-drawing circuit, further reducing the voltage difference across the current-limiting part, thereby limiting the current of the power-drawing unit and preventing the lamp from flickering.

[0089] Furthermore, upon initial power-on, the compensation unit must be charged first. Only when sufficient electrical energy is stored in the compensation unit can it power the communication processing unit. The inventors discovered that when the compensation unit has a large capacity (e.g., a farad-level capacitor), during actual circuit operation, due to the low residual charge in the compensation unit upon initial power-on, the voltage near the compensation unit of the current-limiting section is low (theoretically 0V, but potentially slightly higher than 0V). This relatively large voltage difference across the current-limiting section results in a relatively large current (mA level) in the power-drawing unit, causing the lamp to flicker. Simultaneously, due to the large capacity of the compensation unit, charging via the current-limiting section requires a long charging time, thus causing prolonged flickering of the lamp upon initial power-on. Therefore, considering this technical problem, such as... Figure 10 In the embodiment shown, a second charging circuit 108 is further provided between the power-taking unit 101 and the compensation unit 104. This second charging circuit 108 is configured to short-circuit the first charging circuit when enabled, and to provide a second current greater than the first current to the compensation unit 104. Therefore, in this embodiment, charging the compensation unit with a larger second current allows for rapid charging, preventing prolonged flickering of the lamp during initial power-on, and also enabling the communication control unit to quickly enter working state, thus shortening the initialization time of the intelligent controller.

[0090] In one embodiment, the second charging circuit 108 includes a power switch, which utilizes the characteristic of the power switch to output a large current to quickly charge the compensation unit. For example... Figure 11 The diagram shows a specific circuit structure of the second charging circuit; wherein, resistor R1 forms the first charging circuit, power transistor U1 forms the second charging circuit, and the first charging circuit, the second charging circuit, and the compensation unit are configured such that when the second charging circuit is turned on, the first charging circuit is short-circuited, and thus the compensation unit is selectively turned on by either the first charging circuit or the second charging circuit. Specifically, as shown... Figure 11 As shown, the first switching circuit includes a PMOS transistor, the compensation unit includes a capacitor C1, the current limiting part includes a resistor R1, and the second charging circuit includes a power switch U1 connected in parallel across the resistor R1. The circuit operation is as follows:

[0091] When the enable terminal CRTRL2 of U1 is input with a low potential, the power switch U1 is turned off, and the capacitor C1 is charged through the first charging circuit formed by the resistor R1.

[0092] When the enable terminal CRTRL2 of U1 is input with a high potential, the power switch U1 is enabled and the resistor R1 is short-circuited. The capacitor C1 is charged through the second charging circuit formed by the power switch U1. The output current of U1 can be adjusted by changing the resistance value of the resistor R3 (e.g., it can be adjusted to the ampere level).

[0093] The charging current based on U1 is greater than the charging current based on resistor R1. Therefore, in the initial stage of power-on, the circuit can be switched to the second charging circuit based on U1. The charging current based on U1 can be adjusted to a large value (e.g., 2.1A) to achieve rapid charging of capacitor C1.

[0094] Furthermore, in some embodiments, an enable circuit 109 controls whether the second charging circuit 108 is enabled or not; specifically as follows: Figure 10 As shown, the enabling circuit 109 is electrically connected to the second charging circuit 108; the communication processing unit 105 is configured to: before power-on, enable the second charging circuit 108 to work through the enabling circuit 109 when the output voltage of the power taking unit 101 reaches a preset value; after power-on, cut off the enabling circuit 109 so as to replenish the compensation unit 105 with power through the first charging circuit.

[0095] Furthermore, in this embodiment, before the compensation unit 104 supplies power to the communication processing unit 105, such as when the intelligent controller 10 has just been powered on, the remaining power of the compensation unit 104 is relatively small. In order to enable the large-capacity compensation unit 104 to be fully charged as soon as possible, the compensation unit 104 is charged based on a larger second current, so that the entire intelligent controller 10 can enter the working state as soon as possible. After the entire intelligent controller 10 has entered the working state, U1 is turned off, and the current limiting part 103 replenishes the power of the compensation unit 104 with a smaller first current to reduce the loop current.

[0096] like Figure 7 The diagram shown is a schematic of the circuit structure of the enable circuit 109 in one embodiment. The second charging circuit is implemented as a power switch U1. The output of the voltage monitoring chip U2 is grounded through series-connected voltage divider resistors R15 and R16, with R16 located closer to ground. Capacitor C5 is connected in parallel across resistor R16. The end of resistor R16 furthest from ground outputs the control signal CTRL2. The circuit operation is as follows:

[0097] When the voltage monitoring chip U2 detects that the voltage of Vin has reached the preset value, its output terminal VOUT2 outputs a high level. After the control signal CTRL2 is charged and delayed by capacitor C5, it outputs a high level to control the start of power switch U1.

[0098] like Figure 12 As shown, in some embodiments, a second switching circuit 110 is further provided between the power-drawing unit 101 and the electronic switch 102; the second switching circuit 110 can be sequentially turned on and off when the communication processing unit 105 is not powered on; when turned on, it supplies power to the electronic switch 102 through the power-drawing unit 101, and when turned off, it turns on the first switching circuit 106. The electronic switch 102 is powered by the power-drawing unit 101 before the communication processing unit 1015 is powered on, and can be driven before the communication processing unit 105 is powered on, such as initializing the electronic switch 102 to set it to a conducting or closed state; after the communication processing unit 105 is powered on, the state of the electronic switch 102 is controlled according to the signals it receives.

[0099] In some embodiments, the intelligent controller 10 further includes a second driving circuit 111 for driving the second switching circuit 110 and driving the electronic switch 102 to turn off when the electronic switch 102 is powered by the power-taking unit 101. The second driving circuit 111 further includes a delay circuit 112 for delaying the turning off of the second switching circuit 110 after it has been turned on, and turning on the first switching circuit 106 after it has been turned off.

[0100] As described in the above embodiments, when the electronic switch 102 is turned on, the power-taking time within the cycle is very short (on the order of microseconds). When the power is first turned on, the remaining power in the compensation unit 104 is small and its capacity is large. Therefore, before charging the compensation unit 104 (before the first switch circuit 106 is turned on), the electronic switch 102 is driven to turn off, and the conduction time of the second switch circuit 110 is controlled by the delay circuit 112. This allows the second drive circuit 111 to drive the electronic switch 102 to turn off when the electronic switch 102 is powered by the power-taking unit 101, thereby quickly charging the compensation unit to power the communication processing unit, shortening the waiting / initialization time of the intelligent controller when it is first turned on, and allowing it to enter the working state as soon as possible.

[0101] In one embodiment, the second switching circuit includes a combination of devices with switching functions, consisting of any one or at least two of a MOSFET, a transistor, and an IGBT. Figure 7 The diagram shows a specific circuit structure of the second switching circuit 110 and its second driving circuit 111; wherein, the second switching circuit includes a PMOS transistor Q2, the electronic switch includes a dual-coil magnetic latching relay; the delay circuit 112 includes a capacitor C4 and a resistor R11 connected in series;

[0102] The source of PMOS transistor Q2 is connected to the output terminal Vin of the power supply unit. The drain of Q2 is connected to the power supply terminal V_RELAY of the electronic switch through diode D4. The drain of Q2 is grounded through a series-connected voltage divider resistor R13 and resistor R14, with one end of resistor R14 grounded and the other end connected to the base of transistor P3. Resistor R12 is connected in parallel across the gate and source of Q2. The collector of transistor P4 is connected to the gate of Q2 through a series-connected capacitor C4 and resistor R11, with resistor R11 located closer to the gate of Q2. The emitter of transistor P3 is connected to the output terminal VOUT2 of voltage monitoring chip U2 through a series-connected resistor R9 and resistor R10, with resistor R10 located closer to the emitter of transistor P3. The base of transistor P4 is connected to the end of resistor R9 furthest from VOUT2. The emitters of P3 and P4 are grounded. The circuit operates as follows:

[0103] When voltage monitoring chip U2 detects that the voltage of Vin has reached the preset value, VOUT2 outputs a high level. At this time, transistor P4 is turned on, and its collector is grounded. There is a voltage difference between the gate and source of Q2, so Q2 is turned on. Vin supplies power to the electronic switch through diode D2. At the same time, the base of transistor P3 rises to a high potential due to the conduction of Q2, so transistor P3 is turned on, and its collector is grounded. The control signal K_RB outputs a low level. The electronic switch is reset under the control of K_RB and remains in the off state. At the same time, the base of transistor P1 rises to a high potential due to the conduction of Q2, so transistor P1 is turned on, and its collector is grounded. Since the collector of P1 is connected to the base of P2, the grounding of the collector of P1 pulls down the potential of the base of P2, so transistor P2 is turned off.

[0104] After transistor P4 is turned on and grounded, Vin forms a loop with ground through resistors R12 and R11, capacitor C4, and charges capacitor C4. During the charging process, the gate potential of Q2 gradually increases until there is almost no voltage difference between the gate and source of Q2, at which point Q2 is turned off. After Q2 is turned off, transistor P1 is cut off due to the turn-off of Q2. The potential of the base of transistor P2 is pulled up by the high potential of VOUT2, triggering transistor P2 to conduct, thereby causing CTRL1 to output a low level.

[0105] Based on this, it can be seen that when the voltage monitoring chip U2 detects that the voltage of Vin has reached the preset value and outputs a high level, the presence of capacitor C4 and resistor R11 delays the conduction time of Q1. During this period, the electronic switch is reset (turned off), and the entire circuit remains in the state based on the first power-on circuit. Furthermore, since the voltage across the capacitor cannot change abruptly, after capacitor C4 is charged, the gate of Q2 will remain at a high potential. After Q2 turns on and off, it will remain in the off state and will no longer affect the conduction of transistor P2. Therefore, the delay in the conduction of Q1 only occurs during the initial power-on. Of course, if there are inherent losses in the circuit itself, or if a long-term power outage or other reasons cause insufficient charge in capacitor C4, requiring recharging, it will still affect the conduction timing of transistor P2.

[0106] As can be seen, in this embodiment, the electronic switch is turned off before charging the compensation unit to prevent the lamp from turning on directly after the communication processing unit is powered on. At the same time, by taking advantage of the fact that the second power supply circuit can draw power throughout the entire cycle, the compensation unit can be charged as soon as possible before the communication processing unit is powered on.

[0107] Furthermore, the inventors discovered that when the compensation unit supplies power to the communication processing unit, the conventional single-threshold judgment method is prone to power supply signal instability. Therefore, considering this technical problem, in some embodiments of the present invention, such as... Figure 13 As shown, the intelligent controller 10 also includes a power monitoring unit 113, which is electrically connected to the compensation unit 104 and is used to monitor the remaining power of the compensation unit 104. When the output voltage of the compensation unit 104 reaches the upper threshold, the compensation unit is enabled to supply power to the communication processing unit. When the output voltage of the compensation unit is lower than the lower threshold, the compensation unit is fed back to the communication processing unit that the remaining power of the compensation unit is insufficient. The upper threshold is greater than the lower threshold. By setting two different upper and lower thresholds, a stable power supply to the communication processing unit 105 can be maintained even when the output voltage of the compensation unit 104 fluctuates between the upper and lower thresholds.

[0108] like Figure 14 , Figure 15 The diagram shows a specific circuit structure of the power supply circuit for the power monitoring unit 113 and the communication processing unit 105; wherein, a voltage adjustment circuit U5 is provided between the compensation unit 104 and the communication processing unit 105 to adjust the output voltage of the compensation unit 104 to the power supply voltage of the communication processing unit; the compensation unit 104 includes a capacitor C1; Figure 14In this circuit, U3 is a linear regulator, and U4 is an operational amplifier. The output terminal VOUT3 of U3 is connected to the power supply terminal VS+ of U4, and is also connected to the inverting input terminal -IN of U4 through resistor R20. The output terminal Vc of capacitor C1 is connected to the input terminal of U3, and is also grounded through the series-connected voltage divider resistors R17 and R18. One end of resistor R18 is grounded, and the other end is connected to the non-inverting input terminal +IN of U4. The inverting input terminal -IN is grounded through resistor R21. The output terminal OUT4 of U4 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal +IN through resistor R19, and also outputs the control signal CTRL4.

[0109] U5 is a voltage adjustment circuit used to adjust the output voltage Vc of capacitor C1 to the power supply voltage Vo of communication processing unit 105. The voltage adjustment can be implemented using any circuit structure in the prior art, such as boost switching circuit, buck switching circuit, linear regulator, etc. The present invention does not make any limitation on the specific form of the voltage adjustment circuit.

[0110] In addition, one pin of the communication processing unit 105 is connected to the positive terminal of diode D5 to receive the control signal CTRL4, and another pin is connected to the positive terminal of diode D6 to output the control signal CTRL5. The circuit operation is as follows:

[0111] The output voltage Vc of capacitor C1 powers U3, which in turn powers U4. That is, when the charge of capacitor C1 reaches a certain value, the charge monitoring circuit is activated.

[0112] After the power monitoring circuit is started, U4 monitors the output voltage Vc of capacitor C1 through the non-inverting input terminal +IN. When Vc reaches the preset upper threshold Vth1, CTRL4 outputs a high-level signal; when Vc is less than the preset lower threshold Vth2, CTRL4 outputs a low-level signal. The upper and lower threshold voltages are set by resistors R17 to R21.

[0113] When CTRL4 outputs a high-level signal, diode D5 conducts, enabling voltage adjustment circuit U5 to work, and capacitor C1 supplies power to communication processing unit 105.

[0114] When CTRL4 outputs a low-level signal, diode D5 is cut off. After receiving the low-level signal from CTRL4, communication processing unit 105 controls CTRL5 to output a high-level signal, turning on diode D6 and enabling voltage adjustment circuit U5 to operate, allowing compensation unit 104 to continue supplying power to communication processing unit 105. However, since communication processing unit 105 has already received information from power detection unit that compensation unit 104 has insufficient power, communication processing unit 105 can limit its own power consumption. In one example, communication processing unit 105 can limit the response frequency and / or number of times of electronic switches, and / or limit the number / frequency of transmit / receive operations and / or transmit / receive power of communication processing unit 105. In addition, after receiving information that compensation unit 104 has insufficient power, communication processing unit 105 can also forcibly open the second charging circuit to quickly charge compensation unit 104.

[0115] In all the above embodiments, the compensation unit 104 is configured to include a supercapacitor with a capacitance value of [0.1F to 2.2F]. The supercapacitor's fast discharge speed and large discharge current provide sufficient peak current to the communication processing unit 105 when transmitting and receiving signals. Simultaneously, compared to other energy storage units, the supercapacitor generates a smaller voltage drop when releasing the same amount of energy, thus making the output voltage of the compensation unit 104 more stable, limiting the voltage difference across the current limiting section 103, and consequently limiting the current entering the compensation unit 104, preventing lamp flickering.

[0116] When the supercapacitor capacitance is below 0.1F, insufficient energy storage may prevent the communication processing unit 105 from providing enough transmission current, causing the lamp to flicker / brighten when the light is off. Conversely, when the supercapacitor capacitance is above 2.2F, the excessive capacity may require an excessively long charging time upon initial power-on, resulting in prolonged lamp flickering during the initial power-on. Furthermore, larger capacitance values ​​result in larger volume. For intelligent controllers with limited overall size, experiments have shown that a capacitance of 0.5F is a compromise and preferred choice.

[0117] like Figure 16 As shown, this invention also proposes an intelligent control method applied to an intelligent controller of an AC circuit connected in series with a load; the load can be any lighting device such as an energy-saving lamp, LED, or incandescent lamp, and this invention does not impose any limitations on it. Furthermore, the connection relationships between the various units / devices and the circuit operation process in the embodiments of the intelligent control method described below are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments of the intelligent controller described above.

[0118] The control method includes:

[0119] S1. A power-gathering unit is coupled to an electronic switch, such that the power-gathering unit obtains electrical energy when the electronic switch is on or off; the electronic switch can be turned on or off to switch the operating state of the load. The electronic switch can be, for example, any device or combination of devices that can use electronic circuits and power electronic devices to realize circuit switching, such as a thyristor, transistor, field-effect transistor, silicon controlled rectifier, or relay. This invention does not limit the type of electronic switch. The operating state can be an operating state (e.g., a lamp on state) or a non-operating state (e.g., a lamp off state).

[0120] As is understandable, when an electronic switch is on, the load is supplied with high power and enters the operating state; when the electronic switch is off, the load is cut off from the high-power supply and enters the non-operating state. Therefore, by controlling the electronic switch to be on or off, the load can be switched between operating and non-operating states. Taking a light fixture as an example, when the electronic switch is on, the light fixture is lit; when the electronic switch is off, the light fixture is off. By controlling the electronic switch to be on or off, the light can be turned on or off.

[0121] S2. Configure a communication processing unit to have alternating first and second states, with data interaction occurring in the second state. The power consumption of the first state is less than that of the second state. This data interaction may include, but is not limited to, states where the communication processing unit transmits signals to other devices (such as other controllers), receives signals transmitted from external devices, and controls the on / off states of electronic switches. Furthermore, "the power consumption of the first state is less than the power consumption of the second state" can be understood as the average power consumption of the first state being less than the average power consumption of the second state, or the maximum power consumption of the first state being less than the maximum power consumption of the second state. For example, in the first state, the communication processing unit enters a low-power standby mode, resulting in low power consumption (e.g., 2-3 mA). When signal transmission or reception is required, it enters the second state. During signal transmission / reception in the second state, a peak current several times higher than that in the first state (e.g., 30-40 mA) is generated. After transmission is complete, the communication processing unit switches back to the first state.

[0122] S3. A compensation unit is coupled between the power-taking unit and the communication processing unit, so that the compensation unit can be replenished with electrical energy in the first state of the communication processing unit, so as to supply power to the communication processing unit in the second state of the communication processing unit; and a current limiting part is provided between the power-taking unit and the compensation unit, and the current in the power-taking unit is limited by the current limiting part.

[0123] It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the compensation unit not only powers the communication processing unit in its second state, but also throughout the entire operation of the communication processing unit as needed. When the communication processing unit cannot obtain sufficient power from the power supply unit, the compensation unit 104 provides it with energy to support its normal operation. For example, when the lamp is lit, the communication processing unit is entirely powered by the compensation unit during non-power supply periods to maintain its normal operation (including both the first and second states). Similarly, the compensation unit is replenished not only when the communication processing unit is in its first state, but also throughout the entire operation of the communication processing unit. When the energy in the compensation unit is consumed, and the power supply unit is in a power supply circuit connected in series with the load, the compensation unit can be replenished with energy through the current in the power supply unit to maintain sufficient energy storage in the compensation unit.

[0124] Thus, based on the intelligent controller provided by the above technical solution, during the first state of the communication processing unit, the compensation unit stores the electrical energy obtained by the power-taking unit to power the communication processing unit during the second state, providing the current required during signal transmission and reception. After transmission and reception, the power-taking unit replenishes the consumed electrical energy in the compensation unit through the current-limiting section to maintain the energy in the compensation unit. The current-limiting section is used to limit the current entering the compensation unit. When the compensation unit consumes a large amount of electrical energy, the power-taking unit still replenishes its energy with a small current under the action of the current-limiting section, limiting the current flowing through the lamp in the off state and avoiding the problem of lamp flickering / dim lighting caused by transmitting / receiving signals in the off state. It can also prevent the impact of peak current generated by transmitting and receiving signals on the load during the data interaction period of the communication processing unit.

[0125] In one embodiment, the power-gathering unit includes a first power-gathering circuit and a second power-gathering circuit; the power-gathering unit obtains electrical energy when the electronic switch is on or off, specifically including:

[0126] By turning the electronic switch on or off, the electronic switch or the first power-taking circuit can be selectively connected in series with the AC circuit of the load. Then, when the electronic switch is on, the second power-taking circuit is connected in series with the load to obtain electrical energy; when the electronic switch is off, the second power-taking circuit is cut off and electrical energy is obtained through the first power-taking circuit.

[0127] When the electronic switch is off, the first power-supply circuit obtains electrical energy from the series circuit formed with the load; when the electronic switch is on, the first power-supply circuit is short-circuited by the electronic switch, and the second power-supply circuit forms a series circuit with the electronic switch and the load. The first and second power-supply circuits can be of any circuit structure, such as a circuit structure including a thyristor rectifier / switching transistor, or a voltage regulation circuit such as a BUCK, BOOST, or flyback converter. This invention does not impose any limitations on the circuit structure of the power-supply circuit. In some embodiments, the first power-supply circuit is an isolated flyback topology converter.

[0128] In one embodiment, the control method further includes: providing a first current to the compensation unit through a first charging circuit, wherein the first current is less than the maximum value of the current entering the communication processing unit in the second state; the first charging circuit is formed when the power taking unit charges the compensation unit through the current limiting part.

[0129] In the second state, the maximum current entering the communication processing unit can be understood as the maximum current required by the communication processing unit during data interaction, such as the peak value of the transmitted current during signal transmission. The communication processing unit has a relatively high power during signal transmission and reception; for example, the transmitted current during WiFi communication is typically above 10mA, and can even reach 30mA to 40mA or higher. The current limiting unit is connected to the power extraction unit at one end and the compensation unit at the other. The magnitude of the first current provided by the power extraction unit to the compensation unit through the current limiting unit is equal to the ratio of the voltage difference across the current limiting unit (i.e., the difference between the output voltage of the power extraction unit and the output voltage of the compensation unit) to the impedance of the current limiting unit. By reasonably setting the voltage and impedance across the current limiting unit, the magnitude of the first current can be controlled, making it less than the peak value of the transmitted current, thereby improving the flickering phenomenon of the lamp. Those skilled in the art can set the voltage and impedance across the current limiting unit in conjunction with actual circuit parameters.

[0130] In one embodiment, the control method further includes: setting a first switching circuit between the power-taking unit and the current-limiting part to turn on or off the charging circuit of the compensation unit. Further, turning on or off the charging circuit of the compensation unit by the first switching circuit includes: setting a first capacitor shared by the first power-taking circuit and the second power-taking circuit at a common output terminal; monitoring the output voltage of the first capacitor through a first driving circuit coupled to the first switching circuit: when the output voltage of the first capacitor reaches a preset value, driving the first switching circuit to turn on; when the output voltage of the first capacitor does not reach the preset value, driving the first switching circuit to turn off.

[0131] One end of the current limiting unit is connected to the power taking unit, and the other end is connected to the compensation unit. When the output voltage of the power taking unit reaches the preset value, the first switching circuit is turned on to charge the compensation unit. This allows the power taking unit to reach a relatively stable state before charging the compensation unit. In this way, it can effectively avoid the continuous pull-down of the input potential in the second power taking circuit due to the charging of the compensation unit, which would cause the circuit to crash.

[0132] In one embodiment, the second power-drawing circuit charges the first capacitor through at least one second capacitor, the capacitance of the first capacitor being greater than that of the second capacitor; the second power-drawing circuit has an alternately arranged power-drawing phase and a non-power-drawing phase; the control method further includes: during the power-drawing phase, charging the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the compensation unit through the alternating current; and during the non-power-drawing phase, charging the compensation unit through the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

[0133] During the power-drawing phase, the second power-drawing circuit charges the first capacitor. At this time, the second power-drawing circuit charges both the second and first capacitors. The capacitance of the second capacitor is smaller than that of the first capacitor, used to stabilize the output voltage of the second power-drawing circuit. This also reduces the time the common output terminal potential is pulled low and ensures the charging timing of the first capacitor, thereby reducing the power-drawing time of the second power-drawing circuit and avoiding potential flickering / dimming issues caused by the power-drawing process. During the non-power-drawing period, the first capacitor keeps the potential of the common output terminal relatively stable. When the energy in the compensation unit is consumed, the second and first capacitors continue to charge the compensation unit through the current-limiting section to replenish the consumed energy. Therefore, the arrangement of the first and second capacitors allows the compensation unit to be replenished with energy from the stored energy during the non-power-drawing phase of the second power-drawing circuit, further reducing the voltage difference across the current-limiting section, thus limiting the current of the power-drawing unit and preventing lamp flickering.

[0134] Furthermore, the capacitance values ​​of the first and second capacitors are set to [10uF~6800uF]. When the capacitance values ​​of the first and second capacitors are less than 10uF, the voltage at the output terminals of the power supply unit and the second power supply circuit may be unstable, causing the second power supply circuit to be unable to replenish energy to the compensation unit in a timely manner. When the capacitance value exceeds 6800uF, the charging timing of the compensation unit may be delayed due to the excessive capacitance, or the power supply time of the second power supply circuit may be increased, causing the lamp to flicker. Therefore, in this embodiment, a more preferred value is given through experiments: the capacitance value of the first capacitor is set to 1000uF, and the capacitance value of the second capacitor is set to 470uF.

[0135] Furthermore, upon initial power-on, the compensation unit must be charged first. Only when sufficient electrical energy is stored in the compensation unit can it power the communication processing unit. The inventors discovered that when the compensation unit has a large capacity (e.g., a farad-level capacitor), during actual circuit operation, due to the low residual charge in the compensation unit upon initial power-on, the voltage near the compensation unit of the current-limiting section is low (theoretically 0V, but possibly slightly higher than 0V). This results in a relatively large voltage difference across the current-limiting section, leading to a relatively large current (mA level) in the power-taking unit, causing the lamp to flicker. Simultaneously, due to the large capacity of the compensation unit, charging via the current-limiting section requires a long charging time, causing prolonged flickering of the lamp upon initial power-on. Therefore, considering this technical problem, in some embodiments, the control method further includes: setting a second charging circuit between the power-taking unit and the compensation unit; the second charging circuit, when enabled, can short-circuit the first charging circuit and provide a second current to the compensation unit that is greater than the first current. Therefore, in this embodiment, by charging the compensation unit with a larger second current, the compensation unit can be quickly fully charged, avoiding prolonged flickering of the lamp during the first power-on, and also enabling the communication control unit to enter the working state as soon as possible, thus shortening the initialization time of the intelligent controller.

[0136] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the control method further includes: setting a second switching circuit between the power-gathering unit and the electronic switch; sequentially turning the second switching circuit on and off before the communication processing unit is powered on; and when the second switching circuit is on, supplying power to the electronic switch through the power-gathering unit; and after the second switching circuit is off, turning on the first switching circuit.

[0137] The electronic switch is powered by the power supply unit before the communication processing unit is powered on. It can be driven before the communication processing unit is powered on, such as by initializing the electronic switch to set it to the on or off state. After the communication processing unit is powered on, the state of the electronic switch is controlled according to the signals it receives.

[0138] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the second switching circuit is driven by a second driving circuit, and the electronic switch is driven to turn off when the electronic switch is powered by the power-gathering unit. Furthermore, when the voltage output by the power-gathering unit reaches a preset value, the second driving circuit drives the second switching circuit to turn on; after the second switching circuit is turned on, the second driving circuit 111 drives the electronic switch to turn off.

[0139] As described in the above embodiments, when the electronic switch is turned on, the power-taking time within the cycle is very short (on the order of microseconds). When the power is first turned on, the remaining power in the compensation unit is small, but its capacity is large. Therefore, before charging the compensation unit (before the first switch circuit is turned on), the electronic switch is driven to turn off, and the conduction time of the second switch circuit is controlled by the delay circuit. This allows the second drive circuit to drive the electronic switch to turn off when the electronic switch is powered by the power-taking unit, thereby quickly charging the compensation unit to power the communication processing unit, shortening the waiting / initialization time of the intelligent controller when it is first turned on, and allowing it to enter the working state as soon as possible.

[0140] In this embodiment, the electronic switch is turned off before charging the compensation unit to prevent the lamp from turning on directly after the communication processing unit is powered on. At the same time, the second power supply circuit can draw power throughout the entire cycle, so that the compensation unit can be charged as soon as possible before the communication processing unit is powered on.

[0141] In all the embodiments described above, the current limiting component includes an impedance element. The impedance characteristics are used to limit the current in the first charging circuit.

[0142] In all the above embodiments, the compensation unit is configured to include a supercapacitor with a capacitance value of [0.1F to 2.2F]. The supercapacitor's fast discharge speed and large discharge current provide sufficient peak current for the communication processing unit during signal transmission and reception. Simultaneously, compared to other energy storage units, the supercapacitor generates a smaller voltage drop when releasing the same amount of energy, thus making the output voltage of the compensation unit more stable, limiting the voltage difference across the current-limiting section, and consequently limiting the current entering the compensation unit, preventing lamp flickering. When the supercapacitor capacitance is below 0.1F, insufficient energy storage may prevent the communication processing unit from providing sufficient transmission current, causing flickering / dim lighting in the off state. Conversely, when the supercapacitor capacitance is above 2.2F, the large capacity may require excessively long charging time upon initial power-on, resulting in prolonged lamp flickering during the first power-on. Furthermore, a larger capacitance value results in a larger volume; for intelligent controllers with limited overall size, experiments have shown that a capacitance value of 0.5F is a preferable compromise.

[0143] In addition, such as Figure 17As shown, the present invention also proposes an intelligent control system for controlling a load device 20, characterized in that the control system includes: a remote control device 30 for generating and transmitting a control command; and an intelligent controller as described in any of the above claims, or an intelligent controller for implementing the control method described in any of the above claims; wherein the intelligent controller 10 is connected in series to the AC power circuit of the load device 20 and controls the working state of the load device 20 based on the control command.

[0144] The load 20 can be any lighting device such as an energy-saving lamp, LED lamp, or incandescent lamp, and the present invention does not limit it in any way; the working state can be a running state (e.g., the lamp is on) or a non-running state (e.g., the lamp is off); the control command can be any form of command containing control information, and the intelligent controller can change the working state of the load after receiving the control command; taking a lamp as an example, the remote control device sends a command to the intelligent controller to turn the lamp on / off, and the intelligent controller can control the lamp to turn on / off after receiving the command.

[0145] In one embodiment, the remote control device 30 includes at least one of a wireless battery switch, a passive inductive switch, a wall switch with wireless signal transmission function, and a speaker device with voice interaction function.

[0146] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "some embodiments," "a specific implementation method," "a specific implementation process," and "an example" indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms correspond to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics that can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0147] It should also be noted that the above embodiments can be combined with each other. For the same or similar concepts or processes, they may not be described again in some embodiments. That is, the technical solutions disclosed in the later (in the order of the text) embodiments should include the technical solutions described in this embodiment and the technical solutions described in all embodiments before this embodiment.

[0148] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent controller, suitable for controlling the operating state of a load in an AC circuit connected in series with the load, characterized in that, The intelligent controller includes: An electronic switch is capable of turning the load on or off to switch the operating state of the load. The power-collecting unit is configured to collect electrical energy whether the electronic switch is turned on or off. A communication processing unit has an alternating first state and a second state, and performs data interaction in the second state. The power consumption of the first state is less than that of the second state. A compensation unit, coupled between the power extraction unit and the communication processing unit, is capable of providing sufficient peak current when the communication processing unit transmits and receives signals, and is configured to: be able to replenish electrical energy in a first state of the communication processing unit, and supply power to the communication processing unit in a second state of the communication processing unit; and a current limiting section is provided between the power extraction unit and the compensation unit to limit the current in the power extraction unit; A first switching circuit is provided between the power-taking unit and the current-limiting part, which is used to turn on or off the charging circuit of the compensation unit, and is turned on when the output voltage of the power-taking unit reaches a preset value. The power supply unit includes a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit. The first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit share an output terminal. The first switching circuit is electrically connected to the output terminal to turn off the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power supply unit is within a preset value, and to turn on the charging circuit when the output voltage of the power supply unit reaches the preset value.

2. The intelligent controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power supply unit is provided with a first capacitor shared by the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit at the common output terminal; The intelligent controller further includes a first driving circuit for monitoring the output voltage of the first capacitor. When the output voltage of the first capacitor reaches a preset value, the first switching circuit is driven to turn on; when the output voltage of the first capacitor does not reach the preset value, the first switching circuit is driven to turn off.

3. The intelligent controller according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second power supply circuit charges the first capacitor through at least one second capacitor, wherein the capacitance of the first capacitor is greater than that of the second capacitor. The second power-taking circuit has an intermittently arranged power-taking phase and a non-power-taking phase, and is configured as follows: During the power extraction phase, the first capacitor, the second capacitor, and the compensation unit are charged using the alternating current. During the non-power-drawing phase, the compensation unit is charged through the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

4. The intelligent controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power-taking unit forms the first charging circuit of the compensation unit through the current-limiting part, providing a first current to the compensation unit. The first current is less than the maximum value of the current entering the communication processing unit in the second state.

5. The intelligent controller according to claim 4, characterized in that, A second charging circuit is also provided between the power extraction unit and the compensation unit. The second charging circuit is configured to short-circuit the first charging circuit when enabled, and to provide the compensation unit with a second current greater than the first current.

6. The intelligent controller according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes an enabling circuit electrically connected to the second charging circuit; the communication processing unit is configured to: before power-on, enable the second charging circuit to work through the enabling circuit when the output voltage of the power-taking unit reaches a preset value; after power-on, cut off the enabling circuit so as to replenish the compensation unit with power through the first charging circuit.

7. The intelligent controller according to claim 5, characterized in that, The current limiting section includes an impedance element; the second charging circuit includes a power switch; the first switching circuit includes a combination of devices with switching function, consisting of any one or at least two of MOSFETs, transistors, and IGBTs.

8. The intelligent controller according to claim 3, characterized in that, The capacitance of the first capacitor is set to 1000uF, the capacitance of the second capacitor is set to 470uF, and the compensation unit is a supercapacitor with a capacitance of 0.5F.

9. An intelligent control system for controlling a load device, characterized in that, The control system includes: Remote control equipment, which is used to generate and transmit a control command; and, The intelligent controller as described in any one of claims 1-8; The intelligent controller is connected in series to the AC power circuit of the load device and controls the working state of the load device based on the control command; the remote control device includes at least one of a wireless battery switch, a passive induction switch, a wall switch with wireless signal transmission function, and a speaker device with voice interaction function.

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