Smart door lock

Abstract

The application discloses an intelligent door lock, which comprises a motor control module, an energy storage module, a battery and a controller. When the intelligent door lock is in action, the controller sends a motor action command to the motor control module, so that the motor control module executes the unlocking and locking operation according to the motor action command and controls the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module. When the intelligent door lock is in a dormant state, the controller controls the battery to supply power to the energy storage module, so that the energy storage module supplies power to the motor with large current alone, and the battery supplies power to the low-current circuit. Since the energy storage module separates the motor control module and the battery, the motor is powered by the energy storage module when the intelligent door lock is in action, the battery is prevented from discharging with large current suddenly, the battery is not impacted by the large current, and the battery is charged by the energy storage module when the intelligent door lock is in the dormant state. The battery always works in a small-current state, and the service life of the battery is effectively prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of smart homes, and more particularly to a smart door lock. Background Technology

[0002] The development of the smart home industry has led to the increasing popularity of smart door locks. Smart door locks typically consist of a motor and a battery, with the motor directly powered by the battery. Most of the time, smart door locks are in a dormant state, operating in a low-power mode where the battery discharges with extremely low current; the impact of battery internal resistance and discharge capacity is negligible. However, when a user unlocks the door, the smart lock activates, and the motor starts, generating a large starting current. This causes a sudden large-current discharge from the battery. For batteries with high internal resistance, the output voltage will be much lower than under light load, resulting in unstable power supply voltage for the smart door lock. For batteries with poor discharge capacity, the voltage drops rapidly and recovers slowly during high-current discharge. Furthermore, high-current discharge can affect battery health and impact the quantification of battery capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a smart door lock that separates the battery and motor through an energy storage module. When the smart door lock is activated, the energy storage module supplies power to the motor, preventing sudden high-current discharge from the battery during motor startup. When the smart door lock is in sleep mode, the battery charges the energy storage module, ensuring the battery always operates at a low current, effectively extending battery life. Furthermore, quantifying the capacity of the energy storage module (suitable for high-current discharge) and the dry cell battery (suitable for low-current discharge) allows for more accurate low-battery warnings, making the smart door lock's low-battery warnings more accurate and timely, and unaffected by different brands or discharge capacities of dry cell batteries.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, embodiments of the present invention provide a smart door lock, comprising:

[0005] The motor control module is used to execute unlocking and locking operations according to motor action commands;

[0006] An energy storage module is located between the motor control module and the battery, and is used to supply power to the motor control module;

[0007] A battery is used to power the energy storage module and the controller;

[0008] The controller is configured to send a motor action command to the motor control module and control the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module when the smart door lock is activated; and to control the battery to supply power to the energy storage module when the smart door lock is in a sleep state.

[0009] As an improvement to the above solution, the energy storage module includes an energy storage unit and a switching unit; wherein,

[0010] The switching unit is connected to the energy storage unit and the battery respectively. The switching unit is controlled by the controller and is disconnected when the smart door lock is activated and turned on when the smart door lock is in a sleep state.

[0011] The energy storage unit is connected to the motor control module and supplies power to the motor control module when the switching unit is disconnected.

[0012] As an improvement to the above solution, the energy storage module further includes a charging unit, the switching unit is located between the charging unit and the energy storage unit, the charging unit is connected to the battery, and the charging unit charges the energy storage unit through the battery when the switching unit is turned on.

[0013] As an improvement to the above solution, a first voltage sampling point is provided between the battery and the switching unit. The controller is also used to control the switching unit to disconnect when it detects that the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than a preset first low voltage threshold.

[0014] As an improvement to the above solution, the controller is also used to issue a charging prompt when it detects that the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than a preset second low voltage threshold; wherein the first low voltage threshold is greater than the second low voltage threshold.

[0015] As an improvement to the above solution, a second voltage sampling point is provided between the switching unit and the energy storage unit. The controller is also used to issue a charging prompt message when it detects that the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than a preset third low voltage threshold.

[0016] As an improvement to the above scheme, the energy storage unit is a compressed air energy storage unit, a flywheel energy storage unit, or a capacitor energy storage unit.

[0017] As an improvement to the above solution, the smart door lock also includes a human-computer interaction unit, which is powered by the battery. The human-computer interaction unit is used to authenticate the user and send the authentication result to the controller after successful authentication.

[0018] As an improvement to the above solution, the smart lock also includes a communication unit powered by the battery, which is used to interact with terminal devices.

[0019] Compared to existing technologies, the smart lock disclosed in this invention includes a motor control module, an energy storage module, a battery, and a controller. When the smart lock is activated, the controller sends a motor activation command to the motor control module, enabling the motor control module to perform unlocking and locking operations according to the command, and controls the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module. When the smart lock is in a sleep state, the controller controls the battery to supply power to the energy storage module. Because the connection between the battery and the energy storage module is disconnected when the smart lock is activated, and the energy storage module supplies power to the motor instead of the battery directly powering the motor control module, sudden high-current discharges from the battery are avoided. The battery is not subjected to high-current shocks, and when the smart lock is in sleep mode, the battery charges the energy storage module, always operating at a low current, effectively extending battery life. Furthermore, quantifying the energy capacity of the energy storage module (suitable for high-current discharge) and the dry cell battery (suitable for low-current discharge) allows for more accurate low-battery warnings, making the smart lock's low-battery warnings more accurate and timely, and unaffected by different brands or discharge capacities of dry cell batteries. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first type of smart door lock provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the second type of smart door lock provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a structural schematic diagram of the third type of smart door lock provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of battery voltage sampling provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of voltage sampling for the energy storage unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the fourth type of smart door lock provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] See Figure 1 , Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first type of smart door lock 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The smart door lock 100 includes:

[0028] The motor control module 10 is used to perform unlocking and locking operations according to motor action commands;

[0029] An energy storage module 20 is located between the motor control module and the battery, and is used to supply power to the motor control module.

[0030] Battery 30 is used to supply power to the energy storage module and the controller;

[0031] The controller 40 is configured to send a motor operation command to the motor control module and control the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module when the smart door lock is activated; and to control the battery to supply power to the energy storage module when the smart door lock is in a sleep state.

[0032] For example, the smart door lock 100 includes a movable lock cylinder, and the door frame includes a positioning groove for receiving the lock cylinder. The lock cylinder is inserted into the positioning groove to form a locked state of the smart door lock 100, and the lock cylinder is displaced from the positioning groove to form an unlocked state of the smart door lock 100. The motor control module 10 rotates under the control of the controller 40, thereby driving the lock cylinder to move. When the smart door lock performs an unlocking action, the controller 40 sends a motor action command to the motor control module 10, so that the motor control module 10 drives the lock cylinder to move and insert the lock cylinder into the positioning groove. When the smart door lock performs a locking action, the controller 40 sends a motor action command to the motor control module 10, so that the motor control module 10 drives the lock cylinder to move and displace the lock cylinder from the positioning groove.

[0033] The controller 40 is an MCU (Micro Control Unit), powered by the battery 30. The controller 40 operates with a low current, typically below 50mA, preventing sudden high-current discharge from the battery 30. The motor control module 10, on the other hand, operates with a higher current, typically exceeding 1A during startup. When the controller 40 detects movement of the smart lock, it controls the energy storage module 20 to supply power to the motor control module 10. At this time, the energy storage module 20, suitable for pulsed high-current discharge, supplies power solely to the motor control module 10. The high startup current of the motor does not travel to the battery 30, ensuring that the battery 30 is not subjected to high-current shocks throughout its entire lifespan.

[0034] When the smart lock is in sleep mode, the battery 30 supplies power to the energy storage module 20. Since the motor control module 10 operates for a very short time each time it unlocks and closes, although the current is large, the actual power consumption is extremely low. And since the smart lock 100 operates in sleep mode most of the time, unless there are very frequent unlocking actions, the energy storage module 20 can always maintain a fully charged state each time it unlocks.

[0035] In this embodiment of the invention, since the energy storage module 20 separates the motor control module 10 and the battery 30, the energy storage module 20 supplies power to the motor when the smart door lock 100 is activated, avoiding sudden large current discharge of the battery and preventing the battery from being impacted by large current. When the smart door lock 100 is in sleep mode, the battery charges the energy storage module 20, and the battery always works in a low current state, effectively extending the battery's service life.

[0036] See Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second type of smart door lock 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The energy storage module 20 includes an energy storage unit 22 and a switching unit 21. The switching unit 21 is controlled by the controller 40 and is disconnected when the smart door lock 100 is activated and turned on when the smart door lock 100 is in a dormant state. The energy storage unit 22 is connected to the motor control module 10 and supplies power to the motor control module 10 when the switching unit 21 is disconnected.

[0037] For example, the switching unit 21 can be a switching transistor, a circuit breaker, or other device that can control the on / off state of conductive lines. The switching unit 21 is connected to the battery 30, the energy storage unit 22, the controller 40, and the motor control module 10. When the switching unit 21 is in the on state, the battery 30 is connected to the motor control module 10, and the battery 30 can supply power to the motor control module 10. When the smart lock 100 is activated, the controller 40 controls the switching unit 21 to be disconnected. At this time, the power supply line between the battery 30 and the motor control module 10, and the power supply line between the battery 30 and the energy storage unit 22, are disconnected, but the power supply line between the motor control module 10 and the energy storage unit 22 remains connected. At this time, the energy storage unit 22 supplies power to the motor control module 10. When the smart lock 100 is in the sleep state, the switching unit 21 is in the on state, and the battery 30 can supply power to the energy storage unit 22.

[0038] Furthermore, the energy storage unit 22 is a compressed air energy storage unit, a flywheel energy storage unit, or a capacitor energy storage unit. For example, the capacitor energy storage unit is a supercapacitor. The charging and discharging of the compressed air energy storage unit, the flywheel energy storage unit, and the supercapacitor are physical changes rather than chemical changes. Therefore, after being subjected to a large current impact discharge, the voltage can be quickly restored to a stable state.

[0039] In this embodiment of the invention, since the energy storage unit 22 is disconnected from the battery 30 when the smart door lock 100 is activated, the power consumed by the motor control module 10 is only provided by the energy storage unit 22. The battery 30 does not experience large current discharge and maintains a low current discharge, resulting in a relatively stable voltage and allowing the battery 30 to operate in its optimal state. Furthermore, the energy storage unit 22 has low self-leakage and low internal resistance characteristics, making it suitable for high-current instantaneous discharge. When the motor control module 10 is operating, the voltage drop is minimal, and after the motor control module 10 completes its operation, it quickly enters a stable voltage state.

[0040] See Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third type of smart door lock 100 provided in the embodiment of the present invention. The energy storage module 20 further includes a charging unit 23. The switching unit 21 is disposed between the charging unit 23 and the energy storage unit 22. The charging unit 23 is connected to the battery 30. When the switching unit 21 is turned on, the charging unit 23 charges the energy storage unit 22 through the battery 30.

[0041] For example, the charging unit 23 is a voltage charging circuit. When the smart door lock 100 is in the sleep stage, the switching unit 21 is turned on, and at this time the charging unit 23 charges the energy storage unit 22 with a small current.

[0042] Specifically, the motor control module 10 includes a drive unit 11 and a motor 12. The drive unit 11 receives motor action commands from the controller 40 and drives the motor 12 to rotate forward or reverse. When the motor action command is an unlocking action command, the drive unit 11 controls the motor 12 to rotate forward, and the motor 12 drives the lock cylinder to move, so as to insert the lock cylinder into the positioning slot for positioning. When the motor action command is a locking action command, the drive unit 11 controls the motor 12 to rotate in reverse, and the motor 12 drives the lock cylinder to move, so as to retract the lock cylinder from the positioning slot.

[0043] Specifically, a first voltage sampling point is provided between the battery 30 and the switching unit 21, and the controller 40 is further configured to control the switching unit 21 to disconnect when the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is detected to be lower than a preset first low voltage threshold.

[0044] For example, a first voltage sampling point is provided between the battery 30 and the switching unit 21. Further, a first voltage sampling point is provided between the battery 30 and the charging unit 23, such as... Figure 3 Point A in the diagram represents the first voltage sampling point. The first low voltage threshold is used to alert the battery 30 that it can no longer charge the energy storage unit 22. A voltage sensor may be provided at the first voltage sampling point A. The controller 40 receives the sampled voltage from the voltage sensor. This sampled voltage is the voltage of the battery 30 and can characterize the remaining charge of the battery 30.

[0045] See Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of battery voltage sampling provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As time increases, the remaining power of the battery 30 gradually decreases, and the output voltage of the battery 30 gradually decreases. When the sampling voltage at the first voltage sampling point A is lower than the first low voltage threshold, the battery 30 enters a low power alarm stage, and the battery 30 can no longer charge the energy storage unit 22. After the battery 30 enters the low power alarm stage, the motor control module 10 is powered by the energy stored in the energy storage unit 22. At this time, even if the smart door lock 100 is in a sleep state, the switch unit 21 needs to be disconnected. In addition, since the battery 30 is too low at this time, the energy storage unit 22 will not have new energy to replenish it before replacing the battery or charging the battery, but the controller 40 is still powered by the battery 30.

[0046] In this embodiment of the invention, when the battery power is too low, the energy storage unit supplies power to the motor control module to reduce the power consumption of the battery, and the battery continues to supply power to the controller 40 to maintain the basic functions of the smart door lock 100.

[0047] Specifically, the controller 40 is further configured to issue a charging prompt when it detects that the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than a preset second low voltage threshold; wherein the first low voltage threshold is greater than the second low voltage threshold.

[0048] For example, since the second low voltage threshold is less than the first low voltage threshold, the battery 30 continues to decrease in power after it stops supplying power to the energy storage unit 22 (due to the battery 30 supplying power to the controller 40 and other peripheral modules). When the sampling voltage at the first voltage sampling point is lower than the preset second low voltage threshold, a charging prompt message is issued to prompt the user to replace the battery or charge the battery immediately.

[0049] Specifically, a second voltage sampling point is provided between the switching unit 21 and the energy storage unit 22, and the controller 40 is also used to issue a charging prompt message when it detects that the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than a preset third low voltage threshold.

[0050] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown in the figure, point B represents the second voltage sampling point. A voltage sensor can be installed at the second voltage sampling point B. The controller 40 receives the sampled voltage from the voltage sensor. This sampled voltage is the voltage of the energy storage unit 22, which can characterize the remaining power of the energy storage unit 22. The third low voltage threshold is the voltage when the power of the energy storage unit 22 is insufficient to drive the motor 12 to rotate, or the third low voltage threshold is the voltage when the power of the energy storage unit 22 can still drive the motor 12 to rotate n times, such as n being an integer less than 3.

[0051] See Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a sampling diagram of the energy storage unit voltage provided in an embodiment of the present invention. As time increases, the remaining power of the energy storage unit 22 gradually decreases without the power supply of the battery 30. At this time, the voltage output by the energy storage unit 22 gradually decreases. When the controller 40 receives the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point, if the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than the third low voltage threshold, it indicates that the power of the energy storage unit 22 is too low and it can no longer drive the motor control module 10 to perform the unlocking and locking actions, or it can only drive the unlocking and locking actions n times. Since the battery 30 can no longer supply power to the energy storage unit 22, a charging prompt message needs to be issued to prompt the user to replace the battery immediately / charge the battery.

[0052] It is understandable that the charging prompt message can be issued when the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than the second voltage threshold, and when the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than the third voltage threshold. The controller 40 can issue the charging prompt message when any one of the conditions is met.

[0053] Furthermore, in another embodiment, after receiving the sampled voltage of the second voltage sampling point, the controller 40 can calculate the remaining number of times the energy storage unit 22 can drive the motor control module 10 to operate (lock or unlock) based on the sampled voltage of the second voltage sampling point. For example, the relationship between the energy storage unit 22 and the remaining number of operations can be obtained through pre-testing in a laboratory, such as pre-recording the remaining number of operations corresponding to the energy storage unit 22 at different voltages. When the remaining number of operations is less than a preset threshold, a charging prompt is issued. In this case, it is not necessary to compare whether the sampled voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than the third low voltage threshold. By sampling the voltage of the energy storage unit 22, the number of times the remaining power can satisfy the lock / unlock operation can be calculated very accurately, and the energy storage unit 22 is not affected by different parameters, different brand batteries, or the environment.

[0054] In this embodiment of the invention, the power level of the energy storage unit 22 is monitored, and a charging reminder is issued in a timely manner when the power level of the energy storage unit 22 is too low. Furthermore, after replacing the old battery, the stored energy in the energy storage unit 22 will not be depleted, reducing the power consumption of the new battery and thus extending its lifespan.

[0055] See Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the fourth type of smart door lock 100 provided in this embodiment of the invention. The smart door lock 100 further includes a human-machine interaction unit 50, which is powered by the battery 30. The human-machine interaction unit 50 is used to authenticate the user and send the authentication result to the controller 40 after successful authentication. The smart door lock 100 also includes a communication unit 60, which is powered by the battery 30 and is used to interact with terminal devices.

[0056] For example, the operating current of the human-machine interaction unit 50 and the communication unit 60 is relatively small, typically below 50mA, preventing the battery 30 from experiencing a sudden large current discharge. After successful authentication by the human-machine interaction unit 50, the smart door lock 100 activates, at which point the controller 40 sends a motor action command to the motor control module 10. The human-machine interaction unit 50 can be an authentication device such as a password lock, a face recognition device, or a fingerprint recognition device. The communication unit 60 can send the charging prompt information to the terminal device, and the communication unit 60 can connect to a network to achieve information interaction with the terminal device.

[0057] Furthermore, the smart door lock 100 also includes a power conversion unit 70, which is a voltage processing circuit, such as a DC-DC step-down circuit, and supplies power to the controller 40, the human-machine interaction unit 50 and the communication unit 60 with a small current.

[0058] Compared to existing technologies, the smart lock disclosed in this invention includes a motor control module, an energy storage module, a battery, and a controller. When the smart lock is activated, the controller sends a motor activation command to the motor control module, enabling the motor control module to perform unlocking and locking operations according to the command, and controls the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module. When the smart lock is in a sleep state, the controller controls the battery to supply power to the energy storage module. Because the energy storage module separates the motor control module and the battery, the energy storage module supplies power to the motor when the smart lock is activated, avoiding sudden high-current discharges from the battery and preventing the battery from being impacted by high currents. Furthermore, when the smart lock is in a sleep state, the battery charges the energy storage module, ensuring the battery always operates under low current conditions, effectively extending battery life. Simultaneously, the power capacity of the energy storage module, suitable for high-current discharge, and the power capacity of the dry cell battery, suitable for low-current discharge, are quantified, making the low-battery warning of the smart lock more accurate and timely, and unaffected by different brands or discharge capacities of dry cell batteries.

[0059] The above description represents the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A smart door lock, characterized in that, include: The motor control module is used to execute unlocking and locking operations according to motor action commands; An energy storage module is located between the motor control module and the battery, and is used to supply power to the motor control module; A battery is used to power the energy storage module and the controller; The controller is used to send a motor action command to the motor control module when the smart door lock is activated, and to control the energy storage module to supply power to the motor control module; and to control the battery to supply power to the energy storage module when the smart door lock is in a sleep state. The energy storage module includes an energy storage unit and a switching unit; wherein... The switching unit is connected to the energy storage unit and the battery respectively. The switching unit is controlled by the controller and is disconnected when the smart door lock is activated and turned on when the smart door lock is in a sleep state. The energy storage unit is connected to the motor control module and supplies power to the motor control module when the switching unit is disconnected.

2. The smart door lock as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The energy storage module further includes a charging unit. The switching unit is located between the charging unit and the energy storage unit. The charging unit is connected to the battery. When the switching unit is turned on, the charging unit charges the energy storage unit through the battery.

3. The smart door lock as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A first voltage sampling point is provided between the battery and the switching unit. The controller is also used to control the switching unit to disconnect when it detects that the sampling voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than a preset first low voltage threshold.

4. The smart door lock as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to issue a charging prompt when it detects that the sampled voltage of the first voltage sampling point is lower than a preset second low voltage threshold; wherein the first low voltage threshold is greater than the second low voltage threshold.

5. The smart door lock as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A second voltage sampling point is provided between the switching unit and the energy storage unit. The controller is also used to issue a charging prompt message when it detects that the sampling voltage of the second voltage sampling point is lower than a preset third low voltage threshold.

6. The smart door lock as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The energy storage unit is a compressed air energy storage unit, a flywheel energy storage unit, or a capacitor energy storage unit.

7. The smart door lock as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The smart door lock also includes a human-computer interaction unit, which is powered by the battery. The human-computer interaction unit is used to authenticate the user and send the authentication result to the controller after successful authentication.

8. The smart door lock as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The smart door lock also includes a communication unit powered by the battery, which is used to interact with terminal devices.

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