Household appliance control method based on radar

Abstract

The invention provides a radar-based household appliance control method. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a distance D between a user and a household appliance through a radar module; the moving speed V of the user is calculated through parameters obtained by the radar module; and according to the distance D and / or the moving speed V, controlling the working state of the display screen or light of the household appliance. The position information and the speed information of the user are obtained through the radar module, intelligent control over the display screen or light is achieved according to the position information and the speed information of the user, and the user experience is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of household appliance control, and in particular to a household appliance control method based on radar. Background Art

[0002] Because radar has the ability to accurately detect the spatial position of a target, has flexible environmental adaptability, is not easily affected by environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and brightness, and can also protect people's privacy, radar has been widely used in home appliances.

[0003] How to use the spatial position detection capability of the radar to determine whether the user wants to use the home appliance? The existing method is generally to directly detect the straight-line distance between the user and the home appliance, but this method has a high false trigger rate and poor user experience.

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a radar-based home appliance control method to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a home appliance control method based on radar, comprising the following steps: obtaining a distance D between a user and the home appliance through a radar module;

[0006] Calculate the user's moving speed V through the parameters obtained by the radar module;

[0007] The working state of the home appliance display screen or light is controlled according to the distance D and / or the moving speed V.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the distance D is a straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module installed on the home appliance, and the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled according to the straight-line distance D1.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the radar module adopts a continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is:

[0010] D1=(Ptransmit-Preceive) / 2PElectromagnetic wave loss per unit distance

[0011] Or, the radar module uses a frequency modulated continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is:

[0012]

[0013] Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the sweep period, and B is the sweep bandwidth.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the distance D is a vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance, and the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled according to the vertical distance D2.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the radar module adopts a frequency modulated continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module is:

[0016]

[0017] Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the frequency sweep period, and B is the frequency sweep bandwidth;

[0018] The calculation formula of the angle θ between the user and the radar module is:

[0019]

[0020] in, is the phase difference between the two receiving antennas, d is the distance between the two receiving antennas, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave;

[0021] The vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance is calculated according to the straight-line distance D1 and the angle θ, wherein D2 = D1*cosθ.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present invention, it is determined whether the distance D is less than or equal to a preset effective distance. If so, the working state of the display screen or the light is changed; if not, the original state of the display screen or the light is maintained.

[0023] As a further improvement of the present invention, “controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the user's moving speed V” comprises the following steps:

[0024] Determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to a preset speed threshold, if so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the original state of the display screen or light;

[0025] The user moving speed V is calculated in any of the following ways:

[0026] The radar module uses a frequency modulated continuous wave to calculate the user's moving speed V according to the user's moving distance per unit time or the time required to move a unit distance;

[0027] Alternatively, the radar module uses a continuous wave, and the formula for calculating the moving speed V is:

[0028] V=C-Δfλ

[0029] Among them, C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0030] As a further improvement of the present invention, “controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the distance D and the moving speed V” comprises the following steps:

[0031] Determine whether the distance D is less than or equal to the preset effective distance,

[0032] If not, keep the display screen or light in its original state; if so, calculate the user's moving speed V and determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to the preset speed threshold. If so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the display screen or light in its original state.

[0033] As a further improvement of the present invention, “controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the distance D and the moving speed V” comprises the following steps:

[0034] Calculate the user's moving speed V and determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to a preset speed threshold.

[0035] If not, keep the original state of the display screen or light; if so, determine whether the distance D is less than or equal to the preset effective distance, if so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the original state of the display screen or light.

[0036] As a further improvement of the present invention, the household appliance also has a day mode and a night mode, the preset effective distance includes the effective distance in the day mode and the effective distance in the night mode, the effective distance in the day mode is greater than the effective distance in the night mode, and the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the day mode is higher than the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the night mode.

[0037] As a further improvement of the present invention, the method for switching between the day mode and the night mode is as follows: obtaining the current time, determining whether the current time is within a preset night time range,

[0038] If not, turn on the day mode; if so, obtain the number of times the radar module detects the user within a preset time period, and determine whether the number is less than a set threshold. If so, turn on the night mode; if not, turn on the day mode.

[0039] As a further improvement of the present invention, the radar module adopts any frequency band of 5.8 GHz, 24 GHz, and 60 GHz.

[0040] As a further improvement of the present invention, the radar module is installed on the door of the household appliance;

[0041] Wherein, when the household appliance door body is made of metal, a mounting hole is opened on the front of the metal door body, and the radar module is installed in the mounting hole;

[0042] Alternatively, when the refrigerator door is made of glass, the distance between the radar module and the refrigerator door body is not less than 2 mm.

[0043] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention obtains user location information and speed information through a radar module, and implements intelligent control of display screens or lights according to the user location information and speed information, thereby improving user experience; and home appliances are preset with a night mode, which prevents false triggering of the display screen or lights and can save electricity for home appliances at night. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0045] Figure 1 This is a control flow chart according to the distance between the user and the home appliance of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a flow chart of the present invention controlling the speed of a user;

[0047] Figure 3 This is a control flow chart of an implementation method of the present invention according to the distance between the user and the home appliance and the user's moving speed;

[0048] Figure 4 This is a control flow chart of another implementation of the present invention according to the distance between the user and the home appliance and the user's moving speed;

[0049] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of switching between day and night modes of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of installing the radar module of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the positions of the user and radar module of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of the present invention and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0053] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0054] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified and limited, it should be noted that the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection, or it can be the internal connection between two components. It can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the present invention provides a method for controlling household appliances based on radar, comprising the following steps:

[0056] Obtain the distance D between the user and the home appliance through the radar module;

[0057] Calculate the user's moving speed V through the parameters obtained by the radar module;

[0058] The working state of the display screen or light of the home appliance is controlled according to the distance D and / or the moving speed V. The distance D includes a straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module installed on the home appliance and a vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance.

[0059] The present invention takes a refrigerator as an example, and the radar module is installed on the refrigerator door. When the refrigerator door is made of metal, a mounting hole is opened on the front of the metal door, and the radar module is installed in the mounting hole to prevent the metal door from affecting the transmission of electromagnetic wave signals between the radar module and the user; when the refrigerator door is made of glass, the distance between the radar module and the refrigerator door is not less than 2mm, so as to prevent the refrigerator door from affecting the impedance characteristics of the antenna, resulting in the antenna receiving too little power to achieve normal demodulation.

[0060] The radar module uses a frequency within the frequency band of 5.725-5.875 GHz or 24-24.25 GHz or 57-66 GHz to perform continuous or intermittent detection of the detection area through the radar module, emitting electromagnetic waves, and obtaining the user's movement information based on the power difference, frequency difference and phase difference information returned after the emitted electromagnetic waves hit the user.

[0061] The radar module adopts frequency modulated continuous wave or continuous wave. The continuous wave takes the antenna's sending signal and receiving signal as input through a mixer. After mixing, the frequency difference of the two signals is obtained as an intermediate frequency signal, and then the intermediate frequency signal is filtered and amplified. When the signal power is within a certain range, it is considered that someone appears nearby. This method has a low cost, but the ranging accuracy is not high and refrigerator door panels of different materials will have a greater impact on the signal power, and the adaptability is poor; the frequency modulated continuous wave modulates the continuous wave signal to generate a timing reference. This method has a high cost, but the ranging accuracy is high and the frequency modulated continuous wave uses the demodulation of the received signal. The demodulation power range of this application is particularly large, which makes it almost unaffected by the material of the refrigerator panel.

[0062] Reference Figure 1 In one implementation, the working state of the home appliance display screen or light is controlled according to the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module installed on the home appliance acquired by the radar module.

[0063] Specifically, the radar module uses a continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is:

[0064] D1=(P 发射 -P 接收 ) / 2P 单位距离内的电磁波损耗

[0065] The straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module can be obtained based on the difference in energy between the transmitted and received electromagnetic waves.

[0066] Or, the radar module uses a frequency modulated continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is:

[0067]

[0068] Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the sweep period, and B is the sweep bandwidth.

[0069] The frequency difference Δf between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave can be extracted by the mixer, thereby obtaining the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module.

[0070] The straight-line distance D1 is compared with the preset distance, and the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled accordingly.

[0071] The preset effective distance is 0.7 to 1 m, and the preset effective distance can be adaptively adjusted according to user needs. If the straight-line distance D1 is less than or equal to the effective distance, the display screen or light is turned on to facilitate subsequent operations by the user; if the straight-line distance D1 is greater than the effective distance, the display screen or light is turned off.

[0072] Reference Figure 1In another embodiment, the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled according to the vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance.

[0073] The straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module and the angle θ between the user and the radar module can be converted into the vertical distance between the user and the refrigerator, thereby truly reflecting the distance between the user and the refrigerator, and using this as a basis to control the working status of the display screen or light.

[0074] Specifically, the radar module adopts frequency modulated continuous wave, and the radar module is equipped with at least one group of transmitting antennas and at least two groups of receiving antennas.

[0075] The formula for calculating the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module using FMCW is:

[0076]

[0077] Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the sweep period, and B is the sweep bandwidth.

[0078] The frequency difference Δf between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave can be extracted by the mixer, thereby calculating the distance D between the user and the radar module.

[0079] If the angle between the user and the radar module is to be calculated, at least two sets of receiving antennas are used, and the angle between the user and the module is determined by the difference in distance between the two receiving antennas and the user. Since the two antennas are close to each other, the module cannot distinguish the distance difference, but the phase difference will be large. Therefore, the phase change caused by the distance difference between the user and the two receiving antennas can be used to calculate the arrival angle.

[0080] The formula for calculating the angle θ between the user and the radar module is:

[0081]

[0082] in, is the phase difference between the two receiving antennas, d is the distance between the two receiving antennas, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0083] The input signals of the two receiving antennas enter the phase detector, which can directly output the phase difference between the two sets of receiving antennas. The angle θ between the user and the radar module is calculated accordingly.

[0084] Finally, the vertical distance D2 = D1*cosθ between the user and the refrigerator is determined based on the straight-line distance D1 and the angle θ, and the vertical distance D2 between the user and the refrigerator is compared with the preset effective distance to control the working state of the display screen or light.

[0085] Specifically, the preset effective distance is 0.5 to 7 meters, and the preset effective distance can be adaptively adjusted according to user needs. If the vertical distance D2 is less than or equal to the preset effective distance, the display screen or light is turned on to facilitate subsequent operations by the user; if the vertical distance D2 is greater than the preset effective distance, the display screen or light is turned off.

[0086] Reference Figure 2 In another embodiment, the working state of the home appliance display screen or light is controlled according to the user's moving speed V.

[0087] Specifically, when the radar module adopts a frequency modulated continuous wave, the user's moving speed V is calculated according to the user's moving distance per unit time or the time required to move a unit distance;

[0088] Or, when the radar module adopts continuous wave, the formula for calculating the moving speed V is:

[0089] V=C-Δfλ

[0090] Among them, C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0091] Determine whether the user's moving speed V is less than or equal to a preset speed threshold. If so, turn on the display screen or light to facilitate the user's subsequent operations; if not, turn off the display screen or light.

[0092] The preset speed threshold is 0.6 m / s, and the preset speed threshold can be adaptively adjusted according to user needs.

[0093] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 In another embodiment, the working state of the home appliance display screen or light is controlled according to the distance D between the user and the home appliance and the moving speed V of the user.

[0094] The distance D between the user and the home appliance may be a straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module, or a vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance.

[0095] When the radar module adopts a continuous wave, the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module is first obtained through the radar module, and it is determined whether the straight-line distance D1 is less than or equal to the preset effective distance;

[0096] If not, turn off the display screen or light; if so, calculate the user's moving speed V and determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to the preset speed threshold. If so, turn on the display screen or light; if not, turn off the display screen or light.

[0097] The formula for obtaining the straight-line distance D1 and the moving speed V through the radar module, as well as the preset effective distance and the preset speed threshold, refer to the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0098] Alternatively, when the radar module adopts a frequency modulated continuous wave, the radar module obtains the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module and the angle θ between the user and the radar module, and determines the vertical distance D2 between the user and the refrigerator according to the straight-line distance D1 and the angle θ.

[0099] Determine whether the vertical distance D2 is less than or equal to the preset effective distance;

[0100] If not, turn off the display screen or light; if so, calculate the user's moving speed V. If the user's moving speed V is less than or equal to the preset speed threshold, it is considered that the user intends to use the refrigerator, and the display screen or light is turned on to facilitate the user's subsequent operations; if the user's moving speed V is greater than the preset speed threshold, it is considered that the user is just passing by the refrigerator and has no intention of using the refrigerator, and the display screen or light is turned off.

[0101] The formula for obtaining the straight-line distance D1, the angle θ, the moving speed V through the radar module, as well as the preset effective distance and the preset speed threshold refer to the above-mentioned embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the user's moving speed V may also be calculated first to determine whether the user's moving speed V is within a preset speed threshold;

[0103] If not, turn off the display screen or light; if so, determine whether the distance D between the user and the home appliance is less than or equal to the preset effective distance. If so, light up the display screen or light; if not, turn off the display screen or light.

[0104] It should be noted that in the above embodiments, the working state of the home appliance display screen or light is not limited to lighting the display screen or light, but may also be the control of the working state such as the brightness, color or lighting time of the display screen or light.

[0105] Reference Figure 5 The home appliance also has a day mode and a night mode. The preset effective distance includes the effective distance in the day mode and the effective distance in the night mode. The effective distance in the day mode is greater than the effective distance in the night mode, and the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the day mode is higher than the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the night mode.

[0106] At night, the use frequency of the home appliance is greatly reduced. The effective distance in the night mode reduces the probability of the home appliance display screen or light being turned on by mistake, and reduces the brightness of the display screen or light after it is turned on, so as to prevent the display screen or light from being too bright and dazzling in a dark environment. By improving the lighting conditions of the home appliance display screen or light and reducing the brightness, it is also possible to save electricity for the refrigerator at night.

[0107] The switching method between the day mode and the night mode is:

[0108] Get the current time and determine whether the current time is within the preset night time range;

[0109] If not, turn on the day mode; if so, obtain the number of times the radar module detects the user within a certain period of time, and determine whether the number is less than a set threshold. If so, turn on the night mode; if not, turn on the day mode.

[0110] Specifically, the refrigerator obtains the current time and determines whether to enter the night mode according to the current time. In this embodiment, the preset night time range is from 22:00 to 6:00 the next day. The preset night time range can be adaptively adjusted according to the user's work and rest schedule. If the current time is within the preset night time range and the radar module does not detect a user within a predetermined time period (such as one hour), the night mode is turned on.

[0111] To summarize, the present invention obtains user location information and speed information through a radar module, and implements intelligent control of display screens or lights based on the user location information and speed information, thereby improving user experience; and home appliances preset a night mode, which prevents false triggering of the display screen or lights and can save electricity for home appliances at night.

[0112] It should be understood that although the present specification is described according to embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment may also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0113] The series of detailed descriptions listed above are only specific descriptions of feasible embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. All equivalent embodiments or changes that do not deviate from the technical spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling household appliances based on radar, characterized in that: The steps include: Obtain the distance D between the user and the home appliance through the radar module; Calculate the user's moving speed V through the parameters obtained by the radar module; The working state of the home appliance display screen or light is controlled according to the distance D and / or the moving speed V.

2. The radar-based home appliance control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance D is a straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module installed on the home appliance, and the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled according to the straight-line distance D1.

3. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 2, characterized in that: The radar module uses continuous waves, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is: D1=(Ptransmit-Preceive) / 2PElectromagnetic wave loss per unit distance Or, the radar module uses a frequency modulated continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 is: Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the sweep period, and B is the sweep bandwidth.

4. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance D is a vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance, and the working state of the display screen or the light is controlled according to the vertical distance D2.

5. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 4, characterized in that: The radar module uses frequency modulated continuous wave, and the calculation formula of the straight-line distance D1 between the user and the radar module is: Where C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, T is the frequency sweep period, and B is the frequency sweep bandwidth; The calculation formula of the angle θ between the user and the radar module is: in, is the phase difference between the two receiving antennas, d is the distance between the two receiving antennas, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave; The vertical distance D2 between the user and the home appliance is calculated according to the straight-line distance D1 and the angle θ, wherein D2 = D1*cosθ.

6. The radar-based home appliance control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: “Controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the distance D” comprises the following steps: Determine whether the distance D is less than or equal to the preset effective distance. If so, change the working state of the display screen or the light; if not, keep the original state of the display screen or the light.

7. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: “Controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the user's moving speed V” includes the following steps: Determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to a preset speed threshold, if so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the original state of the display screen or light; The user moving speed V is calculated in any of the following ways: The radar module uses a frequency modulated continuous wave to calculate the user's moving speed V according to the user's moving distance per unit time or the time required to move a unit distance; Alternatively, the radar module uses a continuous wave, and the formula for calculating the moving speed V is: V=C-Δfλ Among them, C is the speed of light, Δf is the frequency difference between the transmitted electromagnetic wave and the received electromagnetic wave, and λ is the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

8. The radar-based home appliance control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: “Controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the distance D and the moving speed V” comprises the following steps: Determine whether the distance D is less than or equal to the preset effective distance, If not, keep the display screen or light in its original state; if so, calculate the user's moving speed V and determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to the preset speed threshold. If so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the display screen or light in its original state.

9. The radar-based home appliance control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: “Controlling the working state of the home appliance display screen or light according to the distance D and the moving speed V” comprises the following steps: Calculate the user's moving speed V and determine whether the moving speed V is less than or equal to a preset speed threshold. If not, keep the original state of the display screen or light; if so, determine whether the distance D is less than or equal to the preset effective distance, if so, change the working state of the display screen or light; if not, keep the original state of the display screen or light.

10. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 6, characterized in that: The household appliance also has a day mode and a night mode, and the preset effective distance includes the effective distance in the day mode and the effective distance in the night mode. The effective distance in the day mode is greater than the effective distance in the night mode, and the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the day mode is higher than the brightness of the display screen or light after being lit in the night mode.

11. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 10, characterized in that: The method for switching between the day mode and the night mode is as follows: obtaining the current time, determining whether the current time is within a preset night time range, If not, turn on the day mode; if so, obtain the number of times the radar module detects the user within a preset time period, and determine whether the number is less than a set threshold. If so, turn on the night mode; if not, turn on the day mode.

12. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar module uses any frequency band among 5.8 GHz, 24 GHz and 60 GHz.

13. The method for controlling household appliances based on radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar module is installed on the door of the household appliance; Wherein, when the household appliance door body is made of metal, a mounting hole is opened on the front of the metal door body, and the radar module is installed in the mounting hole; Alternatively, when the refrigerator door is made of glass, the distance between the radar module and the refrigerator door body is not less than 2 mm.

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