Method, device, equipment and medium for determining service life of contactor

Abstract

The invention provides a method and device for determining the service life of a contactor, equipment and a medium. The method includes determining a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from opening of a switch of the contactor to full discharge, the capacitor being connected in parallel with a coil of the contactor during closing of the switch of the contactor and being charged to a predetermined voltage after closing of the switch of the contactor, after the switch of the contactor is switched off, the coil is connected in series with the coil of the contactor; and determining the service life of the contactor based on the voltage change. According to the method provided by the invention, the service life of the contactor can be accurately determined by determining the voltage change of the capacitor connected with the coil of the contactor, so that the method provided by the invention can give more accurate suggestions to a user in time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to fields such as power applications, and more particularly, to a method, a device, a equipment and a medium for determining the life of a contactor. Background Art

[0002] Contactors are increasingly used in power applications and other industries (such as rail transit, data centers, automated power, etc.). There are more and more problems with contactors not working properly due to the end of their life (such as failure to close, open, or heating and fire caused by excessive silver point contact resistance after closing). This brings certain dangers to users' production and life, and also causes great losses to related organizations or enterprises.

[0003] Therefore, it is particularly important to ensure the normal operation of the contactor and replace the contactor in time. Summary of the invention

[0004] In response to the above problems, the present disclosure provides a method for determining the life of a contactor. Since the method provided by the present disclosure can accurately determine the life of a contactor by determining the voltage change of a capacitor connected to the coil of the contactor, the method provided by the present disclosure can provide users with more accurate suggestions in a timely manner.

[0005] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: determining a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is disconnected to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is disconnected; based on the voltage change, determining the life of the contactor.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change includes: determining the life of the contactor based on characteristics related to a curve of the voltage change.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change includes: determining the life of the contactor based on the area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or the peak point of the curve.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage stabilizing unit during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed, wherein the voltage stabilizing unit is used to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage acquisition unit during the period when the switch of the contactor is disconnected, wherein the voltage acquisition unit is used to acquire the voltage change.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: outputting warning information when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0011] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a first determination unit, configured to determine a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is disconnected to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is disconnected; and a second determination unit, configured to determine the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second determination unit is configured to determine the life of the contactor based on a feature related to the curve of the voltage change.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein, determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change includes: determining the life of the contactor based on the area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or the peak point of the curve.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes: a voltage stabilizing unit, which is configured to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage, and is connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes: a voltage acquisition unit, which is configured to acquire the voltage change and is connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is disconnected.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes: an output unit configured to output warning information when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0017] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a component for determining a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is opened to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; and a component for determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0018] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a processor, and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer executable instructions, and when the computer executable instructions are executed by the processor, the processor is prompted to execute any of the above methods.

[0019] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable recording medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is prompted to execute any of the above methods.

[0020] The present disclosure provides methods, devices, equipment and media for determining the life of a contactor. The method provided by the present disclosure can accurately determine the life of a contactor by determining the voltage change of a capacitor connected to the coil of the contactor. Therefore, the method provided by the present disclosure can more accurately and intelligently judge the life of a contactor than the methods in the prior art, and can provide customers with more accurate suggestions for replacement or continued use in a timely manner. In addition, the method provided by the present disclosure can flexibly set the method or content of the alarm prompt according to the actual application scenario needs of the user, so that the method provided by the present disclosure can be applied to various scenarios and has a wide range of uses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 shows a schematic equivalent circuit diagram of a coil and a capacitor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 2 shows an ideal waveform diagram during capacitor discharge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method 300 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 4A A schematic diagram showing changes in the inductance of a new contactor and an old contactor and the opening speed of the contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4B A schematic diagram showing voltage changes of inductance and capacitance of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 5A A graph showing the opening speed of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 5B A graph showing the inductance of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 5C A graph showing voltage changes of capacitances of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an entire circuit based on a method provided by the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 7 A partial specific schematic diagram of a capacitor and control unit 640 and a voltage acquisition unit 650 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D Schematic diagrams showing changes in voltage of capacitors collected from four pairs of new contactors and one pair of old contactors according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively;

[0033] Fig. 9 1 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 900 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0034] Fig.10 is a block diagram showing an apparatus 1000 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a recording medium 1100 according to the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, similar words such as "one", "one" or "the" do not indicate quantity restrictions, but indicate that there is at least one. Similar words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Similar words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0038] In the prior art, in order to ensure the normal operation of the contactor, a method for determining the life of the contactor is often used to recommend or notify the customer to replace the contactor in time before the life of the contactor expires (for example, before the silver point is polished), thereby avoiding significant losses caused by contactor failure.

[0039] The above-mentioned method for determining the life of the contactor in the prior art mainly determines whether the life of the contactor has expired by whether the cumulative number of closing and opening operations of the contactor exceeds a threshold, and then recommends or notifies the customer to replace it in time. However, this method has problems such as inaccuracy and lack of intelligence.

[0040] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides another method for determining the life of a contactor. Since the method provided by the present disclosure can accurately determine the life of a contactor by determining the voltage change of a capacitor connected to the coil of the contactor, the method provided by the present disclosure can accurately judge the life of the contactor, and thus can promptly provide customers with more accurate suggestions, such as replacement suggestions.

[0041] Before describing in detail the method for determining the life of a contactor provided by the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings below, a brief introduction is first made to the contactor and related prior art knowledge to facilitate a better understanding of the method for determining the life of a contactor provided by the present disclosure to be introduced later.

[0042] As known to those skilled in the art, the contactor has a coil inside, and a static iron core and a moving iron core outside to form a closed magnetic circuit. The moving iron core is connected to the moving contact through a connector and drives the moving contact to move together. The moving contact is provided with a silver point for contacting the silver point on the static contact.

[0043] When the contactor is powered on, the coil is powered on, and the moving iron core moves due to the force generated by the magnetic circuit, thereby driving the moving contact to move and close with the static contact, thereby supplying power to the user's load.

[0044] When the contactor is powered off, the coil loses power, and the moving iron core moves opposite to the above movement due to the action of the reaction spring, so that the moving iron core is pushed away, and then drives the moving contact to separate from the static contact, thereby cutting off the power to the user's load.

[0045] The coil can be equivalent to an inductor and a resistor. The capacitor to be introduced next is a component that does not exist in the existing contactor, and is a component creatively used by the present invention to solve the problems existing in the prior art. In actual use, the capacitor can be integrated into the contactor or used outside the contactor, as long as the capacitor can be connected to both ends of the coil.

[0046] Figure 1 A schematic equivalent circuit diagram of a coil and a capacitor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0047] Reference Figure 1 , the coil in the contactor is equivalent to a resistor 110 and an inductor 120. The capacitor 130 provided in the present disclosure is connected to the resistor 110 and the inductor 120, wherein the specific parameters of the capacitor can be selected according to the needs of the specific contactor product, for example, a capacitor with a withstand voltage of 50V can be selected. As will be described later, the capacitor can be fully charged in advance, and then during the entire process from the capacitor starting to discharge until the capacitor discharges to 0, the voltage across the capacitor can be as follows: Figure 2 The waveform shown.

[0048] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows an ideal waveform diagram during capacitor discharge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 In the waveform shown, the horizontal axis represents time in seconds (s), and the vertical axis represents the voltage of the capacitor in volts (v). This waveform is related to the above-mentioned capacitance, inductance and resistance, and can be obtained by the following formula:

[0049] U c +i.R+L

[0050]

[0051]

[0052] Among them, U c represents the voltage of the capacitor, i represents the current, R represents the resistance, L represents the inductance, t represents the time, and c represents the capacitance.

[0053] The method for determining the life of a contactor provided by the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] Figure 3 A flow chart of a method 300 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The method 300 may be executed by any suitable device, apparatus, or the like.

[0055] Reference Figure 3 In step S310, a voltage change of the capacitor from when the switch of the contactor is disconnected to when it is fully discharged can be determined, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is disconnected.

[0056] As an example, the contactor may be any contactor available on the market.

[0057] As an example, the capacitor may be any capacitor available on the market that can be applied in the present disclosure.

[0058] As an example, the switch disconnection of the contactor can be that the moving iron core moves due to the action of the reaction spring as described above, so that the moving iron core is pushed away, and then the moving contact is driven to separate from the static contact. The switch disconnection of the contactor can be disconnected in response to the user's main switch being disconnected.

[0059] As an example, the full discharge period may be a period during which the capacitor is discharged from a predetermined voltage until it reaches 0. The predetermined voltage may be a voltage set according to actual needs, wherein the voltage does not exceed the withstand voltage of the capacitor. For example, when the withstand voltage of the capacitor is 50V, the predetermined voltage may be 30V, 40V or 50V. During the full discharge period, the voltage of the capacitor is constantly changing, such as the above combination. Figure 2 The ideal waveform is shown in Figure 2.

[0060] As an example, during the closing period of the contactor switch (as will be described later in conjunction with Figure 6-7In the embodiment of the present invention, the contactor is closed in response to the user's switch 680 being closed, and the user's load is powered by the contactor. At this time, the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor, and the capacitor can be charged by, for example, alternating current provided by the user at the same time, so as to be charged to the above-mentioned predetermined voltage. In addition, in order to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage, the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage stabilizing unit during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed, wherein the voltage stabilizing unit can be used to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage. As an example, the voltage stabilizing unit can be any suitable unit composed of a voltage stabilizing circuit, such as a voltage stabilizing diode.

[0061] As an example, after the contactor switch is disconnected (as will be described later in conjunction with Figure 6-7 The contactor switch is disconnected in response to the user's switch 680 being disconnected, indicating that the user's load is no longer powered. At this time, the capacitor is connected in series with the coil of the contactor, so that the capacitor and the coil form a loop, and the capacitor begins to discharge. Then, by analyzing the voltage change of the capacitor, the wear of the silver points on the moving contact and the static contact of the contactor can be known.

[0062] As an example, the voltage change of the capacitor can be determined by any suitable voltage acquisition circuit. In order to be able to acquire the voltage change of the capacitor, the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage acquisition unit during the switch disconnection period of the contactor, wherein the voltage acquisition unit is used to acquire the voltage change. As an example, the voltage acquisition unit can be any suitable unit composed of an acquisition circuit, such as using a resistor voltage division method for acquisition.

[0063] Continue to refer to Figure 3 In step S320, the life of the contactor may be determined based on the voltage change.

[0064] As an example, through a large number of experiments, it is found that the voltage changes of new contactors and old contactors are completely different. Figure 4A and Figure 4B shown. Figure 4A A schematic diagram showing changes in the inductance and the opening speed of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4B A schematic diagram showing the voltage changes of the inductance and capacitance of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4A-4B And the following will introduce Figures 5A-5C and Figures 8A-8D These are schematic diagrams of the period from when the contactor switch is disconnected to when it is fully discharged.

[0065] Reference Figure 4AThe curve indicated by the reference numeral 410 is a curve showing the change of the inductance of the old contactor from the closed state to the open state. The curve indicated by the reference numeral 420 is a curve showing the change of the inductance of the new contactor from the closed state to the open state. The curve indicated by the reference numeral 430 is a curve showing the change of the opening speed of the new contactor from the closed state to the open state. The curve indicated by the reference numeral 440 is a curve showing the change of the opening speed of the old contactor from the closed state to the open state. It can be seen from the above four curves that the changes of the inductance and the opening speed of the new contactor and the old contactor from the closed state to the open state are obviously different.

[0066] Reference Figure 4B , the curve graph indicated by reference numeral 450 is a curve of the change of the inductance of the old contactor from the closed state to the open state. The curve graph indicated by reference numeral 460 is a curve of the change of the inductance of the new contactor from the closed state to the open state. The curve graph indicated by reference numeral 470 is a curve of the change of the voltage of the capacitor during the period from the closed state to the open state of the old contactor. The curve graph indicated by reference numeral 480 is a curve of the change of the voltage of the capacitor during the period from the closed state to the open state of the new contactor. It can be seen from the above four change curves that the changes in the inductance and the voltage of the capacitor of the new contactor and the old contactor in the process from the closed state to the open state are obviously different. Therefore, the life of the receiver can be determined based on the voltage change of the capacitor.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change may include: determining the life of the contactor based on a feature related to the curve of the voltage change. Specifically, the determining the life of the contactor based on a feature related to the curve of the voltage change may include: determining the life of the contactor based on an area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or a peak point of the curve.

[0068] As an example, the characteristic associated with the curve of voltage variation may be Figure 4B Features related to the curve shown by label 470 or label 480.

[0069] For example, the feature may be the area enclosed by the curve shown by reference numeral 470 or 480 and the horizontal and vertical axes. Figure 4B It can be seen that the area formed by the old contactor is significantly larger than the area formed by the new contactor, and through a large number of experiments, it is also found that the older the old contactor is, the larger the area formed by it is.

[0070] For another example, the feature may be a peak point of the curve shown by reference numeral 470 or 480. Figure 4BIt can be seen that, except for the first peak point, the subsequent peak points of the new contactor are higher than those of the old contactor, that is, the second peak point of the new contactor is higher than the second peak point of the old contactor; the third peak point of the new contactor is higher than the third peak point of the old contactor; the fourth peak point of the new contactor is higher than the fourth peak point of the old contactor; the fifth peak point of the new contactor is higher than the fifth peak point of the old contactor. In addition, through a large number of experiments, it is found that the older the old contactor is, the lower its peak point is than the corresponding peak point of the new contactor.

[0071] In the case where the above-mentioned feature can be the area surrounded by the curve shown by the number 470 or 480 and the horizontal and vertical coordinate axes, the life of the contactor can be determined by comparing the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor with a predefined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is an appropriate threshold determined through a large number of experiments. For example, after a large number of experiments, it can be determined that the threshold is 500%. At this time, if the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor exceeds 500%, it means that the old contactor has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced. If the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor does not exceed 500%, it means that the old contactor can still work normally at this time and does not need to be replaced.

[0072] In addition, the life of the contactor can also be determined by pre-establishing a predefined table, wherein the pre-defined table can be a pre-established table in which the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor corresponds to the life of the contactor.

[0073] As an example, the predefined table can be a table obtained through a large number of experiments on contactors. For example, assuming that a new contactor can be used 100,000 times, when it is used for the 10,000th time (the life of the contactor is 10%), the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor is calculated by the above method; when it is used for the 20,000th time (the life of the contactor is 20%), the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor is calculated by the above method, and so on. Then, after counting a large amount of data, the predefined table shown in Table 1 below can be obtained.

[0074]

[0075] Table 1 Predefined table

[0076] In Table 1, 10% of the life of the contactor can mean that the contactor has been used for 10% of its life. For example, if the maximum number of times the contactor is used is 100,000 times, then the above 10% can mean that the contactor has been used for 10,000 times and there are 90,000 times left to be used. At this time, the ratio V1 of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor represents the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor corresponding to 10% of the life of the contactor.

[0077] You can refer to the description of 10% of the contactor life and the corresponding ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor to understand the meaning of 20%, 30%, etc. of the contactor life and the corresponding ratios V2, V3, etc. of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor, which will not be repeated here.

[0078] As an example, assuming that the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor determined by the above method is Vx, then based on the comparison of Table 1 above, the value of Vx is equal to the value of V8 in Table 1, and the life of the receiver can be determined to be 80%, indicating that the contactor has used 80% of its life and has 20% of its life left. It should be noted that the meaning of the life corresponding to the above values ​​is only an example, and those skilled in the art can also define, for example, 80% of the life means 80% of the life left, that is, 20% of the life has been used, according to actual needs. In addition, it should be noted that the ratios V1 to V8 of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor are only examples, and the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor in Table 1 above can also be an interval range.

[0079] In the case where the above-mentioned feature can be the peak point of the curve shown by the label 470 or 480, the life of the contactor can be determined by comparing the ratio of the peak point of the curve shown by the label 470 to the corresponding peak point of the curve shown by the label 480 with a predefined threshold value, wherein the predetermined threshold value is an appropriate threshold value determined through a large number of experiments. For example, after a large number of experiments, it can be determined that the threshold value is 30%. At this time, if the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor is less than 30% (except for the first peak point, the corresponding ratio of the first peak point is 1), it means that the life of the old contactor has expired and needs to be replaced. If the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor does not exceed 30%, it means that the old contactor can still work normally at this time and does not need to be replaced. In addition, the life of the contactor can also be determined in the form of the above-mentioned predefined table. For details, please refer to the contents described in the above-mentioned combination table 1, and no further description will be given again.

[0080] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method 300 may further include outputting warning information when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0081] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor exceeds 500%, the warning information is output.

[0082] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the value of the life of the contactor determined by the above combined Table 1 is greater than or equal to 90%, an alarm message is output. Referring to the above introduction, it can be seen that when the value of the life of the contactor is greater than or equal to 90%, it means that the receiver has used greater than or equal to 90% of its life, that is, the contactor has less than 10% of its life left. Assuming that the maximum number of uses of the contactor is 100,000 times, the above 90% can mean that the contactor has been used 90,000 times and there are 10,000 times left to use. At this time, the number of remaining uses is small, and a certain alarm prompt needs to be given to the user.

[0083] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor is less than 30%, the alarm information is output.

[0084] As an example, the method of outputting the alarm information may be one or more of the following methods: lighting up a warning lamp (such as an LED lamp) indicating that the contactor needs to be replaced; sending an alarm prompt text message to the user through a 3G, 4G or 5G module associated with the contactor, wherein the text message may indicate that the contactor needs to be replaced; uploading the alarm information about "the need to replace the contactor" to a server through a 3G, 4G or 5G module associated with the contactor, and then the server sends it to a client related to the user; or based on the user's client connected to the contactor by Bluetooth, the user is notified through a corresponding application (APP).

[0085] It should be noted that the specific content of the above warning prompt is only an example, and the specific content of the above warning prompt may also be to inform that the contactor can continue to be used, the wear percentage of the contactor (such as the above 90%), etc. The content or method of the above warning prompt can be flexibly set by the user according to the actual scene needs, and will not be repeated here.

[0086] The above has been referred to Figures 3 to 4BA method for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. According to the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the life of the contactor can be accurately determined by determining the voltage change of the capacitor connected to the coil of the contactor. Therefore, the method provided by the present disclosure can more accurately and intelligently judge the life of the contactor than the method in the prior art, and thus can promptly give customers more accurate suggestions for replacement or continued use. In addition, the method provided by the present disclosure can flexibly set the method or content of the alarm prompt according to the actual application scenario needs of the user, so that the method provided by the present disclosure can be applied to various scenarios and has a wide range of uses.

[0087] In order to facilitate the combination Figure 3 The understanding of the method described below will be combined with FIG. 5A to FIG. 8D , the method for determining the life of a contactor provided by the present disclosure is described in an exemplary manner.

[0088] Figure 5A A graph showing the opening speeds of new and old contactors according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5B A graph showing the inductance of a new contactor and an old contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5C The graphs showing the voltage changes of the capacitors of the new contactor and the old contactor according to the embodiment of the present disclosure are all obtained through a large number of simulation experiments.

[0089] Reference Figure 5A , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), the vertical axis represents speed (m / s), the reference numeral 510 indicates a curve diagram of the opening speed of the new contactor, and the reference numeral 520 indicates a curve diagram of the opening speed of the old contactor. Figure 5A It can be seen that the opening speed of the new contactor and the old contactor is significantly different.

[0090] Reference Figure 5B , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), the vertical axis represents inductance (H), reference numeral 530 indicates a curve diagram of the inductance of the old contactor, and reference numeral 540 indicates a curve diagram of the inductance of the new contactor. Figure 5B It can be seen that the inductance of the new contactor is different from that of the old contactor.

[0091] Reference Figure 5C , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), the vertical axis represents the voltage of the capacitor (V), the reference numeral 550 indicates a curve diagram of the voltage change of the capacitor of the new contactor, and the reference numeral 560 indicates a curve diagram of the voltage change of the capacitor of the old contactor. Figure 5C It can be seen that the voltage changes of the capacitors of the new contactor and the old contactor are significantly different.

[0092] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the entire circuit based on the method provided by the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0093] Reference Figure 6 , Reference numeral 610 represents the user's power module, which can be AC ​​or DC, U AC Indicates the voltage (V) of the power module. Switch 680 indicates the user's switch. Resistor 620 and inductor 630 as a whole represent the equivalent circuit of the coil of the contactor, and A1 and A2 may represent the external interface of the contactor.

[0094] The circuit for implementing the method provided by the present disclosure may include a capacitor and control unit 640 , a voltage acquisition unit 650 , a voltage signal processing and analysis unit 660 , and an LED display or remote signal unit 670 .

[0095] The capacitor used in the present disclosure may be located in the capacitor and control unit 640. The capacitor and control unit 640 is used to connect the capacitor in parallel with the coil and charge the capacitor to a predetermined voltage when the switch 680 is closed, and then connect the capacitor in series with the coil to discharge when the switch 680 is opened, as described above. Figure 3 As described. In addition, the capacitor and control unit 640 can also control the operation of this unit and other units. It should be noted that this example is to arrange the capacitor on the periphery of the contactor for use. Optionally, the capacitor can also be integrated into the contactor for use, for example, the above-mentioned units 640-670 can be integrated into the contactor for use.

[0096] The voltage acquisition unit 650 is used to acquire the voltage change across the capacitor.

[0097] The voltage signal processing and analysis unit 660 is used to process and analyze the voltage change of the collected capacitor to determine the above-mentioned combination Figure 3 The life of the contactor is described.

[0098] The LED display or remote signal unit 670 is used to prompt the user, for example, that the life of the contactor has expired and that it needs to be replaced, by means of an LED light display or other remote signal transmission when appropriate. Figures 3 to 4B as described.

[0099] Figure 7 A partial specific schematic diagram of a capacitor and control unit 640 and a voltage acquisition unit 650 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0100] Reference Figure 7, the capacitor and control unit 640 may include a capacitor 699, a double pole double throw (DPDT) switch 697 and its control module DPDT switch 698, a voltage stabilizing unit composed of two voltage stabilizing diodes (i.e., 695, 696) and a resistor 694, and a rectifier circuit 691 composed of four diodes. The voltage acquisition unit 650 may be a voltage divider acquisition circuit composed of resistors 692 and 693, and the voltage change of the capacitor may be acquired through the point indicated by the arrow 698. The specific values ​​of the above components may be selected according to actual needs, for example, the withstand voltage of the selected capacitor 699 is 50v or 100v and the capacitance value is in the case of several hundred nanofarads nF or several microfarads μF; 50v voltage stabilizing diodes 695 and 696 may be selected; the values ​​of resistors 692, 693 and 694 may be selected in the order of several k or tens of k to reduce the current to the milliampere level; and the rectifier circuit 691 may select a commonly used circuit. It should be noted that the division of the components included in the above-mentioned capacitor and control unit 640 and the voltage acquisition unit 650 is only exemplary and can also be divided in other ways, for example, the voltage acquisition unit 650 includes the above-mentioned rectifier circuit 691 or the capacitor and control unit 640 and the voltage acquisition unit 650 both include the above-mentioned rectifier circuit 691, and so on.

[0101] When the user switch 680 is closed, the DPDT switch 698 controls the switch 697 to close to the left at the same time. At this time, the capacitor 699 is connected in parallel with the coil. The user's AC power supplies power to the load through the contactor, and the user's AC power charges the capacitor 699 after passing through the rectifier circuit 691, and under the action of the voltage stabilizing diodes 695 and 696, the voltage across the capacitor 699 is stabilized at a predetermined voltage, such as 50V.

[0102] When the user switch 680 is turned off, the DPDT switch 698 controls the switch 697 to close to the right at the same time. At this time, the capacitor 699 is connected in series with the coil, and the capacitor 699 begins to discharge. The discharged voltage can be collected at the collection point 698 between the resistors 692 and 693 after passing through the rectifier circuit 691. The collected voltage can be sent to the above-mentioned combined Figure 6 The voltage signal is processed and analyzed in the voltage signal processing and analysis unit 660 .

[0103] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D Schematic diagrams showing changes in voltage of capacitors collected from four pairs of new contactors and one pair of old contactors according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown respectively.

[0104] Reference Fig. 8A, wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), and the vertical axis represents the collected capacitor voltage (V); the reference numeral 810 indicates the voltage change curve of the first old contactor; and the reference numeral 820 indicates the voltage change curve of the first new contactor.

[0105] Reference Figure 8B , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), and the vertical axis represents the collected capacitor voltage (V); the reference numeral 830 indicates the voltage change curve of the second old contactor; and the reference numeral 840 indicates the voltage change curve of the second new contactor.

[0106] Reference Figure 8C , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), and the vertical axis represents the collected capacitor voltage (V); the reference numeral 850 indicates the voltage change curve of the third old contactor; and the reference numeral 860 indicates the voltage change curve of the third new contactor.

[0107] Reference Fig.8D , wherein the horizontal axis represents time (ms), and the vertical axis represents the collected capacitor voltage (V); the reference numeral 870 indicates the voltage change curve of the fourth old contactor; and the reference numeral 880 indicates the voltage change curve of the fourth new contactor.

[0108] By the above Figures 8A-8D The schematic diagram shown can further verify that the voltage changes of the capacitors of the new contactor and the old contactor are obviously different, so the life of the contactor can be judged based on this.

[0109] In addition to providing the above-mentioned method for determining the life of a contactor, the present disclosure also provides a device for determining the life of a contactor. Fig. 9 This is explained.

[0110] Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus 900 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The above description of the method for determining the life of a contactor is also applicable to the apparatus 900 unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0111] Reference Fig. 9 , the apparatus 900 for determining the life of a contactor may include a first determining unit 910 and a second determining unit 920 .

[0112] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first determination unit 910 can be configured to determine the voltage change of the capacitor from the time the switch of the contactor is disconnected to the time when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the time when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is disconnected.

[0113] As an example, the contactor may be any contactor available on the market.

[0114] As an example, the capacitor may be any capacitor available on the market that can be applied in the present disclosure.

[0115] As an example, the switch disconnection of the contactor can be that the moving iron core moves due to the action of the reaction spring as described above, so that the moving iron core is pushed away, and then the moving contact is driven to separate from the static contact. The switch disconnection of the contactor can be disconnected in response to the user's main switch being disconnected.

[0116] As an example, the full discharge period may be a period during which the capacitor is discharged from a predetermined voltage until it reaches 0. The predetermined voltage may be a voltage set according to actual needs, wherein the voltage does not exceed the withstand voltage of the capacitor. For example, when the withstand voltage of the capacitor is 50V, the predetermined voltage may be 30V, 40V or 50V. During the full discharge period, the voltage of the capacitor is constantly changing, such as the above combination. Figure 2 The ideal waveform is shown in Figure 2.

[0117] As an example, during the closing period of the contactor switch (as described above in conjunction with Figure 6-7 In response to the user's switch 680 being closed, the contactor's switch is closed), and the user's load is powered by the contactor. At this time, the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor, and the capacitor can be charged by, for example, alternating current provided by the user at the same time, so as to be charged to the above-mentioned predetermined voltage. In addition, in order to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage, the device 900 may also include a voltage stabilizing unit, which may be configured to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage, and to be connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed. As an example, the voltage stabilizing unit may be any suitable unit composed of a voltage stabilizing circuit, such as by using a voltage stabilizing diode.

[0118] As an example, after the switch of the contactor is opened (as described above in conjunction with Figure 6-7 The contactor switch is disconnected in response to the user's switch 680 being disconnected, indicating that the user's load is no longer powered. At this time, the capacitor is connected in series with the coil of the contactor, so that the capacitor and the coil form a loop, and the capacitor begins to discharge. Then, by analyzing the voltage change of the capacitor, the wear of the silver points on the moving contact and the static contact of the contactor can be known.

[0119] As an example, the voltage change of the capacitor can be determined by any suitable voltage acquisition circuit. In order to be able to acquire the voltage change of the capacitor, the device 900 can also include a voltage acquisition unit, which can be configured to acquire the voltage change and be connected in parallel with the capacitor during the switch disconnection period of the contactor. As an example, the voltage acquisition unit can be any suitable unit composed of an acquisition circuit, such as using a resistor voltage division method for acquisition.

[0120] Continue to refer to Fig. 9 The second determining unit 920 may be configured to determine the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0121] As an example, through a large number of experiments, it is found that the voltage changes of new contactors and old contactors are completely different. Figure 4A and Figure 4B shown.

[0122] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second determination unit 920 may be configured to include: determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change. Specifically, determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change may include: determining the life of the contactor based on the area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or the peak point of the curve.

[0123] As an example, the characteristic associated with the curve of voltage variation may be Figure 4B Features related to the curve shown by label 470 or label 480.

[0124] For example, the feature may be the area enclosed by the curve shown by reference numeral 470 or 480 and the horizontal and vertical axes. Figure 4B It can be seen that the area formed by the old contactor is significantly larger than the area formed by the new contactor, and through a large number of experiments, it is also found that the older the old contactor is, the larger the area formed by it is.

[0125] For another example, the feature may be a peak point of the curve shown by reference numeral 470 or 480. Figure 4BIt can be seen that, except for the first peak point, the subsequent peak points of the new contactor are higher than those of the old contactor, that is, the second peak point of the new contactor is higher than the second peak point of the old contactor; the third peak point of the new contactor is higher than the third peak point of the old contactor; the fourth peak point of the new contactor is higher than the fourth peak point of the old contactor; the fifth peak point of the new contactor is higher than the fifth peak point of the old contactor. In addition, through a large number of experiments, it is found that the older the old contactor is, the lower its peak point is than the corresponding peak point of the new contactor.

[0126] In the case where the above-mentioned feature can be the area surrounded by the curve shown by the number 470 or 480 and the horizontal and vertical coordinate axes, the life of the contactor can be determined by comparing the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor with a predefined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is an appropriate threshold determined through a large number of experiments. For example, after a large number of experiments, it can be determined that the threshold is 500%. At this time, if the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor exceeds 500%, it means that the old contactor has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced. If the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor does not exceed 500%, it means that the old contactor can still work normally at this time and does not need to be replaced.

[0127] In addition, the life of the contactor can also be determined by pre-establishing a predefined table, wherein the pre-defined table can be a pre-established table in which the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor corresponds to the life of the contactor.

[0128] As an example, the predefined table can be a table obtained through a large number of experiments on contactors. For example, assuming that a new contactor can be used 100,000 times, when it is used for the 10,000th time (the life of the contactor is 10%), the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor is calculated by the above method; when it is used for the 20,000th time (the life of the contactor is 20%), the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor is calculated by the above method, and so on. Then, after counting a large amount of data, the predefined table shown in Table 1 above can be obtained.

[0129] In Table 1, 10% of the life of the contactor can mean that the contactor has been used for 10% of its life. For example, if the maximum number of times the contactor is used is 100,000 times, then the above 10% can mean that the contactor has been used for 10,000 times and there are 90,000 times left to be used. At this time, the ratio V1 of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor represents the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor corresponding to 10% of the life of the contactor.

[0130] You can refer to the description of 10% of the contactor life and the corresponding ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor to understand the meaning of 20%, 30%, etc. of the contactor life and the corresponding ratios V2, V3, etc. of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor, which will not be repeated here.

[0131] As an example, assuming that the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor determined by the above method is Vx, then based on the comparison of Table 1 above, the value of Vx is equal to the value of V8 in Table 1, and the life of the receiver can be determined to be 80%, indicating that the contactor has used 80% of its life and has 20% of its life left. It should be noted that the meaning of the life corresponding to the above values ​​is only an example, and those skilled in the art can also define, for example, 80% of the life means 80% of the life left, that is, 20% of the life has been used, according to actual needs. In addition, it should be noted that the ratios V1 to V8 of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor are only examples, and the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor in Table 1 above can also be an interval range.

[0132] In the case where the above-mentioned feature can be the peak point of the curve shown by the label 470 or 480, the life of the contactor can be determined by comparing the ratio of the peak point of the curve shown by the label 470 to the corresponding peak point of the curve shown by the label 480 with a predefined threshold value, wherein the predetermined threshold value is an appropriate threshold value determined through a large number of experiments. For example, after a large number of experiments, it can be determined that the threshold value is 30%. At this time, if the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor is less than 30% (except for the first peak point, the corresponding ratio of the first peak point is 1), it means that the life of the old contactor has expired and needs to be replaced. If the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor does not exceed 30%, it means that the old contactor can still work normally at this time and does not need to be replaced. In addition, the life of the contactor can also be determined in the form of the above-mentioned predefined table. For details, please refer to the contents described in the above-mentioned combination table 1, and no further description will be given again.

[0133] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the device 900 may further include an output unit, which may be configured to output warning information when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0134] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the ratio of the area formed by the old contactor to the area formed by the new contactor exceeds 500%, the warning information is output.

[0135] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the value of the life of the contactor determined by the above combined Table 1 is greater than or equal to 90%, an alarm message is output. Referring to the above introduction, it can be seen that when the value of the life of the contactor is greater than or equal to 90%, it means that the receiver has used greater than or equal to 90% of its life, that is, the contactor has less than 10% of its life left. Assuming that the maximum number of uses of the contactor is 100,000 times, the above 90% can mean that the contactor has been used 90,000 times and there are 10,000 times left to use. At this time, the number of remaining uses is small, and a certain alarm prompt needs to be given to the user.

[0136] As an example, the predetermined condition may be that when the ratio of the peak point of the old contactor to the corresponding peak point of the new contactor is less than 30%, the alarm information is output.

[0137] As an example, the method of outputting the alarm information may be one or more of the following methods: lighting up a warning lamp (such as an LED lamp) indicating that the contactor needs to be replaced; sending an alarm prompt text message to the user through a 3G, 4G or 5G module associated with the contactor, wherein the text message may indicate that the contactor needs to be replaced; uploading the alarm information about "the need to replace the contactor" to a server through a 3G, 4G or 5G module associated with the contactor, and then the server sends it to a client related to the user; or based on the user's client connected to the contactor by Bluetooth, the user is notified through a corresponding application (APP).

[0138] It should be noted that the specific content of the above warning prompt is only an example, and the specific content of the above warning prompt may also be to inform that the contactor can continue to be used, the wear percentage of the contactor (such as the above 90%), etc. The content or method of the above warning prompt can be flexibly set by the user according to the actual scene needs, and will not be repeated here.

[0139] The above has been referred to Figures 1 to 9A method and device for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are described. According to the method and device of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the life of the contactor can be judged based on the opening speed of the contacts of the contactor, so that the method and device provided by the present disclosure can more accurately and intelligently judge the life of the contactor than the method in the prior art, and thus can promptly give customers more accurate suggestions for replacement or continued use. In addition, the method and device provided by the present disclosure can flexibly set the mode or content of the alarm prompt according to the actual application scenario needs of the user, so that the method and device provided by the present disclosure can be applied to various scenarios and have a wide range of uses.

[0140] In addition to providing the above-mentioned method and device for determining the life of a contactor, the present disclosure also provides a device for determining the life of a contactor. Fig.10 The above description of the method and apparatus for determining the life of a contactor is also applicable to the device described below, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0141] Fig.10 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 1000 for determining the life of a contactor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0142] See also Fig.10 , the device 1000 may include a processor 1001 and a memory 1002. The processor 1001 and the memory 1002 may be connected via a bus 1003.

[0143] The processor 1001 can perform various actions and processes according to the program stored in the memory 1002. Specifically, the processor 1001 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc., which can be an X86 architecture or an ARM architecture.

[0144] The memory 1002 stores computer instructions, and the above-mentioned method for determining the life of the contactor is implemented when the computer instructions are executed by the processor 1001. The memory 1002 can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of exemplary but not limiting explanation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous connection dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the method described herein is intended to include but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0145] The present disclosure also provides another device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a component for determining the voltage change of a capacitor during the period from the switch of the contactor being opened to being fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the switch of the contactor being closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; and a component for determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0146] According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, a computer-readable recording medium is also provided. Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a recording medium 1100 according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0147] like Fig.11As shown, the recording medium 1100 stores computer executable instructions 1110. When the computer executable instructions 1110 are executed by a processor, the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure described with reference to the above figures can be executed. The computer-readable recording medium in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous connection dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that memory of the methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0148] It should be noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the module, program segment, or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0149] In general, various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. When various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0150] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention described in detail above are merely illustrative, rather than restrictive. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and combinations may be made to these embodiments or their features without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and such modifications should fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0151] In the above specific embodiments, it can be seen that different features are combined together in the examples. This disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than the features explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer features than all the features of the disclosed single example clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be included in the specification, where each clause itself can be used as a separate example. Although each subordinate clause in these clauses can refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of the subordinate clauses are not limited to specific combinations. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include a combination of the subject matter of the subordinate clauses with any other subordinate clauses or independent clauses, or any combination of features with other subordinate clauses and independent clauses. Various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly expressed or it can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). In addition, it is also intended that various aspects of the clauses may also be included in any other independent clauses, even if the clause is not directly subordinate to the independent clause.

[0152] The following numbered clauses describe implementation examples:

[0153] Clause 1. A method for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: determining a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is opened to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; based on the voltage change, determining the life of the contactor.

[0154] Clause 2. The method according to clause 1, wherein determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change comprises: determining the life of the contactor based on characteristics related to a curve of the voltage change.

[0155] Clause 3. A method according to clause 1 or 2, wherein determining the life of the contactor based on characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change comprises: determining the life of the contactor based on the area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or the peak point of the curve.

[0156] Clause 4. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage stabilizing unit during the switch closure of the contactor, wherein the voltage stabilizing unit is used to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage.

[0157] Clause 5. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage acquisition unit during the period when the switch of the contactor is off, wherein the voltage acquisition unit is used to acquire the voltage change.

[0158] Clause 6. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising: outputting a warning message when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning message indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0159] Item 7. A device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a first determination unit, configured to determine a voltage change of a capacitor from the time the switch of the contactor is opened to a complete discharge, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the time the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; and a second determination unit, configured to determine the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0160] Clause 8. The apparatus according to clause 7, wherein the second determination unit is configured to determine the life of the contactor based on a feature related to the curve of the voltage change.

[0161] Clause 9. The device according to clause 7 or 8, wherein the life of the contactor is determined based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change, including: determining the life of the contactor based on the area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or the peak point of the curve.

[0162] Clause 10. The device according to any one of clauses 7 to 9 further includes: a voltage stabilizing unit, which is configured to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage, and is connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed.

[0163] Clause 11. The apparatus according to any one of clauses 7 to 10, further comprising: a voltage acquisition unit configured to acquire the voltage change and connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is opened.

[0164] Clause 12. The apparatus according to any one of clauses 7 to 11, further comprising: an output unit configured to output warning information when the life of the contactor satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

[0165] Item 13. A device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a component for determining the voltage change of a capacitor during the period from the switch of the contactor being opened to being fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the switch of the contactor being closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; and a component for determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

[0166] Clause 14. An apparatus for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a processor, and a memory storing computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions, when executed by the processor, causing the processor to perform the method as described in any one of the above clauses.

[0167] Clause 15. A computer-readable recording medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor is prompted to perform the method as described in any one of the above clauses.

Claims

1. A method for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: Determining a voltage change of a capacitor from when the switch of the contactor is opened to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; Based on the voltage change, the life of the contactor is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The determining the life of the contactor based on the voltage change comprises: Based on characteristics associated with the curve of the voltage variation, the life of the contactor is determined.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change comprises: The life of the contactor is determined based on an area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or a peak point of the curve.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage stabilizing unit during the switch closing period of the contactor, wherein the voltage stabilizing unit is used to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The capacitor is also connected in parallel with a voltage acquisition unit during the period when the switch of the contactor is turned off, wherein the voltage acquisition unit is used to acquire the voltage change.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: When the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, an alarm message is output, wherein the alarm message indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

7. A device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: a first determining unit configured to determine a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is opened to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; A second determination unit is configured to determine the life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The second determining unit is configured to: Based on characteristics associated with the curve of the voltage variation, the life of the contactor is determined.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein: The determining the life of the contactor based on the characteristics related to the curve of the voltage change comprises: The life of the contactor is determined based on an area formed by the curve of the voltage change in the curve graph of the voltage change and the horizontal and vertical axes of the curve graph and / or a peak point of the curve.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: A voltage stabilizing unit is configured to stabilize the voltage of the capacitor at the predetermined voltage after the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage, and is connected in parallel with the capacitor during a period in which the switch of the contactor is closed.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: A voltage acquisition unit is configured to acquire the voltage change and is connected in parallel with the capacitor during the period when the switch of the contactor is turned off.

12. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: The output unit is configured to output warning information when the life of the contactor meets a predetermined condition, wherein the warning information indicates that the contactor needs to be replaced.

13. A device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: A component for determining a voltage change of a capacitor during a period from when the switch of the contactor is opened to when it is fully discharged, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with the coil of the contactor during the period when the switch of the contactor is closed and is charged to a predetermined voltage after the switch of the contactor is closed, and is connected in series with the coil of the contactor after the switch of the contactor is opened; Means for determining a life of the contactor based on the voltage change.

14. A device for determining the life of a contactor, comprising: processor, and A memory storing computer executable instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

15. A computer-readable recording medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein: The computer executable instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-6.

Images