Electrical device and electrical system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides electrical equipment and an electrical system. The electrical equipment comprises a radio frequency identification module which is suitable for receiving a pairing signal for pairing with at least one other electrical equipment except the electrical equipment; and a control module coupled to the radio frequency identification module and configured to: control the electrical device to access a network corresponding to the pairing signal so as to interconnect the electrical device with at least one other electrical device; and performing communication related to the electrical equipment action with at least one other electrical equipment through the network according to the target configuration information. The electrical system comprises a plurality of electrical devices, a first radio frequency identification tag and a second radio frequency identification tag. Therefore, network distribution can be conveniently carried out on a plurality of electrical devices, and corresponding application scenes or functions are set after network distribution.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the electrical field, and in particular to electrical devices and electrical systems, which can be applied to the field of smart homes. Background Art

[0002] In daily life, there are various household electrical devices, such as light switches, curtain switches, human body sensors, etc. These electrical devices realize their own functions to provide services for daily life. With the development of smart homes, in some cases, multiple such electrical devices need to be networked to collaboratively realize a certain function. Therefore, how to conveniently network these electrical devices and set corresponding functions is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical device is provided. The electrical device includes: a radio frequency identification module, adapted to receive a pairing signal for pairing with at least one other electrical device other than the electrical device; and a control module, coupled to the radio frequency identification module, and configured to: control the electrical device to access a network corresponding to the pairing signal so that the electrical device is interconnected with the at least one other electrical device; and perform communication related to an action of the electrical device with the at least one other electrical device through the network according to target configuration information.

[0004] In some embodiments, the radio frequency identification module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or a working scenario of the electrical device, and wherein the control module is further configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal.

[0005] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to: in response to receiving a configuration signal during operation according to the first configuration information, determine the first configuration information as the target configuration information.

[0006] In some embodiments, the control module is configured to: determine the stored preset configuration information corresponding to the configuration signal as the target configuration information.

[0007] In some embodiments, the device further comprises a configuration switch, and the control module is configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal in response to the configuration switch being triggered.

[0008] In some embodiments, the device further comprises a network distribution switch, and the control module is configured to control the electrical device to access the network in response to the network distribution switch being triggered.

[0009] In some embodiments, the radio frequency identification module includes a near field communication (NFC) module.

[0010] By setting up an RFID module and a control module in each electrical device, multiple electrical devices can be paired by bringing the RFID modules close to each other. The paired electrical devices are connected to the same network through the control module. After multiple electrical devices are connected to the same network, users can simultaneously control multiple electrical devices to perform their respective actions. This method simplifies the operation of networking and pairing multiple electrical devices, and also reduces costs because there is no need to use a gateway device for network distribution.

[0011] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electrical system is provided, comprising: a plurality of electrical devices provided in the second aspect of the present disclosure; and a first radio frequency identification tag, adapted to communicate with a radio frequency identification module and send a pairing signal.

[0012] In some embodiments, the RFID module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or working scenario of the electrical device, wherein the control module is further configured to determine target configuration information based on the configuration signal, and the system further comprises a second RFID tag adapted to send a configuration signal.

[0013] In some embodiments, the configuration signal is pre-written into the second RFID tag.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second RFID tag is one of a plurality of RFID tags adapted to emit configuration signals, and the respective configuration signals emitted by the plurality of RFID tags correspond to a plurality of functions or working scenarios of the electrical device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the second radio frequency identification tag is further adapted to: communicate with the electronic device, and write the configuration signal to the second radio frequency identification tag according to the communication with the electronic device.

[0016] In some embodiments, the RFID module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or working scenario of the electrical device, wherein the control module is further configured to determine target configuration information based on the configuration signal, and the first RFID tag is further adapted to send a configuration signal.

[0017] It should be understood that the contents described in this content section are not intended to limit the key features or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0019] Figure 1A schematic diagram showing an electrical system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an electrical device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of network distribution actions between electrical devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a network distribution between electrical devices through a first radio frequency identification tag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing a scene setup between electrical devices using a second radio frequency identification tag according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for exemplary purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0025] It should be noted that the titles of any sections / subsections provided herein are not restrictive. Various embodiments are described throughout this article, and any type of embodiment may be included under any section / subsection. In addition, the embodiments described in any section / subsection may be combined in any manner with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or different sections / subsections.

[0026] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and similar terms should be understood as open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments". Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below.

[0027] As briefly mentioned above, multiple electrical devices need to be networked and set up with corresponding functions. Currently, for smart home devices on the market, the common network configuration method is to use network protocols such as wireless fidelity (WiFi) and low-speed short-distance transmission (ZigBee) in conjunction with gateways and other devices. The operation of this solution is relatively complex and the equipment cost is relatively high due to the need for network protocols and chips.

[0028] On the other hand, when configuring the functions of smart home devices or the application scenarios between devices, it depends on the application program connected to the gateway. Such a configuration method is difficult to apply to people who are not familiar with network configuration or mobile phone operation.

[0029] As can be seen from the above, existing smart home devices are generally networked through gateway devices, and the gateway device sends corresponding function or working scene instructions to multiple smart home devices respectively, so as to achieve the purpose of controlling the required smart home devices to achieve the corresponding functions. For example, according to user instructions, the gateway device controls the lighting equipment (i.e., lamps) in the smart home device to turn on or off.

[0030] However, this solution is costly, and the network configuration between the gateway device and multiple smart home devices is complicated, which brings inconvenience to the use and daily maintenance of smart furniture.

[0031] To this end, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose an electrical device and an electrical system to solve or at least partially solve the above-mentioned problems and other potential problems existing in traditional solutions. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing a radio frequency identification module and a control module in each electrical device, multiple electrical devices can be paired by bringing the radio frequency identification modules close to each other. The paired electrical devices are connected to the same network through the control module. After multiple electrical devices are connected to the same network, the user can simultaneously control multiple electrical devices to perform their respective actions. In this way, the operation of networking and pairing between multiple electrical devices is simplified, and since there is no need to use a gateway device for network distribution, the cost is also reduced.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, radio frequency identification tags can be used to configure multiple electrical devices, thereby facilitating the configuration of electrical devices that are far away or inconvenient to move. After the configuration is completed between multiple electrical devices, a scene can be set in the network of multiple electrical devices to make one or more designated electrical devices perform corresponding actions in a specific scene, thereby improving the convenience of using multiple electrical devices.

[0033] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an electrical system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1As shown, the electrical system 100 provided according to the embodiment of the present disclosure generally includes a plurality of electrical devices 103 and a first radio frequency identification tag 101 for controlling the network distribution of the plurality of electrical devices 103. The first radio frequency identification tag 101 may also be referred to as a network distribution tag or a network distribution card. In some embodiments, the electrical system 100 may also include a second radio frequency identification tag 102 for scene or function setting between the plurality of networked electrical devices 103, which may also be referred to as a scene tag or a scene card. The electrical device 103 may be, for example, a lamp, an electric curtain, an air conditioner, a fresh air system, or a part thereof, such as a switch. The following will specifically describe the electrical devices and how to network and set up scenes between the electrical devices.

[0034] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an electrical device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electrical device 200 can be regarded as Figure 1 An example of an electrical device 103. Figure 2 As shown, the electrical device 200 includes an RFID module 202 and a control module 201. The RFID module 202 is used to receive a pairing signal sent by other electrical devices or a first RFID tag. The RFID module 202 may include, for example, an RFID coil, and may also include an RFID chip.

[0035] In some embodiments, the RFID module 201 may be a near field communication (NFC) module. The RFID module may include an NFC antenna (also referred to as an NFC coil). In some embodiments, the RFID module may further include an NFC chip. The corresponding first RFID tag and the second RFID tag are NFC cards carrying information, respectively. When the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag is close to the RFID module, the RFID module can read the information carried on the first RFID tag or the second RFID tag.

[0036] After receiving the pairing signal, the RFID module 202 sends the pairing signal to the control module 201. The control module 201 includes a processing unit and a communication unit. After receiving the pairing signal, the processing unit identifies the pairing signal and controls the communication unit to access the network corresponding to the pairing information according to the identified pairing information, thereby realizing network distribution between multiple electrical devices. The control module 201 may include, for example, various suitable controllers, processors, etc. Exemplarily, the control module 201 may be included in an integrated circuit chip.

[0037] In some embodiments, the electrical device further includes an indicator, which can emit sound, light, and other information to prompt the user that the RFID module has received a signal, such as a pairing signal for the electrical device to be connected to the network and a configuration signal for performing a scene mentioned below.

[0038] Figure 3 An example implementation of network distribution between electrical devices and electrical devices according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Electrical devices 301 and 302 can be regarded as an example implementation of electrical device 200. When the radio frequency identification module of electrical device 301 and the radio frequency identification module of electrical device 302 are close to (or in contact with) each other, the radio frequency identification module of electrical device 301 receives a pairing signal from the radio frequency identification module of electrical device 302. In response to the pairing signal, the control module enters the network distribution mode. The processing unit analyzes the pairing information in the pairing signal and enables the communication unit to access the network. At the same time, the communication unit of electrical device 302 accesses the network in the same way, so that electrical device 301 and electrical device 302 complete network distribution. In this way, the user can also control the radio frequency identification module of electrical device 301 or electrical device 302 to be close to (or in contact with) other electrical devices, so that other electrical devices are also connected to the network. After these electrical devices are connected to each other, it is possible to simultaneously control these electrical devices to perform actions (such as starting or shutting down).

[0039] Figure 4 401, 402, 403, and 404 can be regarded as an example implementation of the electrical device 200. Figure 4 As shown, the first RFID tag 405 may include a coil with a pairing signal written therein. When the distance between multiple electrical devices is far or the electrical devices are fixed (for example, the electrical devices are fixed on a wall) and the pairing signal cannot be obtained by bringing the RF modules close to each other, the RF modules of the multiple electrical devices may obtain the pairing signal in sequence through the first RFID tag 405. The user brings the first RFID tag 405 close to the RFID modules of the multiple electrical devices. The multiple electrical devices receive the pairing signals from the first RFID tag 405 respectively, so that the multiple electrical devices are connected to the network respectively and the network configuration of the multiple electrical devices is completed.

[0040] Of course, it should be understood that in some examples, the above two network configuration methods can also be used in combination, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, for example, in an electrical system, electrical device 301 and electrical device 302 can complete network distribution by bringing the electrical devices close to each other (i.e., the RFID modules of the two electrical devices are close to or in contact with each other). Electrical device 401 and electrical device 402 can complete network distribution by bringing the first RFID tag 405 close to or in contact with their respective RFID modules. At this time, electrical device 301, electrical device 302 and electrical device 401, electrical device 402 can be in two different groups of networks respectively. When the first RFID tag 405 is also read by the RFID module of electrical device 301 and / or electrical device 302, electrical device 301, electrical device 302 and electrical device 401, electrical device 402 can be connected to the same network.

[0041] In some embodiments, the electrical device 200 may also have a network distribution switch for controlling the electrical device to switch to a network distribution mode. When the network distribution switch is triggered, the electrical device is switched to the network distribution mode. At this time, the user can connect the electrical device to the network by bringing the electrical devices close to each other or bringing the electrical devices close to the first radio frequency identification tag.

[0042] In other embodiments, the network distribution switch may be used in other ways. For example, when the electrical device is close to the first RFID tag or other electrical device, and the RFID module receives the pairing signal of the first RFID tag or other electrical device, the user triggers the network distribution switch to connect the electrical device to the network.

[0043] Multiple electrical devices (e.g., control modules therein) can be networked through any suitable protocol. In some embodiments, multiple electrical devices can be networked through self-organizing network technologies such as the Bluetooth Low Energy Network (BLE Mesh) protocol. In some embodiments, multiple electrical devices can be networked through the Zigbee 3.0 protocol. In some embodiments, multiple electrical devices can be networked through a router protocol.

[0044] When multiple electrical devices have completed the network distribution, users can control the operation of multiple electrical devices at the same time. Users can build specific scenarios according to actual needs. Figure 5 In some examples, it is shown that the electrical devices complete the scene construction through the second radio frequency identification tag. Figure 5As shown, when the network configuration between multiple electrical devices is completed, the user can use the second RFID tag to configure the scene for multiple electrical devices. When the second RFID tag is close to the RFID module of the internal electrical device, the RFID module reads the configuration signal used to specify the function or working scene of the electrical device. At this time, the control module of the electrical device records the current working status of the electrical device based on this configuration signal. After the user uses the second RFID tag to configure multiple devices in turn, the construction of the electrical system scene is completed. When the user switches to this scene, the multiple electrical devices in the electrical system can perform the actions when recording the configuration signal according to the working status when the scene is built.

[0045] In some embodiments, the electrical device further includes a configuration switch. The configuration switch is used to instruct the electrical device to enter a scene configuration mode. Specifically, when the configuration switch is triggered (or pressed), the electrical device enters the scene configuration mode. In the scene configuration mode, the user uses the second radio frequency identification tag to configure the use scenario of the electrical system. When the radio frequency identification module of the electrical device recognizes the configuration signal from the second radio frequency identification tag, the control module can record the function or working scenario of the current electrical device. For example, when the electrical device is a lamp, the function or working scenario of the electrical device may include information such as the switch status of the lamp and the brightness of the lamp. Since the network distribution has been realized between multiple electrical devices, when the user performs a scene switching operation on one of the electrical devices (i.e., switches to the above scene), other electrical devices in the network also respond to the operation synchronously, so that the electrical device in the electrical system is switched to the function or working scenario of the electrical device during the scene configuration. In some embodiments, the electrical device may also include at least one scene switch, and when the user presses the scene switch, the electrical device and other electrical devices in the electrical system can be switched to the corresponding scene.

[0046] For example, in some examples, electrical device 501, electrical device 502, electrical device 503, and electrical device 504 are respectively electric lamps installed in different positions. When the user builds a scene, it may be necessary to build the following scene: electrical device 501 and electrical device 503 are turned on, and electrical device 502 and electrical device 504 are turned off. In this case, the user can trigger the configuration switch to make the electrical system enter the scene configuration mode. When electrical device 501 and electrical device 503 remain in the turned-on state, and electrical device 502 and electrical device 504 remain in the turned-off state, the user uses the second radio frequency identification tag to approach (or contact) the radio frequency identification modules of these electrical devices respectively. After receiving the configuration signal of the second radio frequency identification tag, the radio frequency identification module stores the working state of the current electrical device (electrical device 501 and electrical device 503 are turned on, and electrical device 502 and electrical device 504 are turned off.), thereby completing the construction of the scene. When the scene needs to be used, the user triggers the corresponding scene switch to complete the scene switching. At this time, the electrical device 501 and the electrical device 503 are turned on, and the electrical device 502 and the electrical device 504 are turned off.

[0047] In some embodiments, there may be multiple second RFID tags, and the configuration information carried in the multiple second RFID tags may be different. In other words, the electrical system may be configured with multiple scenes, and the user may switch between different scenes as needed.

[0048] In some embodiments, the configuration switch and the scene switch can also be used in combination to realize the configuration of different scenes. For example, when the user triggers the configuration switch and then triggers the scene switch a, the control module determines that the configuration mode of scene a is entered at this time, and the electrical device broadcasts the operation to other electrical devices through the network, so that other electrical devices also enter the configuration mode of scene a. After the user uses the second RFID tag to swipe the card of the electrical device (the second RFID tag is close to the RFID modules of multiple electrical devices and the data is read), press the configuration switch again, and the configuration of scene a is completed. Similarly, when the user triggers the configuration switch and then triggers the scene switch b, the control module determines that the configuration mode of scene b is entered, and other electrical devices in the electrical system also enter the configuration mode of scene b. In this way, the configuration of multiple scenes in the electrical system can also be completed through a second RFID tag.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag may be preset with corresponding pairing signals or configuration signals. In such embodiments, the first RFID tag and the second RFID tag may be directly used to control the network distribution or scene building of the electrical device. In other examples, the second RFID tag may also be preset with corresponding scenes, and the user may use the second RFID tag and directly use the scene preset in the second RFID tag after the RFID module of the electrical device recognizes it.

[0050] In some embodiments, the signal in the first RFID tag and / or the second RFID tag may be written by an electronic device (e.g., a terminal device). The first RFID tag and the second RFID tag may be written with a pairing signal or a configuration signal by the electronic device, so as to be used for network configuration or scene building of the device.

[0051] According to the electrical equipment and electrical system of the embodiments of the present disclosure, multiple electrical equipment can be paired with each other through the radio frequency identification module, and the paired electrical equipment can be connected to the same network through the control module. In this process, the network communication between multiple electrical equipment does not rely on the gateway device, thereby reducing the overall cost of the electrical system. On the other hand, multiple electrical equipment are networked based on the pairing of radio frequency identification modules, which also simplifies the network distribution operation, reduces the difficulty of network construction, and facilitates users to install electrical systems independently. The electrical system of the present disclosure can also perform scene configuration through the radio frequency identification module, and users can directly configure the scene through the electrical system, eliminating the cumbersome operations when arranging the scene on the app, and improving the convenience of scene arrangement.

[0052] The above descriptions of various implementations of the present disclosure are exemplary, non-exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described implementations. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the implementations, practical applications, or improvements to the technology in the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the various implementations disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An electrical device comprising: a radio frequency identification module adapted to receive a pairing signal for pairing with at least one other electrical device other than the electrical device; as well as A control module is coupled to the radio frequency identification module and is configured to: controlling the electrical device to access a network corresponding to the pairing signal so that the electrical device is interconnected with the at least one other electrical device; and Communications related to electrical device actions are performed with the at least one other electrical device over the network according to the target configuration information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the RFID module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or a working scenario of the electrical device, and The control module is further configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to: In response to receiving the configuration signal during operation according to first configuration information, the first configuration information is determined as the target configuration information.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the control module is configured to: The stored preset configuration information corresponding to the configuration signal is determined as the target configuration information. 5 . The device according to claim 2 , wherein the device further comprises a configuration switch, and the control module is configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal in response to the configuration switch being triggered. 6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a network distribution switch, and the control module is configured to control the electrical device to access the network in response to the network distribution switch being triggered.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency identification module comprises a near field communication (NFC) module.

8. An electrical system comprising: A plurality of electrical devices according to claim 1; as well as The first radio frequency identification tag is adapted to communicate with the radio frequency identification module and send the pairing signal.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the RFID module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or a working scenario of the electrical device, The control module is further configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal, and The system also includes a second radio frequency identification tag adapted to emit the configuration signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the configuration signal is pre-written into the second RFID tag.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the second RFID tag is one of a plurality of RFID tags adapted to emit the configuration signal, and the respective configuration signals emitted by the plurality of RFID tags correspond to a plurality of functions or working scenarios of the electrical device.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the second RFID tag is further adapted to: communicate with electronic devices, and The configuration signal is written to the second radio frequency identification tag according to the communication with the electronic device.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the RFID module is further adapted to receive a configuration signal for specifying a function or a working scenario of the electrical device, The control module is further configured to determine the target configuration information based on the configuration signal, and The first RFID tag is further adapted to emit the configuration signal.

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