Intelligent environmental control equipment
By designing an intelligent environmental control device that supports multi-task parallel processing and multiple communication interfaces, the problem that existing systems are difficult to adapt to the needs of diverse sensors and fixed control strategies is solved, and efficient and flexible environmental monitoring and control are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510207301.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-30
AI Technical Summary
The existing environmental monitoring system is difficult to adapt to the diverse sensor needs, lacks unified interface standards and flexible configuration methods, and the system control strategy is fixed and limited, which cannot meet complex and changeable application scenarios.
Design an intelligent environmental control device, adopting the ARM chip of the Cortex-M3 core, supports multi-task parallel processing, has flexible communication interfaces (Ethernet, WIFI, 4G) and a variety of sensor access methods (Modbus protocol, RS485 interface), and provides multiple control strategies (remote direct control, time interval control, intelligent upper and lower limit control, formula control).
It realizes seamless access to multiple sensors, improves the scalability and compatibility of the system, supports multiple networking methods, adapts to a wide range of application scenarios, provides flexible control strategies, meets users' diverse control needs, and improves the intelligence level and operation convenience of the system.
Smart Images

Figure CN120065848A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent environmental control, and specifically to an intelligent environmental control device. Background Art
[0002] In the context of the rapid development of Internet of Things technology, the demand for environmental monitoring and intelligent control in the fields of smart agriculture and smart breeding is increasing day by day. Traditional environmental monitoring systems mostly rely on a single sensor access method and a fixed networking mode, which not only limits the flexibility and scalability of the system, but also makes it difficult to meet the diverse needs in different application scenarios.
[0003] Currently, the mainstream environmental monitoring systems on the market usually adopt a sensor real-time monitoring system, a wireless data transmission system, and the Modbus communication protocol for data transmission and control. The sensor real-time monitoring system is responsible for collecting various environmental parameters, such as temperature, humidity, light, etc.; the wireless data transmission system is responsible for transmitting these data to the data center or cloud platform through the wireless network; and the Modbus communication protocol serves as the standard for data exchange, ensuring the interoperability between different devices. These technologies mainly originate from the development of single-chip microcomputer automatic control and automatic monitoring Internet of Things wireless transmission sensor technology. The single-chip microcomputer serves as the control core, and through writing specific programs, it realizes data acquisition, processing, and communication control of the sensors. The wireless transmission technology uses wireless communication modules (such as Zigbee, WiFi, 4G, etc.) to transmit data to the remote server or user terminal, realizing remote monitoring and management of the data.
[0004] Although the traditional environmental monitoring systems meet the basic needs to a certain extent, there are still the following significant defects: existing systems often can only access specific types of sensors, lacking a unified interface standard and flexible configuration methods, resulting in the system being difficult to adapt to diverse sensor requirements; traditional systems usually only support one or a few networking methods, such as only supporting WiFi or Zigbee, etc., which limits the application ability of the system in different network environments and cannot adapt to a wide range of application scenarios; the system control strategies are often fixed and limited, lacking flexibility and scalability, and it is difficult to meet the diverse control needs of users when facing complex and changeable application scenarios. Summary of the Invention
[0005] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent environmental control device to solve the technical problems that existing systems often can only access specific types of sensors, lack a unified interface standard and flexible configuration methods, resulting in the system being difficult to adapt to diverse sensor requirements. Traditional systems usually only support one or a few networking methods, such as only supporting WiFi or Zigbee, etc., which limits the application ability of the system in different network environments and cannot adapt to a wide range of application scenarios. The system control strategies are often fixed and limited, lacking flexibility and scalability, and it is difficult to meet the diverse control requirements of users when facing complex and changeable application scenarios.
[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: An intelligent environmental control device, comprising:
[0007] Main control module: This module uses an ARM chip with a Cortex-M3 core, specifically the model STM32F103VET6, which has data processing and network management capabilities and runs the FreeRTOS operating system to support multi-task parallel processing;
[0008] Communication interface module: This module includes an Ethernet interface circuit, a WIFI interface circuit, and a 4G communication interface circuit, supporting flexible selection to adapt to different network communication requirements;
[0009] Sensor access module: Supports accessing multiple sensors through the Modbus protocol, and is provided with at least two RS485 communication interfaces, which are respectively used for data interaction with the upper computer and sensors;
[0010] Digital input / output module: Includes at least five optically isolated digital inputs and eight relay outputs to realize the reading of external signals and the control of external devices;
[0011] Measurement module: Contains at least six NTC temperature measurement circuits for accurate measurement of ambient temperature;
[0012] Analog input module: Contains at least two 4-20mA transmitter inputs for receiving analog signals;
[0013] Storage module: Is provided with two storage chips, AT24C256 and W25Q128, which are respectively used for storing basic parameters, sensor configuration information, control strategies, as well as firmware upgrade and message caching;
[0014] Clock and synchronization module: Integrates a PCF8563 calendar clock chip to provide an accurate system time and perform time synchronization.
[0015] The present invention is further configured to further include:
[0016] Power supply part: Provides a stable working voltage for the entire device;
[0017] PCB bottom board and main control board: bearing and connecting the above modules to form a complete hardware system.
[0018] The present invention is further configured to further include:
[0019] Pluggable communication module: The communication interface is designed to be pluggable, facilitating flexible replacement or upgrade of the communication method according to on-site requirements;
[0020] Alarm and processing module: having the function of real-time monitoring of digital input signals and sensor data, and immediately triggering an alarm and executing corresponding processing measures once exceeding the preset range or abnormal conditions occur.
[0021] The present invention is further configured such that the main control module further executes the following control strategies:
[0022] Remote direct control: directly controlling the relay output according to the background instruction;
[0023] Time interval control: controlling the relay output within the set time interval;
[0024] Intelligent upper and lower limit control: intelligently judging and controlling the relay output according to the sensor data;
[0025] Formulation control: realizing complex control logic by combining the time interval and sensor data.
[0026] The present invention is further configured such that the device networking method has priorities, which are Ethernet, WIFI, and 4G in sequence, and the device attempts to establish connections in order during the initialization process.
[0027] The present invention is further configured such that the sensor interface supports flexible configuration of various types of sensors, including but not limited to temperature, humidity, light sensors, etc.
[0028] The present invention is further configured to further include a remote firmware upgrade function, allowing remote download and installation of new firmware versions through Ethernet, WIFI, or 4G networks to optimize device performance or repair potential problems.
[0029] The present invention is further configured such that the device has scalability and supports meeting additional requirements in specific application scenarios by adding additional sensor interfaces, digital input / output channels, or communication interface modules.
[0030] In summary, the present invention mainly has the following beneficial effects:
[0031] By adopting a flexible configuration method that follows the Modbus communication protocol, the present invention realizes the seamless access of various sensors. This feature not only greatly expands the types of sensors that can be accessed by the system, but also improves the scalability and compatibility of the system, enabling users to freely select and configure sensors according to actual needs to meet diverse monitoring requirements. The system supports three communication methods: Ethernet, WIFI, and 4G. Users can flexibly choose according to on-site communication conditions, almost adapting to all scenarios. This diverse networking method not only improves the adaptability and stability of the system, but also provides users with more communication options, ensuring the reliability and real-time nature of data transmission. It also provides multiple control strategies such as remote direct control, intelligent upper and lower limit control, time interval control, and formula control, almost meeting the control requirements in all scenarios. Users can flexibly select or combine different control strategies according to actual application scenarios and monitoring objectives to achieve intelligent environmental monitoring and control, improving the intelligent level and operation convenience of the system. Description of the Drawings
[0032] Figure 1 It is the circuit diagram of the power supply part of the present invention;
[0033] Figure 2 It is the circuit diagram of the RS485 host and RS485 slave of the present invention;
[0034] Figure 3 It is the five-way DI circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0035] Figure 4 It is the eight-way relay circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0036] Figure 5 It is the six-way NTC circuit of the present invention;
[0037] Figure 6 It is the WIFI interface circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0038] Figure 7 It is the Ethernet or 4G interface circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0039] Figure 8 It is the PCF8563 interface circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0040] Figure 9 It is the AT24C256 storage circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0041] Figure 10 It is the W25Q128 storage circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0042] Figure 11 It is the MCU circuit diagram of the present invention;
[0043] Figure 12Front view of the PCB board of the present invention;
[0044] Figure 13 Back view of the PCB board of the present invention;
[0045] Figure 14 Front view of the main control board of the present invention;
[0046] Figure 15 Back view of the main control board of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners
[0047] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.
[0048] Next, the embodiments of the present invention will be described according to the overall structure of the present invention.
[0049] The intelligent environmental control device of the present invention mainly consists of the following parts:
[0050] Main control module: An ARM chip STM32F103VET6 based on the Cortex-M3 core is used as the core processor. This chip has 512KB of Flash memory and 64KB of RAM, which is sufficient to support complex data processing and multi-task parallel processing. The main control module manages each task through the FreeRTOS operating system to ensure the efficient and stable operation of the system.
[0051] Communication interface module:
[0052] Ethernet interface circuit: Used to connect to a wired network to provide a high-speed and stable data transmission channel.
[0053] WIFI interface circuit: Supports wireless local area network connection and is suitable for environments where wiring is not required.
[0054] 4G communication interface circuit: When it is impossible to access a wired or wireless network, remote communication is achieved through the 4G mobile network.
[0055] Sensor access module:
[0056] Data interaction with sensors is carried out through two-way RS485 communication interfaces. One is used for communication with the upper computer, and the other is used for connection with sensors. The sensors follow the Modbus protocol and support various types, including but not limited to temperature, humidity, light, gas concentration, etc.
[0057] Digital input / output module:
[0058] Digital input: Five-way optocoupler isolation circuit is adopted to ensure the stability and security of the input signal. The MCU reads the level of the GPIO through polling to obtain the switch state of the DI.
[0059] Relay output: Eight-way relay output is provided. The ULN2803A chip is used to drive the high-power load with low-power signal. The MCU controls the on / off of the relay through the GPIO to control external devices.
[0060] Measurement module: Temperature measurement: The six-way NTC temperature measurement circuit is connected to the AI pin of the MCU through resistor voltage division and operational amplifier circuit. After ADC conversion, the NTC resistance value is calculated to obtain the temperature value.
[0061] Analog input module: Two-way 4-20mA transmitter signals are converted into voltage signals through precision resistors, and then input to the AI pin of the MCU through an operational amplifier for ADC conversion to obtain the analog value.
[0062] Storage module:
[0063] AT24C256 storage chip: It has a storage capacity of 32KB and can be erased and written by byte. It is used to store basic parameters, sensor configuration information and control strategy configuration parameters.
[0064] W25Q128 storage chip: It has a storage capacity of 16MB. The MCU completes the interaction with this memory through the SPI bus, which is used to store the firmware for remote upgrade and the messages that have not been successfully sent.
[0065] Clock and synchronization module: The PCF8563 calendar clock chip is adopted. The MCU communicates with it through the IIC bus to set and read the system time, ensuring the accuracy of time synchronization.
[0066] It also includes:
[0067] Power supply part: It provides a stable working voltage for the whole device;
[0068] PCB bottom board and main control board: They carry and connect the above-mentioned modules to form a complete hardware system.
[0069] It also includes:
[0070] Pluggable communication module: The communication interface is designed to be pluggable, which is convenient to flexibly replace or upgrade the communication method according to on-site requirements;
[0071] Alarm and processing module: It has the function of real-time monitoring of digital input signals and sensor data. Once it exceeds the preset range or an abnormality occurs, it immediately triggers an alarm and executes corresponding processing measures.
[0072] The main control module also executes the following control strategies:
[0073] Remote direct control: directly control the relay output according to the background instruction;
[0074] Time interval control: control the relay output within the set time interval;
[0075] Intelligent upper and lower limit control: intelligently judge and control the relay output according to the sensor data;
[0076] Formulation control: combine the time interval and sensor data to implement complex control logic.
[0077] The device networking methods have priorities, which are Ethernet, WIFI, and 4G in sequence. The device attempts to establish connections in order during the initialization process.
[0078] The sensor interface supports flexible configuration of various types of sensors, including but not limited to temperature, humidity, light sensors, etc.
[0079] It also includes the remote firmware upgrade function, which allows remote downloading and installation of new firmware versions through Ethernet, WIFI, or 4G networks to optimize device performance or fix potential problems.
[0080] The device has scalability and supports meeting additional requirements in specific application scenarios by adding additional sensor interfaces, digital input / output channels, or communication interface modules.
[0081] The following is the logic description:
[0082] The intelligent environmental control device divides multiple tasks through the FreeRTOS operating system to achieve multi-task parallel processing. The main tasks include:
[0083] Start task: mainly establish semaphores and create other tasks. The semaphores include IIC memory semaphore, SPI memory semaphore, create communication message semaphore, 4G communication semaphore, WIFI communication semaphore, Ethernet communication semaphore, RS48 slave communication semaphore, RS485 master communication semaphore, calendar clock reading semaphore. The created tasks include communication management task, RS485 slave task, RS485 master task, main control task, etc. After creating the tasks, delete the start task and enable task scheduling.
[0084] Monitoring task: responsible for monitoring network status, signal strength, interaction with the server, etc., processing alarms and parameter modification requests, re-registering and calibrating when the network status changes, and ensuring that the device always maintains normal communication with the server. The monitoring task completes the following functions: 1. Re-register when the network status changes; 2. Re-calibrate after re-registration; 3. Signal strength management; 4. Timed handshake to determine whether the interaction with the server is normal; 5. Determine whether to alarm; 6. Detect the sending task queue, and send it to the server if there is a message to be sent; 7. Check whether there is a parameter modification from the upper computer configuration screen, and if so, synchronize the configuration parameters to the background.
[0085] The monitoring task is created when the communication management task is created. When the communication task determines that the network is successfully connected, the monitoring task is created to monitor the network status.
[0086] Communication management tasks: There are three networking methods, namely Ethernet, WIFI, and 4G, with decreasing priorities. After the device is powered on, it will first try to use Ethernet to establish a link with the server during the initialization process. If successful, an Ethernet communication task will be created. If unsuccessful, try to use WIFI to connect to the network. If WIFI is successful, a WIFI communication task will be created. If unsuccessful, 4G will be used to connect to the network. If successful, a 4G communication task will be created. If unsuccessful, the system will return and continue to try to connect to the network.
[0087] RS485 slave task: RS485 slave mainly receives Modbus messages from the upper computer configuration LCD screen to complete data reading and writing. At the same time, it completes the management of the received data message queue. The setting of device parameters can be completed either through the server or through the configuration screen.
[0088] RS485 host task: RS485 host task is mainly to complete the reading of sensor data, which is realized through Modbus protocol. The number of sensors is up to 16, but the type can be selected in multiple ways. Flexible configuration of sensors is adopted and assigned to the controller, which makes the access capability of the controller particularly strong. At the same time, in this task, the inverter connected through the RS485 bus is controlled. If the background sends to clear the data of the rain sensor, the rain sensor data is cleared. If the NTC sensor is used, the real-time data of the NTC is read. The NTC sensor has a maximum of 6 channels, and the message queue returned by the reading is managed and the data is processed.
[0089] Main control task: mainly complete the implementation of four control strategies, including remote direct control, time interval control, intelligent upper and lower limit control and formula control.
[0090] The main control task includes the following functions:
[0091] Read the current system time, obtain the power-on / off information, digital input, and relay status, and handle the alarms for digital input signals and sensor data. The alarm types mainly include lower limit alarm, upper limit alarm, and no sensor data alarm.
[0092] In the remote direct control mode, if the background sets the output of this relay to be on, it will be on; if the background sets the output of this relay to be off, it will be off.
[0093] In the intelligent upper and lower limit mode, regardless of the system time, it is valid for 24 hours. It can be set that the output of each channel is affected by the data of a single-channel sensor or a dual-channel sensor. If the relay is affected by the data of a single-channel sensor, the output of the relay is determined according to the setting of upper limit action or lower limit action. If the relay is affected by the data of a dual-channel sensor, the data of the two sensors can be combined logically to meet either both or one of the upper limit action or lower limit operation to control the output of the relay.
[0094] In the time interval mode, the background sets the output of this relay to be on between a certain start time and end time, and off at other times.
[0095] The formula mode is actually a combination of the time interval mode and the intelligent upper and lower limit mode. To set the on / off state of a certain relay, first determine whether it is within the time interval, and then implement the output control according to the comparison results of the real-time data of one or two sensors with the intelligent upper and lower limits.
[0096] Workflow: After the device is powered on, it first performs initialization operations, including hardware self-check, system clock setting, etc. Then, it attempts to establish a network connection according to the priority of the networking method. Once the connection is successful, it immediately creates a monitoring task and a communication management task to ensure that the device can communicate with the server in real time. During operation, the main control module continuously polls the status of each sensor and actuator, adjusts the working parameters of the device according to the preset control strategy and real-time data. At the same time, the monitoring task continuously monitors the network status and server interaction to ensure the stability and security of data transmission. When the device receives configuration parameters or control instructions from the server, the main control module will immediately parse and execute the corresponding operations, and update the configuration information in the local storage. If the configuration information changes, the device will actively report the updated configuration parameters to the server for synchronization.
[0097] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, the specific embodiments are merely explanations of the present invention and are not limitations thereof. The specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. After reading this specification, those skilled in the art may make modifications, substitutions, and variations that do not contribute creatively to the embodiments as needed, but as long as they are within the scope of the claims of the present invention, they are protected by the patent law.
Claims
1. An intelligent environmental control device, characterized in that: include: Main control module: This module uses an ARM chip with a Cortex-M3 core, specifically the STM32F103VET6, which has data processing and network management capabilities, and runs the FreeRTOS operating system to support multi-task parallel processing; Communication interface module: This module includes Ethernet interface circuit, WIFI interface circuit and 4G communication interface circuit, supporting flexible selection to meet different network communication requirements; Sensor access module: supports access to a variety of sensors through the Modbus protocol, and is equipped with at least two RS485 communication interfaces, which are used for data interaction with the host computer and the sensor respectively; Digital input / output module: includes at least five optocoupler-isolated digital inputs and eight relay outputs to read external signals and control external devices; Measurement module: contains at least six NTC temperature measurement circuits for accurate measurement of ambient temperature; Analog input module: contains at least two 4-20mA transmitter inputs for receiving analog signals; Storage module: There are two storage chips, AT24C256 and W25Q128, which are used to store basic parameters, sensor configuration information, control strategies, firmware upgrades and message caches respectively; Clock and synchronization module: Integrates the PCF8563 calendar clock chip to provide accurate system time and perform time synchronization.
2. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Power supply part: provides stable working voltage for the entire device; PCB baseboard and main control board: carry and connect the above modules to form a complete hardware system.
3. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: Pluggable communication module: The communication interface is designed to be pluggable, which is convenient for flexible replacement or upgrading of communication mode according to on-site needs; Alarm and processing module: It has the function of real-time monitoring of digital input signals and sensor data. Once it exceeds the preset range or an abnormality occurs, it will immediately trigger an alarm and execute corresponding processing measures.
4. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main control module also implements the following control strategies: Remote direct control: directly control the relay output according to the background instructions; Time interval control: control the relay output within the set time interval; Intelligent upper and lower limit control: intelligently judge and control relay output according to sensor data; Formulated control: Combine time intervals and sensor data to achieve complex control logic.
5. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device networking methods have priorities, which are Ethernet, WIFI, and 4G. The device attempts to establish connections in order during initialization.
6. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor interface supports flexible configuration of various types of sensors, including but not limited to temperature, humidity, light and other sensors.
7. The intelligent environmental control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a remote firmware upgrade feature that allows new firmware versions to be remotely downloaded and installed via Ethernet, WIFI or 4G network to optimize device performance or fix potential problems.
8. An intelligent environmental control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The device is scalable and supports adding additional sensor interfaces, digital input and output channels, or communication interface modules to meet additional requirements in specific application scenarios.