Method and device for controlling indicator light and indicator light assembly

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a method and equipment for controlling an indicator lamp and an indicator lamp assembly. The method includes receiving a timing signal in response to receiving the timing signal; a management chip of the indicating lamp is switched from a low-power-consumption mode to a working mode at an activation signal of a time sequence signal so as to control the indicating lamp to be turned on; and in response to determining that the indicating lamp is in the current state for a first preset duration, under the condition that the display state of the indicating lamp is a flickering state and the time sequence signal comprises a plurality of timing signals, switching a management chip of the indicating lamp from a low-power-consumption mode to a working mode at each timing signal of the plurality of timing signals, the management chip switches the display state of the indicating lamp in the working mode; and in response to determining that the management chip is in the working mode for a second preset duration, switching the management chip from the working mode to the low-power-consumption mode, the first preset duration being greater than the second preset duration. Therefore, the time of the management chip in the working mode can be shortened, and the power consumption of the indicator light assembly is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of electrical equipment, and particularly to methods, devices, and indicator light assemblies for controlling indicator lights. Background Art

[0002] In some electrical equipment, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are usually used as indicator lights to indicate the current state of the equipment. For example, the equipment is indicated to be in a working state or a standby state by the lighting or flashing of the indicator light. However, during the operation of the indicator light, the management chip of the indicator light needs to remain in the working state to ensure the operation of the indicator light, resulting in a relatively large power consumption of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an indicator light is provided. The method includes: in response to receiving one of a plurality of indication task signals, receiving a timing signal from a timer, the timing signal including an activation signal and a timing signal associated with the indication task; causing a management chip of the indicator light to switch from a low-power mode to a working mode at the activation signal to control the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on; in response to determining that the indicator light has remained in the current state for a first predetermined duration, in the case where the display state of the indicator light is a flashing state and the timing signal includes a plurality of timing signals, causing the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at each of the plurality of timing signals to cause the management chip to switch the display state of the indicator light in the working mode; and in response to determining that the management chip has remained in the working mode for a second predetermined duration, causing the management chip to switch from the working mode to the low-power mode, where the first predetermined duration is greater than the second predetermined duration.

[0004] In some embodiments, before receiving the indication task signal, it further includes: initializing a timer of the indicator light and causing the management chip of the indicator light to be in the low-power mode.

[0005] In some embodiments, the method further includes: in response to determining that the display state of the indicator light is a constant-on state and the timing signal includes one timing signal, causing the management chip to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at the timing signal to turn off the indicator light.

[0006] In some embodiments, the plurality of indication task signals include: corresponding first predetermined duration, second predetermined duration, indicator light color information, and status information indicating the flashing state or the constant-on state of the indicator light.

[0007] In some embodiments, the method further includes: determining the indicator light color information based on the indication task signal; and controlling the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on according to the indicator light color information.

[0008] In some embodiments, the plurality of indication task signals include a plurality of priorities.

[0009] In some embodiments, the method further includes: interrupting the current indication task signal in response to receiving an indication task signal with a higher priority than the current indication task signal; and controlling the flashing display or constant-on display of the indicator light according to the indication task signal with the higher priority.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further includes: continuing to execute the indication task indicated by the previously interrupted indication task signal in response to determining that the indication task signal with the higher priority has been executed.

[0011] When the state machine receives an indication task signal for instructing the indicator light to perform a corresponding display task, the timer is turned on and sends an activation signal to the state machine. After receiving the activation signal, the state machine controls the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode. The management chip can also switch to the working mode after receiving the timing signal of the timer. In the working mode, the management chip can switch the display state of the indicator light, such as switching the on / off state, brightness change, or color change of the indicator light. When the management chip has been in the working mode for more than a second predetermined duration, the state machine switches the management chip back to the low-power mode, and at this time, the indicator light still displays according to the restricted state after the management chip switches. In this way, the duration of the management chip in the working mode can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the management chip and the power consumption of the device.

[0012] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a device for controlling an indicator light. The device includes: a management chip, coupled to the indicator light, adapted to switch between a low-power mode and a working mode, and switch the display state of the indicator light in the working mode; a state machine, coupled to the management chip, and adapted to execute the method provided in the first aspect of the present disclosure to at least control the switching of the management chip between the low-power mode and the working mode; and a timer, coupled to the indicator light, and adapted to send a timing signal to the state machine after the indicator light has been displayed for a predetermined time.

[0013] In some embodiments, the state machine is further configured to control the display state of the indicator light via the management chip according to a preset.

[0014] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an indicator light assembly. The indicator light assembly includes: an indicator light; and the device provided in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0015] It should be understood that the content described in this part is not intended to define the key features or important features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. Description of the Drawings

[0016] In conjunction with the accompanying drawings and with reference to the following detailed description, the above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, where:

[0017] Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of an indicator light assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 A simplified schematic diagram of a device for the operation of an indicator light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for controlling an indicator light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0020] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method for controlling an indicator light according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Embodiments

[0021] 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 drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to more thoroughly and completely understand the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0022] It should be noted that the titles of any sections / subsections provided herein are not restrictive. Various embodiments are described throughout this document, and any type of embodiment can be included under any section / subsection. Additionally, the embodiments described in any section / subsection can be combined with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or different sections / subsections in any manner.

[0023] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and its like shall be understood as an open inclusion, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" shall be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "an embodiment" or "the embodiment" shall be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" shall be understood as "at least some embodiments". There may also be other explicit and implicit definitions hereinafter. The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or the same objects. There may also be other explicit and implicit definitions hereinafter.

[0024] As briefly mentioned above, the management chip of an indicator light such as an LED mainly includes two modes, namely, the working mode and the low-power mode. In the working mode, the management chip can control the display state of the indicator light, such as adjusting the on / off, brightness change, color change, etc. of the indicator light. When the management chip is in the low-power mode, it has a relatively small working current and lower energy consumption compared to the working mode.

[0025] For some existing products (especially products powered by "battery type" or "single-fire type"), their low-power strategies are generally as follows: when the indicator light of the product is not in use, the management chip of the indicator light will enter the low-power mode, and the code of relevant functions inside the management chip will pause running in the low-power mode, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the management chip. For "battery type" devices, it can save battery power, and for "single-fire type" devices, it can avoid the ghost fire problem of the single-fire switch. When the device receives a trigger condition, the management chip will switch from the low-power mode to the working mode and remain in the working mode during the operation of the indicator light (the indicator light can perform actions such as on / off switching, brightness change, color change, etc. within the working mode), and then switch back to the low-power mode until the operation of the indicator light ends.

[0026] However, under this low-power strategy, when the indicator light of the device works for a long time, the management chip needs to always remain in the working mode, resulting in relatively high power consumption of the device.

[0027] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method, a device, and an indicator light assembly for controlling an indicator light are proposed to solve or at least partially solve the above problems and other potential problems existing in the traditional solutions. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when the state machine receives an indication task signal for instructing the indicator light to perform a corresponding display task, the timer sends a timing signal to the state machine. The timing signal includes an activation signal and a timing signal. Both the activation signal and the timing signal can be high-level square wave signals, and the time duration between the activation signal and the timing signal is a first predetermined time duration. After receiving the activation signal, the state machine controls the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode.

[0028] The management chip can also switch to the working mode after receiving the timing signal of the timer. The management chip can switch the display state of the indicator light in the working mode, such as switching the on / off, brightness change, or color change of the indicator light. When the management chip has been in the working mode for a second predetermined time duration, the state machine switches the management chip back to the low-power mode, and at this time, the indicator light still displays according to the restricted state after the management chip switches. The second predetermined time duration is less than the first predetermined time duration. In this way, the time duration for the management chip to be in the working mode can be reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the management chip and the power consumption of the device.

[0029] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the indicator light assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 1 shown, the indicator light assembly 100 generally includes one or more indicator lights and a device 200 coupled to the one or more indicator lights and adapted to control the operation of the indicator lights. The device 200 can switch the display state of the indicator lights according to a preset rule or a user's instruction.

[0030] In some embodiments, the display state of the indicator lights includes the on / off state of the indicator lights. For example, the device 200 can control some indicator lights to be in a constantly-on state, and the device 200 can also control some other indicator lights to be in a flashing state (for example, the indicator lights are lit for a certain period of time according to a certain rule and then extinguished for another period of time). In some embodiments, the display state of the indicator lights can also include the brightness change of the indicator lights. For example, the device 200 can control some indicator lights to gradually increase in brightness at regular intervals. In some other embodiments, the display state of the indicator lights also includes the color change of the indicator lights. For example, the device 200 controls the indicator lights to emit red light in some time periods and green light in some other time periods. In this way, the device 200 can control different display states of the indicator lights to prompt the working state of the device connected to the device 200.

[0031] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the device 200 for the operation of the indicator lights according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 2 shown, the device 200 includes a state machine 210, a management chip 230 corresponding to the indicator lights, and a timer 220. The timer 220 is adapted to issue a timing signal including an activation signal and a timing signal. As mentioned above, both the activation signal and the timing signal can be high-level square wave signals, and the duration between the activation signal and the subsequent timing signal is a first predetermined duration. The state machine 210 controls the management chip 230 to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode after receiving the activation signal or the timing signal.

[0032] When the management chip 230 is in the working mode, the management chip 230 can switch the display state of the indicator lights. When the management chip 230 works in the working mode for a second predetermined duration less than the first predetermined duration, the state machine 210 will control the management chip 230 to switch back to the low-power mode again, and at this time the indicator lights can still maintain the display state. Of course, it should be understood that in some embodiments, it can also be that the management chip 230 itself enters the low-power mode after the second predetermined duration without receiving other signals. Since the management chip 230 enters the low-power mode, the current passing through the management chip 230 is reduced, thereby reducing the power consumption of the indicator light assembly. The following will specifically describe how the device 200 controls the LED and other components to switch different display states.

[0033] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of a method for operating an indicator light according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As Figure 3 shown, in some embodiments, after the device is started, the state machine of the device controls the timer to restart and initialize, and at the same time, the state machine controls the management chip to switch the management chip to the low-power mode. At this time, the device initialization is completed and the device remains in a standby state, waiting to receive one or more indication task signals.

[0034] In some embodiments, the indication task signal may include a plurality of first predetermined time lengths, a second predetermined time length, indicator light color information, and status information indicating the blinking state or the always-on state of the indicator light. These contents will be described below in conjunction with the specific working process of the device.

[0035] When the state machine receives any one of the plurality of indication task signals, the timer sends a timing signal to the state machine. The timing signal includes an activation signal. At the activation signal, the state machine switches the management chip to the working mode, so that the management chip controls the indicator light to display the first display state in the indication task signal. After the state machine receives the indication task signal and switches the management chip to the working mode, the state machine also times the duration of the management chip in the working mode. When the duration of the management chip in the working mode reaches the second predetermined time length, the state machine switches the management chip back to the low-power mode again. As mentioned above, the management chip switching back to the low-power mode at the second predetermined time length can also be completed autonomously by itself.

[0036] Next, the timer is adapted to send a timing signal to the state machine after the timing duration reaches the first predetermined time length. After receiving the timing signal, the state machine determines whether the display state of the indicator light is a blinking state or an always-on state according to the indication task signal, and switches the display state of the indicator light according to the determined result.

[0037] It should be understood that the second predetermined time length should be sufficient for the management chip to complete the switching of the display state of the indicator light. For example, in some embodiments, the second predetermined time length may be 2 ms, 4 ms, 10 ms, etc.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first predetermined time length can be defined according to the requirements of the user. For example, the first predetermined time length can be 1 s, 10 s, 30 s, 60 s, etc. In some embodiments, the plurality of first predetermined time lengths corresponding to different display states within the same indication task signal can also be different. For example, within one indication task, the first first predetermined time length can be 1 s, and the second first predetermined time length can be 2 s.

[0039] The first predetermined duration is greater than the second predetermined duration, so that the management chip can be switched from the working mode to the low-power mode after controlling the indicator light to switch states. In this way, the management chip can be switched to the low-power mode after controlling the indicator light to switch states.

[0040] When it is confirmed that the indicator light needs to execute the flashing state, the timing signals in the timing signal will include multiple timing signals. The state machine will receive multiple timing signals at intervals in the next period of time to switch the management chip of the indicator light from the low-power mode to the working mode, so that the management chip switches the display state of the indicator light in the working mode. Whenever the management chip switches to the working mode and the duration maintained in the working mode reaches the second predetermined duration, the state machine switches the management chip from the working mode to the low-power mode, thereby reducing the power consumption of the management chip.

[0041] During this period, the management chip adjusts the display state of the indicator light according to the indication task signal. For example, in some embodiments, the indicator light flashes in a periodic on-off manner during this period. In other embodiments, the indicator light flashes in an alternating red and green color manner. In other embodiments, the indicator light can also flash in an alternating bright and dark manner. When the indicator light cycles to the last timing signal sent by the timer according to the flashing state, at this time the state machine controls the management chip to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode, and the management chip controls the indicator light to turn off, thereby completing the state display of the indicator light.

[0042] In subsequent state displays, whenever the timer issues a timing signal, the state machine will determine whether the indicator light needs to execute the flashing state next. When it is confirmed that the indicator light needs to execute the flashing state, the above process is cycled.

[0043] When it is confirmed that the indicator light does not execute the flashing state (that is, the indicator light executes the constant-on state), the timing signal sent by the timer will only have one timing signal in the future except for the activation signal mentioned above. After determining that the indicator light does not execute the flashing state and receiving this timing signal, the state machine controls the management chip to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode, and the management chip controls the indicator light to turn off, thereby completing the state display of the indicator light.

[0044] It should be understood that the constant-on state proposed in the present disclosure means that during the working process of the indicator light, it only lights up without other changes such as on-off changes, brightness changes, and color changes. Correspondingly, the specific time span of the first (and also the only) first predetermined duration in the constant-on state can be extended accordingly. For example, in the constant-on state, the first predetermined duration can be 30s, 180s, 3600s, etc. On this basis, the second predetermined duration can still be 2ms.

[0045] Based on the above, regardless of whether the indicator light works in a constant state or a flashing state, the management chip is only in a high-power consumption working mode within the second predetermined duration, and at other times (for example, the time obtained by excluding the second predetermined duration from the first predetermined duration), the management chip can be in a low-power consumption low-power mode, thereby significantly reducing the working energy consumption when the indicator light assembly works.

[0046] In some embodiments, the device proposed according to the present disclosure can also be used to simultaneously control multiple indicator lights to display different states. The state machine can control the operation of the corresponding management chip by respectively receiving multiple indication task signals and according to the timing signals output by the timers of the multiple indicator lights.

[0047] For example, the device can control the first indicator light to be in a constantly-on state, control the second indicator light to be in a flashing on-off state, and control the third indicator light to be in a flashing state with color change between red and green.

[0048] In some embodiments, the device can also determine the color information of the indicator light according to the indication task signal, and control the corresponding indicator light in multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on according to the color information of the indicator light.

[0049] In some embodiments, the state machine can also control a single indicator light to display multiple indication task signals. For example, the state machine can control a single indicator light to perform a flashing on-off state in the first time period and a flashing with color change in the second time period.

[0050] In some embodiments, multiple indication task signals can be divided into multiple priorities according to the category of the indicated event, such as high priority, medium priority, and low priority, etc. When multiple indication task signals are sent to the state machine simultaneously, the state machine can select the LED indication signal with high priority to be completed first according to the priority level.

[0051] In some embodiments, when a lower-priority indication task signal is already in execution, and the state machine receives a higher-priority indication task signal, at this time, the state machine can interrupt the display task corresponding to the current indication task signal and switch to the higher-priority indication task signal. After the display task corresponding to the higher-priority indication task signal is completed, it switches back to the interrupted indication task signal and continues to process the task.

[0052] Figure 4 The flowchart of a method 400 for controlling an indicator light according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 400 can be implemented by the state machine 210. The following refers to Figure 1 Describe the method 400.

[0053] At block 410, in response to receiving one of a plurality of indication task signals, the state machine 210 receives a timing signal from a timer, the timing signal including an activation signal and a timing signal associated with the indication task.

[0054] At block 420, the state machine 210 causes the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at the activation signal, to control the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on.

[0055] At block 430, in response to determining that the indicator light has persisted in the current state for a first predetermined duration, in the case where the display state of the indicator light is a flashing state and the timing signal includes multiple timing signals, the state machine 210 causes the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at each of the multiple timing signals, so that the management chip switches the display state of the indicator light in the working mode.

[0056] At block 440, in response to determining that the management chip has persisted in the working mode for a second predetermined duration, the state machine 210 causes the management chip to switch from the working mode to the low-power mode, where the first predetermined duration is greater than the second predetermined duration.

[0057] In some embodiments, before receiving the indication task signal, the state machine 210 initializes the timer of the indicator light and causes the management chip of the indicator light to be in the low-power mode.

[0058] In some embodiments, in response to determining that the display state of the indicator light is a constant-on state and the timing signal includes one timing signal, the state machine 210 causes the management chip to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at the timing signal, to turn off the indicator light.

[0059] In some embodiments, the state machine 210 determines the indicator light color information based on the indication task signal, and controls the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on according to the indicator light color information.

[0060] In some embodiments, in response to receiving an indication task signal with a higher priority than the current indication task signal, the state machine 210 interrupts the current indication task signal, and controls the flashing display or constant-on display of the indicator light according to the indication task signal with the higher priority.

[0061] In some embodiments, in response to determining that the indication task signal with the higher priority has been executed, the state machine 210 continues to execute the indication task indicated by the previously interrupted indication task signal.

[0062] The various implementations of the present disclosure have been described above. The above description is exemplary and not exhaustive, and is also 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 choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the implementations, practical applications, or improvements to technologies in the market, or to enable other ordinary skilled persons in the art to understand the various implementation manners disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an indicator light, comprising: In response to receiving one of a plurality of indication task signals, receiving a timing signal from the timer, the timing signal including an activation signal and a timing signal associated with the indication task; Causing the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at the activation signal to control the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on; In response to determining that the indicator light has been in the current state for a first predetermined duration, in the case where the display state of the indicator light is a flashing state and the timing signal includes a plurality of timing signals, causing the management chip of the indicator light to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at each of the plurality of timing signals, so that the management chip switches the display state of the indicator light in the working mode; and In response to determining that the management chip has been in the working mode for a second predetermined duration, causing the management chip to switch from the working mode to the low-power mode, wherein the first predetermined duration is greater than the second predetermined duration.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Initializing the timer of the indicator light and causing the management chip of the indicator light to be in the low-power mode before receiving the indication task signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein further comprising: In response to determining that the display state of the indicator light is the constant-on state and the timing signal includes a timing signal, causing the management chip to switch from the low-power mode to the working mode at the timing signal to turn off the indicator light.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of indication task signals comprising: Corresponding first predetermined duration, second predetermined duration, indicator light color information, and status information indicating the flashing state or the constant-on state of the indicator light.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: Determining the indicator light color information based on the indication task signal; and Controlling the indicator light corresponding to the indication task signal among multiple groups of indicator lights to turn on according to the indicator light color information.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of indication task signals are divided into multiple priorities.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: In response to receiving an indication task signal with a higher priority than the current indication task signal, interrupting the current indication task signal; and Controlling the flashing display or the constant-on display of the indicator light according to the higher-priority indication task signal.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: In response to determining that the higher-priority indication task signal has been executed, continuing to execute the indication task indicated by the previously interrupted indication task signal.

9. A device for controlling an indicator light, comprising: A management chip (230), coupled to the indicator light, adapted to switch between a low-power mode and a working mode, and switch the display state of the indicator light in the working mode; A state machine (210), coupled to the management chip (230), and adapted to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-8 to at least control the switching of the management chip (230) between a low power mode and an operating mode; and A timer (220), coupled to the indicator light, and adapted to send the timing signal to the state machine (210) after the indicator light has been displayed for more than a predetermined time.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the state machine (210) is further configured to control the display state of the indicator light via the management chip (230) according to a preset.

11. An indicator light assembly, comprising: An indicator light; and The device according to claim 9 or 10.

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