Intelligent valve device for indicating information through LED and indicating method

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of valves, in particular to an intelligent valve device for indicating information through an LED and an indicating method. Comprising a valve body, an electric actuating mechanism and a control module, and further comprises an LED indicating module composed of four LED indicating lamps. The control module is used for executing a time sequence multiplexing and hierarchical coding control strategy, and circularly indicating multi-dimensional state information of the equipment by controlling the on-off state combination of the four LED indicator lamps; wherein the hierarchical coding control strategy comprises a single LED state code used for indicating an independent operation state and a combined LED numerical value code used for indicating a numerical value type parameter. Through the LED indication module formed by the four LED indication lamps and the time sequence multiplexing and hierarchical coding control strategy executed by the control module, the cyclic indication of rich information is successfully realized by using extremely few hardware resources, and the contradiction of insufficient LED information amount, poor environmental adaptability of a liquid crystal screen and high cost in the prior art is fundamentally solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of valves, and more particularly to an intelligent valve device and method for indicating information using LEDs. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial automation and valve control for heating and water supply, timely and accurate valve status information is crucial for safe system operation and on-site maintenance. Traditional valve status indication methods have significant limitations. For example, some valves use a single light-emitting diode (LED) for status indication, typically only expressing "open" or "closed" states through "on" or "off" light. This results in extremely limited information capacity, failing to convey multi-dimensional information such as equipment identification, precise valve opening percentage, specific communication status, and fault diagnosis codes. To address this information deficiency, some intelligent valves have switched to liquid crystal displays (LCDs). While LCDs can display richer data, they suffer from higher costs, poor visibility in strong or low light conditions, large space requirements, and susceptibility to reliability issues in harsh industrial environments such as high / low temperatures and humidity. Furthermore, LCD displays typically require close-range viewing by operators, significantly reducing their convenience in complex environments or inconvenient installation locations.

[0003] To enhance the information expression capabilities of LEDs while retaining their advantages of low cost, high reliability, and strong environmental adaptability, the industry has explored various approaches. Existing technologies include schemes that use multiple LED indicators for status indication. For example, publication number CN204087752U, entitled "An LED Driver Circuit for Multi-Segment Display and Key Scanning Time-Division Multiplexing," discloses a technique that uses a driver chip to control multi-segment LED digital tubes and perform time-division multiplexing. While this scheme improves the utilization efficiency of LED resources through time-division multiplexing, its core is to drive the digital tubes to display predefined characters or numbers. It does not address how to systematically and dynamically indicate the various types and dimensions of operating states and parameters of an intelligent valve device using a limited number of independent LED indicators through specific encoding rules and timing control strategies. Furthermore, this scheme fails to achieve hierarchical and cyclical indication of specific valve states (such as self-test, device identity, real-time opening degree, communication status, fault codes, etc.). Therefore, how to design an efficient information encoding and display method on a minimal hardware basis (e.g., using only four LEDs) to meet the urgent needs of modern smart valves for intuitive indication of localized and diversified status information has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides an intelligent valve device and method for indicating information using LEDs, aiming to solve the problem of how to achieve rich multi-dimensional information indication and improve environmental adaptability in valve status indication schemes with extremely low hardware costs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the following technical solution is adopted.

[0006] An intelligent valve device using LEDs to indicate information includes a valve body, an electric actuator, and a control module. It also includes an LED indicator module consisting of four LEDs. The control module executes a timing multiplexing and hierarchical coding control strategy, cyclically indicating multi-dimensional status information of the device by controlling the combination of on / off states of the four LEDs. The hierarchical coding control strategy includes single LED status codes for indicating independent operating states and combined LED numerical codes for indicating numerical parameters.

[0007] Optionally, the control module is electrically connected to the motor drive module, valve position sensor module, valve opening sensor module, supply and return water temperature sensor module, storage module, wireless communication module, and MBUS communication module. The four independent I / O ports of the control module are respectively connected to the cathodes of the four LED indicators in the LED indicator module. The anode of each LED indicator is connected to the positive power supply through a current-limiting resistor, so that the control module can light up the corresponding LED indicator by outputting a low-level signal to the I / O port and turn off the corresponding LED indicator by outputting a high-level signal.

[0008] Optionally, the individual LED status code is used to assign an independent status indication theme to each LED indicator during normal system operation, and to represent different sub-states under the corresponding status indication theme through four display states: always on, always off, flashing at the first frequency, and flashing at the second frequency. Among them, the first LED indicator is assigned to indicate the MBUS communication status, the second LED indicator is assigned to indicate the temperature controller status, the third LED indicator is assigned to indicate the valve mechanical status, and the fourth LED indicator is assigned to indicate the system operating status.

[0009] Optionally, the combined LED numerical encoding adopts the 8421 BCD code rule, assigning numerical weights to the four LED indicators respectively, wherein the first LED indicator represents the value 1, the second LED indicator represents the value 2, the third LED indicator represents the value 4, and the fourth LED indicator represents the value 8; the combination of the on and off states of the four LED indicators represents a value between 0 and 15, which is used to represent a certain digit of the equipment number, the valve opening percentage value, or a predefined system status code.

[0010] Optionally, the timing multiplexing control strategy specifically includes a power-on self-test stage, an identity information display stage, a system diagnosis stage, and a running status cyclic display stage. In the power-on self-test stage, the control module controls the four LED indicator lights to be fully lit for a first preset time and then turn off. Then, the LED indicator lights are lit and turned off in sequence from the fourth LED indicator to the first LED indicator, so as to complete the self-test of the LED indicator hardware.

[0011] Optionally, during the identity information display stage, the control module reads the device's unique eight-digit number and software version number from the storage module, and then uses the combined LED numerical code to display each digit of the eight-digit number sequentially. Each digit is displayed for a second preset duration. After all digits are displayed, the last digit of the software version number is displayed using the combined LED numerical code.

[0012] Optionally, during the system diagnostic phase, the control module performs initial diagnostics on the storage unit, memory unit, clock unit, and wireless communication module, and maps the diagnostic results to the first to fourth LED indicators respectively; if any unit is diagnosed as abnormal, the corresponding LED indicator is controlled to light up for a third preset duration; if the diagnosis is normal, the corresponding LED indicator is controlled to remain off.

[0013] Optionally, the operation status cyclic display stage includes a first display sub-stage and a second display sub-stage; in the first display sub-stage, the control module switches to the single LED status encoding mode and maintains it for a fourth preset duration to display the MBUS communication status, temperature controller status, valve mechanical status and system operation status in real time respectively; after the first display sub-stage ends, the control module controls the four LED indicator lights to be fully lit for a fifth preset duration and then turn off, and then enters the second display sub-stage.

[0014] Optionally, in the second display sub-stage, the control module obtains the current valve opening value from the valve opening sensor module and determines whether the opening value is greater than 10. If the opening value is less than or equal to 10, the opening value is directly displayed using the combined LED numerical code, which directly corresponds to the valve opening percentage. If the opening value is greater than 10, the tens digit of the opening value is displayed using the combined LED numerical code. If the control system detects that the valve is in a specific state of abnormal non-opening, the predefined code representing the specific state is displayed using the combined LED numerical code, where value 11 represents the operating state, value 12 represents the valve fault state, and value 13 represents the valve stall state.

[0015] A smart valve indication method using LED indicators includes the following steps:

[0016] The control module initiates the power-on self-test process, indicating the hardware self-test results by controlling four LED indicators to complete a specific on-off sequence.

[0017] After completing the self-test, the control module enters the identity information display process, and sequentially displays the device number and software version number stored in the storage module through a combination of LED numerical codes;

[0018] The control module then performs system initialization diagnostics and maps the diagnostic results of the storage, memory, clock, and wireless modules to the on / off status of four LED indicators for indication.

[0019] After system initialization, the control module enters a continuous running status cycle indication process. This process first uses a single LED status coding mode, which uses four LED indicators to independently and in real time indicate the system's communication, temperature control, valve, and operating status within a fourth preset time period. Then, after a full-brightness transition for a fifth preset time period, it switches to a combined LED numerical coding mode to indicate the valve's real-time opening value or a specific system status code, thus completing a complete indication cycle. This cycle indication process is then repeated.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This application successfully achieves rich information cyclic indication using minimal hardware resources through an LED indicator module consisting of four LEDs and a timing multiplexing and hierarchical coding control strategy executed by the control module. It achieves a highly efficient balance between rich information expression and hardware simplicity at extremely low cost, fundamentally resolving the contradiction between insufficient LED information content and poor environmental adaptability and high cost of LCD screens in existing technologies. Specifically, the timing multiplexing strategy allows the four LEDs to serve different display purposes at different times, while the hierarchical coding strategy (individual LED status coding and combined LED numerical coding) provides the most suitable encoding carrier for different types of information (such as independent status flags and numerical parameters), ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of information transmission under limited hardware conditions.

[0022] Based on this, the specific hardware connection relationships provide a reliable physical foundation for the stable execution of the entire encoding strategy. Individual LED status encoding, by assigning specific status themes to each LED and utilizing multiple display states (always on, always off, flashing), enables parallel, intuitive, and detailed monitoring of key independent operating parameters such as MBUS communication, temperature controller connection, valve mechanical status, and system operating status. The use of the 8421 BCD code rule for combined numerical encoding transforms four LEDs into a miniature display capable of representing values ​​from 0 to 15, efficiently conveying precise digital information such as device number, valve opening percentage, and predefined system status codes, greatly expanding the information content. The timing control strategy, including power-on self-test, identity information display, system diagnostics, and cyclical display of operating status, constructs a logically rigorous and hierarchically distinct indication process. This not only ensures transparency of information throughout the entire process from hardware self-test to real-time operating status but also guarantees continuous updates and accessibility of important information through the cyclical display mechanism, avoiding information omissions. The protected indication method provides clear process guarantees and legal protection for the aforementioned device to realize its powerful information indication function. These technical features support and interact with each other, together forming a complete solution for achieving efficient, multi-dimensional information indication under low-cost hardware constraints. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system module for an intelligent valve device that uses LEDs to indicate information, according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of the LED indicator module of an intelligent valve device that uses LEDs to indicate information, according to the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of an intelligent valve indication method using LEDs to indicate information according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0027] The following detailed description is exemplary and intended to provide further detailed explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terminology used in this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The present invention provides an intelligent valve device that uses LEDs to indicate information, which constitutes a complete mechatronic system. Its core innovation lies in achieving rich multi-dimensional information indication with extremely low hardware cost through the timing multiplexing of four LED indicators and a hierarchical coding control strategy.

[0030] This intelligent valve device includes the following core components:

[0031] The valve body can adopt common valve structures such as ball valves, gate valves, or globe valves, and is directly coupled to the electric actuator through a mechanical connection assembly. The electric actuator includes a drive motor, a reduction gear mechanism, and a position feedback element, which can receive control signals and drive the valve to achieve precise opening and closing actions.

[0032] The valve opening sensor module can employ potentiometer-type, magnetic-sensitive, or photoelectric angle detection solutions to monitor the rotation angle of the valve stem or the displacement of the valve core in real time, and convert the detected mechanical position signal into a standard electrical signal output. The module's measurement range can cover the entire valve stroke, and the output signal can form a linear or specific functional relationship with the actual valve opening.

[0033] The valve position sensor module can use detection elements such as microswitches, proximity switches, or magnetic switches, which are installed at the fully open and fully closed mechanical limit positions of the valve, respectively. When the valve moves to the limit position, the corresponding detection element is triggered to generate a switching signal, accurately indicating the end state of the valve.

[0034] The supply and return water temperature sensor module can use temperature-sensitive elements such as resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), thermocouples, or integrated digital temperature sensors. These sensors are installed on the medium flow path of the valve or connecting pipes to detect the temperature of the medium flowing through the valve in real time. The temperature signal can be transmitted to the control module via analog voltage / current or digital communication.

[0035] The control module can employ embedded processing units such as microcontrollers, microprocessors, or programmable logic devices, and is equipped with necessary peripheral circuits including clock circuits, reset circuits, and power management circuits. This module receives detection signals from various sensors through input interfaces, processes them to generate control commands, and drives actuators and indicating modules through output interfaces.

[0036] The LED indicator module consists of four independent LED indicators, each equipped with its own driver circuit. When selecting LEDs, parameters such as luminous intensity, viewing angle, and color differentiation can be considered. The installation location can be chosen in a prominent position on the valve housing, and the layout can adopt an easy-to-observe arrangement such as a straight line, matrix, or ring.

[0037] The storage module can use non-volatile storage devices, such as EEPROM, Flash, or FRAM, to store the device's inherent parameters, operating configurations, historical data, and status information. The stored content may include key information such as the device's unique identifier, calibration parameters, runtime statistics, and fault records.

[0038] The wireless communication module can employ communication solutions based on wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LoRa, or Zigbee to achieve wireless data exchange with remote monitoring devices or smart terminals. This module supports functions such as remote querying of device status, remote configuration of parameters, and remote firmware upgrades.

[0039] The MBUS communication module can use interface circuits and protocol stacks compliant with the M-BUS standard to achieve wired data communication with building automation systems or energy management systems. This module supports bus power supply and remote meter reading functions, meeting the reliable communication requirements of industrial sites.

[0040] Power supply modules can employ linear or switching regulation technologies to convert external AC or DC power into the operating voltages required by the various modules in the system. Power supply design needs to consider key performance indicators such as input voltage range, output voltage regulation accuracy, ripple noise, conversion efficiency, and protection functions.

[0041] The output terminals of each sensor module are electrically connected to the input terminals of the control module via signal cables. The valve opening sensor outputs an analog voltage or current signal to the analog input channel of the control module, the valve position sensor outputs a switch signal to the digital input channel of the control module, and the temperature sensor establishes a communication connection with the control module through an analog interface or digital bus.

[0042] The output of the control module establishes a control connection with each execution unit through the drive circuit. The digital output channel of the control module drives the LED indicator module through level signals or PWM signals, controls the movement of the electric actuator through the motor drive circuit, and exchanges data with the storage module, wireless communication module, and MBUS communication module through the serial communication interface.

[0043] The power module outputs power all modules requiring power through a power distribution network. Power wiring must consider factors such as current capacity, voltage drop, decoupling filtering, and grounding quality to ensure the stability and reliability of the system power supply.

[0044] like Figure 2As shown, the LED indicator module can consist of four 0805 packaged red LEDs. Each LED can be connected in series with a 120-ohm current-limiting resistor and then connected to a +3.3V power supply. The cathodes of the four LEDs are connected to the PA0, PA1, PA2, and PA3 pins of the microcontroller, respectively. This connection method allows the LEDs to be lit by outputting a low level and turned off by outputting a high level.

[0045] The LED indicator module operates based on a control strategy of timing multiplexing and hierarchical coding. Timing multiplexing means that the four LEDs serve different display purposes at different operating stages, cyclically executing each display task according to a preset time sequence. Hierarchical coding includes two independent coding modes: single LED status coding for indicating status flags and combined LED value coding for indicating numerical parameters.

[0046] Individual LED status codes are enabled during normal system operation, with each LED assigned a specific status indication function. The first LED indicates the status of the main communication link, using different on / off modes to represent states such as normal communication, data transmission and reception, and connection interruption. The second LED indicates the status of auxiliary communication, reflecting wireless connection quality, signal strength, or device online status through display changes. The third LED indicates the mechanical status of valves, distinguishing between normal operation, forced locking, and safety protection conditions through light patterns. The fourth LED indicates the system's operating status, using regular flashing as a heartbeat indicator of normal system operation.

[0047] The combined LED numerical encoding uses a binary weighted encoding principle, treating four LEDs as a four-bit binary number. Each LED is assigned a specific weight, and the combination of LEDs on and off can represent integer values ​​from 0 to 15. This value can represent a specific digit of a device identifier, a percentage value of a valve opening, a specific fault code, or a system parameter code at different display stages.

[0048] Example 2

[0049] like Figure 3 As shown, a smart valve indication method using LEDs specifically includes: after the system is powered on, the control module first executes a hardware self-test program. It controls four LEDs to light up simultaneously and maintain this state for a certain period to verify the basic functions of the LED module; then, it sequentially lights up each LED in a specific order to complete the integrity test of each LED indicator and its driving circuit.

[0050] The control module reads the device's unique identification information from non-volatile memory, including parameters such as device number, hardware version, and software version. Using a combined LED numerical encoding method, the identification information is displayed sequentially from the most significant bit to the least significant bit, with each bit displayed for a sufficient duration for observation and identification.

[0051] The control module performs initialization diagnostic tests on key functional modules, including memory testing, communication module detection, sensor calibration, and actuator self-testing. Diagnostic results are indicated by four LEDs displaying specific modes, with normal and abnormal states distinguished by different lighting patterns.

[0052] Once the system enters normal operating mode, the LED indicators cycle through and display the operating status information according to a preset period. The first stage uses a single LED status coding mode, where each of the four LEDs independently displays its assigned status information for a fixed duration. The second stage uses a combined LED numerical coding mode, displaying the valve's real-time opening value, setpoint, or specific status code, also maintaining sufficient display time. A specific lighting transition effect indicates the switch between the two display stages.

[0053] Throughout the operation, the control module monitors the input signals from each sensor in real time, updates status information promptly, and controls the operation of the LED indicator module according to a preset display strategy. The system also supports receiving external commands via a communication interface to dynamically adjust the display content and display mode, meeting the needs of different application scenarios.

[0054] This intelligent indicator solution based on four LEDs achieves multi-dimensional information display with limited hardware resources through time-dimension reuse and encoding innovation. It retains the advantages of low cost and high reliability of LED indicators while significantly improving the richness and accuracy of information transmission.

[0055] As is known from common technical knowledge, this invention can be implemented through other embodiments that do not depart from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments described above are merely illustrative in all respects and are not the only ones. All modifications within the scope of this invention or its equivalents are included in this invention.

Claims

1. A smart valve device using LEDs to indicate information, comprising a valve body, an electric actuator, and a control module, characterized in that, It also includes an LED indicator module consisting of four LED indicators; the control module is used to execute timing multiplexing and hierarchical coding control strategies, and cyclically indicates the multi-dimensional status information of the device by controlling the combination of the on / off states of the four LED indicators; wherein, the hierarchical coding control strategy includes single LED status codes for indicating independent operating states and combined LED numerical codes for indicating numerical parameters.

2. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module is electrically connected to the motor drive module, valve position sensor module, valve opening sensor module, supply and return water temperature sensor module, storage module, wireless communication module, and MBUS communication module. The four independent I / O ports of the control module are respectively connected to the cathodes of the four LED indicators in the LED indicator module. The anode of each LED indicator is connected to the positive power supply through a current-limiting resistor, so that the control module can light up the corresponding LED indicator by outputting a low-level signal to the I / O port and turn off the corresponding LED indicator by outputting a high-level signal.

3. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 1, characterized in that, The individual LED status code is used to assign an independent status indication theme to each LED indicator during normal system operation, and to represent different sub-states under the corresponding status indication theme through four display states: always on, always off, flashing at the first frequency, and flashing at the second frequency. Among them, the first LED indicator is assigned to indicate the MBUS communication status, the second LED indicator is assigned to indicate the temperature controller status, the third LED indicator is assigned to indicate the valve mechanical status, and the fourth LED indicator is assigned to indicate the system operating status.

4. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 1, characterized in that, The combined LED numerical encoding adopts the 8421 BCD code rule, assigning numerical weights to the four LED indicators respectively, where the first LED indicator represents the value 1, the second LED indicator represents the value 2, the third LED indicator represents the value 4, and the fourth LED indicator represents the value 8; the combination of the on and off states of the four LED indicators represents a value between 0 and 15, which is used to represent a certain digit of the equipment number, the valve opening percentage value, or a predefined system status code.

5. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 1, characterized in that, The timing multiplexing control strategy specifically includes a power-on self-test phase, an identity information display phase, a system diagnostic phase, and a running status cyclic display phase. In the power-on self-test phase, the control module controls the four LED indicator lights to be fully lit for a first preset time and then turn off. Then, the LED indicator lights are lit and turned off in sequence from the fourth LED indicator to the first LED indicator to complete the self-test of the LED indicator hardware.

6. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 5, characterized in that, During the identity information display stage, the control module reads the device's unique eight-digit number and software version number from the storage module, and then uses the combined LED numerical code to display each digit of the eight-digit number sequentially. Each digit is displayed for a second preset duration. After all digits are displayed, the last digit of the software version number is displayed using the combined LED numerical code.

7. The intelligent valve device using LED indicator information according to claim 5, characterized in that, During the system diagnostic phase, the control module performs initial diagnostics on the storage unit, memory unit, clock unit, and wireless communication module, and maps the diagnostic results to the first to fourth LED indicators respectively. If any unit is diagnosed as abnormal, the corresponding LED indicator is controlled to light up for a third preset time. If the diagnosis is normal, the corresponding LED indicator is controlled to remain off.

8. The intelligent valve device for indicating information using LEDs according to claim 5, characterized in that, The operation status cyclic display stage includes a first display sub-stage and a second display sub-stage. In the first display sub-stage, the control module switches to the single LED status encoding mode and maintains it for a fourth preset duration to display the MBUS communication status, temperature controller status, valve mechanical status, and system operation status in real time. After the first display sub-stage ends, the control module controls the four LED indicator lights to be fully lit for a fifth preset duration and then turn off, and then enters the second display sub-stage.

9. A smart valve device for indicating information using LEDs according to claim 8, characterized in that, In the second display sub-stage, the control module obtains the current valve opening value from the valve opening sensor module and determines whether the opening value is greater than 10. If the opening value is less than or equal to 10, the opening value is directly displayed using the combined LED numerical code, which directly corresponds to the valve opening percentage. If the opening value is greater than 10, the tens digit of the opening value is displayed using the combined LED numerical code. If the control system detects that the valve is in a specific state of abnormal non-opening, the predefined code representing the specific state is displayed using the combined LED numerical code, where value 11 represents the operating state, value 12 represents the valve fault state, and value 13 represents the valve stall state.

10. A smart valve indicating method using LEDs to indicate information, based on the smart valve device using LEDs to indicate information as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: The control module initiates the power-on self-test process, indicating the hardware self-test results by controlling four LED indicators to complete a specific on-off sequence. After completing the self-test, the control module enters the identity information display process, and sequentially displays the device number and software version number stored in the storage module through a combination of LED numerical codes; The control module then performs system initialization diagnostics and maps the diagnostic results of the storage, memory, clock, and wireless modules to the on / off status of four LED indicators for indication. After system initialization, the control module enters a continuous running status cycle indication process. This process first uses a single LED status coding mode, which uses four LED indicators to independently and in real time indicate the system's communication, temperature control, valve, and operating status within a fourth preset time period. Then, after a full-brightness transition for a fifth preset time period, it switches to a combined LED numerical coding mode to indicate the valve's real-time opening value or a specific system status code, thus completing a complete indication cycle. This cycle indication process is then repeated.

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