Automatic protection devices and methods for abnormal shower head conditions, and shower heads themselves.

By incorporating multiple independent solenoid valve control branches and voltage change slope detection in the shower head, the problems of slow response speed and low capacitor utilization in shower head abnormality detection are solved, achieving rapid response and cost reduction.

CN122131649APending Publication Date: 2026-06-02FOSHAN FAENZA SANITARY WARE

Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
FOSHAN FAENZA SANITARY WARE
Filing Date
2026-02-05
Publication Date
2026-06-02

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    Figure CN122131649A_ABST
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Abstract

This application discloses an automatic protection device, method, and shower head for abnormal shower head conditions, relating to the technical field of smart home appliances. The device comprises: a battery power supply terminal, a sampling unit, a controller module, and a solenoid valve control module connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches. The sampling unit acquires the voltage sampling value of the battery power supply terminal. The controller module calculates the voltage change slope based on the voltage sampling value and determines the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions. The shower head state includes a normal state and an abnormal state. The solenoid valve control module controls the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head state. This application achieves rapid protection and independent control of multiple valves under abnormal shower head conditions by setting multiple isolation diodes, solving the current problems of detection lag and low capacitor utilization, and improving detection response speed and system reliability.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of smart home appliances, and in particular to an automatic protection device, method and shower head for abnormal shower head conditions. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of intelligent bathroom products, shower heads are gradually shifting from traditional purely mechanical control to electronic control. To improve safety and convenience, these electronically controlled shower heads are typically powered by dry-cell batteries and use a microcontroller to control the on / off state of a solenoid valve to switch between different water flow modes and stop operation. To ensure safe water shut-off in case of power supply abnormalities (such as water ingress into the battery, poor contact, or loosening), current solutions usually incorporate an energy storage electrolytic capacitor in the circuit. The operating logic is as follows: the system monitors the battery voltage in real time. When the voltage drops to a certain threshold (e.g., from the normal 6.4V to below 4.4V), the microcontroller issues a valve-closing command, using the energy stored in the capacitor to drive the solenoid valve to complete the closing action.

[0003] However, this existing solution has significant drawbacks: First, its response is delayed. The valve closing action can only be triggered after the battery voltage has slowly dropped to a set threshold, failing to respond immediately upon power interruption, resulting in a safety protection delay. Second, this solution has low energy utilization of the energy storage capacitor. Because the capacitor's energy is only consumed after the voltage drops to the lower limit, the energy stored in the capacitor throughout the voltage drop range is not fully utilized. Therefore, large-capacity capacitors (typically 2200uF to 6800uF) are required to meet the valve closing energy demand, leading to large component size and high cost. Finally, this solution has poor scalability. When the showerhead has multiple simultaneously operating outlets, to ensure that all solenoid valves can close reliably, larger-capacity and more expensive supercapacitors are required, significantly increasing system complexity and overall cost.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the response speed and reliability of shower head abnormality detection while reducing product costs is a problem that urgently needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this application is to provide an automatic protection device, method, and shower head for abnormal shower head conditions, aiming to solve the technical problem of how to reduce product costs while improving the response speed and reliability of shower head abnormality detection.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application proposes an automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions. The device includes: a battery power supply terminal, a sampling unit, a controller module, and a solenoid valve control module connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches.

[0007] The sampling unit is used to acquire the voltage sampling value at the battery power supply terminal; The controller module is used to calculate the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value; The controller module is also used to determine the shower head status based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions, wherein the shower head status includes a normal state and an abnormal state. The solenoid valve control module is used to control the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status.

[0008] In one embodiment, each of the solenoid valve control branches includes a branch isolation diode, an energy storage capacitor, and a solenoid valve. The anode of the branch isolation diode is connected to the battery power supply terminal, and the cathode of the branch isolation diode is connected to the positive terminal of the corresponding energy storage capacitor and the power input terminal of the corresponding solenoid valve, respectively. The energy storage capacitor is connected in parallel with the solenoid valve, and the control terminal of the solenoid valve is connected to the controller module. The energy storage capacitor is used to store electrical energy and provide the discharge energy required to close the corresponding solenoid valve when the battery power supply is abnormal. The branch isolation diode is used to block the reverse discharge of the energy storage capacitor to the battery power supply terminal when the battery power supply terminal is abnormal, so that the discharge energy of the energy storage capacitor drives the corresponding solenoid valve to close.

[0009] In one embodiment, the controller module includes a main isolation diode, a low-dropout linear regulator, and a controller, wherein the anode of the main isolation diode is connected to the battery power supply terminal, the input terminal of the low-dropout linear regulator is connected to the cathode of the main isolation diode, and the output terminal of the low-dropout linear regulator is connected to the controller. The main isolation diode is used to block the reverse discharge of the low-dropout linear regulator to the battery power supply terminal when there is an abnormality at the battery power supply terminal. The low-dropout linear regulator is used to convert the battery power supply voltage into the target operating voltage to power the controller, and to maintain the operation of the controller to complete the valve closure through the energy storage unit in the low-dropout linear regulator after the battery power supply is abnormal. The controller is used to calculate the voltage change slope between two adjacent sampling values ​​based on the voltage sampling value, and to determine that the shower head is in an abnormal state when the voltage change slope is greater than a preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage decrease.

[0010] In one embodiment, the controller is further configured to generate a valve-closing control command according to a preset valve-closing priority when the shower head is in an abnormal state, output a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve through the valve-closing control command, and control the solenoid valve to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low-dropout linear regulator can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

[0011] In one embodiment, the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions is characterized in that the energy storage capacitor is an aluminum electrolytic capacitor.

[0012] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes an automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions. The automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions is applied to the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions described above. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions includes: a battery power supply terminal, a sampling unit, a controller module, and a solenoid valve control module connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches. The method includes: The sampling unit acquires the voltage sample value at the battery power supply terminal; The controller module calculates the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value, and determines the shower head status based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions. The shower head status includes normal status and abnormal status. The solenoid valve control module controls the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status.

[0013] In one embodiment, the controller module includes a controller, the preset abnormal change condition includes a preset slope range and a voltage change direction, and the step of calculating the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value and determining the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and the preset abnormal change condition includes: The controller calculates the voltage change slope between two adjacent sampling values ​​based on the voltage sampling value, and determines the shower head status as abnormal when the voltage change slope is greater than a preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage decrease.

[0014] In one embodiment, the controller module further includes a low-dropout linear regulator, the solenoid valve control module includes a solenoid valve, and the step of controlling the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status includes: When the shower head is in an abnormal state, the solenoid valve control module receives a valve-closing control command generated by the controller in the controller module according to a preset valve-closing priority. According to the valve closing control command, a drive pulse width signal is output to the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve is controlled to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low dropout linear regulator can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

[0015] In one embodiment, after the steps of outputting a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve according to the valve closing control command and controlling the solenoid valve to close according to the drive pulse width signal, the method further includes: The on / off state of the solenoid valve is determined based on the status feedback signal of the solenoid valve. When the switch is in the open state, the drive pulse width signal is repeatedly output to the solenoid valve for retry, and when the number of consecutive retries reaches the preset maximum number of retries, the solenoid valve is controlled to enter the fault lockout state. Once the voltage sampling value at the battery power supply terminal recovers to the preset normal voltage value and remains stable for a period exceeding the preset stabilization time, the fault lockout state is released.

[0016] In addition, to achieve the above objectives, this application also proposes a shower head, which includes an automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions as described above or applies an automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions as described above.

[0017] This application provides an automatic protection device, method, and shower head for abnormal shower head conditions. The device comprises: a battery power supply terminal, a sampling unit, a controller module, and a solenoid valve control module connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches. The sampling unit is used to acquire voltage sampling values ​​from the battery power supply terminal. The controller module is used to calculate the voltage change slope based on the voltage sampling values. The controller module is also used to determine the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions, whereby the shower head state includes a normal state and an abnormal state. The solenoid valve control module is used to control the on / off state of the solenoid valves based on the shower head state. This application achieves rapid protection and independent control of multiple valves in abnormal shower head conditions by using isolation diodes between the battery power supply terminal and each solenoid valve control module to block reverse discharge. This solves the problems of current detection lag and low capacitor utilization, and improves detection response speed and system reliability. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition provided in this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second embodiment of the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition provided in this application; Figure 3 This is a pulse width data diagram of the normal operation of the solenoid valve in one embodiment of the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions of this application. Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application; Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the second embodiment of the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application.

[0021] Explanation of icon numbers: 10 battery power supply terminals, 20 sampling units, 30 controller modules, and 40 solenoid valve control modules; 301 Main isolation diode, 302 Low dropout linear regulator, 303 Controller; 4-N solenoid valve control branch; 401 Branch isolation diode, 402 Energy storage capacitor, 403 Solenoid valve.

[0022] The purpose, features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0023] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0024] To better understand the technical solution of this application, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0025] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application.

[0026] In this embodiment, the automatic protection device 1 for abnormal shower head status includes: a battery power supply terminal 10, a sampling unit 20, a controller module 30, and a solenoid valve control module 40 connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module 40 includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches 4-N.

[0027] It should be noted that the battery power supply terminal 10 can be powered by multiple dry cell batteries connected in series, for example, four 1.5V dry cell batteries connected in series to provide 6V DC power, providing operating power for the various functional modules of the shower head body. The sampling unit 20 is electrically connected to the battery power supply terminal 10 and is used to collect the voltage sampling value of the battery power supply terminal 10 in real time. The controller module 30 is connected to the sampling unit 20 and is used to process the sampled data and make judgments. The solenoid valve control module 40 is connected to the controller module 30 and is used to drive the corresponding solenoid valve 403 to perform switching actions according to control commands, controlling the on / off state of different water outlets.

[0028] In practice, existing shower control devices typically determine the power supply status by real-time monitoring of the absolute value of the battery voltage. Valve shut-off protection is only triggered when the battery voltage drops below a preset threshold (e.g., 4.4V). This detection method has a lag; since the voltage drop takes time, the solenoid valve may fail to operate reliably due to insufficient power supply during this period. Furthermore, when multiple outlets operate simultaneously, a single energy storage capacitor needs to power all solenoid valves, resulting in large capacitor capacity requirements, large size, and high cost. Moreover, when multiple outlets operate simultaneously, the capacitor capacity requirement is even greater, or expensive supercapacitors may need to be used.

[0029] In this embodiment, the solenoid valve control module 40 includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches 4-N (i.e., 4-1, 4-2...4-N), each of which independently controls the solenoid valve of one outlet. The branches are electrically isolated from each other and do not interfere with each other, ensuring reliable protection in scenarios where multiple outlets operate simultaneously.

[0030] In this embodiment, the sampling unit 20 is used to acquire the voltage sampling value of the battery power supply terminal 10; the controller module 30 is used to calculate the voltage change slope based on the voltage sampling value; the controller module 30 is also used to determine the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions, the shower head state including normal state and abnormal state; the solenoid valve control module 40 is used to control the opening and closing state of the solenoid valve based on the shower head state.

[0031] It should be noted that the sampling unit 20 may include a voltage divider resistor network and an ADC (Analogue to Digital Converter). The voltage divider resistors convert the battery voltage into a voltage range suitable for ADC sampling. The controller module 30 obtains the current battery voltage by reading the ADC sampled value. The controller module 30 may be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit) or other control chip with computing capabilities.

[0032] This embodiment incorporates a battery power supply terminal 10, a sampling unit 20, a controller module 30, and a solenoid valve control module 40 containing multiple independent control branches 4-N, sequentially connected in an automatic protection device 1 for abnormal shower head conditions. The sampling unit 20 acquires voltage samples from the battery power supply terminal. The controller module 30 calculates the voltage change slope based on the voltage samples. The controller module 30 also determines the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions; the shower head state includes normal and abnormal states. The solenoid valve control module 40 controls the on / off state of the solenoid valves based on the shower head state. This embodiment achieves rapid protection and independent control of multiple valves in abnormal shower head conditions by using isolation diodes between the battery power supply terminal 10 and each solenoid valve control module 40 to block reverse discharge. This solves the current problems of detection lag and low capacitor utilization, improves detection response speed and system reliability, and reduces product costs.

[0033] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application.

[0034] In this embodiment, the automatic protection device 2 for abnormal shower head status includes: the controller module 30 includes a main isolation diode 301, a low dropout linear regulator 302, and a controller 303, wherein the anode of the main isolation diode 301 is connected to the battery power supply terminal 10, the input terminal of the low dropout linear regulator 302 is connected to the cathode of the main isolation diode 301, and the output terminal of the low dropout linear regulator 302 is connected to the controller 303.

[0035] It should be understood that the main isolation diode 301 is located between the battery power supply terminal 10 and the low dropout linear regulator 302. Utilizing the unidirectional conductivity of the diode, it conducts when the voltage at the battery power supply terminal 10 is normal, supplying power to the low dropout linear regulator 302. When an abnormality occurs at the battery power supply terminal 10 (such as a short circuit or a sudden voltage drop), the main isolation diode 301 reverse-biasedly cuts off, blocking the reverse discharge of the low dropout linear regulator 302 and its downstream energy storage element to the battery power supply terminal 10.

[0036] In specific implementations, a low-dropout linear regulator 302 (e.g., an LDO) is used to convert the battery supply voltage (e.g., 6V) into the target operating voltage (e.g., 3.3V or 5V) required by the controller 303. The low-dropout linear regulator 302 is internally or externally configured with an energy storage unit (e.g., an energy storage capacitor). This energy storage unit stores electrical energy when the power supply is normal, and after a power supply anomaly, it independently supplies power to the controller 303 through the isolation effect of the main isolation diode 301, maintaining the controller 303 in stable operation for a period of time (e.g., 200 milliseconds) after the anomaly occurs, in order to complete all valve-related logic processing.

[0037] Specifically, each of the solenoid valve control branches 4-N includes a branch isolation diode 401, an energy storage capacitor 402, and a solenoid valve 403. The anode of the branch isolation diode 401 is connected to the battery power supply terminal 10, and the cathode of the branch isolation diode 401 is connected to the positive terminal of the corresponding energy storage capacitor 402 and the power input terminal of the corresponding solenoid valve 403. The energy storage capacitor 402 is connected in parallel with the solenoid valve 403, and the control terminal of the solenoid valve 403 is connected to the controller 303.

[0038] It should be noted that the branch isolation diode 401 functions similarly to the main isolation diode 301, blocking the reverse discharge of the energy storage capacitor 402 of the corresponding branch to the battery power supply terminal 10 when the battery power supply terminal 10 is abnormal. Since each solenoid valve control branch 4N is connected to the battery power supply terminal 10 through an independent branch isolation diode 401, the energy storage capacitors 402 of each branch are isolated from each other and do not consume energy from each other. The energy storage capacitor 402 stores electrical energy and provides the discharge energy required to close the corresponding solenoid valve 403 when the battery power supply is abnormal. Due to the branch isolation design, each solenoid valve 403 only needs to be configured with an energy storage capacitor capacity sufficient to meet its own closing requirements (e.g., 680μF-1000μF), without needing to reserve energy for other branches, significantly reducing capacitor capacity requirements and cost. Preferably, the energy storage capacitor 402 is an ordinary aluminum electrolytic capacitor, replacing the traditional farad capacitor (supercapacitor). The cost per unit can be reduced by about 10 times, and the withstand voltage level is higher (up to 16V or more), avoiding the risk of overvoltage damage to the capacitor caused by the reverse induced electromotive force (about 8V) generated when the solenoid valve 403 is switched on and off.

[0039] In this embodiment, the controller 303 is used to calculate the voltage change slope between two adjacent sampled values ​​based on the voltage sampled value, and to determine that the shower head is in an abnormal state when the voltage change slope is greater than a preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage decrease.

[0040] It should be understood that, under normal operating conditions, the controller 303 acquires voltage sample values ​​at a preset sampling period (e.g., once every 10 milliseconds) and calculates the voltage change slope between two adjacent sample values. Under normal power supply conditions, the voltage change slope is close to zero because the battery voltage is relatively stable; however, under abnormal power supply conditions (e.g., water ingress into the battery, poor contact, or loosening), the sampled voltage will drop instantaneously due to the isolation effect, and the voltage change slope will change abruptly.

[0041] Specifically, the preset abnormal change conditions may include a preset slope range and a voltage change direction. When the voltage change slope exceeds the preset slope range and the change direction is a voltage drop, the controller module 30 determines that the shower head is in an abnormal state, without waiting for the voltage to slowly drop to a certain threshold, achieving near-lag-free rapid detection. The preset slope range can be set according to the system sampling accuracy and battery characteristics, for example, set to 2-10 times the maximum voltage fluctuation rate under normal conditions. For example, the controller 303 processes the voltage sample values ​​provided by the sampling unit 20 in real time, using a differential algorithm to calculate the voltage change rate between adjacent sampling points. For example, if the nth sampling value is Vn, the (n-1)th sampling value is Vn-1, and the sampling period is Δt, then the voltage change slope k = (Vn - Vn-1) / Δt. When the k value exceeds the preset slope threshold (e.g., -0.5V / ms) and is negative (indicating a voltage drop), the controller 303 immediately determines that the system has entered an abnormal state.

[0042] Furthermore, the controller 303 is also used to generate a valve-closing control command according to a preset valve-closing priority when the shower head is in an abnormal state, output a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve 403 through the valve-closing control command, and control the solenoid valve 403 to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low-dropout linear regulator 302 can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

[0043] It should be noted that the preset valve closing priority can be set according to the safety level of the water outlet or the user's usage habits. For example, the handheld shower outlet can be closed first, followed by the overhead shower outlet. The controller 303 sends valve closing control commands to each solenoid valve control branch 4N in sequence according to the preset priority. Since the energy storage capacitors 402 of each branch are isolated from each other, when a valve closing operation is performed on a single solenoid valve 403, the energy storage capacitors 402 of other branches will not discharge synchronously, ensuring that each solenoid valve 403 can obtain enough energy to complete the valve closing.

[0044] Specifically, such as Figure 3As shown, based on the physical characteristics of the solenoid valve 403, a certain driving pulse width (e.g., greater than 4 milliseconds) is required to ensure its stable closure. The LDO energy storage unit can typically maintain the controller 303's effective operation for about 200 milliseconds after an abnormal power outage. Therefore, the duration of the driving pulse signal generated by the controller 303 should satisfy: 4ms < pulse width ≤ 200ms, preferably around 16 milliseconds. This ensures reliable closure of the solenoid valve 403 without wasting energy storage due to an excessively long pulse width.

[0045] This embodiment achieves electrical isolation between the power supply sampling terminal and each load terminal by setting the main isolation diode 301 and the branch isolation diode 401. This enables the controller 303 to instantly identify power supply abnormalities by detecting sudden changes in voltage slope, eliminating detection lag. At the same time, each solenoid valve 403 is powered by an independent energy storage capacitor 402 and a branch isolation diode 401, achieving independent protection when multiple outlets are working simultaneously. This eliminates the need for large-capacity supercapacitors, reducing costs and improving system reliability.

[0046] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this invention also proposes an automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions, referring to... Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application.

[0047] The automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions is applied to the automatic protection device 1 for abnormal shower head conditions described above. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions includes: a battery power supply terminal 10, a sampling unit 20, a controller module 30, and a solenoid valve control module 40 connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module 40 includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches 4-N. The method includes: Step S10: The sampling unit 20 acquires the voltage sampling value of the battery power supply terminal.

[0048] It should be noted that the sampling unit 20 is connected to the battery power supply terminal 10 and is used to acquire the voltage signal of the battery power supply terminal 10 in real time. In a specific implementation, the sampling unit 20 may include an ADC sampling circuit, which periodically samples the battery voltage through the ADC port to obtain the voltage sample value. The sampling period can be set according to actual needs, for example, sampling once every 10ms, to ensure that power supply anomalies can be detected in a timely manner.

[0049] Step S20: The controller module 30 calculates the voltage change slope based on the voltage sampling value, and determines the shower head state based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions. The shower head state includes normal state and abnormal state.

[0050] It should be noted that the controller module 30 receives the voltage sampling value transmitted by the sampling unit 20, and obtains the voltage change slope by calculating the ratio of the difference between two adjacent sampling values to the sampling period. Since a main isolation diode 301 is provided between the controller module 30 and the battery power supply terminal 10, when the battery power supply is normal, the voltage fluctuation is small, and the calculated voltage change slope is basically 0 or fluctuates within a very small range; when the battery power supply is abnormal (such as water ingress, poor contact, loosening, etc.), due to the reverse blocking effect of the main isolation diode 301, the controller module 30 and the solenoid valve control module 40 cannot discharge reversely to the battery power supply terminal 10, resulting in the ADC sampling value dropping instantaneously from the previous normal battery voltage (such as 6.4V) to nearly 0V, and the voltage change slope changes sharply.

[0051] In addition, it should be noted that the preset abnormal mutation condition includes a preset slope range and a voltage change direction. When the voltage change slope is greater than the preset slope range (for example, the set slope threshold is -0.5V / ms) and the voltage change direction is downward, the controller module 30 determines that the shower head state is an abnormal state; otherwise, it is determined to be a normal state.

[0052] Furthermore, the step S20 specifically includes: Step S201: The controller 303 in the controller module 30 calculates the voltage change slope of two adjacent sampling values according to the voltage sampling value, and determines that the shower head state is an abnormal state when the voltage change slope is greater than the preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage drop.

[0053] It should be noted that the controller 303 can adopt an MCU (microcontroller unit), and calculate the voltage change slope through a software algorithm. Specifically, let the nth sampling value be Vn, the (n - 1)th sampling value be Vn - 1, and the sampling period be Δt, then the voltage change slope k = (Vn - Vn - 1) / Δt. The upper limit of the preset slope range can be set as the maximum slope value allowed for normal voltage fluctuation (such as -0.1V / ms). When k < -0.1V / ms and Vn < Vn - 1, it is determined that the power supply is abnormal. Due to the existence of the isolation diode, the voltage drops instantaneously during an abnormality, and the slope k will show a very large negative value (such as -6V / ms), which is much larger than the preset threshold, so instant detection without hysteresis can be achieved.

[0054] Step S30: The solenoid valve control module 40 controls the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head state.

[0055] It should be noted that in specific implementation, when the shower head is in normal condition, the solenoid valve control module 40 keeps the current on / off state of the solenoid valve 403 unchanged, and the user can take a shower normally; when the shower head is in abnormal condition, the solenoid valve control module 40 immediately performs a valve closing operation, controls the solenoid valve 403 to close, cuts off the water supply, and prevents water damage caused by the shower head being unable to turn off due to abnormal power supply.

[0056] Further, step S30 specifically includes: Step S301: When the shower head is in an abnormal state, the solenoid valve control module 40 receives a valve closing control command generated by the controller 303 in the controller module 30 according to the preset valve closing priority.

[0057] It should be understood that when multiple outlets are operating simultaneously, the controller 303 generates valve-closing control commands according to preset valve-closing priorities (such as the order of solenoid valve numbers or outlet positions). Since each solenoid valve control branch 4-N is independently powered through a branch isolation diode 401, and the branches are electrically isolated from each other, it can be ensured that when one solenoid valve is closed, the energy storage capacitor 402 corresponding to the other solenoid valves will not be consumed synchronously.

[0058] Step S302: Output a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve 403 according to the valve closing control command, and control the solenoid valve 403 to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low dropout linear regulator 302 can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

[0059] It should be noted that solenoid valve 403 is an electromagnetic water valve, and its stable closure requires a certain driving pulse width. Experimental verification shows that solenoid valve 403 can stably close when the driving pulse width is greater than 4 milliseconds. The low-dropout linear regulator (LDO) 302 contains an energy storage unit (such as an input capacitor). After a battery power failure, this energy storage unit can maintain the controller 303's stable operation for a period of time (typically 200 milliseconds) to complete the valve closing logic processing.

[0060] It should be understood that the duration of the drive pulse width signal must meet the following requirement: 4ms < drive pulse width ≤ 200ms. In specific implementations, when a 680uF aluminum electrolytic capacitor is used as the energy storage capacitor 402, the drive pulse width can reach 16 milliseconds after an abnormal power failure, which is much greater than the 4 milliseconds required to close the valve. This ensures that the solenoid valve closes stably while leaving sufficient margin.

[0061] This embodiment achieves accurate identification of abnormal states by calculating the slope of voltage changes, and uses isolation diodes to achieve independent control of multiple solenoid valves. Even if multiple outlets are working at the same time, each solenoid valve can be ensured to obtain enough energy to complete the valve closing action by closing them one by one. This achieves independent protection when multiple outlets are working at the same time, eliminating the need for supercapacitors and significantly reducing costs.

[0062] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, this invention also proposes an automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions, referring to... Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the second embodiment of the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions provided in this application.

[0063] Based on the above embodiments, in the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions in this embodiment, after step S302, it further includes: Step S303: Determine the on / off state of solenoid valve 403 based on the status feedback signal of solenoid valve 403.

[0064] It should be noted that the solenoid valve 403 may be equipped with a status feedback mechanism (such as a position sensor or current detection circuit), and the controller 303 determines whether the solenoid valve 403 is truly closed by detecting the feedback signal.

[0065] Step S304: When the switch is in the open state, repeatedly output drive pulse width signal to solenoid valve 403 for retry, and when the number of consecutive retries reaches the preset upper limit of the number of retries, control solenoid valve 403 to enter the fault lock state.

[0066] It should be understood that if the solenoid valve 403 fails to close successfully due to mechanical jamming or other reasons, the controller 303 will output a drive pulse width signal again to retry closing the valve. The preset maximum number of retry attempts can be set to 3. If it still cannot close after 3 consecutive retries, the solenoid valve 403 is determined to be faulty, and it will be controlled to enter a fault lockout state. The user can be notified through audible and visual alarms or display.

[0067] Step S305: After the voltage sampling value at the battery power supply terminal 10 recovers to the preset normal voltage value and the stable duration exceeds the preset stable time, the fault lockout state is released.

[0068] It should be noted that in actual implementation, once the battery power supply returns to normal (voltage returns to approximately 6.4V), the sampling unit 20 will continuously monitor voltage stability. The preset normal voltage value can be set to 6.0V, and the preset stabilization time can be set to 5 seconds. That is, only when the voltage remains stable above 6.0V for more than 5 seconds will the controller 303 determine that the power supply has truly returned to normal, at which point the fault lockout state will be released, and the shower head will resume normal operating mode.

[0069] This embodiment ensures the reliability of protection actions by adding valve-closing feedback detection and fault-locking mechanisms, preventing protection failure due to solenoid valve malfunction. At the same time, it automatically clears the fault state after power is restored, improving product safety and user experience.

[0070] Furthermore, to achieve the above objectives, the present invention also proposes a shower head, which includes the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions described above, or applies the automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions described above. Since this drying rack adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0071] It should be understood that the above are merely illustrative examples and do not constitute any limitation on the technical solutions of the present invention. In specific applications, those skilled in the art can make settings as needed, and the present invention does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0072] It should be noted that the workflow described above is merely illustrative and does not limit the scope of protection of this invention. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can select some or all of the workflow to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs, and no restrictions are imposed here.

[0073] In addition, for technical details not described in detail in this embodiment, please refer to the drying control method provided in any embodiment of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0074] Furthermore, it should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or system that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or system. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or system that includes that element.

[0075] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0076] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as read-only memory (ROM) / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0077] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the patent. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made based on the description and drawings of the present invention, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions, the device comprising: The battery power supply terminal, sampling unit, controller module and solenoid valve control module are connected in sequence, and the solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches. The sampling unit is used to acquire the voltage sampling value at the battery power supply terminal; The controller module is used to calculate the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value; The controller module is also used to determine the shower head status based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions, wherein the shower head status includes a normal state and an abnormal state. The solenoid valve control module is used to control the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status.

2. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Each solenoid valve control branch includes a branch isolation diode, an energy storage capacitor, and a solenoid valve. The anode of the branch isolation diode is connected to the battery power supply terminal, and the cathode of the branch isolation diode is connected to the positive terminal of the corresponding energy storage capacitor and the power input terminal of the corresponding solenoid valve. The energy storage capacitor is connected in parallel with the solenoid valve, and the control terminal of the solenoid valve is connected to the controller module. The energy storage capacitor is used to store electrical energy and provide the discharge energy required to close the corresponding solenoid valve when the battery power supply is abnormal. The branch isolation diode is used to block the reverse discharge of the energy storage capacitor to the battery power supply terminal when the battery power supply terminal is abnormal, so that the discharge energy of the energy storage capacitor drives the corresponding solenoid valve to close.

3. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The controller module includes a main isolation diode, a low-dropout linear regulator, and a controller. The anode of the main isolation diode is connected to the battery power supply terminal, the input terminal of the low-dropout linear regulator is connected to the cathode of the main isolation diode, and the output terminal of the low-dropout linear regulator is connected to the controller. The main isolation diode is used to block the reverse discharge of the low-dropout linear regulator to the battery power supply terminal when there is an abnormality at the battery power supply terminal. The low-dropout linear regulator is used to convert the battery power supply voltage into the target operating voltage to power the controller, and to maintain the operation of the controller to complete the valve closure through the energy storage unit in the low-dropout linear regulator after the battery power supply is abnormal. The controller is used to calculate the voltage change slope between two adjacent sampling values ​​based on the voltage sampling value, and to determine that the shower head is in an abnormal state when the voltage change slope is greater than a preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage decrease.

4. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The controller is further configured to generate a valve-closing control command according to a preset valve-closing priority when the shower head is in an abnormal state, output a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve through the valve-closing control command, and control the solenoid valve to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low-dropout linear regulator can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

5. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head condition as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The energy storage capacitor is an aluminum electrolytic capacitor.

6. An automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions, characterized in that, The automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions is applied to the automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions includes: a battery power supply terminal, a sampling unit, a controller module, and a solenoid valve control module connected in sequence. The solenoid valve control module includes at least two independent solenoid valve control branches. The method includes: The sampling unit acquires the voltage sample value at the battery power supply terminal; The controller module calculates the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value, and determines the shower head status based on the voltage change slope and preset abnormal change conditions. The shower head status includes normal status and abnormal status. The solenoid valve control module controls the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The controller module includes a controller, the preset abnormal change condition includes a preset slope range and voltage change direction, and the step of calculating the voltage change slope based on the voltage sample value and determining the shower head status based on the voltage change slope and the preset abnormal change condition includes: The controller calculates the voltage change slope between two adjacent sampling values ​​based on the voltage sampling value, and determines the shower head status as abnormal when the voltage change slope is greater than a preset slope range and the voltage change direction is voltage decrease.

8. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The controller module further includes a low-dropout linear regulator, and the solenoid valve control module includes a solenoid valve. The step of controlling the on / off state of the solenoid valve according to the shower head status includes: When the shower head is in an abnormal state, the solenoid valve control module receives a valve-closing control command generated by the controller in the controller module according to a preset valve-closing priority. According to the valve closing control command, a drive pulse width signal is output to the solenoid valve, and the solenoid valve is controlled to close according to the drive pulse width signal. The duration of the drive pulse width signal is greater than the preset pulse width required for the solenoid valve to close stably and less than or equal to the effective discharge time that the energy storage unit in the low dropout linear regulator can maintain after an abnormal power failure.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, After the steps of outputting a drive pulse width signal to the solenoid valve according to the valve closing control command and controlling the solenoid valve to close according to the drive pulse width signal, the method further includes: The on / off state of the solenoid valve is determined based on the status feedback signal of the solenoid valve. When the switch is in the open state, the drive pulse width signal is repeatedly output to the solenoid valve for retry, and when the number of consecutive retries reaches the preset maximum number of retries, the solenoid valve is controlled to enter the fault lockout state. Once the voltage sampling value at the battery power supply terminal recovers to the preset normal voltage value and remains stable for a period exceeding the preset stabilization time, the fault lockout state is released.

10. A shower head, characterized in that, The shower head includes an automatic protection device for abnormal shower head conditions as described in any one of claims 1-5, or applies an automatic protection method for abnormal shower head conditions as described in any one of claims 6-9.