Clock timing device for a pull basket

Abstract

The application discloses a clock timing device of a pull-out basket, which comprises a circuit board installed in a sterilization machine shell, wherein a main control chip, a real-time clock module, a display module, a key input module and a driving module are arranged on the circuit board. The real-time clock module provides real-time clock information to the main control chip; the display module displays the current real-time time under the driving of the main control chip; the key input module is used for the user to input an absolute target time for starting sterilization; the main control chip compares the current time with the target time in real time, and controls the driving module to connect the plasma generator to the power supply and start sterilization when the current time reaches the target time. The application enables the user to directly set the absolute target time according to the displayed current time, realizes accurate alignment of the sterilization starting time and the actual demand time of the user, and has the characteristics of intuitive operation and accurate timing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of timers for disinfection of pull-out baskets, and in particular to a clock timer for pull-out baskets. Background Technology

[0002] Pull-out baskets, as efficient internal cabinet storage components, are widely used in kitchens and homes, typically for storing dishes, utensils, and other tableware. Due to the high humidity in kitchens, bacteria easily grow on the surfaces of stored tableware; therefore, timed disinfection of the inside of pull-out baskets has become a core user requirement. To address this, existing pull-out basket products usually integrate a disinfection module and a matching timer to allow for controllable management of the disinfection start time and duration, thus meeting users' dual requirements for tableware hygiene and ease of use.

[0003] Currently, most commercially available timer devices with disinfection functions employ the following technical solution: They include a circuit board installed inside the disinfection unit's housing, on which a main control chip, a key input module, and a display module are mounted. The specific working process is as follows: the user inputs a set disinfection start time value via the key input module, for example, setting it to start disinfection after three hours. This time value is sent to the main control chip; the main control chip starts the timer based on the input setting and drives the display module to show the remaining time until disinfection starts in real time; when the set disinfection start time is reached, the main control chip activates the plasma generator, connecting it to power, thereby initiating the disinfection process.

[0004] However, the aforementioned existing technical solutions still have obvious shortcomings in practical applications. This type of clock timing device only allows users to set a relative delay time, that is, it adopts a countdown-style single-delay start mechanism. In essence, it is a relative time setting mode, which cannot accurately set an absolute time based on the user's real daily routine. For example, users cannot directly set an absolute target time such as "start disinfection at 4 pm", which makes it impossible for the disinfection start time to be accurately aligned with the user's actual needs, resulting in a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a clock timing device for a pull-out basket, which aims to solve the problem in the prior art that the use of a relative delay time setting method makes it impossible to accurately time disinfection according to the user's actual schedule, resulting in a serious misalignment between the disinfection start time and the user's actual needs.

[0006] The present invention discloses a clock timing device for a pull-out basket, comprising a circuit board installed inside the housing of a sterilizer, including: a main control chip disposed on the circuit board; a real-time clock module disposed on the circuit board, the output of which is connected to the main control chip for providing real-time clock information to the main control chip; a display module disposed on the circuit board, the input of which is connected to the main control chip for displaying the current real-time time under the drive of the main control chip; a key input module disposed on the circuit board, the output of which is connected to the main control chip for allowing the user to input the target time to start sterilization; and a drive module disposed on the circuit board, the input of which is connected to the main control chip and the output of which is connected to a plasma generator; the main control chip compares the current time represented by the real-time clock information with the target time in real time, and when the current time reaches the target time, controls the drive module to connect the plasma generator to the power supply to start the sterilization operation.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it further includes a battery, the output of which is connected to the real-time clock module to provide a continuous power supply to the real-time clock module.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main control chip also stores the target time.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the battery is disposed in the battery compartment on the housing of the sterilizer, and the battery compartment is provided with a cover plate that is snap-fitted.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board is further provided with a battery charging circuit, the output terminal of which is connected to the battery for charging the battery.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the main control chip reaches the target time at the current time, it records the trigger state and stops the real-time comparison.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the key input module is also used to input a time calibration command, and the main control chip calibrates the real-time clock information of the real-time clock module according to the time calibration command.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display module is a digital screen display.

[0014] The clock timing device for the pull-out basket described in this invention uses a real-time clock module on the circuit board, with a display module showing the current time in real time. This allows users to directly input the absolute target time (e.g., "4 PM") to start disinfection, instead of the relative delay time of "start in three hours" as in existing technologies. The main control chip compares the current time represented by the real-time clock information provided by the real-time clock module with the target time set by the user in real time, and immediately triggers the disinfection process when the current time reaches the target time. This real-time comparison mechanism ensures that the disinfection start time strictly follows the absolute target time set by the user, regardless of the current time of the user's key press operation. This fundamentally eliminates the disinfection start time deviation caused by operation time discrepancies, ensuring precise alignment between the disinfection start time and the user's actual needs, significantly improving the accuracy of timed disinfection and the user experience. Furthermore, the display module shows the current time in real time, allowing users to intuitively obtain the current moment and directly input the desired start time for disinfection. The operation logic aligns with users' daily clock-keeping habits (e.g., setting it to start at 4 PM), eliminating the need for mental calculations of "current time + delay duration," simplifying the setup process and lowering the barrier to entry. This is particularly suitable for the rapid operation needs of different users in a kitchen environment. In addition, the device allows users to precisely set the absolute time based on their actual daily routines. For example, users can directly set disinfection to start at a specific time before meals, ensuring the disinfection task starts precisely at the desired time. This avoids situations where disinfection has ended before or after the tableware has been used, making the timed disinfection function truly compatible with users' daily habits and significantly improving the product's intelligence and user satisfaction. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a clock timing device for a pull-out basket according to the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of a clock timing device for a pull-out basket according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a clock timing device in a pull-out basket.

[0018] Figure 4 A diagram showing the sterilizer with its top cover removed;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom of the sterilizer. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] In this invention, it should be noted that if the embodiments of the invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, vertical, horizontal, longitudinal, counterclockwise, clockwise, circumferential, radial, axial, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0022] like Figure 1 - Figure 2 As shown, the present invention discloses a clock timing device for a pull-out basket, comprising a circuit board 1 installed inside the sterilizer housing, including: a main control chip mounted on the circuit board; a real-time clock module mounted on the circuit board, the output of which is connected to the main control chip for providing real-time clock information to the main control chip; a display module mounted on the circuit board, the input of which is connected to the main control chip for displaying the current real-time time under the drive of the main control chip; a key input module mounted on the circuit board, the output of which is connected to the main control chip for allowing the user to input the target time to start sterilization; and a drive module mounted on the circuit board, the input of which is connected to the main control chip and the output of which is connected to a plasma generator. The main control chip compares the current time represented by the real-time clock information with the target time in real time, and when the current time reaches the target time, controls the drive module to connect the plasma generator to the power supply to start the sterilization operation.

[0023] The circuit board is installed inside the sterilizer housing. The circuit board contains a main control chip, a real-time clock module, a display module, a key input module, and a driver module. The main control chip is electrically connected to the real-time clock module, display module, key input module, and driver module. The real-time clock module generates and outputs real-time clock information synchronized with Beijing time.

[0024] After the pull-out basket is powered on, the real-time clock module is calibrated with Beijing time, then begins running and continuously outputs real-time clock information to the main control chip. After receiving the real-time clock information from the module, the main control chip drives the display module to show the current real-time time. By observing the displayed time, the user can determine the absolute time and, based on their needs (e.g., wanting to complete disinfection before meals), input the target time (e.g., 4 PM) via the keypad input module. The keypad input module sends this target time to the main control chip, which receives and stores it. Once the target time is set, the main control chip continuously acquires the real-time clock information from the module and compares the current time with the user-set target time in real time. When the target time is reached, the main control chip sends a control signal to the drive module. Upon receiving this signal, the drive module connects the power supply to the plasma generator, which then starts the disinfection process.

[0025] The main control chip is an STM8S003 main control chip, and the real-time clock module uses a DS1302 clock chip with an external 32.768kHz crystal oscillator. Its data output terminal (I / O pin) is connected to the I / O pin of the main control chip and communicates with the main control chip through a three-wire interface (reset RST, data I / O, clock SCLK). The main control chip obtains the real-time clock information through read operations.

[0026] The display module uses a digital screen display 2. The LCD display module is electrically connected to the main control chip via an I2C bus, which includes a serial data line (SDA) and a serial clock line (SCL). The LCD display module contains an I2C-to-parallel interface controller. The main control chip sends display commands and data to the controller via the I2C bus, and the controller converts the I2C signals into parallel signals before sending them to the digital screen display. Using the I2C interface requires only two signal lines to achieve communication between the main control chip and the digital screen display, effectively saving I / O pin resources of the main control chip and simplifying circuit board layout.

[0027] The button input module 3 uses capacitive touch I / O to implement user command input. For example... Figure 3 - Figure 4As shown, a touch-sensing area is provided on the surface of the sterilizer housing, and a touch electrode is provided within the touch-sensing area. The touch electrode is connected to the capacitive touch detection pin (i.e., capacitive touch I / O) of the main control chip via PCB traces. The capacitive touch detection pin of the main control chip is a general-purpose input / output port that supports self-capacitance detection and integrates a capacitance-to-digital converter (CDC) to convert the capacitance change of the touch electrode into a digital output. When a user's finger approaches or touches the touch electrode, the capacitance of the human body to ground and the sensing capacitance of the touch electrode are superimposed, increasing the equivalent capacitance value of the touch electrode to ground. The main control chip can determine whether a key press has occurred by detecting this change in capacitance value.

[0028] The drive module uses a transistor Q1SS8550 drive module. The base of transistor Q1 is electrically connected to the control terminal of the main control chip through a resistor, the emitter is connected to a DC power supply of 12V, and the collector is electrically connected to the plasma generator.

[0029] It also includes a battery, the output of which is connected to a real-time clock module to provide continuous power to the module. The battery is located in a battery compartment on the sterilizer housing, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the battery compartment is equipped with a snap-fit ​​cover. The battery is housed within the battery compartment on the sterilizer housing. Specifically, the sterilizer housing has a battery compartment for accommodating the battery. The battery compartment has a housing that is integrally formed with or separate from the sterilizer housing. The internal shape of the housing is adapted to the outer contour of the battery to accommodate and securely mount the battery. The bottom of the battery compartment has a first electrode spring and a second electrode spring, which are used to form electrical contact with the positive and negative terminals of the battery, respectively. The first and second electrode springs are connected to the power input terminal of the real-time clock module via wires, thus forming a power supply circuit between the battery and the real-time clock module. The battery compartment is equipped with a cover 4, which is used to close the opening of the battery compartment, preventing the battery from falling out and protecting the battery from external moisture, oil, and other environmental factors. The cover and the battery compartment are detachably connected via a snap-fit ​​mechanism. Specifically, a latch is provided on one side of the cover, and a corresponding slot is provided in the battery compartment. The cover is detachably connected to the battery compartment by the latch engaging the slot, and the cover is also fixed to the battery compartment with screws. When the user needs to replace the battery, simply press or move the cover to disengage the latch from the slot, open the cover to remove the old battery and insert the new battery; after inserting the new battery, close the cover at the opening of the battery compartment, allowing the latch to engage the slot, thus securing the cover.

[0030] The circuit board also includes a battery charging circuit, the output of which is connected to the battery for charging. The input of the battery charging circuit is connected to an external power source (e.g., 5V DC power converted from AC-DC), and its output is connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery for automatic charging when the external power supply is normal.

[0031] The main control chip also stores the target time. The main control chip integrates non-volatile memory (such as Flash memory or EEPROM). When the user inputs the target time via the key input module and confirms it, the main control chip writes the target time into its internal non-volatile memory as data, achieving power-off retention of the target time—even if external power is interrupted, the stored target time data will not be lost, and the user does not need to reset it after external power is restored.

[0032] When the current time reaches the target time, the main control chip records the trigger state and stops real-time comparison. After determining that the current time has reached the target time through real-time comparison, the main control chip controls the drive module to send a drive signal to start the plasma generator's sterilization operation, and then executes the steps of recording the trigger state and stopping real-time comparison. The main control chip stores the operating state of the clock timing device by setting a status register internally. When the main control chip determines that the current time has reached the target time, it writes a preset value to a specific flag bit in the status register, switching the logical state of the flag bit from "not triggered" to "triggered", thus completing the recording of the trigger state. After completing the recording of the trigger state, the main control chip stops comparing the current time represented by the real-time clock information with the target time in real-time. Specifically, the main control chip skips the comparison step in subsequent cyclic scanning cycles, or disables the comparison function module to prevent the comparison operation from being executed, until a new target time setting instruction is received, at which point the comparison function is re-enabled. By recording the trigger status and stopping real-time comparison, repeated sending of trigger signals can be avoided within a time period when the current time equals the target time. This prevents the plasma generator from repeatedly starting due to repeated triggering, thus ensuring the service life of the plasma generator and avoiding potential safety hazards caused by repeated startups.

[0033] The keypad input module is also used to input time calibration commands. The main control chip calibrates the real-time clock information of the real-time clock module according to the time calibration commands. The user triggers the time calibration mode via the keypad input module. After entering time calibration mode, the main control chip drives the display module to display the current time. The user adjusts the current time value (e.g., adjusting hours, minutes, and seconds) via the keypad input module. The main control chip receives the adjusted calibration value and writes the calibrated time data to the real-time clock module through the communication interface. The real-time clock module updates its internal timing register based on this calibration data, thereby achieving real-time clock information calibration.

[0034] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the detailed solutions of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above detailed solutions, that is, it does not mean that the present invention must rely on the above detailed solutions to be implemented. Those skilled in the art should understand that any improvements to the present invention, equivalent substitutions of the raw materials of the inventive product, addition of auxiliary components, selection of specific methods, etc., all fall within the protection scope and disclosure scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A clock timing device for a pull-out basket, comprising a circuit board installed inside the housing of a sterilizer, characterized in that, include: The main control chip is located on the circuit board; The real-time clock module is mounted on the circuit board, and its output is connected to the main control chip to provide real-time clock information to the main control chip. The display module is mounted on the circuit board, and its input terminal is connected to the main control chip to display the current real-time time under the drive of the main control chip. The button input module is located on the circuit board, and its output is connected to the main control chip, which is used to allow the user to input the target time when disinfection needs to be started. The drive module is mounted on the circuit board, with its input connected to the main control chip and its output connected to the plasma generator. The main control chip compares the current time represented by the real-time clock information with the target time in real time, and when the current time reaches the target time, the control drive module connects the plasma generator to the power supply and starts the disinfection work.

2. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a battery, the output of which is connected to the real-time clock module to provide a continuous power supply to the real-time clock module.

3. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main control chip also stores the target time.

4. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The battery is housed in a battery compartment on the casing of the sterilizer, and the battery compartment is provided with a cover plate that is connected by a snap fastener.

5. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 2, characterized in that, The circuit board is also equipped with a battery charging circuit, the output of which is connected to the battery for charging.

6. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the current time reaches the target time, the main control chip records the trigger state and stops the real-time comparison.

7. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The key input module is also used to input time calibration commands, and the main control chip calibrates the real-time clock information of the real-time clock module according to the time calibration commands.

8. The clock timing device for the pull-out basket according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display module is a digital screen display.

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