Low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system

Abstract

The application discloses a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system; the system comprises: an edge gateway device and a plurality of low-voltage intelligent connectors; the edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage intelligent connectors are arranged in the same power supply control area; the edge gateway device and each low-voltage intelligent connector are provided with a star flash communication module and a preset hardware interface; the preset hardware interface in the edge gateway device is used for connecting the edge gateway device and the corresponding star flash communication module; the preset hardware interface in the low-voltage intelligent connector is used for connecting the low-voltage intelligent connector and the corresponding star flash communication module; the edge gateway device and the low-voltage intelligent connector establish a star flash wireless communication link through the star flash communication module; the edge gateway device is used for receiving the operation data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector through the star flash wireless communication link, and then monitoring each low-voltage intelligent connector. The system of the application can realize real-time monitoring and control of the low-voltage intelligent connector by relying on star flash communication.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial scenarios such as smart power distribution, data center computer rooms, and the end of new power systems, it is often necessary to centrally monitor and manage the widely distributed low-voltage smart connectors.

[0003] Currently, systems for monitoring low-voltage smart connectors typically rely on wired communication technology or common wireless technology (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) to network the individual low-voltage smart connectors. However, wired networking is costly and lacks flexibility; common wireless networking suffers from reduced communication reliability in environments with dense equipment or strong electromagnetic interference, making it impossible for the monitoring system to perform real-time monitoring and control of low-voltage smart connectors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system to improve the communication reliability between edge gateway devices and low-voltage intelligent connectors, thereby ensuring that the monitoring system can perform real-time monitoring and control of low-voltage intelligent connectors.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system is provided, comprising: The system includes an edge gateway device and several low-voltage smart connectors. Both the edge gateway device and the low-voltage smart connectors are deployed in the same power supply control area. Each edge gateway device and low-voltage smart connector is equipped with a StarScan communication module and a preset hardware interface. The preset hardware interface in the edge gateway device connects the edge gateway device to its StarScan communication module, and the preset hardware interface in each low-voltage smart connector connects the low-voltage smart connector to its StarScan communication module. The edge gateway device and the low-voltage smart connectors establish a StarScan wireless communication link through the StarScan communication module. The edge gateway device is used to receive the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector through the StarSpark wireless communication link, and to monitor each low-voltage smart connector based on the operating data.

[0006] The technical solution of this invention constructs a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system using an edge gateway device and several low-voltage intelligent connectors. The edge gateway device and the several low-voltage intelligent connectors are deployed in the same power supply control area. Each edge gateway device and each low-voltage intelligent connector is equipped with a StarScan communication module and a preset hardware interface. The preset hardware interface in the edge gateway device connects the edge gateway device to its StarScan communication module, and the preset hardware interface in each low-voltage intelligent connector connects the low-voltage intelligent connector to its StarScan communication module. The edge gateway device and the several low-voltage intelligent connectors establish a StarScan wireless communication link through the StarScan communication module. The edge gateway device receives operational data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector through the StarScan wireless communication link and monitors each low-voltage intelligent connector based on the operational data. The above system, by configuring a StarScan communication module and a preset hardware interface in the edge gateway device and each low-voltage intelligent connector, provides a hardware foundation for wireless networking. Data interaction between the edge gateway and the low-voltage intelligent connector is achieved based on the StarFlash wireless communication link. Compared with wired networking, it can reduce cabling costs and improve deployment flexibility. Compared with conventional wireless networking, it can improve the resistance to electromagnetic interference, thereby effectively improving communication stability and ensuring the real-time monitoring and control of the low-voltage intelligent connector by the monitoring system.

[0007] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the invention. Other features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0008] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a circuit connection diagram of the preset hardware interface applicable to the embodiments of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process of low-voltage intelligent connector performing closing control in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system provided according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the working mode switching process of the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system in this embodiment of the invention. Detailed Implementation

[0010] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0011] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0012] Example 1 Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to situations where low-voltage intelligent connectors are networked. Figure 1 As shown, the system includes: an edge gateway device 101, and several low-voltage smart connectors 102, such as... Figure 1The device includes low-voltage smart connectors 1, 2, and n; the edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors are all deployed in the same power supply control area; the edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors are all equipped with a StarSpark communication module and a preset hardware interface. The preset hardware interface configured in the edge gateway device is used to connect the edge gateway device to the StarSpark communication module in the edge gateway device, and the preset hardware interface configured in the low-voltage smart connector is used to connect the low-voltage smart connector to the StarSpark communication module in the low-voltage smart connector; the edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors establish a StarSpark wireless communication link through the StarSpark communication module; the edge gateway device is used to receive the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector through the StarSpark wireless communication link, and to monitor each low-voltage smart connector based on the operating data.

[0013] In this embodiment, the edge gateway device can be an electronic device with computing, storage, and communication capabilities, such as an industrial control computer. The edge gateway device is equipped with a preset hardware interface, which is a standard hardware interface conforming to relevant communication protocols. Based on this preset hardware interface, the StarScan communication module can achieve electrical connection and disconnection with the edge gateway device through a plug-and-play method. For example, Figure 1 The mid-edge gateway device 101 can be connected to the StarScan communication module in the edge gateway device 101 via a plug-in method through its configured preset hardware interface.

[0014] For example, the pin definitions and corresponding signal definitions in the preset hardware interface can be shown in the following table: Table 1 Pin and signal definitions in the preset hardware interface

[0015] The default hardware interface is also compatible with a variety of wireless modules, such as long-range (LoRa) wireless communication modules, mobile communication technology (e.g., 4G or 5G) modules, and Bluetooth modules.

[0016] The circuit connection diagram corresponding to the preset hardware interface can be as follows: Figure 2As shown, the pins in the preset hardware interface can be integrated into a slot, which can be a standard 10-pin slot. The preset hardware interface receives the power supply output voltage through the VCC pin in the slot; specifically, the power supply outputs a 3.3V voltage to power a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (MOSFET) electronic switch, which can control whether to output voltage to the slot by being on or off.

[0017] The on / off state of the MOSFET electronic switch is controlled by a high or low level output from the microcontroller unit (MCU) main control chip. Specifically, when the MCU main control chip outputs a high level to the MOSFET electronic switch through the general-purpose input-output (GPIO) port, the MOSFET electronic switch is in the on state and can output voltage (e.g., 3.3V) to the slot. When the MCU main control chip outputs a low level to the MOSFET electronic switch through the GPIO, the MOSFET electronic switch is in the off state and does not output voltage to the slot.

[0018] The MCU main control chip can establish serial communication with the corresponding UART_TX and UART_RX pins in the slot via the UART_TX and UART_RX pins to send and receive serial data. The MCU main control chip can establish USB communication with the corresponding USB_D+ and USB_D- pins in the slot via the USB_D+ and USB_D- pins to transmit data based on the USB 2.0 protocol. The MCU main control chip can transmit a wake-up signal via the WAKEUP pin to the corresponding WAKEUP pin in the slot, thereby waking up the communication module (e.g., the StarSpark communication module) from low-power mode. The MCU main control chip can transmit a reset signal via the RESET pin to the corresponding RESET pin in the slot, thereby resetting the communication module (e.g., the StarSpark communication module). In scenarios where an edge gateway device is connected to the StarSpark communication module, the aforementioned MCU main control chip can be the MCU main control chip in the edge gateway device; correspondingly, in scenarios where a low-voltage smart connector is connected to the StarSpark communication module, the aforementioned MCU main control chip can be the MCU main control chip in the low-voltage smart connector.

[0019] The SparkLink communication module is a pluggable daughterboard compliant with the SparkLink wireless communication protocol. Edge gateway devices and low-voltage smart connectors can be plugged into and connected to the SparkLink communication module using metal contacts (such as gold fingers) in the slot. The SparkLink communication module can be connected to an external antenna module to enable the transmission and reception of SparkLink wireless signals, thereby establishing a SparkLink wireless communication link.

[0020] For example, the edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors establish a StarSpark wireless communication link through the StarSpark communication module. Specifically, each low-voltage smart connector drives the StarSpark communication module to send messages conforming to the StarSpark wireless communication protocol. Based on the StarSpark wireless communication protocol, the edge gateway device receives and parses the messages to complete the handshake pairing, thereby establishing a StarSpark wireless communication link between the edge gateway device and each low-voltage smart connector.

[0021] Low-voltage intelligent connectors can be electronic devices with computing, storage, and communication capabilities, as well as the ability to monitor and control power distribution circuits. For example, a low-voltage intelligent connector can integrate a power data acquisition unit, a temperature sensor, a digital protection unit, a control execution unit, and a preset hardware interface. Based on this preset hardware interface, the StarScan communication module can achieve electrical connection and disconnection with the low-voltage intelligent connector through plugging and unplugging. For example, Figure 1 Any one of the several low-voltage intelligent connectors can be connected to the StarScan communication module in the low-voltage intelligent connector through its configured preset hardware interface via a plug-in method.

[0022] The power data acquisition unit can be a component unit used to collect various power operation data (e.g., voltage, current, power, and power quality) in the power distribution circuit. The temperature sensor can be used to detect the temperature of the low-voltage smart connector itself. The digital protection unit can be a component unit with functions such as overload protection, overvoltage protection, undervoltage protection, overtemperature protection, and leakage protection for the low-voltage smart connector; the protection thresholds for each protection function in the digital protection unit can be sent by the edge gateway device through the StarSignal wireless communication link. The control execution unit can be a component unit capable of performing electrical actions; for example, it can include magnetic latching relays and / or solid-state relays to complete the opening and closing actions in the power distribution circuit.

[0023] Edge gateway devices and several low-voltage smart connectors can be deployed in the same power supply control area, such as power distribution points, data center computer rooms, and end points of the power system.

[0024] The edge gateway device can receive the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector (such as the power operation data collected by the power data acquisition unit and the temperature data collected by the temperature sensor) through the StarFlash wireless communication link; and determine whether each operating data meets the corresponding operating standard, thereby monitoring each low-voltage smart connector.

[0025] This invention provides a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system, which is constructed using an edge gateway device and several low-voltage intelligent connectors. The edge gateway device and the several low-voltage intelligent connectors are deployed in the same power supply control area. Each edge gateway device and each low-voltage intelligent connector is equipped with a StarSignal communication module and a preset hardware interface. The preset hardware interface in the edge gateway device connects the edge gateway device to its StarSignal communication module, and the preset hardware interface in each low-voltage intelligent connector connects the low-voltage intelligent connector to its StarSignal communication module. The edge gateway device and the several low-voltage intelligent connectors establish a StarSignal wireless communication link through the StarSignal communication module. The edge gateway device receives operational data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector through the StarSignal wireless communication link and monitors each low-voltage intelligent connector based on the operational data. The aforementioned system configures StarScan communication modules and preset hardware interfaces in the edge gateway devices and each low-voltage smart connector, providing a hardware foundation for wireless networking. Data interaction between the edge gateway and the low-voltage smart connectors is achieved based on the StarScan wireless communication link. Compared to wired networking, this reduces cabling costs and improves deployment flexibility; compared to conventional wireless networking, it enhances resistance to electromagnetic interference, thereby effectively improving communication stability and ensuring real-time monitoring and control of the low-voltage smart connectors by the monitoring system.

[0026] In some embodiments, the low-voltage smart connector may also integrate a display screen to display power operation data collected by the power data acquisition unit, temperature collected by the temperature sensor, the switching status of the control execution unit, and fault records (e.g., fault records of the power distribution circuit monitored by the low-voltage smart connector and fault records of the low-voltage smart connector itself). By integrating a display screen into the low-voltage smart connector, relevant personnel can easily view the status of the power distribution circuit monitored by the low-voltage smart connector and its own status in real time.

[0027] In some embodiments, the low-voltage intelligent connector may also integrate a button component, such as a touch button or a mechanical button, to ensure that relevant personnel can modify the relevant parameters of the low-voltage intelligent connector on-site (e.g., the protection thresholds involved in each protection function in the digital protection unit, and the communication parameters involved in the star flash communication module, etc.).

[0028] In some embodiments, the low-voltage smart connector may also integrate a wireless interface, such as a Bluetooth debugging interface, so that relevant personnel can establish a wireless connection with the low-voltage smart connector to perform relevant maintenance work.

[0029] In some embodiments, in order to improve the monitoring efficiency of low-voltage smart connectors, multiple edge gateway devices can be configured in the same power supply control area. Each edge gateway device can establish a StarSignal wireless communication link with multiple low-voltage smart connectors through the StarSignal communication module. Generally, a low-voltage smart connector establishes a StarSignal wireless communication link with only one edge gateway device.

[0030] In some embodiments, the edge gateway device is further configured to collect the received signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and bit error rate (BER) of the StarSpark wireless communication link, and determine the communication quality score of the corresponding StarSpark wireless communication link based on the received signal strength, the SNR, and the BER; if the communication quality score is lower than a preset quality score threshold, the communication parameters of the StarSpark wireless communication link are adjusted based on a preset adjustment strategy. The advantage of this configuration is that by calculating the communication quality score of the StarSpark wireless communication link, the communication status of the StarSpark wireless communication link can be determined, and when the communication quality deteriorates, the communication parameters can be adjusted promptly based on the preset adjustment strategy, thus ensuring the communication reliability of the StarSpark wireless communication link.

[0031] For example, corresponding weighting coefficients can be configured for signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and bit error rate (BER), with the sum of these coefficients being 1. Preprocessing of signal strength, SNR, and BER can unify the direction of their influence on the communication quality of the StarSpark wireless communication link and their numerical ranges; for example, unifying the direction of influence to positive correlation and the numerical range to [0,1]. Specifically, before preprocessing, since the influence of signal strength and SNR on the communication quality of the StarSpark wireless communication link is positively correlated, and the influence of BER on the communication quality of the StarSpark wireless communication link is negatively correlated, and the numerical range of BER is [0,1], the preprocessing of signal strength and SNR can be normalization. The preprocessing of BER can be the difference between 1 and the BER. After preprocessing, the preprocessed signal strength, SNR, and BER can be weighted and summed using their corresponding weighting coefficients to obtain the communication quality score of the StarSpark wireless communication link. When the communication quality score is lower than a preset quality score threshold (e.g., 0.3), the communication parameters of the StarSpark wireless communication link can be adjusted by the edge gateway device based on a preset adjustment strategy. The communication parameters may include the radio frequency transmit power of the StarSpark communication module and the modulation order, etc. The preset adjustment strategy may include increasing the radio frequency transmit power of the StarSpark communication module and decreasing the modulation order, etc.

[0032] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors is configured with a routing table. The routing table records the next-hop low-voltage smart connectors pointing to the edge gateway device. When the distance between the low-voltage smart connector and the edge gateway device exceeds the single-hop distance in the StarSignal wireless communication link, the low-voltage smart connector transmits the first running data to be reported to the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table. This instructs the next-hop low-voltage smart connector to forward the first running data based on the corresponding routing table until the first running data is transmitted to the edge gateway device. The advantage of this configuration is that, by configuring the routing table, each low-voltage smart connector can act as a relay node to forward running data, thereby overcoming the single-hop distance limitation in the StarSignal wireless communication link and expanding the coverage of the wireless signal. Furthermore, recording the next-hop low-voltage smart connector pointing to the edge gateway device in the routing table avoids an overly complex routing table, ensuring that running data only needs to be forwarded to the next-hop low-voltage smart connector, avoiding the computational and storage pressure caused by routing across the entire network.

[0033] For example, a routing table can be configured in each low-voltage smart connector, recording the next-hop low-voltage smart connector in the StarSignal wireless communication link that points to the edge gateway device. Figure 3Taking the low-voltage smart connector 4 as an example, the next-hop low-voltage smart connector pointing to the edge gateway device in the StarSignal wireless communication link where it is located is low-voltage smart connector 1. Therefore, the routing table corresponding to low-voltage smart connector 4 records the address corresponding to low-voltage smart connector 1.

[0034] By configuring a routing table in the low-voltage smart connector, the low-voltage smart connector can simultaneously function as a relay node and a terminal node in the StarSignal wireless communication link. For example, Figure 3 Low-voltage intelligent connectors 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9 are both relay nodes and terminal nodes.

[0035] In some embodiments, the routing table further records a set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors. This set records adjacent low-voltage smart connectors that the current low-voltage smart connector detects through broadcast probe signals and that have a Starlight wireless communication link with the edge gateway device. The low-voltage smart connector is also used to update the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table to the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors when the Starlight wireless communication link between the low-voltage smart connector and the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table is broken. The advantage of this configuration is that by recording the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors in the routing table, when the link between a low-voltage smart connector and its corresponding next-hop low-voltage smart connector is interrupted, the next-hop low-voltage smart connector can be quickly updated to the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors. This enables autonomous switching of faulty links, improves the robustness of Starlight wireless communication links, and avoids data transmission interruptions at remote nodes caused by single-point failures.

[0036] In this embodiment, the detection signal can be understood as a StarScan wireless message broadcast by the low-voltage smart connector. It is used to detect the connectivity status of surrounding low-voltage smart connectors and filter out adjacent low-voltage smart connectors that have a StarScan wireless communication link with the edge gateway device. The low-voltage smart connector can broadcast the detection signal periodically or even when the StarScan wireless communication link is disconnected.

[0037] The adjacent low-voltage smart connectors recorded in the adjacent low-voltage smart connector set can be either the one-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connector corresponding to the current low-voltage smart connector or multi-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connectors. For example, the current low-voltage smart connector can periodically broadcast a probe signal. If the satellite wireless communication link between the one-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connector corresponding to the current low-voltage smart connector and the edge gateway device is normally connected, then the adjacent low-voltage smart connector can be the one-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connector corresponding to the current low-voltage smart connector. If the satellite wireless communication link between the one-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connector corresponding to the current low-voltage smart connector and the edge gateway device is disconnected, then the probe distance can be increased sequentially to detect multi-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connectors that are farther away from the current low-voltage smart connector. In this case, the adjacent low-voltage smart connector can be a multi-hop neighbor low-voltage smart connector. The target adjacent low-voltage smart connector can be a low-voltage smart connector selected from the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors through a preset filtering strategy. The preset filtering strategy can be to select the low-voltage smart connector with the fewest hop intervals with the current low-voltage smart connector in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors as the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector. Alternatively, the preset filtering strategy can be to select the low-voltage smart connector with the highest communication quality score corresponding to the star flash wireless communication link in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors as the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector.

[0038] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, if, after broadcasting a probe signal, the low-voltage smart connector 9 detects that the star-flash wireless communication link between itself and the next-hop low-voltage smart connector (e.g., low-voltage smart connector 7) recorded in the routing table is broken, then the low-voltage smart connector 9 can increase the detection distance to two hops and continue broadcasting the probe signal. If, at this time, a star-flash wireless communication link is detected between the low-voltage smart connector 4 and the edge gateway device, then the low-voltage smart connector 4 can be recorded in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors, and the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table can be updated to the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector (e.g., low-voltage smart connector 4) in the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors. Figure 3 The dashed lines in the diagram can represent the StarSpark wireless communication link built based on the updated next-hop low-voltage smart connector.

[0039] In some embodiments, the edge gateway device is further configured with a load management strategy. The edge gateway device determines the total load information of the power supply control area based on the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector. If the total load information meets preset overload conditions, the load priority of the power supply circuit corresponding to each low-voltage smart connector is determined based on the load management strategy, and a tripping control command is issued according to the priority order to control the corresponding low-voltage smart connector to disconnect the power supply circuit. The advantage of this configuration is that by configuring a load management strategy in the edge gateway device, the intelligence level of the low-voltage smart connector monitoring system can be further improved; and when an overload occurs in the power supply control area, tripping control is executed according to load priority, ensuring continuous power supply to critical power supply circuits and improving the overall operational safety of the power supply control area.

[0040] In this embodiment, the load management strategy can be a strategy for managing the electrical load of each power supply circuit in the power supply control area; for example, it can include a priority switching strategy and a time-sharing control strategy, etc.; wherein, the priority switching strategy can be: pre-determining the load priority of each power supply circuit, and when an overload occurs in the power supply control area (for example, the total load information meets the preset overload conditions), the power supply circuits are cut off sequentially from low priority to high priority. The time-sharing control strategy can be: providing power to each power supply circuit in the power supply control area in a time-sharing manner.

[0041] Total load information can be total load amount and / or total load rate. Preset overload conditions can be based on total load information and overload time; for example, preset overload conditions can include: the total load rate exceeds a preset load rate threshold (e.g., 90%) and the overload time exceeds a preset time threshold (e.g., 5 minutes).

[0042] For example, the edge gateway device determines whether the total load rate of the power supply control area exceeds 90% and the overload time exceeds 5 minutes based on the operating data (e.g., voltage, current, and power) reported by each low-voltage smart connector. If so, it determines the load priority of the power supply circuit corresponding to each low-voltage smart connector based on the load management strategy, and issues trip control commands in order of priority from low priority to high priority to control the corresponding low-voltage smart connector to cut off the power supply circuit until the overload state of the power supply control area is relieved.

[0043] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors is configured with a tripping control strategy and a closing control strategy. The edge gateway device is used to issue tripping control commands and closing control commands to the low-voltage smart connectors. Upon receiving a tripping control command, the low-voltage smart connector, based on the tripping control strategy, activates a solid-state relay, deactivates a magnetically latched relay after a first preset time delay, and deactivates the solid-state relay after a second preset time delay. Upon receiving a closing control command, the low-voltage smart connector, based on the closing control strategy, activates a solid-state relay, activates a magnetically latched relay after a third preset time delay, and deactivates the solid-state relay after a fourth preset time delay. The advantage of this configuration is that by configuring tripping and closing control strategies in the low-voltage smart connectors, the low-voltage smart connectors can orderly drive the primary-side solid-state relays and magnetically latched relays to perform tripping and closing operations through secondary-side weak current, making the low-voltage smart connectors a terminal with primary and secondary integration capabilities, thus improving operation and maintenance management efficiency.

[0044] For example, the closing control is performed using a low-voltage intelligent connector as an example. Figure 4 As shown, after the low-voltage intelligent connector receives the closing control command, the MCU in the low-voltage intelligent connector can trigger the solid-state relay to close based on the closing control strategy, so that the solid-state relay conducts under zero voltage and zero current conditions. After a third preset time delay (e.g., 5 milliseconds), the magnetic latching relay is triggered to close, thereby conducting the magnetic latching relay and allowing it to bear the steady-state current. After a fourth preset time delay (e.g., 2 milliseconds), the solid-state relay is triggered to open, thereby achieving flexible switching and reducing power consumption. Correspondingly, the low-voltage intelligent connector performs the opening control, specifically as follows: after the low-voltage intelligent connector receives the opening control command, the MCU in the low-voltage intelligent connector can trigger the solid-state relay to close based on the opening control strategy, so that the solid-state relay bears the steady-state current. After a first preset time delay (which can be the same as or different from the third preset time, and can be set according to empirical values), the magnetic latching relay is triggered to open. After a second preset time delay (which can be the same as or different from the fourth preset time, and can be set according to empirical values), the solid-state relay is triggered to open, thereby achieving flexible switching. The above-mentioned switching process can utilize solid-state relays to absorb the instantaneous current surge during switching, achieving flexible switching and protecting the operational safety of magnetic latching relays.

[0045] Example 2 Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. This embodiment further extends the above embodiment by adding a control platform to the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system. Figure 5As shown, the system also includes a control platform; the control platform communicates with the edge gateway device via a wide area network; the edge gateway device is further configured to transmit the operating data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector to the control platform, and receive a first control command generated by the control platform based on the operating data; wherein, the first control command is used to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage intelligent connector; the control platform is configured to determine whether each low-voltage intelligent connector has malfunctioned based on the operating data, obtain a determination result, and generate a corresponding first control command based on the operating data and the determination result.

[0046] For example, the control platform can be deployed in remote devices within the power supply management area, such as on a server. The control platform and edge gateway devices can communicate over a wide area network (WAN) using technologies such as mobile communication technologies (e.g., 4G or 5G), fiber optic technology, and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). The control platform can communicate with multiple edge gateway devices (… Figure 5 Data interaction is performed using a configuration where m is greater than or equal to 2. Each edge gateway device is connected to several low-voltage smart connectors via a StarSpark wireless communication link; for example, low-voltage smart connectors 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 are connected to edge gateway device 1 via a StarSpark wireless communication link; low-voltage smart connectors m-1, m-2, and m-3 are connected to edge gateway device m via a StarSpark wireless communication link, etc.

[0047] For example, the low-voltage smart connector can periodically wake up its own MCU according to a preset cycle (which can be pre-set, generally less than or equal to 1 second) to drive the power data acquisition unit to collect power operation data, drive the temperature sensor to collect temperature, and obtain operation data such as the switching status of the control execution unit; and report the operation data to the corresponding edge gateway device through the StarFlash wireless communication link, for example, Figure 5 The low-voltage intelligent connectors 1-1, 1-2, and 1-3 report their corresponding operational data to the edge gateway device 1. The operational data can also be associated with corresponding device identifiers and timestamps, making it easier for the control platform to differentiate the operational data.

[0048] The edge gateway device transmits the operational data reported by each low-voltage smart connector to the control platform via the wide area network. The control platform determines whether each low-voltage smart connector has malfunctioned based on the operational data, obtains the determination result, and generates a corresponding first control command based on the operational data and the determination result. Specifically, the control platform can determine whether each low-voltage smart connector has malfunctioned based on the operational data, identify the corresponding fault type, and then select the corresponding processing strategy based on the fault type to generate corresponding adjustment parameters. Based on the adjustment parameters, it generates a corresponding first control command and then sends the first control command to the corresponding edge gateway device. The edge gateway device sends the first control command to the corresponding low-voltage smart connector, thereby controlling the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage smart connector.

[0049] This invention adds a control platform to the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system, realizing multi-level data management and control. The edge gateway device and each low-voltage intelligent connector form a star network to ensure the reliability of data transmission in the power supply control area. The control platform is responsible for the unified management and control of the operating data reported by the low-voltage intelligent connectors and generates corresponding first control commands. This enables remote monitoring and control of the power supply control area and further improves the overall scheduling capability of the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system.

[0050] In some embodiments, the edge gateway device is further configured to send a wide area network (WAN) probe signal to the control platform at a preset time period to detect whether the WAN is interrupted. In the event of a WAN interruption, it receives operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector via a StarScan wireless communication link and generates a corresponding second control command based on the operating data. The second control command is used to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage smart connector. The advantage of this configuration is that by periodically sending WAN probe signals, it can detect whether the communication link between the edge gateway device and the control platform is interrupted. In the event of an interruption, the edge gateway device can take over the control task and generate a corresponding second control command based on the operating data reported by the low-voltage smart connector, thereby improving the fault tolerance and reliability of the low-voltage smart connector monitoring system.

[0051] For example, such as Figure 6As shown, the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system can include three operating modes. After the system is powered on, the edge gateway device sends a wide area network (WAN) probe signal (e.g., a heartbeat signal of a relevant communication protocol) to the control platform to determine whether the WAN is interrupted. For example, three consecutive heartbeat timeouts can determine that the WAN is interrupted. If there is no interruption, it enters the normal monitoring mode. The control platform determines whether each low-voltage intelligent connector has malfunctioned based on the operating data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector, obtains the judgment result, and generates a corresponding first control command based on the operating data and the judgment result to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage intelligent connector. In addition, in the normal monitoring mode, the edge gateway device can also send a WAN probe signal to the control platform according to a preset time period (which can be pre-defined, for example, 10 seconds) to detect whether the WAN is interrupted.

[0052] In the event of a wide area network (WAN) outage, the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system can switch to edge autonomous mode. The edge gateway device receives operational data reported by each low-voltage intelligent connector via a StarSignal wireless communication link. Based on this data, the edge gateway device determines whether each connector has malfunctioned, identifies the corresponding fault type, and selects an appropriate handling strategy to generate corresponding adjustment parameters. These parameters are then used to generate a second control command to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage intelligent connector. Furthermore, in edge autonomous mode, the edge gateway device can continue to send WAN detection signals to the control platform at preset time intervals to determine if the WAN has been restored. For example, if the edge gateway device receives a heartbeat signal from the control platform, it can confirm that the WAN has been restored. If not, it continues to operate in edge autonomous mode. If restored, it switches to recovery mode, where the edge gateway device synchronizes data with the control platform. After data synchronization is complete, it can switch back to normal monitoring mode.

[0053] Optionally, to ensure data integrity and security, in edge autonomy mode, the edge gateway device can store the operational data reported by each low-voltage smart connector in its local storage space. Specifically, the edge gateway device is also used to store the operational data reported by each low-voltage smart connector in an associated local storage space in the event of a wide area network outage (corresponding to edge autonomy mode).

[0054] Accordingly, to ensure data synchronization between the edge gateway device and the control platform, in recovery mode, the edge gateway device will transmit historical operating data from its local storage space to the control platform according to the receiving order. Specifically, the edge gateway device is also used to upload historical operating data stored in its local storage space to the control platform based on the receiving order when the wide area network is restored (corresponding to recovery mode); wherein, the receiving order is determined according to the receiving time of the historical operating data. The historical operating data can be the operating data of the low-voltage smart connector received by the edge gateway device during the wide area network interruption.

[0055] For example, if the low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system detects three consecutive timeouts in the heartbeat signal between the edge gateway device and the control platform, it enters edge autonomous mode. In edge autonomous mode, the edge gateway device receives the operating data reported by the low-voltage intelligent connector via the StarSpark wireless communication link and stores the operating data in local storage. Based on the operating data, the edge gateway device determines whether the total load information of the power supply management area meets the preset overload conditions. If it does, it indicates that the power supply management area is overloaded. The edge gateway device can then generate a tripping control command based on the configured load management strategy and adjust the on / off state of the primary side equipment (solid-state relays and magnetic latching relays) according to the corresponding tripping control strategy. After the overload is eliminated, the state of the primary side equipment can be restored based on the corresponding closing control strategy. The edge gateway device continues to monitor the power supply management area. If the total load information does not meet the preset overload conditions, it indicates that the power supply management area is not overloaded, and the edge gateway device can continue to monitor the power supply management area. During monitoring, relevant personnel can also issue relevant commands on-site using the touch screen of the edge gateway device, which are then sent to the corresponding low-voltage intelligent connectors via the StarSpark wireless communication link. In edge autonomy mode, the edge gateway device can periodically check whether the control platform has recovered. If it has recovered, it exits edge autonomy mode and enters recovery mode.

[0056] In recovery mode, the edge gateway device sends a data synchronization request to the control platform. After the control platform agrees to the request, the edge gateway device uploads the historical operating data stored in the local storage space to the control platform based on the receiving order of the historical operating data. After the control platform confirms the receipt, the system exits the edge autonomous mode and returns to the normal monitoring mode.

[0057] The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system provided by this invention adopts StarFlash wireless communication technology, which can ensure the stability and immediacy of monitoring data and remote control command transmission in complex industrial environments, meeting the high requirements of industrial control applications, especially ensuring the reliability of key operations such as flexible switching and rapid fault isolation. Furthermore, the modular communication design allows the system to flexibly change communication schemes according to future technological developments or specific scenario requirements, ensuring long-term system reliability. Based on the control platform, edge gateway devices, and low-voltage intelligent connectors, a three-layer architecture of cloud platform-edge gateway-intelligent terminal is implemented, enabling efficient monitoring, remote parameter tuning, and edge autonomous management of each low-voltage intelligent connector, greatly improving operation and maintenance efficiency.

[0058] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system, characterized in that, include: An edge gateway device and several low-voltage smart connectors; the edge gateway device and the several low-voltage smart connectors are all deployed in the same power supply control area; The edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors are all equipped with a StarFlash communication module and a preset hardware interface. The preset hardware interface configured in the edge gateway device is used to connect the edge gateway device to the StarFlash communication module in the edge gateway device, and the preset hardware interface configured in the low-voltage smart connector is used to connect the low-voltage smart connector to the StarFlash communication module in the low-voltage smart connector. The edge gateway device and the plurality of low-voltage smart connectors establish a Star Flash wireless communication link through the Star Flash communication module; The edge gateway device is used to receive the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector through the StarSpark wireless communication link, and to monitor each low-voltage smart connector based on the operating data.

2. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The edge gateway device is also used to collect the received signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, and bit error rate of the Star Flash wireless communication link, and determine the communication quality score of the corresponding Star Flash wireless communication link based on the received signal strength, the signal-to-noise ratio, and the bit error rate. If the communication quality score is lower than the preset quality score threshold, the communication parameters of the Star Flash wireless communication link are adjusted based on the preset adjustment strategy.

3. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned low-voltage smart connectors is configured with a routing table; the routing table records the next-hop low-voltage smart connector pointing to the edge gateway device. The low-voltage smart connector is used to transmit the first running data to be reported to the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table when the distance between the low-voltage smart connector and the edge gateway device exceeds the single-hop distance in the Star Flash wireless communication link. This instructs the next-hop low-voltage smart connector to forward the first running data based on the corresponding routing table until the first running data is transmitted to the edge gateway device.

4. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The routing table also records a set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors; the set of adjacent low-voltage smart connectors is used to record the adjacent low-voltage smart connectors that the current low-voltage smart connector detects through broadcast detection signals and that have a star-flash wireless communication link with the edge gateway device. The low-voltage smart connector is also used to update the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table to the target adjacent low-voltage smart connector in the adjacent low-voltage smart connector set when the star-flash wireless communication link between the low-voltage smart connector and the next-hop low-voltage smart connector recorded in the routing table is disconnected.

5. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The edge gateway device is also configured with a load management policy; The edge gateway device is used to determine the total load information of the power supply control area based on the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector; If the total load information meets the preset overload conditions, the load priority of the power supply circuit corresponding to each low-voltage smart connector is determined based on the load management strategy, and the trip control command is issued in order of priority to control the corresponding low-voltage smart connector to cut off the power supply circuit.

6. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned low-voltage intelligent connectors is equipped with a tripping control strategy and a closing control strategy. The edge gateway device is used to send tripping control commands and closing control commands to the low-voltage smart connector; The low-voltage intelligent connector is used to, upon receiving a trip control command, based on a trip control strategy, turn on the solid-state relay, and after a first preset time delay, turn off the magnetic latching relay, and after a second preset time delay, turn off the solid-state relay. The low-voltage intelligent connector is also used to, upon receiving a closing control command, based on a closing control strategy, activate a solid-state relay, activate a magnetic latching relay after a third preset delay, and deactivate the solid-state relay after a fourth preset delay.

7. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes a control platform; the control platform communicates with the edge gateway device via a wide area network. The edge gateway device is also used to transmit the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector to the control platform, and receive the first control command generated by the control platform based on the operating data; wherein, the first control command is used to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage smart connector. The control platform is used to determine whether each low-voltage intelligent connector has malfunctioned based on the operating data, obtain the determination result, and generate a corresponding first control command based on the operating data and the determination result.

8. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The edge gateway device is also used to send a wide area network (WAN) detection signal to the control platform according to a preset time period to detect whether the WAN is interrupted; in the event of a WAN interruption, it receives the operating data reported by each low-voltage smart connector through the Star Flash wireless communication link, and generates a corresponding second control command based on the operating data; wherein, the second control command is used to control the power supply circuit corresponding to the low-voltage smart connector.

9. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The edge gateway device is also used to store the operational data reported by each low-voltage smart connector in the associated local storage space in the event of a wide area network outage.

10. The low-voltage intelligent connector monitoring system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The edge gateway device is also used to upload historical operating data stored in the local storage space to the control platform based on the receiving order when the wide area network is restored; wherein, the receiving order is determined according to the receiving time of the historical operating data.

Images