Universal online controller

Abstract

The utility model discloses a universal on-line controller, which is arranged between controlled equipment and a power supply cable of the controlled equipment, is a device used for controlling the operation state of the controlled equipment, and comprises a power supply input terminal, an input end cable, an on-line control handle, an output end cable and an output terminal, an interaction device is arranged on the on-line control handle; the interaction device comprises a keyboard for operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of control of electrical products, and more specifically, to a universal online controller, that is, a control module is installed between a controlled device and its power supply cable, replacing an interactive device on the controlled device to control the operating status of the controlled device. Background Art

[0002] The control and adjustment of electrical products are generally divided into two types: local control and remote control. Among them, with the continuous advancement of new technologies, remote control technology is no longer limited to traditional infrared remote control and traditional radio remote control, but has expanded to Internet of Things control methods such as Bluetooth and WiFi.

[0003] Traditional infrared and radio remote controls, as well as popular IoT control methods like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, all require a remote control device—a remote controller, mobile phone, or console—to send control signals to the controlled electrical product. Remote control requires either the remote control device to be in hand or to send control commands to the remote control device through interactive methods like speech and gestures.

[0004] When a remote control device such as a mobile phone is used as the remote control device, the first step in implementing control is to find the remote control device, then find the corresponding button or open the APP, etc. Such operation may not be the most convenient or suitable for all people (such as the elderly).

[0005] In the gesture interaction mode, the user must at least be within the gesture recognition range, which is not suitable for all situations, especially when electrical products need to be controlled during sleep.

[0006] In the language interaction mode, the user is also required to be within the effective reception range of the voice and a certain volume is required to trigger the response of the control device. For example, in a situation where multiple people share a bedroom, it may cause the resting people to disturb each other.

[0007] That is, the market needs a control device that is more convenient to operate, so as to implement more convenient control operations on certain electrical products in specific application scenarios, for example, the following electrical products in the following application scenarios: portable media players, bedside / desk lamps, bedside / desk aromatherapy machines, bedside / desk humidifiers / dehumidifiers, bedside / desk fans, etc.

[0008] On the other hand, from a design perspective, when local operating devices are installed on the product itself, interactive devices need to be designed and manufactured on the molds and tooling used to manufacture the product. This inevitably increases the cost of the molds and tooling, increases the design difficulty, and prolongs the design cycle. This is especially true for series products where multiple models are developed for a series. The interactive device needs to be repeatedly designed for each model, which increases design and manufacturing costs, takes a long time, and is expensive. If the interactive device of an electrical product is transferred to a universal control device, each product only needs to connect to the universal control device through the necessary power socket. The power socket not only receives power but also enables interactive operation. This eliminates the need to repeatedly design and manufacture interactive devices for each electrical product, significantly reducing design difficulty and shortening the design cycle. The universality of the universal control device also reduces product costs. Utility Model Content

[0009] In view of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art and market demand, the present invention provides a universal online controller.

[0010] According to actual needs, one or more embodiments of this specification provide a universal online controller for matching a universal, external controller with a controlled device, which can eliminate the need to design an interactive device on the controlled device. This is particularly useful when there are multiple types of controlled devices.

[0011] One or more embodiments of this specification adopt the following technical solutions:

[0012] One or more embodiments of this specification provide a universal online controller, a device installed between a controlled device and its power supply cable, for controlling the operating state of the controlled device, including a power input terminal, an input cable, an online control handle, an output cable, and an output terminal;

[0013] The online control handle is provided with an interactive device;

[0014] The interactive device includes an operating keyboard.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of this specification, the interactive device further comprises a power regulation circuit, and / or a timing circuit, and / or a control signal encoding circuit responsive to the keyboard operation;

[0016] The power supply regulating circuit includes but is not limited to a voltage regulating circuit, a current regulating circuit, and a pulse width regulating circuit for the power supply;

[0017] The control signal encoding circuit is a circuit that responds to the operation of the keyboard with a predetermined encoding signal, and the encoding signal is transmitted to the controlled device through the output cable and the output terminal.

[0018] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, the interaction device further includes an indicator light for indicating the presence of an online controller, and / or a power status, and / or responding to an operation on the keyboard.

[0019] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, the interaction device further includes a honeycomb for indicating a response to an operation of the keyboard and / or indicating a working status of a controlled device.

[0020] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, there are multiple control handles, which are arranged in series or in a star shape on the power supply cable of the controlled device. The shape and / or color of each handle are different to facilitate differentiation between the handles.

[0021] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, a primary control handle is further provided on the power input terminal, which has operating buttons and a power regulation circuit therein.

[0022] In one or more embodiments of this specification, the number of independent wires inside the input-end cable and the output-end cable is one of the following:

[0023] Both the input and output cables have 2 conductors;

[0024] The input cable has two conductors, and the output cable has more than two conductors;

[0025] The input cable has more than 2 conductors, and the output cable has 2 conductors;

[0026] Both the input-end cable and the output-end cable have two or more conductors.

[0027] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, the power input terminal is a USB plug, and the primary control handle is provided with a charging protocol chip, or an MCU chip with a built-in charging protocol function.

[0028] In one or more embodiments of the present specification, the input cable and the output cable are each provided with two conductors; the control signal encoding circuit in the control handle is a high-speed switching circuit for the power supply, which modulates the signal encoding into an agreed switching pattern for the power supply.

[0029] At least one of the above technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of this specification can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0030] The present invention solves the various situations described in the background technology of the prior art and the user experience defects existing in some groups of people, and provides a technology that is convenient and simple to operate for the controlled device;

[0031] Providing a universal interactive device for the design of electrical products can save the tooling cost of repeatedly designing interactive devices for electrical products, shorten design time and reduce costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 This is a basic structural diagram of a universal wired controller;

[0034] Figure 2 This is the electrical block diagram of the power regulation wire controller;

[0035] Figure 3 This is the electrical block diagram of the coded wire controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Example 1 - Universal wired controller with basic structure

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the universal wired controller consists of a power input terminal A, an input cable B, an online control handle C, an output cable D, and an output terminal E, wherein: the online control handle C is composed of a bottom shell C1, a mainboard C2, a top shell C3, etc.; the mainboard C2 is a printed circuit board, on which are welded interactive buttons C21, a main control chip (back side, not shown), and other necessary components; the top shell C3 is provided with a button operation cap C31 at the position of the interactive button C21 on the mainboard C2.

[0039] The mainboard C2 is installed in the bottom case C1, and the independent wire D1 in the output cable D is correspondingly soldered to the mainboard C2, so that the mainboard C2 is electrically connected to the output terminal E through the output cable D; similarly, the mainboard C2 is electrically connected to the power input terminal A through the input cable B.

[0040] The top shell C3 is fastened to the bottom shell C1 and fixed with glue.

[0041] When the key operation cap C31 on the top shell C3 is operated, the interactive key C21 on the main board C2 is pressed. After being recognized by the main control chip on the main board C2, the corresponding response is: ( ① Transmitting a control coded signal to a controlled device (not shown) via output cable D and output terminal E to control the operating status of the controlled device; ② Optionally, connecting or disconnecting the power carried by output cable D via mainboard C2 to connect or disconnect the power supply to the controlled device.

[0042] In this embodiment, the input end cable B is a 2-core cable, that is, it has 2 independent wires; the output end cable D is a 3-core cable, 2 of which are responsible for supplying power to the controlled device through the output terminal E, and the other independent wire is an interactive line, which is responsible for transmitting the agreed coding signal between the mainboard C2 and the controlled device to realize the interaction between the two.

[0043] From the above description of this embodiment, it can be seen that the controlled device can be operated through the universal wire controller without being equipped with an interactive device.

[0044] As an optional item, as needed, the mainboard C2 can obtain the interaction code from the controlled device through the interaction line, and indicate it through other interactive devices on the mainboard C2 (such as indicator lights, buzzers, etc.) to indicate the current working status and fault information (if any) of the controlled device.

[0045] The beneficial effects after implementation of this embodiment are:

[0046] 1) The interactive device of the controlled device is external. The online control handle C of the universal wired controller can be placed at a convenient location for the user (such as the bedside, pillow, desk, etc.) as needed, so that the user can operate the controlled device without having to get up and go to the controlled device;

[0047] 2) During the design and manufacturing process, no interactive device is required for the controlled device. Generally, the volume of the controlled device is much larger than that of this universal wire controller. For a mold equipped with an interactive device, the interactive device accounts for a large proportion of the material and labor costs during the design and manufacturing process, and also lengthens the design and manufacturing cycle of the mold. After the implementation of this embodiment, there is no need to design an interactive device on the controlled device, which can reduce mold costs, improve yield and manufacturing efficiency, and shorten the design cycle. Especially when the same series of products have multiple styles with different appearances, the utility model can more prominently demonstrate its practicality and economy due to its versatility.

[0048] Example 2 - Power Regulating Wire Controller

[0049] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that this embodiment stipulates that after the wired controller receives a keyboard operation, its response is that the power output to the controlled device through the output cable and the output terminal is adjusted accordingly (for example, the voltage is adjusted, or the current is adjusted).

[0050] like Figure 2As shown, the power-regulated wire controller of this embodiment provides power to the mainboard in the online control handle from the power input terminal (through the input cable). The power is divided into two paths in the mainboard, one path is adjusted by the control power supply to supply power to the central controller, and the other path serves as the input power of the power regulator; the central controller receives the operation signal from the keyboard, and outputs the adjustment signal to the power regulator according to the operation signal, so that the power regulator outputs the power of the agreed specification, which is transmitted to the controlled device through the output cable and the output terminal to adjust the working state of the controlled device.

[0051] This embodiment is a more specific example of the present invention and embodiment 1. The beneficial effects after implementation are the same as those of embodiment 1, and further provides a technical solution for adjusting the working state of the controlled device by adjusting the power supply.

[0052] Example 3 - Encoded wired controller

[0053] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that this embodiment stipulates that: after receiving the keyboard operation, the wired controller responds by outputting the agreed code to the controlled device through the output cable and output terminal to notify the controlled device to adjust the working state according to the instruction of the agreed code.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the power-regulated wire controller of this embodiment provides power to the mainboard in the online control handle from the power input terminal (through the input cable). The power is divided into two paths in the mainboard, one path is adjusted by the control power supply to supply power to the central controller, and the other path serves as the input power of the power regulator; the central controller accepts operations from the keyboard and, according to the agreement, outputs the agreed coded signal to the controlled device through the output cable and output terminal to command the controlled device to enter the corresponding working state according to the code.

[0055] As an optional solution, the controlled device can also send its current working status, fault status, etc. to the main board in the online control handle through the output terminals and output cables. The main board in the online control handle indicates it through interactive devices (indicator lights, buzzers, etc.), providing users with a way to understand the current status of the controlled device.

[0056] This embodiment is a more specific case of the present invention and Example 1. The beneficial effects after its implementation are the same as those of Example 1. In addition, since a dedicated communication line is provided between the online control handle and the controlled device, information with rich code volume can be transmitted to each other through encoding. That is, when the hardware is fixed, this universal wire controller can be applied to controlled devices of more specifications, with greater versatility and richer performance.

[0057] Example 4 - Dual-handle wired controller

[0058] In this embodiment, the power input terminal is a USB terminal, and a first handle is provided on the power input terminal. A charging protocol chip is provided in the first handle, or a charging protocol signal is generated by a programmable microcontroller and transmitted to the USB terminal; the cable between the first handle and the second handle contains two independent wires for providing the main power supply and a keyboard signal line; the second handle is provided with a keyboard; and the cable between the second handle and the output terminal is provided with two independent wires for providing the main power supply.

[0059] When operating the keyboard on the second handle, the keyboard status is transmitted to the first handle through the keyboard signal line. The first handle sends a charging protocol to the USB terminal according to the keyboard signal to control the power voltage transmitted by the USB terminal. The power is transmitted to the output terminal through the second handle and the cable between the second handle and the output terminal, providing the controlled device with power regulated by the keyboard on the second handle.

[0060] Since the USB power supply has multiple power supply voltage levels as specified in the protocol when used as a charging power source, but the lowest is 5V, as an optional solution, a power switch button and a power switch circuit can be provided on the first handle. The power switch button can be used to control the action of the power switch to turn on or off the power from the USB terminal.

[0061] The beneficial effects of this embodiment after implementation are: utilizing a mature USB fast charging adapter and its charging protocol, and through a wire controller adjustment method, providing a universal power supply regulated by a wire controller to adjust the working state of the controlled device.

[0062] In this application, in the claims and description, the conjunction "and / or" means that the two options it connects can coexist or one of them can be selected.

[0063] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to in detail. Each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. Therefore, the descriptions of some embodiments are relatively simple. For structurally related parts, refer to the partial description of Example 1.

[0064] While the above description describes specific embodiments of the present disclosure, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the structures described in the claims can achieve the desired results according to the specific embodiments described above.

[0065] The above description is merely one or more embodiments of this specification and is not intended to limit this specification. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the techniques of one or more embodiments of this specification may be combined in new ways to achieve new implementations, or various modifications and variations may be made. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, or technical combinations made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification shall be included within the scope of the claims of this specification.

Claims

1. A universal online controller, characterized by: A device installed between a controlled device and its power supply cable, used to control the operating status of the controlled device, including a power input terminal, an input cable, an online control handle, an output cable, and an output terminal; The online control handle is provided with an interactive device; The interactive device includes an operating keyboard.

2. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the interactive device further comprises a power regulation circuit, and / or a timing circuit, and / or a control signal encoding circuit responsive to the keyboard operation; The power supply regulating circuit includes but is not limited to a voltage regulating circuit, a current regulating circuit, and a pulse width regulating circuit for the power supply; The control signal encoding circuit is a circuit that responds to the operation of the keyboard with a predetermined encoding signal, and the encoding signal is transmitted to the controlled device through the output cable and the output terminal.

3. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the interaction device also includes an indicator light for indicating the existence of the online controller, and / or the power status, and / or responding to operations on the keyboard.

4. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that the interaction device further includes a honeycomb for indicating an operation response to the keyboard and / or indicating the working status of the controlled device.

5. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that there are multiple control handles, which are arranged in series or star shape on the power supply cable of the controlled device, and each handle has a different shape and / or color to facilitate differentiation between the handles.

6. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that a primary control handle is further provided on the power input terminal, with operating buttons and a power regulation circuit installed therein.

7. A universal online controller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of independent conductors within the input and output cables is one of the following: Both the input and output cables have 2 conductors; The input cable has two conductors, and the output cable has more than two conductors; The input cable has more than 2 conductors, and the output cable has 2 conductors; Both the input-end cable and the output-end cable have two or more conductors.

8. A universal online controller according to claim 6, characterized in that the power input terminal is a USB plug, and the primary control handle is provided with a charging protocol chip, or an MCU chip with a built-in charging protocol function.

9. A universal online controller according to claim 2, characterized in that the control signal encoding circuit in the control handle is a high-speed switching circuit for the power supply, which modulates the signal encoding into a predetermined switching pattern for the power supply.

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