Radio remote-control apparatus having energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions

Abstract

A radio remote-control apparatus having energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions, comprising: a motor (1), an energy harvester (2), a rotation sensor (3) and a radio transmitter (4), wherein a stator of the motor (1) at least includes two windings; an input of the energy harvester (2) and an input of the rotation sensor (3) are both connected to the windings; an input of the radio transmitter (4) is connected to an output of the rotation sensor (3); when a circular dial (5) connected to a rotating shaft of the motor (1) is rotated, the motor (1) serves as a generator, both the windings generate alternating-current signals and output same to the energy harvester (2), and the energy harvester (2) provides a power supply to the rotation sensor (3) and the radio transmitter (4); in addition, the amount of rotation and direction of rotation of the circular dial (5) are also reflected in phase changes of the signals output by the windings, and on the basis of the phase changes of the signals output by the windings, the rotation sensor (3) generates a control signal, which is modulated and transmitted by the radio transmitter (4). The problem of it being difficult to realize self-supply of electric energy in rotation-sensing radio control is effectively solved, and a low-cost and efficient rotation remote-control mode is provided.

Description

Wireless remote control device with energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of control technology, and particularly relates to a wireless remote control device with energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions. BACKGROUND

[0002] In daily life, rotation control methods are widely used, such as dimming control of lighting, volume control, and "knob" for selecting in a function menu, etc. Although these rotation controls are mostly in a remote control mode, and do not need a physical line connection between the controller and the controlled device, the controller still needs power to drive its electronic devices, and thus still needs to be powered by a battery, which often needs to be replaced, and this is usually not welcome in a commercial environment. Photovoltaic cells can solve the power supply problem, but they need a large area to capture enough light, especially indoors, which makes them usually much larger than the size of the switch itself, and thus not suitable in many places and from an aesthetic point of view.

[0003] Chinese patent specification discloses a "passive remote control device (CN201420007511)", and specifically discloses the following: a wireless remote control device that can be used without power supply, with a power generation device, the power generation device having a pressing handle, a connecting block, a rotating shaft, a spring support, and a piezoelectric ceramic sheet. The pressing handle is of a U-shaped structure, and the two sides of the pressing handle are provided with protruding shaft necks supported by bearings on the bottom plate. The connecting block is of a special triangular structure, and the middle part of the connecting block is provided with a shaft supported by bearings on the bottom plate. One side of the connecting block is in contact with the pressing handle, and the other side is combined with the spring support to clamp the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is a cylindrical shaft, and the middle part of the rotating shaft has a gear, and the two ends of the rotating shaft are provided with gear teeth, and the middle gear corresponds to the piezoelectric ceramic sheet. The utility model solves the problem of not needing a battery for power supply, but its method is to press the piezoelectric ceramic sheet to obtain electric energy, which is not applicable to the rotation control method.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] I. Technical problems to be solved

[0006] The present application proposes a wireless remote control device with energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions, and aims to solve the problem of difficulty in providing electric energy by itself in rotation sensing wireless control.

[0007] II. Technical solutions

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions, including:

[0009] The motor, the energy collector, the rotation sensor and the wireless transmitter, the stator of the motor contains at least two windings, the input of the energy collector and the input of the rotation sensor are connected with the windings, the input of the wireless transmitter is connected with the output of the rotation sensor; when the circular dial connected with the rotation shaft of the motor rotates, the motor is used as a generator, the windings all generate alternating current signal output to the energy collector, and the energy collector provides power supply for the rotation sensor and the wireless transmitter after rectification and voltage multiplication; at the same time, the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the circular dial are also reflected on the phase change of the winding output signal, and the rotation sensor generates a control signal according to the phase change of the winding output signal, and the control signal is modulated and transmitted by the wireless transmitter.

[0010] Further, the energy collector comprises a rectification unit and a voltage multiplication unit, the rectification unit comprises a plurality of rectifiers, the inputs of the rectifiers are connected with the outputs of the windings, and the voltage multiplication unit outputs the direct current voltage superimposed by the outputs of the plurality of rectifiers.

[0011] Further, the windings comprise a first winding and a second winding, the energy collector comprises a first field effect tube, a second field effect tube, a third field effect tube and a fourth field effect tube, the gate of the first field effect tube is connected with the gate of the second field effect tube, the drain of the first field effect tube is connected with the drain of the second field effect tube, the second capacitor is connected between the gate and the source of the first field effect tube, the first capacitor is connected between the gate and the source of the second field effect tube, one end of the first winding is connected with the drain of the first field effect tube, and the other end of the first winding is connected with the gate of the first field effect tube; the gate of the third field effect tube is connected with the gate of the fourth field effect tube, the drain of the third field effect tube is connected with the drain of the fourth field effect tube, the third capacitor is connected between the gate and the source of the third field effect tube, the fourth capacitor is connected between the gate and the source of the fourth field effect tube, one end of the second winding is connected with the drain of the third field effect tube, and the other end of the second winding is connected with the gate of the third field effect tube.

[0012] The alternating current signal output by the first winding is conducted by the second field effect tube in the positive period, allowing the first capacitor to be charged, and the first field effect tube is conducted in the negative period, allowing the second capacitor to be charged; the alternating current signal output by the second winding is conducted by the third field effect tube in the positive period, allowing the third capacitor to be charged, and the fourth field effect tube is conducted in the negative period, allowing the fourth capacitor to be charged; the charged energy of the first capacitor, the second capacitor, the third capacitor and the fourth capacitor is sequentially superimposed and output.

[0013] Further, the rotation sensor comprises a first operational amplifier, a second operational amplifier, an XOR gate and a D-type flip-flop, the input of the first operational amplifier is connected to the output of the first winding, and the input of the second operational amplifier is connected to the output of the second winding; the output of the first operational amplifier is connected to the CLK end of the D-type flip-flop and the input of the XOR gate respectively, and the output of the second operational amplifier is connected to the D end of the D-type flip-flop and the other input of the XOR gate respectively.

[0014] The first operational amplifier converts the sinusoidal signal from the first winding into a first square wave signal, the second operational amplifier converts the sinusoidal signal from the second winding into a second square wave signal, while keeping the original phase relationship of the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal; the XOR gate converts the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal into a series of pulse signals, each pulse signal reflects the simultaneous rising or falling of the sinusoidal signals output by the first winding and the second winding when the circular dial rotates, and the rotation amount of the circular dial is determined by calculating the pulse signals; the D-type flip-flop takes the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal as the clock signal and the data signal respectively, and outputs a digital signal reflecting the phase lead or lag relationship between the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal, so as to determine the rotation direction of the circular dial.

[0015] Further, the motor is a stepper motor or an alternating current motor.

[0016] Preferably, the wireless transmitter is a BLE wireless transmitter.

[0017] III. Advantages

[0018] The wireless remote control device with energy collection and rotation sensing function of the present application obtains energy from the rotation motion applied to the device, without any external power supply or battery, effectively solving the problem of difficult self-provision of electric energy in rotation sensing wireless control, and providing a low-cost and efficient rotation remote control mode for many different applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Fig. 1 is a structural diagram of the present application.

[0020] Fig. 2 is an electrical schematic diagram of the energy collector of the present application.

[0021] Fig. 3 is an electrical schematic diagram of the rotation sensor of the present application.

[0022] Fig. 4 is a waveform diagram of the alternating current signal output by the two-phase stepper motor used as a generator in the present application.

[0023] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the output signal of the energy collector of the present application.

[0024] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the output signal of the rotation sensor of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can have a clearer understanding.

[0026] Embodiment one

[0027] As preferred in the present application, as shown in FIG. 1, it comprises a motor 1, an energy collector 2, a rotation sensor 3 and a wireless transmitter 4. In this embodiment, the motor 1 is a two-phase stepping motor. When the two-phase stepping motor is used as a generator by applying mechanical rotation to its rotor, energy will be generated from its windings in the form of alternating current output. The two windings of the two-phase stepping motor output alternating current signals with a phase difference of 90 degrees, and the waveform is shown in FIG. 4. This alternating current signal needs to be converted by low-power electronic devices in order to be converted into usable direct current power. The energy collector 2 takes on this role, and the input of the energy collector 2 is connected to the two windings of the stator of the two-phase stepping motor. When the circular dial 5 connected to the rotating shaft of the two-phase stepping motor is rotated, the two-phase stepping motor is used as a generator, and both windings generate alternating current output signals to the energy collector 2, which provides power to the rotation sensor 3 and the wireless transmitter 4 after rectification and voltage multiplication.

[0028] The rotation sensor 3 is used to determine the amount of rotation of the circular dial 5 and its rotation direction. The two alternating current signals output by the two windings of the two-phase stepping motor, one signal leads or lags the other signal by a certain angle, depending on the rotation direction. Therefore, by decoding the phase lead or lag relationship of the two signals, the rotation direction of the circular dial 5 can be determined. At the same time, by detecting the phase change of the two output signals, the amount of rotation can be determined, because one step of the two-phase stepping motor corresponds to a 90-degree phase change in the two signals, and the step size of the two-phase stepping motor is determined by its mechanical structure. Even if it is a low-cost stepping motor, its specifications are usually 1.8 degrees / step, which is sufficient for use as a rotation control. For example, using such a 1.8-degree / step two-phase stepping motor, a 45-degree rotation will produce 25 steps, i.e. a phase change of 2250 degrees, i.e. 6 complete cycles plus 90 degrees. The rotation sensor 3 then generates an output according to the phase change as a measure of the amount of rotation and a determination of the rotation direction, and transmits the generated output signal to the wireless transmitter 4 for modulation and transmission.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the two windings of the two-phase stepper motor include a first winding L1 and a second winding L2, each of which can be connected to a circuit that converts AC to DC and then voltage multiplies. In this embodiment, the energy harvester 2 includes a first field effect transistor M1, a second field effect transistor M2, a third field effect transistor M3, and a fourth field effect transistor M4, wherein M1 and M4 are NMOS transistors and M2 and M3 are PMOS transistors. The advantage of selecting field effect transistors is that they have much lower losses than the forward voltage required for Schottky diodes. Suitable field effect transistors have a turn-on gate threshold voltage of 0.5V or less, which makes them well suited for this application because the AC output voltage of each winding of a miniature two-phase stepper motor is typically only about 2V to 3V.

[0030] As shown in Figure 2, the energy harvester 2 includes two sets of full-wave rectification units and voltage multiplication units. The gate of the first field effect transistor M1 is connected to the gate of the second field effect transistor M2, the drain of the first field effect transistor M1 is connected to the drain of the second field effect transistor M2, the gate of the first field effect transistor M1 is connected to the source of the first field effect transistor M1 via a second capacitor C2, the gate of the second field effect transistor M2 is connected to the source of the second field effect transistor M2 via a first capacitor C1, one end of the first winding L1 is connected to the drain of the first field effect transistor M1, and the other end of the first winding L1 is connected to the gate of the first field effect transistor M1. The gate of the third field effect transistor M3 is connected to the gate of the fourth field effect transistor M4, the drain of the third field effect transistor M3 is connected to the drain of the fourth field effect transistor M4, the gate of the third field effect transistor M3 is connected to the source of the third field effect transistor M3 via a third capacitor C3, the gate of the fourth field effect transistor M4 is connected to the source of the fourth field effect transistor M4 via a fourth capacitor C4, one end of the second winding L2 is connected to the drain of the third field effect transistor M3, and the other end of the second winding L2 is connected to the gate of the third field effect transistor M3.

[0031] The energy harvester 2 works as follows: the AC signal output by the first winding L1, the second field effect transistor M2 is turned on during the positive cycle, allowing the first capacitor C1 to charge, the first field effect transistor M1 is turned on during the negative cycle, allowing the second capacitor C2 to charge; the AC signal output by the second winding L2, the third field effect transistor M3 is turned on during the positive cycle, allowing the third capacitor C3 to charge, the fourth field effect transistor M4 is turned on during the negative cycle, allowing the fourth capacitor C4 to charge; the charged energy of the first capacitor C1, the second capacitor C2, the third capacitor C3, the fourth capacitor C4 is output in turn after superposition. In the case of two windings in this embodiment, the maximum output will be four times the amplitude of the AC output of each winding. This enables the circuit to power electronic devices that typically operate in the range of 1.2 to 3.6V. In addition, the capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4 act as energy storage, once the voltage reaches the working level, they can be discharged and provide power for the rotary sensor and wireless transmitter. As shown in Figure 5, the energy harvester 2 outputs signal 403 after rectification and voltage multiplication of the sinusoidal signals 401 and 402 from the first winding L1 and the second winding L2 with a phase difference of 90 degrees, showing that the DC level increases to four times the amplitude of the AC signal as the capacitor charges. The capacitance value of each of the capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4 is a trade-off between the initial delay and the operating duration maintained by the dial rotation, when the voltage reaches a given level, power is supplied to the rotary sensor 3 and the wireless transmitter 4. If the energy generated by the energy harvester 2 is equal to or greater than the energy consumed by the rotary sensor 3 and the wireless transmitter 4, then the capacitance can be large enough to support transient peak current loads. When the energy generated by the energy harvester 2 is less than the energy consumed, the determination of the capacitance value is based on the estimated difference between the two, i.e. the net consumption energy, so that the energy provided by the capacitor can support the operation with the net consumption energy until the output voltage drops below the minimum operating voltage of the rotary sensor 3 or the wireless transmitter 4. At this time, if the circular dial 5 continues to rotate and energy continues to be generated, the energy harvester 2 stops outputting power at this time, but still allows the capacitor to charge and store enough energy, as in the start-up phase, once the output voltage reaches the minimum operating voltage of the rotary sensor 3 or the wireless transmitter 4, power is provided, and the cycle continues.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 3, the rotation sensor 3 comprises a first operational amplifier U1, a second operational amplifier U2, an XOR gate U3, a D flip-flop U4, the input of the first operational amplifier U1 is connected to the output of the first winding L1, the input of the second operational amplifier U2 is connected to the output of the second winding L2; the output of the first operational amplifier U1 is connected to the CLK terminal of the D flip-flop U4 and the input of the XOR gate U3 respectively, the output of the second operational amplifier U2 is connected to the D terminal of the D flip-flop U4 and the other input of the XOR gate U3 respectively. The advantage of the embodiment is that the first operational amplifier U1, the second operational amplifier U2, the XOR gate U3 and the D flip-flop U4 are not only low in price, but also can work under a voltage as low as 0.6V, thus suitable for use in cooperation with the energy collector 2.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows the output signal of the rotation sensor 3, the first operational amplifier U1 converts the sinusoidal signal 501 from the first winding L1 into a first square wave signal 505, the second operational amplifier U2 converts the sinusoidal signal 502 from the second winding L2 into a second square wave signal 504, while keeping the original phase relationship of the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal; the XOR gate U3 converts the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal into a series of pulse signals 503, each pulse signal reflects the simultaneous rising or falling of the sinusoidal signals output by the first winding L1 and the second winding L2 when the circular dial 5 rotates, and the rotation amount of the circular dial 5 is determined by calculating the pulse signals; the D flip-flop U4 takes the first square wave signal as the clock and the second square wave signal as the data input, and outputs a digital signal reflecting the phase leading or lag relationship between the first square wave signal 505 and the second square wave signal 504, thus determining the rotation direction of the circular dial 5.

[0034] In the embodiment, the wireless transmitter 4 is selected as a low-power Bluetooth (BLE), and the data output by the rotation sensor 3 can be transmitted in a data packet at a fixed interval, for example, once every 200 milliseconds.

[0035] The wireless remote control device with the functions of energy collection and rotation sensing of the present application makes the motor, the energy collector, the rotation sensor and the wireless transmitter cooperate with each other to obtain the required energy of the device while controlling the rotation, without any external power supply or battery, thus effectively solving the problem that it is difficult to provide power by itself in the rotation sensing wireless control, and providing a low-cost and efficient rotation remote control mode for many different applications.

[0036] The present application is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and various improvements to the technical solutions of the present application made by those skilled in the art according to the concept of the present application shall fall within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A wireless remote control device having energy harvesting and rotation sensing functions, characterized by, The application relates to a motor (1), an energy collector (2), a rotation sensor (3) and a wireless transmitter (4), wherein the stator of the motor (1) contains at least two windings, the input of the energy collector (2) and the input of the rotation sensor (3) are connected with the windings, and the input of the wireless transmitter (4) is connected with the output of the rotation sensor (3); when a circular dial (5) is connected with the rotating shaft of the motor (1), the motor is used as a generator, the windings all generate alternating current signal outputs to the energy collector (2), the energy collector provides power supply for the rotation sensor (3) and the wireless transmitter (4); meanwhile, the rotation amount and the rotation direction of the circular dial (5) are also reflected on the phase change of the winding output signal, the rotation sensor (3) generates a control signal according to the phase change of the winding output signal, and the control signal is modulated and transmitted by the wireless transmitter (4). The energy collector (2) contains a rectification unit and a voltage multiplication unit, the rectification unit contains a plurality of rectifiers, the inputs of the rectifiers are connected with the outputs of the windings, and the voltage multiplication unit outputs the direct current voltage of the rectifiers after superposition.

2. The wireless remote control device of claim 1, wherein: The windings include a first winding (L1) and a second winding (L2), the rectification unit includes a first field effect tube (M1), a second field effect tube (M2), a third field effect tube (M3) and a fourth field effect tube (M4), the voltage multiplication unit includes a first capacitor (C1), a second capacitor (C2), a third capacitor (C3) and a fourth capacitor (C4), the gate of the first field effect tube (M1) is connected with the gate of the second field effect tube (M2), the drain of the first field effect tube (M1) is connected with the drain of the second field effect tube (M2), the gate and the source of the first field effect tube (M1) are connected with the second capacitor (C2), the gate and the source of the second field effect tube (M2) are connected with the first capacitor (C1), one end of the first winding (L1) is connected with the drain of the first field effect tube, and the other end of the first winding (L1) is connected with the gate of the first field effect tube; the gate of the third field effect tube (M3) is connected with the gate of the fourth field effect tube (M4), the drain of the third field effect tube (M3) is connected with the drain of the fourth field effect tube (M4), the gate and the source of the third field effect tube (M3) are connected with the third capacitor (C3), the gate and the source of the fourth field effect tube (M4) are connected with the fourth capacitor (C4), one end of the second winding (L2) is connected with the drain of the third field effect tube, and the other end of the second winding (L2) is connected with the gate of the third field effect tube.

3. The wireless remote control device of claim 2, wherein: ​ 4. The wireless remote control device of claim 3, wherein: The AC signal output by the first winding (L1) allows the first capacitor (C1) to charge when the second field effect transistor (M2) is turned on in the positive cycle, and allows the second capacitor (C2) to charge when the first field effect transistor (M1) is turned on in the negative cycle; the AC signal output by the second winding (L2) allows the third capacitor (C3) to charge when the third field effect transistor (M3) is turned on in the positive cycle, and allows the fourth capacitor (C4) to charge when the fourth field effect transistor (M4) is turned on in the negative cycle; the charged energy of the first capacitor (C1), the second capacitor (C2), the third capacitor (C3), and the fourth capacitor (C4) is output after being stacked in turn.

5. The wireless remote control device of claim 1, wherein: The rotary sensor (3) comprises a first operational amplifier (U1), a second operational amplifier (U2), an XOR gate (U3), and a D-type flip-flop (U4); the input of the first operational amplifier (U1) is connected to the output of the first winding (L1), and the input of the second operational amplifier (U2) is connected to the output of the second winding (L2); the output of the first operational amplifier (U1) is connected to the CLK end of the D-type flip-flop (U4) and the input end of the XOR gate (U3), respectively; and the output of the second operational amplifier (U2) is connected to the D end of the D-type flip-flop (U4) and the other input end of the XOR gate (U3), respectively.

6. The wireless remote control device of claim 5, wherein: The first operational amplifier (U1) converts the sinusoidal signal from the first winding (L1) into a first square wave signal, and the second operational amplifier (U2) converts the sinusoidal signal from the second winding (L2) into a second square wave signal, while maintaining the original phase relationship of the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal; the XOR gate (U3) converts the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal into a series of pulse signals, each pulse signal reflecting the simultaneous rise or fall of the sinusoidal signals output by the first winding (L1) and the second winding (L2) when the circular dial (5) rotates, and the rotation amount of the circular dial (5) is determined by calculating the pulse signals; the D-type flip-flop (U4) takes the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal as the clock signal and the data signal, respectively, and outputs a digital signal reflecting the phase lead or lag relationship between the first square wave signal and the second square wave signal, thereby determining the rotation direction of the circular dial (5).

7. The wireless remote control device of claim 1, wherein: The motor (1) is a stepper motor or an AC motor.

8. The wireless remote control device of claim 1, wherein: The wireless transmitter (4) is a BLE wireless transmitter. The wireless transmitter (4) is a BLE wireless transmitter.

Images