JP6226980B2 - Intelligent connector and bus controller - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an appliance, and more particularly to an intelligent connector configured to couple a slave module to a bus in the appliance and a bus controller configured to couple a master control module to the bus in the appliance.

  With the development of electronic technology, more and more electrical appliances incorporate different hardware modules for performing different physical functions. For example, hardware modules such as electric heaters, fans, motors, and various types of sensors are incorporated in household electrical products. In order to control the operation of these hardware modules, the appliance's master control board shall supply power to each of these hardware modules or between the master control board and different hardware modules. Must be connected to each of the hardware modules in order to be able to communicate signals. Furthermore, a switch or relay for controlling power supplied to the hardware module is usually incorporated on the master control panel.

  However, with conventional appliances, the implementation of the electrical connection between the master control board and the hardware module requires that each respective hardware module be individually connected to the master control board by wires. This will result in a large number of interfaces on the master control board, and thus a large number of wires drawn from these respective interfaces. This type of control circuit structure has a complicated structure and low expandability, and its maintenance cost is high.

  Based on the above analysis, it is desirable to provide a device with a simple structure for coupling a main control module with a slave module in an appliance.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an intelligent connector for coupling a bus to at least one slave module in an appliance, wherein a signal is transmitted between the bus and the slave module. The signal processing unit for processing the transmitted signal and responding to the control signal when the control signal from the bus has the same address as the address of the signal processing unit, and the bus A first port coupled between the bus and the signal processing unit for transmitting signals to and from the signal processing unit, the first port coupled to a power line for receiving supply power And the signal processing unit and the slave module for transmitting signals between the signal processing unit and the slave unit. A second port coupled between Le, intelligent connector and a second port configured to provide a supply power to the slave module is provided.

  Since the intelligent connector is arranged with the signal processing unit, the intelligent connector can not only transmit signals between the bus and the slave modules and provide power supply, but also from the bus. Processing can also be performed in response to the control signal. Thereby, the slave module coupled with the signal processing unit, in particular, any machine or appliance module (heater, motor, valve, etc.) improves the overall controllability and operation efficiency of the appliance. It can have signal processing performance.

  Furthermore, since the slave module can be coupled to the master control module in the appliance via the intelligent connector, the slave module connects to the master control module via different signal lines and power lines. There is no need. This effectively reduces the number of wires in the appliance.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal processing unit includes a filtering subunit, a signal amplification subunit, a digital / analog conversion subunit, an analog / digital conversion subunit, and a modulation / demodulation subunit.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the intelligent connector is a power control unit coupled between the first port and the second port, and controls the power supplied to the slave module. For this purpose, it further includes a power control unit coupled to the signal processing unit to switch the connection of the slave module with the power line under the control of the signal processing unit.

  In the prior art, the supply power of the slave module is directly controlled by a master control module remote from the slave module. Compared with this prior art, the power control unit of the intelligent connector described above is located close to the slave module, and the connection with the slave module is simpler. Therefore, the number of wires in the electric appliance can be effectively reduced.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the power control unit includes a relay or a controllable switch.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the power control unit converts the supply power provided by the power line from alternating current to direct current, and provides the converted supply power to the slave module and the signal processing unit. Further comprising an AC-DC converter subunit.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the power control unit converts a supply voltage of DC power supplied by the power line, and provides the converted supply voltage to the slave module and the signal processing unit. -Further comprising a DC converter subunit.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the bus is a power line carrier communication circuit. The intelligent connector includes a second modem unit coupled to the signal processing unit for signal modulation and demodulation, and the modulated signal for transmitting the modulated signal between the second modem unit and the bus. A second coupling unit coupled between the second modem unit and the first port;

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the bus is a DC power line communication bus, and the intelligent is coupled between the signal processing unit and the first port for signal modulation and demodulation. A modem unit.

  Unlike the prior art, the intelligent connector described in the above embodiment is suitable for receiving the power line carrier bus or the DC power line communication bus. In this way, there is no need to use additional data signal lines to transmit data signals, and the number of wires in the appliance can be further reduced.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the first port is a PSI5 bus port.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the first port is an RS-485 bus port or a LIN bus port.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the second port is coupled to the slave module by direct contact or indirect contact.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the intelligent connector further includes an expansion interface for coupling an expansion unit to the signal processing unit.

  According to another aspect of the invention, a bus controller is further provided for coupling the master control module and the bus in the appliance. The bus controller includes a control unit for transmitting signals between the bus and the master control module. The control unit is configured to add a destination address to a control signal from the master control module, the destination address indicating an address of an intelligent connector coupled to the bus corresponding to the control signal.

  By using the bus controller, the master control module can interact with the slave module via the bus and control the operation of the slave module. In this way, the master control module does not need to have a separate interface for connecting to each slave module. Thus, the number of wires in the appliance can be further reduced, and thus the control circuit module is reduced in complexity.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, the bus controller is configured to transmit a first modem unit for signal modulation and demodulation, and the modulated signal between the first modem unit and the bus. And a first coupling unit coupled to the first modem unit.

  In an embodiment of the present invention, the bus includes a plurality of bus branch sections. The first binding unit further includes a plurality of binding subunits. Each coupling subunit is coupled to one of the plurality of bus branches, and the bus controller further includes a multiplexing unit having a plurality of data signal channels. The multiplexing unit is configured to select a data signal channel from the plurality of data signal channels for transmitting a signal between the first modem unit and the control unit.

  Since the bus controller has a multiplexing unit for switching the data signal channel, the bus controller need only have a modem unit, which is shared by a plurality of combining subunits in the combining unit. The

  In one embodiment of the invention, each coupling subunit includes a primary coil and a secondary coil, and each secondary coil is coupled to a bus branch via a coupling capacitor.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the first coupling unit includes a primary coil, each coupling subunit includes a secondary coil, the plurality of coupling subunits share the primary coil, and each secondary coil includes Each is coupled to the bus branch via a coupling capacitor.

  In one embodiment of the invention, the bus controller is coupled to the bus via an RS-485 bus interface, a LIN bus interface, or a PSI5 bus interface.

  The above and other features of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the following embodiments.

  The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become more apparent through the detailed description of embodiments of the present invention by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or similar numerals or symbols used in the drawings of the present invention indicate the same or similar components.

1 shows a control circuit 100 including a bus controller 110 and an intelligent connector 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 shows an embodiment of the bus controller 110 shown in FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of an intelligent connector 120 shown in FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the intelligent connector 120 shown in FIG. 6 shows a control circuit 200 including a bus controller 210 and an intelligent connector 220 according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 shows an embodiment of the bus controller 210 shown in FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the intelligent connector shown in FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the bus controller 210 shown in FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the intelligent connector shown in FIG. One embodiment of a first coupling unit 213 and a second coupling unit 225 is shown. 6 shows another embodiment of the bus controller shown in FIG.

  In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to several of the accompanying drawings of the present invention. Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention do not represent all possible embodiments. The present invention may have other embodiments, and may be structurally or logically modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined in the appended claims.

  FIG. 1 shows a control circuit 100 that includes a bus controller 110 and an intelligent connector 120. The control circuit 100 couples the master control module 130 to the at least one slave module 140 in an appliance (not shown) to provide signal communication or exchange between the master control module 130 and the slave module 140. Installed in the appliance.

  In some examples, the appliance may be, for example, a home appliance, an industrial device, or a numerically controlled (NC) machine tool. In the electric appliance, the master control module 130 refers to a module for controlling the operation of the slave module 140. Based on a user input or an instruction generated by the application program, the master control module 130 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the slave module 140. Slave module 140 includes a microcontroller unit, a microprocessor, or other suitable electronic device. The slave module 140 refers to an electronic module or an electromechanical module that is coupled to the master control module 130 via the control circuit 100. In some examples, the operation of the slave module 140 is controlled by control signals provided by a master control module 130 such as a heater, radiator, actuator or the like. In another example, a slave module 140, such as a sensor, can generate a feedback signal. In general, the operation of the slave module 140 can be maintained by the loaded supply power, and its operating state can vary with different supply power (eg, different supply power, current or voltage).

  The number of slave modules 140 shown in FIG. 1 is only an example, and those skilled in the art will not be limited to three slave modules 140 in an electric appliance, but one, two, or four in an actual application. It turns out that it can be set as above. Further, in an actual application, one intelligent connector 120 can correspond to two or more slave modules 140.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control circuit 100 employs a bus structure, and there is a bus 150 for coupling the intelligent connector 120 to the bus controller 110 for transmitting data signals. For example, a control signal from the master control module 130 can be transmitted to the intelligent connector 120 via the bus 150, and further provided to the corresponding slave module 140 via the intelligent connector 120, Alternatively, the feedback signal from the slave module 140 can be transmitted to the bus controller 110 via the bus 150 and further provided to the master control module 130 via the bus controller 110.

  In actual applications, the intelligent connector 120 is also coupled to the power line 160 to receive power supplied from the power line 160 (such as power supplied from a power source) and provides that power to the slave module 140. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the power line 160 is guided to the intelligent connector 120 via the bus 150. That is, the bus 150 includes a signal bus 151 for transmitting signals and a power bus 152 for supplying power. The power bus 152 can obtain supply power by indirectly coupling to the power line 160 via the bus controller 110 or directly to the power line 160 on the appliance. In actual applications, the connection between the power bus 152 and the power line 160 can be made by either of the above two coupling methods, or both of these two methods, as shown in FIG. In some other embodiments, the power line 160 can be coupled directly to the intelligent connector 120 without using the bus 150, and the power is transmitted via the intelligent connector 120 to the corresponding slave module 140. Can be provided.

  2 and 3 show examples of the bus controller 110 and the intelligent connector 120, respectively. Next, the bus controller 110 and the intelligent connector 120 will be described in more detail by combining FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bus controller 110 is configured to couple the bus 150 with the master control module 130.
A control unit 111 for transmitting a signal between the bus 150 and the master control module 130 is included, and the control unit 111 is configured to add a destination address to the control signal from the master control module 130. Indicates the address of the intelligent connector 120 coupled to the bus 150 corresponding to the control signal.

  By using the destination address for the control signal, the control signal from the bus controller 110 to the bus 150 can be recognized by the corresponding intelligent connector 120 so that the intelligent connector 120 is the slave to which the intelligent connector 120 is coupled. The corresponding actions of module 140 can be controlled. Of course, the control unit 111 can also supply other signals from the master control module 130 to the bus 150.

  In addition, the bus controller 110 further includes an interface unit 112 configured to match signal transmissions such as signal timing, signal level, signal format, etc. between the control unit 111 and the bus 150. In some examples, the bus controller 110 may be coupled to the buses 151, 152 via an RS-485 bus interface or a LIN (local interconnect network) bus interface, and the bus controller 110 may be connected to a corresponding bus protocol. Transmit signals according to specifications. Of course, the bus controller 110 can also communicate signals with the buses 151, 152 using other suitable bus interfaces and corresponding bus protocol specifications.

  Of course, in actual applications, the bus controller 110 can be a single hardware module and can be coupled to the master control module 130. This implementation method is highly compatible and the master control module 130 can be seamlessly incorporated. Alternatively, the bus controller 110 can be incorporated into the master control module 130 in firmware or software form. The hardware resulting from such implementation is relatively low cost and can be implemented simply by updating the software or firmware code in the master control module 130.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the intelligent connector 120 is configured to couple the bus 150 and at least one slave module 140, and the intelligent connector 120 includes:
Signal processing for transmitting signals between the bus 150 and the slave module 140, processing the transmission signals, and responding to control signals with corresponding addresses from the bus 150 upon receipt of the control signals Unit 121;
A first port 122 coupled between the bus 150 and the signal processing unit 121 for transmitting signals between the bus 150 and the signal processing unit 121, and also coupled to the power line 160 for receiving supply power. A first port 122,
A second port 123 coupled between the signal processing unit 121 and the slave module 140 for transmitting signals between the signal processing unit 121 and the slave module 140, and provides supply power to the slave module 140 A second port.

  In particular, because different intelligent connectors 120 coupled to the bus 150 have different addresses, these intelligent connectors 120 can be identified from each other and recognized by the bus controller 110. In the appliance to which the control circuit 100 is attached, when the master control module 130 controls the slave module 140, the bus controller 110 first receives a control signal provided by the master control module 130. Next, the bus controller 110 compresses the control signal as a data packet and adds a destination address to the control signal. Thereafter, the bus controller 110 sends the compressed control signal to the bus 150 and distributes the control signal to each intelligent connector 120 coupled to the bus 150 via the bus 150. When the compressed control signal and the destination address are received, the signal processing unit 121 in each intelligent connector 120 confirms and determines whether or not the destination address corresponds to its own unique address. If it matches the address, the signal processing unit 121 decompresses the data packet and obtains a control signal, but if the destination address does not match the address of the signal processing unit 121, the data packet is discarded. The signal processing unit 121 then operates in accordance with the different control instructions in the control signal in response to the acquired control signal.

  In some examples, the signal processing unit 121 may include a filtering subunit, a signal amplification subunit, a D / A converter subunit, an A / D converter subunit, and a modulation / demodulation subunit. These subunits can perform corresponding signal processing on signals communicated with the intelligent connector 120.

  Since the signal processing unit 121 is disposed in the intelligent connector 120, the intelligent connector 120 can transmit signals between the bus 150 and the slave module 140 and provide supply power, and control signals from the bus 150 can be provided. It can be seen that processing can also be performed in response to. This allows the slave module 140, particularly connected to any machine or appliance module (heater, motor, valve, etc.), to have signal processing capabilities, thereby enabling controllability and efficiency of the overall operation of the appliance. Will improve.

  As described above, in an actual application, the control unit 111 in the bus controller 110 is used to transmit signals between the bus 150 and the master control module 130. Therefore, the signal processing unit 121 in the intelligent connector 120 is arranged to transmit signals between the bus 150 and the slave module 140. Thus, bidirectional communication can be performed between the master control module 130 and the slave module 140 by using the bus 150, the bus controller 110, and the intelligent connector 120.

  For example, the slave module 140 is a sensor that is a module capable of generating a detection signal. The detected data can reflect the operating state of the appliance. For example, the slave module 140 is a temperature sensor that detects a temperature change in the electric appliance and generates a feedback signal according to the temperature change. In other examples, the operating state of the slave module 140 changes according to changes in the operating state of the appliance. For example, the slave module is a radiator (such as a fan), and the heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator changes with changes in the local temperature or overall temperature of the appliance. In some other examples, the feedback signal may be a response by the slave module 140 to a control signal emitted by the master control module 130. Thus, under this circumstance, intelligent connector 120 can receive a feedback signal from slave module 140. The feedback signal contains detection data that reflects the operating state of the appliance or other signals from the slave module 140. In this way, the intelligent connector 120 encapsulates the feedback signal. Optionally, intelligent connector 120 may add addresses to the feedback signals to instruct slave module 140 that is configured to transmit these feedback signals. Next, the slave module 140 transmits a feedback signal to the bus controller 110 via the bus 150. Thereafter, the bus controller 110 decodes the encapsulated feedback signal and provides the feedback signal to the master control module 130. In this way, the master control module 130 determines the operating state of each slave module 140 in the appliance and further centralizes the management and control of these slave modules 140.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the bus 150 includes a signal bus 151 and a power bus 152. Accordingly, the first port 122 of the intelligent connector 120 is suitable for connecting the buses 151 and 152 so that signal transmission such as signal timing, signal level, signal format, and the like is consistent with the two buses 151 and 152. Yes. In some examples, the first port 122 of the intelligent connector 120 is an RS-485 bus interface or a LIN bus interface that transmits signals according to a corresponding bus protocol specification. Accordingly, the bus controller 110 can also be coupled to the bus 150 by an RS-485 bus interface or a LIN bus interface. Of course, intelligent connector 120 and bus controller 110 can communicate signals to and from buses 151, 152 using other suitable bus interfaces and corresponding bus protocol specifications.

  In another aspect, the second port 123 is arranged to couple the intelligent connector 120 with the slave module 140. This second port 123 is connected to the slave by direct contact, i.e., by transmitting signals and supply power, such as through conductive leads or conductive contact pieces that require direct contact. It can be coupled to the module 140. Alternatively, the second port 123 may be coupled to the slave module 140 by transmitting signals and supply power without contact, i.e., electromagnetic fields, light waves, ultrasound, or other media.

In some embodiments, intelligent connector 120 also includes one or more expansion interfaces configured to connect expansion subunits. The expansion interface supports devices such as input devices, display devices, or other expansion subunits suitable for coupling to the intelligent connector 120. An extended interface such as UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter), I ² C (Inter-Integrated Circuit), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), or other interfaces may be used.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the first port 122 of the intelligent connector 120 is coupled to the power line 160 by the bus 150 to receive the supply power provided by the power line 160. In addition, the first port 122 and the second port 123 are in direct electrical contact so that the received supply power can be supplied to the slave module 140 by the second port 123. .

  FIG. 4 shows another example of the intelligent connector 120 shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the intelligent connector 120 also includes a power supply control unit 124 for controlling the supplied power.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power control unit 124 is coupled between the first port 122 and the second port 123, and controls the slave module 140 and the power line 160 to control the power supplied to the slave module 140. The signal processing unit 121 is further coupled to switch the connection.

  Specifically, the intelligent connector 120 includes a circuit control member such as a controllable switch or relay. The controllable switch or relay is arranged in an electrical path from the power line 160 to the slave module 140 and is configured to change the power supplied to the slave module 140 based on the state of the circuit control member.

  In one example, the supply power provided by power line 160 is alternating current. Accordingly, the power supply control unit 124 further includes an AC-DC conversion subunit for converting the supply power provided by the power line 160 from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC), and all the converted supply power is a slave module. 140 and the signal processing unit 121. In other examples, the supply power provided by power line 160 is direct current (DC). The power control unit 124 further includes a DC-AC conversion subunit for converting a DC supply voltage provided by the power line 160, and provides all the converted voltages to the slave module 140 and the signal processing unit 121.

  In the prior art, the supply power of the slave module is directly controlled by a master control module remote from the slave module. Compared with the prior art, the power supply control unit 124 in the intelligent connector 120 in this embodiment is close to the slave module 140 and the connection with the slave module 140 is relatively uncomplicated. Is effectively reduced.

  FIG. 5 illustrates that another embodiment of the present invention for the control circuit 200 includes a bus controller 210 and an intelligent connector 220.

  In the control circuit 200 shown in FIG. 5, the bus 250 is a circuit that transmits a signal via a power line. For example, the bus 250 is a power line carrier communication circuit or a DC power line communication bus. In this case, the signal bus 151 and the power bus 152 shown in FIG. 1 are integrated into a single circuit. Since the control circuit 200 does not need to have an additional signal circuit for transmitting data signals, it effectively reduces the number of wires in the appliance. In addition, since the control circuit 200 utilizes a single circuit for sending data signals and supply power between the master control module 230 and the slave module 240, the master control module 230 is connected to each slave module. There is no need to have multiple separate interfaces for connecting to 240. This further reduces the number of wires and reduces the complexity of the control circuit module 200.

  In order to collect data signals from bus 250, bus controller 210 and intelligent connector 220 coupled to bus 250 must be integrated into a unit configured to modulate and demodulate signals. The modulation / demodulation (modem) unit is a signal provided by the master control module 230 or a signal provided by the slave module 240 so that the data signal and the supplied power can be transmitted through the same bus 250. Can be converted into a form operable for power line transmission.

  6 and 7 respectively show an example of the bus controller 210 and the intelligent connector 220 shown in FIG. 5, and the bus controller 210 and the intelligent connector 220 are transmitted by the bus 250 when the bus 250 is a DC power line communication bus. This is applicable when the supplied power is DC and the signal is modulated to DC.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the bus controller 210 includes a control unit 211 and a first modem unit 212. The first modem unit 212 modulates and demodulates signals, that is, a master control module 230. Is coupled between the control unit 211 and the bus 250 for modulating and demodulating the control signal from and from the bus. The first modem unit 212 allows both signal and supply power to be transmitted over the same bus 250. In some examples, the bus controller 210 may be coupled to the bus 250 via PSI 5 (Peripheral Sensor Interface 5).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the intelligent connector 220 includes a signal processing unit 221, a first port 222, a second port 223, and a second modem unit 224, and the signal processing unit 221 and the first port The second modem unit 224 coupled to the port 222 modulates and demodulates the signal, ie, the control signal from the bus 250 and the feedback signal from the slave module 240, in order to modulate and demodulate the signal. It is configured to In some examples, the first port 222 is a PSI5 bus interface.

  8 and 9 show another example of the bus controller 210 and the intelligent connector shown in FIG. The bus controller 210 and intelligent connector are adapted to a bus 250, which is a power line carrier communication line, i.e., the power supplied by the bus 250 is alternating current and the signal is modulated to alternating current (AC).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the bus controller 210 includes a control unit 211, a first modem unit 212, and a first coupling unit 213. The first modem unit 212 and the first coupling unit 213 include The control unit 211 and the bus 250 are connected in series. The first modem unit 212 is configured to modulate and demodulate signals. The first coupling unit 213 is coupled with the first modem unit 212 for communication of modulated signals between the first modem unit 212 and the bus 250.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the intelligent connector 220 includes a signal processing unit 221, a first port 222, a second port 223, a second modem unit 224, and a second coupling unit 225. The second modem unit 224 is coupled to the signal processing unit 221 for signal modulation and demodulation. Second coupling unit 225 is coupled between second modem unit 224 and first port 222 for communication of modulated signals between second modem unit 224 and bus 250. .

  The first modem unit 212 and the second modem unit 224 shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 perform signal modulation and demodulation by using a carrier wave modulation technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. Of course, in some examples, the slave module 240 may not feed back a signal to the master control module 230. Accordingly, the first modem unit 212 includes a modulator for modulating the control signal, and the second modem unit 224 includes a demodulator for demodulating the modulated control signal. In other examples, the slave module 240 may feed back a signal to the master control module 230. Accordingly, the second modem unit 212 may further include a modulator for modulating the feedback signal, and the first modem unit 224 may further include a demodulator for demodulating the modulated feedback signal.

  8 and 9, the signal coupling of the bus 250 with the first coupling unit 213 and the second coupling unit 225 can be obtained by a capacitive coupling circuit or an inductive coupling circuit structure. FIG. 10 shows an example of the first coupling unit 213 and the second coupling unit 225.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the coupling unit is coupled to the bus 250 via a transformer 261 and a coupling capacitor 262. The transformer 261 may isolate a high amplitude voltage on the bus 250 from other parts of the coupling unit. The coupling capacitor 262 and the secondary coil of the transformer 261 form a high pass filter for filtering out AC frequency (50 or 60 Hz) interference from the bus 250. The secondary coil of the transformer 261 is coupled to the input of the first operational amplifier 263, and the other input of the operational amplifier 263 is coupled to the reference inductance 264. When a signal is received from bus 250, operational amplifier 263 amplifies the signal difference between its two inputs and outputs the signal difference to the corresponding modem unit.

  In another aspect, the combining unit further includes a second operational amplifier 265, the input of which is receiving a modulated control signal, and the output of this operational amplifier 265 is via a transformer 261. Coupled to the primary coil of transformer 261 via coupling capacitor 269 to provide a control signal to bus 250. In this example, the output of the second operational amplifier 265 is further coupled in series with clamping diodes 266 and 267. The clamping diodes 266, 267 are configured to provide surge protection, i.e., to protect the second operational amplifier 265 from being damaged by instantaneous high voltage pulses. One end of the clamping diode 266 is coupled to a reference potential via a shunt capacitor 268.

  Note that the coupling unit shown in FIG. 10 only shows an exemplary circuit structure for the first coupling unit 213 and the second coupling unit 225. In actual applications, the first coupling unit 213 and the second coupling unit 225 may have other circuit structures according to different embodiments for coupling the modem unit to the bus.

  In some appliances, different slave modules may require power supplied by different magnitude voltages. For example, the voltage of power required by a lower rated operating power module such as a sensor is much smaller than the voltage of power required by a higher rated operating power module such as a radiator or heater. In this case, the bus 250 includes a plurality of bus branch sections, and each bus branch section supplies power having a voltage having a different magnitude. Each of these bus branches can be coupled to a different intelligent connector 220 and the same bus controller 210.

  Each intelligent connector 220 in the control circuit 200 is further coupled between the slave module 240 and the bus branch. As described above, the intelligent connector 220 can use the structure of the intelligent connector shown in FIG. However, since the bus controller 210 needs to be coupled to a plurality of bus branching units, the structure is different from the structure of the bus controller shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 shows another example of the bus controller shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the bus controller includes a control unit 211, a first modem unit 212, and a first coupling unit 213, and the first coupling unit 213 includes a plurality of coupling subunits 214. . Each coupling subunit 214 is coupled to the bus branch, communicates with an intelligent connector coupled to the bus branch via the bus branch, and supplies power to the intelligent connector.

  Further, the bus controller further includes a multiplexing unit 215 having a plurality of data signal channels. The multiplexing unit 215 includes a control unit 211, a first modem unit 212, and a first modem unit 212 for selecting one of a plurality of data signal channels for transmitting signals between the first modem unit 212 and the control unit 211. Between the slave module and the master control module coupled to different bus branches. In actual application, the multiplexing unit 215 receives a selection signal from the master control module to switch the data signal channel.

  Since the multiplexing unit 215 is arranged for switching the data signal channel, the bus controller need only have one modem unit 212. This modem unit 212 is shared by a plurality of coupling subunits 214 in the first coupling unit 213. This can reduce the use of modem units in the bus controller, thus reducing hardware costs.

  In one example, each coupling subunit 214 in the first coupling unit 213 includes a primary coil and a secondary coil. Each secondary coil of the coupling subunit is coupled to a bus branch via a coupling capacitor. In another example, the first coupling unit 213 includes a secondary coil, each coupling subunit 214 includes a secondary coil, multiple coupling subunits 214 share a primary coil, and each secondary coil is coupled Each is coupled to the bus branch via a capacitor. Such a coupling unit further reduces the use of coils and thus further reduces the cost of hardware.

  Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to the drawings and above description, such drawings and descriptions are illustrative and exemplary and are not intended to be limiting. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

  Other embodiments of the present invention can be readily understood and implemented by those skilled in the art upon review of the specification, detailed description, drawings, and appended claims. In the claims, the expression “comprising” does not exclude other elements and steps, and the expression “a” does not exclude a plurality of possibilities. In an actual application of the invention, one element can perform the functions of several technical functions in the claims. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

An intelligent connector for coupling a bus to at least one slave module in an appliance;
Transmit signals between the bus and the slave module, process the transmitted signals, and respond to the control signal when the control signal from the bus has the same address as the address of the signal processing unit Said signal processing unit for,
A first port coupled between the bus and the signal processing unit for transmitting signals between the bus and the signal processing unit, the first port coupled to a power line for receiving supply power; 1 port,
A second port coupled between the signal processing unit and the slave module for transmitting a signal between the signal processing unit and the slave module, and provides supply power to the slave module; viewing including the second port configured to,
A power control unit coupled between the first port and the second port, wherein the power control unit is controlled under the control of the signal processing unit to control the supply power supplied to the slave module; An intelligent connector further comprising a power control unit coupled to the signal processing unit to switch the connection of the slave module to a power line .   The intelligent connector according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit includes a filtering subunit, a signal amplification subunit, a digital / analog conversion subunit, an analog / digital conversion subunit, and a modulation / demodulation subunit.   The intelligent connector according to claim 1, wherein the power control unit includes a relay or a controllable switch.   The power control unit includes an AC-DC converter subunit for converting the supply power provided by the power line from AC to DC and providing the converted supply power to the slave module and the signal processing unit. The intelligent connector according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising:   The power control unit includes an AC-DC converter subunit for converting a supply voltage of power supplied by the power line and for providing the converted supply voltage to the slave module and the signal processing unit. The intelligent connector according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising:   The bus is a power line carrier wave communication circuit,
  The intelligent connector is
  A second modem unit coupled to the signal processing unit for signal modulation and demodulation;
  A second coupling unit coupled between the second modem unit and the first port for transmitting the modulated signal between the second modem unit and the bus; The intelligent connector as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 containing.   The bus is a DC power line communication bus;
  The intelligent connector is
  6. The intelligent connector according to claim 1, further comprising a second modem unit coupled between the signal processing unit and the first port for signal modulation and demodulation. .   The intelligent connector according to claim 7, wherein the first port is a PSI5 bus port.   The intelligent connector according to claim 1, wherein the first port is an RS-485 bus port or a LIN bus port.   The intelligent connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the second port is coupled to the slave module by direct contact.   11. The intelligent connector according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising an expansion interface for coupling an expansion unit to the signal processing unit.   A bus controller for coupling a master control module and a bus in an appliance,
  The bus controller
  A control unit for transmitting signals between the bus and the master control module, the control unit configured to add a destination address to a control signal from the master control module;
  The destination address indicates an address of an intelligent connector coupled to the bus corresponding to the control signal;
  A first modem unit for signal modulation and demodulation;
  A bus controller further comprising: a first coupling unit coupled to the first modem unit for transmitting the modulated signal between the first modem unit and the bus.   The bus includes a plurality of bus branch portions,
  The first binding unit further comprises a plurality of binding subunits;
  Each coupling subunit is coupled to one of the plurality of bus branches,
  The bus controller further includes a multiplexing unit having a plurality of data signal channels,
  13. The multiplexing unit according to claim 12, wherein the multiplexing unit is configured to select a data signal channel from the plurality of data signal channels for transmitting signals between the first modem unit and the control unit. The described bus controller.   Each coupling subunit includes a primary coil and a secondary coil;
  The bus controller according to claim 13, wherein each secondary coil is coupled to the bus branch via a coupling capacitor.   The first coupling unit includes a primary coil;
  Each binding subunit includes a secondary coil;
  The plurality of coupling subunits share the primary coil;
  The bus controller according to claim 13, wherein each secondary coil is coupled to the bus branch via a coupling capacitor.   The bus controller according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the bus controller is coupled to the bus via an RS-485 bus interface, a LIN bus interface, or a PSI5 bus interface.

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