CN108475079B

CN108475079B - Control device of temperature control system

Info

Publication number: CN108475079B
Application number: CN201680078899.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郑提允
Original assignee: Qingdong Navien
Current assignee: Qingdong Navien
Priority date: 2016-01-13
Filing date: 2016-12-21
Publication date: 2021-06-29
Anticipated expiration: 2036-12-21
Also published as: KR20170084858A; GB2563754A; WO2017122946A1; GB201812988D0; KR101959896B1; CN108475079A; RU2702285C1; GB2563754B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a control device of a temperature control system, which may include: a charging unit that charges the battery using a main power supply received from the main device and supplies the charged power supply to the additional function unit; an input unit that generates an activation command corresponding to a user operation; and a control section that operates by the main power supply and controls to connect the charging section and the additional function section when an activation command is input. According to the present invention, the control device of the temperature control system can provide additional functions of voice output, near field communication, color display, etc. to the user, thereby increasing comfort.

Description

Control device of temperature control system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a control device of a temperature control system, and more particularly, to a control device of a temperature control system that provides not only basic functions for controlling the temperature control system but also additional functions such as WiFi communication, voice output, thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), and the like.

Background

The temperature control system includes various cooling/heating devices such as an air conditioner and a boiler for adjusting the indoor temperature, and a control device for controlling these devices. In general, a cooling/warming device (hereinafter, referred to as a "main device") is provided separately from a space where a user mainly moves, such as an indoor ceiling, a multipurpose room, or the like. Therefore, in order to allow a user to easily operate the main device, a control device connected to the main device is separately provided. The control device may be provided in an easy-to-operate place such as an indoor wall surface to enable a user to easily control the main device. That is, the user can operate the control device provided at the indoor wall surface to turn ON/OFF (ON/OFF) the power of the main device, or raise or lower the indoor temperature.

The control device described above is connected to the host device via two dc power lines, and thus receives power for operation from the host device and communicates with the host device. The master device may be connected to a regular voltage (e.g., AC 220V) and supply the power required to control the operation of the device through a dc power line. And the main device and the control device can realize mutual communication by adjusting the voltage of the direct current power line.

For example, when a voltage of 10[ V ] or more is received from the control device (or the host device), the host device (or the control device) recognizes "0", and when a voltage of less than 10[ V ] is received, recognizes "1" and performs communication, assuming that the control device is preset so as to be able to operate at a direct current of 5[ V ].

At this time, the host device may alternately transmit voltages of 10[ V ] or more and less than 10[ V ], and the control device may recognize a signal received from the host device using the received voltages. The controller smoothes the voltage received from the host device by the regulator provided therein, and changes the voltage to a voltage of 5[ V ] necessary for controlling the basic operation of the host device and the like.

However, when the current used for the operation of the control device is larger than the current used for the basic operation, the basic voltage transmitted from the host device is lowered, and thus a communication error occurs or a voltage necessary for the basic operation cannot be generated. In the foregoing example, although the master device transmits the voltage of 12[ V ] to the control device and transmits a signal corresponding to "0", when the control device uses a large amount of current to cause the voltage of 12[ V ] to be lowered to 9[ V ], the control device may erroneously recognize "0" transmitted by the master device as "1", and thus a communication error may occur. In the above example, when the basic voltage is reduced to less than 5[ V ] due to a large amount of current used in the control device, the control device may not normally perform the basic operation. Therefore, when the current used by the control device is larger than the predetermined current, a separate power line needs to be connected to the control device or the main device needs to be replaced.

In recent years, with the development of wireless communication, in addition to a power supply and/or a function of controlling temperature of a host device (hereinafter, referred to as a "main function"), a function of consuming higher power than the main function, such as a color display (for example, a TFT LCD), wireless communication (for example, a wireless network, bluetooth, or the like), voice output, or the like, is often provided in a control device. This makes the above problem more prominent.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

The invention aims to provide a control device of a temperature control system, which can use additional functions such as wireless communication, voice output, TFT LCD and the like without connecting a separate power supply or replacing a main device.

Technical scheme

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed a control device of a temperature control system, including: a charging unit that supplies a charged charging source using power received from a connected host device; a main power supply unit that supplies a main power supply using power received from a connected main device; an additional function unit which selectively operates using the charging source and the main power source; and a control unit which operates through the main power supply and controls the additional function unit to operate using the charging source when a preset event occurs.

According to an embodiment, the control device further includes an input unit that generates and outputs a charging source mode signal according to a user operation, and the control unit is capable of controlling the additional function unit to operate by the charging source when the charging source mode signal is input.

According to an embodiment, the control unit may control the additional function unit to operate using the main power supply when an operation corresponding to the charging source mode signal is completed.

According to an embodiment, the control unit may control the additional function unit to operate using the charging source when receiving a charging source mode signal from the host device.

According to an embodiment, when the current used by the additional function unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined critical current, the control unit may control the additional function unit to operate using the charging source.

According to an embodiment, when the current used by the additional function unit is smaller than the critical current, the control unit may control the additional function unit to operate using the main power supply.

According to an embodiment, when the current used by the additional function unit is less than the critical current for a predetermined time or longer, the control unit may control the additional function unit to operate using the main power source.

According to an embodiment, the control device may further include a main power source monitoring part monitoring power received from the main device, thereby controlling connection of the charging part and the main device.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may release the connection between the charging unit and the main device when the voltage of the main power supply is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold voltage.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may connect the charging unit and the main device when the voltage of the main power supply exceeds the threshold voltage.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may connect the charging unit and the host device when a state in which the voltage of the main power supply exceeds the threshold voltage is maintained for a predetermined time or more.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may release the connection between the charging unit and the host device when a voltage input from the host device is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold voltage.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may connect the charging unit and the main device when a voltage input from the main device exceeds the predetermined threshold voltage.

According to an embodiment, the main power supply monitoring unit may connect the charging unit and the host device when a state in which the voltage input from the host device exceeds the threshold voltage is maintained for a predetermined time or more.

According to an embodiment, the additional function part may include one or more of a color display part, a speaker part, and a wireless communication part.

According to an embodiment, the voltage of the charging source may exceed the voltage of the main power source.

According to an embodiment, the above-mentioned master device may pass through two power lines

Are connected.

Advantageous effects

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control device of a temperature control system that can use additional functions such as wireless communication, voice output, TFT LCD, and the like without connecting a separate power supply or replacing a host device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a temperature control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the use of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a power usage method of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a charging method of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative embodiments, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, the specific examples of the present invention are not limited to the specific embodiments, but should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, a detailed description of related conventional techniques will be omitted when it is considered that the detailed description may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention. Also, the numbers (e.g., first, second, etc.) used in the description of the present specification are merely identification marks for distinguishing one constituent element from another constituent element. In the present specification, it should be understood that when one component is "connected" or "coupled" to another component, the one component may be directly connected to or directly coupled to the other component, but the connection or coupling may be achieved by interposing another component between the one component and the other component unless otherwise specified. In addition, terms such as "section (unit)", "device", "-" module "and the like described in the present specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this can be realized by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

It is to be expressly noted that the distinction of components in this specification is merely made for the different main functions each component performs. That is, two or more structural parts to be described below may be combined into one structural part, or one structural part may be differentiated into two or more different functions for further subdivision. It is to be understood that each component to be described below may additionally perform a part or all of the functions performed by other components in addition to the main function performed by itself, and that a part of the main functions performed by each component may be performed by other components.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a temperature control system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, a temperature control system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a main apparatus 100, a user device 200, and a control apparatus 300.

The main device 100 may include a cooling/warming room device and an air conditioner used in a home or public building, etc. For example, the main device 100 may include a boiler, an air conditioner and/or a fan heater, and the like. The host device 100 may be connected to the control device 300 through two dc power lines, so that it can communicate with the control device 300 while supplying preset power to the control device 300. Accordingly, the host device 100 may receive a signal corresponding to a user operation from the control device 300 and output and/or control a power state or the like.

For example, in order to increase the indoor temperature, the user may operate the control device 300, and the control device 300 may generate a signal corresponding to the user operation and transmit the signal to the main device 100 through the power line, and the control device 300 may perform an action for increasing the indoor temperature through the signal received from the control device 300. As another example, in order to turn ON (ON) or OFF (OFF) the power of the main device 100, the user may operate the control device 300, and the control device 300 may generate a signal corresponding to the user operation and transmit the signal to the main device 100 through the power line, and the main device 100 may turn ON (ON) or OFF (OFF) the power by the signal received from the control device 300.

The user equipment 200 may be connected to the temperature control device 300 to control the temperature control device 300. For example, the user device 200 may be a Remote Controller (Remote Controller) using infrared rays and/or a terminal supporting short-range Communication such as Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth (Bluetooth), Zigbee (Zigbee), Wireless network (WiFi), Wireless LAN (Wireless LAN), and the like. Further, the user equipment 200 may be connected to the temperature control apparatus 300 through the Internet (Internet) so that the temperature control apparatus 300 can be controlled remotely. Because, the temperature control device 300 may be connected to the Internet (Internet) by wire or wirelessly.

In order to control the temperature control device 300, a user may operate the user equipment 200, and the user equipment 200 may generate a signal corresponding to the user operation and transmit the signal to the connected temperature control device 300, and the temperature control device 300 may perform an action corresponding to the signal received through the user equipment 200. Therefore, the user can control the operation of the main apparatus 100 even in a remote place by operating the user equipment 200.

The control device 300 may be connected to the host device 100 through a power line, so as to be able to communicate with the host device 100 while receiving power. That is, the control device 300 may operate by receiving power from the host device 100 through the power line, and may exchange various signals with the host device 100. The control device 300 may generate a signal corresponding to a user operation and transmit the signal to the main device 100. Thereby, the host device 100 can perform an action according to the user operation. The control device 300 may display a signal received from the host device 100 through a screen provided therein, and provide visual information to the user. As described above, the operations of controlling the temperature of the host apparatus 100, displaying the current operating state of the host apparatus 100, and the like correspond to the main functions of the control apparatus 300.

On the other hand, the control device 300 may perform the following additional functions in addition to the main functions described above: the present embodiment is a method for controlling the communication of the main apparatus 100, which includes communicating with the user equipment 200 connected through a wireless communication network, outputting the current operation state of the main apparatus 100 or the like through voice, or driving a color display or the like. The additional functions as described above consume relatively high power compared to the main function. However, the host device 100 may be set to transmit power according to the main function operation of the control device 300, and therefore, an additional power source must be provided in order for the control device 300 to operate an additional function by using power supplied from the host device 100. Hereinafter, the operation of the control device 300 will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the control apparatus 300 may include a control part 310, a main function part 320, an input part 330, a charging part 340, a first switching part 350, an additional function part 360, a second switching part 370, a main power supply part 380, a main power supply monitoring part 385, and a third switching part 390.

The power supplied from the main device 100 may be input to the main power supply section 380. The main power supply portion 380 may include a regulator. Accordingly, the power supplied from the main device 100 may be smoothed

A voltage required for a main function in the main power supply section 380 (hereinafter, referred to as "Mains voltage ").

The main function part 320 may perform a main function of the control apparatus 300 by a main voltage input from the main power supply part 380. For example, the control device 300 may sense the indoor temperature using a temperature sensor (not shown) provided therein, and may display information on the indoor temperature. At this time, the room temperature information may be displayed on a monochrome display (not shown) instead of a color display (not shown). The main function portion 320 may include a temperature sensor, a monochrome display, a backlight LED of the monochrome display, and the like.

The power supplied from the main device 100 may be input to the communication section 395. The communication section 380 may judge the voltage supplied from the host device 100, thereby recognizing the signal transmitted at the host device 100. For example, assume a case preset in the following manner: the communication unit 395 judges "0" when recognizing a voltage of 10V or more and "1" when recognizing a voltage of less than 10V. At this time, the communication section 395 recognizes a signal corresponding to "0" when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is judged to be 12[ V ], and the communication section 395 may recognize a signal corresponding to "1" when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is judged to be 8[ V ]. The communication section 395 may output the recognized signal to the control section 310.

On the other hand, in order to set the indoor temperature, the user may operate the input unit 330, and the input unit 330 generates a signal according to the user operation and outputs the signal to the control unit 310. The control section 310 can control the communication section 395 so as to transmit the signal input through the input section 330 to the host device 100. The communication section 395 may change the voltage supplied from the host device 100 by the control of the control section 310. Thus, the communication unit 395 can transmit a signal corresponding to the control of the control unit 310 to the host device 100. The operation of the communication section 395 to transmit a signal to the master device 100 will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Thus, the host apparatus 100 can perform an operation according to the operation of the input unit 330 by the user. For example, in order to maintain the indoor temperature at 18 degrees, when the user operates the input section 330, the input section 330 may generate and output a signal corresponding to the user operation, and when the signal is input, the control section 310 may generate temperature setting information (through the communication section 395) and transmit the temperature setting information to the host apparatus 100. Therefore, the host device 100 may operate to maintain the indoor temperature at 18 degrees according to the received temperature setting information. According to the above method, the control device 300 can control the output of the host device 100 in a manner corresponding to the temperature set by the user.

As described above, the input section 330 may output a signal corresponding to a user operation to the control section 310. The input part 330 may include a keypad (Key Pad), a Touch Pad (Touch Pad), and the like, and may generate signals related to turning on/off a power supply, adjusting a temperature, and/or activating an additional function, and the like according to a user's operation, and output to the control part 310.

The main power may be supplied to the control part 310, the main function part 320, the input part 330, and/or the additional function part 360 in order to perform the main function of the control apparatus 300.

Also, the power supplied from the host device 100 may be supplied to the charging part 340 to enable the charging part 340 to achieve charging. The charging section 340 may include a plurality of configurations capable of charging and supplying electric power, for example, a rechargeable battery, a charging circuit, and the like. The charging part 340 may supply charged power (hereinafter, referred to as "charging source") to the additional function part 360 according to the control part 310. In the charging section 340, the charging source supplied to the additional function section 360 may be higher power than the main power source. For example, assume the following case: the current required for normal driving of the main function is 100 mA, while the current required for normal driving of the additional function is 300 mA. At this time, the current of the charging source supplied from the charging part 340 to the additional function part 360 may correspond to 300[ mA ].

The additional function unit 360 may include one or more of a wireless communication unit (not shown), a speaker unit (not shown), and a color display unit (not shown). For example, the additional function may be one or more of a voice output function through a speaker (not shown) and a color output function through a color display. And the additional functions may include a Near Field Communication (Near Field Communication) function, a Bluetooth (Bluetooth) Communication function, a Zigbee (Zigbee) Communication function, a wireless Communication function such as a wireless network (WiFi) function, and the like.

The additional function unit 360 operates using the main voltage supplied from the main power supply unit 380 or the charging voltage supplied from the charging unit 340. The additional function part 360 may be selectively supplied with a main voltage or a charging voltage according to the control of the control part 310. First, a case where the main voltage is supplied to the additional function unit 360 will be described. Hereinafter, the case where the additional function unit 360 operates by the main voltage is referred to as a "main power mode". In the main power mode, the additional function part 360 may perform a restrictive action. For example, assume a case where the additional function section 360 includes a wireless communication module. When the wireless communication module receives data, too much current may not be used, and thus normal operation may be performed in the main power mode. Also, a speaker (not shown) of the additional function part 360 may be activated (not outputting voice) in the main power mode, thereby maintaining a standby state. The color display unit (not shown) of the additional function unit 360 can be activated (no image is output) in the main power mode, and can be kept in a standby state.

In the main power mode, the first switching part 350 may connect the main power part 380 and the additional function part 360 in an activated state. In the main power supply mode, the second switching part 370 does not connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360 in an inactivated state.

When a preset event occurs, the control part 310 may activate the second switching part 370 and deactivate the first switching part 350 in order to connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360. Hereinafter, the case where the additional function unit 360 operates by the charging voltage is referred to as a "charging source mode".

For example, the control unit 310 may control the additional function unit 360 to operate in the charging source mode according to an operation of the input unit 330 by the user. The user can operate the input section 330 to output the current set temperature by voice. The speaker (not shown) may not normally output the voice through the main power source. This is because, when the speaker (not shown) outputs a voice, the voltage of the main power supply can be reduced to a predetermined voltage or lower by using a large amount of current. Therefore, the control section 310 outputs an activation signal to the second switching section 370 according to the signal input at the input section 330 so that the additional function section 360 operates in the charging source mode. The control unit 310 outputs a deactivation signal to the first switching unit 350 in accordance with the signal input from the input unit 330, so that the additional function unit 360 operates in the charging source mode. The second switching part 370 may connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360 by the input of an activation signal. The first switching part 350 may release the connection of the main power supply part 380 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the inactivation signal.

In the above example, although the speaker portion (not shown) included in the various functions of the additional function portion 360 is described by way of example, it is merely an example. Since a large amount of current is used in the case where the color display unit (not shown) outputs video as in the case where the speaker unit (not shown) outputs voice, the same operation as in the above example can be performed. Also, when a wireless communication part (not shown) (e.g., a wireless network module, a bluetooth module, etc.) transmits data to the user equipment 200, much current is used, and thus the same operation as the above example can be performed. Therefore, when the predetermined operation is performed as a case where the additional function unit 360 uses a large amount of current, the control unit 310 can perform control so that the additional function unit 360 operates in the charging source mode. Hereinafter, a signal for operating the additional function unit 360 in the charging source mode is collectively referred to as a "charging source mode signal".

In another example, the control unit 310 may control the additional function unit 360 to operate in the charging source mode according to the charging source mode information received from the host device 100. The host device 100 may transmit charging source mode information (e.g., information for informing voltage ON/OFF of the host device 100, etc.) regarding the current operation state to the control part 310. When the charging source mode information on the current operation state of the host device 100 is input, the control part 310 outputs a voice through a speaker (not shown), or outputs a video through a color display (not shown), or transmits the information to the user device 200 connected through a wireless communication network, in order to inform the user of the information. At this time, the control unit 310 outputs an activation signal to the second switching unit 370 so that the additional function unit 360 operates in the charging source mode. Also, the control part 310 may output the inactivation signal to the first switching part 350. The second switching part 370 may connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360 through the input of an activation signal. The first switching part 350 may release the connection of the main power supply part 380 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the inactivation signal.

In another example, the control unit 310 may control the additional function unit 360 to operate in the charging source mode according to the charging source mode signal received from the user device 200. According to the user's operation, the user device 200 may transmit a charging source mode signal, which enables information on the currently set temperature to be transmitted to the user device 200, to the wireless communication module in the additional function part 360. As described above, the wireless communication module may normally receive a signal from the user equipment 200 also in the main power mode. Therefore, in order to transmit information on the current set temperature according to the charging source mode signal to the user equipment 200, the control part 310 may control the additional function part 360 to operate in the charging source mode. Because, the transmission of data to the user equipment 200 with the wireless communication module requires much current. In this case, the control part 310 outputs an activation signal to the second switching part 370 to operate the additional function part 360 in the charging source mode. The control unit 310 outputs an inactivation signal to the first switching unit 350 so that the additional function unit 360 operates in the charging source mode. The second switching part 370 may connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360 through the input of an activation signal. The first switching part 350 may release the connection of the main power supply part 380 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the inactivation signal.

As another example, the control unit 310 may control the additional function unit 360 such that the additional function unit 360 operates in the charging source mode by monitoring the current used by the additional function unit 360. When the current used by the additional function part 360 is above a preset critical current, the control part 310 may output an activation command to the second switching part 370. When the current used by the additional function unit 360 is equal to or greater than the critical current, the control unit 310 outputs an inactivation command to the first switching unit 350. The second switching part 370 may connect the charging part 340 and the additional function part 360 through the input of an activation signal. The first switching part 350 may release the connection of the main power supply part 380 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the inactivation signal.

Thereafter, control unit 310 may determine whether or not the charging mode is released. For example, when the operation of the additional function unit 360 according to the operation of the input unit 330 by the user is completed, the control unit 310 may release the charging source mode. The control unit 310 may release the charging source mode when the voice output of the speaker unit (not shown) is completed, the video output of the color display unit (not shown) is completed, or the data transmission of the user equipment 200 is completed. For another example, the control unit 310 may release the charging source mode when the operation of the additional function unit 360 is completed according to a signal received from the host device 100. As another example, the control part 310 may release the charging source mode when the operation of the additional function part 360 according to the signal received from the user equipment 200 is completed. As another example, the control part 310 may release the charging source mode when the current used by the additional function part 360 is less than the critical current. When the state in which the current used by the additional function part 360 is less than the critical current is maintained for a predetermined time or more, the control part 310 may release the charging source mode. Because, the current used by the additional function portion 360 can instantaneously become smaller than the critical current and become again the critical current or more.

To release the charging source mode, the control part 310 may output an activation command to the first switching part 350 and an inactivation command to the second switching part 370. The first switching part 350 may connect the main power supply part 380 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the activation command. The second switching part 370 may release the connection of the charging source part 340 and the additional function part 360 by the input of the inactivation command. Whereby the additional function part 360 can be operated again in the main power mode.

On the other hand, the power supplied from the host device 100 may be input to the charging section 340 to cause the charging section 340 to effect charging. At this time, the charging unit 340 may receive power through the main power supply monitoring unit 385 or the main power supply unit 380. The charging unit 340 may be connected to the main power supply monitoring unit 385 or the main power supply unit 380 via the third switch unit 390.

In order to prevent the voltage of the main power supply from being lowered due to the charging unit 340 using excessive power, the main power supply monitoring unit 385 may monitor the power supplied from the main device 100. For example, the main power supply monitoring section 385 may monitor the voltage of the main power supply output at the main power supply section 380. When the voltage of the main power supply is equal to or lower than a preset threshold voltage, the main power supply monitoring unit 385 can output the inactivation signal to the third switching unit 390 so that the charging unit 340 cannot consume power. In accordance with the inactivation of the third switching part 390, the third switching part 390 may release the connection of the main power supply monitoring part 385 and the charging part 340. When the threshold voltage is preset to 4.5V, the main power supply monitoring unit 385 may deactivate the third switching unit 390 when the main power supply is 4.5V or less.

As another example, the main power supply monitoring section 385 may monitor the voltage supplied from the main device 100. When the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is equal to or less than the preset threshold voltage, the main power supply monitoring portion 385 can deactivate the third switching portion 390 so that the charging portion 340 cannot consume power. This is for the main power supply section 380 to smooth the voltage supplied from the main device 100 to output a constant main power supply. However, when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage due to the power used by the charging unit 340, the main power supply unit 380 cannot output a constant main power supply. Therefore, when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is below the preset threshold voltage, the main power supply monitoring part 385 may output the inactivation command to the third switching part 390. The threshold voltage in this case may be set to a value above the main voltage. According to the inactivation command, the third switching part 390 may release the connection of the main power supply monitoring part 385 and the charging part 340.

By the above operation, charging unit 340 cannot perform the charging operation.

Thereafter, when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 and/or the main voltage exceeds a preset threshold voltage, the main power supply monitoring part 385 may output an activation command to the third switching part 390 so that the charging part 340 performs the charging operation again. At this time, when the state in which the "voltage supplied from the host device 100" and/or the "main voltage" exceeds the threshold voltage is maintained for a preset time or more, the main power monitoring part 385 may output an activation command to the third switching part 390. Because, the voltage supplied from the host device 100 and/or the main voltage may instantaneously exceed the threshold voltage and become below the threshold voltage again.

In the above description, the main power supply monitoring unit 385 is exemplified to monitor the voltage supplied from the host device 100 and/or the main voltage to control the third switch, but the operation of the main power supply monitoring unit 385 may be executed by the control unit 310. In this case, the control part 310 may be connected with the third switching part 390. And the control section 310 will also be connected to the power line that is connected to the host device 100. Therefore, the main power supply monitoring unit 385 may not be a separate component, but may be a logical component that performs a function of controlling whether or not the charging unit 340 is charged, among the functions of the control unit 310.

As described above, the control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention can utilize the charging part 360 provided thereto, so that it is not necessary to connect additional functions such as wireless communication using a lot of current, voice output, TFT LCD, etc. to an additional power source, or to provide a power source without changing a main device. Also, the control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may also monitor the voltage supplied from the host device 100, thereby preventing a decrease in the host function caused by the charging part 340 using excessive power.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary use of a control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3, the control device 300 may be installed on an indoor wall surface or the like in a position that can be easily operated by a user, and controls the main apparatus 100. The control device 300 may sense an indoor temperature and output indoor temperature information to the screen. Also, the user may perform a button input for setting the indoor temperature. For example, if the user desires the indoor temperature to be 26 degrees, the set temperature may be adjusted to be 26 degrees by button input for adjusting the temperature and set temperature information output from the screen. Thus, the control device 300 may transmit a signal for controlling the output of the host device 100 to the host device 100 according to the temperature set by the user.

For example, assume that the set temperature of control device 300 set by the user is 18 degrees. At this time, the control device 300 may generate a signal for operating the main device 100 and transmit to the main device 100, and the main device 100 may be activated by the signal, thereby performing an action for reducing the indoor temperature. In contrast, when the indoor temperature decreases to 18 degrees or less, the control device 300 may generate and transmit a signal for terminating the action of the main device 100 to the main device 100, and the main device 100 may be deactivated by the signal.

The control device 300 may perform additional functions according to the user's operation. Assume a case where the user operates a button to use an additional function. In this case, the control device 300 may operate the additional function using the rechargeable battery provided therein in order to normally operate the additional function corresponding to the operation of the user. The control device 300 may transmit data to the user equipment 200 connected through the wireless communication network by using the rechargeable battery. The control device 300 may output a voice by using a rechargeable battery provided therein. For example, when the user changes the set temperature, the control device 300 may output temperature information based on the set temperature changed by the user through voice using a rechargeable battery. When the user presses the warm-air use button, the warm-water use button, and the other buttons, the control device 300 may output voice information notifying the start and end of the operation corresponding to the buttons using the rechargeable battery.

Further, since the control device 300 can be connected to the user equipment 200 through a wireless communication network, the user can use functions such as temperature control and power on/off control of the main apparatus 100, set temperature change, bedtime reservation, and warm water use by operating the user equipment 200. At this time, the control device 300 may use the rechargeable battery and transmit information informing that an action corresponding to the user operation is normally performed to the user equipment 200.

The control device 300 may output, by using a rechargeable battery provided therein, setting temperature information and power supply status of the host device 100, indoor temperature information, and/or functional use status such as warm water and heating, etc., in various images through a color display device such as a TFT LCD. The control device 300 may not only display simple information such as text, but also output a temperature change graph in real time, or may output the use state information by various colors as well as video in such a manner that the user can easily recognize the use state information.

Hereinafter, a power usage method of the control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4. Although the steps to be described below may be steps executed by the components of the control device 300 described with reference to fig. 2, the steps are collectively referred to as being executed by the control device 300 for the sake of understanding and ease of description, and are described as such. Therefore, a main body performing the following steps may be omitted.

In step S410, the additional function operates through the main power mode.

In step S420, a preset event occurs, thereby determining whether or not to operate with the rechargeable battery having the additional function. The preset event may correspond to one or more of a case where the user operates the input device, a case where the signal from the main device 100 is input, a case where the signal from the user equipment 200 is output, and a case where the current used by the additional function unit is equal to or higher than the critical current.

In step S430, according to the determination result in step S420, when the operation by the secondary battery having the additional function is required, the first switch is deactivated and the second switch is activated. Thus, the additional function can be disconnected from the main power supply and connected to the rechargeable battery.

In step S440, the additional function operates through the charging source mode.

In step S450, it is determined whether the charging source mode is released. For example, the charging source mode may be released when an action according to a preset event is completed. For another example, the charging source mode may be released when the current used by the additional function portion is less than the critical current. At this time, when the state in which the current used by the additional function unit is less than the critical current is maintained for a predetermined time or more, the charging source mode may be released.

In step S460, when it is determined that the charging mode is released, the first switch is activated and the second switch is deactivated. Thus, the additional function can be connected to the main power supply and disconnected from the rechargeable battery.

In step S470, the additional function operates again in the main power mode.

Hereinafter, a charging method of the control device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5. Although the steps to be described below may be steps executed by the components of the control device 300 described with reference to fig. 2, the steps are collectively referred to as being executed by the control device 300 for the sake of understanding and ease of description, and are described as such. Therefore, a main body performing the following steps may be omitted.

In step S510, the rechargeable battery is charged with the electric power supplied from the host device 100.

In step S520, the power supplied from the host device 100 is monitored. This is to prevent the charging unit 340 from using excessive power to reduce the voltage of the main power supply. For example, the control device 300 may determine whether or not the voltage of the main power supply is equal to or less than the critical current (the power supplied from the host device 100 is smoothed and output). For another example, the control device 300 may determine whether the voltage supplied from the host device 100 is less than or equal to a critical current.

In step S530, according to the determination result, when the voltage of the main power supply is the critical voltage or less, or the voltage supplied from the main device 100 is the critical voltage or less, the third switch may be deactivated.

In step S540, the rechargeable battery cannot supply power from the main device 100 by the deactivation of the third switch, and thus the rechargeable battery cannot perform a charging action.

In step S550, when the voltage supplied from the host device 100 and/or the host voltage exceeds a preset threshold current, the third switch may be activated (step S560).

In step S570, by activating the third switch, the rechargeable battery may receive power from the host device 100, and thus the rechargeable battery may perform a charging action.

In the above description, although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control device of a temperature control system, comprising:

a charging unit that supplies a charging source for charging with power received from a connected host device;

a main power supply unit that supplies a main power supply using power received from a connected main device;

an additional function unit that includes one or more selected from a color display unit, a speaker unit, and a wireless communication unit, and that is selectively operated by the charging source and the main power source;

and a control unit that is operated by the main power supply and is capable of controlling the additional function unit to operate by the charging source when a preset event occurs in which an amount of current used when the additional function unit operates affects communication between the control device and the main device,

the control part controls the additional function part to operate using the charging source in response to a charging source mode signal generated according to a user operation or transmitted by the connected host device.

2. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

and an input unit that generates and outputs the charging mode signal according to the user operation.

3. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 2,

when the operation corresponding to the charging source mode signal is completed, the control unit controls the additional function unit to operate using the main power supply.

4. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1,

5. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1,

when the current used by the additional function part is greater than or equal to a preset critical current, the control part controls the additional function part to work by using the charging source.

6. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 5,

the control unit controls the additional function unit to operate using the main power supply when the current used by the additional function unit is smaller than the critical current.

7. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 6,

the control portion controls the additional function portion to operate using the main power supply when a state in which the current used by the additional function portion is less than a critical current is maintained for a preset time or more.

8. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a main power supply monitoring unit that monitors power received from the host device to control connection of the charging unit to the host device.

9. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 8,

the main power supply monitoring unit releases the connection between the charging unit and the main device when the voltage of the main power supply is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold voltage.

10. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 9,

the main power supply monitoring portion connects the charging portion and the main device when the voltage of the main power supply exceeds the threshold voltage.

11. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 10,

the main power supply monitoring portion connects the charging portion and the main device when a state in which the voltage of the main power supply exceeds the threshold voltage is maintained for a preset time or more.

12. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 8,

the main power supply monitoring unit releases the connection between the charging unit and the host device when a voltage input from the host device is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold voltage.

13. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 12,

the main power supply monitoring section connects the charging section and the main device when a voltage input from the main device exceeds the threshold voltage.

14. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 13,

the main power supply monitoring part connects the charging part and the main device when a state in which a voltage input from the main device exceeds the critical voltage is maintained for a preset time or more.

15. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1,

the voltage of the charging source exceeds the voltage of the main power source.

16. The control device of the temperature control system according to claim 1,

the main device is connected through two direct current power lines.