KR102747866B1 - Apparatus and method for adjusting the cooling temperature in a cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a device and method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system include: a user terminal which communicates with a cooler, receives a cooling voltage value from a user through a cooling temperature setting application, generates a cooling temperature setting message including the cooling voltage value, and transmits the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler through the communication; and a cooling drive board of the cooler which receives the cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal through the communication, detects the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message, converts the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter, and sets a cooling temperature of the cooler according to the cooling temperature value.

Description

{Apparatus and method for adjusting the cooling temperature in a cooling system}

The present invention relates to a cooling system, and more particularly, to a device and method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system.

Typically, a cooler is provided in an electro-optical device to perform the function of cooling the temperature generated in the electro-optical device. Here, the cooler includes a cooling drive board, and the cooling drive board provides a function of detecting the internal temperature of the infrared detector and controlling the cooler so that the detected internal temperature is maintained at a preset cooling temperature.

Meanwhile, the cooling drive board includes a plurality of first variable resistors for controlling the cooling temperature and a plurality of second variable resistors for controlling a signal for driving the cooler (hereinafter referred to as a “cooling drive signal”).

However, the values of the first or second variable resistors change or a deviation occurs between the values of the first or second variable resistors due to physical impact on the cooling drive board (e.g., when the cooling drive board is assembled into the cooling drive board or the cooling drive board is moved to an external location). Accordingly, there has been a problem in that precise adjustment of the first or second variable resistors is difficult, and thus the cooling temperature or the cooling drive signal cannot be accurately controlled.

And there was a problem that it was difficult to respond quickly when a defect occurred in a discontinued major component of the cooling drive board. For example, the major component could be the control unit (or microcontroller) of the cooling drive board or the Electrically Programmable Logic Device (EPLD).

Therefore, the need for a solution to solve these problems has arisen.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a device and method capable of accurately controlling a cooling temperature or a cooling drive signal even when a physical impact is applied to a cooling drive board in a cooler.

And one embodiment of the present invention provides a device and method capable of quickly responding to a defect in a major component that has been discontinued in a cooler.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a device for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system includes: a user terminal which communicates with a cooler, receives a cooling voltage value from a user through a cooling temperature setting application, generates a cooling temperature setting message including the cooling voltage value, and transmits the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler through the communication; and a cooling drive board of the cooler which receives the cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal through the communication, detects the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message, converts the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter, and sets a cooling temperature of the cooler according to the cooling temperature value.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system includes: a process in which a user terminal connects to a cooler for communication; a process in which the user terminal receives a cooling voltage value from a user through a cooling temperature setting application program; a process in which the user terminal generates a cooling temperature setting message including the cooling voltage value and transmits the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler through the communication; a process in which a cooling drive board of the cooler receives the cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal through the communication; a process in which the cooling drive board detects the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message and converts the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter; and a process in which the cooling drive board sets the cooling temperature of the cooler according to the cooling temperature value.

One embodiment of the present invention can accurately control a cooling temperature or a cooling drive signal even when a physical impact is applied to a cooling drive board in a cooler.

And one embodiment of the present invention can quickly respond to the occurrence of a defect in a major component that has been discontinued in a cooler.

In addition, the effects that can be obtained or expected by the embodiments of the present invention will be directly or implicitly disclosed in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. That is, various effects expected according to the embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in the detailed description to be described later.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a cooling drive board according to a general technology.
Figure 2 is a simplified configuration diagram of a cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a block diagram of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a block diagram of a cooling drive board according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating another user interface screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a flow chart for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present invention will be described in detail.

The terms used in the embodiments of the present invention are selected from the most widely used general terms possible while considering the functions of the present invention, but this may vary depending on the intention of engineers working in the field, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meanings thereof will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall contents of the present invention, rather than simply the names of the terms.

The embodiments of the present invention can be variously transformed and have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the scope to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all transformations, equivalents, or substitutes included in the invention's idea and technical scope. In describing the embodiments, if it is judged that a specific description of a related known technology may obscure the main point, the detailed description is omitted.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "consist of" and the like are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood to not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a 'module' or 'part' performs at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software. In addition, a plurality of 'modules' or a plurality of 'parts' may be integrated into at least one module and implemented by at least one processor (not shown), except for a 'module' or 'part' that needs to be implemented by specific hardware.

In the embodiments of the present invention, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected" but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with another element in between. In addition, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this does not mean that the other component is excluded, but that the other component can be further included, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice them. However, the present invention may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to clearly describe the present invention in the drawings, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are assigned similar drawing reference numerals throughout the specification.

A cooler according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided in an electro-optical equipment, and the cooler includes a cooling drive board.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a cooling drive board according to a general technology.

Referring to FIG. 1, the cooling drive board includes a control unit (101), a power supply unit (103), a detector temperature receiving unit (105), a signal generating unit (107), a sine wave generating unit (109), and a Pulse Width Modulation (hereinafter referred to as 'PWM') control unit (111). In addition, the cooling drive board includes a plurality of first variable resistors (113) positioned between the control unit (101) and the detector temperature receiving unit (105), and a plurality of second variable resistors (115) positioned between the sine wave generating unit (109) and the PWM control unit (111).

Looking at each component, the power supply unit (103) receives power from an external power source and supplies it to other components of the cooling drive board.

The detector temperature receiving unit (105) measures the temperature through a temperature sensor (e.g., 2N2222) located inside the infrared detector of the electro-optical equipment and outputs the measured temperature to the control unit (101).

The control unit (101) receives the measured temperature from the detector temperature receiving unit (105), generates a control signal using the input temperature, and outputs the generated control signal to the signal generating unit (107).

The signal generation unit (107) receives a control signal from the control unit (101), generates a digital sine wave according to the input control signal, and outputs the generated digital sine wave to the sine wave generation unit (109).

The sine wave generation unit (109) receives a digital sine wave from the signal generation unit (107) through the EPLD, converts the input digital sine wave into an analog sine wave through a digital-to-analog converter (e.g., LTC1450), and outputs the converted analog sine wave to the PWM control unit (111).

The PWM control unit (111) receives an analog sine wave from the sine wave generator (109), performs PWM control on the input analog sine wave, and then outputs it to the cooler.

Meanwhile, a plurality of first variable resistors (113) are located between the control unit (101) and the detector temperature receiving unit (105). When a plurality of values for the plurality of first variable resistors (113) are adjusted by the user, the cooling temperature of the cooler is determined by the adjusted values of the first variable resistors (113).

And a plurality of second variable resistors (115) are located between the sine wave generating unit (109) and the PWM controlling unit (111). When a plurality of values for the plurality of second variable resistors (115) are precisely adjusted by the user, the waveform of the cooling drive signal is generated by the adjusted values of the second variable resistors (115).

However, if a physical impact is applied to the cooling drive board (e.g., when the cooling drive board is assembled into the cooling drive board or the cooling drive board is moved to an external location), the values of the first or second variable resistors (113, 115) change or a deviation occurs between the values of the first or second variable resistors (113, 115). Accordingly, it becomes difficult to precisely adjust the values of the first or second variable resistors (113, 115), which may cause a problem in that the cooling temperature or the waveform of the cooling drive signal cannot be accurately controlled.

And if a defect occurs in a discontinued major component of the cooling drive board, a problem that makes it difficult to respond quickly may occur. For example, the major component may include at least one of the control unit (101) of the cooling drive board and the sine wave generator (109) including the EPLD.

In this way, in general technology, since the cooling drive board has analog adjustment factors (e.g., first and second variable resistors) for setting the cooling temperature exposed to the outside, the analog adjustment factors may change due to environmental factors, which may cause a defect.

And in general technology, the cooling temperature can be set for multiple cooling drive boards at different times by manually adjusting the analog adjustment factor precisely to set the cooling temperature. For example, the time required to set the cooling temperature can be continuously consumed until the first variable resistor is precisely adjusted.

To solve these problems, the present invention proposes a cooling system as shown in Fig. 2. Now, the cooling system proposed in the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 2.

Figure 2 is a simplified configuration diagram of a cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cooling system includes a user terminal (201) and a cooler (203).

Looking at each component, the user terminal (201) communicates with the cooler (203) according to a pre-designated communication method. For example, the pre-designated communication method may be RS232 communication. Then, the user terminal (201) receives a desired cooling voltage value from the user through a pre-stored cooling temperature setting application program. For example, the cooling temperature setting application program may be an application program designed to set the cooling temperature of the cooler. For example, the cooling voltage value corresponds to the cooling temperature value, and the unit may be millivolt (mV). Then, the user terminal (201) transmits the input cooling voltage value to the cooler (203).

The cooler (203) communicates with the user terminal (201) according to a pre-designated communication method. The cooler (203) receives a cooling voltage value from the user terminal (201), determines a cooling temperature value corresponding to the received cooling voltage value, and changes the currently set cooling temperature value to the determined cooling temperature value.

Now, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the components of the user terminal (201) and the cooling drive board of the cooler (203) will be described in detail.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of a user terminal (201) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the user terminal (201) includes a control unit (301), a memory unit (303), a display unit (305), a communication unit (307), and an input/output unit (309).

Looking at each component, the memory unit (303) stores various programs and data required for the operation of the user terminal (201). For example, the memory (303) may be implemented as a nonvolatile memory, a volatile memory, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). For example, the memory (303) may store a cooling temperature setting application program in advance.

The display unit (305) displays image data under the control of the authentication terminal control unit (301). The implementation method of the display unit (305) is not limited, and may be implemented as various types of displays such as, for example, an LCD, an OLED display, an AM-OLED, a PDP, etc. The display unit (305) may additionally include additional components depending on its implementation method. For example, when the display unit (305) is a liquid crystal display, the display unit (305) may include an LCD display panel (not shown), a backlight unit (not shown) that supplies light thereto, and a panel driving substrate (not shown) that drives the panel (not shown). The display unit (305) may be combined with a touch panel (not shown) of the input/output unit (309) to be provided as a touch screen (not shown).

The communication unit (307) communicates with the cooler (203) through various types of wireless or wired communication methods. For example, if the communication unit (307) supports a wired communication method, the communication unit (307) may include an RS232 module. For example, the RS232 module may perform communication according to the RS232 method.

As another example, if the communication unit (307) supports a wireless communication method, the communication unit (307) may include at least one of a WiFi module, an LTE module, a 5G module, a LoRa module, a Bluetooth module, and a Zigbee module. For example, the WiFi module may perform wireless communication according to the WiFi method, and the LTE module may perform wireless communication according to various communication standards such as IEEE, LTE, etc.

The input/output unit (309) receives various commands from a user or outputs various data to an external device. For example, the input/output unit (309) may include at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and a speaker.

The control unit (301) controls the overall operation of the user terminal (201) using various programs stored in the memory (303).

For example, the control unit (301) can connect RS232 communication with the cooler (203) through the communication unit (307).

And the control unit (301) can check whether the cooling voltage value is input by the user. For example, when the cooling temperature setting application program is executed by the user, the control unit (301) can display the user interface of the cooling temperature setting application program through the display unit (305), such as screen 501 of FIG. 5. When the cooling voltage value (503) is input by the user through the input/output unit (309), the control unit (301) can determine that the cooling voltage value is input.

When a cooling voltage value is input, the control unit (301) can generate a cooling temperature setting message including the input cooling voltage value. Then, the control unit (301) can transmit the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler (203) through the communication unit (307).

Figure 4 is a block diagram of a cooling drive board according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Here, the cooling drive board is included inside the cooler (203) and performs a function of controlling the operation of the cooler (203). The cooling drive board according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured in the form of a digital module without an analog adjustment factor (e.g., first and second variable resistors) like the cooling drive board of FIG. 1. Then, the cooling drive board sets a cooling temperature through communication with a user terminal (201) and controls the cooler according to the set cooling temperature.

Referring to FIG. 4, the cooling drive board includes a cooling drive unit (401), a power supply unit (403), a cooler drive signal supply unit (405), a temperature detection unit (407), a communication unit (409), and a cooler power switch unit (411).

Looking at each component, the power supply unit (403) receives power from an external power source and supplies it to other components of the cooling drive board. For example, the power supply unit (403) can supply 28 Vdc power to the cooling drive unit (401).

The cooler drive signal supply unit (405) receives a control signal from the cooling drive unit (401), generates a cooling drive signal for driving the cooler according to the input control signal, and outputs the cooling drive signal to the cooler. For example, the cooler drive signal supply unit (405) can supply a cooling drive signal from 0 to 15.7 Vac-rms.

The cooler receives a cooling drive signal from the cooler drive signal supply unit (405) and raises or lowers the cooling temperature according to the input cooling drive signal. For example, the cooler can receive a voltage of 8.0 to 11.0 Vac-rms depending on the cooling temperature.

The temperature detection unit (407) measures the temperature through a temperature sensor (e.g., a bias current diode) located inside an infrared detector of the electronic optical equipment, and outputs the measured temperature to the cooler power switch unit (411). For example, the current set to the bias current diode may be 1 mA, and the set voltage range may be 0.2 to 2.0 V.

The communication unit (409) performs communication with the user terminal (201) through various types of wireless or wired communication methods. For example, if the communication unit (409) supports a wired communication method, the communication unit (409) may include an RS232 module. For example, the RS232 module may perform communication according to the RS232 method.

As another example, if the communication unit (409) supports a wireless communication method, the communication unit (409) may include at least one of a WiFi module, an LTE module, a 5G module, a LoRa module, a Bluetooth module, and a Zigbee module. For example, the WiFi module may perform wireless communication according to the WiFi method, and the LTE module may perform wireless communication according to various communication standards such as IEEE, LTE, etc.

The cooler power switch unit (411) controls the on or off of the cooler drive signal. The cooler power switch unit (411) receives a preset cooling temperature from the cooling drive unit (401) and sets the cooling temperature of the cooler according to the input cooling temperature. In addition, the cooler power switch unit (411) receives a measured cooling temperature from the temperature detection unit (407) and compares the input cooling temperature with the set cooling temperature. As a result of the comparison, when the input cooling temperature reaches the set cooling temperature, the cooler power switch unit (411) outputs a cooling completion signal indicating that cooling is completed to the cooling drive unit (401).

The cooling drive unit (401) controls the overall function of the cooler (203). In particular, when a cooling temperature voltage value corresponding to a cooling temperature value desired by a user is input from a user terminal (201) through a communication unit (409), the cooling drive unit (401) sets the cooling temperature according to the input cooling temperature voltage value. For example, the cooling drive unit (401) may be HPCDE2465.

For example, the cooling drive unit (401) can receive a cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal (201) through the communication unit (409). Then, the cooling drive unit (401) can detect a cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message, and convert the detected cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital to analog converter (hereinafter referred to as 'DAC') included in the cooling drive unit (401). Then, the cooling drive unit (401) can set the cooling temperature using the converted cooling temperature value.

Through this configuration, one embodiment of the present invention can accurately control the cooling temperature or the cooling drive signal even when a physical impact is applied to the cooling drive board in the cooler. And one embodiment of the present invention can quickly respond to the occurrence of a defect in a major component that has been discontinued in the cooler.

FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a flow chart for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the control unit (301) of the user terminal (201) connects RS232 communication with the cooler (203) through the communication unit (307) at step 601.

In step 603, the control unit (301) checks whether a cooling voltage value is input by the user. For example, if a cooling temperature setting application program is executed by the user, the control unit (301) can display a user interface of the cooling temperature setting application program through the display unit (305), such as screen 501 of FIG. 5. If a cooling voltage value (503) is input by the user through the input/output unit (309), the control unit (301) can determine that a cooling voltage value has been input.

As a result of the verification, if the cooling voltage value is input, the control unit (301) proceeds to step 605, otherwise, step 603 is repeatedly performed.

At step 605, the control unit (301) generates a cooling temperature setting message including the input cooling voltage value. At step 607, the control unit (301) transmits the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler (203) through the communication unit (307).

At step 609, the cooling drive unit (401) of the cooling drive board of the cooler (203) receives a cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal (201) through the communication unit (409). Then, the cooling drive unit (401) detects a cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message, and converts the detected cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter of the cooling drive unit (401).

At step 611, the cooling drive unit (401) sets the cooling temperature to the converted cooling temperature value.

Through these actions, one embodiment of the present invention can accurately control the cooling temperature or the cooling drive signal even when a physical impact is applied to the cooling drive board in the cooler. And one embodiment of the present invention can quickly respond to the occurrence of a defect in a major component that has been discontinued in the cooler.

Meanwhile, in one embodiment of the present invention, it is described that the user terminal (201) sets the cooling temperature of the cooler (203) through communication in the cooling system, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the user terminal (201) can set the level and frequency of the cooler driving signal or control the on or off of the cooler driving signal through communication.

In this way, in one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling drive board is modularized so that there is no hardware adjustment factor (e.g., first and second variable resistors) exposed to the outside, so that it can be robust to environmental variables and the size of the cooling drive board can be reduced.

And in one embodiment of the present invention, by digitally setting the cooling temperature in the cooling drive board, the same cooling temperature can be easily and quickly set for a plurality of cooling drive boards. For example, the time required to set the cooling temperature may be about 1 minute, and the time required to apply the set cooling temperature may be about 6 minutes.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Furthermore, such modifications should not be individually understood from the technical idea or prospect of the present invention.

101: Control Unit
103; Power supply
105: Detector temperature receiver
107: Signal generator
109: Sine wave generator
111: PWM control unit
113: 1st variable resistors
115: Second variable resistors
201: User Terminal
203: Cooler
301: Control Unit
303: Memory
305: Display section
307: Communications Department
309: Input/output section
401: Cooling drive unit
403: Power Supply
405: Cooler drive signal supply
407: Temperature sensor
409: Communications Department
411: Cooling unit power switch

Claims (6)

A user terminal that communicates with a cooler, receives a cooling voltage value from a user through a cooling temperature setting application , generates a cooling temperature setting message including the cooling voltage value, and transmits the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler through the communication; and
A cooling drive board of the cooler is included, which receives the cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal through the communication, detects the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message, converts the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter, and sets the cooling temperature of the cooler according to the cooling temperature value.

The above cooling drive board
Temperature measuring detector temperature receiver
A control unit that generates a control signal using the input temperature based on information from the above detector temperature receiving unit.
A signal generation unit that generates a digital sine wave through a control signal transmitted from the above control unit.
A sine wave generating unit that receives a digital sine wave from the signal generating unit through an EPLD and converts the input digital sine wave into an analog sine wave and outputs it through a digital-to-analog converter.
A PWM control unit that receives an analog sine wave from the above sine wave generator, performs PWM control on the input analog sine wave, and then outputs it to a cooler.
A device for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system, characterized by including a .
In the first paragraph,
A device for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system, characterized in that the above communication is RS232 communication.
In the first paragraph,
The above cooling drive board is a device for controlling the cooling temperature in a cooling system, characterized in that it is modularized so that no parts are exposed to the outside.
The process of the user terminal connecting to the cooler and communicating with it,
The above user terminal receives a cooling voltage value from the user through a cooling temperature setting application.
The process of the user terminal generating a cooling temperature setting message including the cooling voltage value and transmitting the cooling temperature setting message to the cooler through the communication;
The cooling drive board of the above cooler receives the cooling temperature setting message from the user terminal through the communication;
The process of the cooling drive board detecting the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message and converting the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter, and
The above cooling drive board includes a process for setting the cooling temperature of the cooler according to the cooling temperature value,

The process in which the above cooling drive board detects the cooling voltage value from the cooling temperature setting message and converts the cooling voltage value into a cooling temperature value through a digital-to-analog converter
The process by which the detector temperature receiver measures temperature;
A process of generating a control signal using the input temperature based on information from the above detector temperature receiving unit;
The process of receiving a control signal, interpreting it, and generating a digital sine wave.
The process of receiving digital sine waves through an EPLD and converting the input digital sine waves into analog sine waves and outputting them through a digital-to-analog converter.
The process of receiving an analog sine wave, performing PWM control on the input analog sine wave, and then outputting it to the cooler.
A method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system, characterized in that the cooling temperature is controlled by:
In paragraph 4,
A method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system, characterized in that the above communication is RS232 communication.
In paragraph 4,
A method for controlling a cooling temperature in a cooling system, wherein the cooling drive board is modularized so that no parts are exposed to the outside.

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