阅读说明：本技术 加热器控制系统 (Heater control system ) 是由 罗杰·J·哈尔伯格 史蒂文·W·汤金 于 2018-05-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：公开了一种加热器控制系统。在一个实施例中,加热器控制系统包括流体加热器,该流体加热器包括加热元件。加热元件由开关控制。加热器控制系统还包括可以操作开关的控制器。控制器被配置为确定与流体加热器相关联的温度是否低于预定温度阈值。当温度低于预定温度阈值时,控制器使开关转换到操作状态,从而允许电流流过至少一个加热元件。(A heater control system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a heater control system includes a fluid heater including a heating element. The heating element is controlled by a switch. The heater control system also includes a controller that can operate the switch. The controller is configured to determine whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold. When the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold, the controller causes the switch to transition to an operational state, thereby allowing current to flow through the at least one heating element.)

1. A heater control system comprising:

a fluid heater comprising at least one heating element operatively controlled by a switch;

a controller connected to the switch, wherein the controller is configured to:

determining whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold;

determining whether a zero-crossing event is occurring; and

causing the switch to transition to an operational state when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and upon occurrence of a zero-crossing event, thereby allowing current to flow through at least one heating element of the fluid heater.

2. The heater control system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate and phase modulate an alternating current signal, wherein the modulated alternating current signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

3. The heater control system according to claim 1, further comprising an electromagnetic radiation source, wherein the controller is configured to: when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold, causing the electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation to cause the switch to the operating state, thereby allowing current to flow through the at least one heating element.

4. The heater control system of claim 3, wherein the switch comprises an optical triac configured to: transition to the operating state when the optical triac detects the electromagnetic radiation.

5. The heater control system according to claim 1, further comprising a pulse width modulation device configured to generate a pulse width modulated signal based on a difference between the temperature and the predetermined temperature threshold.

6. The heater control system according to claim 1, wherein the fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, and a three phase resistive fluid heater.

7. The heater control system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of switches and the fluid heater comprises a phase characteristic, wherein a number of the plurality of switches corresponds to the phase characteristic.

8. A heater control comprising:

a controller connected to a switch connected to the fluid heater, the controller configured to:

determining whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold;

determining whether a zero-crossing event is occurring; and

causing the switch to transition to an operational state when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and upon occurrence of a zero-crossing event, thereby allowing current to flow through at least one heating element of the fluid heater.

9. The heater control of claim 8, further comprising a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate and phase modulate the ac signal, wherein the modulated ac signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

10. The heater control of claim 8, further comprising a pulse width modulation device configured to generate a pulse width modulated signal based on a difference between the temperature and the predetermined temperature threshold.

11. The heater control of claim 8, further comprising an electromagnetic radiation source, wherein the controller is configured to: causing the electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation to cause the switch to transition to the operating state to allow current to flow through the at least one heating element when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and upon the occurrence of the zero crossing event.

12. The heater control of claim 11, wherein the switch comprises an optical triac configured to transition to the operating state when the optical triac detects the electromagnetic radiation.

13. The heater control of claim 11 wherein said electromagnetic radiation source comprises a light emitting diode.

14. The heater control of claim 8, wherein the fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, and a three phase resistive fluid heater.

15. The heater control of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of switches and the fluid heater comprises a phase characteristic, wherein a number of the plurality of switches corresponds to the phase characteristic.

16. A heater control system comprising:

a fluid heater comprising at least one heating element operatively controlled by a switch;

a pulse width modulation device;

a controller connected to the switch, wherein the controller is configured to:

determining whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold;

determining whether a zero-crossing event is occurring; and

causing the pulse width modulation device to generate a pulse width modulated signal to control the switch to allow current to flow through the at least one heating element when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and upon the occurrence of the zero crossing event.

17. The heater control system according to claim 16, further comprising a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate and phase modulate the ac signal, wherein the modulated ac signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

18. The heater control system according to claim 16, wherein the switch comprises an optical triac configured to transition to an operational state when the optical triac detects electromagnetic radiation generated by an electromagnetic radiation source controlled by the controller.

19. The heater control system according to claim 16, wherein the fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, and a three phase resistive fluid heater.

20. The heater control system according to claim 16, further comprising a plurality of switches and the fluid heater comprises a phase characteristic, wherein a number of the plurality of switches corresponds to the phase characteristic.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a control system for controlling a fluid heater, and more particularly, to a control system for controlling a fluid heater and a heating element of the fluid heater.

Disclosure of Invention

A heater control system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a heater control system includes a fluid heater including at least one heating element operatively controlled by a switch. The heater control system also includes a controller that can operate the switch. The controller is configured to: a determination is made as to whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold and a determination is made as to whether a zero-crossing event is occurring. When the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and a zero crossing event is occurring, the controller causes the switch to transition to an operational state, thereby allowing current to flow through the at least one heating element of the fluid heater.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the heater control system further includes a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate or phase modulate an Alternating Current (AC) signal, and the modulated AC signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control system comprises an electromagnetic radiation source, and the controller is configured to: when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold and upon occurrence of a zero crossing event, causing the electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation to cause the switch to an operational state, thereby allowing current to flow through the heating element.

In some embodiments, the switch comprises an optical triac configured to transition to an operational state when the optical triac detects electromagnetic radiation.

In some embodiments, the heater control system further comprises a pulse width modulation device configured to generate a pulse width modulated signal based on a difference between the temperature and a predetermined temperature threshold.

In some embodiments, the fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, or a three phase resistive fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control system further comprises a plurality of switches, and the fluid heater comprises a phase characteristic, and the number of switches corresponds to the phase characteristic.

A heater control is disclosed. In one embodiment, the heater control system includes a controller connected to a switch connected to the fluid heater. The controller is configured to determine whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold, determine whether a zero-crossing event is occurring, and transition the switch to an operational state when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and the zero-crossing event is occurring, thereby allowing current to flow through the at least one heating element of the fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control further comprises a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate or phase modulate an Alternating Current (AC) signal, and the modulated AC signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control further comprises a pulse width modulation device configured to generate a pulse width modulated signal based on a difference between the temperature and a predetermined temperature threshold.

In some embodiments, the heater control further comprises an electromagnetic radiation source, and the controller is configured to: when the temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold and a zero crossing event occurs, causing the electromagnetic radiation source to emit electromagnetic radiation to cause the switch to transition to an operational state, thereby allowing current to flow through the at least one heating element.

In some embodiments, the switch comprises an optical triac configured to transition to an operational state when the optical triac detects electromagnetic radiation.

In some embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a light emitting diode.

In some embodiments, the fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, or a three phase resistive fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control comprises a plurality of switches, and the fluid heater comprises a phase characteristic, and the number of switches corresponds to the phase characteristic.

A heater control system is disclosed. In one embodiment, a heater control system includes a fluid heater including at least one heating element operatively controlled by a switch, a pulse width modulation device, and a controller connected to the switch. The controller is configured to: the method further includes determining whether a temperature associated with the fluid heater is below a predetermined temperature threshold, determining whether a zero crossing event is occurring, and when the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and the zero crossing event is occurring, causing the pulse width modulation device to generate a pulse width modulated signal to control the switch to allow current to flow through at least one heating element.

In some embodiments, the heater control system further includes a pump drive circuit configured to at least one of pulse width modulate or phase modulate an Alternating Current (AC) signal, wherein the modulated AC signal is provided to a pump configured to regulate a flow rate of fluid within the fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the switch comprises an optical triac configured to: the switching to the operating state occurs when the optical triac detects electromagnetic radiation generated by an electromagnetic radiation source controlled by the controller.

In some embodiments, the resistive fluid heater comprises at least one of a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, or a three phase resistive fluid heater.

In some embodiments, the heater control system further comprises a plurality of switches, and the fluid heater comprises phase characteristics, and the number of switches corresponds to the phase characteristics.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Drawings

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a heater control system according to an example embodiment of this disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary circuit schematic of a heater control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows an exemplary diagram illustrating an Alternating Current (AC) signal charging a capacitor powering a controller of a heater control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a controller of a heater control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary pump driving apparatus of a heater control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary operation state of a pump controlled by a pump driving apparatus phase-modulating an AC signal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating a pump driving apparatus pulse-width-modulating an AC signal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 illustrates an example method for controlling a heater control system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similar and/or identical elements.

Detailed Description

A heater control system for a fluid heater is disclosed. The heater control system includes a controller. The controller may selectively operate one or more switches to cause the heating element to generate heat. The controller may also include a communication module connected to the memory (i.e., non-volatile memory) that can be used to configure the fluid heater to operate at several configurable temperature set points during the manufacturing process, which allows one device to be configured for multiple modes. If it is desired to change the set point, the customer may modify the set point in the field via a client device in communication with the controller.

The date/time characteristic is maintained by the ac power line frequency by a controller, which may be configured to allow automatic activation at a certain time, under certain fluid, or ambient temperature conditions, or a combination of time and temperature. An example is: in a vehicle, an operator may wish to heat the vehicle in the morning when the operator does not want to consume energy to heat the vehicle all night. The operator may configure the fluid heater to operate less than 3 hours from the departure time, with an ambient temperature of less than 10 degrees, and/or with the fluid being below a desired starting temperature, which may be a function of the ambient temperature itself. In this case, the controller may notify the operator one hour before the predetermined departure time if the heater does not reach the expected temperature or an error condition is detected. To improve safety, the controller may also add circuitry for detecting ground faults.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example heater control system 100 according to an example embodiment of this disclosure. As shown, the heater control system 100 includes a controller 102. The controller 102 receives power through a first terminal 104 and a second terminal 106. The controller 102 may be directly connected to one or more power lines through terminals 104, 106 to receive power therefrom.

The controller 102 is communicatively coupled to one or more temperature sensors 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the temperature sensor 108 is a thermistor. The temperature sensor 108 is disposed within a fluid heater 110. In various embodiments, the fluid heater 110 may be a single phase resistive fluid heater, a two phase resistive fluid heater, or a three phase resistive fluid heater. The temperature sensors 108 measure the temperature within respective regions or zones of the fluid heater 110. However, it should be understood that the fluid heater may comprise any suitable fluid heater. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes one or more isolation assemblies 112 between the controller 102 and the various temperature sensors 108. The isolation component 112 may be a resistive element (e.g., a resistor) to limit voltage to protect the controller 102 within the heater control system 100.

The controller 102 controls one or more operational aspects of the fluid heater 110. For example, the controller 102 transitions from the non-operational state to the operational state based on receiving applicable power at the terminals 104, 106. The controller 102 receives one or more temperature signals from the temperature sensors 108 indicative of the temperature within the various zones of the fluid heater 110. Based on the temperature signal, the controller 102 may generate a signal to selectively cause the heating element of the fluid heater 110 to generate heat. In addition, based on the temperature signal, the controller 102 may selectively prevent the heating element of the fluid heater 110 from generating heat. The temperature signal may indicate a fault within the heater control system 100. For example, by monitoring the temperature of several zones, the controller 102 can determine how fast the fluid is moving through the fluid heater 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 102 may employ a lookup table that includes one or more temperatures corresponding to a predicted flow rate that indicates how fast the fluid is moving through the fluid heater 110.

Accordingly, the controller 102 detects a fault within the fluid heater 110. For example, a fault detection may indicate a blockage or loss of fluid in the fluid heater 110. Additionally, if the temperature of one or more zones (i.e., regions) rises faster than expected, the controller 102 detects the fault and prevents thermal runaway of the heating element by selectively preventing the heating element from dissipating heat. For example, the heating element heats up faster in air than in fluid. Thus, the controller 102 may utilize a look-up table to compare the change in measured temperature over a predetermined period of time to an expected change in temperature over the predetermined period of time. If the change exceeds the expected change, the controller 102 may generate an error signal that is sent to the operator's client device.

Referring generally to fig. 1 and 2, the controller 102 is operatively connected to one or more switches 114 for operating the respective heating elements. In an exemplary embodiment, the switch 114 includes an optical triac (thyristor)116 or a triac 116. However, it should be understood that the switch 114 may include any switching device, such as a transistor or the like. The number of switches 114, 116 corresponds to the phases of the fluid heater 110. In the exemplary embodiment, controller 102 is operatively coupled to one or more electromagnetic radiation sources 115 that emit electromagnetic radiation to transition the respective optical triac into an operational state that allows current to flow through triac 116. As current flows through the triac 116, current flows through each heating element 118 to generate heat. In one example, electromagnetic radiation source 115 comprises a light emitting diode.

The controller 102 is also in communication with a memory 120, the memory 120 configured to hold data related to the heater control system 100. In one or more embodiments, memory 120 comprises non-volatile memory. The memory 120 may include, for example, configurable set points or thresholds. For example, an operator or manufacturer may set an event, such as a programmable ride-through event (i.e., a programmable zero-crossing event) and/or a programmable temperature. The memory 120 may also hold data for data logging purposes, diagnostic data, fault data, and the like. The heater control system 100 also includes a communication device 122 in communication with the controller 102.

The heater control system 100 may also include a pulse width modulation device 124. The pulse width modulation device 124 may receive control signals from the controller 102. Based on the control signal, a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) device 124 provides a pulse width modulated signal to the switches 114, 116 to control the heating of the respective heating element 118. For example, the pulse width modulated signal may control the current provided to the pre-selection switches 114, 116, which pre-selection switches 114, 116 may modulate the current provided to the corresponding heating element 118. For example, the pulse width modulation device 124 may provide a pulse width modulated signal that averages the current provided to the heating element 118 based on temperature. In some examples, the controller 102 provides a control signal based on a comparison of the measured temperature to a set point. Thus, when the difference between the measured temperature and the set point is greater than the predetermined temperature threshold, the pulse width modulated signal may be relatively large, and when the difference is less than the predetermined temperature threshold, the pulse width modulated signal may be relatively small. The pulse width modulation device 124 may be controlled using predetermined temperature characteristics (such as a set point and a predetermined temperature threshold) stored in the memory 120.

Fig. 2 shows an example power supply 202 and regulator 204 connected to one or more power lines (e.g., P1L1, P1L2, P2L1, P2L2, P3L1, P3L 2). In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the power line may include terminals 104, 106. The power supply 202 receives an ac signal. As shown in fig. 3, the capacitor C1 is charged based on the signal characteristics of the alternating current signal. The charged capacitor provides charge to the regulator 204 and the regulator 204 regulates the voltage characteristics to provide the applicable power to the controller 102.

Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary controller 102 to selectively control the operating state of the fluid heater 110. As shown, the controller 102 includes a temperature determination module 402, a zero crossing detection module 404, and a heater regulator module 406.

The temperature determination module 402 receives temperature signals from one or more temperature sensors 108. The temperature determination module 402 compares the measured temperature to a predetermined temperature threshold. If the temperature is above the predetermined temperature threshold, the temperature determination module 402 provides a temperature signal to the heater regulator module 406.

The zero-crossing detection module 404 receives ac signals from various power lines (e.g., P1L1, P1L2, P2L1, P2L2, P3L1, P3L 2). For example, the zero crossing detection module 404 receives signals associated with each phase of the heater control system 100. The zero-crossing module 404 monitors the ac signals for a zero-crossing condition and generates a zero-crossing signal indicating that no voltage is present in the respective ac signals.

The heater regulator module 406 receives the temperature signal and the zero crossing signal from the modules 402, 404. The heater regulator module 406 generates one or more signals to control operation of the fluid heater 110 based on the temperature signal and the zero crossing signal. For example, when heater regulator module 406 receives a temperature signal to generate heat and a zero-crossing event occurs, heater regulator module 406 generates a signal to cause electromagnetic radiation source 115 to generate electromagnetic radiation. For example, the heater regulator module 406 initiates operation of the zero-cross optical triac to generate heat with the respective heating element. The heater regulator module 406 also prevents operation of the respective heating element when the temperature signal indicates that the measured temperature exceeds the operating temperature threshold. In another example, the heater regulator module 406 is in direct communication with the respective switches 114, 116. Accordingly, the heater regulator module 406 may send control signals to transition the switches 114, 116 to the operational state.

The heater regulator module 406 may also provide control signals to the pulse width modulation device 124 that control the operating state of the switches 114, 116. For example, the heater regulator module 406 may access the memory 120 to receive a respective set point associated with the fluid heater 110. The heater regulator module 406 may then determine a duration of the pulse width modulated signal based on a comparison of the temperature signal to a set point. For example, the heater regulator module 406 may access a look-up table comprising predetermined durations of the pulse width modulated signals with corresponding set points and received temperature signals.

In some embodiments, the controller 102 also includes a timer module 408. The timer module 408 starts a timer based on detecting an AC zero crossing event. This event may be detected by the zero crossing detection module 404. The zero crossing event detection module 404 may also provide pulses corresponding to signals on the power line for the controller 102 for synchronization and/or clock timing.

The controller 102 also includes a communication module 410, the communication module 410 generating a communication signal to send to an operator. For example, the communication module 410 may be initiated upon detection of a potential fault from the temperature determination module 402. The communication module 410 communicates with the communication device 122 and the communication device 122 transmits the data to the operator.

Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the heater control system 100. The heater control system 100 may include a pump drive device 502 connected to the controller 102. The heater control system 100 may also include a pump 504 that regulates the flow of liquid. For example, pump 504 is connected to one or more fluid reservoirs 506, and fluid heater 110 heats the liquid as described above. A pump drive device 502 is connected to the terminals 104, 106 and regulates the voltage to the pump 504.

The pump drive device 502 receives an input voltage request from the controller 102. For example, the heater regulator module 406 may access the memory 120 to obtain the input voltage requirements of the pump 504. The input voltage requirements may be preprogrammed into the memory 120 by an operator or the like. Based on the voltage signals input at terminals 104, 106 and/or the timing signal provided by timer module 408, heater regulator module 406 controls the operating state of pump 504 via pump drive device 502. For example, the heater regulator module 406 may provide a control signal to the pump drive device 502 to control operation of the pump 504 based on the timing signal. It should be understood that the pump 504 and the fluid heater 110 may operate independently of each other. For example, when the pump 504 is not operating, the fluid heater 110 may generate heat, and when the fluid heater 110 is not generating heat, the pump 504 may operate.

Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the ac voltage input signals provided via terminals 104, 106 and the corresponding operating states of the pump 504 controlled by the controller 102 and/or the pump drive device 502. In an exemplary embodiment, the controller 102 and the pump drive device 502 operate the pump 504 based on a voltage line input at the terminals 104, 106. For example, as shown in the shaded portions 602, 604, 608, 610, the pump 504 is operable when the voltage at the terminals 104, 106 is below an absolute value of a predetermined voltage threshold, and the pump 504 is not operable when the voltage is above the absolute value of the predetermined voltage threshold. In this embodiment, the controller 102 controls the pump drive device 504 to phase modulate the relatively high AC voltage to provide the desired average power to the pump 504. In an exemplary embodiment, control of the controller 102 controls the pump with a timing signal set relative to the zero crossing point to indicate when the line voltage reaches a predetermined voltage threshold.

Fig. 7 shows an exemplary circuit diagram of a pump driving device 502, the pump driving device 502 pulse width modulating an AC signal provided to a pump 504. As shown, the pump drive device 502 includes a line filter 702 to attenuate the switching noise signal output via the terminals 104, 106. The pump drive device 502 also includes diode bridges 704, 706 and switches 708, 710 connected to the diode bridges 704, 706, respectively. In an exemplary embodiment, the switches 708, 710 comprise transistors. The controller 102 controls the operating state of the switches 708, 710. For example, the controller 102 may be connected to a gate of a transistor to control an operating state of the transistor. The pump driving device 502 further comprises an inductor 712, the inductor 712 reducing the voltage within the pump driving device 502.

The controller 102 controls the duty cycle of the switches 708, 710 to control the voltage drop ratio based on the input voltage requirement. Referring to fig. 7, the controller 102 controls the switches 708, 710 based on the timing signal to pulse width modulate the AC voltage to the desired AC voltage for the pump 504.

In fig. 8, an exemplary operation 800 for controlling the fluid heater 110 is depicted. The method starts in step 802. In step 804, the temperature determination module 402 compares the measured temperature to a predetermined threshold. In step 806, the temperature determination module 402 determines whether the measured temperature is below a predetermined temperature threshold. If the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold, the heater regulator module 406 determines whether a zero crossing event signal is being received at step 808. If the temperature is below the predetermined temperature threshold and a zero crossing event signal is being received, the heater regulator module 406 generates one or more control signals to control the one or more switches 114, 116 at step 810. For example, the heater regulator module 406 directly controls the switches 114, 116 by providing signals to the switches 114, 116. In another example, heater regulator module 406 causes electromagnetic radiation source 115 to emit electromagnetic radiation to transition switches 114, 116 to an operational state. At step 812, the method 800 ends.

The above description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It should be understood that one or more steps within a method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the present disclosure. Furthermore, although each of the embodiments is described above as having certain features, any one or more of those features described in relation to any embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented in and/or combined with the features of any other embodiment, even if that combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive and substitutions of one or more embodiments with one another are still within the scope of the present disclosure.

The spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, including "connected," joined, "" coupled, "" adjacent, "" immediately adjacent, "" above, "" below, "and" disposed. In describing the relationship between the first element and the second element in the above disclosure, unless explicitly described as "direct", the relationship may be a direct relationship in which there are no other intervening elements between the first element and the second element, but may also be an indirect relationship in which there are one or more intervening elements (spatially or functionally) between the first element and the second element. As used herein, at least one of the phrases A, B and C should be interpreted to mean logic (a or B or C) using the non-exclusive logical "or" and should not be interpreted to mean "at least one of a, at least one of B, and at least one of C. "

In the drawings, the direction of arrows generally illustrates the flow of information (e.g., data or instructions) with a pictorial intent, as indicated by the arrows. For example, when element a and element B exchange various information but the information transmitted from element a to element B is related to the illustration, an arrow may point from element a to element B. This one-way arrow does not mean that no other information is sent from element B to element a. Further, for information transmitted from the element a to the element B, the element B may transmit a request for the information or a reception confirmation of the information to the element a.

In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" or the term "controller" may be replaced by the term "circuit". The term "module" may refer to, may be part of, or may include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); digital, analog, or analog/digital hybrid discrete circuits; digital, analog, or analog/digital hybrid integrated circuits; a combinational logic circuit; a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA); processor circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; storage circuitry (shared, dedicated, or group) for storing code executed by the processor circuitry; other suitable hardware components that provide the above-described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system on a chip.

The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuit may include a wired interface or a wireless interface to a Local Area Network (LAN), the internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), or a combination thereof. The interface circuitry may also communicate via one or more applicable communication protocols, including but not limited to: bluetooth and near field communication, etc. The functionality of any given module of the present disclosure may be distributed among multiple modules connected via interface circuits. For example, multiple modules may allow load balancing. In another example, a server (also referred to as a remote or cloud) module may perform certain functions on behalf of a client module.

As used above, the term "code" may include software, firmware, and/or microcode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes, data structures, and/or objects. The term "shared processor circuit" encompasses a single processor circuit that executes some or all code from multiple modules. The term "set of processor circuits" encompasses processor circuits executing some or all code from one or more modules, in combination with additional processor circuits. Referencing a plurality of processor circuits encompasses: multiple processor circuits on a discrete die, multiple processor circuits on a single die, multiple cores of a single processor circuit, multiple threads of a single processor circuit, or a combination thereof. The term "shared memory circuit" encompasses a single memory circuit of some or all code from multiple modules. The term "bank memory circuit" encompasses a memory circuit that, in combination with other memory, stores some or all code from one or more modules.

The term "memory circuit" is a subset of the term "computer-readable medium". As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" does not encompass: an electrical or electromagnetic transient signal propagating through a medium (e.g., on a carrier wave); thus, the term "computer-readable medium" can be considered tangible and non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of the non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium are a non-volatile memory circuit (e.g., a flash memory circuit, an erasable programmable read-only memory circuit, or a mask read-only memory circuit), a volatile memory circuit (e.g., a static random access memory circuit or a dynamic random access memory circuit), a magnetic storage medium (e.g., an analog or digital tape or hard drive), and an optical storage medium (e.g., a CD, DVD, or blu-ray disc).

The apparatus and methods described herein may be partially or fully implemented by a special purpose computer, created by configuring a general purpose computer to perform one or more specific functions embodied in a computer program. The functional blocks, flowchart components, and other elements described above serve as software specifications, which can be converted into a computer program by routine work of a technician or programmer.

The computer program includes processor-executable instructions stored on at least one non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium. The computer program may also comprise or depend on stored data. The computer program may include: a basic input/output system (BIOS) that interacts with the hardware of the special-purpose computer, a device driver that interacts with specific devices of the special-purpose computer, one or more operating systems, user applications, background services, background applications, and the like.

The computer program may include: (i) descriptive text to be parsed, e.g. HTML (HyperText markup language), XML (extensible markup language)Markup language) or JSON (JavaScript object notation); (ii) assembling the code; (iii) object code generated by a compiler from source code; (iv) source code executed by the interpreter; (v) source code compiled and executed by a just-in-time compiler, and the like. By way of example only, the source code may be written using the syntax of the following language: C. c + +, C #, Objective-C, Swift, Haskell, Go, SQL, R, Lisp,Fortran、Perl、Pascal、Curl、Ocaml、HTML5 (HyperText markup language version 5), Ada, ASP (dynamic Server Page), PHP (PHP: HyperText preprocessor), Scala, Eiffel, Smalltalk, Erlang, Ruby, Ada, Adp,Lua, MATLAB, SIMULINK and

all features recited in the claims are not intended to be device-plus-function features unless the feature is explicitly described using the phrase "device for … …" or the phrase "operation for … …" or "step for … …" in the case of a method claim.