Patent Description:
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and do not necessarily constitute prior art. Prior art documents <CIT> and <CIT> describe anti-condensation systems and methods.

Nowadays, the demand for electric energy is becoming more and more extensive, so more and more products need to use battery storage cabinets as backup and energy storage devices. In particular, battery storage cabinets with lithium batteries are the most widely used. As the application demand of lithium batteries increases, the operational safety of lithium batteries is gradually being valued. It can be seen from more and more domestic and foreign fire case analysis reports that most of the fires are caused by improper control of the ambient temperature and humidity in the lithium battery energy storage cabinet, which causes condensation and high-voltage arc short-circuit abnormality.

In conventional technology, in order to prolong the service life of the battery and reduce the decline, outdoor battery cabinets will use air-conditioning for cooling to maintain the cabinet-inside temperature in the battery cabinet at <NUM>-<NUM> degrees Celsius. At this condition, if the cabinet-outside temperature is higher than the cabinet-inside temperature and the humidity is high, once the cabinet door is opened and hot and humid air enters the cabinet, condensation will occur on the surface of the internal parts and reduce the insulation, and therefore it will increase the possibility of fire in the lithium battery energy storage cabinet.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides a cabinet with anti-condensation mechanism to control opening and closing a cabinet door of the cabinet. The cabinet includes a control module, a temperature control module, and a locking module. The control module senses a cabinet-inside temperature inside the cabinet, and senses a cabinet-outside temperature and a cabinet-outside humidity outside the cabinet to generate a dew-point threshold value. The temperature control module is coupled to the control module and adjusts the cabinet-inside temperature. The locking module is coupled to the control module and the cabinet door and locks the cabinet door or unlocks the cabinet door. The control module controls the locking module according to the cabinet-inside temperature and the dew-point threshold value, and controls the temperature control module to adjust the cabinet-inside temperature to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value when the control module receives a trigger signal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure provides an anti-condensation control method of a cabinet. The method controls opening and closing a cabinet door of the cabinet. The method includes steps of: sensing a cabinet-inside temperature of the cabinet, and sensing a cabinet-outside temperature and a cabinet-outside humidity of the cabinet to generate a dew-point threshold value, determining whether the cabinet-inside temperature is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value, locking the cabinet door when determining that the cabinet-inside temperature is less than the dew-point threshold value, and adjusting the cabinet-inside temperature to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value according to a trigger signal, and unlocking the cabinet door.

The main purpose and effect of the present disclosure is to prevent the cabinet door from being opened when there is a high risk of condensation in the cabinet through the mutual control and linkage of the temperature and humidity sensing modules, the temperature control module, and the locking module inside and outside the cabinet, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of condensation and short circuit of electrical devices in the accommodation space.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the present disclosure as claimed. Other advantages and features of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following description, drawings, and claims.

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawing as follows:.

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present disclosure in detail. It will be understood that the drawing figures and exemplified embodiments of present disclosure are not limited to the details thereof.

Please refer to <FIG>, which shows a block diagram of a cabinet with anti-condensation mechanism according to the present disclosure. The cabinet <NUM> is usually installed in an open place such as outdoors, and is used to adjust the temperature in the cabinet <NUM> (hereinafter referred to as a cabinet-inside temperature). The cabinet <NUM> includes a cabinet body 100A and a cabinet door 100B. The cabinet body 100A and the cabinet door 100B form an accommodation space 100C. The cabinet <NUM> further includes a control module <NUM>, a temperature control module <NUM>, and a locking module <NUM>. The control module <NUM> includes a cabinet-outside sensing module <NUM>, a cabinet-inside sensing module <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>. The cabinet-outside sensing module <NUM> is preferably disposed on an outer surface of the cabinet <NUM>, and the cabinet-outside sensing module <NUM> includes a termperature sensor and a humidity sensor for sensing temperature and humidity. The cabinet-outside sensing module <NUM> is used to sense a cabinet-outside temperature To and a cabinet-inside temperature Ho to generate a cabinet-outside temperature humidity signal Sth according to the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-inside temperature Ho. The cabinet-inside sensing module <NUM> is preferably disposed in the accommodation space 100C, and the cabinet-inside sensing module <NUM> includes a temperature sensor for sensing a cabinet-inside temperature Ti to generate a cabinet-inside temperature signal St. The temperature control module <NUM> is preferably in the accommodation space 100C for adjusting the cabinet-inside temperature Ti. The locking module <NUM> is coupled to the controller <NUM> and the cabinet door 100B for locking or unlocking the cabinet door 100B. In particular, the locking module <NUM> may be disposed inside or outside the accommodation space 100C according to actual needs, and the locking module <NUM> may be, for example but not limited to, an electromagnetic lock, a central control lock, a controllable mechanical lock, or so on.

Specifically, the temperature control module <NUM> includes an air conditioning module <NUM> and a heating module <NUM>, and the air conditioning module <NUM> and the heating module <NUM> are coupled to the controller <NUM>. The air conditioning module <NUM> is used to adjust the cabinet-inside temperature Ti, and the heating module <NUM> is used to increase the cabinet-inside temperature Ti. In particular, the air conditioning module <NUM> may be a device for adjusting the ambient temperature such as an air conditioner, a fan, or so on. The heating module <NUM> may be a heating device such as a resistance heater, a heating film, an electric heater, or so on. The controller <NUM> is preferably disposed in the accommodation space 100C, and the controller <NUM> is coupled to the cabinet-outside sensing module <NUM>, the cabinet-inside sensing module <NUM>, the temperature control module <NUM>, and the locking module <NUM>. The controller <NUM> is used to receive the cabinet-outside temperature humidity signal Sth and the cabinet-inside temperature signal St to realize the cabinet-outside temperature To, the cabinet-inside temperature Ho, and the cabinet-inside temperature Ti. The controller <NUM> provides a temperature control signal Stc to the temperature control module <NUM> to control the temperature control module <NUM> to adjust the cabinet-inside temperature Ti. In addition, the controller <NUM> provides an open-close signal Ss to the locking module <NUM> to control the locking module <NUM> to lock or unlock the cabinet door 100B. Preferably, the locking module <NUM> is an electromagnetic lock, and the controller <NUM> controls locking or unlocking the cabinet door 100B by whether controlling an excitation (single excitation or continuous excitation) of the electromagnetic lock. In particular, the controller <NUM> may be an analog-digital controller composed of circuits, a chip with a microcontroller controlled by written programs, or a microcircuit component.

The cabinet <NUM> further a switch <NUM>, an alert module <NUM>, and a battery module <NUM>. The switch <NUM> and the alert module <NUM> are coupled to the controller <NUM>. The switch <NUM> may be a touch switch, a DIP switch, a remote-control switch, a touch screen, or other devices capable of generating a trigger by a trigger operation, i.e., by an operation of triggering the switch <NUM>, and the switch <NUM> is preferably disposed on an outer surface of the cabinet <NUM>. The alert module <NUM> may be a visual, auditory, or tactile alert device such as a buzzer, an alert light, a display panel, a vibrator, or so on, and the alert module <NUM> is preferably disposed on an outer surface of the cabinet <NUM>. The switch <NUM> generates a trigger signal Str according to the trigger operation, and provides the trigger signal Str to the controller <NUM>. When the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to lock or unlock the cabinet door 100B, the controller <NUM> also provides a locking signal Sl (when the cabinet door 100B is locked) and an unlocking signal Sd (when the cabinet door 100B is unlocked) to the alert module <NUM> so that the alert module <NUM> respectively generates a (visual, auditory, or tactile) locking alert Wl and an (visual, auditory, or tactile) unlocking alert Wd.

The battery module <NUM> is disposed in the accommodation space 100C for receiving or delivering electricity power from or to an external system <NUM>. Specifically, the cabinet <NUM> of the present disclosure is provided to control the temperature of the internal electronic equipment (such as but not limited to conversion devices, communication equipment, etc.), and avoid condensation in the cabinet due to improper humidity and temperature control, resulting in poor insulation and short-circuited danger of internal electronic equipment. Therefore, the cabinet <NUM> is particularly suitable for occasions where the battery module <NUM> is arranged outdoors for receiving or delivering electricity power. In particular, the battery module <NUM> may be, for example but not limited to, a storage battery, a lithium battery, and other devices that have a large amount of power storage. In order to prolong the service life and reduce the deterioration of most battery modules <NUM>, the cabinet <NUM> uses the air conditioning module <NUM> for cooling to maintain the cabinet-inside temperature Ti within the predetermined temperature range. In particular, the predetermined temperature range (for example but not limited to <NUM>-<NUM> degrees Celsius) is usually constituted by an upper limit value and a lower limit value of an optimal operation ambient temperature (for example but not limited to <NUM> degrees Celsius) of the battery module <NUM>. However, when the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-outside humidity Ho of the cabinet <NUM> are higher than the cabinet-inside temperature Ti, once the cabinet door 100B is opened and the hot and humid air enters the cabinet <NUM>, condensation will be generated on the surface of the internal components, resulting in insulation reduction.

Therefore, the main purpose and effect of the present disclosure is: the temperature and humidity sensing modules (<NUM>, <NUM>) inside and outside the cabinet <NUM> can be controlled and linked with the air conditioning module <NUM>, the heating module <NUM>, and the locking module <NUM> to prevent the cabinet door 100B from being opened when there is a high risk of condensation in the cabinet <NUM>, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of condensation and short circuit of the electric devices in the accommodation space 100C. In particular, in some special conditions (for example but not limited to the limited internal space of the cabinet <NUM>), the control module <NUM>, the temperature control module <NUM>, the locking module <NUM>, and the alert module <NUM> may be arranged inside or outside the accommodation space 100C according to actual needs, and the specific configuration positions of the control module <NUM>, the temperature control module <NUM>, the locking module <NUM>, and the alert module <NUM> are not limited. Moreover, in one embodiment, the signal transmission may be wired or wireless transmission (indicated by the dotted lines). When the wireless transmission is used, each module may include a transmission unit (not shown) for sending and receiving signals so that each module may be configured more flexibly.

Please refer to <FIG>, which shows a schematic table of a dew-point temperature corresponding to temperature and humicity of the cabinet with anti-condensation mechanism according to the present disclosure, and also refer to <FIG>. The cause of condensation is directly related to the relative humidity and the present dew-point temperature. The dew-point temperature refers to a temperature at which the gaseous water contained in the air reaches saturation and condenses into liquid water under a fixed pressure. When the relative humidity and actual temperature are known, the dew-point temperature may be approximated by the following formulas: <MAT> <MAT>.

In which, To is the cabinet-outside temperature, Td is the dew-point temperature (in Celsius), Ho is the cabinet-outside humidity (expressed as a percentage of relative humidity), ln is the natural logarithm, constant a is <NUM>, and constant b is <NUM>. Therefore, the dew-point temperature table shown in <FIG> can be established. The above-mentioned formula <NUM> and formula <NUM> can be written in the controller <NUM>, and the dew-point temperature (i.e., the dew-point threshold value) can be calculated by the sensed cabinet-outside temperature To and the sensed cabinet-humidity Ho. Alternatively, the dew-point temperature table shown in <FIG> can be recorded in the controller <NUM>, and the dew-point threshold value can be acquired by looking up the dew-point temperature table through the sensed cabinet-outside temperature To and the sensed cabinet-outside humidity Ho.

The controller <NUM> senses the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-outside humidity Ho to generate the dew-point threshold value, and determines whether a risk of condensation will occur according to the cabinet-inside temperature Ti and the dew-point threshold value. In particular, the action (operation) of sensing the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-outside humidity Ho to generate the dew-point threshold value can be performed at any time. When there is no risk of condensation (that is, the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value), the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to control the locking module <NUM> to unlock the cabinet door 100B. At this condition, the controller <NUM> controls the air conditioning module <NUM> through the temperature control signal Stc to maintain the cabinet-inside temperature Ti at the predetermined temperature range (for example but not limited to <NUM> degrees Celsius). The controller <NUM> also provides the open-close signal Ss to continuously control the locking module <NUM> to lock the cabinet door 100B to prevent the cabinet door 100B from opening accidentally without alerting. Therefore, when the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the cabinet door 100B is unlocked by the locking module <NUM> to provide the unlocking signal Sd to control the alert module <NUM> to provide the unlocking alert Wd.

When the controller <NUM> determines that the risk of condensation will occur (that is, the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is less than the dew-point threshold value), the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to control the locking module <NUM> to lock the cabinet door 100B. Afterward, when the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the controller <NUM> provides the temperature control signal Stc to control the heating module <NUM> to increase the cabinet-inside temperature Ti from the predetermined temperature range to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value. When the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the controller <NUM> also provides the locking signal Sl to control the alert module <NUM> to provide the locking alert Wl. Therefore, the present state of the cabinet <NUM> can be clearly indicated. When the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value, the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to control the locking module <NUM> to unlock the cabinet door 100B. The cabinet door 100B is unlocked by the locking module <NUM> to provide the unlocking signal Sd to control the alert module <NUM> to provide the unlocking alert Wd.

Moreover, in order to prevent the cabinet-inside temperature Ti from the predetermined temperature range to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value by the heating module <NUM> however the air conditioning module <NUM> is not turned off to cause the cabinet-inside temperature Ti to rise (increase) too slowly, when the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the controller <NUM> first disables the air conditioning module <NUM> to forcibly turn off the air conditioning module <NUM>. Afterward, a loop related to the heating module <NUM> is connected by switching a relay (not shown) so as to start the cabinet <NUM> to perform a temperature recovery process of the accommodation space 100C of the cabinet <NUM>.

Please refer to <FIG>, which shows a flowchart of an anti-condensation control method according to the present disclosure, and also refer to <FIG>. The anti-condensation control method is provided to control opening and closing the cabinet door 100B of the cabinet <NUM> to prevent the cabinet door 100B from being opened when there is a high risk of condensation in the cabinet <NUM>, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of condensation and short circuit of the electric devices in the accommodation space 100C. The control method mainly includes steps of: first, sensing a cabinet-inside temperature of the cabinet, and sensing a cabinet-outside temperature and a cabinet-outside humidity of the cabinet to generate a dew-point threshold value (S100). Preferably, the controller <NUM> of the control module <NUM> is used to sense the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-outside Ho to generate the dew-point threshold value, and determines whether a risk of condensation will occur according to the cabinet-inside temperature Ti and the dew-point threshold value. In particular, the action (operation) of sensing the cabinet-outside temperature To and the cabinet-outside humidity Ho to generate the dew-point threshold value can be performed at any time.

Afterward, determining whether the cabinet-inside temperature is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value (S120). Afterward, unlocking the cabinet door when determining that the cabinet-inside temperature is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value (S140). Preferably, when there is no risk of condensation (that is, the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value), the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to control the locking module <NUM> to unlock the cabinet door 100B so that the user can open the cabinet door 100B. Afterward, locking the cabinet door when determining that the cabinet-inside temperature is less than the dew-point threshold value (S160). Preferably, when the controller <NUM> determines that the risk of condensation will occur (that is, the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is less than the dew-point threshold value), the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to control the locking module <NUM> to lock the cabinet door 100B. Afterward, adjusting the cabinet-inside temperature to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value according to the trigger signal (S180). Preferably, when the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the controller <NUM> provides the temperature control signal Stc to control the heating module <NUM> to increase the cabinet-inside temperature Ti from the predetermined temperature range to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value since the cabinet-inside temperature Ti is less than the dew-point threshold value. Finally, returning to the step (S140).

In the step (S100), the above-mentioned formula <NUM> and formula <NUM> can be written in the controller <NUM>, and the dew-point temperature (i.e., the dew-point threshold value) can be calculated by the sensed cabinet-outside temperature To and the sensed cabinet-outside humidity Ho. Alternatively, the dew-point temperature table shown in <FIG> can be recorded in the controller <NUM>, and the dew-point threshold value can be acquired by looking up the dew-point temperature table through the sensed cabinet-outside temperature To and the sensed cabinet-outside humidity Ho. In addition, in the step (S100), the controller <NUM> controls the air conditioning module <NUM> through the temperature control signal Stc to maintain the cabinet-inside temperature Ti at the predetermined temperature range. In particular, the predetermined temperature range (for example but not limited to <NUM>-<NUM> degrees Celsius) is usually constituted by an upper limit value and a lower limit value of an optimal operation ambient temperature (for example but not limited to <NUM> degrees Celsius) of an internal power device, such as a battery module <NUM>.

In the step (S180), in order to prevent the cabinet-inside temperature Ti from the predetermined temperature range to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value by the heating module <NUM> however the air conditioning module <NUM> is not turned off to cause the cabinet-inside temperature Ti to rise (increase) too slowly, when the controller <NUM> receives the trigger signal Str, the controller <NUM> first disables the air conditioning module <NUM> to forcibly turn off the air conditioning module <NUM>.

In the step (S140) to the step (S160), preferably, the locking module <NUM> is an electromagnetic lock, and the cabinet door 100B is locked or unlocked by whether controlling an excitation of the electromagnetic lock. Moreover, in the step (S180) to the step (S140), when the controller <NUM> provides the open-close signal Ss to lock or unlock the cabinet door 100B, the controller <NUM> also provides a locking signal Sl (when the cabinet door 100B is locked) and an unlocking signal Sd (when the cabinet door 100B is unlocked) to the alert module <NUM> so that the alert module <NUM> respectively generates a (visual, auditory, or tactile) locking alert Wl and an (visual, auditory, or tactile) unlocking alert Wd.

Claim 1:
A cabinet (<NUM>) with anti-condensation mechanism, the cabinet (<NUM>) includes a cabinet body (100A) and a cabinet door (100B), and the cabinet body (100A) and the cabinet door (100B) form an accommodating space (100C), the cabinet (<NUM>) with anti-condensation mechanism configured to control a timing of opening and closing the cabinet door (100B) of the cabinet (<NUM>) to prevent condensation and short circuit of an electrical device in the accommodating space when the cabinet door is opened, characterized in that the cabinet (<NUM>) comprises:
a control module (<NUM>), configured to sense a cabinet-inside temperature (Ti) inside the cabinet (<NUM>), and sense a cabinet-outside temperature (To) and a cabinet-outside humidity (Ho) outside the cabinet (<NUM>) to generate a dew-point threshold value,
a temperature control module (<NUM>), coupled to the control module (<NUM>) and configured to adjust the cabinet-inside temperature (Ti), and
a locking module (<NUM>), coupled to the control module (<NUM>) and the cabinet door (100B) and configured to lock the cabinet door (100B) or unlock the cabinet door (100B),
wherein the control module (<NUM>) controls the locking module (<NUM>) according to the cabinet-inside temperature (Ti) and the dew-point threshold value, and
wherein when the control module (<NUM>) receives a trigger signal, the control module (<NUM>) controls the temperature control module (<NUM>) to adjust the cabinet-inside temperature (Ti) to be greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value, and then unlocks the cabinet door (100B) to avoid the occurrence of condensation in the accommodating space (100C) when the control module (<NUM>) determines that the cabinet-inside temperature (Ti) is greater than or equal to the dew-point threshold value.