Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of communication, and relates in particular to a communication circuit, control circuit and home appliance device.

Background of the Invention

In order to increase a product’s functions and enhance user experience, currently, some home appliance devices or some other products on the market are internally provided with a NFC (Near Field Communication) function module and a Wi-Fi (wireless communication) function module. A user can transmit network configuration information (i.e., a wireless network identifier and a wireless network password of a wireless network that a home appliance device needs to be connected to) to a main control circuit for the main control circuit to send the network configuration information to a Wi-Fi circuit, so that the Wi-Fi circuit can be connected to the wireless network according to the network configuration information. In addition, in order to prevent erroneous transmission of the network configuration information via the main control circuit, during network connection, generally it is needed to switch the Wi-Fi circuit to an AP (Wireless Access Point) mode, and to detect, in the AP mode, whether the wireless network identifier in the vicinity can match the wireless network identifier in the network configuration information received. After successful network connection, the Wi-Fi circuit is then switched to the Station mode. The process of network configuration is relatively complicated and time consuming, providing poor user experience. In an existing solution in the prior art, by reference to Figure 1 , for the control circuit, the NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi circuit are connected respectively to different ports of the main control circuit and take up relatively many port resources of the main control circuit, thus this structure needs to be simplified.

In another existing solution in the prior art, by reference to Figure 2, the control circuit further comprises an adapter board comprising an adapter port connected with the main control circuit. The NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi circuit are connected respectively to different ports of the adapter board, and connected with the main control circuit by the adapter board via the adapter port. Thus, the main control circuit communicates in a NFC way with an external NFC device by means of the adapter board and the NFC circuit, and is connected to a wireless network by means of the adapter board and the Wi-Fi circuit. Compared to the control circuit of the previous existing solution in the prior art, although the control circuit of the another existing solution in the prior art takes up fewer port resources of the main control circuit, the NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi circuit need to be connected with the main control circuit via the adapter board, increasing the costs for the circuits and complicating the circuits. In addition, the problem that the process of network configuration is relatively time consuming and complicated for a user to operate also exists.

Summary of the Invention

The present disclosure provides an improved communication circuit, control circuit and home appliance device that have short network configuration time, provide relatively good user experience, and are of a simple structure.

The present disclosure provides a communication circuit provided in an electrical device, comprising: a NFC circuit comprising a NFC chip and a NFC antenna, the NFC chip being connected with the NFC antenna and being able to be connected and communicate with an external NFC device via the NFC antenna; and a Wi-Fi circuit comprising a Wi-Fi chip and a Wi-Fi antenna, the Wi-Fi chip being connected with the Wi-Fi antenna and comprising a first communication port connected with the NFC chip and a second communication port connected with a main control circuit used to control the electrical device to operate, in this way the NFC chip being connected with the main control circuit via the Wi-Fi chip.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the communication circuit comprises a NFC circuit and a Wi-Fi circuit, a Wi-Fi chip of the Wi-Fi circuit being connected with a NFC chip of the NFC circuit and the main control circuit, the NFC chip being connected with the main control circuit via the Wi-Fi chip. Since the NFC chip and the Wi-Fi chip are connected with each other, after the NFC chip receives network configuration information transmitted by an external NFC device, the Wi-Fi chip can obtain the network configuration information directly from the NFC chip without the need to obtain the network configuration information via the main control circuit, which shortens the time for the network configuration information to arrive at the Wi-Fi chip, enhances user experience and in the meantime greatly reduces or avoids erroneous transmission of the network configuration information via the main control circuit. Thus, as erroneous transmission is greatly reduced or avoided, the Wi-Fi chip does not need to switch to the AP mode and can be maintained always in the Station mode and connected to a network in the Station mode directly according to the network configuration information received. Thus, the network configuration process is greatly simplified, the network configuration time is reduced, the response speed in the course of network configuration is fast and the malfunction rate is low, which can greatly enhance user experience. In addition, as the NFC chip is connected with the main control circuit via the Wi-Fi chip, the Wi-Fi chip and the NFC chip are connected with the main control circuit via a common port, which reduces the number of ports and results in a simple structure of the communication circuit.

Preferably, the NFC chip comprises an active NFC chip. In some embodiments, the active NFC chip supports read and write operations, offering a better applicability.

Preferably, the communication circuit comprises a clock signal circuit connected with the Wi-Fi chip and outputting a clock signal to the Wi-Fi chip. In some embodiments, the clock signal outputted by the clock signal circuit can enable various components inside the Wi Fi chip to operate in a synchronized manner and in the meantime synchronize the communication of the Wi-Fi chip with the NFC chip and with the main control circuit, providing high circuit reliability.

Preferably, the clock signal circuit comprises a crystal oscillator circuit. In some embodiments, the clock signal outputted by the crystal oscillator circuit is relatively stable.

Preferably, the NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi circuit are integrated onto a circuit board; or, the NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi chip are integrated onto a circuit board, and the Wi-Fi antenna is provided outside the circuit board. In some embodiments, the NFC circuit and the Wi-Fi circuit are integrated on a circuit board, facilitating modularization. In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi antenna is provided outside the circuit board. With such built-out Wi-Fi antenna, the size of the circuit board is small, making the arrangement of the Wi-Fi antenna and the circuit board more flexible.

Preferably, the communication circuit comprises a connector connected with the Wi-Fi chip and used for connecting the Wi-Fi chip and the main control circuit. In some embodiments, the communication circuit is more modularized, making it more convenient to assemble or replace the communication circuit.

Preferably, the connector comprises one of a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter) serial port connector, a SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) interface connector, an IIC (Inter- Integrated Circuit) interface connector. In some embodiments, a UART serial port connector and an IIC interface connector need fewer ports. In some embodiments, a SPI interface connector can increase the speed of data transmission.

Preferably, the NFC chip is connected with the Wi-Fi chip via a SPI bus or an IIC bus. In some embodiments, a SPI bus can increase the speed of transmission between the NFC chip and the Wi-Fi chip. In some embodiments, an IIC bus needs fewer ports.

Preferably, the NFC circuit comprises a capacitor connected with the NFC chip. In some embodiments, by providing an appropriate capacitor, the sensing distance of the NFC antenna can meet actual needs, offering a simple and flexible design

Additionally or alternatively, the needed sensing distance of the NFC antenna can be achieved by setting a size of the NFC antenna.

Preferably, the communication circuit further comprises a voltage conversion circuit connected between the main control circuit and the NFC chip, as well as between the main control circuit and the Wi-Fi chip, the voltage conversion circuit being able to convert a voltage outputted by the main control circuit to an operating voltage of the NFC chip and the Wi-Fi chip to power the NFC chip and the Wi-Fi chip.

The present disclosure further provides a control circuit, comprising:

- a communication circuit as described above; and

- a main control circuit as described above.

The present disclosure further provides a home appliance device, comprising a control circuit as described above. Accordingly, the communication circuit is provided in the home appliance device, and the main control circuit is used to control the home appliance device to operate.

Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram of a control circuit of the relevant art;

Figure 2 is a circuit block diagram of another control circuit of the relevant art;

Figure 3 is a circuit block diagram of a control circuit provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the data fields of a NFC chip provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a home appliance device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 is an exploded view in perspective of the home appliance device in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a top view of the home appliance device in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the home appliance device in Figure 5 along the line A-A.

Detailed Description of the Invention

Exemplary embodiments, which are illustrated in accompanying drawings, will be described in detail here. In the description below related to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings refer to the same or similar elements. The modes of realization described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all modes of realization in accordance with the disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure described in detail in the claims appended.

The terms used in the present disclosure are merely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and not intended to limit the present disclosure. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure shall have the common meanings as understood by a person of ordinary skills in the art which the present disclosure involves. Wordings such as “one” or “a/an” and the like do not represent a quantitative limitation but mean that there exists at least one. “A plurality” or “several” include two and are equal to “at least two”. Wordings such as “comprise” or “include” and the like are intended to mean that the element or object that appears before “comprise” or “include” includes the element or object that appears after “comprise” or “include” or its equivalent, and does not exclude other elements or objects. Wordings such as “connect to” or “connect with” and the like are not limited to a physical or mechanical connection, but can include an electrical connection, whether direct or indirect. Singular form wordings such as “a/an,” “said” and “the” used in the description and the appended claims of the present disclosure are also meant to include the plural form, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that wordings such as “and/or” used here mean and include any or all possible combinations of one or more related items listed.

Figure 1 is a circuit block diagram of a control circuit 800 in the relevant art. In reference to Figure 1 , the control circuit 800 comprises a NFC circuit 81 , a Wi-Fi circuit 82, a main control circuit 83 and a power source 84. The NFC circuit 81 and the Wi-Fi circuit 82 are connected respectively to different ports of the main control circuit 83. The main control circuit 83 can communicate in an NFC way with an external NFC device by means of the NFC circuit 81 , and be connected to a wireless network by means of the Wi-Fi circuit 82. The power source 84 is connected with the main control circuit 83 and supplies power to the main control circuit 83. Sometimes, a user can transmit network configuration information (i.e., a wireless network identifier and a wireless network password of a wireless network that a home appliance device needs to be connected to) to the main control circuit 83 for the main control circuit 83 to transmit the network configuration information to the Wi-Fi circuit 82, so that the Wi-Fi circuit 82 can be connected to the wireless network according to the network configuration information. For the control circuit 800, as the NFC circuit 81 and the Wi-Fi circuit 82 are connected respectively to different ports of the main control circuit 83 and take up relatively many port resources of the main control circuit 83. In addition, in order to prevent erroneous transmission of the network configuration information via the main control circuit 83, during network connection, generally it is needed to switch the Wi-Fi circuit 82 to an AP (Wireless Access Point) mode, and to detect, in the AP mode, whether a wireless network identifier in the vicinity can match the wireless network identifier in the network configuration information received. After successful network connection, the Wi-Fi circuit 82 is then switched to the Station mode. The process of network configuration is relatively complicated and time consuming, providing poor user experience.

Figure 2 is a circuit block diagram of another control circuit 900 in the relevant art. In reference to Figure 2, the control circuit 900 comprises a NFC circuit 91 , a Wi-Fi circuit 92, an adapter board 93, a main control circuit 94 and a power source 95. The adapter board

93 comprises an adapter port 931. The adapter port 931 is connected with the main control circuit 94. The NFC circuit 91 and the Wi-Fi circuit 92 are connected respectively to different ports of the adapter board 93, and connected with the main control circuit 94 by the adapter board 93 via the adapter port 931. The adapter board 93 can process messages of the NFC circuit 91 and the Wi-Fi circuit 92 before send the messages to the main control circuit

94 via the adapter port 931 , or process messages of the main control circuit 94 before send them to the NFC circuit 91 or the Wi-Fi circuit 92. Thus, the main control circuit 94 can communicate in a NFC way with an external NFC device by means of the adapter board 93 and the NFC circuit 91 , and be connected to a wireless network by means of the adapter board 93 and the Wi-Fi circuit 92. The power source 95 is connected with the main control circuit 94 and supplies power to the main control circuit 94. Compared to the control circuit 800, although the control circuit 900 takes up fewer port resources of the main control circuit 94, the NFC circuit 91 and the Wi-Fi circuit 92 need to be connected with the main control circuit 94 via the adapter board 93, increasing the costs for the circuits and complicating the circuits. In addition, the problem that the process of network configuration is relatively time consuming and complicated for a user to operate also exists.

Figure 3 is a circuit block diagram of a control circuit 200 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control circuit 200 can be applied to a home appliance device, such as a food processor, a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a washing machine, a range hood, etc. In some other embodiments, the control circuit 200 can also be applied to a non-home appliance device, such as a POS (Point Of Sale) machine. The present disclosure is described by taking the control circuit 200 applied to a home appliance device as an example. The control circuit 200 comprises a main control circuit 21 and a communication circuit 100. The main control circuit 21 can control a home appliance device to operate.

In reference to Figure 3, the communication circuit 100 comprises a NFC circuit 11 and a Wi-Fi circuit 12. The NFC circuit 11 comprises a NFC chip 111 and a NFC antenna 112, the NFC chip 111 being connected with the NFC antenna 112 and connected and communicating with an external NFC device 500 via the NFC antenna 112. In some embodiments, the external NFC device 500 can comprise a mobile device supporting the NFC function, such as a cellphone or tablet that supports the NFC function. When located in the sensing zone of the NFC antenna 112, the external NFC device 500 can establish a NFC connection with the NFC chip 111 via the NFC antenna 112 and thus exchange data in a near field communication with the NFC chip 111.

In some embodiments, the NFC chip 111 can store operating data of the home appliance device, such as malfunction types of the home appliance device, current operating mode (such as keep-warm mode and steaming mode) of the home appliance device, the temperature of the food materials inside the home appliance device, the duration of operation of the home appliance device and the remaining duration. In those embodiments, the operating data of the home appliance device stored by the NFC chip 111 can be relevant data outputted by the main control circuit 21 monitoring the operation of the home appliance device.

In some embodiments, after the external NFC device 500 establishes a NFC connection with the NFC chip 111 via the NFC antenna 112, the external NFC device 500 can obtain operating data from the NFC chip 111. In an example in which the operating data is malfunction types of the home appliance device, generally, the main control circuit 21 will not store detailed malfunction information and malfunction solutions corresponding to the malfunction types. After the main control circuit 21 writes a malfunction type into the NFC chip 111 , the external NFC device 500 can obtain the operating malfunction type of the home appliance device from the NFC chip 111 , and send the operating malfunction type to a home appliance service terminal corresponding to the home appliance device by establishing a connection with the home appliance device service terminal by means of the network connection function. Based on the operating malfunction type received, the home appliance device service terminal sends corresponding detailed operating malfunction information or solutions to the external NFC device 500 for a user to view.

In some embodiments, the home appliance device can be controlled by means of the external NFC device 500. For example, a user can open an application related to the home appliance device on the external NFC device 500 so as to set operating control information of the home appliance device, such as network configuration information of the home appliance device (i.e., a wireless network identifier and a wireless network password of a wireless network that the home appliance device needs to be connected to). After the external NFC device 500 establishes a NFC connection with the NFC chip 111 via the NFC antenna 112, the external NFC device 500 can send data comprising operating control information to the NFC chip 111. The NFC chip 111 can store the data so that the main control circuit 21 of the home appliance device controls the home appliance device according to the data stored by the NFC chip 111. For example, after a user sets the network configuration information of the home appliance device by means of the external NFC device 500, the network configuration information can be sent to the NFC chip 111 via a NFC connection established, so that the home appliance device can be connected to the corresponding wireless network according to the network configuration information.

In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi circuit 12 comprises a Wi-Fi chip 121 and a Wi-Fi antenna 122, the Wi-Fi chip 121 being connected with the Wi-Fi antenna 122 and comprising a first communication port P1 connected with the NFC chip 111. The Wi-Fi chip 121 can read network configuration information from the NFC chip 111 and then be connected to the corresponding wireless network by means of the Wi-Fi antenna 122 according to the network configuration information. In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi chip 121 , after being connected to a wireless network, can establish a connection between the home appliance device and a home appliance device service terminal. The main control circuit 21 of the home appliance device can exchange data with the home appliance device service terminal by means of the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the Wi-Fi antenna 122. For example, once the home appliance device has a malfunction, the malfunction type can be sent to the home appliance device service terminal by means of the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the Wi-Fi antenna 122, so that the home appliance device service terminal issues corresponding detailed malfunction information or solutions to the home appliance device according to the malfunction type. Accordingly, the home appliance device can notify the detailed malfunction information or solutions by means of a notification module (such as a display module or a voice prompt module).

In some embodiments, the NFC chip 111 can be connected with the Wi-Fi chip 121 via a SPI bus or an IIC bus. The way of connecting the NFC chip 111 with the Wi-Fi chip 121 is relatively flexible. An appropriate way of connecting can be selected based on actual circumstances. For example, when a SPI bus is selected for connecting the NFC chip 111 with the Wi-Fi chip 121 , data can be transmitted between the NFC chip 111 and the Wi-Fi chip 121 at a relatively fast speed. As another example, when an IIC bus is selected for connecting the NFC hip 111 with the Wi-Fi chip 121 , the ports taken up of the NFC chip 111 and the Wi-Fi chip 121 can be relatively few.

In some embodiments, the Wi-Fi chip 121 comprises a second communication port P2 connected with the main control circuit 21 , the NFC chip 111 being connected with the main control circuit 21 via the Wi-Fi chip 121. The main control circuit 21 can exchange data with the NFC chip 111 by means of the Wi-Fi chip 121. For example, when detecting that the home appliance device has a malfunction, the main control circuit 21 can output the corresponding malfunction type to the Wi-Fi chip 121 , so that the Wi-Fi chip 121 writes the malfunction type to the NFC chip 111 for the external NFC device 500 to read.

In this embodiment, the NFC circuit 11 and the Wi-Fi circuit 12 are integrated onto a circuit board 16. The Wi-Fi antenna 122 is an onboard antenna, which facilitates circuit arrangement, and is highly integrated and more modular, and can be more easily assembled into a home appliance device or another product, which simplifies assembly processes and improves production efficiency, and also can be more easily replaced. In some other embodiments, it is possible that the NFC chip 11 and the Wi-Fi chip 121 are integrated onto a circuit board 16, and that the Wi-Fi antenna 122 is provided outside the circuit board 16. The Wi-Fi antenna 122 is such a built-out antenna that the size of the circuit board is small and that the arrangement of the Wi-Fi antenna 122 and the circuit board 16 is more flexible. The Wi-Fi antenna 122 and the circuit board 16 can be arranged more flexibly based on the specific structure of the home appliance device or another product, which is more conducive to space utilization and miniaturization and has a broader range of application. In addition, existing Wi-Fi antennas 122 on the market can be used, so that the circuit board 16 has a simpler design and a lower cost.

In some embodiments, the communication circuit 100 comprises a connector 13 connected with the Wi-Fi chip 121. The connector 13 is used for connecting the Wi-Fi chip 121 with the main control circuit 21. The main control circuit 21 and the communication circuit 100 are provided on different circuit boards. By connecting the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the main control circuit 21 via the connector 13, the structure can be more modularized, and the position of the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the position of the main control circuit 21 can be set based on actual circumstances, the range of applicable products is broader. In addition, when one of the communication circuit 100 and the main control circuit 21 needs to be maintained, replaced or upgraded, the other one does not need to be replaced. Thanks to the connector 13, the disassembly of the two can be easier, facilitating the replacement of the communication circuit 100 or the main control circuit 21 and the product upgrade, which reduces the costs of maintenance, replacement or upgrade. In some embodiments, the connector 13 comprises data terminals TX and RX through which the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the main control circuit 21 can be connected to transmit data.

In some embodiments, the connector 13 comprises one of a UART serial port connector, a SPI interface connector and an IIC interface connector. The number of ports needed by a UART serial port connector and an IIC interface connector is fewer, while a SPI interface connector is able to make data transmission faster. An appropriate connector can be selected based on actual needs (for example, the requirement for data transmission speed, and the actual number of ports of the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the main control circuit 21). The design of the circuits is relatively flexible.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the Wi-Fi chip 121 of the Wi-Fi circuit 12 is connected with the NFC chip 111 of the NFC circuit 11 and the main control circuit 21 , and the NFC chip 111 is connected with the main control circuit 21 via the Wi-Fi chip 121. In this way, the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the NFC chip 111 are connected with the main control circuit 21 by means of a common port. Compared to the relevant art of Figure 1 , with the Wi-Fi chip 121 and the NFC chip 111 being connected with the main control circuit 21 by means of a common port in the present disclosure, fewer ports are needed so that the structure of the communication circuit 100 is simple and thus the structure of the home appliance device can be simplified. Compared to the relevant art of Figure 2, with the NFC chip 111 being connected with the main control circuit 21 via the Wi-Fi chip 121 in the present disclosure, there is no need to provide the adapter board 93, reducing the cost of the circuits and simplifying the structure of the circuits, thus reducing the cost of the home appliance device and simplifying the structure of the home appliance device. In addition, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, as the NFC chip 111 and the Wi-Fi chip 121 are connected, after the NFC chip 111 receives network configuration information transmitted by the external NFC device 500, the Wi-Fi chip 121 can obtain the network configuration information directly from the NFC chip 111 without the need to obtain the network configuration information via the main control circuit 21 , reducing the time for the network configuration information to arrive at the Wi-Fi chip 121 , improving user experience and in the meantime avoiding erroneous transmission which might occur when the network configuration information is transmitted via the main control circuit 21. In the case that there is a high probability that the network configuration information would have no error due to transmission, the Wi-Fi chip 121 may not need to switch to the AP mode, and can be maintained always in the Station mode and connected to a network in the Station mode directly according to the network configuration information received. Thus, the process of network configuration is greatly simplified, the time for network configuration is reduced, the response speed in the process of network configuration is fast and the malfunction rate is low.

Still in reference to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the communication circuit 100 comprises a clock signal circuit 15 connected with the Wi-Fi chip 121 and outputting a clock signal to the Wi-Fi chip 121. The clock signal outputted by the clock signal circuit 15 can enable various components inside the Wi-Fi chip 121 to operate in a synchronized manner and in the meantime synchronize the communication of the Wi-Fi chip 121 with the NFC chip 111 and with the main control circuit 21 , providing high circuit reliability. In some embodiments, the clock signal circuit 15 comprises a crystal oscillator circuit. The clock signal outputted by a crystal oscillator circuit is relatively stable.

In the present embodiment, the NFC chip 111 comprises an active NFC chip. An active NFC chip can mean a NFC chip that needs to be powered. An active NFC chip supports read and write operations and has a broader applicability. For example, a user can write control information of the home appliance device into the NFC chip 111 by means of the external NFC device 500, so that the main control circuit 21 can read the data of the control information by means of the Wi-Fi chip 121 and control the home appliance device based on the control information. In some other embodiments, the NFC chip 111 comprises a dual-interface passive NFC chip. A dual-interface passive NFC chip can mean a NFC chip that does not need to be powered.

In some embodiments, the NFC circuit 11 comprises a capacitor 113 connected with the NFC chip 111. By setting an appropriate capacitance value, the sensing distance of the NFC antenna 112 can be made to meet actual needs, providing a simple and flexible design. In some embodiments, the maximum sensing distance of the NFC antenna 112 is larger than the distance between the NFC antenna 112 and the external surface of the home appliance device corresponding to the NFC antenna 112. In this way, with a large sensing distance of the NFC antenna 112, when the external NFC device 500 is near the area of the home appliance device corresponding to the NFC antenna 112 but has not come into contact, the NFC antenna 112 is already able to sense it. Of course, when the external NFC device 500 comes into contact with the zone area 3312, it is more able to sense it, thus providing a good sensing result, making it relatively easy to sense and be connected with the external NFC device 500, and improving user experience. For example, in the case where the maximum sensing distance of the NFC antenna 112 is larger than the distance between the NFC antenna 112 and the external surface of the home appliance device corresponding to the NFC antenna 112 by 5 mm, the external NFC device 500 can be sensed once the distance between the external NFC device 500 and the external surface of the home appliance device corresponding to the NFC antenna 112 is smaller than 5 mm. The sensing distance needed can be achieved by setting the size of the NFC antenna 112 an/or the capacitance value of the capacitor 113. When the size of the NFC antenna 112 is given, it is possible to increase the sensing distance by adjusting the capacitance value of the capacitor 113. In this way, the sensing distance can be increased to improve sensing results without increasing the size of the NFC antenna 112. Thus, the size of the communication circuit 100 is made relatively small, which facilitates the miniaturization of the home appliance device, in the meantime sensing results are good.

In the present embodiment, the communication circuit 100 comprises a voltage conversion circuit 14 connected between the main control circuit 21 and the NFC chip 111 , as well as between the main control circuit 21 and the Wi-Fi chip 121. The voltage conversion circuit 14 can convert a voltage outputted by the main control circuit 21 to an operating voltage of the NFC chip 111 and the Wi-Fi chip 121 to power the NFC chip 111 and the Wi-Fi chip 121. In some embodiments, the main control circuit 21 can be connected with a power source 400 and can comprise a power source circuit (not illustrated) that converts the voltage of the power source 400 before supplying it to the voltage conversion circuit 14. The power source 400 can be an AC (Alternating Current) power source, such as mains electricity. In some other embodiments where the NFC chip 111 is a dual-interface passive NFC, the voltage conversion circuit 14 may not need to be connected between the main control circuit 21 and the NFC chip 111 to supply power to the NFC chip 111.

In some embodiments, the main control circuit 21 can be provided on a circuit board. In some other embodiments, the power source circuit of the main control circuit 21 and circuits such as a controller of the main control circuit 21 can be provided on different circuit boards, so as to separate strong current circuits from weak current circuits and improve safety. In some embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 14 comprises a DC-DC conversion circuit that converts a DC (Direct Current) voltage (such as 5V) outputted by the main control circuit 21 to a common operating voltage (such as 3V) needed by the Wi-Fi chip and the NFC chip 111 . In some embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 14 can supply a voltage to other devices of the communication circuit 100 that need to be powered. In some embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 14 is connected to the connector 13 and to the main control circuit 21 via the connector 13, thus achieving modularization. The connector 13 can comprise a power source terminal VCC and a grounding terminal GND, via which the voltage conversion circuit 14 is connected to the main control circuit 21. In some other embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 14 can be connected to the main control circuit 21 via another connector.

In some embodiments, the NFC chip 111 , the NFC antenna 112, the capacitor 113, the Wi-Fi chip 121 , the Wi-Fi antenna 122, the clock signal circuit 15 and the voltage conversion circuit 14 can be integrated onto a circuit board, so as to facilitate modularization and achieve a high degree of integration. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 100 further comprises other sub-circuits or devices not shown in the figures, such as resistors and filter capacitors.

Figure 4 is a schematic view of data fields of a NFC chip 111 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the data fields of the NFC chip 111 comprise: a NFC header data field, a non-customized data field and a customized data field. Among them, the non-customized data field comprises a plurality of standard NFC records.

In some embodiments, the NFC header data field stores identifier information and data locking flag information of the NFC chip, wherein the data locking flag information comprises static locking and dynamic locking used for: locking data of the non-customized data field so that the data of the non-customized data field can be read and written by the main control circuit 21 but be read only, not written, by the external NFC device 500; in the meantime, making the customized data field accessible so that data of the customized data field can be read and written by the main control circuit 21 and the external NFC device 500.

In some embodiments, the non-customized data field comprises data of the manufacturer of the home appliance device. For this part of data, modification by a user is not desired. Therefore, the non-customized data field can be set such that it can be read only, not written, by the external NFC device 500. In some embodiments, data of the non- customized data field can use a NFC Data Exchange Format (i.e. NDEF).

In some embodiments, the customized data field is located at the end of the NFC data fields. Data is parsed in a KLV manner. Data can be stored in plaintext or after being encrypted. Stored data can be read and written by the external NFC device 500, wherein a non-NFC Data Exchange Format is used for the format of the data, in otherwords, NDEF specified by the official protocol is not used, nor will a specific IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) format of lower level be defined under the NDEF standard.

In some embodiments, the above-described operating data (such as malfunction type) of the home appliance device can be stored in the customized data field. For different data fields of the NFC chip 111 , different read and write permissions can be granted respectively to the external NFC device 500 and the main control circuit 21. The external NFC device can read and write data of the customized data field and thus exchange data with the main control circuit 21 , providing a broader applicability.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a home appliance device 300 provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is an exploded view in perspective of the home appliance device 300 in Figure 5. Figure 7 is a top view of the home appliance device 300 in Figure 5. Figure 8 is a sectional view of the home appliance device 300 in Figure 5 along the line A-A.

In reference to Figures 5 to 8, in some embodiments, the home appliance device 300 comprises a food processor. The food processor can comprise a multifunction food processor, can be used to cook food such as stir frying, stewing, steaming, fermenting and making soup, and can also be used to process food such as juicing, kneading dough, grinding, ice shaving and beating. The multifunction food processor can cook food, such as stir fry food, based on a recipe. In some other embodiments, the food processor can comprise a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, a microwave oven, an induction cooker, an electric hot pot, a blender, a juicer, a soymilk maker, or a cell-wall breaking machine. In some other embodiments, the home appliance device 300 can comprise a refrigerator, a washing machine or a range hood etc.

In the illustrated embodiments, the home appliance device 300 is a multifunction food processor comprising a host 33, a pot body assembly 32 and a lid assembly 31 . The pot body assembly 32 comprises a pot body 321. The host 33 comprises a housing 331 enclosing an accommodating chamber 334 in which the pot body 321 can be placed. The pot body 321 is removably placed at the host 33 and can be used for accommodating food materials. The food materials are processed inside the pot body 321 . The lid assembly 31 removably covers and closes the pot body assembly 32.

The host 33 comprises an operation panel 333 assembled with the housing 331 and able to display a recipe, time, a current food material processing step, notification information, etc. The operation panel 333 can also be operated by a user, and the user can control the operation panel 333 by touch. The control circuit 200 described above is provided inside the housing 331 of the host 33. In some embodiments, the NFC antenna 112 of the NFC circuit 11 of the communication circuit 100 can be located below a non-operation area on the border of the operation panel 333. In some other embodiments, the NFC antenna 112 can be located in another area of the housing 331 , such as a right area of the housing 331 near the operation panel 333, so as to facilitate user operations.

What have been described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent replacement or improvement made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.