Control system of a mail box and mail box

Abstract

The application provides a control system of a mail sending box and the mail sending box, and the control system comprises a power module, a control module and a first lock control board, the first lock control board comprises a first wiring end and a second wiring end which are arranged at intervals, and the first wiring end and the second wiring end each comprise a communication port and a power supply port; the communication port of the first wiring end is connected with the control module through a communication cable, and the power supply port of the first wiring end is connected with the power module through a power supply cable; and the communication port and the power supply port of the second wiring end are respectively used for being connected with corresponding ports of an extended lock control board through a communication cable and a power supply cable. The control system of the mail sending box is simple in electrical connection, can conveniently extend or disassemble the lock control board and the storage compartment of the mail sending box, and only needs to connect or disassemble the cable when the lock control board is extended or disassembled, so that the overall cost of the mail sending box can be reduced, and the mail sending box is conducive to large-scale promotion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of parcel locker technology, and in particular to a control system for a parcel locker and a parcel locker. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the express delivery locker industry generally uses a combination of large-capacity lockers. This combination has the advantage of more locker compartments, but it also has obvious disadvantages. The disadvantages are that the electrical cost of a single locker is high, the price of a single locker is high, which is a heavy asset investment. The lockers are large in size and occupy a lot of space, resulting in fewer deployment locations and hindering large-scale promotion.

[0003] Therefore, how to reduce the cost of express delivery lockers to facilitate large-scale promotion is a persistent problem in the industry. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a control system and a parcel box for parcel delivery, which simplifies the electrical connection of the control system and allows for easy expansion or disassembly of the lock control plate and storage compartments of the parcel box. Therefore, it can reduce the overall cost of the parcel box and facilitate large-scale promotion.

[0005] This application provides a control system for a parcel box, including a power module, a control module, and a first lock control board. The first lock control board includes a first terminal and a second terminal spaced apart. Both the first terminal and the second terminal include a communication port and a power supply port. The communication port of the first terminal is connected to the control module via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the first terminal is connected to the power module via a power supply cable. The communication port and power supply port of the second terminal are used to connect to the corresponding ports of the extended lock control board via communication cables and power supply cables, respectively.

[0006] In some embodiments, the extended lock control board includes one or more second lock control boards, each of the second lock control boards including a third terminal and a fourth terminal spaced apart, the third terminal and the fourth terminal both including a communication port and a power supply port; The communication port of the third terminal of the second lock control board is connected to the communication port of the second terminal via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the third terminal is connected to the power supply port of the second terminal via a power supply cable. The communication port and power supply port of the fourth terminal of the second lock control board are respectively used to connect to the corresponding ports of another second lock control board via communication cables and power supply cables.

[0007] In some embodiments, there are two second locking plates.

[0008] In some embodiments, the communication cable and the power supply cable connected to the first terminal form the same harness, and the communication cable and the power supply cable connected to the second terminal form the same harness.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first lock control board includes a plurality of electromagnetic lock control units, each of which is connected to an electromagnetic lock on one of the cabinet doors of the parcel box. The electromagnetic lock is used to open or lock the corresponding cabinet door.

[0010] In some embodiments, the control system further includes an industrial control motherboard, the power supply module is connected to the industrial control motherboard, and the control module is integrated on the industrial control motherboard.

[0011] In some embodiments, the control system further includes a communication module and an antenna, wherein the communication module is integrated on the industrial control motherboard and the antenna is connected to the communication module.

[0012] In some embodiments, the control system further includes a human body sensor and a camera, both of which are connected to the industrial control motherboard.

[0013] In some embodiments, the control system further includes a display screen, which is connected to the industrial control motherboard.

[0014] This application also provides a parcel locker, including a control system for the parcel locker described in any of the above embodiments.

[0015] The control system of the parcel locker in this application embodiment includes a first locking control board with a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal is connected to the control module via a communication cable and to the power module via a power supply cable. The second terminal is a reserved terminal used to connect to the corresponding port of the extended locking control board via the communication cable and the power supply cable. The electrical connection is simple, and the locking control board and storage compartment of the parcel locker can be easily expanded or disassembled. When expanding or disassembling the locking control board, only the cable needs to be connected or disconnected, thus reducing the overall cost of the parcel locker and facilitating large-scale promotion. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a first structure of the control system for the mail box according to an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the port structure of the first terminal of the control system of the mail box shown.

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The diagram shows an example of the structure of the control system for the mail box.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a second structure of the control system for the mail box according to an embodiment of this application.

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 4 The diagram shows an example of the structure of the control system for the mail box. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0023] This application provides a control system for a parcel locker, which can be used to control the locker doors of the parcel locker compartments, such as opening and locking the doors, to facilitate users' parcel drop-off and pickup services. It is understood that in practical applications, parcel lockers typically include multiple storage compartments, and the door of each compartment needs to be independently controlled.

[0024] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a first structure of the control system 100 for the mail box according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 for Figure 1 The diagram shows an example of the structure of the control system 100 for the parcel locker. The control system 100 includes a power module 10, a control module 20, and a first locking control board 30.

[0025] The power module 10 is connected to the control module 20 and the first lock control board 30, and is used to supply power to the control module 20 and the first lock control board 30. In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the power module 10 includes a power adapter, a DC connector, and a DC plug-in connector. The power adapter can output 12V. The DC connector can output two power supplies: one to power the control module 20 and the other to power the first locking board 30.

[0026] The control module 20 is connected to the first lock control board 30 and is used to control the first lock control board 30. In some embodiments, the control module 20 can be an MCU (Microcontroller Unit, also known as a single-chip microcomputer).

[0027] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control system 100 also includes an industrial control motherboard. The industrial control motherboard is an integrated circuit board that can integrate different control circuits and processing circuits, and connect to external hardware modules for overall monitoring and information processing of the mail box. The power supply module 10 is connected to the industrial control motherboard and supplies power to it. The control module 20 is integrated on the industrial control motherboard. In practical applications, the power supply module 10 can supply power to the industrial control motherboard, and then the power supply unit of the industrial control motherboard can supply power to the control module 20.

[0028] The first lock control board 30 is used to control the door locks of a certain number of storage compartments, such as controlling the door locks to open or lock, thereby controlling the cabinet doors. In practical applications, the number of cabinet door locks controlled by the first lock control board 30 is fixed, typically used to control 6 to 10 cabinet door locks. The first lock control board 30 includes a first terminal 31 and a second terminal 32 spaced apart. Both the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32 include a communication port and a power supply port.

[0029] The communication port of the first terminal 31 is connected to the control module 20 via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the first terminal 31 is connected to the power module 10 via a power supply cable. The communication port and power supply port of the second terminal 32 are respectively used to connect to the corresponding ports of the extended lock control board via communication cables and power supply cables.

[0030] In practical applications, the number of storage compartments in a parcel locker may not match the volume of parcel delivery in its location. For example, in some cases, there are too few compartments to support a large volume of parcels; in others, there are too many compartments, resulting in low utilization and wasted resources. Therefore, when a mismatch occurs between the number of parcel lockers and the volume of deliveries, the number of storage compartments needs to be adjusted. This can be achieved by adding an extended locking plate and corresponding storage compartments, or by removing the extended locking plate and corresponding storage compartments.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first lock control board 30 is connected to the power module 10 and the control module 20 through the first terminal 31, and the second terminal 32 is a reserved terminal for connecting to the corresponding port of the extended lock control board. Therefore, it is convenient to expand or disassemble the lock control board and the storage compartment, and improve the convenience of expanding the system.

[0032] In some embodiments, reference is also made to Figure 2 , Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the port structure of the first terminal 31 of the control system for the parcel locker. The first locking control board 30 can communicate via the RS485 protocol. The communication ports of the first terminal 31 include a 485A+ port and a 485B- port, which are used for RS485 communication. The power supply ports include a DC12V port and a GND port, which are used to power the first locking control board 30. In this configuration, the communication cable connected to the communication ports of the first terminal 31 can be a cable that supports RS485 communication.

[0033] In practical applications, the port structure configuration of the second terminal 32 can be the same as that of the first terminal 31, such as... Figure 2 As shown, please refer to the description above for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] In some embodiments, the communication cable and power supply cable connected to the first terminal 31 form the same wiring harness, and the communication cable and power supply cable connected to the second terminal 32 form the same wiring harness. It is understood that having the communication cable and power supply cable in the same wiring harness facilitates the connection and disconnection of the extended lock control board, thus further improving the convenience of system expansion.

[0035] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 The first lock control board 30 includes multiple electromagnetic lock control units 33. Each electromagnetic lock control unit 33 is connected to the electromagnetic lock of one cabinet door of the parcel box and is used to control the opening or locking of the electromagnetic lock, which is used to open or lock the corresponding cabinet door.

[0036] For example, in one example, the first lock control board 30 may include eight electromagnetic lock control units 33, each of which is used to control the electromagnetic lock of a cabinet door connected to it. Therefore, the first lock control board 30 can be used to control the cabinet doors of eight storage compartments.

[0037] In some embodiments, reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a second structure of the control system 100 for the mail box according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 for Figure 4 The diagram shows an example of the structure of the control system 100 for the mail box.

[0038] The extended lock control panel described above includes one or more second lock control panels 40. For example, in one example, such as Figure 5As shown, there are two second lock control panels 40. The second lock control panel 40 is also used to control the door locks of a certain number of storage compartments, such as controlling the opening or locking of the locks, to achieve control of the cabinet doors. It should be noted that the second lock control panel 40 and the first lock control panel 30 can have the same function; they are used to control different cabinet door locks, and the number of cabinet door locks controlled can be the same or different.

[0039] Each second locking control board 40 includes a third terminal 41 and a fourth terminal 42 spaced apart. Both the third terminal 41 and the fourth terminal 42 include a communication port and a power supply port. In practical applications, the port configuration of the third terminal 41 and the fourth terminal 42 can be the same as the port configuration of the first terminal 31, such as... Figure 2 As shown, please refer to the description above for details, which will not be repeated here.

[0040] In this design, the communication port of the third terminal 41 of the second lock control board 40 is connected to the communication port of the second terminal 32 of the first lock control board 30 via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the third terminal 41 is connected to the power supply port of the second terminal 32 via a power supply cable. Figure 4 As shown. The communication port and power supply port of the fourth terminal 42 of the second lock control board 40 are used to connect to the corresponding ports of another second lock control board 40 via communication cables and power supply cables, respectively, as shown. Figure 5 As shown. It should be noted that communication cables and power cables connected to the same terminal can form the same cable bundle. Figure 4 , Figure 5 The same wire harness is used to represent communication cables and power cables.

[0041] In one application example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first lock control board 30 may include 6 electromagnetic lock control units for controlling the electromagnetic locks of the cabinet doors of 6 corresponding storage compartments; one second lock control board 40 includes 10 electromagnetic lock control units for controlling the electromagnetic locks of the cabinet doors of 10 corresponding storage compartments; another second lock control board 40 includes 7 electromagnetic lock control units for controlling the electromagnetic locks of the cabinet doors of 7 corresponding storage compartments.

[0042] In practical applications, the number of second lock control boards 40 can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, if the number of storage compartments is too small to support a large volume of express delivery business, more second lock control boards 40 and corresponding storage compartments can be added. Simply connect the added second lock control boards 40 to the existing second lock control boards 40 via communication cables and power cables. If the number of storage compartments is too large and the utilization rate is low, the second lock control boards 40 and corresponding storage compartments can be removed. When removing them, only the connected communication cables and power cables need to be disconnected.

[0043] The control system 100 of the parcel locker in this embodiment includes a first locking control board 30 comprising a first terminal 31 and a second terminal 32. The first terminal 31 is connected to the control module 20 via a communication cable and to the power module 10 via a power supply cable. The second terminal 32 is a reserved terminal used to connect to the corresponding port of the extended locking control board via the communication cable and the power supply cable. The electrical connection is simple, and the locking control board and storage compartment of the parcel locker can be easily expanded or disassembled. When expanding or disassembling the locking control board, only the cable needs to be connected or disconnected, thus reducing the overall cost of the parcel locker and facilitating large-scale promotion.

[0044] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 and Figure 5 The control system 100 also includes a communication module and an antenna. The communication module is integrated on the industrial control motherboard, and the antenna is connected to the communication module. Therefore, the parcel box can wirelessly communicate with a network via the antenna, such as with a cloud-based backend. In one example, the communication module can be a 4G communication module, and the antenna can be a 4G antenna.

[0045] In some embodiments, the control system 100 further includes a human body sensor and a camera. Both the human body sensor and the camera are connected to the industrial control motherboard. The human body sensor can communicate with the industrial control motherboard via a GPIO port and is powered via a DC 5V power supply port. The human body sensor is used to detect users, and the camera can be used to record video when the human body sensor detects a user, for example, recording 15 seconds of surveillance video. In one example, the human body sensor can be an infrared sensor, and the camera can be a USB camera, a monocular camera, a binocular camera, or other similar types of cameras.

[0046] In existing technologies, parcel lockers typically require real-time video recording, meaning they record continuously 24 hours a day. This necessitates a large hard drive to store the video files, placing high demands on hardware. In this embodiment, recording only occurs when a human body sensor detects a user. The recording duration is short, eliminating the need for continuous real-time recording. This significantly reduces the recording time and storage space required for the video files, and eliminates the need for a large hard drive, thus lowering hardware requirements and reducing the overall cost of the parcel locker.

[0047] In some embodiments, the control system 100 also includes a display screen. The display screen is connected to the industrial control motherboard. The display screen can be used to display information, such as user information and order information when a user sends or picks up a package. In one example, the display screen can be a 4.3-inch display screen. The 4.3-inch display screen is smaller in size and, compared to the large display screens commonly used in the parcel locker industry, is more focused on practical functions and can reduce hardware costs.

[0048] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the control system 100 also includes a speaker and a main cabinet light strip. Both the speaker and the main cabinet light strip are connected to the industrial control motherboard. The speaker can be used to play sounds to prompt users. The main cabinet light strip can be used for lighting.

[0049] This application also provides a parcel box, including the control system 100 of any of the above embodiments.

[0050] The following uses a user sending a package as an example to illustrate the specific application of the control system 100 in this application embodiment.

[0051] The industrial control motherboard drives the display screen to show a dynamic QR code. When a user needs to send a package, they can scan the QR code with their mobile phone to enter a mini-program to place an order. After the user places an order in the mini-program, the cloud backend receives the order and issues a command to open the storage compartment. The control system receives the command via the 4G network and then sends the command to the lock control board (either the first lock control board or a second lock control board) through the industrial control motherboard. The lock control board controls the corresponding electromagnetic lock control unit to open the electromagnetic lock of the storage compartment door, thus opening the door. The display screen shows the current package template and the opened storage compartment. At the same time, the industrial control motherboard receives a signal from the electromagnetic lock indicating that the door has been successfully opened and reports it to the cloud backend. After the user places the package into the storage compartment and closes the door, the system detects that the door is closed, and the order is completed.

[0052] When a user approaches the parcel locker, a human body sensor detects their proximity and sends a signal to the industrial control motherboard. Upon receiving this signal, the motherboard activates the camera and begins recording for 15 seconds. If the sensor still detects a human after 15 seconds, the camera continues recording for another 15 seconds until the customer leaves. The recorded file is automatically saved to an external SD card, allowing administrators to copy and review it at any time.

[0053] In the description of this application, it should be understood that terms such as “first” and “second” are used only to distinguish similar objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated.

[0054] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, "connection" can be understood as electrical connection. The connection between two electrical components can be a direct or indirect connection between the two electrical components. For example, the connection between A and B can be a direct connection between A and B, or an indirect connection between A and B through one or more other electrical components.

[0055] The control system and parcel locker of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A control system for a parcel locker, characterized in that, It includes a power module, a control module, and a first lock control board. The first lock control board includes a first terminal and a second terminal that are spaced apart. Both the first terminal and the second terminal include a communication port and a power supply port. The communication port of the first terminal is connected to the control module via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the first terminal is connected to the power module via a power supply cable. The communication port and power supply port of the second terminal are used to connect to the corresponding ports of the extended lock control board via communication cables and power supply cables, respectively.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein, The extended lock control board includes one or more second lock control boards, each of which includes a third terminal and a fourth terminal spaced apart, and both the third terminal and the fourth terminal include a communication port and a power supply port; The communication port of the third terminal of the second lock control board is connected to the communication port of the second terminal via a communication cable, and the power supply port of the third terminal is connected to the power supply port of the second terminal via a power supply cable. The communication port and power supply port of the fourth terminal of the second lock control board are respectively used to connect to the corresponding ports of another second lock control board via communication cables and power supply cables.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein, There are two second lock control plates.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein, The communication cable and the power supply cable connected to the first terminal form the same wire harness, and the communication cable and the power supply cable connected to the second terminal form the same wire harness.

5. The control system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The first lock control board includes multiple electromagnetic lock control units. Each electromagnetic lock control unit is connected to an electromagnetic lock on one of the cabinet doors of the parcel box. The electromagnetic lock is used to open or lock the corresponding cabinet door.

6. The control system of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, It also includes an industrial control motherboard, the power module is connected to the industrial control motherboard, and the control module is integrated on the industrial control motherboard.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein, It also includes a communication module and an antenna, with the communication module integrated on the industrial control motherboard and the antenna connected to the communication module.

8. The control system of claim 6, wherein, It also includes a human body sensor and a camera, both of which are connected to the industrial control motherboard.

9. The control system of claim 6, wherein, It also includes a display screen, which is connected to the industrial control motherboard.

10. A mailer comprising: The control system includes the mail box as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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