An electronic label system suitable for cargo picking system

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electronic label system suitable for a cargo picking system, comprising: a control module, a display module, a key module, a power supply module, and a communication module; wherein the power supply module and the communication module share a USB interface for external connection to a host computer; the control module receives task instructions issued by the host computer through the communication module, parses the task instructions, controls the display module to refresh and display cargo-related information and the picking task type in real time, and transmits the cargo information confirmation instruction sent by the key module back to the host computer after completing the task; the control module is also connected to the host computer through the communication module, and utilizes IAP online programming technology to burn and upgrade its own label program online. The present invention utilizes a shared USB interface for external connection to the host computer for the power supply module and the communication module, thereby reducing the number of openings in the electronic label housing and utilizing IAP technology to implement online firmware upgrades, significantly saving manual operation steps.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cargo picking, and more particularly to an electronic label system suitable for a cargo picking system. Background Art

[0002] The electronic tag system is an intelligent terminal device that integrates control, monitoring, and display. With a central computer at its core, it utilizes network communication and intelligent picking technology to manage storage locations, enabling operators to accurately, quickly, and easily complete tasks such as warehousing, outbound delivery, inventory, and transfers. It is widely used in warehouse picking systems in industries such as pharmaceuticals, supermarkets, and clothing. The warehouse picking system installs an electronic tag for each type of goods on all shelves in the picking operation area. Based on the order list data, picking instructions are issued, and the electronic tags on the shelves light up. Operators then promptly, accurately, and easily complete the picking operation according to the quantity indicated on the electronic tags. The system features flexible control of operation time, real-time on-site control, and emergency order processing, effectively reducing picking errors, accelerating picking speed, rationalizing picker routes, and improving work efficiency. Currently, in this technical field, the power supply and communication interfaces of the electronic tag system use independent pin-header designs, and the equipment installation process is complex and requires many operations. In addition, during the product firmware program upgrade and iteration process, the traditional method requires the operator to use a dedicated cable to connect to the proprietary interface of the electronic tag before downloading the firmware program to the FLASH of each device through a computer, which consumes a lot of manpower costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention provides an electronic tag system suitable for a cargo picking system, in which the power supply module and the communication module share a USB interface to connect to a host computer, reducing the number of openings in the electronic tag housing, and utilizing IAP technology to realize online firmware upgrades, thereby greatly saving manual operation steps.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] An electronic label system suitable for a cargo picking system comprises: a control module, and a display module, a key module, a power supply module, and a communication module electrically connected to the control module; wherein the power supply module and the communication module share a USB interface for connecting to an external host computer;

[0006] The button module is used to confirm product information, search for information and set label addresses;

[0007] The control module receives the task instruction issued by the host computer through the communication module, and after parsing the task instruction, controls the display module to refresh and display the product-related information and the picking task type in real time, and after completing the task, transmits the product information confirmation instruction sent by the key module back to the host computer;

[0008] The control module is also connected to the host computer through the communication module, and uses the IAP online programming technology to burn and upgrade its own label program.

[0009] Furthermore, the display module includes: a screen display unit and an indicator light unit;

[0010] The screen display unit is used to display the product-related information of the corresponding shelf under the current picking task, and the product-related information at least includes: product name, product quantity and product description;

[0011] The indicator light unit is used to indicate corresponding picking tasks through different indicator lights, and the picking tasks at least include: warehousing, warehousing, inventory and warehouse transfer.

[0012] Furthermore, the screen display unit is also used to display relevant equipment information, storage location, quantity of goods / storage location and equipment physical address information.

[0013] The indicator light unit is also used to indicate the power status, system self-check status and program running status.

[0014] Furthermore, the power supply module includes: a first power supply unit and a second power supply unit;

[0015] The first power supply unit is externally connected to a 24V DC voltage, and is used to convert the 24V DC voltage into a 5V voltage to power the indicator light unit and the communication module;

[0016] The second power supply unit is used to convert the 5V voltage into a 3.3V voltage to supply power to the control module, the screen display unit and the button module.

[0017] Furthermore, the core microprocessor of the control module is an ST series chip and has FLASH, RAM and SRAM.

[0018] Furthermore, the control module further comprises: an initialization unit, a data receiving unit and a program jump unit;

[0019] The initialization unit is used to configure the pins, baud rate and enable terminal parameters required for the RS485 serial port UART5 of the communication module after the system is powered on or in the initial stage of upgrading the label program;

[0020] The data receiving unit is used to receive the data frame sent by the host computer application, and has a ten-second timing judgment inside the main function of the bootloader program. The timing starts after the bootloader program is reset; during this period, when the length of the data USART_RData received by the RS485 serial port is greater than 0, it indicates that there is data transmission, and the UartRxDataCallBack function is called to determine whether the reception is completed. If not, the reception continues; if this frame of data is received, the USART5_Analysis function is called to determine whether the data frame is the data frame for the correct program upgrade. If so, it is determined whether it is the last frame of data. If not, the 10s timing is restarted, and the bootloader program calls the USART5_Analysis function to write the received data re_data into flsah and enter the next data reception; after judging that the data frame is correct within the 10s timing, it waits for the next frame of data until the ten-second timing is over after the last frame of data is received and written;

[0021] The program jump unit is used to close the serial port USART5 in the main function after the bootloader program receives the data, and jump to the updated label program; if the RS485 serial port USART5 does not receive the upgrade data sent by the application within 10 seconds, or the data sent is incorrect, then after the 10 seconds, the original label program is entered.

[0022] Furthermore, the key module includes a confirmation key, an up key, a down key and a function key; wherein the confirmation key adopts a quad-redundant micro switch, and the function key adopts a dual-redundant micro switch.

[0023] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that, compared with the prior art, the present invention provides an electronic label system suitable for a cargo picking system, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] 1. This invention utilizes an integrated communication and power supply design, enabling direct plug-in and unplugging of electronic tags without power outages through a single USB interface, simplifying the device installation process. Furthermore, compared to previous designs with separate pin headers for external power and communication circuits, this unified design of the power supply and 485 communication interface eliminates one peripheral interface and reduces the number of openings in the electronic tag's housing mold, thereby improving the overall IP protection rating of the electronic tag against solid foreign matter and water intrusion.

[0025] 2. The present invention can realize online firmware upgrade. Compared with the traditional method of downloading the firmware program to the chip through the JTAG interface, the application of IAP technology in the electronic tag firmware upgrade eliminates the need for operators to use special tools and frequently connect cables. Only the 485 communication interface and IAP online programming technology are needed to realize online firmware upgrade, which greatly saves manual operation steps and simplifies the operation process.

[0026] 3. The button of the present invention adopts a redundant micro switch design to increase the service life of the button. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a structural framework diagram of the electronic tag system provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 The overall structure diagram of the electronic tag system hardware provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A display refresh flow chart of the screen display unit provided by the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 Flowchart of the IAP online upgrade program provided by the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 A flowchart of the operating procedure of the indicator light unit provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a workflow diagram of the communication module provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an electronic label system suitable for a cargo picking system, comprising: a control module, and a display module, a key module, a power supply module, and a communication module electrically connected to the control module; wherein the power supply module and the communication module share a USB interface for connecting to an external host computer;

[0036] The button module is used to confirm product information, search for information and set label addresses.

[0037] The control module receives the task instructions issued by the host computer through the communication module. After parsing the task instructions, the control display module refreshes the display of product-related information and picking task types in real time. After completing the task, the product information confirmation instruction sent by the key module is returned to the host computer.

[0038] The control module is also connected to the host computer through the communication module, and uses the IAP online programming technology to burn and upgrade its own label program.

[0039] In a specific embodiment, the display module includes: a screen display unit and an indicator light unit.

[0040] The screen display unit is used to display the product-related information of the corresponding shelf under the current picking task, and the product-related information includes at least: product name, product quantity and product description;

[0041] The indicator light unit is used to indicate corresponding picking tasks through different indicator lights. The picking tasks include at least: warehousing, warehousing, inventory and warehouse transfer.

[0042] The electronic label system of the present invention adopts a front-end and back-end program working mode. The front-end program mainly executes data reception and key interrupt service programs; the back-end program mainly executes data decoding, analysis, and response data processing programs. When the control module of the electronic label system receives a task instruction issued by the host computer through the 485 bus, the communication interrupt service program will receive the complete task information. The data analysis program first parses the content in the task information and then sends it to the screen display unit to refresh the display of information such as the name, quantity, and description of the goods. At the same time, according to the different tasks of warehousing, outbound, inventory, and transfer, different LED light states are set through the indicator light unit, so that the operator can grasp the operation status of the label system at any time. When the operator completes the instruction task issued by the host computer and presses the confirmation key, the control module sends the task execution completion information to the host computer through the 485 bus and waits for the arrival of new task instructions.

[0043] Specifically, such as Figure 2As shown in the figure, the core microprocessor of the control module is an ST series chip, specifically STM32F407ZGT6, and has 1MB of FLASH, 64KB of RAM and 192+4KBbyte of SRAM, which mainly realizes functions such as data calculation, power management, and user information storage.

[0044] The screen display unit uses a 2.4-inch LCD screen, which supports multi-level display of Chinese characters / characters, including device information, storage location number, and quantity, to indicate to users the detailed information of the goods corresponding to the storage location.

[0045] The communication module uses the SP3485E 485 chip to enable data exchange between the microprocessor and the control board in the host computer. The TVS diode at the interface provides reliable electrostatic lightning protection.

[0046] The key module is designed with four keys: confirmation key, up key, down key, and function key, which can meet the needs of operating the control module and reporting information. Among them, the confirmation key uses a quad-redundant micro switch, and the function key uses a dual-redundant micro switch. Four and two micro switches are installed in parallel under each key respectively. By increasing the contact points between the key and the micro switch, the service life of each key can be improved while reducing the occurrence of poor contact between large keys and switches.

[0047] The power supply module includes: a first power supply unit and a second power supply unit;

[0048] The first power supply unit is externally connected to a 24V DC voltage, and is used to convert the 24V DC voltage into a 5V voltage to power the indicator light unit and the communication module;

[0049] The second power supply unit is used to convert the 5V voltage into 3.3V voltage to supply power to the control module, screen display unit and key module.

[0050] The DC24 to 5V power supply circuit uses the voltage conversion chip TPS5430, and the 5V to 3.3V power supply circuit uses the voltage conversion chip LM1117. By using different isolated power supplies, the power supply module can effectively reduce the impact of potential difference and wire coupling interference on remote communication, and improve the overall anti-interference ability of the system.

[0051] In other embodiments, the screen display unit is also used to display relevant equipment information, storage location, quantity of goods / storage location and equipment physical address information.

[0052] The indicator light unit is also used to indicate the power status, system self-test status and program running status.

[0053] Specifically, the key module can realize the functions of screen on / off control, scrolling up and down the displayed information, setting the device physical address, and reporting information by identifying the confirmation key (S5), function key (S1), up key (S3), and down key (S4). When the electronic tag system does not receive the controller message from the host computer, you can manually press S1 and S3 or S4 at the same time to turn the screen on or off; when the screen is on, pressing S3 or S4 alone can realize the up or down page function; pressing S3 and S4 at the same time will display the "Device Physical Address" interface and realize the physical address change function. When the tag receives the message, pressing the S5 key for the first time will report the task completion information to the controller, and at the same time call the screen off program to turn off the display and set it to the LED three-color light.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the LCD screen primarily displays the product name, quantity, and product information for the corresponding shelf. To display task information in real time, a dedicated StartDisplayTask thread is created. This thread calls the Display_loop function to cyclically check for incoming task events. When the control module detects new task information from the host computer, it saves the received task information to a Modbus8_t array in the Flash memory. By parsing the array data, it reads the corresponding content, such as the product name, quantity, and item information, bit by bit, and refreshes the display on the LCD screen.

[0055] In one embodiment, the control module can also realize the online update function of the electronic label program loaded on the microprocessor. When the label program needs to be updated, the USB interface is connected to the computer via a 485 line, and the label program can be updated and upgraded through the application program on the computer.

[0056] Specifically, the control module also includes: an initialization unit, a data receiving unit and a program jump unit; the online upgrade process of the label program is as follows Figure 4 As shown:

[0057] The initialization unit is used to configure the pins, baud rate and enable terminal parameters required by the RS485 serial port UART5 of the communication module after the system is powered on or in the initial stage of upgrading the tag program; so that UART5 can communicate through the 485 chip. The operator is guided by the flashing of the status indicator light. The IAP program upgrade operation can be completed within 10 seconds of system reset.

[0058] The data receiving unit is used to receive the data frame sent by the host computer application, and has a ten-second timing judgment inside the main function of the bootloader program. The timing starts after the bootloader program is reset. During this period, when the length of the data USART_RData received by the RS485 serial port is greater than 0, it indicates that there is data transmission, and the UartRxDataCallBack function is called to determine whether the reception is completed. If not, continue to receive. If this frame of data is received, the USART5_Analysis function is called to determine whether the data frame is the correct data frame for the program upgrade. If so, it is determined whether it is the last frame of data. If not, the 10s timing is restarted, and the bootloader program calls the USART5_Analysis function to write the received data re_data into flsah and enter the next data reception. After judging that the data frame is correct within the 10s timing, it waits for the next frame of data until the last frame of data is received and written and the ten-second timing is over.

[0059] The program jump unit is used to close the serial port USART5 in the main function after the bootloader program receives the data, and jump to the updated label program; if the RS485 serial port USART5 does not receive the upgrade data sent by the application within 10 seconds, or the data sent is incorrect, then after the 10 seconds, the original label program will be entered.

[0060] In one embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the indicator light unit mainly sets different indicator light states through the detection results of the tag system power on and off, program running status, and task execution process, so that the operator can grasp the system operation status in real time.

[0061] When the electronic tag system is powered on, the red power indicator light lights up, indicating that the system power supply is normal; during the system initialization process within 10 seconds after startup, the green status light remains on. After the tag program is fully initialized, the green status light goes out, indicating that the system program is running normally; when the tag system receives a task sent by the host computer, it will extract the function code from the task data and perform different lighting operations according to the function code, representing four different task types: warehousing, outbound, inventory, and transfer.

[0062] In a specific embodiment, Figure 6 As shown in the figure, the communication module mainly realizes the communication function between the electronic tag system and the host computer controller, and completes the analysis, processing and feedback of the task data sent by the host computer.

[0063] The communication processing module first opens the StartModbusTask thread for communication. Within this thread, the Modbus protocol stack is initialized, and then an infinite for loop is used to query the slave's address modification status. When the host computer issues a new task to the tag, the tag's address status is changed to RECEIVED. If the tag detects that the address status has changed, the eMBPoll processing function is called, where the received command is parsed, processed, and reported back. If the for loop query indicates a CHANGE state, the slave's address status, AddrStatus, is first changed to ADDR_CHANGEOVER, indicating that the address status has changed. The enable is then disabled, and the for loop is re-initialized and re-entered.

[0064] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. Reference can be made to the common and similar parts between the various embodiments. For the devices disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method description.

[0065] The above description of the disclosed embodiments is intended to enable one skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown herein but is intended to conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An electronic label system suitable for a goods picking system, characterized in that: include: A control module, and a display module, a key module, a power supply module, and a communication module electrically connected to the control module; wherein the power supply module and the communication module share a USB interface for connecting to an external host computer; The button module is used to confirm product information, search for information and set label addresses; The control module receives the task instruction issued by the host computer through the communication module, and after parsing the task instruction, controls the display module to refresh and display the product-related information and the picking task type in real time, and after completing the task, transmits the product information confirmation instruction sent by the key module back to the host computer; The control module is also connected to the host computer through the communication module, and uses the IAP online programming technology to burn and upgrade its own label program online; The core microprocessor of the control module is an ST series chip, and has FLASH, RAM and SRAM; The control module further includes: an initialization unit, a data receiving unit and a program jump unit; The initialization unit is used to configure the pins, baud rate and enable terminal parameters required for the RS485 serial port UART5 of the communication module after the system is powered on or in the initial stage of upgrading the label program; The data receiving unit is used to receive the data frame sent by the host computer application, and has a ten-second timing judgment inside the main function of the bootloader program. The timing starts after the bootloader program is reset; during this period, when the length of the data USART_RData received by the RS485 serial port is greater than 0, it indicates that there is data transmission, and the UartRxDataCallBack function is called to determine whether the reception is completed. If not, the reception continues; if this frame of data is received, the USART5_Analysis function is called to determine whether the data frame is the data frame for the correct program upgrade. If so, it is determined whether it is the last frame of data. If not, the 10s timing is restarted, and the bootloader program calls the USART5_Analysis function to write the received data re_data into flsah and enter the next data reception; after judging that the data frame is correct within the 10s timing, it waits for the next frame of data until the ten-second timing is over after the last frame of data is received and written; The program jump unit is used to close the serial port USART5 in the main function after the bootloader program receives the data, and jump to the updated label program; if the RS485 serial port USART5 does not receive the upgrade data sent by the application within 10 seconds, or the data sent is incorrect, then after the 10 seconds, the original label program is entered.

2. The electronic label system suitable for a goods picking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The display module includes: a screen display unit and an indicator light unit; The screen display unit is used to display the product-related information of the corresponding shelf under the current picking task, and the product-related information at least includes: product name, product quantity and product description; The indicator light unit is used to indicate corresponding picking tasks through different indicator lights, and the picking tasks at least include: warehousing, warehousing, inventory and warehouse transfer.

3. The electronic label system suitable for a goods picking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The screen display unit is also used to display relevant equipment information, storage location, quantity of goods / storage location and equipment physical address information; The indicator light unit is also used to indicate the power status, system self-check status and program running status.

4. The electronic label system suitable for a goods picking system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power supply module includes: a first power supply unit and a second power supply unit; The first power supply unit is externally connected to a 24V DC voltage, and is used to convert the 24V DC voltage into a 5V voltage to power the indicator light unit and the communication module; The second power supply unit is used to convert the 5V voltage into a 3.3V voltage to supply power to the control module, the screen display unit and the button module.

5. The electronic label system suitable for a goods picking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The key module includes a confirmation key, an up key, a down key and a function key; wherein the confirmation key adopts a quad-redundant micro switch, and the function key adopts a dual-redundant micro switch.

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