A signal acquisition device for label printers

Abstract

This invention provides a signal acquisition device for a label printer, comprising: a photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, a stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit, and a processor; the photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit includes: an emitter follower circuit and an AD converter circuit; the stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit includes: a signal isolation and processing circuit and a comparator circuit. This invention overcomes the limitations of existing technologies that only allow adding transmission or reflection sensors and encoders externally to the label printer, simplifying the structure; this invention also addresses the problem of poor structural versatility caused by the different structures of label printers for different brands of labels, leading to a wide variety of mechanical module structures, with this solution offering better consistency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of technology, and more particularly to a signal acquisition device for a label printer. Background Technology

[0002] Current label printer label detection methods involve setting up relevant paper-feeding transmission or reflection emission and reception sensors at the paper output port of the label printer. The label printer delivers the printed label to a predetermined position at the paper output port, periodically controls the light generator to be powered on and off, and obtains the power-on output value of the light receiver when the light generator is powered on and the power-off output value of the light receiver when the light generator is powered off in each cycle to determine the starting position of the label. The label running position status is obtained by adding an external encoder to perform corresponding image acquisition and analysis. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In response to the technical problem mentioned in the background art that it is necessary to add additional reflective or through-beam sensors and encoder devices to the original label printer for label judgment, which involves a lot of modifications to the original label printer, a signal acquisition device for label printer is provided.

[0004] The technical means employed in this invention are as follows:

[0005] A signal acquisition device for a label printer includes: a photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, a stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit, and a processor; the photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit includes: an emitter follower circuit and an AD converter circuit; the stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit includes: a signal isolation and processing circuit and a comparator circuit.

[0006] In the photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, the reflected and transmitted photoelectric sensor signals on the label printer are used as the system input signals. The external input signals are isolated by the emitter follower circuit to obtain the isolated signals, namely An1 and An2.

[0007] The processor controls the SPI bus of the AD conversion circuit to convert the analog signals An1 and An2 into digital quantities, and inputs them into the processor as synchronization signals for system image acquisition.

[0008] The stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit uses the stepper motor signal on the label printer as the input signal; it isolates the external input signal through an optocoupler circuit to obtain the isolated signal; the isolated signal is converted to TTL level through a comparison circuit; the processor receives the running signals of each phase of the motor through the input terminal of the control I / O port for the position signal of the system image acquisition.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0010] The device of the present invention overcomes the limitation of the prior art, which can only add transmission or reflection sensors and encoders to the outside of the label printer, and simplifies the structure;

[0011] The device of the present invention solves the problem of poor structural versatility caused by the different structures of label printers corresponding to different brands of labels, which leads to a wide variety of mechanical module structures. The solution has better consistency.

[0012] The device of the present invention reduces the cost associated with the addition of corresponding components; at the same time, it solves the problem of increased failure rate caused by the addition of components. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware circuit for photoelectric sensor signal detection in this invention.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the emitter follower circuit of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the AD converter circuit of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware circuit for stepper motor signal detection according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the signal isolation and processing circuit of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the signal comparator circuit of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this invention are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the invention described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0022] like Figure 1-6 As shown, the present invention provides a signal acquisition device for a label printer, comprising: a photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, a stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit, and a processor; the photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit includes: an emitter follower circuit and an AD converter circuit; the stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit includes: a signal isolation and processing circuit and a comparator circuit;

[0023] In the described photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, the reflected and transmitted photoelectric sensor signals from the label printer are used as the system input signals. The external input signals are isolated by the emitter follower circuit to obtain the isolated signals, namely An1 and An2. This means that in this application, the input signals are directly obtained from the label printer, without requiring additional external devices or structural modifications to the printer. This effectively avoids a series of problems caused by disassembling the printer or adding external devices.

[0024] The processor controls the SPI bus of the AD conversion circuit to convert the analog signals An1 and An2 into digital quantities, and inputs them into the processor as synchronization signals for system image acquisition.

[0025] The stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit uses the stepper motor signal on the label printer as the input signal; it isolates the external input signal through an optocoupler circuit to obtain the isolated signal; the isolated signal is converted to TTL level through a comparison circuit; the processor receives the running signals of each phase of the motor through the input terminal of the control I / O port for the position signal of the system image acquisition.

[0026] As a preferred implementation method, such as Figure 2 As shown, the emitter follower circuit includes an AD8656ARZ(A) chip and an AD8656ARZ(B) chip; the emitter follower circuit isolates the photoelectric sensor signals acquired from external reflection and transmission.

[0027] In the AD8656ARZ(A) chip, pin 1 of channel A is the analog voltage output terminal, pin 2 is the negative feedback terminal, pin 3 is the input terminal for the reflected photoelectric sensor signal, pin 4 is the ground of the control board, and pin 8 is the power supply. In the AD8656ARZ(B) chip, pin 5 is the input terminal for the transmitted photoelectric sensor signal, pin 6 is the negative feedback terminal, and pin 7 is the analog voltage output terminal. Both channels A and B of the AD8656ARZ(A) and AD8656ARZ(B) chips share a common power supply and ground. The circuit's advantage is that it isolates external signals without distortion.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the AD conversion circuit described in this application converts the reflected and transmitted photoelectric sensor signals An1 and An2, which have been acquired and processed by the emitter follower circuit, into digital signals via the ADD7908BRUZ chip. These digital signals are then transmitted to the processor via the SCK, DIN, and DOUT pins using the SPI transmission method, serving as synchronization signals for system image acquisition. The processor receives the operating signals of each phase of the motor through the input terminals of the control I / O port, i.e., controls CS, SCLK, Din, and Dout.

[0029] Preferably, the comparator circuit uses an LM393A chip; the isolated signal is converted into a TTL level for processor acquisition by the comparator circuit; the comparator compares the acquired motor output signal CMOS level with a set 2.5V reference level and outputs a TTL level. In the comparator circuit, pin 3 Ain (IN1+) is used to compare the stepper motor A-phase signal with pin 2 IN1-, which is a voltage divider consisting of 3.3V and GND with a voltage of 1.65V. Pin 1 OUT1 outputs a TTL level for the position signal of the system image acquisition.

[0030] like Figure 5 As shown, the signal isolation and processing circuit connects the output terminals of the stepper motor's two phases (AB) to one input of the VO260 optocoupler. When the stepper motor outputs phase A, the voltage of phase A is higher than that of phase B. The voltage at pin 7 (Ain) of the optocoupler output terminal will change as the voltage difference between phase A and phase B changes. The operating states of phases B, C, and D are similar.

[0031] Example 1:

[0032] As one embodiment of this application, the data acquisition method of the acquisition device described in this application specifically includes the following steps:

[0033] Step 1: Determine the actual position of the corresponding light control signal and motor load of the label printer; connect the data acquisition module to the image sensor and the AD converter respectively, which is used to send acquisition commands to the image sensor and conversion commands to the AD converter after determining that the object to be tested has entered the detection area; the image sensor is used to acquire images of the object to be tested based on the acquisition commands to obtain raw image data; the AD converter is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the raw image data based on the conversion commands to obtain raw pixel data; after determining that a row of raw pixel data has been acquired, the data acquisition module sends a compensation signal to the data compensation module.

[0034] Step 2: Connect the original plug from the label printer to the adapter cable socket using a three-way connector.

[0035] Step 3: Connect one end of the two parallel plugs of the adapter cable to the original optical control and load interface of the label printer, and the other end to the control board;

[0036] Step 4: The AD acquisition chip converts the acquired analog level into a numerical level and then transmits it to the processor chip for data analysis.

[0037] The sequence numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the superiority or inferiority of the embodiments.

[0038] In the above embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. Parts not described in detail in a particular embodiment can be referred to in the relevant descriptions of other embodiments. It should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A signal acquisition device for a label printer, characterized in that, include: Hardware circuit for photoelectric sensor signal detection, hardware circuit for stepper motor signal detection, and processor; The photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit includes: a transmitter follower circuit and an AD conversion circuit; the stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit includes: a signal isolation and processing circuit and a comparator circuit. In the photoelectric sensor signal detection hardware circuit, the reflected and transmitted photoelectric sensor signals on the label printer are used as the system input signals. The external input signals are isolated by the photoelectric follower circuit to obtain the isolated signals, namely An1 and An2. The processor controls the SPI bus of the AD conversion circuit to convert the analog signals An1 and An2 into digital quantities, and inputs them into the processor as synchronization signals for system image acquisition. The stepper motor signal detection hardware circuit uses the stepper motor signal on the label printer as the input signal; it isolates the external input signal through an optocoupler circuit to obtain the isolated signal; the isolated signal is converted to TTL level through a comparison circuit; the processor receives the running signals of each phase of the motor through the input terminal of the control I / O port for the position signal of the system image acquisition. The signal isolation and processing circuit connects the A and B phase output terminals of the stepper motor to one input of the VO260 optocoupler. When the A phase of the stepper motor is outputting, the voltage of the A phase is higher than that of the B phase. The voltage at pin 7 (Ain) of the optocoupler output terminal will change as the voltage difference between the A phase and the B phase changes. The operating states of the B, C, and D phases are similar.

2. The signal acquisition device for a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emitter follower circuit includes: an AD8656ARZ chip in channel A and an AD8656ARZ chip in channel B; the emitter follower circuit isolates the photoelectric sensor signals acquired from external reflection and transmission. In circuit A, pin 1 of the AD8656ARZ chip is the analog voltage output terminal, pin 2 is the negative feedback terminal, pin 3 is the input terminal of the reflected photoelectric sensor signal, pin 4 is the ground of the control board, and pin 8 is the power supply. In circuit B, pin 5 of the AD8656ARZ chip is the input terminal for the transmission photoelectric sensor signal, pin 6 is the negative feedback terminal, and pin 7 is the output terminal for the acquired analog voltage. The chips in paths A and B share a common power supply and ground.

3. The signal acquisition device for a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The AD conversion circuit converts the reflected and transmitted photoelectric signals An1 and An2, which have been acquired and processed by the emitter follower circuit, into digital signals through the chip. Then, it transmits these digital signals to the processor via the SCK, DIN, and DOUT pins using the SPI transmission method, serving as a synchronization signal for the system's image acquisition.

4. The signal acquisition device for a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor receives the operating signals of each phase of the motor through the input terminals of the control I / O port.

5. A signal acquisition device for a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The comparator circuit uses an LM393A chip; The isolated signal is converted into a TTL level by the processor through the comparison circuit; the comparator compares the acquired motor output signal CMOS level with the set 2.5V reference level and outputs a TTL level.

6. A signal acquisition device for a label printer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the comparison circuit, pin 3 IN1+ is used to compare the stepper motor A-phase signal with pin 2 IN1-, which is composed of a voltage divider of 3.3V and GND with a voltage of 1.65V. Pin 1 OUT1 outputs a TTL level signal for the system to acquire the position signal of the image.

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