Consumables identification devices and equipment

Abstract

The present application relates to a consumable material identification device and equipment; wherein the consumable material identification device is applied to a device that is constructed to accommodate consumable materials and includes a driving device that can drive at least one moving part to move during operation, and the consumable material identification device includes: a main control unit and a card reader, the card reader includes a wireless communication module, an RFID reading module and a power supply module; the output end of the power supply module is electrically connected to the wireless communication module and / or the RFID reading module respectively; the power supply module includes a power generation component and is configured to convert kinetic energy from the driving device to drive at least one moving part to move into electrical energy for power supply. The consumable material identification device of this case solves the battery depletion problem in the existing technical solutions, reduces the cost of consumable material identification, and the solution is simple and easy to implement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of consumable material identification devices, as well as equipment using consumable material identification devices, such as printing equipment and packaging equipment. Background Art

[0002] Identification of consumables is a function required by most consumable products. For example, for printers, since the printing effect is closely related to the consumables used, the printer needs to obtain information about the consumables through various means for identity identification and management. Another example is a packaging machine. Usually, the host machine also needs to identify the packaging bags used, so that appropriate control methods can be used to control the packaging, such as packaging speed, heating and sealing parameters, to achieve the best packaging effect.

[0003] Among these devices, the commonly used consumable identification methods include contact and contactless. The contact method means that the consumable is equipped with a memory chip or encryption chip and other components. After the consumable is installed in the device, the device connects to the chip on the consumable through contacts, powers the chip while communicating, and reads the consumable related information stored in the chip. The block diagram of the contact consumable encryption solution is as follows: Figure 1 .

[0004] The contactless method means that a radio frequency tag such as RFID is installed on the consumables. The tag contains a storage chip and an antenna, and the device is designed with a corresponding RFID card reader chip and antenna. When the consumables are installed on the device, the antenna of the card reader chip couples with the RFID tag antenna, providing power and communication to the tag, and reading the consumable related information stored on the tag. The block diagram of the contactless consumables encryption solution is as follows Figure 2 .

[0005] Of the two consumables encryption solutions mentioned above, the contact solution is more suitable for applications where consumables have a fixed shape, are installed in a fixed position within the device, and are very close to the device's main controller, such as laser printers. This is because contact stability must be ensured. The contactless solution, due to its use of spatial coupling, allows for more flexible installation distances and positions. It is suitable for applications where consumables have varying shapes, are installed in unstable positions, or are far from the main controller, such as thermal printers and packaging machines.

[0006] In the above-mentioned consumables identification solutions, although the contactless solution allows the installation distance and position of consumables to be slightly farther than the contact solution, due to the limited coupling distance of the RFID antenna (generally within 10 cm), for consumables identification applications of large equipment, such as large packaging equipment, the installation location of the consumables may be 50 cm or farther from the main control of the equipment, and the installation location is more flexible and changeable. The above-mentioned non-contact solution still cannot meet the needs of consumables identification.

[0007] If the consumables (i.e., the RFID tag) are located far from the device's main controller, it's also possible to consider integrating the RFID reader chip into a separate reader and placing it close to the RFID tag. However, because the RFID reader chip and the device's main controller require a wired connection, and this cable includes both power and high-speed communication signals (typically using common communication interfaces such as serial ports, SPI, or I2C), excessively long cables are unsuitable. Furthermore, the consumables mounting area on some devices is inherently movable, making it difficult to install the RFID reader chip and maintain a limited connection to the main controller.

[0008] Another solution is to add a wireless communication chip (such as Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.) to the card reader, change the wired connection between the device main control and the RFID card reader chip to wireless communication, and use independent batteries to power the communication chip and RFID chip. The solution block diagram is as follows Figure 3 .

[0009] Using an independent battery-powered solution allows the RFID reader chip to be placed close to the RFID tag, solving the distance problem between the consumable tag and the device controller. However, there are still some drawbacks, including: the battery constantly drains, requiring regular replacement, otherwise the RFID reader chip will not work; and the battery cost increases. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Based on the above technical problems, one object of the present application is to provide a consumables identification device that can efficiently identify consumables without the need for additional power supply. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device equipped with the consumables identification device.

[0011] In a first aspect, the present application provides a consumable material identification device, which is applied to a device, wherein the device is constructed to accommodate consumable materials and includes a driving device that can drive at least one action component to move during operation, and the consumable material identification device includes: a main control unit and a card reader, the card reader includes a wireless communication module, an RFID reading module and a power supply module; the output end of the power supply module is electrically connected to the wireless communication module and / or the RFID reading module respectively; the power supply module includes a power generation component and is configured to convert kinetic energy derived from the driving device to drive the at least one action component to move into electrical energy for power supply.

[0012] In this application's technical solution, the power supply module generates and stores electricity as the device's active components move, powering the wireless communication module and RFID reader module in the card reader. This solution allows the card reader to be installed away from the main control unit to accommodate the location of consumables. This solution solves the battery depletion problem in existing solutions, reduces the cost of consumable identification, and is simple and easy to implement.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the at least one action component includes a component that can be driven to rotate.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the wireless communication module includes at least one of a Wi-Fi wireless communication chip, a Bluetooth chip, and a Zigbee chip.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the power supply module further includes a voltage conversion circuit and an energy storage component, and the energy storage component is used to store the voltage output by the voltage conversion circuit.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the energy storage component includes at least one energy storage capacitor.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the voltage conversion circuit is a half-wave or full-wave rectifier circuit.

[0018] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the power supply module includes a power protection circuit, one end of the power protection circuit is connected to the energy storage component, and the other end constitutes the output end of the power supply module, and the power protection circuit is used to limit the power supply direction of the power supply module and prevent power backflow.

[0019] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the power protection circuit includes a diode.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the power generation component includes a DC generator.

[0021] In the second aspect, the present application provides a device comprising: a consumables storage portion, at least one action component, a driving device for driving the at least one action component to move when the device is operating, and a consumables identification device as described in the first aspect above; wherein, the consumables storage portion is constructed to accommodate consumables, an RFID tag is provided on the consumables, and the consumables identification device is used to obtain consumables information of the consumables based on the RFID tag.

[0022] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the card reader is arranged at a position close to the consumable material storage portion.

[0023] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the device includes an operating mechanism and a control device that controls the operating mechanism to perform operations, and the control device is configured to control the operating mechanism to stop operating after the card reader of the consumable identification device fails to successfully read the RFID tag.

[0024] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the main control unit of the consumables identification device is integrated into the control device.

[0025] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the driving device includes a motor.

[0026] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the device is a printing device, and the operating mechanism includes a printing mechanism.

[0027] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the consumable to be identified is printing paper.

[0028] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the device is a packaging device, and the operating mechanism includes a packaging mechanism.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the consumable to be identified is a packaging bag.

[0030] In conjunction with the second aspect, in certain implementations of the second aspect, the RFID tag is a passive tag. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 A block diagram of a contact consumables encryption solution provided as background technology;

[0032] Figure 2 A block diagram of a contactless consumables encryption solution provided as background technology

[0033] Figure 3 A block diagram of a consumable encryption solution that uses independent batteries to power communication chips and RFID chips, provided as background technology;

[0034] Figure 4 A structural block diagram of a consumables identification device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 5 A structural block diagram of a power supply module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 6 A circuit diagram of a power supply module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 7 A block diagram of a consumables identification device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 8 A structural block diagram of a printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 9 A flowchart of the workflow of a consumables identification device on corresponding equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] In order to explain in detail the technical content, structural features, achieved purposes and effects of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments.

[0041] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a detailed description of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the invention. However, the various exemplary embodiments may also be implemented without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. Furthermore, the various exemplary embodiments may differ, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, the specific shapes, configurations, and features of an exemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from the inventive concept.

[0042] The consumables identification device provided in this application is mainly used to identify the authenticity of consumables. Specifically, it determines the authenticity of the consumables by reading the RFID tag carried on the consumables to be identified, and then determining the legitimacy of the consumables to be identified by identifying the legitimacy of the RFID tag.

[0043] The consumables identification device of the present application can be used in devices such as printing equipment and packaging equipment that use consumables. These devices that use consumables all have a driving device such as a motor; the driving device can drive one or more moving parts to move when the device is in operation; the moving parts are preferably parts that can be driven to rotate. For example: when the consumables identification device is used in a printing device, one or more moving parts include a rotating shaft that rotatably supports printing paper consumables, and the rotating shaft is connected to a driving device such as a motor in the printing device; for another example, when the consumables identification device is used in a packaging device, one or more moving parts include a rotating shaft that rotatably supports packaging bag consumables, and the rotating shaft is connected to a driving device such as a motor in the packaging device.

[0044] See also Figure 4 , Figure 4 1 is a block diagram of a consumables identification device provided in this application. The consumables identification device 100 includes a main control unit 1 and a card reader 2. The card reader 2 includes a wireless communication module 21, an RFID card reading module 22 and a power supply module 23.

[0045] The main control unit 1 processes the data reported by the card reader 2. It uses logical operations to determine the legitimacy of the identified RFID tag and implements appropriate processing and control based on different settings. If the main control unit 1 identifies an RFID tag on a consumable as invalid, it may send a command signal to the control device of the corresponding device, causing the control device to control the actuator to take appropriate action, such as stopping printing or stopping packaging.

[0046] The wireless communication module 21 is used for wireless communication and data transmission between the main control unit 1 and the card reader 2. The wireless communication module typically includes a wireless communication chip, which may include at least one of a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth chip, and a ZigBee chip. Because wireless communication technology is widely used in fields such as the Internet of Things and industrial automation, the various possible chips for the wireless communication module 21 are not detailed here.

[0047] The RFID card reader module 22 is used to read the information stored in the RFID tag carried by the consumables to be identified. The RFID card reader module 22 includes an RFID card reader chip. When the RFID card reader module 22 is working, when the RFID tag carried by the consumables to be identified enters the range of the radio frequency signal emitted by the RFID card reader chip, the built-in antenna of the RFID tag will receive these radio frequency signals, and the RFID card reader chip will transmit a radio frequency signal of a certain frequency to the RFID tag through its built-in antenna. The radio frequency signal generates an induced current inside the RFID tag, activating the RFID tag and enabling it to obtain energy. The activated RFID tag sends the information stored in itself to the RFID card reader chip through its built-in antenna, and the RFID card reader module 22 will further transmit the information data to the main control unit 1 through the wireless communication module.

[0048] The power supply module 23 is configured to replace the battery solution in the prior art to power the card reader. Figure 5 , Figure 5 The power supply module 23 mainly includes a power generation component 231 , a voltage conversion circuit 232 , and an energy storage component 233 .

[0049] In some embodiments, the power generation component 231 is a small DC brushed motor, the rotor of which is linked to a moving part of the device (such as a rotating shaft supporting printing paper consumables) through a mechanical structure.

[0050] In some embodiments, the voltage conversion circuit 232 is a half-wave or full-wave rectifier circuit that can convert the voltage generated by the power generation component 231 into a voltage that can be stored by the energy storage component 233 .

[0051] In some embodiments, the energy storage component 233 includes at least one energy storage capacitor. The energy storage component 233 is used to store the voltage output by the voltage conversion circuit 232 so as to supply power to the wireless communication module 21 and the RFID card reading module 22 in the card reader 2.

[0052] In some embodiments, the power supply module 23 may further include a power protection circuit 234. One end of the power protection circuit 234 is connected to the energy storage component 233, and the other end constitutes the output end of the power supply module 2. The power protection circuit 234 is used to limit the power supply direction of the power supply module and prevent power backflow.

[0053] See also Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a circuit diagram of a power supply module 23 provided in this application.

[0054] In this circuit, M1 is a brushed DC generator, and diodes D1-D4 form a full-wave rectifier circuit. The induced voltage output by M1 is rectified and used to charge energy storage capacitor C1. R1 is a current-limiting resistor, which limits the charging current of the capacitor, protecting it and extending its life. The voltage output by C1 passes through diode D5 to generate the VCC power supply that is connected to the wireless communication chip and RFID reader chip for power supply. D5 prevents power backflow. The circuit operating principle of this power supply module is simple and reliable, achieving a low-cost solution to the power supply and energy storage issues of the consumable identification device.

[0055] When the moving part moves, the rotor of motor M1 rotates accordingly, generating a corresponding induced voltage across the coils of motor M1. The amplitude and period of this induced voltage depend on the structure of motor M1 and the speed at which it is rotating. Since the induced voltage is AC, it is further converted to DC by a rectifier circuit consisting of diodes D1-D4. The output of the rectifier circuit is connected to energy storage capacitor C1, charging it and storing the charge there.

[0056] The entire power supply module is powered by the voltage on the energy storage capacitor C1. When the voltage on the energy storage capacitor C1 is charged to a certain value, the wireless communication chip 211 is activated and begins to work, simultaneously controlling the RFID card reader chip 221 to read the RFID tag information carried by the consumables, and then transmit the consumable information to the device main control 1 via wireless transmission.

[0057] See also Figure 7 , which shows a schematic diagram of the principle of a consumables identification device of the present application.

[0058] In the consumables identification device, a main control unit is connected to a wireless communication chip through wireless communication; the wireless communication chip and the RFID card reader chip are connected by wire, and the two can not only transmit current but also realize information communication through the wired connection; the RFID card reader chip can be coupled with the RFID tag on the consumables to be identified, and the RFID card reader chip can power the RFID tag through the antenna and realize mutual communication; when the rotating action component is driven to move, for example, it will drive the generator to generate electricity, and the electricity generated by the generator will pass through the rectifier circuit and be transmitted to the energy storage capacitor. After the energy storage capacitor obtains electrical energy, it will be able to power the wireless communication chip and the RFID card reader chip in the card reader.

[0059] When identifying consumables, the main control unit first communicates with the RFID card reader chip. At this time, if the RFID card reader chip is coupled with the RFID tag carried by the consumable, the RFID tag can directly send the consumable information to the RFID card reader chip, so that the main control unit can successfully read the consumable information; if the RFID card reader chip and the RFID tag carried by the consumable cannot be successfully coupled, the RFID card reader chip returns a reading failure message to the main control unit.

[0060] Because the consumables identification device of this application requires an extremely short communication process (completed within 100ms), the voltage stored on the energy storage capacitor can meet the power consumption of the card reader communication as long as the movement of the actuator drives the generator component to rotate. After the card reader successfully reads the card and completes the communication, it enters a dormant state, waiting for the next wake-up, and no longer consumes the voltage on the energy storage capacitor.

[0061] When using the consumables identification device of the present application to identify consumables, the movement of the device's action parts drives the rotation of the power generation parts to generate electricity and store energy to power the card reader. There is no need to confirm in advance whether the card reader is supplied with sufficient power. This will also allow the card reader of the consumables identification device to be installed at a location away from the device main control to adapt to the location of the consumables, and realize the use of wireless communication to transmit consumables information with the main control unit, thereby ensuring the success rate of consumables identification without increasing the cost of consumables.

[0062] See also Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a block diagram of the structure of a printing device provided in this application. The printing device 400 includes a print head 40, a consumables storage unit 41, an actuator 42, a drive device 43 for driving the actuator 42, a consumables identification device 100 as described above, and a control device 44. The consumables storage unit 41 is configured to accommodate consumables used by the printing device 400, such as roll printing paper consumables. The consumables are provided with RFID tags, and the consumables identification device 100 is used to obtain consumables information based on the RFID tags.

[0063] In some embodiments, the RFID tag provided on the consumable is a passive tag, which can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of the consumable.

[0064] In some embodiments, the action component 42 is a rotating shaft that drives the consumables to rotate. The power generation component on the consumable identification device is arranged in a transmission relationship with the rotating shaft; thus, when the rotating shaft is driven to rotate, the power generation component rotates accordingly, thereby converting kinetic energy into electrical energy.

[0065] In some embodiments, the driving device 43 includes a motor, which is arranged to drive the action component 42 and drives it to move, such as driving the rotating shaft in the above embodiment to rotate.

[0066] In some embodiments, the card reader 2 of the consumables identification device 100 is installed near the consumables receiving portion 41 .

[0067] In some embodiments, the control device 44 is configured to control the print head 40 of the printing device to stop the printing job after the card reader of the consumable identification device fails to successfully read the consumable RFID tag.

[0068] In some embodiments, the main control unit 1 of the consumables identification device 100 is integrated into the control device 44 of the printing apparatus 400 , that is, the main control unit 1 and the control device 44 are integrated into one.

[0069] The identification device of the present application can also be used on other devices that use consumables, such as packaging equipment that uses packaging bags (the packaging bags are consumables) to package goods. The consumables identification device arranged on the packaging equipment can identify the packaging bag consumables, which is similar to the printing equipment and will not be repeated here.

[0070] See also Figure 9 , which illustrates the working process of the above-mentioned consumables identification device being applied to a device. In the device, the action component is selected as an action component that drives the consumables to rotate (such as a rotating shaft that drives the rotation of printing paper, a rotating shaft that drives the rotation of packaging bags, etc.); the specific working process is as follows:

[0071] After the consumables are installed on the device, the device is turned on to control the action component to drive the consumables to rotate. The rotating action component will drive the power generation component to rotate and generate electricity. With the electricity generated by the power generation component, the card reader is activated and performs the card reading operation. After the card reading operation is completed, the card reader returns the read information to the main control unit through the wireless communication module. If the main control unit successfully identifies the RFID tag on the consumables, the control device of the device performs subsequent operations. If the main control unit fails to successfully identify the RFID tag on the consumables, the main control unit reports an error; thereafter, regardless of whether the main control unit successfully identifies the RFID tag on the consumables, the card reader will enter sleep mode to wait for the next identification task.

[0072] The consumable material identification device solution of the present application solves the power supply problem of the card reader by providing a power supply module on the card reader to replace the existing battery solution. Simple components are introduced on the basis of the traditional solution to realize power supply for the card reader.

[0073] The basic principles, main features and advantages of the present invention are shown and described above. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and improvements may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection claimed in the present invention is defined by the appended claims, the description and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A consumables identification device, applied to a device configured to receive consumables and including a drive device capable of driving an operating component to move during operation, the consumables identification device comprising: Main control unit and card reader, the card reader includes a wireless communication module, an RFID reading module and a power supply module; The wireless communication module is connected to the RFID reading module, and the output end of the power supply module is electrically connected to the wireless communication module and the RFID reading module respectively; it is characterized in that the action component is a rotating shaft that can rotatably support the consumable material, and the power supply module includes a power generation component and is configured to convert the kinetic energy derived from the driving device to drive the action component to move into electrical energy for power supply.

2. The consumables identification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wireless communication module includes at least one of a WiFi wireless communication chip, a Bluetooth chip and a Zigbee chip.

3. The consumables identification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power supply module further includes a voltage conversion circuit and an energy storage component, and the energy storage component is used to store the voltage output by the voltage conversion circuit.

4. The consumables identification device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The power supply module includes a power protection circuit, one end of which is connected to the energy storage component and the other end constitutes the output end of the power supply module. The power protection circuit is used to limit the power supply direction of the power supply module and prevent power backflow.

5. The consumable material identification device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power protection circuit includes a diode.

6. The consumables identification device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power generation component includes a DC generator.

7. A device capable of accommodating consumables, characterized in that: include: A consumables storage portion, an action component, a driving device for driving the action component to move when the device is operating, and a consumables identification device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6; wherein the consumables storage portion is constructed to accommodate consumables to be identified, and the consumables to be identified are provided with RFID tags, and the consumables identification device is used to obtain consumables information of the consumables to be identified based on the RFID tags.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The card reader is arranged at a position close to the consumable material receiving portion.

9. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The device includes an operating mechanism and a control device that controls the operating mechanism to perform operations. The control device is configured to control the operating mechanism to stop operating after the card reader of the consumables identification device fails to successfully read the RFID tag.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The main control unit of the consumable material identification device is integrated into the control device.

11. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The driving device includes a motor.

12. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The device is a printing device, the operating mechanism includes a printing mechanism, and the consumable material to be identified is printing paper.

13. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that The equipment is a packaging equipment, the operating mechanism includes a packaging mechanism, and the consumables to be identified are packaging bags.

14. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The RFID tag is a passive tag.

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