Pictorial machine multi-point control method and system based on cascade communication and RPC

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-point control method and system for photo machines based on cascade communication and RPC, and relates to the technical field of automation control, the method takes a core board as a master control node, communicates with a plurality of photo machines through an RPC protocol, constructs physical links among the photo machines by using a cascade communication mechanism based on FPGA, supports dynamic device number distribution, and realizes multi-point control of the photo machines. The core board is responsible for receiving and decomposing photo tasks, distributing sub-tasks according to a load balancing strategy and real-time state data, collecting operation parameters in real time to adjust a task strategy, achieving multi-device cooperation, enabling the system to have a fault recovery mechanism and guaranteeing stability, and solving the management problem of decentralized control of a traditional photo machine. The task execution efficiency and the system expansibility are improved, the resource waste is reduced, and the method is suitable for large-scale pictorial task scenes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automation control technology, and more particularly to a multi-point control method and system for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC. Background Art

[0002] Photo machines are widely used in advertising production, art printing, and other fields. However, with growing business demands, a single photo machine is unable to meet efficient, large-scale printing tasks. Traditional photo machine systems often use decentralized control, with each device operating independently. This presents numerous drawbacks. Firstly, management is extremely complex, as each machine requires individual parameter configuration, driver installation, and status monitoring. For users with a large number of photo machines, this is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive, making unified and efficient management difficult. Secondly, task execution efficiency is low, as devices cannot collaborate and resources cannot be shared and integrated. When faced with large-scale photo tasks, some devices are often overloaded while others are idle, preventing the full performance advantages of the entire device. Furthermore, system scalability is poor, and adding new photo machines or expanding functionality often requires reconfiguring the entire system. This not only increases hardware costs but also leads to extended system downtime, impacting production schedules. Furthermore, the lack of information exchange channels between devices creates information silos, which can easily lead to task conflicts. For example, multiple devices simultaneously compete for the same material file, or duplicate printing occurs due to a lack of information about the progress of other devices, resulting in significant waste of resources.

[0003] The existing distributed control systems of photo machines have defects such as complex management, low task execution efficiency, poor scalability, and the formation of information islands, making it difficult to meet the needs of efficient and large-scale photo tasks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the problems of low efficiency and difficult expansion of existing photo systems, the present invention discloses a photo machine multi-point control method and system based on cascade communication and RPC, which can effectively solve the above technical problems.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0006] A multi-point control method for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC includes the following steps:

[0007] Build a centralized management architecture with the core board as the main control node, and the core board establishes communication connections with multiple printers through the RPC protocol;

[0008] Establishing a physical link between printers through an FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism that uses half-duplex mode and supports dynamic device number allocation;

[0009] The core board receives external input of photo tasks, decomposes the tasks into subtask sets, and distributes them to the target photo machines based on the preset load balancing strategy and real-time device status data;

[0010] Collect the operating parameters of each printer in real time and upload the status data to the core board through the RPC feedback mechanism;

[0011] The task allocation strategy is dynamically adjusted based on the feedback status data, and the collaborative operation instructions between multiple devices are synchronized through cascade communication links.

[0012] Preferably, the FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism specifically includes:

[0013] Configure the communication protocol of the high-speed serial interface through the programmable logic module of the FPGA;

[0014] A device number automatic allocation algorithm is used to assign unique identifiers to newly added photo printers. The algorithm dynamically generates a number sequence based on the cascade link topology.

[0015] FPGA is used to implement data packet fragmentation, reassembly, and error checking to ensure data integrity during multi-hop transmission in cascaded links.

[0016] Preferably, the generation of the load balancing strategy includes:

[0017] Establish an evaluation model that includes device processing capacity coefficient, current task queue depth, and network delay parameters;

[0018] Generate dynamic weight factors based on real-time collected image processing machine temperature and memory usage;

[0019] The improved Hungarian algorithm is used to calculate the task allocation matrix, and the algorithm introduces a device health threshold constraint.

[0020] Preferably, the workflow of the RPC feedback mechanism includes:

[0021] Define a custom RPC message format that includes a 32-bit status code, a 64-bit timestamp, and variable-length payload data;

[0022] Deploy an asynchronous callback queue on the core board side and start a retransmission mechanism for the printer that times out and does not respond;

[0023] The transmitted instruction parameters are serialized and compressed through the protocol buffer to reduce network bandwidth usage.

[0024] Preferably, the dynamic task allocation strategy adjustment includes:

[0025] When a photo printer failure is detected, the redundant takeover mechanism of the adjacent device is triggered through the cascade link;

[0026] When a new printer is added, the device number mapping table is automatically updated and the load distribution weight is recalculated;

[0027] Dynamically adjust the priority queue of RPC instructions according to the urgency of the task.

[0028] Preferably, a fault recovery mechanism is also included:

[0029] The hardware watchdog module of the FPGA monitors the on / off status of the cascade link;

[0030] When a link interruption is detected, it automatically switches to the backup wireless communication channel;

[0031] Record device snapshot data when a fault occurs, which is used for task breakpoint resumption.

[0032] Preferably, a multi-point control system for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC includes:

[0033] The core control module, including the RPC server, task scheduling engine and device management unit, is deployed on the core board;

[0034] The distributed execution module consists of multiple printers with FPGA communication interfaces, each of which has an embedded RPC client.

[0035] Cascade communication network, using daisy chain topology to connect each printer, supporting dynamic path optimization;

[0036] The status monitoring module collects device operating parameters in real time and transmits them back to the core board through an encrypted channel.

[0037] Preferably, the core control module further includes:

[0038] The device authentication unit adopts a two-way authentication mechanism based on the elliptic curve encryption algorithm;

[0039] Protocol conversion unit, which supports converting the physical layer signals of the cascade link into application layer instructions that can be recognized by the RPC service;

[0040] The resource pool management unit virtualizes the storage space of multiple printers into a shared resource pool.

[0041] Preferably, the distributed execution module includes:

[0042] Instruction parsing component, used to decode RPC messages and extract operation instruction parameters;

[0043] The local cache component uses a double buffering mechanism to store pending task data;

[0044] FPGA coprocessor, specifically handling physical layer protocol conversion for cascade communication.

[0045] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which performs the steps of the control method described above when the program is executed by a processor.

[0046] Compared with the existing technology, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention constructs a centralized management architecture with the core board as the main control node, establishes communication connections with multiple printers through the RPC protocol, and the core board uniformly receives external tasks and decomposes and distributes them, avoiding the tedious operation of separately configuring and monitoring each device in the traditional decentralized system, reducing management complexity, improving management efficiency, and enabling operators to easily manage large-scale printer clusters; on the one hand, the core board uses an improved Hungarian algorithm to allocate tasks to printers based on an evaluation model including parameters such as device processing capacity coefficient, task queue depth, network delay, and a dynamic weight factor generated by combining temperature and memory occupancy, to ensure that tasks accurately match device processing capacity; on the other hand, the cascade communication mechanism realizes real-time collaboration between printers. In the event of a fault, redundant takeover is triggered, and multiple devices work closely together to give full play to the overall The system has a comprehensive performance advantage, significantly improving task execution efficiency and meeting the needs of efficient photo printing tasks. The FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism supports dynamic device number allocation. When a new photo printer is added, the core board automatically updates the number mapping table and recalculates the load weight without reconfiguring the entire system. This flexible expansion method not only simplifies the system upgrade and expansion process, but also reduces hardware and time costs, enhances the system's scalability, and enables it to adapt to growing business needs. Through the cascade communication link and RPC feedback mechanism, device operating parameters are collected and uploaded in real time. The core board understands the status of each photo printer, breaking the information silos between devices. At the same time, the resource pooling management unit virtualizes the storage space of multiple devices into a shared resource pool, promoting efficient resource sharing and utilization, avoiding duplicate storage and waste, improving resource utilization, and further optimizing system performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] In order to more clearly illustrate the implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the implementation methods or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely exemplary. For ordinary technicians in this field, other implementation drawings can be derived based on the provided drawings without any creative work.

[0048] Figure 1 It is a step diagram of the method of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the distributed system architecture of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 3 This is a system structure diagram of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting this patent;

[0052] In order to better illustrate this embodiment, some parts in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual product size;

[0053] It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and descriptions thereof may be omitted in the drawings.

[0054] The technical solution of the present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0055] Example 1

[0056] A multi-point control method for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC includes the following steps:

[0057] Build a centralized management architecture with the core board as the main control node, and the core board establishes communication connections with multiple printers through the RPC protocol;

[0058] Establishing a physical link between printers through an FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism that uses half-duplex mode and supports dynamic device number allocation;

[0059] The core board receives external input of photo tasks, decomposes the tasks into subtask sets, and distributes them to the target photo machines based on the preset load balancing strategy and real-time device status data;

[0060] Collect the operating parameters of each printer in real time and upload the status data to the core board through the RPC feedback mechanism;

[0061] The task allocation strategy is dynamically adjusted based on the feedback status data, and the collaborative operation instructions between multiple devices are synchronized through cascade communication links.

[0062] The FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism specifically includes:

[0063] Configure the communication protocol of the high-speed serial interface through the programmable logic module of the FPGA;

[0064] A device number automatic allocation algorithm is used to assign unique identifiers to newly added photo printers. The algorithm dynamically generates a number sequence based on the cascade link topology.

[0065] FPGA is used to implement data packet fragmentation, reassembly, and error checking to ensure data integrity during multi-hop transmission in cascaded links.

[0066] The generation of the load balancing strategy includes:

[0067] Establish an evaluation model that includes device processing capacity coefficient, current task queue depth, and network delay parameters;

[0068] Generate dynamic weight factors based on real-time collected image processing machine temperature and memory usage;

[0069] The improved Hungarian algorithm is used to calculate the task allocation matrix, and the algorithm introduces a device health threshold constraint.

[0070] The workflow of the RPC feedback mechanism includes:

[0071] Define a custom RPC message format that includes a 32-bit status code, a 64-bit timestamp, and variable-length payload data;

[0072] Deploy an asynchronous callback queue on the core board side and start a retransmission mechanism for the printer that times out and does not respond;

[0073] The transmitted instruction parameters are serialized and compressed through the protocol buffer to reduce network bandwidth usage.

[0074] The dynamic task allocation strategy adjustment includes:

[0075] When a photo printer failure is detected, the redundant takeover mechanism of the adjacent device is triggered through the cascade link;

[0076] When a new printer is added, the device number mapping table is automatically updated and the load distribution weight is recalculated;

[0077] Dynamically adjust the priority queue of RPC instructions according to the urgency of the task.

[0078] Also includes a failure recovery mechanism:

[0079] The hardware watchdog module of the FPGA monitors the on / off status of the cascade link;

[0080] When a link interruption is detected, it automatically switches to the backup wireless communication channel;

[0081] Record device snapshot data when a fault occurs, which is used for task breakpoint resumption.

[0082] See also Figure 1-3 , taking a system with three photo machines as an example, the specific steps are as follows:

[0083] A centralized management architecture with the core board as the main control node was built, and the core board was connected to three printers through the network. The core board assigned a unique number to each printer, No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, respectively, to facilitate multi-point control and task scheduling.

[0084] The core board establishes communication connections with multiple printers through the RPC protocol, enabling the core board to exchange instructions and data with each printer. At the same time, a physical link between the printers is established through an FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism. The cascade communication adopts half-duplex mode and supports dynamic device number allocation. The FPGA is configured with a high-speed serial interface, such as RS485, to achieve cascade connections between devices.

[0085] The core board receives a batch of photo tasks containing 100 photos from external input. Based on factors such as the number and processing power of photo machines, the core board decomposes the task into three subtask sets, each of which contains 20 photos.

[0086] Based on the preset load balancing strategy and real-time device status data, the core board assigns these three subtask sets to the three target printers. For example, based on the printer's current task queue depth, processing capacity coefficient, etc., subtask set 1 is assigned to printer No. 1, subtask set 2 is assigned to printer No. 2, and so on.

[0087] During the execution of tasks, each photo machine collects its own operating parameters in real time, such as CPU usage, memory usage, photo progress, etc., and uploads the status data to the core board through the RPC feedback mechanism. The asynchronous callback queue deployed on the core board side receives this status data.

[0088] The core board dynamically adjusts the task allocation strategy based on the feedback status data. For example, if a photo printer fails, the redundant takeover mechanism of the adjacent device is triggered through the cascade communication link, and the tasks of the failed device are transferred to other normal devices. At the same time, the priority queue of the RPC instructions is dynamically adjusted according to the urgency of the task, and resources are allocated to urgent tasks for processing. The collaborative operation instructions between multiple devices are synchronized through the cascade communication link to ensure that all photo printers work together to complete the entire photo task.

[0089] Example 2

[0090] A multi-point control system for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC, comprising:

[0091] The core control module, including the RPC server, task scheduling engine and device management unit, is deployed on the core board;

[0092] The distributed execution module consists of multiple printers with FPGA communication interfaces, each of which has an embedded RPC client.

[0093] Cascade communication network, using daisy chain topology to connect each printer, supporting dynamic path optimization;

[0094] The status monitoring module collects device operating parameters in real time and transmits them back to the core board through an encrypted channel.

[0095] The core control module also includes:

[0096] The device authentication unit adopts a two-way authentication mechanism based on the elliptic curve encryption algorithm;

[0097] Protocol conversion unit, which supports converting the physical layer signals of the cascade link into application layer instructions that can be recognized by the RPC service;

[0098] The resource pool management unit virtualizes the storage space of multiple printers into a shared resource pool.

[0099] The distributed execution module includes:

[0100] Instruction parsing component, used to decode RPC messages and extract operation instruction parameters;

[0101] The local cache component uses a double buffering mechanism to store pending task data;

[0102] FPGA coprocessor, specifically handling physical layer protocol conversion for cascade communication.

[0103] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which performs the steps of the control method described above when the program is executed by a processor.

[0104] A multi-point control system for photo machines based on cascade communication and RPC is used in the photo production of advertising production companies as an example. Figure 2-3 , its specific composition and working mode are as follows:

[0105] The core control module is deployed on the core board and includes an RPC server, a task scheduling engine, and a device management unit. The RPC server is responsible for communicating with the RPC client of the printer, receiving external input printer task requests, and sending task allocation results and control instructions to the printer. The task scheduling engine decomposes and allocates printer tasks based on the load balancing strategy and real-time device status data, and dynamically adjusts the task allocation strategy. The device management unit manages the device information of multiple printers, such as device number and device status. In addition, the core control module also includes a device authentication unit, which adopts a two-way authentication mechanism based on the elliptic curve encryption algorithm to ensure that only authenticated printers can access the system. The protocol conversion unit supports the conversion of the physical layer signals of the cascade link into application layer instructions that can be recognized by the RPC service. The resource pooling management unit virtualizes the storage space of multiple printers into a shared resource pool, facilitating unified management and allocation of storage resources.

[0106] The distributed execution module consists of multiple printers equipped with FPGA communication interfaces. Each device is embedded with an RPC client. Taking one of the printers as an example, it includes an instruction parsing component for decoding RPC messages and extracting operation instruction parameters. For example, it parses the printer task instructions sent by the core board to obtain parameters such as the content and size of the printer image to be produced. The local cache component uses a double buffering mechanism to store pending task data. When the printer executes a task, it first reads the task data from the local cache to improve task execution efficiency. The FPGA coprocessor specifically handles the physical layer protocol conversion of cascade communication, ensuring efficient data transmission between printers through the cascade communication link.

[0107] The cascade communication network uses a daisy-chain topology to connect the printers and supports dynamic path optimization. The printers are connected in cascade via high-speed serial interfaces such as RS485. When a new printer is connected, the FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism assigns a unique identifier to the newly added printer through an automatic device number allocation algorithm. This algorithm dynamically generates a number sequence based on the cascade link topology to ensure the uniqueness and identifiability of each printer in the communication network. At the same time, the FPGA implements data packet fragmentation, reassembly, and error checking to ensure data integrity during multi-hop transmission and avoid data loss or damage.

[0108] The status monitoring module collects the operating parameters of each printer in real time, such as temperature, memory usage, CPU usage, and printer progress, and transmits them back to the core board through an encrypted channel. After receiving this status data, the core board processes and analyzes it through the RPC feedback mechanism, and dynamically adjusts the task allocation strategy based on the feedback status data to ensure the efficient operation of the system. When a printer failure is detected, the FPGA hardware watchdog module monitors the on-off status of the cascade link. If the cascade link is interrupted, it automatically switches to the backup wireless communication channel to ensure the continuity and reliability of the system. At the same time, it records the device snapshot data when the failure occurs for task breakpoint resumption, avoiding the need to restart all tasks due to failures, thereby improving the execution efficiency and reliability of tasks.

[0109] The same or similar reference numerals correspond to the same or similar components;

[0110] The terms used in the drawings to describe positional relationships are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting this patent;

[0111] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not limitations on the implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in the field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all the implementation methods here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-point control method for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Build a centralized management architecture with the core board as the main control node, and the core board establishes communication connections with multiple printers through the RPC protocol; Establishing a physical link between printers through an FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism that uses half-duplex mode and supports dynamic device number allocation; The core board receives external input of photo tasks, decomposes the tasks into subtask sets, and distributes them to the target photo machines based on the preset load balancing strategy and real-time device status data; Collect the operating parameters of each printer in real time and upload the status data to the core board through the RPC feedback mechanism; The task allocation strategy is dynamically adjusted based on the feedback status data, and the collaborative operation instructions between multiple devices are synchronized through cascade communication links.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The FPGA-based cascade communication mechanism specifically includes: Configure the communication protocol of the high-speed serial interface through the programmable logic module of the FPGA; A device number automatic allocation algorithm is used to assign unique identifiers to newly added photo printers. The algorithm dynamically generates a number sequence based on the cascade link topology. FPGA is used to implement data packet fragmentation, reassembly, and error checking to ensure data integrity during multi-hop transmission in cascaded links.

3. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The generation of the load balancing strategy includes: Establish an evaluation model that includes device processing capacity coefficient, current task queue depth, and network delay parameters; Generate dynamic weight factors based on real-time collected image processing machine temperature and memory usage; The improved Hungarian algorithm is used to calculate the task allocation matrix, and the algorithm introduces a device health threshold constraint.

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein: The workflow of the RPC feedback mechanism includes: Define a custom RPC message format that includes a 32-bit status code, a 64-bit timestamp, and variable-length payload data; Deploy an asynchronous callback queue on the core board side and start a retransmission mechanism for the printer that times out and does not respond; The transmitted instruction parameters are serialized and compressed through the protocol buffer to reduce network bandwidth usage.

5. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dynamic task allocation strategy adjustment includes: When a photo printer failure is detected, the redundant takeover mechanism of the adjacent device is triggered through the cascade link; When a new printer is added, the device number mapping table is automatically updated and the load distribution weight is recalculated; Dynamically adjust the priority queue of RPC instructions according to the urgency of the task.

6. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes a failure recovery mechanism: The hardware watchdog module of the FPGA monitors the on / off status of the cascade link; When a link interruption is detected, it automatically switches to the backup wireless communication channel; Record device snapshot data when a fault occurs, which is used for task breakpoint resumption.

7. A multi-point control system for a photo printer based on cascade communication and RPC, which is implemented by the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: The core control module, including the RPC server, task scheduling engine and device management unit, is deployed on the core board; The distributed execution module consists of multiple printers with FPGA communication interfaces, each of which has an embedded RPC client. Cascade communication network, using daisy chain topology to connect each printer, supporting dynamic path optimization; The status monitoring module collects device operating parameters in real time and transmits them back to the core board through an encrypted channel.

8. The control system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The core control module also includes: The device authentication unit adopts a two-way authentication mechanism based on the elliptic curve encryption algorithm; Protocol conversion unit, which supports converting the physical layer signals of the cascade link into application layer instructions that can be recognized by the RPC service; The resource pool management unit virtualizes the storage space of multiple printers into a shared resource pool.

9. The control system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The distributed execution module includes: Instruction parsing component, used to decode RPC messages and extract operation instruction parameters; The local cache component uses a double buffering mechanism to store pending task data; FPGA coprocessor, specifically handling physical layer protocol conversion for cascade communication.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the program is executed by a processor, the steps of the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 are implemented.

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