Three-dimensional printer controller

Abstract

The invention discloses a three-dimensional printer controller, relates to the technical field of three-dimensional printing, and aims at solving the technical problems that an existing controller is poor in self-definition, complex in wiring, large in size, high in cost, tedious in overhaul and maintenance and insufficient in hardware reliability. The lower computer is used for receiving the instruction and controlling the execution component; the stepping motor driving module is connected with the lower computer to drive a stepping motor; the circular screen is used for man-machine interaction; and the shell is used for installing and protecting each module. Preferably, one of an RK3566 upper computer and an H616 upper computer is adopted as the upper computer. According to the invention, through the modular design and the matching of the pin header and female header connection mode, each functional module can be independently disassembled and replaced. A user can flexibly increase or decrease the stepping motor driving modules or adjust the circuit topology according to requirements, and the problem that an existing scheme is poor in self-definition is thoroughly solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to the technical field of three-dimensional printing, in particular to a three-dimensional printer controller. BACKGROUND

[0002] The core function of a three-dimensional printer controller is to convert a design file (such as an STL model) into machine executable instructions, and to realize layer-by-layer printing by coordinating parameters such as printing head movement and temperature adjustment.

[0003] In the prior art, the hardware structure of mainstream controllers mostly adopts a low-integration scheme, such as an open-source platform based on an 8-bit / 32-bit microcontroller (such as an Arduino Mega and an STM32), which is matched with a separate power supply and signal control module.

[0004] Such a design has significant defects: the hardware modular design is insufficient and the integration is low, resulting in poor customizability of the controller, and users cannot flexibly adjust the functions according to the production scene, and the complex wiring layout and separate structure make the maintenance extremely difficult. For example, the commercially available controllers are often large in size, with chaotic wiring, and the types of sensor and motor interfaces are not unified, further increasing the complexity of use. In view of this, we propose a three-dimensional printer controller. SUMMARY

[0005] The application aims to provide a three-dimensional printer controller to solve the technical problems of poor customizability of the existing controller, complex wiring, large size, high cost, cumbersome maintenance and insufficient hardware reliability.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the application provides the following technical scheme: a three-dimensional printer controller, comprising: a host computer for data processing and instruction generation; a slave computer for receiving instructions and controlling the execution components; a stepper motor drive module connected to the slave computer to drive the stepper motor; a circular screen for human-computer interaction; a housing for mounting and protecting the modules.

[0007] Preferably, the host computer adopts one of an RK3566 host computer and an H616 host computer; The RK3566 host computer adopts an RK3566 chip as the main control chip, and integrates a power management module, a DDR4 memory interface, a plurality of communication interfaces, a sensor interface and a GPIO interface; The H616 host computer adopts an H616 chip as the main control chip, and integrates an SD card interface, an HDMI interface, a USB interface, a network interface and a power management module.

[0008] Preferably, the power management module of the RK3566 host machine adopts a power supply mode combining DC-DC and LDO, and each power domain is configured with a decoupling capacitor; the power management module of the H616 host machine adopts an MT3520B chip to provide multiple stable voltage outputs.

[0009] Preferably, the lower machine adopts a modular design, including a core board, a large-current board and a signal board connected through a pin array: The core board adopts an STM32F407VGT6 chip, and is configured with a crystal circuit, a reset circuit, a Boot button, an LED indicator and a 2x20P SMD pin array interface. The large-current board integrates 10-step motor drive interfaces, adopts a TMC2209 or TMC2226 drive chip, supports 12-24V wide voltage input and a CAN communication interface. The signal board includes a thermistor interface, a MOS tube interface, a CAN communication interface and a power management module.

[0010] Preferably, characterized in that: The core board converts 5V to 3.3V power supply through an AMS1117-3.3 chip; The drive module of the large-current board is configured with a VMOT power input, a VCCIO interface, a STEP and DIR signal interface and a current detection resistor. The signal board converts 40V to 5V through an LMR14050SDDAR chip, and then converts 5V to 3.3V power supply through an AMS1117-3.3 chip.

[0011] Preferably, the step motor drive module includes a TMC2209 drive module or a TMC2226 drive module: The TMC2209 drive module adopts a TMC2209-LA chip, is configured with a VMOT power input, a VCCIO interface, a STEP and DIR signal interface and a current detection resistor, and integrates DIAG and INDEX signal outputs. The TMC2226 drive module is based on a TMC2226 chip, supports multiple drive modes, is configured with a VS power input, a VCCIO interface, a STEP and DIR signal interface, and has overcurrent protection and overheat protection functions.

[0012] Preferably, the circular screen adopts an ESP32-WROVER chip as the master control, integrates WIFI and Bluetooth functions, is configured with a 2.4-inch circular LCD touch screen, interacts with the host machine through an SPI communication interface, and the power supply part adopts an AP63203WU-7 chip to provide 3.3V voltage.

[0013] Preferably, the shell adopts a split design, including an upper computer cavity, a lower computer cavity and a display screen cavity which are independently cooled, and is internally provided with a pin connection groove and a wire groove, is made of flame-retardant ABS plastic and is subjected to anti-static treatment on the surface.

[0014] A method for using a three-dimensional printer controller, comprising the following steps: S1: the upper computer analyzes an STL model to generate G code, and transmits the G code to the lower computer through a CAN bus; S2: the lower computer core board analyzes the G code to generate motor driving signals and temperature control instructions: S201: after receiving the signals, the large current board controls the stepping motor to move on the X / Y / Z axes through a driving chip; S202: the signal board collects temperature signals of the thermistors and adjusts the power of the heating rod through a PID algorithm; S3: a circular screen displays printing parameters in real time and receives user input; S4: the upper computer and the lower computer feed back state data in real time through the CAN bus to complete printing process control.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the method has the following beneficial effects: 1: the upper computer and the lower computer are separated, the lower computer core board / large current board / signal board are modularly designed, and the pin and the female connector are connected, so that each functional module can be independently disassembled and replaced. Users can flexibly increase or decrease the stepping motor driving module (such as TMC2209 or TMC2226 driving chip) according to requirements, or adjust the circuit topology, thereby completely solving the poor customizability problem of the existing scheme; meanwhile, the standardized interface and the separated cavity design make the cable layout more regular, and significantly reduce the maintenance difficulty.

[0016] 2: the large current board is integrated with 10-way stepping motor driving interfaces and is configured with an independent power management module, and the signal board is dedicated to sensor signal processing and communication. This design avoids strong and weak electric interference, reduces hardware faults such as thermistor signal drift (such as more stable heating rod temperature control), and further improves the reliability of the driving module through large-area copper heat dissipation and overcurrent protection mechanism, thereby solving the problem of insufficient hardware stability of the existing scheme.

[0017] 3: the stepping motor driving module supports 12-24V wide voltage input, is suitable for various industrial power supply scenes, and reduces printing errors caused by voltage fluctuations; the lower computer communicates with the upper computer through the CAN bus, and compared with the traditional serial transmission, the data transmission delay is lower and the anti-interference ability is stronger, especially in high-speed printing or multi-axis linkage, the real-time synchronous motion control and temperature regulation instructions can be realized, the problem of dynamic response lag of the traditional PID control is solved, and the global optimization control is realized. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is the circuit schematic diagram of the RK3566 host computer in this invention; Figure 2 This is the circuit schematic diagram of the H616 host computer in this invention; Figure 3 This is the circuit schematic diagram of the STM32F407VGT6 core board in this invention; Figure 4 This is a circuit schematic diagram of the TMC2209 driver interface of the high-current board in this invention; Figure 5 This is a circuit schematic diagram of the CAN communication interface of the signal board in this invention; Figure 6 This is a circuit schematic diagram of the TMC2209 driver module in this invention; Figure 7 This is a circuit schematic diagram of the TMC2226 driver module in this invention; Figure 8 This is a circuit diagram of the ESP32-WROVER chip for the circular screen in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, the present invention relates to a 3D printer controller, which includes a host computer, a slave computer, a stepper motor drive module, a circular screen, and a housing; The host computer includes an RK3566 host computer and an H616 host computer that use RK3566 or H616 chips as the main control chips, and has high-performance data processing and multi-interface control capabilities. The RK3566 host computer includes a power management module (power domains such as VDD_CPU, VDD_LOGIC, VDD_GPU, and VDD_NPU), a DDR4 memory interface, multiple communication interfaces (USB 3.0, PCIe 2.0, SATA, HDMI 2.0, MIPI-DSI, etc.), sensor interfaces (SARADC, OTP), and a rich set of GPIO interfaces. The power management module uses a combination of DC-DC and LDO to provide stable multi-channel voltage output, and each power domain is equipped with decoupling capacitors to ensure power stability. The H616 host computer integrates an SD card interface, an HDMI interface, a USB interface, a network interface (EPHY), and a power management module, supporting the connection of various storage and display devices. The power supply section uses the MT3520B power management chip to provide multiple stable voltage outputs to meet the power supply needs of different modules.

[0020] The lower-level machine adopts a modular design, which is divided into a core board, a high-current board and a signal board. Each module is connected to the pin header and the female header via pin headers. The core board uses an STM32F407VGT6 as the main control chip and is equipped with a crystal oscillator circuit, reset circuit, boot button, and LED indicators. It provides a standard 2*20P surface-mount header interface, leading to an SWD debug interface, USART interface, GPIO interface, etc., for easy connection with other modules. The power supply section uses an AMS1117-3.3 chip to convert 5V to 3.3V to power the core board, and decoupling capacitors are configured on each power supply pin to ensure stable power supply. The high-current board separates the high-current circuitry from the signal circuitry. It includes 10 stepper motor drive interfaces, employing TMC2209 or TMC2226 driver chips, supporting a wide voltage input of 12-24V, and featuring a silent mode and stall detection. The drive module is equipped with a VMOT power input, VCCIO interface, STEP and DIR signal interfaces, and a current sensing resistor to ensure the stability and reliability of the motor drive. Simultaneously, the high-current board integrates a CAN communication interface, using a TJA1044GT / 1Z transceiver, supporting 5Mbps high-speed communication to ensure stable data transmission. The signal board is responsible for signal processing and sensor interface management, including 6 thermistor interfaces, 13 small MOSFET interfaces, a CAN communication interface, and a power management module. The power supply section uses an LMR14050SDDAR chip to convert 40V to 5V, and then uses an AMS1117-3.3 to convert it to 3.3V to power the signal board. The thermistor interfaces are equipped with pull-up resistors and filter capacitors to ensure accurate temperature signal acquisition; the MOSFET interfaces use AO3400 field-effect transistors, supporting PWM control for lighting and heating control.

[0021] The stepper motor drive module includes a TMC2209 drive module designed with the TMC2209 solution and a TMC2226 drive module designed with the TMC2226 solution; The TMC2209 driver module uses the TMC2209-LA chip, supporting step signal mode, UART mode, and SPI mode. It features a VMOT power input (12-24V), a VCCIO interface (3.3V), STEP and DIR signal interfaces, and a current sensing resistor (100mΩ). The module design incorporates large-area copper plating for heat dissipation, reducing operating temperature, and integrates DIAG and INDEX signal outputs to support motor status detection. The TMC2226 driver module is based on the TMC2226 chip and also supports multiple driving modes. It is configured with VS power input, VCCIO interface, STEP and DIR signal interfaces, and has overcurrent protection and overheat protection functions to ensure the safe operation of the driver module.

[0022] The circular screen uses the ESP32-WROVER as the main control chip, integrating WIFI and Bluetooth functions, and features a 2.4-inch circular LCD display that supports touch input. The screen interfaces include backlight control, reset signal, and SPI communication interfaces (WIFI_MOSI, WIFI_MISO, WIFI_SCK, WIFI_CS). The power supply section provides a stable 3.3V voltage through the AP63203WU-7 chip, ensuring stable screen display and interactive functions.

[0023] The housing adopts a split design, including an upper computer cavity, a lower computer cavity, and a display screen cavity. Each cavity has independent heat dissipation and is equipped with pin header connection slots to ensure the circuit board is installed securely. At the same time, cable routing channels are reserved to standardize the cable layout and facilitate inspection and maintenance.

[0024] The outer shell is made of flame-retardant ABS plastic and has an anti-static treatment to improve the safety of the controller.

[0025] In an embodiment of the present invention, as another embodiment of the present invention, as another embodiment of the present invention, A 3D printer controller includes the following steps: S1: Communication between the host computer and the slave computer: The host computer connects to the slave computer via a CAN bus. The host computer parses the print file (STL model) to generate G-code, which is then transmitted to the slave computer's core board via the CAN bus. The core board parses the G-code, generates motor drive signals and temperature control commands, and sends them to the high-current board and signal board.

[0026] S2: Motor Drive Control: The high-current board receives the STEP and DIR signals from the core board and controls the stepper motor movement via the TMC2209 or TMC2226 driver chip to achieve high-precision positioning of the printhead in the X, Y, and Z axes. The drive module supports a silent mode, adjusting the pulse width via the SPREAD signal to reduce motor operating noise.

[0027] S3: Temperature Control: The signal board collects the temperature signal from the thermistor and sends it to the core board. The core board calculates the heating power through a PID algorithm, controls the switching of the MOSFET on the high-current board, and adjusts the power of the heating rod to ensure stable temperature of the printhead and heated bed.

[0028] S4: Human-computer interaction: Users can set printing parameters and monitor printing progress through the circular screen. The screen interacts with the host computer through SPI communication, displaying information such as temperature and motor position in real time. It supports touch operation and realizes a user-friendly human-computer interaction.

[0029] The embodiments disclosed in this invention are preferred embodiments, but are not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can easily understand the spirit of this invention based on the above embodiments and make different extensions and variations, but as long as they do not depart from the spirit of this invention, they are all within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printer controller, characterized in that, include: The host computer is used for data processing and instruction generation; The lower-level machine is used to receive instructions and control the execution components; A stepper motor drive module is connected to the lower-level machine to drive the stepper motor; A circular screen is used for human-computer interaction; The outer casing is used to install and protect the various modules.

2. A 3D printer controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The host computer is either an RK3566 host computer or an H616 host computer. The RK3566 host computer uses the RK3566 chip as the main control chip and integrates a power management module, DDR4 memory interface, several communication interfaces, sensor interface and GPIO interface. The H616 host computer uses the H616 chip as the main control chip and integrates an SD card interface, HDMI interface, USB interface, network interface and power management module.

3. A 3D printer controller according to claim 2, characterized in that, The power management module of the RK3566 host computer adopts a power supply method combining DC-DC and LDO, and each power domain is equipped with decoupling capacitors; the power management module of the H616 host computer uses the MT3520B chip to provide multiple stable voltage outputs.

4. A 3D printer controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower-level machine adopts a modular design, including a core board, a high-current board, and a signal board connected by pin headers: The core board uses an STM32F407VGT6 chip and is equipped with a crystal oscillator circuit, a reset circuit, a boot button, LED indicators, and 2×20P surface mount pin headers. The high-current board integrates 10 stepper motor drive interfaces, uses TMC2209 or TMC2226 driver chips, and supports 12-24V wide voltage input and CAN communication interface. The signal board includes a thermistor interface, a MOSFET interface, a CAN communication interface, and a power management module.

5. A 3D printer controller according to claim 4, characterized in that: The core board uses an AMS1117-3.3 chip to convert 5V to 3.3V for power supply; The high-current board's drive module is configured with a VMOT power input, a VCCIO interface, STEP and DIR signal interfaces, and a current sensing resistor. The signal board converts 40V to 5V via the LMR14050SDDAR chip, and then converts it to 3.3V via the AMS1117-3.3 for power supply.

6. A 3D printer controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The stepper motor drive module includes a TMC2209 drive module or a TMC2226 drive module: The TMC2209 driver module uses the TMC2209-LA chip, is configured with VMOT power input, VCCIO interface, STEP and DIR signal interfaces and current sensing resistor, and integrates DIAG and INDEX signal output; The TMC2226 driver module is based on the TMC2226 chip, supports multiple driving modes, and is configured with VS power input, VCCIO interface, STEP and DIR signal interfaces. It also features overcurrent protection and overheat protection.

7. A 3D printer controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The circular screen uses an ESP32-WROVER chip as the main controller, integrates WIFI and Bluetooth functions, is equipped with a 2.4-inch circular LCD touch screen, interacts with the host computer through an SPI communication interface, and uses an AP63203WU-7 chip to provide 3.3V voltage for the power supply.

8. A 3D printer controller according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer shell adopts a split design, including an independently heat-dissipating upper computer cavity, lower computer cavity, and display screen cavity. The interior is equipped with pin header connection slots and wiring slots. The material is flame-retardant ABS plastic and the surface is treated with anti-static treatment.

9. A method of using a 3D printer controller, applicable to the 3D printer controller according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: The host computer parses the STL model to generate G code, which is then transmitted to the slave computer via the CAN bus; S2: The lower-level core board parses the G-code and generates motor drive signals and temperature control commands. S201: After receiving the signal, the high-current board controls the stepper motor to move along the X / Y / Z axes through the driver chip; S202: The signal board collects the temperature signal from the thermistor and adjusts the heating rod power through a PID algorithm; S3: The circular screen displays printing parameters in real time and receives user input; S4: The host computer and the slave computer communicate in real time via the CAN bus to control the printing process.

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