Visual controller with PLC function

Abstract

The utility model relates to a visual controller with a PLC function, comprising a housing and a circuit board integrated in the housing, the circuit board is provided with a visual processing module, a PLC control module, a communication interface module and a power supply management module; the communication interface module comprises a visual interface unit, and the visual interface unit is connected with the signal end of the visual processing module and extends a plurality of signal interfaces. The visual processor and the PLC are integrated on the single circuit board and share the communication interface module and the power management module, so that a shell redundant structure and external wiring of discrete equipment are eliminated, the hardware size is reduced, and the material cost and the assembly complexity are remarkably reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of vision controller technology, specifically a vision controller with PLC function. Background Technology

[0002] In current industrial intelligent manufacturing systems, machine vision inspection and PLC logic control typically employ a discrete hardware architecture:

[0003] Machine vision systems consist of independent devices such as industrial computers, industrial cameras, and light sources. When running complex algorithms, they require high-performance graphics cards, resulting in problems such as large size, high power consumption, and high cost.

[0004] The PLC control system uses branded controller modules, which are limited by fixed interface types and quantities. External expansion modules are required to connect multiple sensors, resulting in complex wiring and a lack of flexibility.

[0005] The two systems exchange data via external communication (such as Ethernet / RS485), which has the drawbacks of long transmission paths and insufficient real-time performance, affecting control accuracy.

[0006] Existing controllers often suffer from redundant hardware structures, weak interface scalability, and large response delays due to their discrete design, making it difficult to meet the requirements of industrial automation equipment for compactness, real-time performance, and low cost. Utility Model Content

[0007] This invention addresses the technical problems existing in the prior art by providing a vision controller with PLC functionality to solve the difficulties in meeting the requirements of compactness, real-time performance, and low cost of existing industrial automation equipment.

[0008] The technical solution of this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: A vision controller with PLC function includes a housing and a circuit board integrated in the housing. The circuit board is provided with a vision processing module, a PLC control module, a communication interface module and a power management module.

[0009] The communication interface module includes:

[0010] A vision interface unit, which is connected to the signal terminal of the vision processing module and expands several signal interfaces;

[0011] A control interface unit, which is connected to the signal terminal of the PLC control module and expands several signal interfaces;

[0012] The power management module is connected to an external DC power supply and supplies power to each module through a step-down circuit.

[0013] Furthermore, the vision processing module uses the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX core module to run machine vision algorithms and AI models, and process 2D / 3D camera data.

[0014] Furthermore, the PLC control module uses an STM32H750VBT6 main chip to execute industrial control logic and algorithms, and drive sensors and / or actuators.

[0015] Furthermore, the vision interface unit is connected to the USB pin of the vision processing module via a USB Hub chip, expanding to four USB 3.0 interfaces;

[0016] The vision interface unit is connected to the PCIe pin of the vision processing module through a PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet chip to generate an independent Gigabit Ethernet port.

[0017] Furthermore, the USB 3.0 interface of the vision processing module supports the simultaneous connection of multiple industrial 2D / 3D cameras and light source devices.

[0018] Furthermore, the control interface unit is connected to the serial communication pin of the PLC control module through an interface conversion chip, generating two RS485 interfaces and two RS232 interfaces.

[0019] The control interface unit is connected to the CAN pin of the PLC control module through a CAN transceiver chip, generating two CAN interfaces;

[0020] The control interface unit is connected to the GPIO pins of the PLC control module through an optocoupler isolation chip and a high-speed timer, driving 16 high-speed input / output IO channels.

[0021] Furthermore, the power management module has its input terminal connected to an external DC 9-36V power interface, and its output terminal connected to the following via a multi-stage step-down circuit:

[0022] First voltage converter: provides 5V / 12V voltage to the power supply pins of the vision processing module;

[0023] Second voltage converter: provides 3.3V voltage to the power supply pins of the PLC control module;

[0024] The third voltage converter provides operating voltage to the power supply pins of each chip in the communication interface module.

[0025] Furthermore, the power management module includes a multi-stage step-down circuit to convert the external DC 9-36V power supply into 3.3V, 5V, and 12V voltage levels;

[0026] The multi-stage step-down circuit includes a DC-DC step-down chip and an LDO linear regulator, outputting three voltage levels: 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

[0027] Furthermore, an internal communication unit is provided between the vision processing module and the PLC control module, and the internal communication unit includes:

[0028] USB 2.0 direct connection channel: Directly connects the USB 2.0 pins of the vision processing module and the USB 2.0 pins of the PLC control module;

[0029] Ethernet switch circuit: Connects the gigabit Ethernet port of the vision processing module and the 100 Mbps Ethernet port of the PLC control module via an RJ45 port, and integrates a clock synchronization circuit.

[0030] Furthermore, the Ethernet switch of the internal communication unit supports system clock synchronization between the vision processing module and the PLC control module;

[0031] The Ethernet switch circuit has a built-in isolation transformer. Its input side is connected to the gigabit port of the vision processing module, and its output side is connected to the 100 Mbps port of the PLC control module.

[0032] The beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0033] 1) High structural integration:

[0034] By integrating the vision processor (Jetson Orin NX module) and the PLC controller (STM32H750VBT6 chip) onto a single circuit board and sharing the communication interface module and power management module, the redundant structure of the discrete device's housing and external wiring are eliminated, reducing the hardware size and significantly lowering material costs and assembly complexity.

[0035] 2) Improved real-time signal transmission:

[0036] Based on a hardware architecture using a USB 2.0 direct connection channel and an Ethernet switch clock synchronization circuit, the transmission path from visual processing results to control commands is shortened to board-level traces, reducing transmission latency to less than 1ms; combined with a GPU / DSP hardware acceleration unit, the system response speed is improved.

[0037] 3) Strong interface expansion compatibility:

[0038] The communication interface module natively integrates multiple industrial standard interfaces (4×USB 3.0, 2×Gigabit Ethernet ports, 6×serial interfaces, 16 isolated I / O channels), supporting expansion-free connection of 2D / 3D cameras, sensors and actuators; the power management module features a wide voltage input design (DC 9-36V) and multi-stage regulated output, adapting to different industrial field power supply environments. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is the complete circuit control schematic diagram of this utility model;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the system composition of this utility model;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a control principle diagram for the application scenario of this utility model;

[0042] Figure 4 This is the control flowchart of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The principles and features of this utility model are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The examples given are only for explaining this utility model and are not intended to limit the scope of this utility model.

[0044] like Figure 1-4 As shown, this utility model relates to a vision controller with PLC function, including a housing and a circuit board integrated in the housing. The circuit board is provided with a vision processing module, a PLC control module, a communication interface module and a power management module.

[0045] The vision processing module uses the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX core module to run machine vision algorithms and AI models, and process 2D / 3D camera data;

[0046] The PLC control module uses an STM32H750VBT6 main chip to execute industrial control logic and algorithms, and drive sensors and / or actuators.

[0047] The NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX core module processes multi-camera data in real time through its built-in GPU parallel computing unit (1024-core Ampere architecture):

[0048] Data input: Industrial 2D / 3D cameras are connected to the vision interface unit via USB 3.0 or Gigabit Ethernet port;

[0049] Algorithm acceleration: Utilize Tensor Core hardware to accelerate image preprocessing, feature extraction, and AI model inference;

[0050] Output: The target detection / classification results are transmitted to the PLC control module through the internal communication unit.

[0051] The STM32H750VBT6 main chip uses a real-time operating system (RT-Thread) to schedule and control tasks.

[0052] Signal acquisition: Sensor signals are received via 16 high-speed I / O channels with optical isolation;

[0053] Logical operations: Calling DSP units to execute motion control, timing logic, and other algorithms;

[0054] Device driver: Commands are output to the actuator via RS485 / CAN interface to achieve closed-loop control.

[0055] In one implementation, the power management module includes a vision interface unit and a control interface unit.

[0056] The vision interface unit is connected to the signal terminal of the vision processing module and expands several signal interfaces.

[0057] Specifically, the vision interface unit is connected to the USB pins of the vision processing module via a USB Hub chip, expanding to four USB 3.0 interfaces; the vision interface unit is connected to the PCIe pins of the vision processing module via a PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet chip, generating an independent Gigabit Ethernet port.

[0058] In addition, the USB 3.0 interface of the vision processing module supports the simultaneous connection of multiple industrial 2D / 3D cameras and light source devices;

[0059] USB 3.0 interface expansion:

[0060] The USB Hub chip (such as GL3520) is directly soldered to the USB pin of the vision processing module, and four USB 3.0 Type-A ports are extended through four independent differential signal traces, each supporting a transmission bandwidth of 5Gbps.

[0061] Electrical characteristics:

[0062] Signal integrity is ensured by the impedance matching circuit (90Ω differential pair) on the PCB board;

[0063] The power supply capability meets the power supply requirements of industrial cameras and light sources through a power distribution circuit (5V / 900mA per port).

[0064] Gigabit Ethernet port generation:

[0065] PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet chip (such as RTL8111H) interconnects with the PCIe pins of the vision processing module through PCIe x1 gold finger connector to generate an independent RJ45 network port;

[0066] Anti-interference design:

[0067] Network port transformers (such as HX5001NL) are integrated into the RJ45 socket to achieve common-mode noise isolation;

[0068] Signal traces use a serpentine, equal-length routing pattern, with the length difference controlled within ±5mil.

[0069] The four USB 3.0 ports support the hardware foundation for simultaneously connecting multiple industrial devices:

[0070] Bandwidth allocation: The USB Hub chip has a built-in four-channel data switch that dynamically allocates the total 10Gbps USB 3.2 bandwidth of the visual processing module to each port;

[0071] Protocol compatibility: Each port supports the USB Video Class (UVC) protocol, enabling driverless recognition of industrial 2D / 3D cameras;

[0072] Power supply management: The current of each port is monitored by an overcurrent protection chip (such as SY6280), and a hardware-level power-off is triggered when an abnormality occurs.

[0073] In one implementation, the control interface unit is connected to the signal terminal of the PLC control module and expands several signal interfaces;

[0074] Specifically, the control interface unit is connected to the serial communication pin of the PLC control module through an interface conversion chip to generate two RS485 interfaces and two RS232 interfaces; the control interface unit is connected to the CAN pin of the PLC control module through a CAN transceiver chip to generate two CAN interfaces; the control interface unit is connected to the GPIO pin of the PLC control module through an optocoupler isolation chip and a high-speed timer to drive 16 high-speed input / output IOs.

[0075] The principle of industrial interface expansion is as follows:

[0076] The control interface unit achieves signal conversion and isolation through a three-level hardware circuit:

[0077] Serial communication interface generation

[0078] Interface conversion chips (such as MAX3485 for RS485 / MAX3232 for RS232) are directly soldered to the UART pins of the PLC control module.

[0079] RS485 circuit: It adopts a differential signal driver chip, with a 120Ω terminating resistor in series on the A / B lines, and ±15kV ESD protection is achieved through a TVS transistor (such as SMBJ6.5CA).

[0080] RS232 circuit: The charge pump chip generates ±10V level, and the DB9 interface has a built-in self-resetting fuse (0.5A).

[0081] CAN bus interface generation

[0082] The CAN transceiver chip (such as TJA1050) connects to the CAN_TX / CAN_RX pins of the PLC control module:

[0083] The bus port is configured with a common-mode inductor (100Ω@100MHz) to suppress common-mode interference;

[0084] A 30pF capacitor is connected in parallel between the CANH / CANL lines to filter out high-frequency noise.

[0085] High-speed I / O driver circuit

[0086] The input terminal of the optocoupler isolation chip (such as TLP281-4) is connected to the PLC's GPIO through a 330Ω current-limiting resistor.

[0087] The output side uses a MOSFET driver circuit (such as AO3400) to support 0-30V / 500mA load;

[0088] A high-speed timer (STM32 built-in TIM1) generates a PWM waveform, which is then smoothed out by an RC filter (10kΩ+100nF).

[0089] In one implementation, the power management module is connected to an external DC power supply and supplies power to each module through a step-down circuit;

[0090] Specifically, the power management module has its input terminal connected to an external DC 9-36V power interface, and its output terminal connected to the following via a multi-stage step-down circuit:

[0091] First voltage converter: provides 5V / 12V voltage to the power supply pins of the vision processing module;

[0092] Second voltage converter: provides 3.3V voltage to the power supply pins of the PLC control module;

[0093] Third voltage converter: provides operating voltage to the power supply pins of each chip in the communication interface module;

[0094] In addition, the power management module includes a multi-stage buck circuit that converts the external DC 9-36V power supply into 3.3V, 5V, and 12V voltage levels. The multi-stage buck circuit includes a DC-DC buck chip and an LDO linear regulator, outputting three voltage levels: 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

[0095] The principles of wide input voltage and multi-stage buck conversion are as follows:

[0096] Wide voltage adaptability design

[0097] The input stage uses a 40V withstand voltage TVS diode (SMBJ40CA) + a self-resetting fuse (1A) to support 9-36V fluctuating input.

[0098] High-efficiency step-down topology

[0099] First stage: The synchronous buck converter chip (MP2307) reduces 24V to 5V with a switching frequency of 1.2MHz;

[0100] Second stage: LDO linear regulator (AMS1117) outputs 3.3V with ripple <10mV.

[0101] Power allocation mechanism

[0102] Vision processing module: 12V / 3A high current is directly provided by a single-stage step-down converter;

[0103] PLC control module: 3.3V / 500mA powered by low-noise LDO;

[0104] Interface chip: 5V / 2A suppresses high-frequency noise through a π-type filter (22μF+10Ω+22μF).

[0105] In one implementation, an internal communication unit is provided between the vision processing module and the PLC control module, the internal communication unit including:

[0106] USB 2.0 direct connection channel: Directly connects the USB 2.0 pins of the vision processing module and the USB 2.0 pins of the PLC control module;

[0107] Ethernet switch circuit: Connects the gigabit Ethernet port of the vision processing module and the 100 Mbps Ethernet port of the PLC control module via an RJ45 port, and integrates a clock synchronization circuit;

[0108] The Ethernet switch of the internal communication unit supports system clock synchronization between the vision processing module and the PLC control module.

[0109] Specifically, the USB 2.0 direct connection channel uses a double-ended shielded cable physically soldered to the USB interface pins of the two modules;

[0110] Specifically, the Ethernet switch circuit has a built-in isolation transformer, with its input side connected to the gigabit port of the vision processing module and its output side connected to the 100 Mbps port of the PLC control module.

[0111] As one implementation method, the real-time operating system of the PLC control module is RT-Thread, which supports file system, multi-threaded scheduling and IoT communication protocol.

[0112] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A vision controller with PLC functionality, comprising a housing and a circuit board integrated within the housing, characterized in that: The circuit board is equipped with a vision processing module, a PLC control module, a communication interface module, and a power management module. The communication interface module includes: A vision interface unit, which is connected to the signal terminal of the vision processing module and expands several signal interfaces; A control interface unit, which is connected to the signal terminal of the PLC control module and expands several signal interfaces; The power management module is connected to an external DC power supply and supplies power to each module through a step-down circuit.

2. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vision processing module uses the NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX core module to run machine vision algorithms and AI models, and process 2D / 3D camera data.

3. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The PLC control module uses an STM32H750VBT6 main chip to execute industrial control logic and algorithms, and drive sensors and / or actuators.

4. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vision interface unit is connected to the USB pins of the vision processing module via a USB Hub chip, expanding to four USB 3.0 interfaces; The vision interface unit is connected to the PCIe pin of the vision processing module through a PCIe to Gigabit Ethernet chip to generate an independent Gigabit Ethernet port.

5. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 4, characterized in that, The vision processing module's USB 3.0 interface supports simultaneous connection to multiple industrial 2D / 3D cameras and light source devices.

6. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control interface unit is connected to the serial communication pin of the PLC control module through an interface conversion chip, generating two RS485 interfaces and two RS232 interfaces. The control interface unit is connected to the CAN pin of the PLC control module through a CAN transceiver chip, generating two CAN interfaces; The control interface unit is connected to the GPIO pins of the PLC control module through an optocoupler isolation chip and a high-speed timer, driving 16 high-speed input / output IO channels.

7. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power management module has its input terminal connected to an external DC 9-36V power interface, and its output terminal connected to the following via a multi-stage step-down circuit: First voltage converter: provides 5V / 12V voltage to the power supply pins of the vision processing module; Second voltage converter: provides 3.3V voltage to the power supply pins of the PLC control module; The third voltage converter provides operating voltage to the power supply pins of each chip in the communication interface module.

8. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power management module includes a multi-stage step-down circuit to convert the external DC 9-36V power supply into 3.3V, 5V, and 12V voltage levels; The multi-stage step-down circuit includes a DC-DC step-down chip and an LDO linear regulator, outputting three voltage levels: 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

9. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 1, characterized in that, An internal communication unit is provided between the vision processing module and the PLC control module. The internal communication unit includes: USB 2.0 direct connection channel: Directly connects the USB 2.0 pins of the vision processing module and the USB 2.0 pins of the PLC control module; Ethernet switch circuit: Connects the gigabit Ethernet port of the vision processing module and the 100 Mbps Ethernet port of the PLC control module via an RJ45 port, and integrates a clock synchronization circuit.

10. The vision controller with PLC function according to claim 9, characterized in that, The Ethernet switch of the internal communication unit supports system clock synchronization between the vision processing module and the PLC control module. The Ethernet switch circuit has a built-in isolation transformer. Its input side is connected to the gigabit port of the vision processing module, and its output side is connected to the 100 Mbps port of the PLC control module.

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