Microprocessor motor controller having discrete processing cycles

A motor controller system for controlling the respective motors of a plurality of cooperative apparatus associated with a mailpiece processing system, said mailpiece processing system for performing a plurality of functions upon a mailpiece traversing said mailpiece processing system, comprising:

• a motor driver board having a plurality of input channels and a plurality of respective output channels;
• said motors being in line communication with a respective one of said output channels of said motor driver board;
• a programmable microprocessor in bus communication with said driver board's input channels;
• a plurality of sensors respectively mounted to each of said apparatus and in bus communication with said programmable microprocessor, said sensors being located on said apparatus to provide such information to said microprocessor as mailpiece size, position and velocity information and to provide apparatus operation information;
• said microprocessor being programmed such that a control cycle is performed at a desired frequency, each control cycle being divided into discrete time intervals during which respective time interval said microprocessor transmits motor control command information to said driver board for respective motors and during other of said time intervals said microprocessor reads information from said sensors;
• and,
• and microprocessor being further programmed to include schedule program means for scheduling the actuation of said motors relative to the respective motor control cycle for synchronous and cooperative operation of said motors during another one of said time intervals,
• said microprocessor being further programmed to perform additional processing during at least one of said time intervals.

A high-speed mail processing system comprising:

• (a) apparatus for processing mail pieces in a seriatim manner, said apparatus including at least a plurality of active means selected from among the following means:
• feeder means, singulator means, sealer means, scale means, printing means, postage accounting means, and transport means;
• (b) each of said active processing apparatus means having motor means for actuating same and sensing means for detecting mailpiece events as mailpieces are processed by said means and generating sense signals;
• (c) a controller for controlling operation of said processing apparatus, said controller having programmable microprocessor means and being connected by way of communication lines to each of said processing apparatus means active in said apparatus, said controller being programmed to execute repeatedly a control cycle of operations in which, during each cycle, the controller communicates with each of the active processing apparatus means to determine its status by receiving its sense signals and to issue commands to the motor means of the active processing apparatus means in response to said received sense signals in accordance with a program controlling the microprocessor means;
• (d) said controller being further programmed to schedule certain functions during earlier time intervals of the control cycle and to schedule other functions during later time intervals of the same control cycle.

A motor controller system for controlling the respective motors of a plurality of cooperative apparatus associated with an article processing system, said article processing system for performing a plurality of functions upon an article traversing said article processing system, said apparatus having a plurality of sensors respectively mounted to each of said apparatus and being located on said apparatus to provide information concerning articles and to provide apparatus operation information, comprising:

• (a) motor driver means having input and output channels, said motors being in communication with an output channel of said motor driver means;
• (b) programmable microprocessor means in communication with said motor driver means's input channels and with said sensors;
• and
• (c) said microprocessor means being programmed:
• (i) to perform a control cycle at a desired frequency, each control cycle being divided into discrete time intervals,
• (ii) during corresponding time intervals of each cycle, to transmit motor control command information to said driver means for respective motors,
• (iii) during corresponding others of said time intervals, to read information from said sensors,
• (iv) to schedule the actuation of said motors during a subsequent control cycle in response to sensor information read during a previous control cycle.