JPH0519214B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Industrial applications The present invention relates to rental video equipment.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY For example, a video tape recorder [hereinafter referred to as
(referred to as VTR). Conventionally, rental equipment was configured to have a limited period of use.
The VTR is constructed as shown in Figure 3. In other words,
The VTR main body 15 is connected to an AC power input terminal 11 via a switch circuit 14, and opening/closing of the switch circuit 14 is controlled by a timer circuit 12 supplied with power from the AC power input terminal 11. To briefly explain the operation of FIG. 3, first, by pressing the start switch circuit 13, the timer circuit 12 starts accumulating the energization time, turns on the switch circuit 14, and switches the VTR main body 15 to AC power.
Supply power and make it ready for use. When the accumulated time of the timer circuit 12 reaches the specified time, the timer circuit 12 turns off the switch circuit 14,
Power to the VTR main body 15 is turned off to make it unusable.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, with the conventional configuration in which the power-on time is integrated as described above, there are the following problems, especially in rental VTRs that users take home and use.

In other words, if the user wants to be unable to use the device after the rental period has elapsed, for example, if the rental period is one week, the specified time of the timer circuit 12 is set to 24 hours x 7 days = 168 hours and the device is rented out. However, for the lending side, if the rented user uses the VTR 15 for only one hour a day, he or she can use the VTR 15 for a total of 168 hours even after the 7-day rental period. It becomes an inconvenient situation. In other words, by disabling playback after the rental period has passed, the problem is that it does not meet the needs of facilitating customer management and preventing theft and loss of VCRs.

Therefore, instead of limiting the usable state by the cumulative value of the energization time, it may be possible to limit the usable state by the elapsed time from the rental time, but in this case, it is necessary to operate the timer circuit using a backup power supply. There is. Further, in this case, it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the timer circuit as much as possible, and to use an inexpensive and long-life backup power source.

In general, the lifespan of large-capacity capacitors and rechargeable secondary batteries, which are often used as backup power sources, is semi-permanent, but if they are sufficiently charged by being energized for a long time, they can be used as short-term backup power sources. It is a type of usage with a low utilization rate, such as rental VCRs that are left in stores, or the time when the power is not on is much longer than the time when the power is on, such as when the user borrows it and returns with the power turned on for a short time. Considering this, they have no merits compared to primary batteries, and have the disadvantage of being high in cost. Furthermore, even if primary batteries are used, long-life lithium batteries have the drawback of being expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide rental video equipment that can back up a timer circuit for a long time even if it uses a general inexpensive primary battery instead of an expensive primary battery that can be expected to have a long life. .

Means for Solving the Problems The rental video equipment of the present invention includes a timer means for counting clock signals and disabling the operation state of the video equipment body when the counted value exceeds a predetermined value; A backup power source which is a separate power source independent of the power source and which backs up the timer means, and a backup power switch circuit which turns off power from the backup power source when the timer means exceeds the specified value are provided. .

Effect According to this configuration, since the timer means is backed up by a backup power supply, the time elapsed from the lending start time is counted regardless of the power supply state of the video equipment itself, and when the timer means finishes counting the specified value, , the video equipment itself is rendered unusable, and the backup power switch circuit is switched to reduce consumption of the backup power supply.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment. 1 is a trigger circuit consisting of a push switch S ₁₁ and a resistor R ₁₁ , 2
3 is an oscillation circuit that generates clock pulses of a constant period; 3 counts the clock pulses; when the counted value reaches a specified value, the output changes from the "L" level to the "H"level; the output is reset by a "H" level reset signal; counting circuit, 4 is a transistor
Q ₄₁ , Q ₄₂ , diodes D ₄₁ , D ₄₂ , D ₄₃ and resistor
A backup power switch circuit consisting of R ₄₁ , R ₄₂ , and R ₄₃ , 5 a battery with voltage V _B as a backup power source, 6 consisting of a comparator 6 ₁ , a switch 6 ₂ , and resistors R ₆₁ and R ₆₂ , The output voltage of the backup power switch circuit 4 is connected to the resistor _R61 .
A discrimination circuit 7 turns on the switch ₆₂ when the comparison voltage _Vr set by R62 is exceeded, and 7 supplies the voltage Vcc to the discrimination circuit 6, and is controlled to enable or disable regeneration by the output voltage of the switch ₆₂ . The main body of the VCR is the main body of the video equipment.

Here, the oscillation circuit 2, the counting circuit 3, and the discrimination circuit 6 constitute a timer means 8 as claimed in the claims.

First, when the push switch _S11 is pressed, a base current flows through the transistor _Q42 , turning it "on", and a reset voltage is applied to the counting circuit 3, causing the output to go to the "L" level. Then, the transistor _Q41 turns on and the base current of the transistor _Q42 flows, so that even if the switch _S11 turns off, the transistor _Q42 remains on. That is, voltage is supplied from the battery 5 to each part through the backup power switch circuit 4 which is kept in the on state, and the counting circuit 3 starts counting pulses when the push switch _S11 is turned off and the reset is released. On the other hand, when the VTR main body 7 is in an energized state, the power supply voltage Vcc is applied to the discrimination circuit ₆ , and the battery voltage _VB , which is higher than the comparison voltage Vr of the comparator ₆₁ , is applied as the compared input.
becomes “on” and the output voltage Vo=Vcc.
If this output voltage Vo is used as a power supply voltage input to the video circuit system of the VTR main body 7, for example, it is possible to easily control whether reproduction is possible or not, and in the above case, the reproduction is possible.

Next, the counting circuit 3 counts the clock pulses, and when the counted value exceeds the specified value, the output becomes "L".
level to "H" level, and the transistor
_Q41 is turned off, so transistor _Q42 is also turned off, that is, the backup power switch circuit 4 is turned off, and the voltage supply from the battery 5 to each part is stopped. On the other hand, in the discrimination circuit 6, the switch ₆₂ is turned off and the output voltage Vo becomes 0 volts, so that reproduction is not possible. When the backup power switch circuit 4 is in the OFF state, the push switch _S11 is turned off again.
The operation continues until is pressed, and no power is consumed from the battery 5. The push switch S ₁₁ is installed in a position where it can only be operated at the store when being rented.

As described above, according to this embodiment, after the specified count value, the backup power switch circuit is turned off and the voltage supply to all circuits is stopped, so unnecessary battery consumption can be prevented, and the operation can be performed using the push switch S. It's very easy to use, just press ₁₁ . Furthermore,
The input to be compared to the discrimination circuit 6 after the timer starts is the output voltage of the backup power switch circuit 4, that is, the voltage 5 itself, so the comparison input voltage is
The battery voltage can also be checked by setting Vr to the voltage at which the battery needs to be replaced.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment, and parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals and their explanation will be omitted.

The difference from FIG. 1 is that the comparison input Vr is applied to the non-inverting input terminal of the comparator ₆₂ of the discrimination circuit 6, the output voltage of the counting circuit 3 is applied to the inverting input terminal of the compared input, and The point is that the power supply voltage is always supplied directly from the battery 5.

In the case of this figure 2, first turn on the push switch.
When _S11 is pressed, the counting circuit 3 is reset and the output goes to the "L" level, the backup power switch circuit 4 is kept on, and the oscillation circuit 2 is energized and starts operating. Further, the compared input of the discrimination circuit 6 is "L" of the counting circuit 3 which is lower than the comparison voltage Vr.
level, the comparator ₆₁ is on, the switch ₆₂ is also on, the output voltage Vo=Vcc, and the VTR main body 7 is in a playable state. Next, when the count value of the counting circuit 3 exceeds a specified value, the output changes from "L" to "H", the backup power supply switch circuit 4 is turned off, and the oscillation circuit 2 stops operating. Therefore, the output of the counting circuit 3 is "H"
The comparator 6 ₁ of the discrimination circuit 6 is turned off, the switch 6 ₂ is also turned off, the output voltage Vo becomes 0, and the VTR main body 7 becomes unable to play. When the backup power switch circuit 4 is in the OFF state, the switch _S11 is pressed again and the output of the counting circuit 3 becomes "H".
During this period, the counting circuit 3 is in a stationary state with no clock pulse input, and its power consumption can be minimized to the point where it can be ignored, so that the battery 5 is hardly consumed. do not have.

As described above, even in this second embodiment, the consumption of the battery 5 is small and the operation is simple. Moreover, unlike the first embodiment, when the output of the counting circuit 3 is "L" as the compared input of the discrimination circuit 6, the VTR main body 7
Since the battery is in a usable state, in the event of an accident such as the voltage of the battery 5 dropping for some reason or the battery 5 being disconnected,
It has a fail-safe effect on the usable side, making it unlikely to cause user complaints.

In FIG. 2, voltage is constantly applied to the counting circuit 3 from the battery 5, and power is applied to the oscillation circuit 2 from the battery 5 via the backup power switch circuit 4; It is also possible to reduce power consumption by constantly applying a voltage and turning the voltage to the counting circuit 3 on and off using the backup power switch circuit 4.

In the first and second embodiments, _S11 is a push switch, but it may be replaced with a reed switch operated by a magnet or the like.
Furthermore, it is easy to add a display circuit to the determination circuit 6 to indicate whether or not the VTR main body 7 is ready for use.Furthermore, the backup power switch circuit 4 includes a transistor Q ₄₄ , resistors R ₄₂ , R ₄₃ , and a diode.
It is also possible to operate with a configuration in which D ₄₂ and D ₄₃ are deleted and the diode D ₄₁ is directly connected to the output of the counting circuit 3. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the video equipment main body is not limited to the above-mentioned VTR main body, but can be applied to all portable video equipment.

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the rental video equipment of the present invention is configured such that when the timer means reaches a specified value or more, the power supply from the backup power source backing up the timer means is turned off thereafter. When the usable period of the rental video equipment is determined by the time elapsed from the start of rental using the timer means, the power consumption of the backup battery can be reduced, and it is equivalent to using a low-cost primary battery as the backup power source. It can be used as a battery with a long power supply life, and stable operation of the timer means can be expected over a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of rental video equipment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional example. 1...Trigger circuit, 2...Oscillation circuit, 3...Counting circuit, 4...Backup power switch circuit,
5... Electrical ground (backup power source), 6... Discrimination circuit, 7... VTR body (video equipment body), 8... Timer means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A timer means for counting clock signals and disabling the operating state of the video equipment body when the counted value exceeds a specified value, and a separate power supply independent from the power supply for the video equipment body; The rental video equipment is provided with a backup power source for backing up the timer means, and a backup power switch circuit for turning off power from the backup power source when the timer means exceeds the specified value. 2. The timer means includes an oscillator circuit that generates clock pulses of a constant period, a counting circuit that counts the number of clock pulses and inverts the output when the number exceeds a set specified value, and a voltage of the output of the counting circuit or the output of the backup power switch circuit. It consists of a discrimination circuit that discriminates the level and determines the operating state of the video equipment itself, and a backup power switch circuit.
It is characterized in that the voltage supply from the backup power supply to at least one of the oscillation circuit and the counting circuit is turned on when an output of a trigger circuit for starting the operation of the oscillation circuit and the counting circuit is detected, and is turned off by the output of the counting circuit. A rental video device according to claim 1. 3 The backup power switch circuit is configured to turn on/off the voltage supply to both the oscillation circuit and the counting circuit, and the discrimination circuit, which operates by being supplied with voltage from the power supply of the video equipment, is configured to 3. The rental video equipment according to claim 2, wherein the video equipment itself is rendered unusable when the output is below a set voltage. 4. The counting circuit is always supplied with voltage from the backup power source, the backup power switch circuit is configured to turn on/off the voltage supply to the oscillation circuit, and the judgment circuit is configured to operate by being supplied with voltage from the power source of the video equipment itself. 3. The rental video equipment according to claim 2, wherein the video equipment itself is rendered unusable when the output voltage of the counting circuit is equal to or higher than a set voltage.