JP2006134277A - Segment reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor numerical data of a digital panel meter and the like, in the field of instrumentation in a simple method by means of a cellular phone and the like, without modifying a system and degrading operability of the system. <P>SOLUTION: In a system, a small transparent substrate comprising photosensors, a CPU, a radio transmitter and a battery is attached on a 7-segment numerical display of a digital panel meter, a luminescence state of a display segment is read by a photosensor directly above the display segment, a numeral is analyzed by the CPU, the data are sent wirelessly to a monitoring server connected to a network, and the numerical data read are sent by email to a cellular phone via the network. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a technique for electrically reading a 7-segment numeric display used in the instrumentation field and the game field in a non-contact manner.

Background technology

  Conventionally, in an electric device, an instrumentation display panel, and a game machine, a numerical display composed of seven elements of a light emitting diode and a liquid crystal has been used to display numerical data. This number display can express numbers from 0 to 9 by the blinking state of seven elements. This is called a 7-segment numeric display.

This 7-segment numeric display is read by humans, and it has been considered that there is little need to read the displayed numbers with a machine from the outside. This is because most of the display is software of the display circuit or CPU, and it is technically easy to connect the displayed data to the computer system.

However, when not connected to a computer, it may be difficult to modify the circuit of the device or the display board software in an already completed system. In the first place, there are cases where the software of the device is not disclosed, the case where the device manufacturer refuses to provide internal data, or the design material and the person in charge at the time of production are unknown. In addition, when legally prohibiting external connections with equipment, if you do not want to have any impact on the system you are currently operating, or modify the current system at all due to cost issues Sometimes you do n’t want to. In the past, patents on number reading have been filed. These methods are all methods that require modification or modification of the system.
Jisso Sho 60-082356 JP 60-243777 A JP 60-082357

There is an urgent need in the field for a way to monitor numbers in a simple way without modifying the current system, either electrically or software. For example, if you want to monitor the numerical value of the temperature change of a digital panel meter on the instrument panel, but need to leave your seat if necessary, you can check the numerical data with a mobile phone, In order to see the display, it is necessary to stop the machine once, and if it cannot be confirmed during business, or the setting value of the device is changed by an illegal method. This is the case when it is desired to monitor.

In such a case, conventionally, a conceivable method is to shoot the instrument panel with a television camera, video-capture the image with a computer, convert it to digital video, and cut out numbers from the captured image by an image processing program, There was no other way than pattern recognition to read numbers. This method is not practical because it requires a television camera, expensive computer system and software.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems. Since this reader is transparent, even if it is attached in front of the display, the display function of the original panel or device can be read without losing the numeric data, the power is supplied by the battery, and the data is Since it is transmitted wirelessly, no wiring is required and it can be easily attached to the display panel.

In addition, data transmitted wirelessly is received by a receiver connected to the monitoring server, and mail can be sent to an arbitrary address through a network connected to the monitoring server. Of course, it is also possible to e-mail a mobile phone. In addition, the reader of the present invention can be easily attached with a double-sided tape or a magnet when it is necessary to monitor numbers, and can be easily removed when the role is completed.

The present invention as claimed in claim 1 is for a device having one or more segment type indicators, with a small photosensor or fiber optic or light guide positioned directly above each segment of the indicator. The segment status of the display unit is individually detected by the photo sensor, and the photo sensor, fiber optics, or light guide fixing part is transparent in the segment reader that recognizes the displayed number from the combination of the detected states. The segment reader is composed of a substrate and does not impair the display function of the original display.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the reader according to the first aspect is a segment reader having a photosensor portion, a recognition portion, a wireless transmission portion, and a battery portion on the same substrate or in a housing.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the segment reader according to the first aspect, wherein the reader can be easily attached and detached with a magnet, a double-sided tape, or other means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the number reader according to the first aspect, a segment reader having means for reading display data and transmitting the display data to a monitoring server on a network by wireless communication.

Further, the present invention described in claim 5 communicates with the reader described in claim 1, always collects the read data, and displays the past and present data, the time when the data was changed, etc. as necessary. A monitoring server characterized by having means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the monitoring server according to the fifth aspect, the data is sampled by a preset method, and the read data is automatically transmitted to a specific mail address designated in advance. It is a monitoring server characterized by having.

The present invention is composed of a single small board or casing, has no connectors or terminals to be connected to the outside, does not require a power source, and has a wireless transmitter, so it can be easily attached to and detached from the apparatus. In addition, since it is transparent when installed, the display and operation functions of the original apparatus are not affected.

In addition, since it is not electrically or software-connected to the conventional system, it can withstand the occurrence of bugs due to refurbishment and attacks from the network. Since the read data is linked to a server connected to the network wirelessly, the data can be easily monitored from a client on the network. In addition, since the data read from the network can be mailed to any other party, the data can always be monitored by the mobile phone even when not at the site.

Hereinafter, a 7-segment number reader according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a segment configuration diagram of a 7-segment display that is the subject of this time. Components a, b, c, d, e. f are arranged as shown in FIG. When 1 is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, the segments b and c are turned on and the other segments are turned off. Similarly, when 3 is to be displayed, a, b, c, d, and g are turned on and the other lights are turned off. As described above, since the 7-segment display can express numbers with a simple configuration, it has been used in digital panel meters and game machines used in measuring instruments and instrumentation.

If a phototransistor is arranged on this segment, the lighting state of each segment can be detected. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the arrangement of the 7-segment display and the phototransistor 3. The phototransistor 3 is arranged just above the segment. In order to fix the phototransistor 3, the phototransistor 3 is bonded under the acrylic plate 2 as shown in FIG. Since the 1 mm square ultra-small phototransistor 3 is bonded to the transparent acrylic plate 2, the visibility of the original 7-segment LED 4 display is not deteriorated by the reader.

There are seven phototransistors 3, and the number displayed is recognized by this combination. The phototransistor 3 is turned on when the LED 4 directly below is turned on and turned off when the LED 4 is turned off. When the display is 0, the phototransistors a, b, c, d, e, and f are on and g is off. In the case of 1, the phototransistors b and c are on and a, d, e, f and g are off. Thus, the numbers 0 to 9 can be clearly recognized by the on / off state of the phototransistor.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a general 4-digit 7-segment reader. The base is composed of an acrylic plate 2, four reading portions using seven phototransistors 3, a CPU, a communication unit, and a battery 6. Each segment is wired with a fine line from the segment to the CPU. This unit is attached to a 7-segment display board such as a digital panel meter with a magnet if the housing is made of metal, or a double-sided tape if it is plastic.

This unit is composed of a power source, a communication unit, and a CPU. No external wiring is required, and it can be easily attached to a necessary display unit. FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram of the 7-segment reading unit. The battery 18, the wireless communication unit 8, the CPU 9, and the phototransistor 3 are included. In this example, for simplification, the number of 7-segment displays is one, but it is actually composed of a plurality.

In the phototransistor arranged on the segment, when the segment is lit, a current flows and a voltage is generated in the resistor 10. The port to which the phototransistor is connected has been maintained at the power supply voltage until then, and the segment emits light, so that the potential drops to near ground.

The same applies to the other phototransistors, and the CPU reads this port potential and determines the number displayed on the display. In general, the 7-segment display is not always lit but flashing. This is because dynamic lighting is performed to omit wiring. There is an afterimage in the human eye and it looks continuous even if it is lit finely. Therefore, the CPU needs to see not only the port voltage but also the continuous on / off state.

The numbers 0 to 9 recognized as a result of sensing in this way are sent to the wireless communication unit 8. In this case, in order to save the port, it is converted into a serial signal and sent. In this case, the wireless communication unit 8 is legally in the category of weak wireless and can transmit only a prescribed power, but a transmission distance of about 10 m is possible. The transmission frequency band is 315 MHz band. As a modulation method, Manchester encoding is performed by AM modulation, and parity is added for transmission.

The wireless communication unit 8 is also equipped with a receiver, and receives radio waves about once every 10 seconds. Other than that, it consumes almost no power in the sleep state. Usually, when there is no request for measurement from the transmitter, the carrier has not come out, so even if the receiver wakes up once every 10 seconds, it immediately enters the sleep state. The current consumed during the wakeup is about 5 mA and the time is about 5 ms. Therefore, the battery is not consumed and can be used for several months.

If there is a carrier at the time of wakeup, the entire unit is activated, at which time the light emission state of the segment is measured, and data is transmitted to the server wireless transceiver connected to the server by the transmitter. FIG. 7 is an overall system configuration diagram. There are a plurality of reader bodies attached to each panel, and a server wireless transceiver and a monitoring server composed of a PC are connected by a USB interface.

The monitoring server is connected to the Internet via a broadband line. A monitoring client and a mail receiving mobile phone are connected to the Internet network. The monitoring server scans the reader by a defined method. The predetermined method includes a case where the display device is read at regular intervals, and reading by a reading command via a network. First, a wakeup signal is transmitted for 10 seconds. In this case, it is 10 seconds, but it can be 1 second or 1 minute.

In this case, since the reading unit receives once every 10 seconds, all readers are activated when a wake-up signal is output for 10 seconds. The reading unit has a unique ID, and the monitoring server first transmits a command to the reading unit having the first ID registered in advance. This command is an instruction to transmit data. When the ID of the reading unit is designated, the reading unit transmits an acknowledge and transmits the read data. The monitoring server repeats this operation for a plurality of reading units. This is the same even if there are 1000 reading units. The data read in this way is sent to a specific client or mobile phone via the Internet using a mechanism for mail in the monitoring server.

In the past, measurement of temperature, power, pressure, etc. at factories has been done with analog meters. In recent years, digital panel meters have appeared, and on-site analog signals have been converted into electrical signals by sensors, converted to AD by digital panel meters, and can be monitored digitally. As a result, the reading accuracy of the meter has been improved, and there is no longer a difference in numerical values among people.

In addition, numerical values have been digitized, enabling comprehensive control with computers. Along with that, the system has become more sophisticated, and bugs can be introduced if a small amount of work is done on the system, and it has become necessary to conduct extensive system tests. However, some numerical values are problematic, and there are cases where the numerical values are constantly monitored, or veteran operators want to monitor the numerical values without being left to new operators. At that time, if the present invention is used, a veteran operator can check the numerical value by using a mobile phone without modifying the system.

7-segment LED configuration diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention The layout seen from the side of the reader concerning an embodiment of the invention 7-segment display and phototransistor layout 7 segment indicator lighting diagram External view of multi-digit 7-segment reader Configuration diagram of a reader according to an embodiment of the present invention 1 is a system configuration diagram of a reader according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 7-segment display component 2 Transparent plate 3 Phototransistor 4 Display component 5 Display body 6 CPU / communication unit / battery 7 Multi-digit 7-segment reader 8 Wireless unit 9 CPU
10 Resistance 12 Reading unit (reader body)
13 Server Wireless Transceiver 14 Monitoring Server 15 Internet Network 16 Mobile Phone 17 Internet Client

Claims (6)

For devices with one or more segment type displays, a small photosensor or fiber or light guide is placed directly above each of the display segments to show the status of the display segments. In a segment reader that detects each sensor individually and recognizes the displayed number from the combination of detection states, the photo sensor, fiber optics, or light guide fixing part is made of a transparent substrate, and the original display A segment reader that does not impair the display function. 2. The segment reader according to claim 1, wherein the photosensor portion, the recognition portion, the wireless transmission portion, and the battery portion are provided on the same substrate or in a housing. 2. The segment reader according to claim 1, wherein the segment reader can be easily attached and detached with a magnet, a double-sided tape, or other means. 2. The number reader according to claim 1, wherein said segment reader has means for reading display data and transmitting it by radio communication to a monitoring server on a network. A monitoring server comprising means for communicating with the reader according to claim 1 and always collecting the read data, and displaying and recording the past, present data, the time when the data was changed, etc., if necessary. . 6. The monitoring server according to claim 5, further comprising means for sampling data by a method set in advance and automatically transmitting read data to a specific mail address designated in advance.

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