JP4631547B2 - Information processing equipment for divers - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for divers, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus for divers configured to be able to update a control program or control data.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information processing apparatus for divers called a so-called dive computer that performs management during diving is known.
In a dive computer, information required for ensuring the safety of a diver by an algorithm (= safety ensuring information), for example, the time until the inert gas accumulated excessively in the body is discharged by a predetermined control program And a safe ascent rate is obtained and displayed on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 10-338193 A

The control program used in such a dive computer is preferably updated (upgraded) in order to improve functionality from various viewpoints.
By the way, the dive computer generally uses a coin-type lithium primary battery as a power source. However, since a large amount of power is required to update the control program, the coin-type lithium primary battery lacks power (voltage drop). There is a possibility that the update cannot be performed.
For this reason, conventionally, when updating the control program, the dive computer main body is disassembled, the circuit board is taken out, power is separately supplied via the rewriting power supply terminal on the circuit board, and rewriting on the circuit board is possible. Writing to the EEPROM was performed.

However, the process of disassembling and reassembling the dive computer requires a dustproof facility and an inspection facility for inspecting the waterproof performance in order to secure the waterproof performance, and reassembly in a manufacturing factory or the like becomes indispensable. There was a problem.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a divers who can easily update a control program while maintaining waterproof performance without requiring a disassembly and reassembly process even when updating a control program of a dive computer. An information processing apparatus is provided.

In order to solve the above-described problem, in a divers information processing apparatus having a circuit board, a battery storage section for storing a battery having a battery lid and supplying power to the circuit board while ensuring a waterproof state, and the battery And a signal connection terminal exposed in the battery housing part so as to be accessible from the outside with the lid and the battery removed.
According to the above configuration, since the signal connection terminal is exposed in the battery housing part so as to be accessible from the outside with the battery cover and the battery removed, the signal input / output and thus the software can be easily updated.
In this case, the signal connection terminal may be provided at a position facing the battery in a state where the battery is stored.
Moreover, the said battery accommodating part may be comprised by the band case and the said battery cover, and the said band case and the said battery cover may be made to be screwed together and fixed via the waterproof member.

  According to the present invention, the control program can be easily updated while maintaining waterproof performance without requiring disassembly and reassembly processes.

Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external front view of a dive computer according to an embodiment.
The dive computer 1 calculates and displays the diver's depth and diving time during diving and measures the amount of inert gas (mainly nitrogen gas) accumulated in the body during diving. It is configured to display safety information such as the time until the nitrogen accumulated in the body is discharged in the state of rising from the water.
In the dive computer 1, arm bands 6A and 6B are connected to a disk-shaped device body 5 in the vertical direction of the drawing, and the arm bands 6A and 6B are used by being attached to a user's arm in the same manner as a wristwatch. It is like that.

The apparatus main body 5 has an upper case 5 and a lower case fixed in a completely watertight state by a method such as screwing, and incorporates various electronic components (not shown). A display section 10 having a liquid crystal display panel 11 is provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 5 in the drawing.
Further, an operation unit 15 for selecting / switching various operation modes in the dive computer 1 is formed on the lower side of the apparatus main body 5, and the operation unit 15 includes two push button type switches A and B. ing. A diving operation switch 30 using a continuity sensor used to determine whether or not diving has been started is configured on the left side of the apparatus body 5 in the drawing. The diving operation monitoring switch 30 has electrodes 30A and 30B provided on the front side of the apparatus main body 5 in the drawing, and the resistance between the electrodes 30A and 30B is established between the electrodes 30A and 30B by seawater or the like. It is determined that the water has entered when the value becomes smaller. However, the diving operation switch 30 is only used for detecting that water has entered and for shifting the operation mode of the dive computer 1 to the diving mode, and for detecting that the diving has actually started. It is not used for. That is, there are cases where the arm of the user wearing the dive computer 1 is just immersed in seawater, and it is not preferable to determine that diving has started in such a state.

For this reason, in the dive computer 1, the water pressure (water depth) is equal to or higher than a certain value by the pressure sensor built in the apparatus main body 5, more specifically, the water pressure is equal to or higher than 1.5 [m] as the water depth. In this case, it is considered that the dive has started, and when the water pressure is less than 1.5 [m] at the water depth, it is considered that the dive has been completed.
Next, the configuration of the display unit will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
A display surface 11A of the liquid crystal display panel 11 constituting the display unit 10 is configured by eight display areas. In the present embodiment, an example in which the display surface 11A is circular has been described, but the display surface 11A is not limited to a circular shape, and may be another shape such as an elliptical shape, a track shape, or a polygonal shape.
Of the display surface 11A, the first display area 111 located on the upper left side of the drawing is the largest among the display areas, and includes various types such as a diving mode, a surface mode (time display mode), a planning mode, and a log mode. In the operation mode, the current water depth, current month date, water depth rank, and diving date (log number) are displayed.

The second display area 112 is located on the right side of the first display area 111 in the drawing. In the diving mode, the surface mode (time display mode), the planning mode, and the log mode, the diving time, the current date, and the no-decompression diving, respectively. The possible time and dive start time (dive time) are displayed.
Further, the second display area 113 also functions as an area for displaying version information instead of the current month and day during the initialization process.

The third display area 113 is located on the lower side of the first display area 111 in the drawing. In the diving mode, the surface mode (time display mode), the planning mode, and the log mode, the maximum water depth, the body nitrogen discharge time, The safety level and maximum water depth (average water depth) are displayed.
The fourth display area 114 is located on the right side of the third display area 113 in the drawing. In the diving mode, the surface mode (time display mode), the planning mode, and the log mode, the no-decompression dive time, the current time, and the water surface, respectively. The pause time, temperature, and dive end time (maximum depth water temperature) are displayed.
The fifth display area 115 is located on the lower side of the third display area 113 in the drawing, and the power supply capacity out warning display section 104 for displaying power out of capacity and the altitude rank for displaying the altitude rank to which the user's current altitude belongs. A display unit 103 is provided.

The sixth display area 116 is located on the lower left side of the drawing in the display area 11A, and the amount of nitrogen in the body is displayed in a graph.
The seventh display area 117 is located on the right side of the sixth display area 116 in the drawing. When the diving mode is in a reduced pressure diving state, nitrogen gas (inert gas) tends to be absorbed or discharged. An area indicating whether there is an up / down arrow in the figure, an area displaying “SLOW” for instructing deceleration as one of the ascent warnings when the ascent speed is too high, and diving And an area for displaying “DECO” for warning that decompression diving must be performed.
The eighth display region 118 is located on the right side of the second display region 112 and the fourth display region 114 in the drawing, and the ascent rate is displayed in a graph with nine segments. For example, the ascent rate is ascending in the current water depth region. When the upper limit speed is exceeded, all nine segments are displayed in a blinking manner to notify the diver that the upper limit speed of levitation in the current water depth has been exceeded.

Next, the internal structure of the dive computer will be described.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dive computer.
The dive computer 1 includes an inner case unit 51, a cover case 52, and a band case unit 53.
The inner case unit 51 has an inner case 55 formed of a transparent acrylic material. Inside the inner case 55 are a parting plate 56 for supplementing information such as a bar graph of the liquid crystal display panel 11, a liquid crystal display panel 11 for displaying information in each mode of the dive computer 1, and visibility in a dark place. An EL panel 57 functioning as a backlight for securing is provided.

Here, control signals for the liquid crystal display panel 11 and the EL panel 57 are input from the circuit board 59 via the plurality of conductive rubbers 58. The conductive rubber 58 is guided by the conductive rubber holder 60 and connected to the circuit board 59.
The parting plate 56, the liquid crystal display panel 11, the EL panel 57, the conductive rubber 58, and the conductive rubber holder 60 are fixed to the circuit board 59 and the inner case 55 with screws.
The band case unit 53 includes a band case 61 and a band case pressing plate 62, and pressure (water pressure and atmospheric pressure) can be detected on the bottom 61A side of the band case 61 through a pressure introduction hole 63 and a waterproof packing 64. A pressure sensor 65 is disposed and fixed to the head.
The pressure sensor 65 is connected to the circuit board 59 via a plurality of sensor conduction coil springs 66. The pressure sensor 65 is guided by a band case pressing plate 62 and is fixed to the band case 61 by screws.

A screw thread 67A and a thread groove 61A are formed on the side surface of the battery cover 67 and the band case 61, respectively, and the thread 67A of the battery cover 67 and the band case 61 are sandwiched between the waterproof packing 68 from below in FIG. By screwing the screw groove 61A, the battery housing space 70 can be made waterproof.
In the battery storage space 70 inside the band case 61, the negative electrode side of the battery 71 is electrically connected to the circuit board 59 via a negative conducting coil spring 72. On the other hand, the positive electrode side of the battery 71 is electrically connected to the circuit board 59 via a plus terminal 73 and a plus conduction coil spring 74.
Further, in the dive computer 1, the inner case unit 51 and the band case unit 53 are fixed by screws through the waterproof packing 81.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the state when the battery cover is removed.
As described above, the battery 71 of the dive computer 1 can be easily replaced without removing the battery lid 67 without deteriorating the waterproof performance of the dive computer main body.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the signal input / output terminal portion.
Here, in the battery housing space 70, a hole 75 that is circular and smaller than the diameter of the battery is provided, and the corresponding hole 76 is also provided in the corresponding band case pressing plate 62. Above these holes 75 and 76, as shown in FIG. 4, a signal input / output terminal portion 80 formed on a circuit board 69 is disposed.
In FIG. 4, the signal terminals are arranged on the circumference, but it is desirable to arrange them asymmetrically in order to prevent erroneous connection.
In this case, for the insulation between each signal terminal constituting the signal input / output terminal portion 80 and the battery 71, as shown in FIG. 3, air serves as an insulating material by providing the battery housing space 70. . It is also possible to place an insulating plate between the circuit board 69 and the electrode of the battery 71 instead of air. Alternatively, the same effect can be obtained by providing a hole in the insulating plate so as to contact only the signal input / output terminal portion 80 of the circuit board 69.

FIG. 5 is a connection explanatory diagram of the writing device at the time of software update.
As shown in FIG. 5, a connector 87 having a probe 86 provided at the tip is connected to the writing device 85 via a signal line 88.
As shown in FIG. 5, the connector 87 is inserted in the direction of arrow A, and the probe 86 is connected to the circuit board 59.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an electrical connection state between the writing device and the CPU on the circuit board.
In the dive computer 1, as shown in FIG. 6, a one-chip CPU 90 with built-in Flash ROM is arranged on a circuit board 59.
The one-chip CPU 90 indicates a transmission data terminal T1 for outputting the received data RXD to confirm the written data, a reception data terminal T2 for receiving the writing transmission data TXD, and a signal writing state from the outside. Write control terminal T4 for inputting a PRG signal, reset terminal T5 for receiving a reset signal for inhibiting other circuit operations, a clock terminal T3 for receiving a data transfer synchronization signal CLK, and a pair of power supply terminals T6 and T7 are provided.

On the other hand, the probe 86 has a write control terminal for inputting to output a PROG signal indicating a signal write state, a reset terminal for inputting a reset signal for inhibiting other circuit operations, A reception data terminal for receiving transmission data TXD, a reception data terminal for inputting reception data RXD for confirming written data, a clock terminal for inputting data transfer synchronization signal CLK, and a pair of power supply terminals are provided. It has been.
In FIG. 6, arrows indicate the signal direction of signals or data.
In this case, it is desirable to employ a structure that uses the screw groove of the band case and is secured with a hook to ensure the contact pressure so that the signal terminal of the probe can be reliably connected to the signal terminal on the circuit board. .
Each signal of the probe has a signal level and a communication protocol set in the writing device based on a serial communication standard such as RS-232C of a personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a process flowchart of the writing process.
First, the writing device establishes communication while receiving the data transfer synchronization signal CLK (step S1).

FIG. 8 is a timing chart for transmitting commands and data between the writing device and the circuit board.
When communication is established, the writing device transmits an erase command to erase all data in the EEPROM (step S2).
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the writing device uses command write address data A0 to A0 so that the write transmission data TXD can be read at the falling timing of the data transfer synchronization signal CLK. A15 (16 bits) and write data D0 to D7 (8 bits) corresponding to the erase command are transmitted.
As a result, the dive computer erases all data in the EEPROM.

Subsequently, the writing device writes the write address as the transmission transmission data TXD for the period T1 so that various data corresponding to the updated control program can be read at the falling timing of the data transfer synchronization signal CLK. Data A0 to A15 (16 bits) are transmitted, and in a period T2 following the period T1, write data D0 to D7 (8 bits) corresponding to the write data are transmitted.
When the writing of all data is completed, the writing device transmits a verify command, reads the verification data from the EEPROM, and confirms the writing of the data in the EEPROM (step S4).

FIG. 9 is a timing chart in the case where the writing device receives verification data from the circuit board.
As a result, the dive computer transmits 1-byte verification data D0 to D7 in period T3 so that the writing data can be read on the writing device side at the falling timing of the data transfer synchronization signal CLK. In the period T4 following the period T3, the subsequent 1-byte verification data D0 to D7 are transmitted.
Along with this, the writing device compares the write data with the verification data, performs writing confirmation, and terminates the processing when writing can be performed reliably.
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the signal input / output terminal unit 80 can be exposed easily by simply removing the battery lid 67 and the battery 71, and is the same as replacing the battery. It is possible to easily update the software with simple procedures.

Therefore, since it is not necessary to use a dustproof facility and an inspection facility for inspecting the high waterproofness required for the dive computer when updating software, the facility can be greatly simplified. In addition, software can be written in the last process of the manufacturing process, so even if it is necessary to modify or verify the software, it can be performed in parallel with the manufacturing process, and the manufacturing schedule can be shortened. I can plan. Furthermore, even if the product is manufactured once and it is in stock, the software can be updated to have the latest functions, and changes to destination specifications can be easily made, contributing to the reduction of inventory costs. It becomes possible.
In the above description, when the probe 86 is connected, the minus conduction coil spring 72, the plus terminal 73, and the plus conduction coil spring 74 that are electrically connected to the battery 71 are not used. It is possible to connect the 86 power terminals.

In the above description, the case where the dive computer is an arm-mounted type has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and modifications such as a diving suit embedded type, a trunk-mounted type, or an underwater mask built-in type are conceivable.
In the above description, data transfer is performed electrically via a signal terminal. However, it is also possible to use an LED and a photodiode to optically transfer data.

It is an external appearance front view of the dive computer of an embodiment. It is sectional drawing of a dive computer. It is state explanatory drawing at the time of removing a battery cover. It is a front view of a signal input / output terminal part. It is connection explanatory drawing of the writing apparatus at the time of software update. It is explanatory drawing of the electrical connection state between a writing apparatus and CPU on a circuit board. It is a processing flowchart of a writing process. 6 is a timing chart when transmitting commands and transmitting data between the writing device and the circuit board. 6 is a timing chart when the writing device receives verification data from the circuit board.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Dive computer (divers information processing apparatus), 15 ... Operation part, 10 ... Display part, 11 ... Liquid crystal display panel, 12 ... Liquid crystal driver, 27 ... Data receiving part, 28 ... Data transmission part, 30 ... Diving operation monitoring Switch 59 ... Circuit board 67 ... Battery cover 70 ... Battery housing 71 71 Battery 80 ... Signal connection terminal

Claims (3)

In an information processing apparatus for divers having a circuit board,
A battery storage unit that has a battery lid and stores a battery that supplies power to the circuit board while ensuring a waterproof state;
With the battery cover and the battery removed, a signal connection terminal exposed in the battery housing part so as to be accessible from the outside,
An information processing apparatus for divers, comprising: The information processing apparatus for divers according to claim 1,
The divers information processing apparatus, wherein the signal connection terminal is provided at a position facing the battery in a state in which the battery is accommodated. In the information processing apparatus for divers according to claim 1 or 2,
The battery storage unit is composed of a band case and the battery lid,
The information processing apparatus for divers, wherein the band case and the battery lid are screwed together and fixed via a waterproof member.

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