JPH039034Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Technical field> This invention relates to a program timer that controls the start and stop of time signal generators or various loads in schools, factories, etc., and is particularly applicable to setting the generation time of the time signal and starting the load. The present invention relates to an improvement of a program timer in which settings for performing stop control, etc. can be input using card reading means.

<Description of Prior Art> A device called a program timer has been put into practical use for the purpose of, for example, making a time signal to notify the start and end of work in schools, factories, banks, etc., and for turning on and off the power of lighting, air conditioning equipment, etc. There is.

This program timer operates a load such as a chime every time a set time, which is constituted by a general timing device and a set time data storage means, is reached. In addition to the system, we also provide air conditioning equipment, lighting, pumps,
When controlling loads in addition to security equipment, etc., a set time data storage means is provided for each of these loads.
Each load is controlled according to the set time data stored in each set time data storage means.

Conventionally, the means for setting the time in the set time data storage means provided for each load has generally been input from a keyboard. However, inputting from a keyboard is a time-consuming and troublesome task when there are many settings.

For this reason, a recent trend has been to write a code corresponding to the set time on a card, and to make the setting possible by reading this code with a card reading means.

A conventional card input type program timer will be explained using FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows the general structure of a conventional card-type program timer. In the figure, 101 is a central processing unit, 1
02 is a ROM that stores a program for operating the central processing unit 101 in a predetermined order; 103 is a clock means that measures the current time and day of the week through cooperation between the central processing unit 101 and the ROM 102;
4 is a set time data storage means. This storage means 104 can be constituted by RAM,
A number of areas, for example A, B, C, D, E, and F, are provided corresponding to the number of loads to be controlled.

105 indicates a card reading means. By inserting the card 106 into the card reading means 105, the time data written on the card 106 is read optically, for example, and is taken into the set time data storage means 104 from the input port 107 via the central processing unit 101. This set time data storage means 104
is provided externally in addition to the RAM built into the central processing unit 101.

108 is an output circuit. This output circuit 108
The set time stored in each area A to F of the set time storage means 104 through the search by the central processing unit 101 is constantly compared with the current time and day of the week measured by the clock means 103, and the current time and day of the week are compared. When the day of the week matches the set time stored in the storage means 104,
Output switches SA to SF corresponding to the storage area are controlled to be turned on or off, and output terminals 109a to 109a to 1
Start and stop control of each load (not particularly shown) connected to 09f.

FIG. 2 shows an example of entries on the card 106. The card 106 has a time entry field 201 and a condition setting field 20.
2 are provided. The condition setting field 202 includes a load specification field 202a and a time signal/timer selection field 202b.
, day of the week specification field 202c, and blowing time specification field 20
2d is provided.

The load designation column 202a has symbols A to F corresponding to areas A to F provided in the set time data storage means 104.
F is printed, and when specifying a load, the load is specified by marking the symbol corresponding to the load by filling it in black with, for example, a pencil. One load can be specified per card. That is, for example, when controlling the lighting of advertising lights using the load designation symbol A, the symbol A is painted black. In the time signal/timer selection column 202b, if the load is an advertising light, the column on the timer side is filled in black. Furthermore, in the day of the week designation field, all days of the week on which advertising lights should be turned on are filled in black. Then, in the time entry column 201, the lighting time and light-off time are written in black. That is, the first column of the time entry field 201 represents the 10th digit of the hour, and the second column represents the 1st digit of the hour. The third column represents the decimal value of the minute, 4
The column represents the value of the first minute. For example, 12 o'clock
To enter 30 minutes, fill in the time by blacking out "1" in the first column, "2" in the second column, "3" in the third column, and "0" in the fourth column. can. Enter the time when the advertising lights will be turned off in the next column.

<Conventional Disadvantages> In this type of conventional card input type program timer, a storage area is specified for each load. Therefore, as explained above, in cases such as controlling the lighting and turning off of advertising lights, only two storage areas designated for the load are used for turning on and turning off the lights. Therefore, in such cases, many memory elements are wasted.

On the other hand, depending on the type of load, the amount of time data may be so large that it cannot be written on one card. In such a case, conventionally, the time data string is divided into a plurality of pieces, and the divided time data strings are distributed and stored in a plurality of storage areas.

In this way, when one load is controlled by time data strings distributed in multiple storage areas, for example B and C, output switches corresponding to areas B and C are
SB and SC are connected in parallel, and one load is controlled by the contact outputs of the parallel-connected output switches SB and SC. Therefore, when there is a large load that requires a large amount of set time data, there is a drawback that the storage area is insufficient.

In this way, according to the conventional card input type program timer, even if there is a blank storage area,
Since the storage area cannot be used for storing time data of other loads, the storage means 104
There is a drawback that it cannot be used effectively.

As a storage method that compensates for this drawback, a method that does not divide the storage area for each load can be considered. In other words, with this storage method, each time a card is inserted, the central processing unit 1
01 detects a free address in the storage means 104,
This method stores new time data in the vacant address. This storage method will hereinafter be referred to as a time data storage area variable storage method.

According to this time data storage area variable storage method, storage areas are not specified for each load, so even if short programs and long programs coexist, the total can be accommodated within the capacity of the storage means 104.
Therefore, even data strings with a large number of set time data can be stored continuously. In other words, if the set time data related to the same load cannot be stored on one card, or if the set time differs depending on the day of the week and it is necessary to create a card for each day of the week, it is distributed to multiple cards. By sequentially passing the cards through the card reading means 105, data can be stored in the order in which they were input.

However, when this time data storage area variable storage method is adopted, the following inconvenience occurs. In other words, if the time data string for a certain load is no longer needed,
When the time data string of the load is deleted, a free address area is generated. If the erased time data string is between the time data strings of other loads, an empty address area is generated between the data strings.

If this free address area is left as it is, in the operation of searching for time data, the free address area is also searched for the presence or absence of data, resulting in wasted time. Furthermore, when writing a new time data string, there is no problem if the data string can just be accommodated in the empty address area, but generally the number of newly written data and the number of empty addresses do not match.

Therefore, when an empty address area occurs, it is necessary to sequentially move the data string stored in the next address area following the empty address area forward.

When moving data storage areas, if there is only one free address area, subsequent data can be moved forward by the number of free addresses. However, as a feature of the time data storage area variable storage system, time data of the same load can be added in a distributed manner, so in reality, empty address areas may be distributed and generated in a plurality of locations.

This state will be explained using FIG. In other words, as shown in Figure 3, the data string of load A is A ₁ , A ₂ ,
This data string exists distributed like A ₃ and A ₄ .
When A ₁ to _{A 4} are deleted, four free areas will be created. Data strings B ₂ , C ₁ , and D ₁ that are not deleted are data strings.
Just move it forward by the free address area of _A1 .
However, the data string _C2 must be shifted forward by the amount of free address areas _A1 and _A2 . Furthermore, the data string D ₂ is shifted forward by the vacant address areas of A ₁ , A ₂ , and A ₃ . Furthermore, the data strings B ₂ and E ₁ are A ₁ , A ₂ ,
It is necessary to shift it forward by the free address area of A ₃ and A ₄ .

In such a case, the first step is to shift all the data strings B ₁ , C ₁ , D ₁ , C 2 , D ₂ , B _{2 ,} E ₁ forward by the free address area of A 1, and then move the data strings forward by the free address area of A ₁ .
Shift C ₂ , D ₂ , B ₂ , E ₁ forward by the free address area of A ₂ , shift the data string D ₂ , B ₂ , E ₁ forward by the free address area of A _{3 ,} and shift the data string B ₂ , _E1
is shifted forward by the free address area of _A4 .

This operation of shifting data strings must be performed a number of times corresponding to the number of empty address areas generated by erasure. This process is time consuming and requires a short wait before new data can be entered after the erase operation. In experiments conducted by the present applicant, there was a maximum waiting time of about 10 to 15 seconds after the erasing operation until rewriting could be performed. For this reason, when put into practical use, even though the speed of inputting urgent data is increased by the card type, when data is to be rewritten, unnecessary data is erased and new data is written to the card. There is a waiting time before the device can be inserted, and in this respect the user is presented with an inconvenient device.

<Purpose of the invention> This invention aims to eliminate the drawbacks of the time data storage area variable storage method and provide this type of program timer that is easy to use.

<Summary of the invention> In this invention, a means for counting the number of free addresses is provided, and the number of free addresses existing before being moved is counted by this means for counting the number of free addresses, and a data string is created according to the counted value. It is configured to move.

Therefore, according to this invention, even if there are multiple free address areas in front of the data string to be moved, the data string to be moved is only one address area.
It can be moved to a predetermined address position by moving only once. As a result, the processing time was significantly reduced to about 200 milliseconds at most.

<Embodiment of the invention> Fig. 4 shows an embodiment of this invention, and Fig. 5 shows a card used in the program timer of this invention.
In FIGS. 4 and 5, parts corresponding to those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this invention, the storage means 104 for storing set time data uses a mere RAM, and storage areas are not defined for each load.
Therefore, by causing the reading device 105 to read the card on which the set time data is written, the set time data for each load is stored in the storage means 104 in accordance with the reading order. Since a storage area is not provided for each load, data representing the load and data representing the day of the week are added to each time data in addition to the time data. An example is shown in FIG. In Figure 6,
_B0 to _B7 are bit numbers. In other words, in this example, 8 bits are stored as one word in one address of the storage means 104, and four addresses are stored.
A case is shown in which one set time data is stored using ADR ₁ to _{ADR 4} . By adding data representing the load, data representing the day of the week, etc. to each set time data in this way, it is possible to search and retrieve the set time data by load, regardless of which address in the storage means 104 the set time data is stored in. I can do it. As a result, any number of cards can be entered for the same load. Further, additional data regarding the load once input can be written into the storage means 104.

The set time data stored in the storage means 104 is constantly searched by the central processing unit 101, and the current time measured by the clock means 103 is compared with the day of the week, and when a match is detected, the set time data is inputted with the load data. According to the off data, the corresponding switches in switches SA, SB...SF are controlled on/off.

On the other hand, in this invention, there is a means 40 for erasing set time data that is no longer needed, and for transferring subsequent data to a vacant address created by the erasure.
1 will be provided. This transfer means 401 includes a ROM 401a that stores a program for performing an erase operation and data transfer, a counting means 401b that counts the number of addresses generated by the erase, and a storage handle 401c that stores the corresponding search address. It can be configured accordingly.

The ROM 401a stores a program for operating the central processing unit 101 according to the flowchart shown in FIG. The erasure command is given, for example, by placing a mark in the erasure command column 501 shown on the card 106 shown in FIG. Erase command column 50
1 indicates a case where an all deletion column 501a and a load-specific deletion column 501b are provided in this example. Previous erase column 50
If 1a is marked, all data in the storage means 104 is completely erased. On the other hand, if a mark is placed in the load-specific deletion field 501b, the operation of deleting the data of the load specified in the subsequent load specification field 202a is executed, and the subsequent data is added to the empty address created by the deletion. Transfer.

Erasure and data transfer can be executed, for example, as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the deletion designation for each load is input, the central processing unit 101 takes in the load data to be deleted.
This load data is stored in a register or RAM in the central processing unit 101.

The central processing unit 101 stores the start address of the storage means 104 as the corresponding search address storage means 401c.
Take it out and start searching. However, storage means 1
The start address of 04 is stored in advance in the corresponding search address storage means 401c immediately before this processing.

It is determined whether the data of the corresponding search address matches the data of the load to be erased. If there is no match as a result of the judgment, the process jumps to step.

If the load matches the load to be erased in the step, the data at the start address is erased and the count value of the counting means 401b is increased by +1.

If the data is not to be erased, the data is moved to the previous address by the count value of the counting means 401b.

The address data in the corresponding search address storage means 401c is set to +1.

It is determined whether all the time data in the storage means 104 have been searched, and if the search has not been completed, the process returns to step.

When all the data in the storage means 104 has been searched, the rewriting operation ends.

By repeating the routine constituted by the above steps and the routine constituted by , it is possible to erase the set time data of a certain specified load stored in the storage means 104. , At the same time as erasing, subsequent data is written to a vacant address. Therefore, a situation in which empty addresses exist between data does not occur, and a large blank area can be obtained after the area where data is stored.

<Effect of the invention> As described above, according to this invention, the storage means 10
4. Since areas are not set for each load, when loads with a small number of settings and loads with a large number of settings coexist,
Since the entire amount only needs to be within the storage capacity of the storage means 104, it is possible to store the set time data of a load having a particularly large number of settings without any problem. Additionally, additions can be easily made to data once stored.

Furthermore, when unnecessary data is erased, the counting means 401b counts the empty address created by the erasure, and the data existing at the next address is moved to the previous address according to this count value.
Even if empty addresses are scattered, all data can be moved to the end of the previous data by just moving it once. Therefore, data can be erased and moved to the previous address in a short time. As a result, when inputting new data after erasing unnecessary data, the user does not feel any waiting time, so after swiping the card for erasing through the reader 105, the user can immediately read the card on which new data has been written. It can be passed through device 105. Therefore, an easy-to-use program timer can be provided.

In addition, in the above description, the rewriting means 401 that erases data and transfers subsequent data to a free address is used.
Although an example has been described in which the ROM 401a and the counting means 401b are used, a part of the ROM 102 that stores the entire control sequence can be used as the ROM 401a. Further, the counting means 401b can also be configured using a register or RAM existing in the central processing unit 101.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a block diagram for explaining a conventional program timer, Figure 2 is a front view for explaining a card that uses this program timer, and Figure 3 is for storing set time data in a storage means using a variable recording method. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of this invention, and Figure 5 is a front view of a card used in a program timer according to this invention. Figures 6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining the storage state of the set time data of the program timer of this invention.
The figure is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the main parts of this invention. 101: Central processing unit, 102: ROM, 10
3: Time measurement means, 104: Set time storage means, 10
5: Card reading means, 108: Output circuit, SA~
SF: output switch, 401: means for erasing data and moving data, 401a: ROM storing a program for performing operations for erasing data and moving data, 401b: counting means for counting the number of free addresses.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A. Setting time data storage means for storing the time and day of the week at which the load is to be controlled; B. Time-measuring means for measuring the current time and day of the week using a clock signal; C. (D) a detection means for detecting a match between the current time and day of the week stored in the set time data storage means and the set time and day of the week stored in the set time data storage means; Card reading means for inputting into the set time data storage means data regarding the set time and day of the week for each type of load and whether all data stored in the set time data storage means or data regarding a designated load is to be deleted. F. By reading a mark for erasing data stored in the set time data storage means using this card reading means, all stored data or data regarding the designated load is erased;
A counting means for counting the number of empty addresses generated by erasure; and a means for sequentially transferring data following the empty address to the empty address according to the count counted by the counting means. program timer.