JPH11259306A - Electronic controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically write the information of a version-up control program or the like recorded the a storage medium into a storage means only by loading the storage medium to a medium loading part and further to reload only the control program of one part of plural control programs stored in the storage means into version-up control program. SOLUTION: When it is detected that an FD is loaded on an FDD (S10; Yes), the identification code of the FD is read in (S11) and when the identification code is an identification code of an FD for Ve.up, control program reloading processing (S13) is executed. Thus, the control program to perform version-up and the version-up control program are reloaded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic control unit, and more particularly, to an electronic control unit that automatically writes information such as a control program from a recording medium to a storage unit when the recording medium is mounted on a medium mounting unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic control device for controlling a control target unit such as a sewing machine, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM,
A control unit having an input / output interface (input / output I / F) and the like is provided, and information (for example, embroidery data) and a control program (for example, embroidery data) for controlling the control target unit are provided in the ROM.
Sewing control program) and input / output I /
The control target unit can be electrically connected to F, and the control target unit can be controlled using information such as a control program stored in the ROM.

Further, in the electronic control unit, if a reading device such as a floppy disk drive (FDD) is provided which is electrically connected to the control unit and reads information from a recording medium such as a floppy disk (FD), the recording device is provided in the reading device. When a predetermined key operation is performed with the device mounted, information such as a control program for controlling the control target portion recorded on the recording medium is read, and the control target portion can be controlled using the information.

On the other hand, a personal computer (PC) applicable as an electronic control unit generally has a control unit including a CPU and a ROM and a RAM serving as a main storage device (internal memory), and is electrically connected to the control unit. Further, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output device such as a display (or a printer) are provided.

[0005] Further, a general PC includes a ROM and a RAM.
In addition to a main storage device such as a hard disk (HD), a floppy disk (FD), and a compact disk (CD), an auxiliary storage device (external memory) is provided. ), Document software, numerical data, and application software such as word processing software and spreadsheet software are stored.

[0006] When a control target unit such as a sewing machine is controlled by the PC, information such as a control program for controlling the control target unit is generally stored in the auxiliary storage device. Furthermore, a recent PC is provided with a flash memory (FM) as a main storage device, which can rewrite various data in a rewritable manner and can store and retain the stored contents even when the PC is turned off. The FM can also store information such as a control program for controlling the control target unit.

In many cases, information such as a control program stored in the ROM, FM, auxiliary storage device, or the like is often rewritten to information such as an upgrade control program that has been upgraded according to a user's request or the like. In this case, in an electronic control unit (PC) having an auxiliary storage device and an FM, a Ve.up recording medium in which a version upgrade control program or the like is recorded is mounted on a reading device, and predetermined key operations are performed using program rewriting software. By doing so, it is possible to execute that processing.

[0008]

However, in an electronic control device that does not include the auxiliary storage device or the FM, that is, in which information such as a control program is stored in a ROM, the R
Of course, it is not possible to write information such as a version-up control program in the OM, and it is necessary to replace the currently installed ROM itself with a ROM in which information such as the version-up control program is stored. It is very troublesome and very costly.

On the other hand, in an electronic control device such as a PC having an auxiliary storage device or an FM, when information such as a control program stored in the FM or the auxiliary storage device is to be rewritten to information such as an upgrade control program. After the Ve.up recording medium is mounted on the reader, a predetermined key operation must be performed. However, since the predetermined key operation is required, it is very troublesome and the usability is very poor.

Particularly, when it is desired to upgrade only a part of the plurality of control programs stored in the ROM-like FM, the data amount of the control program to be upgraded and the data amount of the upgrade control program are limited. Because of the difference, simply rewriting the control program with the version-up control program cannot perform this rewriting process.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic control device,
Information such as an upgrade control program recorded on a recording medium is automatically written into a storage means simply by mounting the recording medium on a medium mounting portion. And that only some of the control programs can be rewritten to the upgrade control program.

[0012]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic control unit comprising: a medium mounting unit for removably mounting a recording medium; and a reading unit for reading information from the recording medium mounted on the medium mounting unit. An electronic control unit having information storage means for storing information used for control of a control target part and control means for controlling the control target part, wherein a detection means for detecting that a recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting part And automatic writing control means for automatically driving and controlling the reading means to read the information of the recording medium when the mounting of the recording medium is detected by the detecting means, and writing the read information to the information storage means. It is provided.

The recording medium may be a floppy disk, a compact disk, an optical disk, or the like, and the reading means may be a floppy disk drive, a compact disk drive, an optical disk drive, or the like. As the information storage unit, a hard disk or a flash memory like a ROM may be applied. In the detecting means, a recording medium detection sensor may be provided in the medium mounting portion, and the recording medium detection sensor may detect that a recording medium is mounted in the medium mounting portion.

In this electronic control device, when the detecting means detects that the recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting section, the automatic writing control means automatically controls the driving of the reading means and reads the reading means. The information on the recording medium is read by the means, and the read information is written to the information storage means. In other words, when it is desired to write the information recorded on the recording medium into the information storage means, the processing is reliably performed only by mounting the recording medium on the medium mounting portion, so that complicated key operations are not required and the It is convenient and convenient.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic control unit for detachably mounting a recording medium, reading means for reading information from the recording medium mounted on the medium mounting unit,
In an electronic control device having a storage unit that stores a control program for controlling the control target unit and a control unit that controls the control target unit using the control program stored in the storage unit, Detecting means for detecting that the recording medium has been mounted, and an upgrade control program for automatically driving and controlling the reading means to upgrade the control program when the mounting of the recording medium is detected by the detecting means And an automatic writing control unit for reading the read control program from the recording medium and writing the read control program into the storage unit.

As in the first aspect, the recording medium includes:
A floppy disk, a compact disk, an optical disk, or the like may be used, and the reading means may be a floppy disk drive, a compact disk drive, an optical disk drive, or the like. As the storage means, a hard disk or a flash memory like a ROM may be applied. In the detecting means, a recording medium detection sensor may be provided in the medium mounting portion, and the recording medium detection sensor may detect that a recording medium is mounted in the medium mounting portion.

In this electronic control device, when the detection means detects that the recording medium has been mounted on the medium mounting section, the automatic writing control means automatically controls the driving of the reading means and reads the reading means. The upgrade control program for upgrading the control program by the means is read from the recording medium, and the read control program is written to the storage means.

In other words, when it is desired to write the version-up control program recorded on the recording medium into the storage means, the processing can be reliably performed only by mounting the recording medium on the medium mounting section. Is no longer necessary, making it very convenient and convenient. It should be noted that only a part of the plurality of control programs stored in the storage means can be rewritten as the version control program.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electronic control unit according to the second aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary storage unit capable of temporarily storing the version upgrade control program and a control program of the storage unit is provided. Writing an upgrade control program and a non-version upgraded control program read from the storage means to the auxiliary storage means, erasing the control program of the storage means, and then writing the control program of the auxiliary storage means to the storage means. Is what you do.

Here, as the auxiliary storage means, RA
M or a hard disk may be applied. When a hard disk is used as the storage unit, a memory portion of the hard disk that does not store a control program or the like before upgrading can be used as the auxiliary storage unit.

In this electronic control device, the automatic write control means writes the version upgrade control program recorded on the recording medium and the non-version upgraded control program read from the storage means to the auxiliary storage means. After that, the control program of the storage means is erased, and then the control program of the auxiliary storage means is written to the storage means.

That is, the auxiliary storage means is provided, and the control program which is not upgraded and the upgrade control program are temporarily stored in the auxiliary storage means. Can write. Therefore, in particular,
When a ROM-like flash memory is applied to the storage unit, it is possible to reliably rewrite only a part of the plurality of control programs stored in the storage unit to the version-up control program. Other effects are the same as those of the second aspect.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic control unit according to the third aspect of the present invention, further comprising a display unit including a display, wherein the automatic writing control unit instructs the removal of the recording medium after the rewriting of the control program in the storage unit is completed. Is displayed on the display of the display means. Therefore, the user sees the message displayed on the display and knows that the rewriting of the control program in the storage means has been completed, and can remove the recording medium from the medium mounting section. That is, erroneous operation of the user can be prevented. Other effects are the same as those of the third aspect.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electronic control device according to the second aspect.
In the invention according to any one of the above, the control program is a control program for controlling a sewing machine. Therefore, the control target unit is a sewing machine,
By the control means, the sewing machine can be controlled using a (version-up) control program stored in the storage means. In addition, the same operation as any one of the second to fourth aspects is achieved.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a personal computer that mainly controls an industrial embroidery sewing machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic control unit 1 comprising a personal computer comprises an electronic control unit main body 2 and
It includes a keyboard 3, a mouse 4, a CRT display 5, and the like, and is connected to an embroidery sewing machine 7 (see FIG. 3) via a communication cable 6.

The control system of the electronic control unit 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The control unit 10 built in the electronic control unit main body 2 includes a CPU 12, a ROM 13, a flash memory (FM) 14, a RAM 15, a hard disk controller (HDC) 16, an input / output interface connected via a bus 11 such as a data bus. (Input / output I / F) 17, communication interface (communication I / F)
F) 18 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 19 controlled by the HDC 16 to read information stored in a hard disk (HD) 20.

Here, it is assumed that a large number of embroidery pattern data (including pattern display data and sewing data) is recorded on the HD 20.

The input / output I / F 17 is connected to the character key 21, the numeric keypad 22, the execution key 23, etc. of the keyboard 3, the mouse 4, and the recording medium detection sensor 24, respectively.
The embroidery sewing machine 18 and the embroidery sewing machine 7 are connected via a connection cable 6 so as to be capable of two-way communication. The recording medium detection sensor 24 is provided in an FDD 31 described later,
This is for detecting the attachment of the FD to D31, and the recording medium detection sensor 24 corresponds to a detection unit.

A floppy disk drive (FDD) 31 to which a floppy disk (FD) 30 is detachably mounted and a floppy disk controller (FDC) 3 for controlling the FDD 31 are provided in the electronic control unit main body 2.
2, a compact disk drive (CDD) 36 to which a compact disk (CD) 35 is detachably mounted, and a compact disk controller (CDC) 37 for controlling the CDD 36 are provided.

Further, the electronic control unit main body 2 is provided with a CRT display controller (CRTC) 38 for outputting display data to the CRT display 5, and the FDC 3
2, CDC 37 and CRTC 38 are connected to the bus 11, respectively. The FDD 31 corresponds to a reading unit. The ROM 13 stores the electronic control unit 1 when the power is turned on.
A startup control program for starting up is stored.

The FM 14 can store and hold the stored contents even when the power of the electronic control unit 1 is turned off, and can rewrite various data in a rewritable manner.
As shown in, the program name (such as P1) is stored in FM14.
And a plurality of control programs (programs with program names P1 to P5) for controlling the embroidery sewing machine 7 are stored. That is, the FM 14 corresponds to a storage unit.

In order to control the electronic control unit 1, various HDs such as MS-DOS and Windows system are installed in the HD 20.
S (Operating System), which stores various driver software for enabling the use of the keyboard 3, mouse 4, CRT display 5, and the like on the system.
Further, the HD 20 has a display control program for controlling display of the CRT display 5, a communication control program for performing data communication with the embroidery sewing machine 7, and an embroidery pattern to be used for sewing from a plurality of embroidery patterns recorded in the HD 20. In addition to the embroidery pattern selection processing program, an automatic writing control program unique to the present application is stored.

This automatic writing control program is executed by the FD
D31, the recording medium detection sensor 24 provided
When it is detected that the FD 30 is attached to the DD 31,
This is a program that automatically drives and controls the FDD 31 to read an upgrade control program for upgrading the control program from the FD 30 and writes the read control program to the FM 14.

Next, a control system of the embroidery sewing machine 7 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 40 of the embroidery sewing machine 7 includes a microcomputer including a CPU 41, a ROM 42 and a RAM 43, an input interface 44,
An output interface 45 and a communication interface (communication I / F) 46 are provided, and these are connected by a bus 47 such as a data bus.

Although not shown, a start / stop switch of the embroidery sewing machine 7 is connected to the input interface 44, various actuators such as a sewing machine motor are connected to the output interface 45, and a communication I / F 46.
Is connected to the electronic control unit 1. The ROM 42 stores a communication control program for performing data communication with the electronic control device 1 and a sewing control program for driving and controlling the various actuators based on a control program and the like transferred from the electronic control device 1. I have.

Next, a description will be given of the Ve.up FD 30A in which an upgrade control program for upgrading the control program is recorded.

As shown in FIG. 5, the FD 30A for Ve.up includes an identification code relating to the control program to be upgraded, a program name (P2.Ve2 or the like), and an identification including the data amount of each control program for upgrading. Data and two control programs P2 and P2 of a plurality of control programs (P1 to P5) stored in the FM14.
Program name to upgrade to P4
It is assumed that P2.Ve2, P4.Ve4 and their version upgrade control programs are stored.

In this electronic control unit 1,
When this Ve.up FD 30A is mounted on the FDD 31,
The upgrade control programs P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4 recorded in the FD 30A for Ve.up are automatically read, and
Control programs P2 and P4 already stored in M14
Is automatically written instead of.

Next, a start-up control program including the automatic writing control executed by the control section 10 of the electronic control unit 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In the drawing, Si (i = 1, 2, 3,...) Indicates each step.

The start control program is started by a reset signal upon turning on the power. First, the automatic write control program is read from the HD 20 (S1).
Automatic write control is executed based on the automatic write control program (S2), and thereafter, the basic control program is read (S3), and a main routine start instruction (S
After 4) is performed, the process ends. Incidentally, S2 corresponds to the automatic writing control means.

The automatic write control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When this automatic writing control is started, first, based on the detection signal from the recording medium detection sensor 24, when it is detected that the FD 30 for work or the FD 30A for Ve.up is mounted on the FDD 31 (S10). ; Yes), the drive of the FDD 31 is controlled, the identification code of the mounted FD 30, 30A is read (S11), and it is determined whether or not the identification code is the identification code of the Ve.up FD 30A (S12).

If the read identification code is the identification code of the FD 30A for Ve.up (S12; Ye
s) Then, a program rewriting process (S13) is executed. Thereafter, a message instructing removal of the Ve.up program 30A is displayed on the CRT display 5 (S14), and the process returns to S3 of the startup control. FD
When it is not detected that the 30, 30A is mounted on the FDD 31 (S10; No), or when the read identification code is not the identification code of the Ve.up FD 30A (S12; No), the process returns similarly.

Next, a subroutine of the control program rewriting process will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. In this program rewriting process, first, the program names P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4 to be upgraded are read from the FD 30A for Ve.up (S20).
Based on these program names P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4, FM1
4, control programs other than the control programs of the program names P2 and P4 to be upgraded, that is, the control programs of the non-upgraded program names P1, P3 and P5 are written to the HD 20 (S21).
All control programs written in M14 are electrically erased (S22).

Next, the control programs having the program names P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4 recorded in the Ve.up FD 30A are read and written into the HD 20 (S23).
The program names P1, P2.Ve2, P3,
The control program of P4.Ve4, P5 has its program name P
1, P2.Ve2, P3, P4.Ve4, P5, and the data are sequentially written to the FM 14 in a predetermined order based on the data amount and the like (S2
4) After that, after erasing the control program temporarily read into the HD 20 (S25), the process returns to the automatic writing control.

In S24, the program name P
1, P2.Ve2, P3, P4.Ve4, and P5 are rearranged and arranged in a predetermined order, and written to the FM 14. Then, as described above, various basic control programs are read (S
3) The main routine is started (S4), and normal processing is executed.

Note that the automatic write control starts when the electronic control unit 1 is powered on by the FDD of the FD 30A for Ve.up.
Although it is necessary to attach to the FD 31 or the FD for Ve.up after the power is turned on, that is, during normal processing, a signal from the recording medium detection sensor 24 is read by interrupt processing or the like.
When 30A is mounted on the FDD 31, the process proceeds to S10.

The operation and effect of the electronic control unit 1 will be described. The F of the FD 30 is determined by the recording medium detection sensor 24.
When attachment to DD31 is detected, FDD is automatically
31 and the FD 30 further controls the Ve.up F
In the case of D30A, it is possible to read out the upgrade control program of the program name P2.Ve2, P4.Ve4 from the FD 30A for Ve.up, and write the read upgrade program to the FM14.

In addition, the upgrade control programs of the program names P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4 and the program names P1 and P
3. Write the control program of P5 to the HD 20 and
After erasing the fourteen control programs, the control programs of the program names P1, P2.Ve2, P3, P4.Ve4, and P5 of the HD 20 can be reconfigured and written in the FM 14 in a state where they are organized.

That is, the control program to be upgraded with the program names P2 and P4 recorded on the FM 14 is changed to the version-up control program with the program names P2.Ve2 and P4.Ve4 recorded in the FD 30A for Ve.up. If you want to rewrite the FD39A for Ve.up,
Since the processing is surely performed only by mounting the device 1, no complicated key operation is required, and the device is very convenient and convenient.

Further, after the rewriting of the control program of the FM 14 is completed, a message instructing the removal of the FD 30
Since it was configured to be displayed on the RT display 5,
The user sees the message displayed on the CRT display 5 and knows that the rewriting of the control program of the FM 14 has been completed, and can remove the FD 30 from the FDD 31, thereby preventing erroneous operation of the user.

Next, a modified embodiment in which the above-described embodiment is partially modified will be described. 1) FD30 (FD30 for Ve.up) as the recording medium
Instead of A), CD35 is used as the reading means.
The CDD 36 may be applied instead of the DD 31, or various recording media and reading means may be applied.

2) In the case of this embodiment, the electronic control device according to the present invention is applied to a personal computer. However, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to an electronic control device built in or integrated with an embroidery sewing machine.

3) Instead of the control program, information such as embroidery data is recorded on the FD 30 (or CD 35).
Information such as the embroidery data may be automatically read, and the read information may be written to the FM 14. 4) In the above embodiment, the FM 14 is used as the storage means, but the HD 14 may be used as the storage means.

5] The electronic control device according to the present invention is not limited to the electronic control device of the above-described embodiment and modified forms, and various electronic control devices may be added without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course, it can be applied.

[0056]

According to the electronic control device of the first aspect, the detecting means for detecting that the recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting portion, and automatically detecting the mounting of the recording medium by the detecting means, An automatic writing control means is provided for controlling the drive of the reading means to read the information on the recording medium and writing the read information to the information storage means, so that the information recorded on the recording medium can be written to the information storage means. If it is desired, the processing is reliably performed only by mounting the recording medium on the medium mounting section, so that complicated key operations are not required, and the device is very convenient and convenient.

According to the electronic control device of the second aspect, the detecting means for detecting that the recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting portion, and when the mounting of the recording medium is detected by the detecting means,
Automatic writing control means for automatically driving and controlling the reading means to read the upgrade control program for upgrading the control program from the recording medium and writing the read control program to the storage means is provided. If the user wants to write the version-up control program recorded on the medium into the storage means, the processing is reliably performed only by mounting the recording medium on the medium mounting section, so that complicated key operations are not required, and very It is convenient and convenient.

According to the electronic control device of the third aspect, the same effect as that of the second aspect is obtained, but the auxiliary storage means for temporarily storing the upgrade control program and the control program of the storage means is provided, and the automatic writing control means is provided. Writes the version upgrade control program and the non-version upgraded control program read from the storage means into the auxiliary storage means, erases the control program in the storage means, and then writes the control program in the auxiliary storage means into the storage means With such a configuration, the control program that is not upgraded and the upgrade control program can be re-arranged and written in the storage unit in an organized state. In particular, when a ROM-like flash memory is applied to the storage unit, the storage unit Out of multiple control programs stored in It is possible to reliably rewrite only part of the control program version-up control program.

According to the electronic control device of the fourth aspect, the same effect as that of the third aspect is obtained, but display means including a display is provided, and the automatic writing control means performs recording after completion of rewriting of the control program in the storage means. Since the message instructing the removal of the medium is displayed on the display of the display means, the user sees the message displayed on the display and knows that the rewriting of the control program of the storage means has been completed, and Can be removed from the medium mounting portion, and erroneous operations by the user can be prevented.

According to the electronic control unit of the fifth aspect, the same effect as any one of the second to fourth aspects is obtained, but since the control program is a control program for controlling the sewing machine,
By the control means, the sewing machine can be controlled using a (version-up) control program stored in the storage means.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic control unit of the personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the sewing machine.

FIG. 4 is a data configuration diagram relating to a flash memory program.

FIG. 5 is a data configuration diagram relating to a floppy disk version upgrade program.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a startup control routine of the personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a program automatic writing control.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a program rewriting process.

[Explanation of symbols]

 P1 to P5 Control program P2.Ve2, P4.Ve4 Upgrade control program 1 Electronic control unit 5 CRT display 7 Embroidery sewing machine 12 CPC 13 ROM 14 Flash memory 15 RAM 20 Hard disk 24 Recording medium detection sensor 30 Floppy disk 31 Floppy disk drive 35 Compact Disc 36 Compact Disc Drive

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A medium mounting section for detachably mounting a recording medium, reading means for reading information from a recording medium mounted on the medium mounting section, and information for storing information to be used for controlling a control target section. In an electronic control device having a storage unit and a control unit that controls a control target unit, a detection unit that detects that a recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting unit, and the mounting of the recording medium is detected by the detection unit When
An electronic control device, comprising: automatic writing control means for automatically driving and controlling a reading means to read information on a recording medium and writing the read information in an information storage means. 2. A medium mounting section for detachably mounting a recording medium, reading means for reading information from a recording medium mounted on the medium mounting section, and a control program for controlling a control target section. In an electronic control apparatus having a storage unit and a control unit that controls a control target unit using a control program stored in the storage unit, a detection unit that detects that a recording medium is mounted on the medium mounting unit. And when the mounting of the recording medium is detected by the detecting means,
Automatic writing control means for automatically reading and driving the read means from the recording medium to upgrade the control program by upgrading the control program, and writing the read control program to the storage means. Electronic control device characterized by the following. 3. An auxiliary storage means for temporarily storing the version upgrade control program and a control program of the storage means, wherein the automatic write control means includes a control program for controlling the version upgrade control program and a version not upgraded read from the storage means. 3. The electronic control device according to claim 2, wherein the program is written in the auxiliary storage means, the control program of the storage means is erased, and then the control program of the auxiliary storage means is written in the storage means. 4. A display means including a display, wherein the automatic writing control means displays, on the display of the display means, a message instructing removal of the recording medium after rewriting the control program in the storage means. The electronic control device according to claim 3. 5. The electronic control device according to claim 2, wherein the control program is a control program for controlling a sewing machine.