JPH1194638A - Electronic meter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make sure whether a printed circuit board failure has properly been, repaired improve the maintainability of important data, and also analyze the failure precisely, by displaying an error indication on a display part in the event of discord of comparison results by a camparison means. SOLUTION: On turning on a power supply, a process of reading important data A written in an important-data area 42b of a first memory 42 attached to a first printed circuit board 31 is implemented, and then a process of reading important data B written in a third memory 52 of a second printed circuit board 32 is implemented. The important data A, B read out from the first and third memories 42, 52 mounted on the mutually different printed circuit boards 31, 32 are compared with each other and judged if they are the same or not by a comparison means. If the judgement is YES (A=B), it goes on to a next step, an ordinary weighing mode, and a process of weighing is implemented. If the judgement is NO (A≠B), an error indication is displayed on a display part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic scale used in a store, a department store, a supermarket, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In response to a demand for miniaturization, an electronic measuring instrument having a configuration in which a printed circuit board incorporated in an electronic measuring instrument main body is modularized into a plurality of printed circuit boards has been provided. The printed circuit board of this type of electronic weighing machine is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a main control first printed circuit board 1 for controlling a weighing unit and a display unit of an electronic weighing machine with a printer, a printer control second printed circuit board 2 for controlling a label printer unit, and the like. And a third board for key control 3 for controlling a key input unit.

The first printed circuit board 1 is provided with a CPU 4, first to third memories 5 to 7, and first and second interfaces 8, 9 respectively. The first memory 5 is formed of an EPROM, the second memory 6 is formed of a RAM backed up by a battery 10, and the third memory 7
Is formed of an EEPROM. The first interface 8 is for connection to the second printed circuit board 2, and the second interface 9 is for connection to the third printed circuit board 3.

[0004] A printer controller 11, a motor driver 12, a head driver 13, a sensor I / O 14, and a third interface 15 are mounted on the second printed circuit board 2, respectively. Motor driver 1
Numeral 2 drives a motor for feeding paper in the label printer unit, a head driver 13 operates a print head in the label printer unit, and
The sensor I / O 14 inputs and outputs a sensor for detecting the paper and the like. Third interface 15
Is electrically connected to the first interface 8.

A key controller 16 and fourth and fifth interfaces 17 and 18 are mounted on the third printed circuit board 3, respectively. The fourth interface 17 is electrically connected to the second interface 9, and the fifth interface is electrically connected to the key input unit.

In an electronic weighing machine having a plurality of printed circuit boards 1 to 3 formed as a modular board as described above, a program or the like for performing the weighing operation is EPRO.
The first memory 5 made of M is used as a memory for a product information table in which various types of product information are recorded, that is, a PLU memory, and the data can be electrically rewritten. In a third memory 7 composed of an EEPROM, important data relating to the weighing unit is recorded.
A weighing operation is performed by the control operation of the main control unit 4 based on these recorded contents.

Recording important data in the third memory 7 is excellent in that there is no risk of losing recorded data due to a battery exhaustion unlike the second memory 6 backed up by the battery 10. As the important data, at least data on the zero point and the span of the measuring unit to be protected under the Measurement Law can be given. In addition, if there is an empty space in the recording area of the third memory 7, The initial set value, error history, serial number (serial number) of the electronic weighing machine, the number of labels to be issued when a label printer is installed, and the location of trouble such as disconnection of the print head (thermal head) are also written as weight data. Sometimes.

[0008]

When the first printed circuit board 1 needs to be replaced due to a failure, the important data recorded in the third memory 7 made of EEPROM in the conventional electronic measuring instrument is replaced. It is necessary to transplant to a new first printed circuit board. Therefore, usually the third
The memory 7 is detachable from the first printed circuit board 1 by a socket, so that the third memory 7 is replaced.

However, there is no guarantee that the third memory 7 will be surely replaced at the time of repair. If the third memory 7 has a failure cause and the replacement is inadvertently forgotten, the repair is properly performed. Since there is no means for confirming whether or not the operation has been performed, the repaired electronic weighing machine will incorrectly weigh.

In addition, in an electronic weighing machine with a label printer, the resistance value of a resistor that determines the voltage applied to the thermal head of the label printer section is recorded as important data. In the case where the cause is the cause, since the third memory 7 is left irrespective of the repair, the state in which printing is performed with different energy continues, so that the printing quality and the life of the head are impaired.

If the number of labels issued by the label printer unit, the error history, and the like are recorded as important data in the third memory 7, and if they are forgotten to be transferred to a new third memory, Since the number of labels issued, the error history, and the like are not known, it is not possible to manage the time of replacement of the periodic replacement parts during maintenance.

Further, if the label printer has a failure,
When the first printed circuit board 1 is replaced, it is difficult to obtain information about the printer unit recorded in the third memory 7, that is, the serial number, the number of labels issued, the error history, and the like, so that the cause of the failure is accurately analyzed. There is a problem that can not be.

In a conventional electronic measuring instrument using an EPROM as the first memory 5 in which a program is recorded, there is a defect in the program or, when the program is upgraded, an EPRO in which data cannot be rewritten.
There is a problem that the first memory 5 made of M must be replaced.

Incidentally, in addition to an EEPROM, a flash memory having a larger recording capacity is provided as an electrically rewritable memory, and it is considered that this memory is used as the first memory 5. Have been. When such a flash memory is adopted, a program can be loaded from outside through an appropriate interface, so that it is possible to easily cope with an upgrade of the program.

Then, such a flash memory is used as a first flash memory.
When attaching to the first printed circuit board 1 as the memory 5,
A method of writing important data into the memory 5 is considered. In such a case, the third memory 7 made of the EEPROM of the first printed circuit board 1 can be omitted.

However, when important data is written in the first memory 5 made of flash memory, the important data written in the memory 5 may be erroneously damaged when a program is written in the first memory 5. There is a risk of being erased.

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to confirm whether or not the repair of the printed circuit board has been properly performed, to improve the integrity of important data, and to accurately analyze the failure. It is to obtain an electronic measuring instrument.

[0018]

According to the present invention, there is provided a first printed circuit board for weighing control for controlling weighing by the weighing section, the first printed circuit board having a weighing section and a display section, and a second printed circuit board separate from the board. It is assumed that an electronic weighing machine includes a plurality of printed boards including two printed boards.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a weighing unit which is attached to each of the first and second printed circuit boards, is capable of electrically rewriting data, and is provided with the weighing unit. A memory in which the same important data is written respectively; a comparing means for comparing whether the important data written in both memories are the same; and a display unit when the comparison result by the comparing means does not match. And an error display means for displaying an error.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the important data stored in the respective memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards are read out by the comparing means and compared with each other. If one of the exchanged or non-exchanged memory has proper recorded contents based on the other sound memory, when the memory is replaced, or when it is necessary to be replaced but it is not inadvertently replaced, etc. Can be determined. If the important data written in the two memories do not match, an error display means displays an error on the display unit. Therefore, whether or not the repair of the failure of the printed circuit board has been properly performed can be confirmed based on the presence or absence of the error display. Moreover, even if important data written to one memory is damaged in the event of a new program load at the time of a program version upgrade, important data can be restored based on the other memory. Since one of the memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards can be used as a backup for the other memory, the integrity of important data can be improved. Furthermore,
Since the important data is written in the respective memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards as described above, the important data can be obtained from one of the memories in the analysis at the time of failure. Analysis can be accurate.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an electronic measuring instrument with a printer, in which 21 is an electronic measuring instrument main body, 22 is a measuring section, 23 is a key input section, 24 is a display section,
Reference numeral 25 denotes a printer unit that issues a label.

The weighing section 22 includes a weighing dish 22a exposed on the upper surface of the electronic weighing instrument main body 21 and a weighing mechanism (not shown) arranged below the dish 22a. Key input unit 2
Reference numeral 3 denotes a product key group 23 provided on the front of the electronic weighing machine main body 21 and assigned to each type of sold product.
a, and another input key group 23b adjacent to the input key and including a numeric keypad. The display unit 24 is disposed above the rear part of the electronic measuring device main body 21 via a support 26, and sells the name, weight, quantity, unit price, sales price, amount of change, etc. of the product to be sold there. Various kinds of information on the product are displayed. The printer unit 25 is provided on one side of the electronic weighing machine main body 21 and prints, for example, the above-described various kinds of information on a product to be sold, in a label form. Is supplied toward the front where the product is located, and is attached to a product sold by an operator. For example, a thermal head is used as a print head provided in the printer unit 25.

This electronic weighing machine has a function of adding weight information obtained by a weighing mechanism by placing a product for sale on a weighing pan 22, designation of a product and designation of the number of products to be input from a key input unit 23, and payment information. Based on the processing in an electronic circuit (not shown), the above-described various kinds of information on the products to be automatically sold are processed so as to be obtained, and are displayed on the display unit 24 and printed by the printer unit 25. It has become.

In the electronic weighing machine main body 21, the weighing section 22, the key input section 23, the display section 24, and the printer section 2 are provided.
5 is built in, and a plurality of modularized devices provided in this device, for example,
The structure of the third printed circuit boards 31, 32, 33 is shown in FIG.

For example, the first used as a motherboard
The printed circuit board 31 is used for main control for controlling the measuring unit 22, the display unit 24, and the like.
First and second memories 42 and 43 and first to third interfaces 44 to 46 respectively connected to the CPU 41 via a bidirectional bus are attached to the CPU 41, and the second memory 43 is backed up. A battery 47 is mounted. Although not shown, a weighing sensor included in the weighing mechanism is also connected to the CPU 41 via a bus, so that digital data on the weight of the weighed product for sale is extracted from the weighing sensor.

The first and second memories 42 and 43 constitute a memory section, and the CPU 41 as a main control section forms control means for controlling the operation of the entire electronic weighing machine. A memory in which data can be electrically rewritten, for example, a flash memory is used as the first memory 42, and the second memory 43 is formed of a RAM. The first memory 42 includes a program area 42a and an important data area 42 designated as a program load inhibition area.
b.

Various programs and the like necessary for operating the electronic scale are written in the program area 42a.
Important data is written in the important data area 42b. Here, the important data is data on at least the zero point and the span of the weighing mechanism of the weighing unit 22 to be protected by the measurement method. In addition, in the first embodiment, initial setting values, remote maintenance, The error history, the serial number (serial number) of the electronic weighing machine, the number of labels issued, the location of the failure such as the disconnection of the thermal head, and the resistance of the resistor that determines the voltage applied to the thermal head so that it can be advantageously adapted to inspection and maintenance. The resistance value and the like are also written as weight data.

The first interface 44 is for connection with the second printed circuit board 32, and the second interface 45
Is for connection with the third printed circuit board 33. The third interface 46 is used for remote maintenance, that is, various data (the error history,
The maintenance company takes in the serial number of the electronic weighing instrument, the number of labels issued, broken parts of the thermal head such as disconnection, and the resistance value of the thermal head, etc., and determines whether maintenance is necessary for the applicable electronic weighing instrument. It is for line connection to make it grasp.

A second printed circuit board 32 used as a daughter board is used for controlling a printer for controlling the printer unit 25. The second printed circuit board 32 includes a printer controller 51 including a CPU or a gate array, and a bidirectional controller. Third memories 5 respectively connected via a bus
2, a motor driver 53, and a head driver 54
, A sensor I / O 55, and a fourth interface 56 are mounted respectively.

As the third memory 52, an electrically rewritable memory, for example, an EEPROM cheaper than a flash memory is used. The same data as the important data stored and written is written. The motor driver 53 drives a motor for feeding paper in the printer unit 25, the head driver 54 operates a thermal head in the printer unit 25, and the sensor I / O 55 detects the paper and the like. Input / output to / from the sensor. The fourth interface 56 is the first interface 4
4 is electrically connected.

The third printed circuit board 33 used as a daughter board is used for key control for controlling the key input section 23, and includes a key controller 61.
And fifth and sixth interfaces 62 and 63 connected to the controller 61 via a bidirectional bus, respectively. The fifth interface 62 is electrically connected to the second interface 45, and the sixth interface 63 is electrically connected to the key input unit 23.

According to the configuration of the electronic weighing machine with a printer having the above-described configuration, the flash memory is employed as the first memory 42 mounted on the first printed circuit board 31 which controls the overall operation of the electronic weighing machine. Since the first memory 42 can be externally loaded with a program through an appropriate interface, the first memory 42 or the entire first printed circuit board 31 does not need to be replaced with a new board. Can be easily repaired or the program can be upgraded.

Moreover, by using a part of the storage area of the first memory 42 made of flash memory, important data relating to the weighing section 22 and the like can be written therein. The number of components mounted on the substrate 31 can be reduced, and the mounting structure of the substrate 31 can be simplified.

In the electronic weighing machine with a printer, every time the power is turned on, an operation of confirming important data is executed by the control means in accordance with the flowchart shown in FIG.

That is, when the power is turned on, the processing of reading important data A written in the important data area 42b of the first memory 42 attached to the first printed circuit board 31 is performed by executing step 1. After that, the next step 2 is executed, and processing for reading the important data B written in the third memory 52 of the second printed circuit board 32 is performed.

The first and third memories 42 mounted on the printed boards 31 and 32 different from each other as described above.
From step 52, the important data A and B read out in steps 1 and 2 are compared in step 3 to determine whether they are the same. (Comparison means) If the determination in step 3 is YES (A = B), the process proceeds to step 4. As a result, a process for shifting to the normal weighing mode and performing weighing is performed.

If the determination in step 3 is NO (A
In step (B), the process proceeds to step S5 to display an error on the display unit 24. (Error Display Means) Then, in step 6 following step 5, processing for stopping all operations other than error display is performed. As a result, since the weighing operation is not performed, the operator or the like can confirm that there is a problem with the important data in combination with the error display. This state is resolved by turning off the power.

That is, for example, when a program is loaded into the first memory 42 made of a flash memory (including not only writing of program data but also erasing of written data, that is, including clearing), an error occurs. As a result, important data in the important data area 42b designated as the program load prohibition area may be damaged or erased. In addition, the first printed circuit board 31
Alternatively, when the second printed circuit board 32 needs to be replaced, the important data recorded in the first memory 42 or the third memory 52 is transferred to the replaced new first printed circuit board or new second printed circuit board. However, there is no guarantee that this transplant will be performed during maintenance.

Even in such a case, by turning on the power of the measuring instrument after the completion of the repair work or the like, the important data in the first and third memories 42 and 52 are read out as described above, and Is determined by the comparing means to determine whether they match, and if they do not match, an error is displayed on the display unit 24 by the error display means. Can be confirmed whether or not was performed properly.

In this case, since the first or third memory 42 or 52 of one of the printed circuit boards 31 or 32 which is left without replacement is sound, it is used as a reference memory for calibration. The sound important data can be easily transferred to the other memory by a copy operation via the key input unit 23 or the like. As described above, one of the memories 42 and 52 attached to the first and second printed circuit boards 31 and 32 can be used as a backup for the other memory, so that the integrity of important data can be improved.

At the time of repair, sound important data can be obtained from one of the first and third memories 42 and 52 as described above. As a result, information on the failure, that is, the serial number, the number of labels issued, the error history, and the like can be obtained, so that the cause of the failure can be accurately analyzed.

Therefore, even if the maintenance is incomplete as described above and the important data in the first memory 42 is damaged, it can be easily confirmed. Erroneous weighing based on

In addition, since the integrity of the important data is excellent as described above, if the resistance value of the thermal head of the printer unit 25 is recorded as the important data as in the present embodiment, it is not necessary. Naturally preserved. Therefore, a state in which printing is performed with different energy during use after repair does not continue, printing can be performed with appropriate energy, printing quality and life of the thermal head can be prevented from being impaired, and the integrity of the printer unit 25 can be improved.

Similarly, as in the present embodiment, as the important data, the number of labels issued by the printer unit 25, the error history, the history of faulty locations such as thermal head disconnection, and the product number are recorded. In this case, since it is naturally maintained, the first printed circuit board 31 is provided with a third interface 46 for remote control, and is connected to an external maintenance company through a telephone line. It is possible for the company to carry out regular remote maintenance, and based on this, it is possible to manage the time of replacement of periodic replacement parts required for maintenance.

[0046]

The present invention is embodied in the form described above and has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, according to the comparison of the important data stored in the respective memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards, if both important data do not match, an error is displayed. Since the means displays an error on the display unit, it can be confirmed whether or not the repair of the failure of the printed circuit board has been properly performed based on the presence or absence of the error display. In addition, since one of the memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards is used as a backup for the other memory, the integrity of important data can be improved.
Further, in the analysis at the time of failure, important data can be obtained from any of the memories attached to the first and second printed circuit boards, so that failure analysis can be performed accurately.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an electronic measuring instrument with a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a relationship between printed circuit boards included in the electronic measuring device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a program of the electronic weighing machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view showing a relationship between printed circuit boards provided in a conventional electronic measuring instrument.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Electronic measuring device main body, 22 ... Measuring part, 23 ... Key input part, 24 ... Display part, 25 ... Printer part, 31 ... 1st printed circuit board, 32 ... 2nd printed circuit board, 33 ... 3rd printed circuit board, 42 .., A first memory of the first printed circuit board, 42 b, an important data area of the first memory, 52, a third memory of the second printed circuit board.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sheets each including a weighing unit and a display unit, including a first printed board for weighing control for controlling weighing in the weighing unit, and a second printed board different from the board. An electronic weighing machine having a printed circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said electronic measuring instrument is attached to each of said first and second printed circuit boards, electrically rewritable, and in which said same important data relating to said measuring section is written. A memory for comparing whether the important data written in both memories are the same, and an error display means for displaying an error on the display unit when the comparison result by the comparison means does not match. An electronic weighing machine comprising: