JPS5960622A - System for connecting and controlling plural devices - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To connect and control plural input/output devices, etc., by controlling data transfer requests from the plural devices so as to prevent the contention of data with a common control line. CONSTITUTION:It is arranged that data transfer requests from plural devices are controlled so as to prevent the contention of data with a common control line. When, for instance, a transmission request RS is turned on by means of the RS/ CS controller 13 of a controller 10, the input voltage level of an inverter 14 is set to a low level and the input level of a driver 15 is set to a high level after inverting by means of the inverter 14, and then, an RS/CS control line 12 is set to a low level. Then the request RS is inputted into the RS/CS controller 13 under the same condition as a transmission-permissible CS through a receiver 16. When the RS is turned off by the RS/CS controller 13, the CS is turned off when the other devices do not set the RS on and kept under the on-condition when the other devices turn the RS on.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (1) Technical field of the invention The invention is directed to a connection control method for a numbered device, in particular, for example 1 (
When multiple input/output devices are connected to and controlled by a common controller of IAl, it is possible to control them with one common control line, and the number of cable signals between the controller and the input/output devices can be reduced. The present invention also relates to a connection control method for a plurality of devices that can assign bus usage priority to commercial cities in response to simultaneous bus usage requests.

(2) Technical background and problems Generally, when controlling input/output devices with different functions, a dedicated control unit is provided for each input/output device, and control is performed using an interface specific to each input/output device. There is.

For example, the case of a POS (Point of 5ales) terminal will be explained with reference to FIG.

Figure 1 shows an example of device connections for a conventional POS terminal.

There are POS terminals that operate stand-alone and POS terminals that operate by being connected to a host processing device.For example, as shown in Figure 1, a keyboard device 2
, a display device M3, a scanner device 4 for automatic input, and other input/output devices. These input/output devices are controlled by a dedicated keyboard control section 5, display control 916, scanner control section 7, etc. provided in the mask controller 1 for each input/output device, each with its own control interface. controlled. The number of signal lines connecting the mask controller 1 and each input/output device is, for example, 20 or more.

Conventionally, each of the above input/output devices has generally been integrated with the POS terminal main body, and since the mask controller 1 and each input/output device are installed close to each other, the number of interface signals has been reduced. There were a lot of them, so it wasn't a particular problem. However, as the needs of users have become more diverse, there is a demand for keyboard devices, display devices, etc. to be separated from the main body of the k POS terminal so that they can be installed in accordance with the layout of the sales floor.

Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have considered making each of the above input/output devices modular so that they can be installed separately from the POS terminal body.

In this case, if the conventional connection method shown in Figure 1 is used, for example, if the POS terminal main body and each input/output device are separated by 5 to 6 meters, the number of signal lines connected is large.
This is extremely inconvenient in practice. In order to use a connecting cable with a length of 5 to 6 m without causing inconvenience, it is necessary to make the cable as thin as possible, lightweight, and flexible. To achieve this, it is necessary to be able to completely reduce the number of signals in the connection cable.

By the way, it is not limited to the above-mentioned modular POS terminal;
It would be very desirable if it were possible to control data transfer of multiple devices using a common control line (for example, a controller). It is not easy to process bidirectional data transfer requests such as from an input/output device to an input/output device, or from an input/output device to a controller, while preventing data conflicts.

(3) Object and structure of the invention The present invention solves the above points.
The purpose of this invention is to enable control of data transfer requests from multiple devices on the MI line so as not to cause data conflicts, and to enable connection control of multiple input/output devices, etc. VC-f'. Therefore, the present invention provides transmission request (R8)/send permission (
CS) control system is adopted, and consideration is given to prevent malfunctions due to timing lags in checking whether transmission is possible. That is, the connection control method of the argent device of the present invention is as follows:
In a system having a plurality of devices configured to confirm a transmission clear signal in response to a transmission request signal and perform data transfer, the plurality of devices are connected to a common control line, and each device uses the While outputting the transmission request signal to the control line, the output of the transmission request signal is stopped after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and it is confirmed that the transmission enable signal input is stopped by stopping the output of the transmission request signal, and then again. It is characterized in that it is configured to transmit data by outputting a transmission request signal.

Another aspect of the present invention is that in a system having a plurality of fM devices, the plurality of fMs are connected to a common control line, and the fMs are connected to a common control line. When transmitting data, each of the above devices outputs the entire transmission request signal to the control line, and stops outputting the transmission request signal after a predetermined period of time [1. By stopping the output of the transmission request signal, the transmission is possible. After confirming that the signal input has stopped, the device is configured to output the full transmission request signal again and perform data transmission, and for the time from the output of the transmission request signal to the stop of the output, the buses of each of the above devices can be used at the same time. It is characterized in that different times are given depending on the bus usage priority for ice making.

Referring to the drawings below, the explanation will be given according to an embodiment.

(4) Embodiment of the Invention Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit of an embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 4 shows the configuration of an embodiment of the invention.
5 and 6 are time charts for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is an example of a POS terminal using the present invention, and FIG. 8 is another example of a POS terminal using the present invention. Detailed illustrations of the present invention, FIGS. 9 and 10
The figure shows a time chart for explaining the non-implemented example shown in Figure 8.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 is a controller, 11-1 to 11-4 are input/output devices, 12 is l' (S/CS control line, 13 is an R8/CS controller, 14 is an inverter, 15 is a driver, and 16 is a Represents a receiver.

The controller 10 and the input/output devices 11-1 to 11-4 are connected by one R8/C8 control line 12,
Data transfer requests are controlled via R8/C8 control line 12. The controller IO sends a transmission request signal (R
8) and R8/CS that controls transmission clear +J (cs>)
The R8/CS controller 13 has a controller 13, and the R8/CS controller 13 receives a transmission request signal f:ON/as described later.
01;' PL checks the transmittable signal and controls data transfer via the data/7 bus (not shown). In addition, each input/output device [11-1 to 11-4 is also connected to the RS
/ It has a circuit similar to the CS controller 13,
Performs similar data transfer control. Therefore, controller 1
Bidirectional control of data transfer from the controller 10 to the input/output devices 11-1 to 11-4 and data transfer from the input/output devices 11-1 to 11-4 to the controller 10 is possible.

In particular, the connected devices are not limited to a controller and an input/output device controlled by the controller, but may be a plurality of equal processing devices having equivalent functions.

The relationship between the transmission request signal (RS) and the transmission clear signal (CS) is as shown in FIG. In Figure 3, code 12
1 to 16 correspond to FIG. When the R8/CS controller 13 turns on R8, an L level appears in the impark 140 input voltage level, which is inverted by the inverter 14, and the driver 150 input becomes H level. Therefore, when the RS/C8 control line 12 becomes L level, it is directly input as CS to the S/CS controller 713 via the receiver 16. The RS/CS controller 13 recognizes that C8 is ON.I(
S/CS controller 13 sets It S to 01"I"
, C8 immediately turns OFF unless another device turns It Si ON. However, if another device turns on 1tS, C8 remains on even if the R8/CS controller 13 turns off R8.

Next, control of the R8/CS controller 13 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Figure 4 Illustrated processing ■
Processes 1 to 2 correspond to the processes shown in FIG. When the RS/CS controller 13 receives a data transfer request, the RS/CS controller 13 performs 1. First, by processing ■, CS 7! +′
- Check whether it is OFF. Here C8
When it turns ON, it means that data is being sent by another device or a data transfer request has been issued from another device, so perform data reception processing as necessary. After doing so, repeat the judgment in process (2) again and wait for C8 to turn OFF.

If C8 is OFF, it turns on S to indicate that there is a data transfer request. Then, with RS turned on, wait until the specified 1 hour elapses, and then start processing. Turn off +4 and R8 by ().

■If tS is set to Op''F, then C8
Check ON10 FF. Under normal conditions, by turning R8 off, C8 should also become 01"F' as explained in Figure 3.C8
If it is confirmed that the RS is OFF, the RS is turned ON and transmission is started by processing (2).

However, even if R8 is turned off by process ①, the 6th
As will be described later with reference to the figure, C8 may not turn OFF. In such a case, after the judgment in process (■), return to process (2), wait for C8 to turn OFF again,
If it turns OFF, process in the same way.

FIG. 6 shows an example where data transfer requests conflict. For example, as shown in FIG.
Assume that l-1 confirms that C8 is 01"F through processing, and turns on R8 through processing (2).

On the other hand, input/output device i'1l-2 also checks C8 almost simultaneously by process
! Assume that C8 is recognized as OFF because it is between 1 and 0. The input/output device 11-2 turns on R8 through process (2), but if both the input/output device 11-1 and the input/output device 11-2 start transmitting data, the data on both sides will conflict. . However, in the present invention,
After turning on R8, if the Ptr fixed time has elapsed,
Turn R8 back to OFF and recheck cs. In other words, the input/output device 11-1 turns off R8 through process ().
and check the cs according to process ■. At this time,
Since C8 is turned on for the input/output device 11-2, the process returns to process ① again and starts over from the beginning.
Data races are prevented. The input/output device fM11-2 is located at the location J! ! d.

The transmission of data can begin after the period, d.

FIG. 7 shows a modularized input/output device of the Pos terminal shown in FIG. 1 using the present invention. In the figure, numerals 2, 3, 12, and 13 correspond to those in FIG. 1 or 2, and 2o is a common controller 2.
21 and 21' are transmitters/receivers that process data transmission and reception, 22 and 22' are drivers/receivers, 23 is a serial-data bus, and 24 is a specific interface controller.

The common controller 2o is connected to the POS terminal main body, and is connected to input/output devices such as a modular keyboard device 2 and a display device 3 through a serial data bus 23 and a common its/C8 control line 12. It is connected. Data can be sent and received fg between each input/output device using these two signal lines. The R8/CS controller 13 performs the control described in FIG. 4, closes the gates of the transmitter/receiver 2I and the driver/receiver 22, and controls data transmission and reception.

On the other hand, each input/output device is provided with its own .IN77ACE'+IIIHAI'Ml+24. This unique interface x −,
f(, S/CS niant.

- I-us/C3 li similar to La 13! In addition to performing Cape J, processing is performed so that the common controller 20, which has certain capabilities unique to each person's output device (Oka'), can be handled with a unified interface.Unique interface control unit 2
4 is, for example, a 1-chip CI with built-in RAM and ROM)
Consists of U.

For example, when a key on the keyboard device 2 is pressed, the unique interface control section 24 prepares the key input code to the transmitter/receiver 21'.

Then, it performs the R5/C8 control shown in FIG. 4 and notifies the common controller 20 of the gator transmission request. after that,
Sends the input/output device number to the serial data bus 23,
The input data is parallel-to-serial converted and sent to the serial data bus 23 via the driver/receiver 22'. In other words, the input data is serially sent to the common controller 2o with the address of the input/output device added.
is input. The common controller 2o controls the driver/receiver 22 under the control of the R8/CS controller 3.
The transmitter/receiver 21 receives input data via the transmitter/receiver 21, and sets the input data in the register of the transmitter/receiver 21. The same applies to data transmission from the common controller 20 to the input/output device side.

As described above, by utilizing the present invention, the number of interface signals for each input/output device is reduced (and the cables become thinner).Also, by unifying control, the burden on software for control is reduced, and Because input/output device-specific processing is decentralized, common controller 2
0 processing overhead is reduced.

Next, another aspect of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

In FIG. 8, symbols J2 to J16 correspond to those in FIG. Reference numeral 30 is a timer, and the It S shown in FIG.
The time 'r from turning on to turning off can be set for each input/output device.

Timer 30 may be a hardware counter or a software timer.

The timing of the timer 30 is set so that a different time Tn is given to each input/output device, as shown in FIG. In other words, in the case shown in FIG. 9, the order of light emission in response to simultaneous bus use requests is the input/output device (I10#3), l1044:2, and l10-#1. .

For example, the input/output device (I10#1) and the input/output device (I10#1)
10#2) issues a data transmission request at the same time, the control is performed as shown in FIG. ■10#1 and ■
10#2 turns on FtS at the same time, and if the ON time 'r+, Tz of R8 is determined as shown in FIG. 9, since Tl is shorter, l10-#1 first turns on the As explained in , with R8 OFF, C8
to sample. At this time, ■10#2 turns R8
Since it is still set to N, C8 is turned on. Therefore, I10#1 recognizes that another device is transmitting and stops turning on R8 again. That is, the transmission request is put on hold until the other device finishes transmission. I 10
4#2 turns on I 1'2 hours after turning It S ON.
All you have to do is turn tS off, check that C8 turns off, then turn on R8 again and start transmission.

When the transmission is finished and CS turns OFF, I10#
1 repeats 0N10FF of R8 in the same way, and is now able to start transmission. In this way, priority control using one control twin becomes possible.

(5) As described in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to control data transfer between multiple devices using one common control line. Furthermore, data transfer priorities can be easily set and controlled for each device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an example of device connection of a conventional POS terminal, Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is an explanatory circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is an R8/ Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are time charts for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 7 is an example of a POS terminal using the present invention, and Fig. 8 is another example of the control of the CS controller. FIGS. 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams of one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a time chart for explaining the illustrated embodiment; FIG. In the figure, 10 is a controller, 11-1 to 11-4 are input/output devices, 12 is Its/C8 control line, and 13 is R
Represents the S/CS controller. Watch applicant: Fujitsu Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Mori 1) Hiroshi (1 other person) Sai + Chang Sai S Sen f - G Zen Sai 8 layer'; l = 'l/Xi

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a system that includes multiple devices that perform data transfer by confirming a transmission clear signal in response to a transmission request signal, the multiple devices are connected to a common control line, and each device transmits data. When transmitting, output the transmission request signal to the control line, stop outputting the transmission request signal after a predetermined period of time, and confirm that the transmission ready signal input stops by stopping the output of the transmission request signal. L. A connection control system for a plurality of devices, characterized in that the system is configured to subsequently output an angle transmission request signal and perform data transmission. (2) In a system having a plurality of devices configured to confirm a transmission clear signal in response to a transmission request signal and perform data transfer, the plurality of devices mentioned above are connected to a common control line, and each of the above devices is connected to a common control line. When transmitting data, the device outputs the transmission request signal to the control line, and stops outputting the transmission request signal after a predetermined period of time, and stops inputting the transmission ready signal by stopping the output of the transmission request signal. The device is configured to acknowledge that the transmission request signal has been sent, and then output the transmission request signal again to perform data transmission, and for the time from the output of the transmission request signal to the stop of the output, the bus is A connection control method for multiple devices characterized in that different times are given depending on usage priorities.