JPS6268338A - Polling control system for pos system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect quickly the fault of a main controller and to utilize a POS terminal line efficiently by allowing the main controller to set a patrol polling interval to a subcontroller and a POS terminal equipment in a different length mutually. CONSTITUTION:The sending interval of the patrol polling signal fed from the main controller 11 to the subcontroller 5 is made shorter than the sending interval of a patrol polling signal sent from the control section to the POS terminal equipment 4. The patrol polling signal is outputted from the main control section to the subcontrol section and the POS terminal equipment at a different time interval by the said means. That is, the polling signal is sent at the interval of, e.g., 2sec to the subcontrol section and the patrol polling signal is sent at the interval of, e.g., 10sec to the POS terminal equipment. Thus, the down detection time to the control section is reduced and a quick backup operation is ensured, while the line is utilized efficiently at the POS terminal side.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] A main controller of a POS system that adopts a central PLU method is detected to be down at an early stage, and a P.O.
In order to maintain line usage efficiency by the OS terminal, the interval at which polling signals are sent from the main controller (ie, the control unit) to the Pupu controller is made shorter than the interval at which polling signals are sent to the POS terminals.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention provides a backup function for the polling control method of the POS system, especially the central PLU method. Equipped with POS
It concerns the polling control method of the system.

[Conventional technology]

At mass retailers such as department stores and supermarkets, the product numbers, product names, unit prices, etc. of the products handled are centrally managed at a central location.
A terminal (hereinafter referred to as a POS terminal) is placed at each sales floor and the cash register is operated.

The so-called Sentra #PLU (Pr1ce Look
There are POS systems that use the Up/Price Matching) method, but does the controller have a bank amplifier function in such a central PLU method? FIG. 4 shows the general configuration of the device. The central PLU type POS system shown here consists of multiple POS systems connected to a Φ controller IK connected to a host computer.
S terminals (1, 2, . . . , N) 4. An external storage medium such as a floppy disk 2 that stores data such as unit price and product name is stored in the controller 1, and various signals and data are exchanged between the controller 1 and the POS terminal 4. They are connected by a transmission line 3. In addition, the controller 1 has a built-in PLU function unit that normally accepts product price inquiries from the POS terminal 4, and an HLU function unit that accepts product name inquiries from the POS terminal 4. A reply is sent back from the controller 1 to the POS terminal 4. The POS terminal 4 has keys for data input and a barcode scanner, and is also a printer that creates a receipt based on the response data from the controller 1.
We are prepared. When selling products by inputting a scan code, when the operator causes the barcode scanner to read the barcode attached to the product, the POS terminal 4 connects the line 3.
The makeshift information is sent to the controller 1 through two channels. In controller 1, the PLU function unit checks the product price and sends back price information for the above-mentioned arrangement, and then H
Product name in LU function department? We will investigate and send back product name information. P
The OS terminal 4 prints out the product name and price as shown in FIG. 6 on a recording paper such as a receipt based on the response from the controller 1, and also performs calculations of sales proceeds. In addition, almost the same operation is performed when selling products by departmental personnel. Furthermore, this POS system is provided with a sub-controller 5 for a blowout amplifier in case a failure occurs, such as when the controller 1 breaks down. Similar to the controller 1, this sub-controller 5 also stores an external storage medium such as a Frembie disk 6 in which data such as unit prices and product names are stored, and performs the same basic operations as the controller 1. The controller 1 has a main relationship with the sub-controller 5, and the controller 1 is used in normal POS system processing operations, and the sub-controller 5 is used in an emergency such as when the controller 1 is 97 o'clock. From controller 1 to length control a-
In order to perform switching to the subcontroller 5, the controller 1 sends a polling signal to each POS terminal as a patrol polling operation to the subcontroller 5.
Is the subcontroller 5 also sending out the polling signal? While receiving the data, it is detected whether the controller 1 is normal or not, and it is determined that the control o-21 is normal while the polling signal is being output. Since this polling signal is sent to the POS terminal at the same time as described above, the polling signal is sent from the controller 1 at the check operation interval in the subcontroller 5 and at the POS terminal.
Considering the effective use of the line 3 on the terminal 4 side, the patrol polling interval T is generally set to about 10 seconds as shown in FIG.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the polling control method in such a conventional POS system, the patrol φ polling interval is set to about 10 degrees, and the timing is set at about 10 degrees. Since the controller 1 is monitored by the sub-controller 5, the normality or abnormality of the controller 1 cannot be checked from the perspective of the sub-controller 5 until 10 seconds have elapsed. This is extremely unreasonable for a POS system that assumes high-speed processing. In order to solve this problem, the patrol polling interval can be shortened to emit a polling signal every 2 seconds, for example, but since this polling signal is also sent to the POS terminal 4, This results in hindering the effective use of the line 3 on the 4 side. That is, P
When viewed from the OS terminal 4 side, the polling signal is, for example, 2.
The longer the interval, such as the 0 second interval, the more effectively the line 3 can be used.

The present invention has been made in view of these conventional problems, and its purpose is to shorten the controller down detection time without reducing line utilization efficiency.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a POS system that includes a sub-controller and has a bank amplifier function. Did you make it shorter than the sending interval of patrol polling signals sent from the control unit to the POS terminal? This is a summary.

[Effect]

With the above means, the main control unit sends patrol polling signals to the sub control unit and the POS terminal at different time intervals. That is, a polling signal is sent to the sub-control unit, for example, at an interval of 2 seconds, while a patrol polling signal is sent to the POS terminal, for example, at an interval of 10 seconds (or more than 20 seconds). This shortens the down detection time for the control unit and ensures quick bank amplifier operation, while the POS
Efficient use of terminal lines can be achieved.

〔Example〕

FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of a POS system and a control circuit that implement the polling control method of the present invention. The POS system according to this embodiment includes a controller 11 corresponding to a main control section, and a plurality of POS terminals 4 connected to this controller 11 via a 3-wire line.
and a controller 11 and a sub-controller 5 for bank amplifiers, and the basic VC has a system configuration similar to the conventional POS system described above. However, in this embodiment, the controller 11 has an internal circuit 12 for determining the polling interval, and this circuit allows the controller 11 to determine the polling (patrol polling) interval. The sub-controller 5 and the POS terminal 4 are controlled to have different values. As shown in FIG. 2, the polling interval control circuit 12 includes a clock circuit 13 for timing the operation of the entire controller 11, a first timer 14 for determining the patrol polling interval for the sub-controller 5, and a first timer 14 for determining the patrol polling interval for the sub-controller 5. th PO
between the second to Nth timers 15, 16, and 17, which are used to determine the patrol polling interval for each POS terminal from the S terminal to the Nth POS terminal, and the output of the clock circuit 13 and each timer output. The logic spirit? and a scheduler 22 that outputs patrol polling signals to the subcontroller 5 and POS terminals based on the outputs of each gate. The scheduler 22 includes, for example, each gate section 18,
A plurality of terminals bx, bz, .
．． 20.21 (i.e. each timer 14, 15, 16.17
), and the corresponding four digits bl, bz,...
- Is it a patrol polling signal based on the "1" or "0" information of the signal manually input to BN? It is output in the form of an address signal (one terminal corresponds to 1 bit). On the other hand, the subcontroller 5 and POS terminal 4 that receive the patrol polling signal edit the address signal output from the scheduler 22 and analyze whether No. 16 is a signal indicating itself. Between the sub-controller 5 and the POS terminal 4, the terminal b1 of the scheduler 22
．． The terminals of interest among bz,...bn are set differently, and the sub-controller 5 sets the terminal b1 to the POS terminal.
The terminal is terminal b2. . . . is set to receive an output signal corresponding to 71 bn. On the other hand, the first timer 14 is set to 2 seconds as the patrol polling interval of the subcontroller 5, and the second to Nth timers 15.1 (i, 17
is set as 20 seconds (C) as the patrol/polling interval for POS terminals.These timers 14 and 15
, 16 and 17 is illustrated in FIG. 3 as an example of the patrol polling operation in the sub-controller 5 and each POS terminal 4 based on the operations of the sub-controller 5 and each POS terminal 4. - In this example, the subcontractor).

A patrol polling operation is performed on the POS terminal 5 at 2 second intervals, and a patrol polling operation is performed on the POS terminal 4 at 20 second intervals. Furthermore, in this example, the sub-controller 5 and the POS terminal 4, or the
A time lag is provided between the patrol fist polling operation timing between the OS terminal and other POS terminals,
At the patrol polling operation timing, the polling operation is performed for one device among the subcontroller 5 and the POS terminal. However, it is of course possible to set the polling operation for a plurality of devices at one patrol/polling operation timing.

By such an action, different patrol/polling intervals can be realized between the sub-controller 5 and the POS terminal 4, and patrol/polling can be carried out according to the purpose of each.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the patrol polling intervals from the main controller to the subcontrollers and POS terminals are set to different lengths. The central PLU method enables efficient use of terminal lines. Adopted P
Function of OS system? It can be further increased.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Is Figure 1 the invention? A schematic configuration diagram of the applied POS system, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main controller incorporated in the POS system, FIG. 3 is a time chart showing patrol/polling operations by the main controller, and FIG. 4 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional POS system, and FIG. 5 is a time chart showing patrol polling intervals in the conventional POS system. 1.11... Controller (control unit) 2.6... Floppy disk 3... Line 4... POS terminal 12...
・Control circuit 13...clock 14, 15
, 16, 17...Timer 22...Scheduler

Claims (1)

[Claims] Based on the input from the POS terminal, the price and product name are inquired to the control unit via the line, and a sub-control unit is provided for this control unit, and when the control unit goes down, the sub-control unit PO
A POS system configured to be switched and connected to an S terminal, characterized in that the sending interval of polling signals sent from the control unit to the sub-control unit is shorter than the sending interval of polling signals sent from the control unit to the POS terminal. Polling control method for POS system.