JPS63166335A - Data communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To relieve the load on a CPU of a store controller by sending a text informing a request to the store controller immediately when a terminal controller receives a text representing the request within a prescribed period. CONSTITUTION:A timer T continuing the reception enable state of the text representing the request from a POS terminal TM for a prescribed period from a point of time when the text inquiring about the request from the POS terminal TM sent from the store controller SC is received is provided to the terminal controller TC and the text delivering the request is sent to the store controller SC immediately when the terminal controller TC receives the text representing the request within a prescribed period. Thus, it is not required for the store controller SC to give an intensional interval for the transmission of the text inquiring about the request. Thus, the inquiry from the POS terminal TM is processed efficiently, then the processing capability of the entire system is improved and the load on the CPU of the store controller SC is relieved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is particularly applicable to polling/selecting PO
3 (point of sales) system.

(Conventional technology) Traditionally, as a dedicated communication system in the distribution industry,
POS systems are known.

The POS system focuses on cash management at the point of sale, and also has functions such as collecting sales data, checking creditworthiness in credit sales, and collecting sales information on a single product, and connects terminal devices online to the center computer. By doing so, information can be aggregated in real time.

In a typical POS system, the store controller that serves as the system host and the terminal controller that controls the POS terminal (terminal device) are connected by a local communication line, and data batch collection (price change etc.), transaction data collection (sales collection for each item, etc.), and inquiries from the terminal controller 1-roller.

Since a plurality of different types of tasks are carried out on one physical line, logical multiplexing is performed within the line.

As a data transmission method in this case, a polling/secting method is adopted in which the store controller asks the terminal controller for a communication request from the POS terminal, and sequentially sets the circuit between the store controller and the POS terminal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the flow of messages sent from a POS terminal to an inquiry-related business.

In the figure, the direction of the arrow represents the message transmission direction, and time passes from the top to the bottom in the figure.

In the polling/secting method, first, the store controller SC periodically sends a message (2) asking for a request to the terminal controller TC.

If the message ■ indicating a request from the POS terminal TM has arrived at that time, the terminal controller 1-0-la TC sends a message ■ indicating the content of the request.

As a result, when the store controller SC sends the message ■ in response to the request, the terminal controller TC
returns a message ■ indicating receipt to the store controller SC, and also sends a message ■ in response to the request.
is sent to the POS terminal TM.

On the other hand, if the message ■ indicating a request has not arrived at the terminal controller TC from the POS terminal TM at the time when the store controller SC sends the message ■ inquiring about the presence or absence of a communication request to the terminal controller TC, the message ■ indicating the request has not arrived at the terminal controller TC. Send a message ■ indicating "None."

In this case, the store controller SC uses its own timer to wait for a preset time a <200 to 300 m5> from the time it receives the message ■, and sends a message ■ again asking the terminal controller TC for a request.
Then, the message ■' in response to the request is sent to the POS terminal TM using the process described above.

In this process, if the terminal controller TC does not receive the message (2) from the store controller SC, it does not make an inquiry to the terminal TM.

In Fig. 3, 81 indicates the best timing from the POS terminal TM (the time when the message ■ from the store controller SC reaches the terminal controller TC).
Indicates the time required for response message ■ to be returned from terminal controller 1 to roller TC when message ■ indicating a request arrives at terminal controller TC (case 1).

Also, Wl is sent from the POS terminal TM at the worst timing (immediately after the "No request" message ■ is sent from the terminal controller TC to the store controller SC).
Indicates the time until a response message ■' is returned from the terminal controller TC when a message ■' indicating a request arrives at the terminal controller TC (
Case 2).

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) According to this method, if the message ■ has not arrived from the POS terminal TM at the time when the store controller SC sends the message ■ asking for a request (corresponding to case 2 above), As a result, the exchange of messages (2) and (3) becomes wasteful, and an unnecessary burden is placed on the CPU of the store controller SC.

Furthermore, there is a problem in that it takes a considerable amount of time for the terminal controller TO to return a response message (2) to a request from the POS terminal TM that occurs irregularly.

The present invention has been made under these circumstances, and is capable of efficiently processing inquiries from POS terminals in a polling/selecting transmission type POS system, improving the processing capacity of the entire system, and improving the processing power of the store controller's CPU. The aim is to provide a data communication method that can reduce the burden on users.

[Configuration 1 of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides that a POS terminal is connected to a terminal controller 1 to a roller, this terminal controller is connected to a store controller, and the terminal controller While receiving a message indicating a request, the store controller 1-roller sends a message to the terminal controller asking for the request, and the terminal controller sends a message informing the store controller of the request. In the method, the terminal controller includes a timer for continuing a state in which the message indicating the request can be received for a predetermined period from the time when the terminal controller receives the message asking for the request, and within the predetermined period, the terminal controller 1 to the roller When the message indicating the request is received, the message conveying the request is immediately transmitted.

(Function) In the data communication method of the present invention, from the time when a message sent from the store controller asking for a request from a POS terminal is received, a state in which a message indicating a request from the POS terminal can be received continues for a predetermined period of time. A timer is provided in the terminal controller to transmit the request, and when the terminal controller receives the message indicating the request within the predetermined period, it immediately sends a message conveying the request to the store controller. There is no need to provide intentional intervals between sending the requesting messages.

(Example) Hereinafter, details of an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, SC is a store controller, TC is a terminal controller, T is a timer controlled by this terminal controller, and TM is a POS terminal.

Further, L1 is a local communication line (bus line) between the store controller SC and the terminal controller TC, and L2 is a local communication line (loop line) between the terminal controller TC and the terminal TM.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the flow of messages in inquiry type work from the POS terminal.

In the figure, the direction of the arrow represents the message transmission direction, and time passes from the top to the bottom in the figure.

■ is a message from the store controller SC asking the terminal controller TC for a request, ■ is a message conveying a request from the terminal controller TC to the store controller SC, ■ is a message indicating a request from the POS terminal TM to the terminal controller TC,
■ is a message indicating a response to ■, ■ is a message indicating receipt of ■, and ■ is a message conveying a response from the terminal controller TC to the POS terminal TM.

In addition, a in the figure indicates the time during which the timer T of the terminal controller TC operates, and the maximum time that the terminal controller 1-roller TC continues to be able to accept the message ■ from the time it receives the message ■ until the message ■ is returned. shows.

In this embodiment, first, the store controller SC sends a message (2) to the terminal controller TC asking for a request, and enters a wait state.

From the time the terminal controller TC receives the message ■, it operates its own timer, and within time a (including before receiving the message ■), the POS terminal T
Immediately upon receiving the message ■ indicating a request from M, the message ■ conveying the request is sent to the store controller SC.

As a result, the store controller SC, which was in a wait state, receives a message from the terminal controller TC.
When it receives a message, it performs the corresponding processing and sends a message.
The processing result is returned to the terminal controller TC.

Then, the terminal controller TC sends the message ■ indicating that the message ■ has been received to the store controller S.
In addition to sending it back to C, there is also a POS required at the requester of time U.
Response data to terminal TM (store controller SC
Processing result data) ■ is sent.

On the other hand, the terminal controller TC performs POS within time a.
If no inquiry is received from the terminal TM, a message ■ indicating "no request" is sent to the store controller SC.
immediately sends the message ■' asking for the request again to the terminal controller TC, and thereafter sends the message ■' in response to the request to the POS terminal M using the process described above.

In FIG. 2, 82 indicates a case where a message ■ indicating a request arrives from the POS terminal TM at the best timing (at the time when the message ■ from the store controller 1 to the roller SC or the message ■ reaches the terminal controller TC). , the first response from the terminal controller TC? - Indicates the time until ji is returned (
Case 3).

In addition, W2 receives a request message J message ■' from the POS terminal TM to the terminal controller TC at the worst timing (immediately after the "No request" message ■ is sent from the terminal controller TC to the roller SC to the store controller 1). In this case, the terminal controller TC
Indicates the time from when the response message ■' is returned (case 4).

According to the method of this embodiment, even if the message ■ has not arrived from the POS terminal TM at the time when the message ■ asking for a request transmitted from the store controller SC reaches the terminal counter TC (this corresponds to case 4 above), the terminal Immediately after the controller TC sends the message "No request" ■, the store controller SC again sends the message ■ asking for a request, so the POS
The terminal TM can obtain the response message ■' corresponding to the message ■' with a short waiting time.

Here, case 3 in FIG. 2 and case 3 of the conventional example mentioned above are explained.
Comparing case 1 in the figure, message ■ is obtained in almost the same waiting time (B+-82) after message ■ occurs, but comparing case 4 in figure 2 and case 2 in figure 3 , in case 4, the message ■ can be obtained much faster (W2 <W+).

Therefore, it can be seen that, on average, the time from when the POS terminal TM issues the message ■ until the message ■ is returned from the terminal controller TC is shorter in the method of this embodiment than in the conventional method.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the terminal controller T
As a result of having a timer T on the C side, unnecessary messages are reduced, and the terminal controller TC can be used as a POS.
When there is a data request from the terminal TM, an inquiry can be made to the store controller SC immediately, thereby speeding up the entire system.

[Effect of the invention] As explained above, in the data communication system of the present invention, the PO
The terminal controller is provided with a timer that maintains a receivable state for a message indicating a request from the S terminal for a predetermined period of time, and when the terminal controller receives the message indicating the request within the predetermined period, it immediately sends the request to the store controller. Since we will send a message conveying the
Inquiries from S terminal are processed efficiently,
The processing capacity of the entire system is improved, and the load on the CPU of the store controller is reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram explaining the flow of messages in inquiry-related operations from a POS terminal in the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional data communication system. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the flow of messages in inquiry tL-related business from a POS terminal. SC・・・・Store controller 1~Lola TC・・・・
・Terminal controller TM... POS terminal T... Timer △, B... Local line

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A POS terminal is connected to a terminal controller, this terminal controller is connected to a store controller, and the terminal controller is connected to the
While receiving a message indicating a request from the OS terminal,
In the data communication method, the store controller sends a message asking the terminal controller the request, and the terminal controller sends a message conveying the request to the store controller, wherein the terminal controller receives the message asking the request. A timer is provided to continue a state in which the message indicating the request can be received for a predetermined period from the time when the terminal controller receives the message indicating the request within the predetermined period, and immediately transmits a message indicating the request. A data communication method characterized by: (2) When the terminal controller does not receive a message indicating a request within a predetermined time, it sends a message indicating that there was no request to the store controller, and immediately requests the store controller again when it receives this message. The data communication system according to claim 1, wherein the data communication system is configured to transmit a message asking for the following information.