Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01G—WEIGHING
  • G01G23/00—Auxiliary devices for weighing apparatus
  • G01G23/18—Indicating devices, e.g. for remote indication; Recording devices; Scales, e.g. graduated
  • G01G23/36—Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells
  • G01G23/37—Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells involving digital counting
  • G01G23/3728—Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells involving digital counting with wireless means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01G—WEIGHING
  • G01G19/00—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups
  • G01G19/40—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight
  • G01G19/413—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means
  • G01G19/414—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means using electronic computing means only
  • G01G19/4144—Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups with provisions for indicating, recording, or computing price or other quantities dependent on the weight using electromechanical or electronic computing means using electronic computing means only for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01G—WEIGHING
  • G01G23/00—Auxiliary devices for weighing apparatus
  • G01G23/18—Indicating devices, e.g. for remote indication; Recording devices; Scales, e.g. graduated
  • G01G23/36—Indicating the weight by electrical means, e.g. using photoelectric cells

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for detecting and displaying goods properties, having a detection device that can be operated to detect the goods properties and emitting corresponding detection signals, a display device having a predetermined number of display elements, and a triggering of the symbols that, in response to the detection signals, provides a visual representation of the symbols representing the detected goods properties Display elements operable control device.
• Devices of this type are used, for example, in the form of scales, in particular price-calculating scales, in numerous retail stores.
• the basic price of the goods based on the weight, the sales price obtained by multiplying this basic price by the weight and further sales information, such as the goods description, be displayed on the display device.
• Display area of the display devices of known devices of the type mentioned is generally limited by structural requirements.
• care is taken to display the necessary information on the smallest possible display areas with suitable display elements.
• a correspondingly adapted display device is generally required, but also a control device that is specially adapted to this display device. This leads to the problem that developed for everyone taking into account special customer requests Device of the type mentioned, both its own display device and a specially adapted control device must be developed.
• the object of the invention is to provide a device of the type specified at the outset which can be adapted to special customer requirements with the least possible development effort.
• control device has a driver circuit designed to control a number of display elements which exceeds the predetermined number of display elements.
• Such a control device can be used to control a large number of display devices which differ in terms of the number of display elements, as long as this number is less than the maximum number of display elements which can be controlled by the driver circuit.
• the development effort when adapting devices of the type specified at the outset to special customer requirements can be significantly reduced because one and the same control device can be used for a large number of appropriately adapted devices.
• Use is made of the knowledge that the oversizing of the driver circuit, which at first glance appears to be disadvantageous, can easily be accepted in view of the reduction in development effort thereby achieved.
• driver circuits in the form of commercially available graphics cards, such as VGA graphics cards, to control display devices having only a small number of display elements.
• the control of two display devices with only one driver circuit can take place, for example, by suitable programming of the driver circuit.
• the driver circuit has at least two groups of data outputs, each of which is designed for the transmission of display data assigned to a corresponding group of display elements, and the
• Data outputs of one of the groups are connected to only one of the display devices, while the data outputs of another group are only connected to another display device.
• the data outputs of another group are only connected to another display device.
• Display devices only a corresponding distribution of the display data to the corresponding data outputs are effected, which can be achieved by simple programming of the driver circuit.
• control signals for the electronic components of the display devices are also generally used to control display devices. the like needed.
• the driver circuit of the device according to the invention expediently has at least one control signal emergence connected to at least one display device, which is designed to transmit the control signals to the display device.
• control signal outputs of the driver circuit of a device according to the invention can be connected to two or more display devices without thereby impairing the possibility of displaying different information content with these display devices.
• processing of the detection signals with a corresponding one is also generally required before the display
• Signal processing device can be solved in a device according to the invention.
• the adaptation to special customer requirements is limited to the creation of corresponding ones 5
• the detection device and the signal processing device there is also a device which is preferably designed both for recording and reproducing data and is connected to the signal processing device
• Mass storage for example a commercially available hard disk is included.
• the device according to the invention can be operated as an independent system without recourse to other devices, such as a central memory or an additional data processing system, if the data required for this, such as basic goods prices, product descriptions or the like. be read into the mass storage in advance.
• an almost unlimited connectivity of the device according to the invention is achieved by using a commercially available PC main board in a device of the type specified at the outset, ie the possibility is opened of this device in a particularly simple manner with networks and / or other devices of the same type , such as B.
• Combine scales into a composite In a network of this type, it can be provided, inter alia, that one device takes on the function of a so-called master device or master scale, in which a central data memory is created, on which all others 6
• Devices of the network can access.
• the detection signals and / or the data obtained by processing the detection signals with the signal processing device are stored in the mass memory of the individual device and / or the central data memory to encode. It is also contemplated to operate the signal processing devices of devices according to the invention in such a way that only coded data are released for processing.
• the signal processing device is expediently assigned a data exchange device which can be operated to carry out a data exchange with other devices and which can be implemented, for example, in the form of a commercially available interface.
• a data exchange device which can be operated to carry out wireless data exchange is also intended.
• a device according to the invention in the form of a balance with a detection device which can be operated to generate weight signals representing the weight of the goods, it has also proven to be particularly expedient with regard to the relevant calibration regulations if the detection device also receives a weight signal Has calibration circuit with which a calibration from the weight signals
• Weight signals representing detection values are generated, and only these detection signals are applied to the control or signal processing device for further processing.
• control device has an input device, such as an input keyboard, which can be operated to input control commands and / or additional data 7
• goods-related data such as basic prices of individual goods
• goods-related data can be read into and / or read from the mass storage device of the device itself via such an input device.
• goods-related data can also be input via the input device for further processing of the detection signals generated with the detection device.
• a device according to the invention in the form of a scale, it has proven to be particularly expedient to minimize the space required if the input keyboard is arranged above a load plate which is used to hold the goods and which acts on the load cell, and the control device, the signal processing device, the mass storage device and / or the data exchange device is arranged in a support supporting the input keyboard.
• the display device can be arranged above the input keyboard.
• At least one display device has display elements arranged in the form of a dot matrix, because with this arrangement of the display elements any symbols and thus also any information content can be represented.
• Dot matrix can be controlled particularly easily with a driver circuit in the form of a commercially available VGA card, preferably a commercially available flat display VGA card.
• the VGA card can also be integrated on the PC main board.
• Conventional flat-display VGA cards are designed to control display devices in the form of a dot matrix with 640 x 480 matrix points arranged display elements. There are a total of eight in the commercially available driver circuit Data outputs are provided, the first four of which are designed to transmit the upper 240 lines of the point matrix and the other are used to transmit the lower 240 lines of the point matrix.
• commercially available Fiat display VGA cards also have a number of control signal outputs via which clock signals and the like are applied to electronic components of the display device.
• such a driver circuit can also be used to control two separate display devices with display elements arranged in the form of a dot matrix with 240 rows each, if the data outputs assigned to the upper 240 rows of a conventional dot matrix with 240 rows and 640 columns are connected to one of these Display devices and the other data outputs are connected to the other display device, the control signal outputs of the driver circuit being connected to both display devices.
• display devices with display elements arranged in the form of a dot matrix can be controlled with only 320 columns if the display data applied to the display device and assigned to the other 320 columns is ignored. This can be done, for example, by reading the display data assigned to the individual lines of the dot matrix serially into corresponding shift registers and pushing excess display data out of the shift register in the course of this process.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scale according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a front view of the scale of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 shows a side view of the scales according to FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the scale of FIG. 1,
• FIGS. 1 to 3 are circuit diagrams showing the control of the display devices of the scales according to FIGS. 1 to 3,
• FIG. 6 is a front view of a balance according to a second embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 7 is a side view of the scales according to Fig. 6 and
• Fig. 8 is a side view of a scale according to a third embodiment of the invention.
• Scales essentially consist of a scale housing 20 covered by a load plate 22, a carrier 30 fastened to the rear of the scale housing, an input keyboard accommodated in a keyboard housing 40 fixed to the carrier 30, and two liquid crystal displays 50 and 40 accommodated above the keyboard 42 in the carrier 30 60.
• the display surface of the liquid crystal display 50 faces an operator during the operation of the balance, while the display surface of the liquid crystal display 60 faces a customer during operation.
• Both liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 have display elements arranged in the form of a dot matrix with 240 rows and 320 columns.
• the carrier 30 has a leg 32, which is connected directly to the rear of the balance housing, forms an acute angle with the footprint of the balance, and points obliquely upward and adjoins a leg perpendicularly upward Leg 34 on.
• the keyboard housing 10 is connected directly to the rear of the balance housing, forms an acute angle with the footprint of the balance, and points obliquely upward and adjoins a leg perpendicularly upward Leg 34 on.
• the 40 and the input keyboard 42 are fixed on the side of the leg 34 pointing vertically upward facing the scale housing 20 and the individual keys of the input keyboard 42 are arranged in an inclined upward plane above the load plate.
• the liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 are also accommodated above the keyboard housing 40 in the leg 34 of the carrier 30 pointing vertically upward. In this way, a particularly compact scale is realized, which requires little floor space, allows simple and ergonomically convenient operation of the input keyboard by the generally standing sales staff, and enables the goods to be weighed to be placed particularly easily on the load plate 22, while at the same time being trouble-free Reading of the liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 is ensured.
• a weighing cell 24 loaded by the load plate 22 and a load placed thereon and a calibration circuit 26 are accommodated in the scale housing 20.
• a digital raw value representing the weight of the load acting on the load plate 22 is generated, from which the calibration circuit 26 generates data representing a calibrated weight value corresponding to the load.
• This data is forwarded via a corresponding data line for further processing to a central data processing device in the form of a PC main board 70.
• the calibrated weight value determined with the calibration circuit 26 can be processed further, taking into account data and control commands entered via the input keyboard 42.
• Additional data can be used, which are stored in a mass storage device in the leg 32 of the carrier 30 in the form of a hard disk or a CD-ROM with an associated drive, or are accessed by external devices via an interface 76 likewise arranged in the leg 34 of the carrier 30 become. It is also possible to transmit the data representing the weight value determined by the calibration circuit 26 and / or additional data via the interface 74 to additional devices, such as a central mass storage device, other scales or a to pass on the so-called "master scale" of a group of scales.
• a visual display of the weight value and / or additional information determined with the calibration circuit 26 and / or additional information on the liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 can also be generated via a corresponding driver circuit 72 in the form of a Fiat display VGA card, in particular the possibility consists of displaying different information contents on the liquid crystal displays 50 and 60.
• the central signal processing device in the form of the PC main board 70 and the driver circuit for the liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 in the form of a flat display VGA card are accommodated in the keyboard housing 40 , while the mass storage device 76 and the interface 74 which serves to produce an almost unlimited connectivity of the scale 10 are accommodated within the leg 34 of the carrier 30.
• FIG. 4 A block diagram of the individual electronic components of the scale shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is shown in FIG. 4.
• a driver circuit in the form of a Fiat display VGA card is generally used to control only one
• Dot matrix liquid crystal display designed with 480 rows and 640 columns.
• the driver circuit has a total of eight data outputs D1 to D8, of which the data outputs D1 to D4 are designed for the transmission of data assigned to the upper 240 lines of the dot matrix liquid crystal display, while the data outputs D5 to D8 are designed for the transmission of the lower 240 lines of the dot matrix - Data associated with liquid crystal display.
• four matrix points assigned to one matrix bit each can be transmitted in parallel via the data lines D1 to D4 or D5 to D8.
• the driver circuit 72 also has a number of control signal outputs, of which the outputs S1 and S2 are shown in FIG. 5. Control signals required for the operation of the electronic components of a display device, such as clock signals and the like, are output via these control signal outputs.
• the display data output via the data outputs D1 to D4 are applied to the dot matrix liquid crystal display 50 with 240 rows and 320 columns via corresponding data lines, while the display data output via the data outputs D5 to D8 are applied to the dot matrix - Liquid crystal display 60 with 240 rows and 320 columns are also output.
• Control signal outputs S1 and S2 output control signals applied to both the liquid crystal display 50 and the liquid crystal display 60.
• both display devices 50 and 60 can be controlled with only one driver circuit 72, it also being possible to output data that differ from one another to the individual liquid crystal displays via the data outputs D1 to D4 on the one hand and D5 to D8 on the other hand, which makes it possible to display them different information content opened with the display devices.
• FIGS. 6 and 7 differs from the embodiment of the invention explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 essentially only in that the PC main board 70 and the flat display VGA card 72 are not accommodated in the keyboard housing 40 but in the leg 34 of the carrier 30 pointing vertically upward. This enables the use of a smaller keyboard housing, which facilitates the handling of the scales, in particular when bulky goods are placed on the load plate 20.
• the dot matrix liquid crystal displays 50 and 60 are arranged on both sides of the scale housing 20, the while during operation, the liquid crystal display 50 facing the operator is accommodated in the keyboard housing 40, in which the PC main board, the Fiat display VGA card and the mass storage 76 are also accommodated.
• a printer 28 is also arranged in the scale housing 20 and is connected to the PC main board via a data line (not shown in the drawing). With the printer 28 accommodated in the space-saving manner in the balance housing 20, weighing reports can be printed out and receipts and receipts can be output via an output opening 29 provided in the balance housing 20 (cf. FIG. 1).
• the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments explained with reference to the drawing.
• it is also contemplated to control more than two display devices with only one driver circuit.
• the input keyboard can be structurally separated from the other components.
• the signals emitted by the VGA card installed in a device according to the invention can also be used to control a conventional display device of a computer.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mathematical Physics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Control Of Indicators Other Than Cathode Ray Tubes (AREA)
• Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=7867114

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-05-08 DE DE19820636A patent/DE19820636A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 1999
  • 1999-04-28 TR TR2000/03274T patent/TR200003274T2/xx unknown
  • 1999-04-28 EP EP99922141A patent/EP1076811A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-04-28 PL PL99343937A patent/PL343937A1/xx unknown
  • 1999-04-28 JP JP2000548693A patent/JP2002514746A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-04-28 WO PCT/EP1999/002885 patent/WO1999058937A1/de not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-04-28 HU HU0101492A patent/HUP0101492A2/hu unknown
  • 1999-04-28 CN CN99805679.0A patent/CN1122828C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-04-28 SK SK1383-2000A patent/SK13832000A3/sk unknown

Patent Citations (2)

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