AU603789B2 - Procedure for programming a point matrix display decoder - Google Patents

Description

I Ii COMMONWEALTH AUSTRAL Patent Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number 699(1 e7 Lodged Complete Specification Lodged Accepted Published This document contains the amendments made under Section 49 and is correct for printing Priority 13 March 1986 Related Art Name of Applicant Address of Applicant Actual Inventor/S Address for Service KONE ELEVATOR GMBH Rathausstrasse 1, CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland Seppo Ovaska F.B. RICE CO., Patent Attorneys, 28A Montague Street, BALMAIN 2041.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: PROCEDURE FOR PROGRAMMING A POINT MATRIX DISPLAY DECODER The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us/mR:- K 7 1 la The present invention concerns a procedure, and a means, for programming the decoder of a display, such as that of the point matrix display of a lift's floor level indicator.

Point matrix displays are controlled with a means called in electronics a decoder, consisting of a non-volatile memory which interprets any character or sequence of characters transmitted to it in terms of a memory location address, the point matrix display reading the contents of said memory location and, on the basis thereof, lighting up or leaving unlighted its individual points so as to produce on the display the configuration defined by the memory contents.

P f Since the decoder circuit, which for instance at a lift's call button Sr' r station indicates by numerals that floor in the building on which the c' lift is at any particular moment, shall consist of a non-volatile memory circuit from which the information it holds will not vanish even if its electric supply is interrupted, it is ususal to provide readonly memories (ROM) pre-programmed at the works, or alternatively so-called programmable read-only memories (PROM, EPROM) are programmed by the user for producing decoders. In this way certainly operative display decoders can be obtained, but for instance in floor level displays in connection with lifts, which are required in a great variety (for different totals of floors, special designations for the basement, ground, attic and other floors, and symbols in foreign languages such as Chinese or Japanese), it becomes necessary to keep great numbers of pre-programmed memories in store, while catering for special requests or modification of standard displays Roman numerals, or symbols, instead of standard floor numbers) is difficult or outright impossible.

The development of semiconductor memories has resulted in there presently being available so-called electrically reprogrammable read-only memories (EEPROM). Me ti I W-N-p f By making use 2 of memories of this type in point matrix display memory decoders the present invention advantageously provides a means by the aid of which it is possible with ease and rapidly to form any symbols for any floor level indicator display, even on site.

The present invention provides a means for programming the decoder of a point matrix display of a lift's floor level indicator, the programming means comprising an input symbol matrix which corresponds to said point matrix display, the input symbol matrix being user operable to enter a desired symbol, processor means arranged to produce symbol data corresponding to the symbol entered in the input symbol matrix, selection means for selecting a desired memory address of said decoder, and a parallel interface for transferring, under control of the processor means, said symbol data to said selected address in said decoder means, said point matrix display being arranged to display the desired symbol in accordance with said symbol data entered in said selected address in said decoder means.

An advantageous embodiment of the means of the invention is characterized in that the programming logics feature bidirectional data transfer so that the decoder memory circuit can be placed in read mode and that said parallel interface is bidirectional as to its traffic, whereby the symbol that has been stored in the decoder memory is, in the read mode, readable on indicators corresponding to the matrix display.

The programming means of the invention affords a number of advantages: programming of the decoder no longer requires designing specific symbol logics for each job; no high technical skill is required in programming floor level symbols; -2a the floor level symbols can be changed with ease without any alterations of wiring or hardware; the intelligence necessary for accomplishing the programming has been placed in the programming means, and therefore the costs of the decoder itself can be minimized.

Other advantageous embodiments of the means of the invention are characterized by that which has been set forth in the claims following farther below.

The invention is described in the following more closely with the aid of an example, referring to the drawings that have been attached, 7~' wherein:- Fig. 1 illustrates the programming event when using the means of the invention, in the form of a block diagram, Fig. 2 presents the block diagram of the programming means of the invention, Fig. 3 presents the control panel of the programming means of the 110 invention.

Fig. 1 depicts the connections between the programming means 3, the decoder 1 controlling the display and two point matrix displays 2. The decoder contains a non-volatile, EPROM-type read-only memory, in which j are stored bit configurations corresponding to the floor level-specific I symbols. The decoder is connected to a data bus (not depicted) coming from the lift control system, this data bus carrying information on the location of the lift in the lift shaft. The location information obtained from the bus activates the decoding process by supplying the initial address, corresponding to the lift's location, and a write command to the decoder 1, as a result of which the floor level symbol stored in the EPROM memory, in columns, at a predetermined number of memory locations starting from the initial address is transferred, one column at a time, to the point matrix display 2, which is an assembly containing two 5x7 matrices, implemented for instance by means of LED technology. The programming means 3 connects with the decoder 1 over a flat cable (parallel mode data transfer).

The transfer of each floor level symbol may be accomplished either by 3O means of traditional sequential logics or using a microprocessor. The transfer has recurrent character, and this enables point matrix displays without holding circuits to be used. Writing action of one EPROM memory column at a time and repeated at a given frequency is also a better alternative as regards power consumption, compared with simultaneous activation of all matrix points which belong to one floor level symbol. In our exemplary case each column has 7 pixels, which can be 1 4 represented with 7 bits. Normally, a data word (byte) transferred in parallel mode has 8 bits, and therefore the last bit may be disregarded, or it may be used for checking (so-called parity check). The bits may for instance be interpreted so that 1 causes the respective LED to light up and 0 causes it to become dark. Thus, for instance, the information contained in the centremost column of the symbol matrix equivalent to the numeral "LV" configuration can be expressed with the byte (bottom to top) 0001010. By transferring in the programming event five such bytes in succession to consecutive memory locations in the EPROM iO memory one achieves the storing therein of the code which will produce on the point matrix display the numeral of the example (Fig. In Fig. 2 are presented the functional blocks of the programming means 3. Reference numeral 4 indicates a microprocessor which contains a t memory and a clock oscillator, 5 refers to the supply voltage source (a C battery), 6 is the parallel interface logic through which the states of t the keys and switches in the programming means are read, 7 is the S parallel interface logic through which the indicators of the programming means are controlled, and 8 is a parallel interface circuit Sthrough which connection is established with the floor level display decoder I. The interaction between the exceedingly simple functional Sblocks constituting a microprocessor, presented in Fig. 3, and the data transfer protocol are obvious to data processing professionals and are not more closely considered here.

In Fig. 3 is presented an example of the control panel of the programming means, presenting a 5x7 key matrix array 9 corresponding to the points of one point matrix display 2, by means of which the desired floor level symbol can be formed. Each switch 10 has a LED indicator 11 which in connection with the programming process indicates whether the respective key has or has not been depressed and, in the EPROM memory reading mode, indicates the symbol that has been programmed for the selected display. The switches in the switch matrix array consist advantageously of pulse-action press buttons. The panel furthermore carries LED indicators 12 indicating which one of the two point matrix displays 2 has been selected at any given time to be processed, and a switch 13 by which this selection can be made.

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The thumb wheel switches 14 are used to select, and indicate, that floor level of which the display is being processed. The total number of floor levels is shown on index wheels rotating along with the switches 14. The microprocessor 4 reads the state of the switches 14, converts it to an address in the EPROM memory and calls to the display the symbol corresponding to that address and/or stores, after alteration, if any, the symbol back in the correct memory location.

The Reset button 15 is used during the programming step to delete any incorrect symbol configuration from the key matrix, and the switch 16 selects the function mode (read or write) of the means, the mode being indicated by LED indicators 17. When a symbol has been cqmpleted in the key matrix 9, it is transferred into the EPROM memory of the decoder 1 by pressing the programming key 18, which causes the corresponding signal light 19 to be lighted.

The decoder programming means is operated as follows:the operator connects the programming means 3 to the point matrix display decoder 1 with a flat cable 20 (Fig. 3); the operator selects the floor level number with the thumb wheels (14) of the programming means (in the example in Fig.-3, 24th floor); the operator selects (with switch 13) the display to be programmed and types the desired floor level symbol in the symbol matrix 9; hereafter, programming the display decoder 1 is carried out by pressing the programming key 18; this sequence is repeated for every display 2 o- every floor level if a new lift installation is concerned. In alteration jobs, only those displays are reprogrammed which have to be changed.

Alternatively, the programming work for a new installation may be performed to completion at the works, applying the same procedure as has been described above. If the operator uses the switch 16 to select the "read" mode, the LED indicators 11 on the keys 10 will indicate the existing symbol of the floor level that has been selected. In this way, 4 all checking operations become quite easy.

Another way in which the symbol matrix 9 may be implemented is to make it up of LED indicators 11 alone, without switches 10. In that case a light-pencil 21 is needed to indicate the selected matrix point. Matrix displays are usually controlled in that pulses are continuously sent to the display driver, which cause the indicators determined by the bit configuration at the driver input to flash in sequence at a frequency such that the image thus produced appears to the human eye as continuously lighted. This mode of programming is called scanning, and in this mode of operating in actual fact the extinguished indicators, too, are polled on every round. They too receive a small pulse which causes them 4 to flash, usually at an intensity below the registering threshold of the human eye. Howyer, the photoresistor mounted in the light-pencil 21 S^*3 is also able to observe the momemts when an "extinguished" LED indica- I t tor flashes, and on the basis of the time when such is reported by the light-pencil the microprocessor 4 is enabled to infer which one of the indicators was being pointed to with the pencil because all indicators are polled, one at a time. Thus, in this alternative embodiment the O symbol matrix 9 may have exactly the same external appearance as in Fig. 3, with the outlines of the switches 10 replaced with a decoration forming a similar grid.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the invention is not confined to the example presented in the foregoing and that, instead, its different embodiments may vary within the scope of the claims stated below.

Claims (4)

1. A means for programming the decoder of a point matrix display of a lift's floor level indicator, the programming means comprising an input symbol matrix which corresponds to said point matrix display, the input symbol matrix being user operable to enter a desired symbol, processor means arranged to produce symbol data corresponding to the symbol entered in the input symbol matrix, selection means Ifor selecting a desired memory address of said decoder, Iand a parallel interface for transferring, under control of the processor means, said symbol data to said selected p address in said decoder means, said point matrix display being arranged to display the desired symbol in accordance with said symbol data entered in said selected address in said decoder means.

2. A programming means in accordance with claim 1, wherein the input symbol matrix includes an array of switches, each switch being associated with a respective LED indicator and being actuatable in order to enter a desired symbol, the LED indicators being operable to display the entered symbol and/or the symbol contained as symbol data in the selected memory address of the decoder memory.

3. A programming means in accordance with claim 1, wherein the input symbol matrix consists of an array of LEDs whose on or off state is changeable by means of a light pencil in order to enter a desired symbol.

4. A programming means in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the processor means is arranged to control data transfer from the decoder to the programming means as well as from the programming means to the decoder, whereby data can be read from a selected address in the decoder memory and displayed on the input symbol matrix, as well as data being written into a selected address in the decoder memory, and wherein the parallel interface is arranged to carry bi-directionally to and from the decoder. I- r~- -8- A means for programming the decoder of a point matrix display substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 29 day of August 1990 KONE ELEVATOR GMBH Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: F.B. RICE CO. 42922T/KN