JPH0481985A - information gathering equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a card-type information gathering device having a shape similar to an IC card.

[Prior Art] Conventional information collecting devices that collect external status information of devices include thermometers, gauges, etc. that have various sensors, and with the development of electronic technology, they are becoming smaller and more sophisticated. In terms of miniaturization, very small devices such as those used in thermometers have been realized. In addition, in terms of high functionality, devices that have an interface with a computer and can output collected data from that interface are becoming common, and devices that can store collected data on an IC card and analyze it later are also being developed. However, it is very expensive and large.

[Problem M that the invention seeks to solve] However, when trying to collect temperature and humidity data using conventional information gathering equipment and process that information with a personal computer, the miniaturized products lacked an interface. Even if there were, there were problems in that the input had to be input to the computer through a special circuit, and highly functional ones could not be easily used outdoors.

On the other hand, due to advances in semiconductor technology, memory I
Things that implement C, CPUs, memory, and other ICs that are collectively known as IC cards have been put into practical use, and the methods for exchanging information have been standardized, and products with interfaces for computers have been commercialized. . Therefore, in the present invention, the information collecting device has the same shape and signal exchange control function as an IC card, so that a computer can process the information collecting device in the same way as an IC card, thereby collecting and collecting external state information. The purpose is to simplify the analysis of the information obtained.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The information collecting device of the present invention includes a collecting means for collecting information from the outside, a clocking means for managing the collection time, a storage means for storing the collected information, and a control for overall control. It is characterized by having a means for exchanging information with an external information device, and a means for transmitting and receiving signals that realizes the same shape, signal terminal, and control method as an IC card.

Hereinafter, the details of the present invention will be shown by examples.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a card-type temperature information collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a temperature measurement circuit, 11 is an interface circuit with external information equipment, 1
2 is a memory circuit, 13 is a control circuit, 14 is a timer circuit, 15 is a power supply circuit, and 16 is a display device. The temperature information collection device of this embodiment has a card shape and signal terminal structure that can be inserted into IC card drives that are beginning to be adopted in general-purpose personal computers, and the collected information is processed using the CPU of the personal computer itself. The personal computer itself and various floppy disks, hard disks, and printers provided as peripheral devices can be used to record the information that has been carried out and processed.

The operation of this information gathering device will be explained using an example in which a user automatically records the temperature at a certain point (such as inside a box in a schoolyard). First, from a personal computer, the user specifies the data collection method. That is, the time interval of collection, whether or not minimum and maximum temperatures are recorded, etc. are input and processed by a program in the computer, and then the collection conditions are input through the interface circuit 11. At this time, the information collection device seen from the computer is similar to an IC card, and the operation is based on writing the collection conditions to a pre-specified address, so no special program is required on the computer side, and measurement conditions can be easily determined. settings are made. The control circuit 13 processes the specified measurement conditions through the interface circuit 11 and the timer circuit 14.
The memory circuit 12 sets the measurement time interval and stores the measurement conditions.
to be recorded. At this time, the voltage of the power supply circuit 15 is checked at the same time, and charging is performed to satisfy the measurement time.

After setting the measurement conditions and charging the power supply, the user removes the information collection device from the IC card drive and installs it at the measurement point. At this time, add an appropriate cover to the collection equipment that does not interfere with measurement to protect the signal terminals. Note that at this time, it is also possible to display the measurement conditions on the display device 16.

After being installed at the measurement point, the control circuit 13 operates the temperature measurement circuit 10 at every set time of the timer circuit 14 and records the obtained data in the memory circuit 12. This data can also be displayed on the display device 16 by setting measurement conditions. In this way, temperature information for the designated period is automatically recorded. If the voltage of the power supply circuit 15 drops abnormally during this period, the control circuit 13 stops temperature measurement and display, prioritizes retention of recorded information, and simultaneously records the situation in the memory circuit 12.

When the measurement is completed, the display 16 normally displays the completion message.

After confirming the completion display, the user inserts the information collecting device into the IC card drive and inputs the recorded information into the personal computer. In this poem, the control circuit 13 outputs information to the personal computer in response to a request from the interface circuit 11 as if it were a general-purpose IC card. Since the information obtained in this way can be immediately analyzed and recorded using a personal computer, the results are far more effective than recording using conventional recording paper.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration in which a nonvolatile memory device 17 is used as a part of the memory circuit 12 of a card-type temperature information collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. A nonvolatile memory device 17 and its connection device 18 are added to the configuration shown in FIG. The non-volatile memory device 17 is
It is a memory module composed of EEPROM or SRAM, etc., which is temporarily backed up by a capacitor, etc., and can independently hold information.

In this embodiment, the nonvolatile memory device 17 indirectly exchanges information with the personal computer through the information writing and information reading functions of the card-type temperature information collecting device connected to the IC card drive of the personal computer.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the card-type temperature information collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention can be applied not only to the above embodiments but also to a wide range of small measuring instruments, information receiving and storing devices, etc. having various sensors.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, it becomes easy to collect measurement information from various places using various sensors, and at the same time, processing of the collected information can be performed very easily and inexpensively. have an effect.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a card-type temperature information collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a card-type temperature information collecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the card-type temperature information collecting device according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2. 10 is a temperature measurement circuit, 11 is an interface circuit with external information equipment, 12 is a memory circuit, 13 is a control circuit,
14 is a timer circuit, 15 is a power supply circuit, 16 is a display device, 17 is a nonvolatile memory device, and 18 is a connecting device. Above Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] It has a collection means for collecting information from the outside, a clock means for managing collection time, a storage means for storing the collected information, a control means for overall control, a means for exchanging information with external information equipment, and an IC card. An information gathering device characterized by having a signal transmitting/receiving means that realizes a common shape, signal terminal, and control method.