JPH0719902A - Segment display - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable reliable discrimination between the digits falling on or upper in order than a reference unit and the digits lower in order than the reference unit and to make it possible to cope with the variation in the number of the digits higher in order than the reference unit by means of one kind of segment diaplay as in the case of the floating-point system, by making display with usual-sized numeral display and smaller-sized numeral display being changed over. CONSTITUTION:Two vertical segments are formed by serially disposing three segment elements 31a, 31c, and 31d (31b, 31e, and 31f) while, on the other hand, lateral segments are formed by parallel disposing the segment elements 31g and 31h provided between the upper ends and between the lower ends of each vertical segment, and two segment elements 31i and 31j provided between the knots of the vertical segment elements forming the vertical segments.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a segment display, which is provided in, for example, a weighing machine and displays numerical values by a plurality of segments.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a segment display (liquid crystal display) which is widely used in measuring instruments, calculators, etc. is composed of seven segment elements (7 segment type).
It was configured by arranging a plurality of digit display elements.

As shown in FIG. 4, this 7-segment type numeric display element has two vertical segments 1 and 2 arranged in parallel and two segment elements 1 of equal length.
a, 1b (2a, 2b) are arranged in series, and the horizontal segment 3 is provided between the upper ends of the vertical segments 1 and 2 so as to be bridged between the vertical segments 1 and 2. Segment element 3a and vertical segments 1 and 2
Segment element 3b provided between the lower ends of the vertical segments 1, 2 and the segment elements 1a, 1 arranged in series
The segment element 3c provided between the nodes of b (2a, 2b) is formed in parallel.

Therefore, in the segment display, as shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned numeral display elements are arranged by the number of digits. It should be noted that the one shown in FIG. 5 is a floating point system in which eight numeral display elements 4a to 4h are arranged side by side.
It shows an example of a segment display of digit display.

FIG. 5A is a display example in the case where the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 6 digits. The numeral display element 4f and the numeral display element 4g displaying the numerical values "6" and "7" are shown. Between the first decimal point display element 5a for displaying the decimal point.
Is provided. Therefore, in this case, the first decimal point display element 5a is turned on, and the numerical values "1", "2", "3",
"4", "5", and "6" are displayed as 6 digits above the reference unit, and the remaining two numeral display elements 4g and 4h reduce the decimal point to a numerical value "7" or "8" below the reference unit. Of 2
Display as a digit.

FIG. 5 (b) is a display example in which the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 5 digits. The numeral display element 4e and the numeral display element 4f on which the numerical values "5" and "6" are displayed are shown. Between the second decimal point display element 5b for displaying the decimal point.
Is provided. Therefore, in this case, the second decimal point display element 5b is turned on and the five number display elements 4a to 4e are used to set the numerical values "1", "2", "3",
"4" and "5" are displayed as five digits above the reference unit, and the remaining three numeral display elements 4f to 4h are used to set the numbers "6", "7", and "8" below the reference unit as decimal points. Of 3
Display as a digit.

FIG. 5 (c) is a display example in the case where the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 4 digits, and the numeral display element 4d and the numeral display element 4e on which the numerical values "4" and "5" are displayed. Between the third decimal point display element 5c for displaying a decimal point
Is provided. Therefore, in this case, the third decimal point display element 5c is turned on, and the numerical values "1", "2", "3", "4" are displayed by the four number display elements 4a to 4d.
Is displayed as four digits above the reference unit, and the remaining four numeral display elements 4e to 4h are used to set the digits "5", "6", "7" and "8" below the decimal point to four digits below the reference unit. Display as.

As described above, the method of distinguishing the digit above the reference unit and the digit below the reference unit by the conventional decimal point display has been shown. Next, the digit above the reference unit and the digit below the reference unit are identified. Another display example is shown in FIG.

That is, the digits larger than the reference unit are displayed by the normal size numeral display element for displaying the normal size numeral, and the digits less than the reference unit are displayed by the small size numeral display element for displaying the small size numeral. It is a thing. Therefore, this segment display is configured by arranging a plurality of the normal size numeral display elements and the small size numeral display elements side by side. Note that the one shown in FIG. 6 shows an example of a segment display of 6-digit display.

FIG. 6 (a) shows an example of a display having 6 digits, which is equal to or larger than the reference unit. In this case, the top 6 above the standard unit
The digit is a numerical value “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, which is composed of six normal size numeral display elements 6 a to 6 f.
"6" is displayed as a normal size number, and the remaining two digits less than the reference unit are two small size number display elements 7a and 7b.
Thus, the numbers "7" and "8" are displayed in small size numbers.

FIG. 6 (b) is an example of a display device having five digits, which is equal to or larger than the reference unit. In this case, the top 5 above the standard unit
Digits "1", "2", "3", "4", "5" are displayed as numbers of normal size by five number display elements 8a to 8e for normal size, and less than the remaining reference unit. The three digits of are the three small size number display elements 9a-9c,
Numerical values "6", "7", "8" are displayed in small size.

FIG. 6 (c) is an example of a display device having four digits, which is equal to or larger than the reference unit. In this case, the top 4 above the standard unit
Digits "1", "2", "3", and "4" are displayed as numbers of normal size by the four number elements 10a to 10d for normal size, and the remaining four digits below the reference unit are Numerical values "5", "6", "7", and "8" are displayed in small size numbers by the four small size number display elements 11a to 11d.

[0013]

However, as described above, there are two types of methods of distinguishing between digits greater than or equal to the reference unit and digits less than the reference unit: a method of displaying a decimal point and a normal size and a small size (large and small). There is a method of displaying numbers,
In the former method, there is a possibility that the decimal point may be overlooked, the position of the decimal point may be misread, etc., and there is a problem that it is not possible to reliably distinguish between a digit above the reference unit and a digit below the reference unit.

Further, in the latter method, since the numbers displayed are different in size, it is possible to reliably identify the digits larger than the reference unit and the digits smaller than the reference unit. The number of digits is greater than the reference unit (the number of digits less than the reference unit) is fixed in advance depending on the number of display elements. Therefore, if the number of digits greater than the reference unit (the number of digits less than the reference unit) varies, for example, as shown in FIG.
6 (a) and 6 (a) and 6 (b), respectively.
(B) and FIG. 6 (c) require three types of segment display devices, which causes a problem of high cost and troublesome management.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the normal size numerical display and the small size numerical display can be switched and displayed. Therefore, it is possible to surely identify the digit above the reference unit and the digit below the reference unit, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a segment display that can respond to fluctuations in the number of digits that are greater than or equal to a reference unit with one type of segment display in the same manner as the floating point system.

[0016]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a segment display comprising a plurality of digit display elements for displaying a numerical value by a plurality of segments, each digit display element having three or four vertical segments. The segment elements are formed by arranging the segment elements in series, and the horizontal segment is provided between the segment elements provided between the upper ends and the lower ends of the vertical segments and the nodes of the segment elements arranged in series in the vertical segments. And two or three segment elements respectively provided in the above are arranged in parallel.

[0017]

In the present invention having such a structure, each numerical display element includes a vertical segment, a segment element provided between upper ends and lower ends of the vertical segments among the horizontal segments, and arranged in series with each vertical segment. Numbers of normal size are displayed using one of the two or three segment elements provided between the nodes of the segment element.

Further, three segment elements among the four or five segment elements of the horizontal segment and segments provided between the left ends and the right ends of the vertical segment segment elements used in the horizontal segment. The element and are used to display small size numbers.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a main part of a segment display to which the present invention is applied, and reference numeral 21 is a CPU (central processing unit) which constitutes a control unit main body. To this CPU 21, via the system bus 22,
A liquid crystal driver 24 for driving a liquid crystal display 23 as a segment display and an electronic circuit section 25 provided with a memory 25a and an interface circuit (not shown) are connected.

The memory 25a includes the CPU
The program data of the processing performed by the CPU 21 is stored, and various storage areas (not shown) used when the CPU 21 performs the processing are formed.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the liquid crystal display 23 has eight numeral display elements 31 to 38 having the same structure as the numeral display element 31 composed of ten segment elements.
Are arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 3 to form an 8-digit display.

The numeral display element 31 has two vertical segments arranged in parallel, and is composed of a normal size segment element 31a (31b) and approximately half the length of the normal size segment element 31a (31b). Segment elements 31c, 31d (31e, 31f) for small size are arranged in series, and horizontal segments are provided between the upper ends and the lower ends of the vertical segments.
1g, 31h and two segment elements 31i, 31j provided between the nodes of the segment elements forming each vertical segment are arranged in parallel.

Although the numeral display element as shown in FIG. 2 (a) is used in this embodiment, the numeral display element as shown in FIG. 2 (b) or 2 (c) may be used. good. That is, FIG. 2A can display a small-sized subscript number, while FIG. 2B can display a small-sized subscript number. In FIG. 2C, a small number with a subscript or a small number with a superscript can be selected and displayed.

That is, in the numeral display element 41 shown in FIG. 2 (b), the vertical segment is approximately half the length of the normal size segment element, and the small size segment element 41 is approximately half the length of the normal size segment element.
a, 41b (41c, 41d) and a normal size segment element 41e (41f) are arranged in series,
The horizontal segments are segment elements 41g and 41h provided between the upper ends and the lower ends of the vertical segments, and two segments provided between the nodes of the segment elements arranged in series of the vertical segments. Elements 41i, 41
It is formed by arranging j in parallel.

In the numeral display element 51 shown in FIG. 2C, the vertical segment is approximately half the length of the normal size segment element, and the small size segment elements 51a, 51b,
51c, 51d (51e, 51f, 51g, 51h) are formed by arranging them in series, and horizontal segments are provided as segment elements 51i, 51j provided between upper ends and lower ends of the vertical segments and the vertical segments. Segment elements 51 provided between the nodes of the segment element
It is formed by arranging k, 51m and 51n in parallel.

In the present embodiment having such a configuration, for example, FIG. 3A shows a display example when the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 6 digits. In this case, the numerical display elements 31 to 36 are
As the 6 digits above the reference unit, for example, in the numerical display element 31, the numerical values "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6" are usually used without using the segment element 31j. Display by size. The remaining numeral display elements 37 and 38 are
As the two digits less than the reference unit, for example, in the case of the numeral display element 31, the numerical values "7" and "8" are displayed with a small size numeral without using the segment elements 31a, 31b, 31g.

FIG. 3B shows a display example when the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 5 digits. In this case, the numerical display elements 31-
35 is a five-digit number that is equal to or larger than the reference unit, and for example, in the numerical display element 31, without using the segment element 31j,
Numerical values "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" are displayed as normal size numbers. The remaining numeral display elements 36, 37,
38 is a three-digit number less than the reference unit. For example, in the case of the numeral display element 31, the segment elements 31a, 31b, 3
The numbers "6", "7", and "8" are displayed in small size numbers without using 1g.

FIG. 3C is a display example when the number of digits of the reference unit or more is 4 digits. In this case, the numerical display elements 31-
34 is a 4-digit number equal to or larger than the reference unit, for example, in the numerical display element 31, without using the segment element 31j,
Numerical values "1", "2", "3", "4" are displayed in normal size. Remaining number display elements 35, 36, 37, 3
8 is a three-digit number less than the reference unit, for example, the segment display elements 31a, 31b, 31 in the case of the numerical display element 31.
Numerical values "5", "6", "7", "8" without using g
Is displayed in small size.

In this embodiment, the number display element 31 shown in FIG. 2A is used to display the numbers displayed in a small size at the subscript position. 10-segment numeral display element 4 shown in (b)
If 1 is used to construct an 8-digit segment display, the numbers displayed in a small size can be displayed in the superscript position, and the 13-segment number display element 51 shown in FIG. If an 8-digit segment display is constructed by using it, it is possible to select and display a number displayed in a small size at any of the superscript, subscript, and substantially center positions.

As described above, according to this embodiment, two vertical segments are connected to three segment elements 31a, 31c, 3
1d (31b, 31e, 31f) are formed by arranging them in series, and horizontal segments are formed by segment elements 31g and 31h provided between the upper ends and lower ends of the vertical segments and segment elements forming the vertical segments. By forming the two segment elements 31i, 31j provided between the nodes in parallel with each other, it is possible to easily switch and display the normal size and the small size numbers (one number display). It is possible to switch between large and small display sizes depending on the device).

Therefore, in order to distinguish the digit above the reference unit and the digit below the reference unit, it is not necessary to separately provide a display element such as a decimal point, and the digits above the reference unit and below the reference unit are displayed. Since the size of the numbers to be changed is changed, it is possible to reliably identify the digits above the reference unit and the digits below the reference unit. Moreover, since one number display element can display numbers of two sizes, it is more than (less than) the reference unit.
One type of segment display can deal with the fluctuation of the number of digits in the same manner as the floating point method.

That is, it is possible to provide a segment display which is simple and inexpensive, and in which it is possible to easily distinguish between the digits larger than the reference unit and the digits smaller than the reference unit. In this embodiment, a segment element forming a vertical segment is a segment element of a small size obtained by dividing a segment element of a normal size into two, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, in the numerical display element shown in FIG. 2A, each segment element 31a, 31 forming the vertical segment is formed.
The lengths of c and 31d may all be the same, or the segment elements 31a and 31d may be formed to be slightly longer and the segment element 31c may be slightly shorter.

[0033]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention,
It is possible to switch between the normal size numerical display and the small size numerical display, so that it is possible to reliably identify the digits above the reference unit and the digits below the reference unit, and also to fluctuate the number of digits above the reference unit. On the other hand, it is possible to provide a segment display device that can handle one type of segment display device in the same manner as the floating point system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of essential parts of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing three kinds of examples of the numeral display element of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing three examples of 8-digit display in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional 7-segment numeral display element.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional floating-point 8-digit display.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of 8-digit display by three types of conventional display devices.

[Explanation of symbols]

23 ... Liquid crystal display, 31-38 ... Numerical display element, 31a
~ 31j ... Segment element.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A segment display comprising a plurality of digit display elements arranged to display a numerical value by a plurality of segments, wherein each of the numeric display elements comprises a vertical segment.
Segment elements formed by arranging three or four segment elements in series, and a horizontal segment being provided between the upper end and the lower end of each vertical segment and the segment arranged in series of each vertical segment A segment display characterized in that it is formed by arranging in parallel two or three segment elements provided between respective node portions of the element.