JPH07295486A - Magnetic panel display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Regarding the status of an error in the operation of the recording head and the error in the communication system, and the display content displayed on the magnetic panel in the abnormal magnetic panel display at a remote location. The communication adapter or host computer can be used to know the information without going to a remote place. [Structure] The communication adapter is provided with a display unit including a light emitting diode and a liquid crystal display screen. By the program installed in the communication adapter, information such as the status of each magnetic panel display body and communication system error is displayed by blinking and color change of the light emitting diode arranged for each magnetic panel display body, and the contents are displayed. The communication adapter is provided with an error monitoring mechanism that can be displayed on the liquid crystal display screen or can be displayed on the display means provided in the host computer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a magnetic panel display in which a host computer and a magnetic panel display for displaying by a recording head provided with one or more electromagnets are connected via a communication adapter. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A display device using a magnetic panel display body provided with a large magnetic panel having a length and width of about 1 m or more is
On one or more magnetic panel displays installed in remote areas,
It is a system in which a host computer is connected via a communication adapter, and a system for displaying on each magnetic panel display body by inputting display contents to be displayed on the host computer, which has been conventionally known.

In this magnetic panel display, in order to display by using magnets on the magnetic panel, a recording head equipped with an electromagnet having cores of a highly magnetically permeable material arranged in a line is operated to make dots. The display constituted by the printing is performed, and when the recording head is moved from one end to the other end of the magnetic panel, the electromagnet is actuated to perform the display on the magnetic panel. For this purpose, the magnetic panel display body shows a print head driver that controls the ON / OFF operation of the electromagnet, a motor driver that controls the movement of the recording head, a position sensor related to the recording head, and the operation of each member for displaying. A controller including a controlling CPU, a memory, a character generator, an interface and a frame buffer is provided.

In order to operate the recording head to display on the magnetic panel, it is necessary to output a signal based on the display contents to be displayed to the controller, and a host computer is used as a means for outputting the signal. But,
A keyboard and a scanner are provided as means for inputting display contents.

The communication adapter serially transmits the signal from the host computer to the controller of one or more magnetic panel displays at a remote location, and the signal output from the host computer is a parallel interface. It is deployed for converting to an interface.

[0006]

Conventionally, in such a magnetic panel display device, a communication error occurs between the signal transmitted from the communication adapter to the controller of the magnetic panel display body and the signal received by the controller. In this case, a light emitting diode (hereinafter, simply referred to as an LED) provided in the communication adapter is made to blink to notify the operator.

Therefore, when a communication error occurs, the operator can know, but whether or not the recording head in the magnetic panel display is operating correctly can be known by the operator during operation. There wasn't. Moreover, in order to confirm whether or not the display based on the display information input to the host computer is made on the magnetic panel, it is very inconvenient to check the magnetic panel display bodies at remote locations one by one. It was

The object of the present invention has been made in view of the problems of the current magnetic panel display device, and in one or more magnetic panel display bodies at a remote place, an error in the operation of the recording head or a communication system. For the error status of the above and the contents displayed on the magnetic panel, the operator can use the communication adapter or the computer at hand to check the information without going to a remote place and checking each magnetic panel display. Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic panel display device provided with such an error monitoring mechanism.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides one or more magnetic panel displays for displaying on a magnetic panel with a recording head equipped with an electromagnet, and the magnetic panel displays. The display computer is connected to a host computer, which is means for inputting display information to be displayed on the display panel, and for transmitting the signal, through a communication adapter that is a communication control device that transmits the signal to each of the magnetic panel displays. In a magnetic panel display device, a communication adapter detects a light emitting diode and a liquid crystal display screen provided in the communication adapter, and a built-in program detects a controller that controls the operation of the recording head in each magnetic panel display. And the stored information on the recording head position and operating status and communication system errors, and the communication adapter The information of the communication system error that has been issued is displayed by blinking and color change of the light emitting diode arranged for each magnetic panel display body, and the content of the error state is displayed on the liquid crystal by the command input to the communication adapter. In addition to being able to display on the screen, the contents of the error state are transmitted to the host computer by the command input of the host computer and can be displayed on the display means arranged in the host computer, and are stored in the frame buffer built in the controller. An error monitoring mechanism is provided so that the display content displayed on the magnetic panel can be displayed on the display means provided in the communication adapter or the host computer by a command input from the communication adapter or the host computer. .

The display means arranged in the communication adapter or the host computer is a printer or a display device.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a magnetic panel display device 1 of the present invention, in which a host computer 2, a communication adapter 3 and a magnetic panel display body 4 (in the drawing, one unit is arranged for the sake of convenience). It consists of and.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the magnetic panel display 1 of this embodiment is provided with a magnetic panel 5 having a size of about 1 m × 2 m in length and width, and is opposed to the magnetic panel 5. The electromagnet 7 having the core 6 made of a highly magnetically permeable material
Display is performed by operating the recording heads 8 arranged in a line in a row in the horizontal direction. The recording head 8 can be moved back and forth along the magnetic panel 5 by a motor driver 9. Then, during the movement, the electromagnet 7 of the recording head is turned on / off by the operation of the print head driver 10 to display on the magnetic panel 8. The motor driver 9 and the print head driver 10 are connected to the controller 11 and their operations are controlled.

Further, in order to detect an operation error of the recording head 8, a position sensor 12 of a known technique using a photo interrupter for confirming the position of the recording head 8 and detecting the moving direction is provided. Controller 1
It is controlled by the controller 11 so as to transmit the detected data to 1.

The controller 11 has an interface 1
3, a CPU 14, a memory 15, a character generator 16 and a frame buffer 17. The interface 13 controls the exchange of display information data with the communication adapter 2, and the memory 15
Controls the recording of command data for operating the recording head 8, the character generator 16 controls the formation of the dot pattern of the font, and the frame buffer 17 controls the storage of the display contents displayed on the magnetic panel. Is done.

The communication adapter 3 is well known in the communication technology. For example, when a signal transmitted from one host computer is connected to many other devices, or transmitted from the host computer. It is used when converting the signal that is parallel interface to serial interface,
It is similar to these communication adapters. Therefore,
Similar to the conventional communication adapter, a detection unit that detects an error in a communication system, a program processing unit, an information processing unit, and the like are incorporated. Since these are known techniques, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A program is incorporated in the communication adapter 3 so that the program processing section and the information processing section perform operations as described later. Further, the configuration is such that 32 magnetic panel display bodies 4 can be connected and managed at one time, and the recording head 8 in each magnetic panel display body 3 can be managed.
16 LEDs 18 are provided so that the information on the position / operation state and communication system error can be displayed for each magnetic panel display body 4. Although only 16 LEDs 18 are provided, the block switch 20 is configured to perform display corresponding to the remaining 16 magnetic panel display bodies 4. The LED 18 is designed to blink and change color from green to red. A liquid crystal display screen 19 is provided to inform the contents of the information.

The communication adapter 3 responds to a signal transmitted from the communication adapter 3 to the controller 11 of the magnetic panel display body 4 by a program installed with the LED 18 and the liquid crystal display screen 19 to the controller 11
Communication error due to the difference from the signal received in
The communication error stored in the controller 11 between the signal transmitted from the controller 11 to the motor driver 9 or the print head driver 10 is transmitted to the communication adapter 3, and the LED 1 provided in the communication adapter 3 is transmitted.
By blinking 8 or based on a command input to the communication adapter 3, the error content is displayed and notified on the liquid crystal display screen 19, and the controller 11 causes the recording head stored in the CPU 14 about every one second. The position / operation status information of 8 is transmitted to the communication adapter 3, and whether the operation is normal or not is input to the communication adapter 3 by changing the blinking color of the LED 18 provided on the communication adapter 3. The error content is displayed on the liquid crystal display screen 19 based on the command to notify the same. The same display content as that displayed on the magnetic panel 5 stored in the frame buffer 17 of the controller 11 of the magnetic panel display 4 is displayed. The display information is sent to the communication adapter 3 by the command input from the host computer 2 or the communication adapter 3. Operated to transmit information, it is formed an error monitoring mechanism that can be displayed on a printer or a display device connected to the communication adapter 3 or the host computer 2 (not shown).

The operation state will be briefly described. By inputting the display content to be displayed on the magnetic panel 5 of each magnetic panel display 4 into the host computer 2, the respective magnetic panel display via the communication adapter 3. The signal is transmitted to the controller 11 of No. 4. Based on the signal, the controller 11 of each magnetic panel display body 4
Drives the recording head 8 by the motor driver 9 and the print head driver 10 to display on the magnetic panel 5. At that time, the CPU 14 detects the position / operation state of the recording head 8 from the position sensor 12 and the error condition of the communication system, and records it in the memory 15. The LED 18 of the communication adapter 3 lights up green at a position corresponding to the magnetic panel display body 4 which is transmitting a signal from the communication adapter 3, and lights up orange when the recording head 8 is operating.

The control unit of the communication adapter 3 sends a signal to the controller 11 of each magnetic panel display 3 about every one second, and the controller 11 so as to send back the information recorded in the memory 15 to the communication adapter 3. Are in control. An LED corresponding to each magnetic panel display 4 provided on the communication adapter 3 is constantly used to indicate the status of the information and the result of monitoring the communication error status detected by the communication adapter 3.
Is displayed by blinking or changing the color of the display unit 18
When some abnormality is occurring, the display unit 1
8 flashes in red to inform that. Further, by inputting a command to the communication adapter 3, the contents of the error situation can be displayed on the display unit 19 composed of a liquid crystal screen.

If necessary, the same display information as the display content displayed on the magnetic panel 5 stored in the frame buffer 17 of the controller 11 of the magnetic panel display 4 in the communication adapter 3 or the host computer 2. By inputting a command to send the data to the communication adapter 3 or the host computer 2
The image can be displayed on a printer or a display device which is a display unit connected to the.

[0021]

Since the magnetic panel display device of the present invention is constructed as described above, in the magnetic panel display body,
In order to confirm whether the recording head is operating correctly based on the command of the display information sent from the host computer, and whether the display based on the display information input to the host computer is made on the magnetic panel,
Since it is possible to know without going to a remote place and checking each magnetic panel display body, there is an advantage that an abnormality in the magnetic panel display device can be found immediately.

Further, the magnetic panel display device of the present invention, during operation, in each magnetic panel display body, always shows the operation error of the recording head and the error condition of the communication system at regular intervals.
Since the information is displayed on the display means of the communication adapter, it is possible to immediately know which part of which magnetic panel display body has an error, and therefore, there is an advantage that it is easy to take countermeasures immediately and maintenance is easy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a magnetic panel display device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall view of a magnetic panel display body in an embodiment of the magnetic panel display device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a magnetic panel display body according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which an electromagnet of a recording head is provided.

FIG. 4 is an overall view of a communication adapter in an embodiment of the magnetic panel display device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Host Computer 2 Communication Adapter 3 Magnetic Panel Display 4 Magnetic Panel 7 Recording Head 10 Controller 16 Frame Buffer 18 Light Emitting Diode 19 Liquid Crystal Display Screen

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A recording head equipped with an electromagnet, for inputting one or more magnetic panel display bodies for displaying on a magnetic panel and display information desired to be displayed on the magnetic panel display bodies, and transmitting the signal. In a magnetic panel display device, which is connected to a host computer, which is a means of, via a communication adapter, which is a communication control device that transmits the signal to each of the magnetic panel displays, the communication adapter is provided in the communication adapter. The display means using the light emitting diode and the liquid crystal display screen, and the installed program detect and store the position / operating state of the recording head and the communication system of the communication system detected by the controller that controls the operation of the recording head in each magnetic panel display. Error information and communication system error information detected by the communication adapter are displayed on each magnetic panel. It is displayed by blinking and color change of the light emitting diode arranged for each display body, and the contents of the error state can be displayed on the liquid crystal display screen by inputting a command to the communication adapter, and by the command input of the host computer, The contents of the error state are transmitted to the host computer and can be displayed on the display means arranged in the host computer, and the contents displayed on the magnetic panel stored in the frame buffer built in the controller are transferred to the communication adapter. Alternatively, a magnetic panel display device provided with an error monitoring mechanism that can be displayed on a communication adapter or a display means arranged in the host computer in response to a command input from the host computer.