JP2761990B2 - Data protection device for electronic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data protection device for an electronic device for protecting data from data destruction when a power-backed RAM (random access memory) is turned off.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electronic device having a RAM whose power is backed up, data in the RAM is normally backed up by a battery which is a backup power supply even when the main power of the electronic device is turned off.
Since the capacity of the battery is limited, backup for a long time exceeding the limit cannot be performed, and in some cases, data in the RAM may be destroyed and lost. Thus, the main power supply for a long time in consideration of the fact that it remains turned off, before the user turns off the main power, such as a floppy disk data in the RAM by the this performing a predetermined key operation Some devices have a data protection device that protects data by storing the data in a non-volatile storage medium. After confirming that the data storage has been completed, the operator turns off the power. In such an electronic device, when the main power is turned on, even if the data in the RAM is destroyed and lost, the main power is turned off by restoring the data stored in the storage medium by performing a key operation or the like. It is possible to return to the state before doing.

[0003]

However, the conventional data protection device for electronic equipment requires a key operation for storing data in a storage medium before the main power is turned off, and is complicated. If the operation is forgotten, the data cannot be restored if the data is lost beyond the capacity of the battery. In addition, since the operation of turning off the power after confirming that the saving has been completed is performed, a waiting time occurs before the power is turned off, which is troublesome for the operator, and in the worst case performing other work during the waiting time There was a risk of forgetting to turn off the power switch.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems of the prior art, and can protect data in a data storage unit which is backed up by a power supply without any troublesome operation and can surely turn off a power supply. It is an object of the present invention to provide a data protection device for an electronic device capable of performing the following.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems A data protection apparatus of the present onset Ming electronic device includes a controller, a data storage unit which is backed up by a backup power source while being controlled by the control unit, via a power supply circuit An electronic device including a power switch for turning on / off the power supply to the control unit, wherein the read / write nonvolatile storage medium connected to the control unit and the power switch are connected in parallel. A relay for turning on / off a relay contact, a detection circuit for connecting an input terminal of the power switch to a control unit when the power switch is turned off, and a power supply to the control unit in response to the start of power supply. Relay control means for driving the relay to turn on a relay contact, and according to the input of an off signal of a power switch via the detection circuit,
A data storage processing means for executing a data storing process to store the data of the data storage unit in the storage medium, the
That the data storage processing by the data storage
Identification data storage means for storing identification data indicating
According to the input of the ON signal of the power switch, the data
Storage unit to determine whether the storage unit has been destroyed
The data storage unit is broken by the notification unit and the storage unit detection unit.
It is determined that it has been broken, and the identification data storage means
Provided that the identification data exists, the storage medium
Processing for restoring data stored in the data storage unit to the data storage unit
Data restoring means .

[0006]

According to the present invention having such a configuration, the power supply switch is provided.
When the switch is turned on, the data in the data storage
An investigation was conducted to determine if the data was
And the data executed when the power switch was turned off
The identification data indicating that the storage process of the
Data stored on the storage medium on condition that the
Data is automatically restored to the data storage unit .

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic cash register as an electronic device will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view of an electronic cash register, in which a keyboard 2 for inputting a code and a price of a product for sale is provided on a front surface of a main body 1, and a price and a total of the product entered by a key on the upper surface. An operator display 3 and a customer display 4 for displaying the amount of money and the like are provided. Further, an R / J printer 5 for printing on receipt paper and journal paper is provided inside the main body 1. Further, a drawer 6 for storing cash or the like on the lower surface of the main body 1.
Is installed. In the figure, 7 is a power plug, and 8 is a power switch of a main power supply.

FIG. 1 is an electrical hardware configuration diagram of the electronic cash register of this embodiment. The CPU 9, which is a control unit, is the center of the apparatus for executing arithmetic processing on various data input from the keyboard 2 and the disk device 19, which is a nonvolatile storage medium. The CPU 9 has an address bus, a data bus, and the like. , A ROM 11 and a data storage unit RA via a bus line 10 comprising a control line.
Each memory of M12 is connected. The ROM 11 stores program data for the CPU 9 to control each unit and fixed data such as character generator data. The RAM 12 includes a print buffer, a display buffer, and various memories for storing variable data, such as a memory for accumulating sales data of products registered for sale. The RAM 12 is backed up by the battery 13 when the main power is off.

[0009] The keyboard controller 14 for controlling the keyboard 2, the display controller 15 for controlling the display unit 3 and 4, the printer configuration Torrox La 16 that controls the R / J printer 5, the signal to the drawer opening device 17 I / O port 18 for outputting disk, disk device 1
Disk controllers 20 for controlling the reading and writing of data from and to the CPU 9 are connected to the CPU 9 via the bus lines. Note that the disk device 19 in this embodiment means a hard disk device. Further, this disk apparatus 19, are you store a copy flag is identification data identifying data storage means for identifying whether refrained data RAM12 to the disk device 19
A copy flag memory 21 is formed. Further CPU
A relay 22 is connected to 9 via the bus line and the I / O port 18. The relay contact 23 of the relay 22 is connected in parallel to the power switch 8. The power switch 8 closes a contact by an ON operation,
As a result, when the power plug 7 is inserted into the outlet, the power supply circuit 24 and the commercial AC power supply are electrically connected. When connected to a commercial AC power supply, the power supply circuit 24 supplies a desired DC power supply from the AC power to the CPU 9 and the like.
By this power supply, various elements including the CPU 9 can operate. The power switch 8 is connected to a detection terminal 25 for detecting power-off and a signal line 26 via a signal line 26.
/ O port 18. When the power is turned off by this detection circuit, an off signal indicating this is input to the I / O port 18, and the CPU checks that signal at regular time intervals to detect that the power switch 8 has been turned off.

FIG. 3 shows a power-on (power-on) of this embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time. This process is executed by turning on the power switch 8 with the power plug 7 inserted into the outlet. First, at step 100, it is determined whether or not normal startup is performed. This is a normal start-up if the power switch 8 is kept operated, but it is determined whether the operation is a specific operation, for example, setting of a dip switch or operation of the power switch 8 while a predetermined key is pressed. It is determined by a switch or a key signal. If it is a special startup, other processing is executed in step 101. The other processing is RAM
There are processes such as clearing the contents of No. 12. Step 1
When it is determined that the normal start-up is performed at 00 , the relay 22 is driven to turn on the relay contact 23 at step 102 which is the relay control means, and the data of the RAM 12 which should have been backed up by the battery at step 103 is stored. Investigate whether it has been destroyed. This check is performed, for example, by storing fixed data in a predetermined area of the RAM 12 in advance, reading the data, and determining whether the data is stored. Data unless RAM12 a data read data is had you and stored can be judged to have been destroyed. The result is discriminated in step 104, and if not destroyed, normal program processing is executed in step 109. Step 103
And 104 are storage unit detection means.

If it is determined in step 104 that the data has been destroyed, it is determined in step 105 whether the data in the RAM 12 has been reserved by referring to the reserve flag memory 21 of the disk device 19. In this embodiment, when 1 is set in the copy flag memory 21, it is assumed that the data in the RAM 12 is normally stored in the disk device 19. Therefore, if 1 is not set in the copy flag memory 21, there is no data in the RAM 12 in the disk device 19, and a message indicating a memory error is displayed on the displays 3 and 4 in step 106. If 1 has been set in the copy flag memory 21, the data in the RAM 12 is stored in the disk device 19, so the data stored in the disk device 19 is read via the disk controller in step 107 and transferred to the RAM 12. And restore the data. Then, in step 108, the flag in the copy flag memory 21 of the disk device 19 is cleared, and in step 109, normal program processing is executed. Step 107 is a data restoration process.
Means.

FIG. 4 shows the power-down (power-off) of this embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time. This processing is periodically executed by checking the state of the power switch 8 from a signal input to the I / O port via the detection terminal 25 and the signal line 26 and detecting that the power switch 8 is off. is there. In step 110, a timer is started.
This is a software timer based on a counter formed in the RAM 12. In step 111, the process of storing the data stored in the RAM 12 in the disk device 19 via the disk controller 20 is started. In step 112, it is determined whether the data has been stored in the disk device 19 up to the last address of the address occupied by the RAM 12. It is determined whether the saving is completed. If not, it is determined in step 113 whether the value of the timer has reached a predetermined value.
The process of saving the memory data is repeated until the saving is completed or the timer value reaches a predetermined value. Step 11
If the timer value reaches the predetermined value in step 3, step 1
At 15, the driving of the relay 22 is stopped and the relay contact 23 is turned off. In this case, it means that the data in the RAM 12 has not been saved in the disk device 19. If it is determined in step 112 that the storage has been completed, then in step 114 the copy flag memory 21 of the disk device 19
Is set to 1 and the energization of the relay 22 is stopped in step 115 to turn off the relay contact 23. In this case, it means that the data in the RAM 12 has been saved in the disk device 19. When the relay contact 23 is turned off, the power supply circuit 24 is disconnected from the AC power supply, the supply of DC power supply to the CPU 9 and the like is stopped, and the CPU 9 becomes inoperable. Step 111 is a data storage processing means.
Steps 112 and 114 are performed by the identification data storage unit.
is there.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When the power switch 8 is turned on with the power plug 7 inserted into the outlet, the contact of the switch is closed and the power circuit 24 is turned off.
And the CPU 9 and the like become operable.
In the normal case, the relay 22 is energized under the control of the CPU 9 and the relay contact 23 is turned on. Also, it is automatically checked whether the data in the RAM 12, which should have been backed up by the battery, has been destroyed. Then, if not destroyed, normal processing is started. For example, the sales data of each sales product registered for sale by key operation of the keyboard 2 is accumulated in the RAM 12. In addition, the prices and total amounts of the sold products are displayed on the display units 3 and 4, and a receipt is issued. For example, if the data in the RAM 12 has been destroyed due to insufficient battery capacity, etc.,
Then, it is checked whether the data of the RAM 12 is stored in the disk device 19, and if the data is not stored in the disk device 19, a memory abnormality is displayed on the indicators 3 and 4 without performing unnecessary data restoration processing. In this case, the power supply is once turned off, the RAM 12 is cleared for special startup, and then the restoration processing is executed by key input or the like based on the data printed on the journal paper. The disk device 19
If the data is stored in the disk device 19, the data stored in the disk device 19 is automatically transferred to the RAM 12 and
Twelve data are restored.

Power supply switch 8 after all day's work is completed
Is turned off, the contact of the power switch 8 is opened.
However, since the relay contact 23 remains on, the power supply from the power supply circuit 24 is continued. And CPU
9 detects that the power switch 8 has been turned off, the RAM 1
2 is stored in the disk device 19. In addition, timer monitoring is executed to monitor recording abnormalities of the disk. Then if saved to disk has been completed, is set to 1 in the flag memory 21 ahead in order to show the and the call, the flag memory 21 ahead if the time-out
Without setting 1 to, the power supply to the relay 22 is stopped. By stopping the power supply to the relay 22, the relay contact 23 is turned off, the power supply from the power supply circuit 24 is stopped, and the operation of the CPU 9 and the like becomes defective.

As described above, in the present invention, the data in the RAM 12 backed up by the battery is automatically stored and stored in the disk device 19 in response to the power-off operation. Even if the data in the RAM 12 is destroyed and lost due to a failure or a failure, the data can be reliably restored when the power is turned on. In addition, since data saving and restoring are performed automatically, there is no inconvenience of complicated key operations and forgetting the operations. In addition, if the storage has failed, the restoration process is not performed, and the fact is notified, so that a problem that the normal process is executed with the destroyed data also prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, the electronic cash register has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to all electronic devices having a RAM with power backup.

[0017]

As described above, according to the present invention, a control unit, a readable and writable nonvolatile storage medium connected to the control unit, and a relay contact connected in parallel to the power switch are turned on and off. And a detection circuit for connecting the input terminal of the power switch and the control unit when the power switch is turned off, and driving the relay in response to the start of power supply to the control unit. Relay control means for turning on a relay contact; and data storage for executing data storage processing by storing data in the data storage unit in the storage medium in response to input of an off signal of a power switch via the detection circuit. Processing means and the data storage
Indicating that the data storage process by the
Identification data storage means for storing data;
The data storage unit is broken according to the input of the switch ON signal.
A storage detecting means for determining whether or not the storage is broken;
Data storage unit is destroyed by storage unit detection means
And the identification data is stored in the identification data storage means.
It is stored on the storage medium provided that it is stored.
For restoring the stored data to the data storage unit
With the restoration means, the power switch is turned on.
The data in the data storage is destroyed
Investigation is performed and it is determined that the data storage unit has been destroyed
And data executed when the power switch is turned off
The existence of identification data indicating that the storage process has been completed.
The data stored in the storage medium on condition that the
Data is automatically restored to the data storage unit.
Complex operations can be omitted to perform the original processing,
Reliable electronic device data protection equipment that can prevent
Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic cash register according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of an electronic cash register according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process at power-on in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of power-down in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 CPU 12 RAM 13 Battery 19 Disk Device 21 Copy Flag Memory 22 Relay 23 Relay Contact

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A control unit, a data storage unit controlled by the control unit and backed up by a backup power supply, and a power switch for turning on / off power supply to the control unit via a power supply circuit An electronic device comprising: a read / write non-volatile storage medium connected to the control unit; and a relay contact connected in parallel to the power switch.
A relay that turns off, a detection circuit that connects an input terminal of the power switch and a control unit when the power switch is turned off, and that drives the relay in response to the start of power supply to the control unit. Relay control means for turning on and off the relay contact, and data for executing data storage processing by storing data in the data storage unit in the storage medium in response to input of an off signal of a power switch via the detection circuit. Storage processing means, identification data storage means for storing identification data indicating that the data storage processing by the data storage processing means has been completed, and the data storage section being destroyed in response to the input of the ON signal of the power switch. Storage unit detecting means for determining whether or not the data storage unit has been destroyed by the storage unit detection means; Data restoring means for restoring data stored in the storage medium to the data storage unit on condition that the identification data is stored in storage means. Protective equipment.