FR2744541A1 - CALCULATOR FOR A PRINTING MACHINE - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a computer for a printing machine. According to the invention, the computer comprises a recording medium made as a usual hard disk drive and another recording medium having semiconductor elements, and the memory device having semiconductor elements contains at least some some of the data on the recording medium produced as a hard disk, and, by program routines, the reading and / or writing of this data takes place, at least temporarily, exclusively in connection with the recording medium having semiconductor elements, and data storage processes of the recording medium having semiconductor elements and of the hard disk can be carried out by the computer, the read / write head being moved over areas of the hard disk during the time without access.

Description

The present invention relates to a computer for a machine

  especially for the post of

  control of a printing machine, comprising two sup-

  non-volatile and rewritable recording ports, at least one temporary transfer of the data or groups of data existing in one recording medium to the other non-volatile, rewritable recording medium being carried out. To control printing machines, in particular sheetfed offset printing machines, computers are increasingly used which are constructed like personal computers. Such computers are used in particular in the control station of a printing machine. The remote monitoring or adjustment of the most different components of the machine as well as the determination, management and processing of operating data of the individual print orders, are carried out via a control station of the printing machine. As data, one must quote here for example order numbers, customer names, number of prints, deadlines, quality data, etc. However, inside a printing machine, are determined, by a computer, machine data produced permanently in the event of a breakdown for service and maintenance purposes or to facilitate a malfunction analysis, such as in particular the state of a so-called total sheet counter. The frequency with which such data must be determined and stored also depends on the cycle of the machine, i.e. the speed of

the machine.

  Document DE-4 229 266 discloses a computer for the control station of a machine, in particular a printing machine, which is constructed like a personal computer and has two hard disk drives as recording medium. non-volatile. In normal operation, storage and calling of data takes place simply in conjunction with a hard disk drive. Of

  from time to time, for example after a time diagram pro-

  grammed, predefined, or triggered by a service person, backup copies of the data or groups of data from this first hard disk drive are made on the second hard disk drive. After a failure of the first hard disk drive, the computer can switch to the second hard disk drive by a process of

  start of the computer by a special intro disk

  taken from the floppy drive, which presents information readable by the part of the program present in the computer's ROM. Other reading or memorization processes then take place exclusively in

  link with this second intact reader.

  The computer previously described briefly, comprising two hard disk drives, in which, in normal operation, the computer cooperates with a hard disk drive

  and, from time to time, backup copies are made

  killed on the second hard disk drive, allows, in case of

  failure of the first hard disk drive, continue to use

  read the calculation system comfortably and as minimally as possible. As it is, in the case of the recording media of this calculator, however,

  a hard disk drive with a read / write head

  re mobile, there may be contact of the write / read head with the surface of the hard disk. If the determination and storage of data depending in particular on the machine cycle (e.g. storage

  of a counter), are carried out via

  diary of such a calculation system, this means that the read / write head of the hard disk drive remains positioned during the operation of the machine, for long periods of time, on the corresponding tracks or cylinders of the drive. Surface contacts of the

  hard drive and data loss related to it

  so feels in these areas. Consequently, the object of the invention is to develop a computer of the aforementioned type so that the drawbacks mentioned above can be avoided and, in particular, effective protection against the loss of data occurring

  in short time intervals is obtained.

  To this end, the computer for a printing machine, in particular for the control station of a printing machine, of the type described above, is remarkable, according to the invention, in that a support of non-volatile, rewritable recording is made as a usual hard disk drive and the other recording medium as a non-volatile, rewritable memory device having semiconductor elements, in that the memory device having elements semiconductor contains at least some of the data or data groups of the recording medium produced as a hard disk, in that, by means of program routines stored and capable of being carried out in the computer, reading and / or the writing of these data or groups of data takes place, at least temporarily, exclusively in connection with

  the recording medium having semi-elements

  conductive, in that processes for storing data or groups of data on the recording medium having semiconductor elements and on the hard disk

  can be performed by the computer, the read head

  Hard disk drive writing / writing being moved to hard disk areas or cylinders during the time without access. In particular, the recording medium having semiconductor elements can be produced in the form of

  RAM buffered by battery or accumulator.

  Advantageously, in this case, the recording medium having semiconductor elements is produced under

  shape of a silicon disc made in CMOS technology.

  In addition, the read / write head of the reader can be moved to all areas or cylinders on the disc

hard for the time without access.

  Preferably, the read / write head of the reader is positioned on at least one predefined zone or cylinder

  hard drive for the time without access.

  Advantageously, a transfer of data or groups of data from the recording medium having semiconductor elements and from the hard disk drive can be

  performed by the calculator after determination and verification

  tion of the last respective update of the data groups. In addition, monitoring for damage caused by contact with the disc can be performed through the read / write head of the player, during the time without access, by writing as well as reading information in the area or the cylinder in which the

  read / write head has been positioned.

  Thus, according to the invention, it is provided that a recording medium

  non-volatile recording of the computer is performed as random access memory, in particular buffered by battery, present

  thus at least one memory having semi-elements

  conductors, in which the data produced can be permanently written and stored. Also,

  computer access to predefined and partial data

  Often necessary are done via this battery buffered RAM. In addition, it is provided that, by means of control routines which can be carried out by the computer, the read / write head is positioned or moved, during the

  time without access linked to the installation of the buffer memory-

  born by battery, on several or all the cylinders or areas of the hard disk. Advantageously, it can also be provided that the read / write head is positioned, within the time intervals without access, on a specially provided area or cylinder of the hard disk having in particular test data. Contact of the read / write head with the hard disk does not cause

irrevocable loss of data.

  Thanks to the mounting according to the invention of a memory produced in particular as battery-buffered random access memory, which contains at least some of the data or groups of data which must be often read and / or written as well as by the backup, provided for temporarily corresponding to the degree of updating of the data on the hard disk, one obtains some of the advantages listed below. On the one hand, we must cite here the security of the data of the calculation system with regard to the parasitic influences previously sketched. Because data often written during the operation of the printing machine (e.g.

  the state of a total sheet counter) are written exclu-

  sive memory buffered by battery and that an update of the existing data set for this correspondingly on the hard disk takes place from time to time (hourly) or depending on determined operating states ( for example when the computer starts), it is guaranteed that such data will not be irrevocably lost by disk failures. As is provided, according to the invention, in addition to moving the read / write head of the hard disk drive during times without access to a few or more tracks or cylinders of the hard disk, data loss caused by contacts of the head on the disc can be minimized or totally avoided with their consequences. The latter case exists precisely when, during the time without access, the read / write head is positioned on an area of the hard disk provided additionally for this containing no current data from the system. In this case, according to a development of the invention, it can be

  still expected that through reading and / or writing processes

  ture of data in this area, monitoring for damage caused by contact with the disc is performed. Another advantage of the embodiment according to the invention of

  calculator results from the fact that a maintenance or an improvement

  continuous real-time capacity is reached.

  Thus, it is possible to determine more often defined data, which are produced in particular

  depending on the speed of the machine. A determi-

  frequent nation of defined data, i.e. continuous updating of defined data, facilitates

  plus, in the event of a problem, a troubleshooting.

  Another advantage of the invention results from the fact that possibilities for real-time control of the

  non-volatile RAM are possible by reactions

  triggered accordingly. Furthermore, it

  in particular, provision can be made for the functional capacity

  memory buffered by battery is determined permanently and, in the event of a foreseeable failure of the semiconductor recording medium buffered by battery, immediate storage of the data contained in the buffered memory is carried out

on the hard drive.

  Below, we explain an example of realization and

operation of the invention.

  The invention is described with reference to a computer which, alongside the control processes indicated above for the machine, still determines and stores the state of a sheet counter periodically. This periodic call and this periodic memorization of the state of a counter of

  sheets should be understood however in this unique case-

  alternately for a plurality of data which change permanently during operation

  of the machine, the speed at which this data changes

  depend in particular on the speed of the machine.

  The computer according to the invention has, next to a hard disk drive, a recording medium containing battery-buffered semiconductor elements provided upstream of the latter. In this case, it is for example a battery-buffered random access memory, advantageously in CMOS technology, which is known for example under the

  designation "silicon disc". This semi memory

  non-volatile and rewritable conductors additionally contains at least some data or groups of data which are used by the programs running on the computer and making it possible to control the printing machine for reading and / or writing processes. In particular, these are data or groups of data in which the

  status data or the counter states listed above

  are registered. Data which is produced only rarely (for example only at the start of a print command or when the machine is started up) is not written to the silicon disk, but

  directly to the hard disk drive or are read from there.

  By program routines existing in the computer, it is obtained that, after defined times, for example once per hour, the data contained on the silicon disk are memorized on the hard disk, that is to say that a backup of the data existing on these two recording media is carried out. According to the invention, it is further provided that, first of all, a determination of the degree of updating of these existing data in a redundant manner is carried out. This can be done, in a simple way, by

  call of the date and time of the last memorization

  data station. As a result, data content with a more recent date / time replaces the content of

  corresponding data with a later date / time.

  As the silicon disc provided according to the invention deter-

  mine in particular the often produced state of a counter of sheets, it is carried out, according to the indications carried out previously, an update for example hourly of this state of the counter on the hard disk, that is to say that the counter status is permanently saved once per

hour on the hard drive.

  According to the invention, it is further provided that, for example for each startup of the computer (startup), an update of the data existing on the silicon disk is carried out. Also in this case, the time / date of the corresponding data is first checked, so that the more current version of the data to be stored retains the preference. In particular, it is guaranteed by this measure that, for example, a data loss caused by a replacement of the silicon disk is eliminated by a return corresponding to the data of the

Hard disk.

  Because, according to the invention, it is intended to write at least determined data first of all on the silicon disk or to read them from it, it is guaranteed that the access times for the writing or reading to the hard disk drive is reduced to a defined minimum. When it is planned, for example, to store (update), only every hour, the data produced permanently on the silicon disk (real time) on the hard disk, this gives a time interval of corresponding size. dante without access. According to the invention, it is further provided that, by program routines stored in the computer (this can be in particular the operating system of the computer), the read head and

  the hard disk drive is moved, inside

  of these time intervals, on zones or cylinders

  dres determined predefined, or all of these, of the hard disk drive. In particular, it is further provided that, in the times without access resulting from the preceding conditions, the read / write head of the hard disk drive is

  positioned on at least one predetermined zone or cylinder

  born of the hard disk and remains there until the next access to the disk. In the case of at least temporary displacement of the read / write head over a few zones or cylinders,

  or all of them from the hard drive, it is avoided that the read head

  ture / write always remains on an identical zone or cylinder, ie the zone on which the last access to the disk took place. This prevents disk failures from recurring in this area and results in persistent and irreparable data loss. As, in particular, there is a continuous updating of the states of the sheet counter to be memorized on the silicon disk as well as on the hard disk, it is prevented that the read / write head positioned in this cylinder or this zone causes losses of data on these tracks. The inevitable contacts of the read and write head with the surface of the hard disk are thus distributed, in the case of a continuous displacement of the read / write head, over the whole or parts of the surface of the hard disk. and thus do not cause concentration in an area or

a cylinder.

  According to another advantageous variant of

  the invention, it is intended that the reading and writing head

  ture performs test or verification processes in

  connection with the controller to be ordered as well as the calculation

  tor during time without access to zones or cylinders

  in which it is always again, according to the invention

  tion, positioned (parking position). Thus, it is possible that for short intervals of time, always repeated reading processes are carried out and, by these reading processes, it is checked whether it has

  produces data loss due to disk failures.

  If it is planned in particular to position the read / write head during the time intervals without always accessing one and the same cylinder or zone of the discs, it is in this case also possible to carry out test programs on the basis of processes reading and writing. Also,

  these test cycles still take place within

  short preset time ranges.

  If it has been determined by the read processes above

  described physical faults in zones or cylind-

  dres determined, it may still be planned to evacuate the corresponding storage units from the file allocation table, that is to say blocking other accesses. To avoid that, by this blocking, larger quantities of data are no longer available, it can also be planned to copy the sectors without defect in a unit of

  free storage, making them available again.

  Simply, the sector or sectors with a physical defect

detected are not copied.

  In a multitasking computer, reading and / or writing previously indicated data is possible, for the purpose of checking the disk, so that this program has the lowest priority level. Thus, no limitation is obtained when carrying out the

  remaining programs with corresponding priority levels

higher dants.

Claims (7)

  1. Computer for a printing machine, in particular for the control station of a printing machine, comprising two non-volatile and rewritable recording media, at least one temporary transfer of the data or groups of data existing in a support   to the other non-recording medium   volatile, rewritable being performed,   characterized in that a non-recording medium   volatile, rewritable is realized as a disc player   usual hard drive and the other recording medium as available   non-volatile, rewritable memory device having semiconductor elements, in that the memory device having semiconductor elements contains at least some of the data or groups of data of the recording medium produced as a hard disk, that, via stored program routines which can be carried out in the computer, the reading and / or writing of this data or groups of data takes place, at least temporarily, exclusively in connection with   the recording medium having semi-elements   conductive, in that processes for storing data or groups of data on the recording medium having semiconductor elements and on the hard disk   can be performed by the computer, the read head   Hard disk drive writing / writing being moved to hard disk areas or cylinders during the time without access. 2. Computer according to claim 1, characterized in that the recording medium having semiconductor elements is produced in the form of   RAM buffered by battery or accumulator.   3. Computer according to claim 2, characterized in that the recording medium having semiconductor elements is produced in the form of a   silicon disc made in CMOS technology.   4. Computer according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the read / write head of the reader can be moved over all areas or cylinders of the   hard drive for the time without access.   5. Computer according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the read / write head of the reader   is positioned on at least one predefined area or cylinder   finished hard drive for the time without access.   6. Computer according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that a transfer of data or groups of data from the recording medium having semiconductor elements and from the hard disk drive can be carried out by the computer after determination and verification of the last respective update of the data groups.   7. Computer according to one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that monitoring for damage caused by disc contact is carried out via the read / write head of the reader, during the time without access, by writing as well as reading information in the area or the cylinder in   which the read / write head has been positioned.