Symbol building block system

Abstract

The invention discloses a symbol building block system which comprises a mother module and sub-modules, and each sub-module represents a symbol. The mother module comprises a first microprocessor, a memory and an output unit; the female module is further provided with a power interface and / or a power supply module. The sub-module comprises a second microprocessor, and the sub-module is electrically connected with the mother module and / or the adjacent sub-module through a connector; and after being connected with the sub-module, the mother module receives the symbol codes sent by the sub-module, writes the symbol codes into a symbol sequence, looks for semantics or performs operation and then outputs the symbol codes to the outside. The system is simple in circuit structure, simple in cooperation mode between modules, high in system operation reliability, easy to implement and maintain and very low in cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of children's educational toys, specifically relating to a symbol building block system based on electronic technology. Background Technology

[0002] Building blocks are common educational toys for children, usually composed of solid wood or plastic pieces of different colors, shapes, and patterns. Building with blocks can train children's hand-eye coordination, cultivate their concentration, and contribute to their intellectual development.

[0003] Most building blocks sold on the market are mechanical, with very few electronic ones. Chinese patent CN103489347A discloses an intelligent teaching electronic building block, consisting of an infrared controller and several electronic building blocks. The infrared controller communicates with the electronic building blocks and controls the display content of one or more blocks; the electronic building blocks display the teaching content. This building block can perform functions such as picture recognition and simple calculations. However, it also has some drawbacks, mainly including: 1) Each electronic building block module requires a battery, which is inconvenient to replace; 2) The large number of circuit components leads to high power consumption and rapid battery drain, requiring a large battery, which in turn makes the building blocks larger and heavier; 3) The complex coordination between components during operation results in low system reliability; 4) The large number of circuit components increases implementation costs and makes maintenance difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention discloses a symbolic building block system based on electronic technology. The circuitry is simple, easy to implement and maintain. Furthermore, no batteries are required within the sub-modules, the inter-module collaboration is simple, and the system boasts high reliability and low cost.

[0005] This invention discloses a symbol building block system, characterized in that it includes a parent module and sub-modules, each sub-module representing a symbol, and each symbol having a corresponding symbol code; the parent module includes a first microprocessor, and a memory and an output unit electrically connected to the first microprocessor; the memory pre-stores a mapping table for reflecting the correspondence between symbol sequences and semantics; each sub-module includes a second microprocessor; the sub-modules are electrically connected to the parent module and / or adjacent sub-modules via connectors; after the parent module is connected to the sub-modules, it receives the symbol codes sent by the sub-modules, writes the symbol codes into a symbol sequence, searches for the semantics corresponding to the symbol sequence in the mapping table or calculates the result of the relational expression represented by the symbol sequence, and outputs the semantics or result through the output unit; the parent module is also configured with a power supply module and / or a power supply interface for supplying power to the parent module and the sub-modules connected thereto.

[0006] Optionally, the symbolic building block system has at least one of the following working modes: a first mode in which the parent module connects to only one sub-module to identify the semantics represented by the sub-module; a second mode in which the parent module connects to two or more sub-modules to identify the semantics represented by the combination of the sub-modules; and a third mode in which the parent module connects to two or more sub-modules to calculate the result of the relational expression expressed by the combination of the sub-modules.

[0007] The mother module is also equipped with a working mode switching module electrically connected to the first microprocessor, allowing the user to select the working mode.

[0008] And / or, the parent module is further configured to: after writing the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, automatically select the execution mode based on the number and content of the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence.

[0009] Optionally, the parent module performs the following process:

[0010] Receive information from the submodule;

[0011] If there is no response or the information is a restart command, the symbol sequence pointer will be zeroed.

[0012] If the information is a symbol encoding of a submodule, then the symbol encoding is written into the symbol sequence, and the symbol sequence pointer is incremented by 1. The semantics corresponding to the symbol sequence or the result of the operation of the relation represented by the symbol sequence is found in the mapping table, and the semantics or result is output to the outside through the output unit.

[0013] The submodule executes the following process:

[0014] Determine whether the symbol of this submodule has been sent. If not, send the symbol code of this submodule to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module. Determine whether the symbol of the adjacent submodule has been sent. If not, send the symbol code of the adjacent submodule to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module. Determine whether the restart command has been sent. If the restart command has not been sent, send the restart command to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module.

[0015] Receive information from a submodule that is adjacent to and far from the parent module: if there is no response or the information is a restart command, set the "restart command not sent" flag and send a restart command to the parent module or a submodule that is adjacent to and close to the parent module; if the information is symbol encoding, set the "adjacent submodule symbol not sent" flag and send the symbol encoding to the parent module or a submodule that is adjacent to and close to the parent module.

[0016] The number of elements in the symbol sequence depends on the number of sub-modules connected to the parent module. The symbol sequence is empty when no symbol encoding is written into it.

[0017] The symbol sequence pointer is used to point to the position in the symbol sequence where the symbol code will be placed. When the symbol sequence pointer is 0, it indicates that the symbol sequence is empty. When the symbol sequence pointer is greater than 0, it indicates that the symbol code has been written into the symbol sequence.

[0018] Optionally, in the first mode, the mother module writes the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, reads the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence, looks up the semantics corresponding to the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence in the mapping table, and outputs the semantics to the outside through the output unit;

[0019] In the second mode, the mother module writes the symbol codes into the symbol sequence in sequence, increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1, reads the symbol codes in the symbol sequence in sequence, combines the symbol codes in order to form a symbol string, searches for the semantics corresponding to the symbol string in the symbol sequence in the mapping table, and outputs the semantics to the outside through the output unit.

[0020] In the third mode, the mother module writes the symbol codes into the symbol sequence sequentially, increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1, reads the symbol codes in the symbol sequence sequentially, combines the symbol codes in order, calculates the result of the relational expression represented by the symbol strings in the symbol sequence, and outputs the result to the outside through the output unit.

[0021] Optionally, the connector is a magnetic connector or a board-to-board connector.

[0022] Optionally, the power supply interface is connected to an external low-voltage power supply; the power supply module includes a battery and a battery management circuit.

[0023] Optionally, the mother module has one interface; the sub-module has one or two interfaces; the sub-module is electrically connected to the mother module and / or adjacent sub-modules via connectors mounted on the interfaces.

[0024] Optionally, the symbol encoding is 8-bit binary encoding.

[0025] Optionally, the output unit of the mother module is configured with a first display module and / or a voice output module; the voice output module includes a voice module, a power amplifier and a speaker connected in sequence.

[0026] Optionally, the submodule further includes a second display module electrically connected to the second microprocessor for displaying the symbol represented by the submodule.

[0027] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0028] (1) The symbol building block system provided by the present invention has achieved maximum simplification of circuit components. In particular, the internal components of the sub-module can contain only a microprocessor, and the circuit structure in the parent module is also very simple, easy to implement and maintain, and has a very low cost, thereby greatly improving the feasibility of electronic building blocks.

[0029] (2) The symbol block system provided by the present invention has a simple coordination method between modules during operation, so the processor size can be very small and the system reliability is also very high.

[0030] (3) The symbol block system provided by this invention can be powered by a low-voltage power adapter, eliminating the need for batteries in either the mother module or the sub-modules; alternatively, batteries can be installed only in the mother module to power the connected sub-modules; or both power supply methods can be used simultaneously. This invention eliminates the need for batteries in each sub-module and can power the system in at least two ways, allowing for very small symbol blocks, light weight, and significantly improved system safety.

[0031] (4) The symbol block system provided by the present invention can realize at least three working modes, and the working mode can be switched by the user or by the system automatically. It can be applied to different teaching scenarios and has strong practicality and fun. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a connection diagram of the symbol block system;

[0033] Figure 2 In the figure, (a) is a schematic diagram of one circuit structure of the mother module in the embodiment, and (b) is a schematic diagram of another circuit structure of the mother module in the embodiment.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of the submodule in the embodiment.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the symbol sequence;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the execution flow of the parent module in character combination recognition mode;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the execution flow of the parent module in the operation mode;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the execution flow of a submodule;

[0039] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the connection process between the parent module and the child module.

[0040] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the execution process after a submodule is removed.

[0041] Figure 10 The following is a schematic representation of the signal, where (1) represents 1; (2) represents 0; and (3) represents an 8-bit binary number 10010011. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The following will be combined with the appendix Figures 1 to 10 The technical solution of the present invention will be further described clearly and completely. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] In the description of this invention, the use of terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," indicating orientation or positional relationship, is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are used solely for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific circumstances. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, but rather to include other units not explicitly listed or inherent to these products or devices.

[0044] Before providing specific embodiments, the relevant terms will be explained first:

[0045] Symbols: Each submodule corresponds to a symbol, and each symbol has a specific meaning, such as representing a number, letter, operator, initial or final sound in pinyin, tone, etc.

[0046] Symbol string: A combination of two or more symbols is called a symbol string. The length of a symbol string depends on the number of symbols written into the symbol sequence, i.e., the number of submodules.

[0047] Working symbolic blocks: A working symbolic block is a set of blocks that are assembled together, including a parent module and at least one child module, and the parent module can output meaningful semantics or results.

[0048] Symbol Encoding: Each submodule corresponds to a symbol, and each symbol corresponds to an encoding, i.e., symbol encoding. When the symbol blocks are working, the submodule sends out its own symbol encoding, which is ultimately received by the parent module, which then concatenates the symbols. Symbol encoding can use 8-bit binary encoding; Table 1 provides an example of a feasible encoding scheme.

[0049] Table 1. Examples of Symbol Encoding

[0050] symbol 8-bit binary encoding a 0000 0001 b 0000 0010 c 0000 0011 d 0000 0100 e 0000 0101 … … l 0000 1100 … … 0 0010 0000 1 0010 0001 2 0010 0010 … …

[0051] Symbol Sequence: After receiving symbol codes from one or more sub-modules, the parent module concatenates these codes. The concatenation is done by placing these codes into a pre-defined array in the order they were received, as elements of the array. This array is called the symbol sequence. When no symbol codes are written, the symbol sequence is empty, represented by {}. The sequence numbers in the symbol sequence are fixed: the first element has a sequence number of 0, the second element has a sequence number of 1, and so on. The number of elements depends on the number of symbols written, i.e., the number of sub-modules.

[0052] For example, after the parent module receives the four symbol codes 'a', 'b', 'l', and 'e' in sequence, it places these codes into a symbol sequence. Figure 4 As shown, after insertion, the symbol sequence contains four elements: 'a', 'b', 'l', and 'e'. These symbols are all represented by symbol codes. In the symbol sequence, the index of the 'a' symbol is 0; the index of the 'b' symbol is 1; the index of the 'l' symbol is 2; and the index of the 'e' symbol is 3, resulting in the symbol sequence {0000 0001, 0000 0010, 0000 1100, 00000101}.

[0053] Symbol sequence pointer: The symbol sequence pointer is used to point to the position where the symbol sequence will be placed into the symbol code. In other words, the symbol sequence pointer points to a certain index of the symbol sequence, and the received symbol code will be stored in the position corresponding to this index.

[0054] For example, if the symbol sequence pointer is 2, and the symbol 'x' is received, then the element with index 2 in the symbol sequence is changed to 'x', and the symbol sequence pointer is incremented by 1 (becoming 3); if the symbol 'i' is received, then the element with index 3 in the symbol sequence is changed to 'i', and the symbol sequence pointer is incremented by 1 (becoming 4); and so on.

[0055] When the symbol sequence pointer is 0, it indicates that no symbol or symbol string has been received in the symbol sequence, and it is in an empty state. When the symbol sequence pointer is greater than 0, it indicates that symbol encoding has been written into the symbol sequence.

[0056] The technical solution of the present invention will be further explained and described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0057] An embodiment of the present invention discloses a symbol building block system, which includes a mother module and sub-modules. The mother module and sub-modules are collectively referred to as building blocks. In a set of workable symbol building blocks, there is usually one and only one mother module, while there is one or more sub-modules. The sub-modules are connected to the mother module and to each other using detachable magnetic connectors.

[0058] It can be understood that the magnetic connector realizes the electrical connection between metal wires through the structure of magnets attracting each other when they come into contact. This type of connector has a large adsorption force and is suitable for small-sized structures and thin and light products. Through the magnetic connector, not only can the physical connection between building blocks be achieved, but also communication and power supply can be realized. In other embodiments, other connectors or connection methods that can simultaneously achieve physical connection and electrical connection can also be used. For example, traditional board-to-board connectors can be used.

[0059] As Figure 1 shown, the positional relationship between the mother module and sub-modules and between sub-modules can be described as follows: ① The mother module is on the far left; ② For the mother module, the sub-module on the right refers to the sub-module connected to the mother module; ③ For a sub-module, the sub-module on the right refers to the sub-module connected to this sub-module and away from the mother module. ④ For a sub-module, the sub-module above refers to the sub-module connected to this sub-module from above. In the following text, the concepts of left, right, and above are the same as this (including the descriptions in the diagrams);

[0060] It can be understood that the positional relationship between the mother module and sub-modules and between sub-modules defined above follows the general writing and reading order for symbol order, that is, arranged in the order from left to right. The following "left" and "right" are based on the above arrangement order. It can also be adjusted according to reading and writing habits.

[0061] When a symbol needs to be marked in some way above, there will be an "above" module. For example, when the vowels in pinyin need to be marked with tones, the tone is the "above" sub-module. For example, in the pinyin of the Chinese character "dang", above the vowel "ang" there needs to be a sub-module with a first tone; while in the pinyin of "dang", above the vowel "ang" there needs to be a sub-module with a third tone.

[0062] In a set of workable symbol building blocks, the number of sub-modules depends on the number of symbols, more precisely, on the semantic meaning of the target symbol or arithmetic expression to be pieced together. For example, the English word "bike" consists of 4 letters, that is, 4 sub-modules are needed; for another example, the Chinese pinyin "dang (level tone)" (the pronunciation of "dang"), consists of 'd', 'ang' and the level tone symbol '-' above it, and 3 sub-modules are needed.

[0063] Understandably, the upper module is primarily used for tones in Pinyin and is placed above the vowels. However, to simplify the setup, in other embodiments, the upper module can also be placed directly on the right side, with the corresponding module interface located on the right side. In this way, for a submodule with two interfaces, both interfaces are located in the left and right directions.

[0064] like Figure 2 As shown, the main module primarily includes a first microprocessor, and a memory and an output unit electrically connected to the first microprocessor. The output unit may include at least one of a first display and a voice output module; in this embodiment, it functions as both image and audio output. The voice output module includes a voice module, a power amplifier, and a speaker connected in sequence. The voice module is primarily used to play the audio file corresponding to the symbol / symbol string, i.e., converting the audio file into an audio signal. The first microprocessor has an interface for connecting to a connector, which connects to the sub-module. Specifically, this interface can use a magnetic connector to connect to the sub-module.

[0065] like Figure 3 As shown, the submodule mainly includes a second microprocessor and a second display. The second microprocessor has two interfaces, which can also be connected to the parent module or submodule using magnetic connectors. The second display is used to display the symbol corresponding to the submodule. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the second display can be omitted, and the meaning of the symbol represented by the submodule can be directly displayed through drawings pasted on the submodule or printed pictures.

[0066] It's worth noting that submodules can be divided into two categories based on their working modes: submodules that cannot be combined with other submodules to form words, pinyin, or operations (i.e., submodules that can only be used in the first working mode) typically only require one interface; while submodules that can be combined with other submodules to form semantics have two interfaces. For example, the butterfly pattern submodule has only one interface and can only be used in the first working mode. The submodule representing the symbol "a" has two interfaces and can be used in both the first and second working modes. The submodule representing the symbol "2" has two interfaces and can be used in both the first and third working modes.

[0067] There are at least two power supply methods. One method involves external power supply, in which the mother module has a power supply interface connected to the external power source. The mother module is powered by a low-voltage power source with a voltage of 5V or 12V, such as a power adapter (e.g., a charging power adapter), a power bank, etc. The other method involves configuring a power supply module within the mother module, specifically including components such as a battery and battery management circuitry. This embodiment is compatible with both power supply methods, allowing users to choose freely according to their application scenarios. The sub-modules obtain power through magnetic connectors that connect to the mother module or the left-side sub-module.

[0068] In practical use, both the main module and the sub-module can use the SC92F7423 microcontroller from Saiyuan Microelectronics. The magnetic connector uses the POGO pin (3-pin) product from Shenzhen Yuansheng Electronics Co., Ltd. In the main module, the voice module and power amplifier module use the WT2003HB high-quality MP3 playback module from Weichuang Zhiyin Co., Ltd. (voice and power amplifier integrated into one module), and the memory uses the microSD300 from Zhiyu Technology. The power adapter uses a 5V (1A) USB charger from Ugreen. The displays for both the main module and the sub-module are micro LCD products from Shenzhen Hongjia United Technology Co., Ltd.

[0069] When used in combination, the main function of the sub-modules is to arrange them in a certain order to form a meaningful string of symbols. The function of the parent module is to understand (read) the order and meaning of the combined modules, and output the semantics represented by the string formed by their concatenation. Alternatively, it can perform calculations on the relational expressions represented by the combined modules and output the results, i.e., read them out or display them. For example, for English words, the output is the display and / or playback of the English words; for Pinyin, the output is the display and / or playback of the Pinyin; for arithmetic operations, the output is the display and / or playback of the calculation results. Specifically, the display shows the semantics or calculation results, or the power amplifier and sound field amplify and play the speech signal. It should be noted that in this invention, semantics includes not only the content represented by a single sub-module, but also the English words and Pinyin obtained by combining two or more sub-modules; the result usually refers to the calculation result.

[0070] It is understood that the symbol block system in this invention comprises several independent blocks, and connecting these blocks together does not necessarily form a working symbol block. Only when the parent module and the child module are connected and certain rules are met can a working symbol block be formed.

[0071] The symbol building block system disclosed in this invention can realize three working modes, namely:

[0072] The first type is the image / character recognition mode, such as image-based character recognition. In this mode, a parent module and a child module are connected. For example, the images in the child module can represent pinyin, letters, Chinese characters, animals and plants, buildings, vehicles, daily necessities, etc.

[0073] The second type is the character combination recognition mode: it can be a foreign word, for example, four sub-modules representing the letters 'a', 'b', 'l', and 'e' are assembled into a module group in the order of the parent module -able to represent the English word "able", which can be displayed and / or played by the parent module; it can also be Pinyin, for example, two sub-modules representing the Chinese Pinyin 'f' and 'u' are assembled into a module group in the order of the parent module -fu to represent the Chinese Pinyin "fu", which can be displayed and / or played by the parent module. In this mode, the parent module is usually connected to at least two sub-modules.

[0074] The third type is the operation mode: For example, the three sub-modules representing the symbols '3', '+', and '2' are assembled into a module group in the order of the parent module - '3' - '+' - '2' to express the operation 3+2. The operation result can be displayed and / or played by the parent module. In this mode, the parent module is usually connected to at least two sub-modules.

[0075] For the three working modes mentioned above, the parent module performs the following operations through the first microprocessor:

[0076] (1) Image / Character Recognition Mode: The parent module receives the symbol encoding of the only connected sub-module, writes the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, reads the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence, and finds the semantics corresponding to the symbol sequence (specifically the symbol encoding) in the database (pre-stored in the parent module's internal memory); then the parent module displays and / or plays the image. For example, after a sub-module with a butterfly image is connected, the parent module plays the voice "butterfly".

[0077] (2) Character Combination Recognition Mode: First, the system receives information from the sub-module (adjacent to the parent module). If there is no response, it means the parent module has not yet connected to the sub-module. Therefore, the parent module sets the symbol sequence pointer to zero (indicating no symbol encoding received from the sub-module) and continues receiving information from the sub-module. If information is received from the sub-module, it first determines if it is a restart command. If it is a restart command, the parent module sets the symbol sequence pointer to zero (clears the symbol sequence) and continues receiving information from the sub-module. If it is not a restart command, it indicates a symbol encoding from the sub-module. The parent module then writes this information into the symbol sequence and increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1. Next, the parent module sequentially reads the symbol encodings of the connected sub-modules and combines them in order to form a symbol string. The symbol sequence (specifically, the symbol string) is then compared with the corresponding semantic entries in the mapping table in the database to determine if the symbol sequence exists in the database. If the symbol sequence exists in the database, the parent module displays and / or plays the semantics of the symbol sequence. Optionally, if the symbol string does not exist in the database, an "×" can be displayed and / or a voice announcement can be made stating "This word / pinyin does not exist." For detailed procedures, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5 As shown.

[0078] (3) Operation: First, the module receives information from the submodule (adjacent to the parent module). If there is no response, it means the parent module has not yet connected to the submodule. Therefore, the parent module sets the symbol sequence pointer to zero (indicating no symbol encoding received from the submodule) and continues receiving information from the submodule. If information is received from the submodule, it first determines if it is a restart command. If it is a restart command, the parent module sets the symbol sequence pointer to zero (clears the symbol sequence) and continues receiving information from the submodule. If it is not a restart command, it indicates that this is symbol encoding from the submodule. The parent module writes this information into the symbol sequence and increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1. Then, the parent module sequentially reads the symbol encodings of the connected submodules and combines them in order to form a symbol string. The module then performs operations on the relational expression represented by the symbol string (composed of numbers and operators) in the symbol sequence and displays and / or plays the result. Optionally, if the symbol sequence cannot be operated on, it can display "×" and / or announce "Unable to operate," for example, when the connected submodule symbols are 1, / , and 0 respectively. See the detailed process below. Figure 6 As shown.

[0079] The parent module can directly switch between different operating modes. It stores a mapping table representing the correspondence between symbol sequences and semantics. This mapping table can be divided into two types: a first mapping table for the first operating mode, representing the correspondence between symbol sequences (essentially symbol encodings) and semantics; and a second mapping table for the second operating mode, representing the correspondence between symbol sequences and semantics. These two mapping tables can also be combined.

[0080] The scheme of distinguishing which working mode to execute through the parent module can include the following two methods: one is to switch modes by setting up a module such as a button or touch key in the parent module; the other is to automatically determine the current working mode after recognizing the symbol sequence through software. For example, when the parent module recognizes the symbol code of an operator in the symbol sequence, it executes the operation mode; when the parent module recognizes that there is only one symbol code in the symbol sequence, it executes the graphic / character recognition mode. In other embodiments, the symbol building block system toy sold as a set can also be configured with two or more parent modules, each parent module executing a different working mode, for replacement or functional differentiation, etc.

[0081] For the three working modes mentioned above, the execution flow of the sub-modules is the same. The specific execution flow through the second microprocessor is as follows:

[0082] The process involves several steps: first, determining whether the symbol of this submodule has been sent; if not, sending the symbol encoding of this submodule; second, determining whether the symbol of the right submodule has been sent; if not, sending the symbol encoding of the right submodule; and third, determining whether the restart command has been sent; if not, sending the restart command (encoded as 0xF0). It's understandable that in the above process, all information sent by the submodule is directed to the left submodule (i.e., the parent module or a submodule adjacent to and close to the parent module).

[0083] Receive information from the right submodule (i.e., the adjacent submodule that is far from the parent module): If the right submodule does not respond, it means there is no submodule to the right of this submodule, so the "restart command not sent" flag is set, and the restart command is sent to the left module (parent module or submodule); if the received information from the right submodule is a restart command, the "restart command not sent" flag is also set, and the restart command is sent to the left module; if it is not a restart command, the "adjacent submodule (i.e., right submodule) symbol not sent" flag is set, and the symbol code of the right submodule is sent to the left submodule. The submodule execution flow is as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0084] Understandably, the restart command mainly occurs after one or more sub-modules on the right side detach from the parent module. The rightmost sub-module that has not detached will send a restart command to the left, which will eventually reach the parent module. Specifically, this manifests in the following two situations: (1) the right sub-module does not respond; (2) a restart command is received from the right sub-module, in which case a restart command needs to be sent to the left module (parent module or sub-module). Taking the character combination recognition working mode as an example, during use:

[0085] When no child modules are connected, the symbol sequence pointer of the parent module is 0. After connecting a child module, the connected child module sends its corresponding symbol code to the parent module. Upon receiving this symbol code, the parent module stores it in the symbol sequence as the symbol sequence element with sequence number 0, and then increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1 (becoming 1).

[0086] The parent module continues to connect to child modules. Each time a child module is connected, it sends its corresponding symbol code to the nearest child module to its left, which then sends it to the nearest child module to its left, and so on, until it reaches the parent module. Upon receiving a symbol code, the parent module saves it as the symbol element corresponding to the current symbol sequence pointer, and then increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1.

[0087] For example, when the parent module connects to the child module with symbol 'a', the symbol sequence is {'a'}, and the symbol sequence pointer changes from 0 to 1. When the parent module continues to connect to symbols 'b', 'l', and 'e' in sequence, the symbol encoding transmission process and the symbol sequence pointer change process are as follows: Figure 8 As shown.

[0088] When a block or a series (not all) of submodules connected to the parent module are removed, the rightmost submodule that is not removed will send a restart command to the left. This restart command is sent sequentially from right to left by the connected submodules until it reaches the parent module. Upon receiving the restart command, the parent module's symbol sequence pointer becomes 0. When all submodules connected to the parent module are removed, the parent module's symbol sequence pointer becomes 0, and the symbol sequence is empty.

[0089] For example, a parent module connects to four sub-modules: 'a', 'b', 'l', and 'e'. After removing the rightmost sub-module 'e', ​​the rightmost sub-module 'l' sends a restart command to the left, which is forwarded to the parent module via sub-modules 'b' and 'a'. Upon receiving the restart command, the parent module sets the symbol sequence pointer to 0. Then, since each sub-module has received the restart command, it sends its symbol code to the module to its left and forwards the symbol code from the right sub-module to the left, until the parent module receives the symbol codes from all sub-modules. For details on the symbol code transmission process and the symbol sequence pointer change process, please refer to [link to documentation]. Figure 9 As shown.

[0090] It is understandable that the parent module will perform a lookup and comparison every time it receives the symbol encoding sent by the child module on the right, but whether to output it every time can be set according to the requirements.

[0091] For symbol encoding transmission, both the parent and child modules use a single wire in the connector (i.e., a 1-wire bus) for information transmission. On the 1-wire bus, different voltage (level) widths are used to represent 0 and 1. Symbol encoding is represented by 8-bit binary numbers. For example, the letter D is represented by binary 0000 0100. The 0 and 1 in the binary number are represented by different voltage (levels). It should be noted that the power supply for both the parent and child modules is achieved using the other wire of the magnetic connector.

[0092] For example, the single bus of this invention uses a low level of 40-60 microseconds to represent 1, and a low level of 90-110 microseconds to represent 0, with a fixed high level of 40-60 microseconds between the two bits. Combined with Figure 9 As shown, S is 40-60 microseconds, and L is 90-110 microseconds. Wherein, Figure 10 (1) represents 1; Figure 10 (2) represents 0; Figure 10 (3) represents an 8-bit binary number 10010011, which corresponds to the hexadecimal number 93.

[0093] Finally, it should be noted that although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and application fields described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and instructive, and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art, guided by this specification, can make many other forms without departing from the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention, and all of these are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A symbolic building block system, characterized in that, It includes a parent module and child modules, each child module represents a symbol, and each symbol has a corresponding symbol code; The mother module includes a first microprocessor, and a memory and an output unit electrically connected to the first microprocessor; The memory contains a pre-stored mapping table that represents the correspondence between symbol sequences and semantics; The submodule includes a second microprocessor; The submodule is electrically connected to the parent module and / or adjacent submodules via connectors; After the parent module is connected to the sub-module, it receives the symbol encoding sent by the sub-module, writes the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, looks up the semantics corresponding to the symbol sequence in the mapping table or the result of the operation of the relation represented by the symbol sequence, and outputs the semantics or result through the output unit. The mother module is also equipped with a power supply module and / or a power supply interface for supplying power to the mother module and the sub-modules connected thereto.

2. The symbol building block system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It has at least one of the following working modes: First mode, the parent module connects to only one sub-module, which is used to identify the semantics represented by the sub-module; Second mode, the parent module connects to two or more sub-modules, which is used to identify the semantics represented by the combination of the sub-modules; Third mode, the parent module connects to two or more sub-modules, which is used to calculate the result of the relational expression expressed by the combination of the sub-modules. The mother module is also equipped with a working mode switching module electrically connected to the first microprocessor, allowing the user to select the working mode. And / or, the parent module is further configured to: after writing the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, automatically select the execution mode based on the number and content of the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence.

3. The symbol building block system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The parent module executes the following process: Receive information from the submodule; If there is no response or the information is a restart command, the symbol sequence pointer will be zeroed. If the information is a symbol encoding of a submodule, then the symbol encoding is written into the symbol sequence, and the symbol sequence pointer is incremented by 1. The semantics corresponding to the symbol sequence or the result of the operation of the relation represented by the symbol sequence is found in the mapping table, and the semantics or result is output to the outside through the output unit. The submodule executes the following process: Determine whether the symbol of this submodule has been sent. If not, send the symbol code of this submodule to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module. Determine whether the symbol of the adjacent submodule has been sent. If not, send the symbol code of the adjacent submodule to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module. Determine whether the restart command has been sent. If the restart command has not been sent, send the restart command to the parent module or the adjacent submodule that is close to the parent module. Receive information from a submodule that is adjacent to and far from the parent module: if there is no response or the information is a restart command, set the "restart command not sent" flag and send a restart command to the parent module or a submodule that is adjacent to and close to the parent module; if the information is symbol encoding, set the "adjacent submodule symbol not sent" flag and send the symbol encoding to the parent module or a submodule that is adjacent to and close to the parent module. The number of elements in the symbol sequence depends on the number of sub-modules connected to the parent module. The symbol sequence is empty when no symbol encoding is written into it. The symbol sequence pointer is used to point to the position in the symbol sequence where the symbol code will be placed. When the symbol sequence pointer is 0, it indicates that the symbol sequence is empty. When the symbol sequence pointer is greater than 0, it indicates that the symbol code has been written into the symbol sequence.

4. The symbol building block system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, In the first mode, the parent module writes the symbol encoding into the symbol sequence, reads the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence, looks up the semantics corresponding to the symbol encoding in the symbol sequence in the mapping table, and outputs the semantics to the outside through the output unit; In the second mode, the mother module writes the symbol codes into the symbol sequence in sequence, increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1, reads the symbol codes in the symbol sequence in sequence, combines the symbol codes in order to form a symbol string, searches for the semantics corresponding to the symbol string in the symbol sequence in the mapping table, and outputs the semantics to the outside through the output unit. In the third mode, the mother module writes the symbol codes into the symbol sequence sequentially, increments the symbol sequence pointer by 1, reads the symbol codes in the symbol sequence sequentially, combines the symbol codes in order, calculates the result of the relational expression represented by the symbol strings in the symbol sequence, and outputs the result to the outside through the output unit.

5. The symbol building block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The connector is a magnetic connector or a board-to-board connector.

6. The symbol block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The power supply interface is connected to an external low-voltage power source; the power supply module includes a battery and a battery management circuit.

7. The symbol building block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The mother module has one interface; the sub-module has one or two interfaces; the sub-module is electrically connected to the mother module and / or adjacent sub-modules via connectors mounted on the interfaces.

8. The symbol building block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The symbol encoding is an 8-bit binary code.

9. The symbol building block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The output unit of the mother module is configured with a first display module and / or a voice output module; the voice output module includes a voice module, a power amplifier and a speaker connected in sequence.

10. The symbol block system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The submodule also includes a second display module electrically connected to the second microprocessor, used to display the symbol represented by the submodule.

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