Meter driving system

A meter driving system for driving a plurality of meter means with meter indication signals, the system comprising:

• a plurality of input means for inputting data signals representing time periods;
• processing means for updating a plurality of meter indication signals for the plurality of meter means according to the inputted period data signals;
• whereby when no new period data are received in a preset time after receipt of the previous period data from said input means, said processing means execute:
• comparing means for comparing a first elapsed time period from receipt of a previous one of the period data signals from one of said plurality of input means until a present moment to a time period represented by the previous period data signal from said one input means;
• and
• control means for determining if a second elapsed time period exceeds a preset time period, said control means operating the comparing means only when the preset time period is exceeded;
• wherein when said comparing means determines that said first elapsed time is longer than the previous time period represented by the previous data signal, said first elapsed time is treated as a current time period, the processing means updating said meter indication signals of a corresponding one of the plurality of meter means based on the current time period of said one input means, and
• when said comparing means determines that the previous time period represented by the previous data signal from said one input means is longer than said first elapsed time, the previous time period is treated as the current time period, the processing means updating said meter indication signals of the corresponding meter means based on the current time period.

An indicator comprising:

• a plurality of meters;
• input means for inputting data signals representing time periods;
• processing means for updating meter indication signals of said plurality of meters according to the inputted data signals;
• comparing means for comparing a first elapsed time from receipt of a previous one of the data signals from said input means until a present moment to a time period represented by the previous period data signal;
• control means for determining if a second elapsed time period exceeds a preset time period, said control means operating the comparing means only when the preset time period is exceeded;
• wherein when said comparing means determines that said first elapsed time is longer than the previous time period represented by the previous data signal, said first elapsed time period is treated as a current time period, the processing means updating said meter indication signals based on the current time period, and
• when said comparing means determines that the previous time period represented by the previous data signal is longer than said first elapsed time, the previous time period is treated as the current time period, the control means updating said meter indication signals based on the current time period.

A method for driving at least one meter, comprising the steps of:

• inputting data signals representing time periods;
• updating meter indication signals according to the inputted data signals;
• determining whether a new data signal is inputted within a preset time of a previous data signal;
• and
• wherein, when said new data signal is not input, the method further comprises the steps of:
• comparing an elapsed time, from receipt of the previous data signal until a present moment, to a previous time period represented by the previous data signal;
• updating said meter indication signals using said elapsed time when said elapsed time is longer than the previous time period;
• and
• updating said meter indication signals using said previous tim period when the previous time period is longer than said elapsed time.