JP2002055180A - System for transmitting and receiving time information, and device and method for transmitting time information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for transmitting and receiving time information, and a device and method for transmitting time information capable of correcting to accurate time information. SOLUTION: A time (delay = one second) required when a CPU 8 prepares a transmission data is added to the present time clocked and updated by an RTC 19 to be served as a present time data (step S101). Then, the transmission data is prepared using the present time data as an content (step S102). A standing-by condition is maintained thereafter till an interrupt of a second carry which is timing for advancing a second column (step S103), and the transmission data is transmitted at the timing when the second carry is interrupted (step S104). The present time included with the delay (one second) in a transmission side is received thereby in a reception side receiving the transmission data to conduct the correction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for measuring time information,
The present invention relates to a time information transmitting / receiving system, a time information transmitting device, and a time information transmitting method for transmitting and receiving while updating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a time correction method using infrared communication has been proposed. A wristwatch to which this time correction method is applied is provided with a transmission / reception unit for performing infrared communication, and also has a built-in clock processing circuit and a memory for storing time information processed by the clock processing circuit. Have been. When the transmission mode is set, transmission data having a predetermined format including time information stored in the memory is created and transmitted. The receiving wristwatch receives the transmission data and corrects the time information stored in its own memory based on the time information included in the data, whereby the time information on the receiving side is automatically corrected. The Rukoto.

[0003]

As described above, the correction of the time information by the infrared communication is performed by the periodic transmission timing from the transmission side (transmission base station) as in the conventional time correction method of a radio clock or the like. Instead of transmitting data including time information, transmission data is created based on the time information according to the setting of the transmission mode at an arbitrary timing, and the created data is transmitted. Therefore, a time lag corresponding to the time required to generate the transmission data is inevitably generated before the transmission data is generated based on the time information being measured and transmitted. Therefore, a time error corresponding to the time lag exists between the time information included in the transmitted data and the true current time. Therefore, the corrected time information of the own device includes the time error, and the time information of the own device cannot be accurately corrected to the true current time.

In addition, with the diversification of information to be transmitted and the redundancy of data, the data string of the transmission data tends to be long. Therefore, the time lag required to create the longer transmission data also tends to be longer. Therefore, it is expected that the time error is also increased, and there is a concern that it is increasingly difficult to correct accurate time information.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a time information transmitting / receiving system, a time information transmitting apparatus, and a time information transmitting method that can correct accurate time information. The purpose is.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time information transmitting / receiving system for measuring and updating time information and transmitting the time information. In the time information transmission / reception system including a transmitter and a receiver for receiving time information transmitted from the transmitter, the transmitter is configured to detect that a transmission mode for transmitting time information is set. A detecting unit, and a data generating unit that, when detecting the setting of the transmission mode by the setting detecting unit, adds time required for creating time information to be transmitted to the time information being measured to create time information data; The time information data transmission means for detecting the update timing of the time information, and transmitting the time information data created by the data creation means, the receiver, Reception detecting means for detecting the reception of the time information data, and when the reception detecting means detects the reception of the time information data, the time information of the own device to be timed is corrected based on the received time information data. Correction means.

In the time information transmitting apparatus according to the invention, a time information updating means for measuring and updating the time information and a transmission mode for transmitting the time information are set. When the setting of the transmission mode is detected by the setting detecting means, the time information counted by the time information updating means includes:
Data creation means for creating time information data by adding the time required to create time information to be transmitted, and detecting the update timing of the time information update means, and converting the time information data created by the data creation means. Transmission time information data transmission means.

In the time information transmitting method according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a time information updating step of measuring and updating the time information and a transmission mode for transmitting the time information are set. When the setting of the transmission mode is detected in the setting detecting step and the setting detecting step, the time required for creating the time information to be transmitted is added to the time information measured in the time information updating step. And a time information data transmitting step of detecting the update timing of the time information updating step and transmitting the time information data generated in the data generating step.

Therefore, when the transmission mode is set, time information data is created by adding the time required to create the time information to be transmitted to the time information at this time,
It is transmitted to the outside at the timing of updating the time information. Therefore, the reception side detects the reception of this time information data, and based on the time information data, corrects the time information of its own device that is timed, and the time required to create the transmission data on the transmission side, Means that the time lag of the transmitting side is taken into account. Therefore, accurate time correction can be performed without being affected by the time lag of the transmitter, which is inevitably generated according to the time information data generation processing speed. Further, even if the transmission data becomes longer and the time lag becomes longer accordingly, it is not affected by this.

[0010] In the time information transmitting / receiving system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the transmitter and the receiver further include a notifying means for notifying an update each time the update timing is detected. The time information transmitting apparatus according to the invention of claim 7 further includes a notifying means for notifying an update each time an update timing by the time information updating means is detected. Therefore, for example, by transmitting data from a device owned by a specific person in the group,
If another person's device receives this and performs time correction,
From the sounding means, it can be confirmed by the sounding whether or not the sounding timing and the update timing of the device of another person coincide.

In the time information transmitting / receiving system according to the third aspect of the present invention, the time information data is transmitted / received by infrared rays, and in the time information transmitting / receiving system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a radio signal is transmitted. Transmits and receives time information data. Further, in the time information transmitting apparatus according to the invention of claim 8, the time information data transmitting means transmits the time information data by infrared rays,
In the time information transmitting apparatus according to the ninth aspect, the time information data transmitting unit transmits the time information data by a wireless signal. Therefore, it is possible to easily correct the time information even by wireless.

Further, in the time information transmitting / receiving system according to the invention of claim 5, at least one of the transmitter and the receiver imitates a shape suitable for a user to wear on a body. In the time information transmitting apparatus according to the invention described in 9, the user wears the body to imitate a suitable shape. Therefore, portability is ensured and time information data can be transmitted or received to the outside at any time.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates a transmission / reception system as an embodiment of the present invention, from a wristwatch 1 that measures an accurate current time to a wristwatch 1 ′ that measures time by a predetermined second from the accurate current time. By transmitting accurate current time data using infrared rays as a communication medium, the wristwatch 1 'is caused to correct the current time.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the wristwatches 1 and 1 'comprises a timepiece main body 2 and bands 3 and 3 fixed to both ends of the timepiece main body 2. On the surface of the watch body 2,
A display window 5 having an LCD 4 comprising a display section 4a composed of segment liquid crystal and a display section 4b composed of dot matrix liquid crystal is provided. On both sides, an infrared transmitting / receiving section 6 and keys 7a and 7b are provided. I have.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a circuit arranged inside the watch main body 2 in the wristwatches 1 and 1 ', which is common to the wristwatches 1 and 1'. The circuit is provided with a CPU 8 for controlling each unit, and a ROM 9 and a RAM 10 are connected to each other via a bus 12. The ROM 9 stores a system program for operating the CPU 8 and the like.
Reference numeral 10 is used as a work area.

The bus 12 has a driver 13 and a UA
RT (universal asynchronous receiver transmitte
r) 14, switch 15, EOF (end of frame) detection circuit 18, RTC (real time clock) 19, latch circuit 20, and buzzer 21 as notification means are connected. The driver 13 drives the LCD 4. The UART 14 is connected to an Ir data transmission / reception module 17 via a modulation / demodulation circuit 16, and the Ir data transmission / reception module 17 has the infrared transmission / reception unit 6. The switch 15 generates operation information according to the operation of the keys 7a and 7b. RTC19
Is for sequentially measuring the current time based on a clock signal of a predetermined frequency, and storing the current time, which is the measured time information, in the memory 190 shown in FIG.

That is, the memory 190 has the area 19
1 to 198 are provided, and in the areas 191 to 197, the year,
Each data of month, day, hour, minute, second and 1/1000 is stored and updated. In the area 198, a delay is fixedly stored. Here, the delay means the area 191
Year, month, day, hour, minute, second, 1 /
CPU based on each data constituting time information of 1000 seconds
Reference numeral 8 denotes a time required for creating transmission data ("1 second" in the present embodiment). EOF (end of fram
e) The detection circuit 18 detects the last frame of the transmission data transmitted and received from the wristwatch 1 in the wristwatch 1 ′ and outputs a signal to the latch circuit 20. In response to this signal, the latch circuit 20 stores the year, month, day, hour,
It latches the minute, second, and 1/1000 second data.

In the present embodiment having the above configuration, in the normal mode, the wristwatches 1 and 1 'are based on the time data stored in the areas 191 to 196 of the memory 190 as shown in FIG. CPU 8 is driver 12
By driving the display unit 4 as shown in FIG.
The current time including year, month, day, hour, minute, and second is displayed in a.

Here, in the wristwatch 1, when a predetermined operation is performed on the keys 7a and 7b by the user of the wristwatch 1 to set the transmission mode, the CPU 8 detects this and based on the program, the CPU 8 detects the transmission mode as shown in FIG. The processing is executed according to the flowchart. That is, "1 second" is added as the delay value to the current time measured by the RTC 19, stored in the memory 190, and sequentially updated, and is used as time information data to be transmitted, that is, current time data (step S101). ). Next, transmission data composed of predetermined frame data containing the current time data to be transmitted is created (step S102). After a while
The transmission waits until the RTC 19 raises the second digit of the time data, that is, there is a second carry interrupt which is a second update processing timing (step S10).
3) If there is a second carry interrupt, the transmission data is transmitted at that timing (step S10).
4). Subsequently, the buzzer 21 is operated, and for a certain time,
A tone is sounded every second carry (step S105). Therefore, a buzzer sound is generated at a timing of one second after transmission from the watch 1 on the transmission side.

On the other hand, in the wristwatch 1 'receiving the transmission data, the keys 7a, 7
When a predetermined operation is performed on b and the reception mode is set, the CPU 8 executes processing according to a flowchart shown in FIG. 6 based on a program. Thereafter, FIG.
Time information data transmitted according to the flowchart of
That is, the current time data is received (step S20).
1) When the last frame of the current time data is detected by the EOF detection circuit 18, the latch circuit 20 stores the year stored in the areas 191 to 197 of the memory 190,
Latch each data of month, day, hour, minute, second, 1/1000 second,
The latched time information, that is, the current time is read (step S202).

Next, the CPU 8 calculates a difference between the latched current time and the received current time data (current time latched on the wristwatch 1 + delay (1 second)) (step S203). This difference is stored in the memory 1 of the RTC 19
The value is corrected by adding to the value of 90 (step S204). Therefore, when the current time is corrected, the delay of the wristwatch 1 is added, so that the wristwatch 1 ′
The current time measured by the own device can be corrected to the accurate current time measured by the wristwatch 1 without being affected by the delay inevitably generated according to the creation processing speed. When the correction is completed, buzzer 2
1 is operated and a sound is emitted every carry for a certain period of time (step S205). Therefore, a buzzer sound is generated at a timing of one second after correction from the wristwatch 1 '.

Therefore, when the current time data is transmitted from the wristwatch 1 to the wristwatch 1 'and the correction is performed, the wristwatches 1 and 1'
If the buzzer sounds that occur together are synchronized, the watches 1, 1 '
Can confirm that the second update timings of the wristwatches 1 and 1 ′ match each other.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, in steps S202 to S204, area 1 of memory 190
Latch each data stored in 91 to 197,
Although the difference from the received current time data is calculated and corrected, it may be overwritten as it is.

In the present embodiment, the wristwatch 1 'detects the reception of the current time data after setting the reception mode. However, in the normal mode, the wristwatch 1' arbitrarily detects the reception of the current time data. You may make it detectable. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a process taking into account the delay (delay) occurring on the wristwatch 1 'side between step S202 and step S203 in the flowchart of FIG.

Further, in the present embodiment, the present time data is transmitted and received as time information data. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as the data is time-measured and sequentially updated, and may be measured by a stopwatch or a timer. The present invention can be applied to a case where data is inherited between wristwatches 1 and 1 'as time information data.

Modified Example of Embodiment In this embodiment, the case where the wristwatches 1 and 1 'transmit and receive time information data using infrared rays as a communication medium has been described in detail.
Alternatively, time information data may be transmitted and received using a wireless signal as a communication medium.

FIGS. 7 and 8 exemplify a wristwatch applied to a transmission / reception system using a Bluetooth wireless transmission system as a communication medium. In the drawings, the configuration having the same functions as those of the above-described embodiment will be described. The same numbers are given and the description is omitted.

The Bluetooth wireless transmission system uses a 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial Scientific Me
dical) band, and uses a spread spectrum method using frequency hopping as a signal transmission method. Compared to the infrared communication used in the above embodiment, the transmission between the transmitter side and the receiver side There is an advantage that even if there is a shield, it does not hinder communication.

In FIG. 7, a wristwatch 100 has a timepiece body 200 made of a resin such as plastic or the like, in which an antenna 117 corresponding to wireless communication by the Bluetooth wireless transmission method is incorporated at a broken line. Bands 3 and 3 are locked at both ends. An LCD 4 including a display unit 4a and a display unit 4b, and an LED 121 that emits light in synchronization with the second carry update timing are provided on the surface of the watch main body 2, and a display window 50 is provided so as to cover them. I have. Keys 7a to 7d are provided on both side surfaces.

FIG. 8 shows a watch main body 2 of the wristwatch 100.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a circuit disposed inside the transmission side and a transmission side and a reception side. The circuit includes a CPU 8, a ROM 9, a RAM 10, a bus 12, a driver 13, a signal processing circuit 114, a switch 15, an EO
The F detection circuit 18, the RTC 19, the latch circuit 20, the driver 122, and the LED 121 are connected. The signal processing circuit 114 is a circuit centered on a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The signal processing circuit 114 processes data processed by each circuit into a packet format corresponding to the Bluetooth wireless transmission system and a data signal format, and modulates and demodulates the data. On the contrary, it has a function of generating data that can be analyzed by the CPU 8 from a radio signal received by the antenna 117 and demodulated by the modulation / demodulation circuit 116 and outputting the data to the bus 12. Further, it has a function of controlling transmission and reception of the antenna 117 under the control of the CPU 8.

According to such a modification, even if there is an obstruction between the wristwatches 100, communication between the wristwatches 100 is not obstructed, and the LED 121 blinks instead of the buzzer 21 as compared with the case where the infrared communication system is applied. Thus, the update of the second carry can be confirmed, so that accurate time information can be corrected even in a space with a lot of obstacles and noise.

In the above embodiment, since it is not necessary to provide the infrared transmitting / receiving section 6 on the side face, keys for operation (7c, 7d in FIG. 8) can be added.
Even more multifunctional watches can be easily applied.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the time information to be transmitted is added to the time information being measured to generate time information data, and the time information data is added to the time information. Since the information is transmitted to the receiving side at the update timing, accurate time correction can be performed without being affected by a time lag inevitably generated according to the time information data creation processing speed. .
Further, even if the transmission data becomes longer and the time lag becomes longer with this, the accurate time correction can be performed without being affected by this.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a transmission / reception system to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied;

FIG. 2 shows a wristwatch 1 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
It is an external view of 1 '.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the watch main body.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration stored in a memory of an RTC according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a CPU in wristwatch 1 of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a CPU in the wristwatch 1 'of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a wristwatch 1 according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a timepiece body according to a modification.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 ', 100 Wristwatch 2, 200 Watch body 4 LCD 6 Infrared transmitting / receiving section 7a-7d Key 8 CPU 9 ROM 10 RAM 14 URAT 15 Switch 17 Ir data transmitting / receiving module 18 EOF detection circuit 19 RTC 20 Latch 21 Buzzer 117 Antenna 121 LED 190 Memory

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04B 10/10 10/22 F term (Reference) 2F002 AA05 AA12 AB06 AC01 AD06 AD07 BB04 BB05 EA01 EA02 EC00 ED01 ED02 ED04 FA16 GA06 5K002 AA05 CA12 FA03 GA07 5K060 CC06 CC11 GG00 5K061 AA08 BB12 BB18 FF00

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A time information transmission / reception system comprising a transmitter for measuring and updating time information and transmitting the time information and a receiver for receiving time information transmitted from the transmitter. The transmitter detects the setting of the transmission mode for transmitting the time information. The transmitter detects the setting of the transmission mode by the setting detection means. Data creating means for creating time information data by adding the time required to create time information; and time information data for detecting the update timing of the time information and transmitting the time information data created by the data creating means. Transmitting means; receiving means for detecting reception of the time information data; and reception of time information data by the reception detecting means. Upon detection, based on the received time information data, the time information transmitting and receiving system is characterized in that a correcting means for correcting the time information of its own to be timed. 2. The time information transmission / reception system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter and the receiver each include a notification unit that notifies an update each time the update timing is detected. 3. The time information transmitting / receiving system according to claim 1, wherein the time information data is transmitted / received by infrared rays. 4. The time information transmitting / receiving system according to claim 1, wherein the time information data is transmitted / received by a radio signal. 5. The time information transmitting / receiving system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the transmitter and the receiver imitates a suitable shape when worn by a user on a body. . 6. A time information updating means for measuring and updating time information, a setting detecting means for detecting that a transmission mode for transmitting time information has been set, and a setting of a transmission mode by the setting detecting means. Is detected, the time information updated by the time information updating means is added to the time required to create the time information to be transmitted, a data creating means for creating time information data, and the time information updating means is updated. A time information transmitting device, comprising: time information data transmitting means for detecting timing and transmitting the time information data created by the data creating means. 7. The time information transmitting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a notifying means for notifying an update each time an update timing by said time information updating means is detected. 8. The time information transmitting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time information data transmitting means transmits the time information data by infrared rays. 9. The time information transmitting apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the time information data transmitting unit transmits the time information data by a wireless signal. 10. The time information transmitting device according to claim 6, wherein a user wears the body to imitate a suitable shape. 11. A time information updating step for measuring and updating time information, a setting detecting step for detecting that a transmission mode for transmitting time information has been set, and Detecting a setting, adding a time required for creating time information to be transmitted to the time information measured in the time information updating step to create time information data; and a time information updating step. A time information data transmitting step of detecting the update timing of the time information and transmitting the time information data generated in the data generating step.