JP2004212198A - Wireless master-and-slave clock system, receiver, master clock, and slave clock - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a plurality of systems by carriers and communication procedures of the same frequency able to adjacently coexist with a simple constitution in a wireless master-and-slave clock system. <P>SOLUTION: In the wireless master-and-slave clock systems 1 and 2, pieces of time information sent from the master clocks 101 and 201 to each slave clock 102 to 110, and 202 to 210 are sent by a relay method through the slave clocks, a system ID for every system is sent by adding it to the time information, and only time information of one's system is read to be used in time correction. By giving rank to the time information, managing a transmission time zone of each slave clock by the rank, and offsetting the rank in response to the system ID, interference between the plurality of wireless master-and-clock systems is eliminated with a simple constitution, and coexistence of systems is made possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless parent-child clock system, and more particularly to a wireless parent-child clock system that enables coexistence of a plurality of parent-child clock systems using radio waves of the same frequency.
[0002]
[Prior art]
From the master clock, high-precision time information obtained from an external standard time information source such as a long-wave standard radio wave is transmitted to the sub-clock using a low-power radio wave or the like, and the sub-watch that receives this transmits the reference time information. There is known a wireless parent-child clock system that corrects its own time on the basis of the time and matches the time of the parent clock. Since this wireless parent-child clock system does not require a wire to transmit time information, a plurality of child clocks can be relatively freely arranged on the premises or premises.
[0003]
For example, in a wireless master / slave clock system, a system is constructed from a master clock and a plurality of slave clocks, a plurality of slave clocks are ranked and managed hierarchically, and reference time information from the master clock is ranked higher. There is a configuration in which the slave clock is sequentially transmitted from the slave clock to the lower-rank slave clock, and a plurality of slave clocks can be arranged in a wide range. Such a structure is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
[0004]
The slave timepiece used for this is configured as shown in FIG. 14, receives radio waves on which time information is superimposed by an antenna X1 and a receiver X2, and acquires time information and a rank attached thereto by a decoder X3. The time information obtained by the time correcting means X4 is made to match the time measured by the time measuring means X5, and the time is displayed on the display means X6. Further, the slave clock has its own rank one rank lower (rank 0 is the highest rank, and becomes lower as the number increases, based on the rank attached to the time information received by the rank control means X7). The encoder X8 attaches the rank from the rank control unit X7 and the individual identification number from the individual identification number control unit X9 to the time from the timekeeping unit X5. Encode and transmit with transmitter X10 and antenna X1. The power control unit X11 supplies power to the receiver X2 and the transmitter X10 only when receiving and transmitting time information. The slave clock has a rank corresponding to "quartile" and an individual identification number corresponding to "second". For example, a watch with rank 0 is in the 2:00 range and a rank 1 is in the 2:00 range. The transmission operation of the time information is permitted. Furthermore, in the quantiles corresponding to the respective ranks, for example, the one with the individual identification number 0 is in the order of 2: 0: 0, and the one with the individual identification number 1 is The transmission operation is permitted at around 2: 00: 1. As a result, 60 clocks can be connected via an optimal communication path using radio waves of the same frequency. For example, the master clock Y1 in FIG. 15 is set to rank 0 and the individual identification number 0, the sub-clocks Y2 and Y3 are both set to rank 1, the individual identification numbers 1 and 2 respectively, and the sub-clocks Y4, Y5 and Y6 are all set to rank 2. If the child clocks Y7, Y8, Y9, and Y10 are all ranked 3, and the individual clocks are 6, 7, 8, and 9, respectively, the master clock Y1, the child clocks Y2 to Y2 A transmission operation is performed in the order of Y10, time information of a rank higher than the own is acquired, and time information is corrected.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-148371 A
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional wireless parent-child clock system, the number of clocks is limited to 60 as long as radio waves of the same frequency are used. Also, the presence of other similar systems in the vicinity causes interference in wireless communication. Even if the interference is avoided, if the transmission time zone between the other system and the own system is slightly shifted or if the transmission source of the own system has a failure and the transmission operation is not performed, the other system is not transmitted. There is a problem in terms of reliability that the radio wave of the system is received and the time information of another system which is not under the control of the own system is taken. In addition, when the master clock has a function to collect external standard time information such as broadcast time signal, long wave standard time signal, or global positioning system (GPS) time information, the master clock is damaged. Therefore, it becomes impossible to maintain the time accuracy of the slave clock.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention aims to increase the number of clocks that can be managed as a result of coexistence of a plurality of parent and child clock systems using radio waves of the same frequency for transmitting time information, and to improve the reliability of the system. aimed to.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A wireless parent-child clock system of the present invention is a wireless parent-child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time, wherein the child clock receives time information and identifies its own system. It is characterized by comprising receiving means for receiving system identification information, and correction means for correcting its own time based on the received time information and system identification information.
[0009]
The wireless parent-child clock system is a wireless parent-child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects the time, and includes a time signal of broadcasting, a long-wave standard time signal, and time information of a global positioning system (GPS). Acquisition means for acquiring standard time information from outside, correction means for correcting own time based on the obtained standard time information, and wireless transmission of time information based on the corrected own time. A receiver comprising: transmitting means; and system identification information control means for providing the transmission means with the system identification information for transmitting the system identification information for identifying its own system to the transmitted time information. Receiving the time information and the system identification information transmitted from the receiver, and performing self-service based on the received time information and system identification information. The master clock that corrects the time and attaches any one of the system identification information to time information for correcting the time of the slave clock based on the corrected own time and transmits the time by wireless or wire. It is also preferable to have a feature.
[0010]
Further, the wireless parent-child clock system of the present invention is a wireless parent-child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects the time, and includes a time signal of broadcast, a long-wave standard time signal, or a time of a global positioning system (GPS). Acquisition means for acquiring standard time information from outside such as information, correction means for correcting own time based on the obtained standard time information, and wireless communication of time information based on the corrected own time. And transmission means for transmitting the system identification information for identifying the own system to the transmission time information and for giving the system identification information to the transmission means. Receiving the plurality of receivers, the time information and the system identification information transmitted from the receiver, and based on the received time information and system identification information; Time information for correcting the time of the slave clock based on the corrected own time, and adding any one of the system identification information to the time information for correcting the time of the slave clock. A plurality of the master clocks to be transmitted to the slave clock, and any one of the master clocks is selectively used as a time information source for correcting a plurality of times of the slave clocks. Is also preferred.
[0011]
In addition, the slave timepiece receives the time information and the system identification information from the master timepiece or another slave timepiece, and receives its own system information based on the received time information and system identification information. Means for identifying the time information of the user and correcting its own time based on the specific time information, and wirelessly transmitting time information for correcting the time of another slave clock based on the corrected own time It is preferable that the transmitting means include a transmitting means for transmitting the own system identification information to the transmitting means so as to add the own system identification information to the transmitted time information.
[0012]
Further, the slave timepiece is provided with individual identification information control means for providing the individual identification information to the transmitting means for transmitting the individual identification information identifying itself to the transmitted time information, and And a rank control means for giving the rank information to the transmission means for transmitting the rank information to be added to the transmitted time information to be distinguished from the time information, wherein the transmission means of the slave timepiece includes: It is also preferable that the time information is transmitted at a predetermined time according to the rank information and the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means so as not to overlap with another slave clock.
[0013]
Further, the system identification information is to give a predetermined offset to the rank information, and the transmitting means of the slave timepiece includes the system identification information from the system identification information control means, and the rank from the rank control means. According to the information and the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means, it is preferable to transmit the time information at a predetermined time so as not to overlap with another slave clock.
[0014]
The master clock transmits time information for correcting the time of the slave clock and the system identification information via a network, and the slave clock identifies time information of its own system from the system identification information. It is preferable that the own time is corrected based on the specific time information.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of wireless master / slave clock systems communicating between the master / slave clock using radio waves of the same frequency and modulation method coexist. Therefore, a system ID is used as identification information for identifying each system. Is transmitted with the time information attached, and each system specifies the time information of its own system based on the system ID and uses it for time correction. Furthermore, the ranks handled by the above-mentioned conventional wireless parent-child clock system (here, as in the above-described conventional wireless parent-child clock system, rank 0 is the highest rank, and as the number increases, the lower rank becomes lower, It is assumed that the rank is associated with “quantile”, and the individual identification number described later is associated with “second”.) Focusing on the fact that it is unlikely, the rank of a specific wireless parent-child clock system is uniformly increased by a predetermined number (hereinafter referred to as rank offset), that is, by shifting the transmission time zone by a predetermined time, radio waves of the same frequency are transmitted. It is designed to avoid interference between the wireless parent and child clock systems used. For this purpose, a rank offset is given based on the system ID.
[0016]
FIG. 1 schematically shows a wireless parent-child clock system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a first wireless parent-child clock system 1 including a master clock 101 and child clocks 102 to 110 and a second wireless parent-child clock system 2 including a master clock 201 and child clocks 202 to 210 coexist. , The first wireless parent-child clock system 1 is given a system ID of "1", and the second wireless parent-child clock system 2 is given a system ID of "2". : 2. As a result, for example, even if the slave clocks 103 and 106 having the system ID: 1 receive time information by radio waves from the nearby slave clock 202 having the system ID: 2, the system ID attached to the slave clocks 103 and 106 has its own. Since it is not the system ID, this does not correct its own time. Regarding the sub-clock 207 having the system ID: 2, the time is not corrected based on the time information from the nearby sub-clock 106 having the system ID: 1.
[0017]
Further, a rank offset is given to the second wireless parent-child clock system 2 given the system ID: 2, and the rank is increased by 30 here. In the first wireless parent-child clock system 1, the parent clock 101 is ranked 1, the child clocks 102 and 103 are ranked 2, the child clocks 104 to 106 are ranked 3, and the child clocks 107 to 110 are ranked 4. It is. In the second wireless parent-child clock system 2, the master clock 201 has a rank of 31, the slave clocks 202 and 203 have a rank of 32, the slave clocks 204 to 206 have a rank of 33, and the slave clocks 207 to 210 have a rank of 34. It is. Thus, for example, the master clock 101 of rank 1 performs the operation of transmitting time information at the 2:01 level, and the slave clocks 102 and 103 of rank 2 sequentially perform the operation of transmitting time information at the 2:02 level. At time 2:03, rank 3 slave clocks 104 to 106 sequentially transmit time information. At time 2:04, rank 4 slave clocks 107 to 110 sequentially transmit time information. The master clock 201 of rank 31 performs the operation of transmitting time information at the 31st minute, and the slave clocks 202 and 203 of rank 32 sequentially performs the operation of transmitting time information at the 2:32 minute position, and ranks at the 2:33 minute position. The 33 slave clocks 204 to 206 sequentially transmit time information, and the slave clocks 207 to 210 of rank 34 sequentially perform time information transmission at 2:34. Accordingly, if the ranks 1 to 30 are used in the first wireless parent-child clock system 1 and the ranks 31 to 59 are used in the second wireless parent-child clock system 2, the first and second wireless parent-child clocks are used. The systems 1 and 2 can coexist without radio wave interference.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master clock of the wireless master-slave clock system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The antenna 21 and the receiver 22 are used for receiving time information. The master clock receives and obtains an external standard time information radio wave (broadcast time signal, long wave standard radio wave, or global positioning system (GPS) time information, etc.) from an external receiver of rank 0 (not shown). The time information is received.
[0019]
The decoder 23 is for decoding the received information and obtaining the standard time information. Also, at the time of an uplink operation to be described later, the decoder 23 decodes the received information and transmits the individual identification numbers transmitted from the slave clock in a relay manner, whether or not the time information can be received, and the rank of the received time information. , And to acquire reception state information including a system ID. The communication of the uplink operation and the communication of the downlink operation described later use low-power radio waves that are not subject to legal regulations and do not require a license.
[0020]
The time correcting means 24 is for making the time measured by the time measuring means 25 coincide with the standard time information acquired from the decoder 23. The time measured by the timer 25 is displayed on the display 26.
[0021]
The rank control means 27 stores rank information for controlling a downlink operation and an uplink operation, which will be described later, and defines that transmission and reception operations are performed in one minute at a predetermined time, and is a master clock. Is stored.
[0022]
The encoder 28 encodes the time measured by the clocking means 25 into time information, and outputs a rank from the rank control means 27, an individual identification number from the individual identification number control means 29, and a system ID control means to be described later. Is encoded and transmitted together with the time information from the transmitter 2A and the antenna 21. The individual identification number control means 29 stores an individual identification number.
[0023]
The power supply control unit 2B performs reception and transmission operations according to the current time from the clock unit 25, the rank from the rank control unit 27, the individual identification number from the individual identification number control unit 29, and the system ID from the system ID control unit 2C. This is for supplying power to blocks related to the operation of the receiver 22, the transmitter 2A, and the like at a predetermined time when the operation is performed.
[0024]
The system ID control means 2C stores a system ID input through an input means (not shown), and is used for identifying its own system. A corresponding rank offset is prepared for the system ID. For example, although not shown, the rank control unit 27 has a correspondence table between the rank offset and the system ID. The rank control means 27 obtains a substantial rank by adding the rank and the rank offset. For example, the master clock 101 of the above-described first wireless parent-child clock system 1 has a rank offset of 0, and the master clock 201 of the second first wireless parent-child clock system 1 has a rank offset of 30. 101 is substantially rank 1 and the master watch 201 is substantially rank 31.
[0025]
The outline of the operation of the master clock configured as described above is as follows. The master clock supplies power to the receiver 22 and the like at a predetermined time, receives standard time information from the receiver, and receives the standard time at, for example, 2:00. Further, the master clock supplies power to the transmitter 2A and the like at the time of transmitting time information specified by the rank, the individual identification number, and the rank offset determined by the system ID, and transmits the time information. For example, the master clock 101 of rank 1 and individual identification number 1 transmits time information at 2: 01: 1 and the master clock 201 of rank 31 and individual identification number 1 transmits time at 2: 31: 1 second. Send information. Further, the master clock supplies power to the receiver 22 during the uplink operation time period of the slave clock of the own system specified by the rank, the individual identification number, and the rank offset, and transmits the information of the slave clock of the own system. get.
[0026]
Next, details of the configurations of the child clocks 102 to 101 and the child clocks 202 to 210 used in the first and second wireless parent-child clock systems 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. The configurations of these slave clocks are common. The antenna 31 and the receiver 32 receive radio waves of time information from a master clock or a slave clock, and receive reception state information from a lower slave clock.
[0027]
The decoder 33 decodes the received information to obtain time information, a rank, and a system ID. Also, at the time of an uplink operation to be described later, the decoder 33 decodes the received information and outputs the individual identification numbers and the time information for time correction for each of the individual identification numbers transmitted from each of the lower slave clocks of the decoder in a relay manner. It is also for acquiring reception status information such as whether or not reception is possible, the rank of received time information, and a system ID. Each slave clock stores the acquired reception status information of the other slave clocks in a history storage unit (not shown), and transmits this together with its own reception status information at the time of its uplink operation.
[0028]
The time adjusting means 34 receives time information from the parent clock or a slave clock having a higher rank than its own rank via the decoder 33, and adjusts the time so that the time measured by the time measuring means 35 matches the time information. Is what you do. The display means 36 is for displaying the time of the clock means 35.
[0029]
The rank control means 37 stores its own rank, and controls a downlink operation and an uplink operation described later according to the rank. It is assumed that the rank is given by inputting operation from input means (not shown) at the time of initial setting. Not limited to this, in the first operation, the rank control unit 37 receives the time while correcting the time based on the time information received as the reception state over the transmission time zone of all the clocks of the wireless parent-child clock system. One is added to the rank attached to the time information and the result is temporarily stored as the own rank, the newly received rank is compared with the previously stored rank, and the newly received rank is higher than the own rank. If so, a configuration may be adopted in which the own rank is set by adding 1 to the received rank and set as the own rank. Further, like the above-described rank control means 27 of the master watch, the rank control means 37 specifies the rank offset from the correspondence table between the rank offset and the system ID, and substantially adds the rank and the rank offset. Get a rank.
[0030]
The encoder 38 encodes the time measured by the clocking means 35 into time information, and outputs a rank from the rank control means 37, an individual identification number from the individual identification number control means 39, and a system ID control means to be described later. Is transmitted from the transmitter 3A and the antenna 31 along with the encoded system ID and the time information. The individual identification number control means 39 stores an individual identification number.
[0031]
The power supply control means 3B performs reception and transmission operations according to the current time from the clock means 35, the rank from the rank control means 37, the individual identification number from the individual identification number control means 39, and the system ID from the system ID control means 3C. And for supplying power to blocks related to the transmission operation and the reception operation of the receiver 32, the transmitter 3A, and the like at a predetermined time when the reception operation is performed.
[0032]
The system ID control means 3C stores the system ID similarly to the system ID control means 2C of the master watch, and is used for identifying its own system.
[0033]
The operation of the slave timepiece configured as described above is as follows. First, the downlink operation will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining the operation. As shown in FIG. 4, one minute on the order of 2:00 is a transmission time zone of the time information of rank 0, and one minute on the order of 1:00 is one minute. This is the transmission time zone of the time information of rank 1, and the one-minute time zone is further subdivided into 60 time zones at one-second intervals, and one of the time zones assigned according to the individual identification number of each clock. Transmission of time information is performed in seconds.
[0034]
For example, at 2:00, a receiver (not shown), which will be described later, transmits time information, and the time of the master clocks 101 and 201 is adjusted. At 2:01, the downlink operation of the first wireless parent-child clock system 1 with the rank offset of 0 is started by the system ID: 1. Each slave clock supplies power to the receiver 32 and the like during the reception operation time zone specified by its own rank, and receives time information from the master clock or a higher-order slave clock. When the time becomes 2: 1, 1: 1, the time information is transmitted from the master clock 101. Based on the rank, the slave clocks 102 and 103 of rank 2 supply power to the receiver 32 and the like in accordance with the transmission time zone of the master clock 101 of rank 1, and perform an operation of receiving time information. Here, in the slave clocks 102 and 103, the decoder 33 obtains the time information, rank 1 and system ID: 1, and compares them with their own rank and system ID: 1. If ID is 1, it is determined that the time information is suitable for the time correction, and the time correction unit 34 corrects the time of the clock unit 35 and ends the receiving operation.
[0035]
The rank 2 stored by the rank control unit 27 and the system ID: 1 stored by the system control unit 3C are sent to the power control unit 3B and used for controlling the transmission operation. The transmission operation of the slave clocks 102 and 103 of rank 2 and system ID: 1 is performed. In accordance with this, the slave clocks 104 to 106 of rank 3 and system ID: 1 supply power to the receiver 32 and the like, and perform an operation of receiving time information. For example, the slave clock 102 having the individual identification number of 2 transmits time information at 2: 02: 2. Here, the time measured by the clocking means 35, the rank 2, the system ID: 1, and the individual identification number 2 are encoded by the encoder 38 and transmitted as time information. The slave clock 104 receives this, corrects the time, and ends the receiving operation. Next, the slave watch 103 having the individual identification number 3 transmits time information at 2:02:03. The slave clocks 105 and 106 receive this, correct the time, and end the receiving operation.
[0036]
Next, at the 2:03 level, the transmission operation of the rank 3 slave clocks 104 to 106 is performed, and in accordance with this, the rank 4 slave clocks 107 to 110 supply power to the receiver 32 and transmit the time information. Receiving operation. Hereinafter, similarly, time correction is performed up to the child clocks of lower ranks of the first wireless parent-child clock system 1.
[0037]
Next, at 2:31, the downlink operation of the second wireless parent and child clock system 2 substantially in the range of ranks 31 to 59 given the rank offset 30 by the system ID: 2 is started. You. The slave clocks 202 and 203 of rank 2 supply power to the receiver 32 and the like substantially in accordance with the transmission time zone of 2:31 of the master clock 201 of rank 31 to receive time information. In the slave clocks 202 and 203, the time information, the rank 31 and the system ID: 2 are obtained by the decoder 33, and are compared with the own rank and the system ID: 2, which are higher than the own rank. If so, the time information is suitable for time correction, and the time of the clock means 35 is corrected by the time correction means 34. The own rank 32 and the system ID: 2 are sent to the power control means 3B, and are also used for controlling the transmission operation. As a result, the transmission operation of the sub-clocks 202 and 203 of rank 32 is performed at the 2:32 level, and the sub-clocks 204 to 206 of rank 32 perform the operation of receiving the time information accordingly. For example, the slave clock 202 having the individual identification number of 2 transmits time information at 2: 32: 2. The slave clock 204 receives this, corrects the time, and ends the receiving operation. Next, the slave clock 203 having the individual identification number 3 transmits time information at 2: 32: 3. The slave clocks 205 and 206 receive this, correct the time, and end the receiving operation.
[0038]
Next, at 2:33, the transmission operation of the slave clocks 204 to 206 of rank 33 is performed, and the slave clocks 207 to 210 of rank 34 perform the operation of receiving the time information. Hereinafter, similarly, time correction is performed up to the child clocks of lower ranks of the second wireless parent-child clock system 1.
[0039]
Next, the uplink operation will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 3, and FIG. In the uplink operation, as shown in FIG. 5, each clock performs a transmission operation in the reverse order to the downlink operation, that is, allocates a transmission time so as to perform a transmission operation from a lower rank clock. One minute at the 3:00 level is the transmission time zone for the time information of rank 59, and one minute at the 3:00 level is the transmission time zone for the time information at the rank 58. The time information is further subdivided into 60 time zones at one-second intervals, and time information is transmitted for one second in the time zone assigned corresponding to the individual identification number of each clock. In the uplink operation, the reception status information including the individual identification number, the availability of the time information, the rank of the received time information, and the system ID is sequentially transmitted from the lower-rank child clock, and each child clock is a lower-rank child clock. It collects the reception status information of the slave clocks in each system by the relay system that adds its own reception status information to the reception status information from and transmits it as new reception information. The history of the reception status information of the slave clock in the system is stored.
[0040]
When the time reaches 3:00, the uplink operation of the second wireless parent-child clock system 2 is started, and the child clock of rank 59 (not shown) transmits reception status information from the one with the highest individual identification number. At the same time, the slave clock having the rank 58 performs the receiving operation and acquires the receiving state information. For example, at 3:00:00, the reception status information is transmitted from the child clock having the rank 59 and the individual identification number 59, and if the child clock having the rank 58 and the individual identification number 58 receives this, the reception clock information of the individual identification number 58 The slave clock adds its own reception state information to make new reception state information. Next, at the 3:01 level, the slave clock of rank 58 transmits the reception status information from the one with the highest individual identification number. For example, the slave clock having the rank 58 and the individual identification number 58 transmits the reception status information at 3:01:01. This reception status information includes the reception status information of the slave watches with the individual identification numbers 59 and 58 described above. Similarly, slave clocks of rank 58 or higher sequentially collect reception status information from other slave clocks, generate a new reception status signal, and transmit this. At the 3:27 level, the reception status information including the child clocks 204, 207, and 208 is collected in the child clock 202 of rank 32, and the child clocks 205, 206, 209, and 210 are collected in the child clock 203 of rank 32. Is received. At 3:27:56, the reception status information is transmitted from the slave clock 203 with the individual identification number 3, and the master clock 201 receives this. At 3:27:57, the reception status information is transmitted from the slave clock 202 with the individual identification number 2, and the master clock 201 receives it, whereby all the slave clocks of the second wireless master / slave clock system 2 are received. Is stored in the master clock 201, and the uplink operation of the system ends.
[0041]
Next, at 3:29, the transmission time zone of the lower-rank child clock 30 of the first wireless parent-child clock system 1 is reached, and the uplink operation of the first wireless parent-child clock system 1 is started. Thereafter, the operation is performed in the same manner as the uplink operation of the second wireless parent-child clock system 2, and at 3:57, the reception status information of the child clocks of lower ranks is added to the child clocks 102 and 103 of rank 2. Are collected and transmitted from the slave clocks 102 and 103 to the master clock 101, and the uplink operation ends.
[0042]
As described above, in this example, the system ID control means 2C and 3C are provided in the master clock and the slave clock to transmit and receive the system ID as the identification information of the own system with the time information. And use it for time correction. For this reason, even if the same type of wireless parent-child clock system is provided in the vicinity, it is possible to acquire only the time information under the control of its own system without taking in the time information of the other wireless parent-child clock system in the vicinity, Reliability can be improved.
[0043]
Further, since the number of ranks to which the transmission time zones are assigned is uniformly offset based on the system ID, the transmission time zones assigned to lower ranks that are less likely to be used in one wireless parent-child clock system Can be assigned to another wireless parent-child clock system in the vicinity, and a plurality of wireless parent-child clock systems can coexist without interference.
[0044]
In the above description, for convenience, the upper limit of the rank used in the first wireless parent-child clock system 1 is equal to the rank offset of 30, and the system does not need to consider the case where the ranks overlap. However, the wireless parent-child watch system of the present invention is not limited to this. If the rank offset is small and the two systems of the first and second wireless parent and child clock systems 1 and 2 in FIG. 1 perform the rank offset, it can be assumed that the ranks used overlap. When the first and second wireless parent-child clock systems 1 and 2 of the first embodiment are used, one wireless parent-child clock system is installed for each floor of a high-rise building, and a nearby floor is installed. It may be imagined that the wireless parent-child clock system of the above will cause a problem due to the overlapping of ranks. However, in practice, the master clock is often installed at substantially the same position on each floor, and as the number of ranks increases and the rank becomes lower, the master clock becomes farther away from the master clock, and the wireless master clock of its own. The lower-ranked slave clock of the system and the vicinity of the master clock of other wireless master / slave clock systems that start to overlap when the rank offset is small become farther away, preventing radio waves from reaching. Can be avoided. Therefore, in the case of such an installation mode, there is no problem even when the rank offset is small, in other words, even when the wireless parent / child watch system that does not perform the rank offset has no upper limit of the rank.
[0045]
Next, a wireless parent-child clock system according to a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the receiver for acquiring the standard time information from the outside has not been described in detail. However, by giving the system ID also to the receiver, the receiver can be used in one wireless parent-child clock system. Duplexing or more multiplexing is possible, and when a failure occurs in one receiver, switching to another receiver improves the reliability of the wireless parent-child clock system. This example is such a wireless parent-child clock system, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration. The receivers 301 and 302, the master clock 303, and the slave clocks 304 to 310 constitute the wireless master / slave clock system 3 of this example.
[0046]
Details of the receivers 301 and 302 are as shown in FIG. The antenna 41 and the receiver 42 receive external standard time information radio waves (broadcast time signal, long-wave standard time signal, time information of the global positioning system (GPS), etc.). The standard time information is not limited to this, and a configuration for receiving the standard time information via a wire such as a telephone JJY or a dedicated line may be provided and used. The decoder 43 decodes the received information to obtain standard time information. The time correction means 44 is for making the time measured by the clock means 45 coincide with the standard time information obtained from the decoder 43. The encoder 46 attaches the system ID from the system ID control unit 47 to the time from the clock unit 45, encodes them, and transmits them from the transmitter 48 and the antenna 41. The power control unit 49 supplies power to blocks related to the reception or transmission operation, such as the receiver 42 and the transmitter 48, in a predetermined reception time zone and transmission time zone. The receivers 301 and 302 have system IDs of 1 and 2, respectively (hereinafter, referred to as system IDs: 1 and 2). Further, the receivers 301 and 302 are set to rank 0 in the 0 minute range which is the transmission time zone of rank 0 shown in FIG. 4, and the system ID of the receivers 301 and 302 corresponds to “seconds”. For example, in the receiver 301 of the system ID: 1, the transmission time zone is set in the order of 2:00: 1 second, and in the receiver 301 of the system ID: 2, the transmission time zone is set in the order of 2:00: 2 A belt is set. Each of the receivers 301 and 302 further includes a history storage unit 4A, records whether or not external standard time information can be received, and transmits reception state information indicating whether or not the received standard time information is attached to the time information.
[0047]
As shown in FIG. 8, the master clock 303 includes standard time information evaluation means 2D in addition to the configuration of the master clock 101 of the first embodiment, and the standard clock transmitted by the receivers 301 and 302. The information is received together, the standard time information is evaluated based on the reception status information attached to the standard time information, and the evaluation result is sent to the time adjusting means 24 via the system ID control means 2C to the time adjusting means 24. The time is corrected using the standard time information of the receiver that has received the data.
[0048]
The sub-clocks 304 to 310 have the same configuration as the sub-clocks 102 to 110 of the first embodiment, respectively, and will not be particularly described.
[0049]
As described above, in the wireless parent-child clock system 3 of the present embodiment, the receivers are multiplexed by the system ID. Therefore, if a failure occurs in one of the receivers, the receiver is switched to another receiver, so that the wireless parent-child clock can be obtained. The reliability of the timepiece system can be improved.
[0050]
Next, a wireless parent-child clock system according to a third embodiment will be described. In the above-described second embodiment, the receiver is multiplexed using the system ID. However, it is also possible to multiplex the receiver up to the master clock. For example, in a case where the master clock is applied to a master-slave clock that drives a slave clock by wire, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the receivers 401 and 402 having system IDs of 1 and 2 wirelessly transmit system IDs of 1 and 2, respectively. The standard time information may be transmitted to the second master clocks 403 and 404, and the drive signal from the master clocks 403 and 404 may be selectively supplied to the slave clocks 407 to 409 by the switching unit 405. The slave clocks 407 to 409 are operated, for example, every 30 seconds by a drive signal from the normal master clock 404. When a failure occurs in either the receiver 402 or the master clock 404, the slave clocks 407 to 409 operate. The hand is switched so as to receive the drive signal from 403. The receivers 401 and 402 have the same configuration as the receivers 301 and 302 described above, and the master clocks 403 and 404 are based on the configuration of the master clock 303 described above, and the transmitter 2B, the encoder 28, and the individual identification unit 29 And a driving signal is output from the time counting means 25. The sub-clocks 407 to 409 have a configuration corresponding to the display means 26.
[0051]
Also in this example, as in the above-described second embodiment, time information of a rank higher than that of the master clock can be duplicated using a carrier wave of the same frequency, and the reliability of the master-slave clock can be improved.
[0052]
Next, a fourth wireless parent-child clock system will be described. In the third embodiment described above, the master clock directly drives the slave clock, but the master clock may transmit time information to the slave clock via a network. As shown in FIG. 10, the standard time information is wirelessly transmitted from the receivers 501 and 502 having the system IDs of 1 and 2 to the master clocks 503 and 504 having the system IDs of 1 and 2, respectively. The time information is transmitted from the 504 to the slave clocks 505 to 509 via the LAN (Local Area Network) wiring 510. As shown in FIG. 11, the master clocks 503 and 504 are the same as the master clock 303 except for the transmitter 2B, the encoder 28, and the individual identification unit 29, and include the encoder 2E and the LAN communication device 2F. In response to the time information request from the slave clocks 505 to 509, the encoder 2E encodes the time information and the system ID, and the LAN communicator 2F attaches the time information to the request source and transmits it with the system ID. Further, when there is an obstacle such as the time of its own time keeping means not being corrected for a predetermined period, master clocks 503 and 504 attach information indicating the failure to the time information and transmit the information. Although details of the slave clocks 506 to 509 will not be described, the master clocks 503 and 504 are selected based on the system ID, and time information from a fault-free one is acquired.
[0053]
Also in this example, as in the above-described second embodiment, time information of a rank higher than that of the master clock can be duplicated using a carrier wave of the same frequency, and the reliability of the master-slave clock can be improved.
[0054]
Next, a wireless parent-child clock system according to a fifth embodiment will be described. In the third and fourth embodiments described above, the master clock and the slave clock are connected by wire. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the master clock and the slave clock are connected in the wireless master clock system of the second embodiment. The clock may be duplicated. The standard time information is transmitted wirelessly from the receivers 601 and 602 of the system IDs 1 and 2 to the master clocks 603 and 604 of the system IDs 1 and 2, and the slave clocks 605 to 611 determine their own system IDs as failures. In this case, the time is changed in accordance with the system ID of the master clock, and its own time adjustment operation is maintained. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, each of the slave clocks 605 to 611 is provided with a system ID setting means 3D in addition to the configuration of the slave clocks 102 to 110 in the first embodiment. If the time information cannot be obtained from the master clock of the system ID set in the initial state by the system ID setting means 3D, the transmission time zone of all the next systems, for example, from 2:00 to 3:00 in FIG. The reception status is set to the minute, and the system ID attached to the time information received first is taken into the system ID control means 3C as its own system ID. In addition, a configuration may be employed in which information indicating the switching of the system ID is sent from the master clock or in the initial state, and the system ID is fetched according to the information. Further, since the system ID is associated with the rank offset, the transmission time zone immediately after the change is assumed to correspond to the system ID immediately before the change, and the transmission time zone immediately after the change is assumed to correspond to the changed system ID from the next transmission time zone. For example, the time information can be transmitted to the lower-rank slave clock waiting at the rank immediately before the change, and the system ID can be similarly captured in the lower slave clock.
[0055]
In each of the above embodiments, the storage of the system ID in the system ID control means 2C, 3C has been described simply as storage, but this may be a switch such as a dip switch or an electronic device such as a nonvolatile memory. The same holds for the rank holding of each rank setting unit described above.
[0056]
In addition, when the above-mentioned rank setting means is temporarily set by the master clock, the information may be transmitted by downlink and applied to the next and subsequent communications. That is, even if the rank is changed, once the transmission operation is performed in the transmission time zone of the immediately preceding rank, the information can be transmitted to the slave clock that awaits in the transmission time zone defined by the immediately preceding rank. Specifically, it can be realized by the same configuration as the system ID setting means of the fifth embodiment.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, in the wireless parent-child clock system, the time information of its own system is specified in accordance with the system identification information, and the transmission time zone is offset in accordance with the time information. A plurality of systems based on communication procedures can coexist. Up to now, the method of avoiding interference of the same system using radio has been performed by changing the frequency of the carrier, but the present invention does not require changing the carrier frequency, and a common radio device can be used, Moreover, channel setting and frequency setting are unnecessary. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless parent-child clock system that is excellent in economy and operability.
[0058]
In addition, according to the system identification information, the master clock that transmits and / or receives the time information wirelessly or a higher-order receiver is multiplexed. Since the time information is acquired and the time of the lower clock is corrected, the reliability of the system can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless parent-child clock system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master clock of the wireless master-slave watch system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave timepiece of the wireless parent-child timepiece system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining a downlink operation of the wireless parent-child clock system according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a time chart illustrating an uplink operation of the wireless parent-child clock system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless parent-child clock system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a receiver of the wireless parent-child clock system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master clock of a wireless master-slave watch system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless parent-child clock system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless parent-child clock system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master clock of a wireless master-slave system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an outline of a wireless parent-child clock system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave timepiece of a wireless parent-child timepiece system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a child clock of a conventional wireless parent-child clock system.
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an outline of a conventional wireless parent-child clock system.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,2 wireless parent and child clock system
101, 201 master clock
102 to 110 child clock
202 to 210 child clock
22, 32 receiving means
2A, 3A transmission means
27, 37 rank control means
2C, 3C system identification information control means
301, 302 receiver
41, 42, 43 acquisition means
46, 48, 41 transmitting means
47 System identification information control means
303 parent clock
304-310 child clock
401, 402 receiver
403, 404 parent clock
407 to 409 child clock
501, 502 Receiver
503, 504 parent clock
505 to 509 child clock
601, 602 receiver
603, 604 parent clock
505 to 511 child clock
3D setting means

Claims (14)

A wireless parent and child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time, wherein the slave clock receives time information and receives system identification information for identifying its own system, Correction means for correcting its own time based on the received time information and system identification information. A wireless parent and child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time,
Acquisition means for acquiring external standard time information such as a broadcast time signal, a long-wave standard time signal, or global positioning system (GPS) time information, and corrects its own time based on the acquired standard time information. Correcting means, transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting time information based on the corrected own time, and transmitting the system identification information for identifying the own system to the transmitted time information by adding A plurality of receivers comprising system identification information control means for providing system identification information to the transmission means,
Receiving the time information and the system identification information transmitted from the receiver, correcting the own time based on the received time information and the system identification information, and setting the slave clock based on the corrected own time. And a master clock for wirelessly or wiredly transmitting time information for correcting the time by attaching any one of the system identification information to the master clock. A wireless parent and child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time,
Acquisition means for acquiring external standard time information such as a broadcast time signal, a long-wave standard time signal, or global positioning system (GPS) time information, and corrects its own time based on the acquired standard time information. Correcting means, transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting time information based on the corrected own time, and transmitting the system identification information for identifying the own system to the transmitted time information by adding A plurality of receivers comprising system identification information control means for providing system identification information to the transmission means,
Receiving the time information and the system identification information transmitted from the receiver, correcting the own time based on the received time information and the system identification information, and setting the slave clock based on the corrected own time. And a plurality of the master clocks that transmit any of the system identification information to the time information for correcting the time by wireless or wired transmission to the slave clock. Wherein a time information source for correcting a plurality of times of the slave clock is selectively used as a time information source. The slave clock has a receiving unit for receiving the time information from the master clock or another slave clock, the system identification information, and a time of its own system based on the received time information and system identification information. Correction means for specifying information and correcting its own time based on the specified time information, and transmitting wirelessly transmitting time information for correcting the time of another slave clock based on the corrected own time Means, and system identification information control means for giving said own system identification information to said transmission means for transmitting said own system identification information to said transmitted time information for transmission. The wireless parent-child clock system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The slave timepiece, individual identification information control means for giving the individual identification information to the transmitting means for transmitting the individual identification information identifying itself to the transmitted time information, and the received time information And a rank control means for giving the rank information to the transmission means for transmitting the rank information to be attached to the transmitted time information to be distinguished from the transmission time information. The wireless device according to claim 4, wherein the time information is transmitted at a predetermined time according to the rank information and the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means so as not to overlap with another slave clock. Expression parent and child clock system. The system identification information is to give a predetermined offset to the rank information, the transmitting means of the slave clock, the system identification information from the system identification information control means, the rank information from the rank control means, 6. The wireless parent-child clock according to claim 5, wherein the time information is transmitted at a predetermined time according to the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means so as not to overlap with another child clock. system. The master clock transmits time information for correcting the time of the slave clock and the system identification information via a network, and the slave clock identifies time information of its own system from the system identification information, 4. The wireless parent-child clock system according to claim 2, wherein the own time is corrected based on the specific time information. The wireless master / slave system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the slave timepiece includes a setting unit that uses the received system identification number as a system identification number of its own system. A receiver used in a wireless parent-child clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time,
Acquiring means for acquiring external standard time information such as a broadcast time signal, a long-wave standard time signal, or global positioning system (GPS) time information;
Correction means for correcting its own time based on the obtained standard time information;
Transmitting means for transmitting time information wirelessly based on the corrected own time,
A receiver for providing the system identification information to the transmission means for transmitting the system identification information for identifying the own system to the transmitted time information, for transmission. . A master clock used in a wireless master / slave clock system that receives time information wirelessly and corrects time, and a transmitting unit that transmits time information for correcting the time of the slave clock; A master clock, comprising: system identification information control means for giving the system identification information to the transmission means for transmitting the system identification information for identification attached to the transmitted time information. A child clock used in a wireless parent-child clock system including a plurality of child clocks that receive time information wirelessly and correct time,
Receiving means for receiving time information and system identification information for identifying its own system,
Based on the received time information and system identification information, a correction unit that specifies its own system time information and corrects its own time based on the specific time information,
Transmission means for wirelessly transmitting time information for correcting the time of another slave clock based on the corrected own time,
A sub-clock comprising: system identification information control means for providing the transmission means with its own system identification information for transmitting the system identification information of itself to the transmitted time information. The slave timepiece, individual identification information control means for giving the individual identification information to the transmitting means for transmitting the individual identification information identifying itself to the transmitted time information, and the received time information And a rank control means for giving the rank information to the transmission means for transmitting the rank information to be attached to the transmitted time information to be distinguished from the transmission time information. 12. The child according to claim 11, wherein the time information is transmitted at a predetermined time according to the rank information and the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means so as not to overlap with another child clock. clock. The system identification information is to give a predetermined offset to the rank information, the transmitting means of the slave clock, the system identification information from the system identification information control means, the rank information from the rank control means, The slave timepiece according to claim 11, wherein the time information is transmitted at a predetermined time according to the individual identification information from the individual identification information control means so as not to overlap with another child timepiece. . 14. The master / slave clock system according to claim 11, wherein the slave timepiece includes a setting unit that uses the received system identification number as a system identification number of its own system.

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