JP2006208213A - Time information correcting system, power supplying equipment,and electronics device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a correction of time information for electronics devices, such as personal computers and digital cameras. <P>SOLUTION: Frequencies are checked of alternate current supplied through a socket 10 in a frequency discriminating circuit 11. The checked result is inputted into a standard wave receiving circuit 13. An antenna 14 can receive the standard wave from the two stations transmitting the Japan Standard Time. According to the checked result at the frequency discriminating circuit 11, the standard wave receiving circuit 13 determines frequency band of the standard wave through the antenna 14. When the frequency of alternate current is 50Hz the standard wave of 40kHz is received, while the frequency of alternate current is 60Hz the standard wave of 60kHz is received. At the standard wave receiving circuit 13, time signal information is extracted to output from the standard wave. An AC-DC circuit 12 implements processes converting alternate current to direct current. Time signal information outputted from the standard wave receiving circuit 13 is transmitted to digital cameras through a signal line 15 and alternate current outputted from the AC-DC circuit 12 is inputted in digital cameras through a power supply line 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a time display in an electronic device.

  Conventionally, electronic devices such as personal computers and digital cameras have a function of managing time information. When the power is turned on, the OS that controls the electronic device reads time information stored in an RTC (real time clock) built in the electronic device, and based on this information, obtains time information of the electronic device in operation. to manage.

However, errors may occur in RTC information due to battery life, temperature, and the like. In order to solve this problem, there is a cradle for charging a digital camera provided with a function of receiving a standard radio wave.
JP 2003-224766 A

  However, a personal computer does not have a peripheral device equivalent to a cradle for a digital camera. Therefore, when trying to correct the time information of a personal computer by receiving a standard radio wave, a dedicated device for receiving the standard radio wave must be prepared. Further, there is a problem that the time information cannot be corrected unless the digital camera is set in the cradle, and the time information cannot be corrected based on the standard radio wave while the digital camera is being used. Furthermore, it may be difficult to receive unless the frequency of the standard radio wave in the area where the electronic device is used.

  The present invention solves the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to simplify correction of time information of an electronic device.

  A time information correction system according to the present invention includes a power supply output means for converting an alternating current of a commercial power source into a direct current and outputting, a determination means for determining an AC frequency, a reception means for receiving a standard radio wave, and a determination means Selecting means for selecting the frequency band of the standard radio wave received by the receiving means based on the alternating current frequency determined by the output means, and output means for extracting the time information from the standard radio wave received by the receiving means and outputting it to an external device And an electronic device having a correction means for correcting the time information based on the time information output from the output means while being supplied with power from the power supply means. .

  The power supply device according to the present invention is a power output means for converting the alternating current of the commercial power source into a direct current and outputting, a determining means for determining the alternating current frequency of the commercial power source, a receiving means for receiving the standard radio wave, A selection unit that selects a frequency band of a standard radio wave received by the reception unit based on the alternating frequency determined by the discrimination unit, and an electronic device that extracts time information from the standard radio wave received by the reception unit and is connected And a time information output means for outputting the information.

  The electronic device according to the present invention is connected to a power supply device having a power supply means, a standard radio wave receiving means, and a time information output means for extracting and outputting time information from the standard radio wave. The power supply is supplied from the supply means, and time correction means for correcting the time information based on the time information output from the time information output means is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the time information of the electronic device is corrected based on the time information (information extracted from the standard radio wave) output from the power supply device. Therefore, it is possible to save time and effort for the user to manually correct the time information of the electronic device, and it is possible to correct the time information in accordance with the time information of the standard radio wave even during operation of the electronic device.

  Even when the area where the electronic device is used is changed due to travel or the like, the standard radio wave can be accurately received according to the area.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an AC-DC adapter to which an embodiment according to the present invention is applied. When the socket 10 is inserted into an outlet (not shown), an alternating current is supplied from a commercial power source. The alternating current is input to the frequency discrimination circuit 11 and the AC-DC circuit 12.

  The frequency discriminating circuit 11 checks the AC frequency supplied via the outlet. The check result is input to the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13. The antenna 14 can receive standard radio waves from two stations that transmit Japan Standard Time. That is, the AC-DC adapter receives, via the antenna 14, the standard radio wave of 40 kHz transmitted from the Otakado and the mountain standard radio wave transmission station and the standard radio wave of 60 kHz transmitted from the Kagarayama standard radio wave transmission station. be able to.

  The standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 determines the frequency band of the standard radio wave received via the antenna 14 based on the check result input from the frequency discriminating circuit 11. When the AC frequency is 50 Hz, a 40 kHz standard radio wave transmitted from Otakado and the mountain standard radio wave transmission station is received. When the AC frequency is 60 Hz, the standard 60 kHz standard is transmitted from the Haganeyama standard radio wave transmission station. Receive radio waves. That is, the reception frequency is switched by switching the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13.

  Further, the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 extracts the time information from the received standard radio wave and outputs it. The time information extracted from the standard time signal is Japan Standard Time used for time information services such as broadcasting and telephone, and the time reference of the radio clock. On the other hand, the AC-DC circuit 12 performs processing for converting alternating current into direct current. Time information output from the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 is transmitted to the digital camera via the signal line 15. The direct current output from the AC-DC circuit 12 is input to the digital camera through the power supply line 16.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a digital camera to which an AC-DC adapter is connected. The system controller 20 is, for example, a microcomputer that controls the entire digital camera. The EEPROM 21 stores various programs and data for controlling the digital camera.

  The direct current sent from the AC-DC adapter is input to the power supply circuit 23 via the DC jack 22. Then, power is supplied from the power supply circuit 23 to each circuit of the digital camera. Input information from various switches provided in the housing of the digital camera is input to the system controller 20 via the switch circuit 24.

  Based on the result of distance measurement executed by half-pressing a shutter button (not shown) of the digital camera, the driving amount of the focusing optical system constituting the photographing optical system 25 is calculated, and a control signal is sent to the motor driving circuit 26. Is output. A drive signal is output from the motor drive circuit 26 to the motor 27. As a result, the focusing optical system is driven and a focusing operation is performed. Further, a control signal is output to the strobe drive circuit 28 based on the result of the photometric process executed by half-pressing the shutter button. That is, when it is determined that the amount of light of the subject is insufficient as a result of the photometric process, a control signal for instructing light emission of a strobe (not shown) is output to the strobe driving circuit 28.

  When a control signal that instructs the CCD drive circuit 29 to drive the CCD 30 is output from the system controller 20, a drive signal is output from the CCD drive circuit 29 to the CCD 30, and the CCD 30 is driven. As a result, photoelectric conversion of the optical image of the subject imaged by the photographing optical system 25 is performed. Then, an image signal is output from the CCD 30 to the image processing circuit 31. In the image processing circuit 31, predetermined image signal processing such as A / D conversion, amplification processing, gamma correction, and contour enhancement is performed and stored as image data in an image memory (not shown) provided in the image processing circuit 31. Is done. The image data in the image memory is read out in a timely manner, subjected to a predetermined conversion process, and output to the LCD 32. As a result, a subject image is displayed on the LCD 32.

  The time information output from the AC-DC adapter is input to the system controller 20 via the DC jack 22. The time information is output from the system controller 20 to the clock circuit 33. The clock circuit 33 compares the time information read from the RTC 34 and managed by the system controller 20 with the time information input from the system controller 20 when the digital camera is powered on. When the time information and the time information are misaligned, the clock circuit corrects the time information to match the time information. As a result, the time information displayed on the LCD 32 always matches the Japan standard time.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a time information acquisition routine executed by the AC-DC adapter. In step S100, it is checked whether the AC-DC adapter is connected to a commercial power source and AC is input via the socket 10. If the input of alternating current is confirmed, it will progress to step S102. If the connection to the commercial power source is not confirmed, this routine ends.

  In step S102, it is checked whether or not the AC frequency is 50 Hz. If it is confirmed that the frequency is 50 Hz, the process proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the antenna 14 is controlled to receive a standard radio wave having a frequency band of 40 kHz. On the other hand, if it is confirmed in step S102 that the AC frequency is not 50 Hz, that is, the process proceeds to step S106 in which it is confirmed that the frequency is 60 Hz. In step S106, the antenna 14 is controlled to receive a standard radio wave having a frequency band of 60 kHz.

  In eastern Japan, the AC power frequency of commercial power is 50 Hz, and the location of the Otakado and Yama standard radio wave transmitting stations that transmit a standard radio wave of 40 kHz is Fukushima Prefecture and eastern Japan. Therefore, the standard radio wave can be reliably received by the process of step S104. Similarly, in Western Japan, the AC power frequency of commercial power is 60 Hz, and the Haganeyama standard radio wave transmission station that transmits a standard radio wave of 60 kHz is located in the western border of Fukuoka Prefecture and Saga Prefecture. Therefore, the standard radio wave can be reliably received by the process of step S106.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a time information output routine executed by the AC-DC adapter. In step S200, it is checked whether the AC-DC adapter is connected to the digital camera. When the AC-DC adapter is connected to the digital camera, a certain amount of current flows through the digital camera. The system controller 20 determines the connection of the AC-DC adapter by detecting this current. If it is confirmed that the AC-DC adapter is connected to the digital camera, the process proceeds to step S202. This routine ends when the AC-DC adapter is not connected to the digital camera.

  In step S202, the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 starts receiving standard radio waves. That is, the standard radio wave in the frequency band set in step S104 or S106 in FIG. Next, the process proceeds to step S204, where it is checked whether reception is completed. If completion is not confirmed, the process returns to step S202. That is, the reception process is continued.

  If it is confirmed in step S204 that the reception of the standard radio wave has been completed, the process proceeds to step S206. In step S206, the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 executes processing for extracting the time information from the standard radio wave and outputting it to the digital camera to which the AC-DC adapter is connected. Next, the process proceeds to step S208.

  In step S208, it is checked whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) has elapsed since the reception process of the standard radio wave was performed. When it is confirmed that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S200, and the above-described processing is repeated. That is, every time a predetermined time elapses, the standard radio wave reception process and the reporting time information output process are repeated periodically.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a time correction routine executed by the digital camera. In step S300, the level of the input voltage of the DC jack 22 is detected, and it is checked whether the AC-DC adapter is connected to the digital camera. If it is confirmed that the AC-DC adapter is connected, the process proceeds to step S302. If the connection of the AC-DC adapter is not confirmed, this step is repeated.

  In step S302, it is checked whether or not the time information is input from the AC-DC adapter via the DC jack 22. If the input of the time information is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S304. When the time information is not input, the process returns to step S300.

  In step S304, the input time information is compared with the time information managed by the system controller 20, and it is checked whether there is an error. If it is confirmed that there is an error in the time information, the process proceeds to step S306, and processing for correcting the time information based on the time information is executed. If correction of time information is performed, it will return to step S300 and the above-mentioned process will be repeated. If it is confirmed in step S304 that no error has occurred in the time information, the process in step S306 is skipped, the process returns to step S300, and the above-described process is repeated.

  It should be noted that the processing after step S304 is executed every time the reporting time information is input, that is, every 24 hours checked in step S208 of FIG. 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the photographing operation of the digital camera is performed, the above-described detection / extraction process may be controlled to be executed by the standard radio wave receiving circuit 13 in the AC-DC adapter. According to this configuration, accurate time information can be acquired when the user needs it.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the standard radio wave is received by the AC-DC adapter, the time information is extracted and output to the digital camera, and the time information managed by the system controller 20 in the digital camera. Is corrected based on the time information from the AC-DC adapter. That is, the AC-DC adapter supplies power to the digital camera and outputs time information. Therefore, the user does not need to be aware of the correction of the time information of the digital camera, and the time information is corrected as needed even while the digital camera is being used.

  In the present embodiment, the time information is transmitted through the signal line 15 that is different from the power line 16 that supplies the AC power, but the present invention is not limited to this. An AC-DC adapter may be provided with a superimposing unit that superimposes the time information on the AC power supply, and the power supply line may supply the AC power and transmit the time information. In this case, it is necessary to provide a separator for extracting the time information from the AC power source in the digital camera.

  In this embodiment, the standard radio wave is received by the AC-DC adapter, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any power supply device can be used as long as it can determine the AC frequency of the commercial power supply and has a function of selecting the frequency band of the standard radio wave to be received based on the frequency.

1 is a block diagram of an AC-DC adapter to which an embodiment according to the present invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram of a digital camera to which an embodiment according to the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a report time information acquisition routine. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a report time information output routine. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a time correction routine.

Explanation of symbols

10 socket 11 frequency discriminating circuit 12 AC-DC circuit 13 standard radio wave receiving circuit 14 antenna 20 system controller 22 DC jack 33 clock circuit

Claims (3)

A power supply output means for converting the alternating current of the commercial power source into a direct current and outputting, a determination means for determining the frequency of the alternating current, a receiving means for receiving a standard radio wave, and the frequency of the alternating current determined by the determination means A power supply comprising: selection means for selecting a frequency band of a standard radio wave received by the reception means based on the above; and output means for extracting time information from the standard radio wave received by the reception means and outputting it to an external device Equipment,
A time information correction system comprising: an electronic device having a power supply from the power supply means and a correction means for correcting time information based on the time information output from the output means. Power supply output means for converting AC of commercial power to DC and outputting;
Discriminating means for discriminating the frequency of the alternating current;
Receiving means for receiving standard radio waves;
Selecting means for selecting a frequency band of a standard radio wave received by the receiving means based on the alternating frequency determined by the determining means;
A power supply device comprising: time information output means for extracting time information from a standard radio wave received by the receiving means and outputting the information to a connected electronic device. A power supply device having power supply means, standard radio wave reception means, and time information output means for extracting and outputting time information from the standard radio wave is connected;
An electronic apparatus comprising: time correction means for correcting time information based on the time information output from the time information output means while power is supplied from the power supply means.

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