JP2008209270A - Turret clock apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem wherein a turret clock apparatus, consisting of a master clock and a slave clock, requires connecting a turret clock driving device which includes the master clock and a monitor clock that is installed indoors, to a turret clock movement installed outdoors by using a plurality of wiring lines, and the turret clock movement consisting of passive elements require initialization setting at operation start and operation monitoring. <P>SOLUTION: A clock time information receiver and the movement are each supplied independently with respective power supplies, and between the clock time information receiver and the movement is connected by a pair of serial signal lines; and the operation for indicating the clock time by using an hour hand and a minute hand is carried out, such that the present time is indicated by following the clock time information of the clock time information receiver, once every minute on the minute. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a large-scale clock device for outdoor use, and relates to a tower clock device of a so-called “tower clock” in which a wall surface of a building or a tower is used as a dial and a pointer is exposed outdoors.

  Generally, the tower clock is classified as a parent clock or an equipment clock, and is a clock device that drives a large child clock by a signal from the parent clock. Therefore, the conventional tower clock is one of a plurality of child clocks controlled by the parent clock even if the shape of the time display portion is large, and even if it is a single tower clock, it takes the form of parent clock-child clock. Adopted.

  In many cases, the time display unit of the tower clock is installed outdoors, and the parent clock that controls the time display unit is installed indoors. Therefore, since it is difficult to directly monitor the outdoor time display unit, a monitor clock that operates following the outdoor time display unit is provided on the parent clock side installed indoors. (For example, see Non-Patent Document 1)

Hereinafter, a conventional tower clock device described in Non-Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional tower clock device. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 200 denotes a conventional tower clock device. The tower clock device 200 inputs a slave clock drive output signal from the parent clock 210 to the tower clock drive device 220 via the connection line 240, and drives the tower clock movement 230 with the tower clock drive device 220. The tower clock drive device 220 is connected to the tower clock movement 230 via a plurality of connection lines 250, and performs stop, constant speed, fast feed adjustment, and monitoring of the hour and minute pointer 232 of the tower clock movement 230.

  In the master clock 210, 211 is a monitor clock indicating the current time of the master clock 210, 212 is a power supply for the master clock 210, and is usually supplied from commercial power. The slave clock drive output signal output via the connection line 240 is a polarized 30-second pulse.

  In the tower clock driving device 220, a tower clock monitor clock 221 is driven by a back monitor pulse (to be described later) output by the hand movement of the tower clock movement 230. Reference numeral 222 denotes a power supply for the tower clock driving device 220, which is normally supplied from a commercial power supply. As will be described later, the tower clock driving device 220 converts the polarized 30-second pulse from the parent clock 210 into a non-polar 60-second pulse to control the tower clock movement 230.

  The tower clock movement 230 includes passive elements such as a motor, a switch, and a gear, 231 is a dial, and 232 is an hour / minute pointer. Although not shown, the minute hand is driven by using one motor built in the tower clock movement 230 as power, and the hour hand is geared down to drive the hour hand in conjunction.

  That is, in the conventional tower clock device 200 shown in FIG. 5, the tower clock drive device 220 and the tower clock movement 230 correspond to the slave clock, and the tower clock movement 230 is driven and controlled based on the 30-second pulse from the parent clock 210. It is in the form of a parent clock-child clock. However, since the tower clock movement 230 is installed outdoors, and the master clock 210 and the tower clock driving apparatus 220 are installed indoors, there is generally a distance between the tower clock driving apparatus 220 and the tower clock movement 230. The connection line 250 for connecting the two is long, and there are many types of necessary lines such as a DC power supply line, a control line, and a monitor line, and a large number of wirings are used.

  Next, details of the tower clock drive device 220 described in Non-Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional tower clock drive device. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 271 denotes a conversion circuit that converts a polarized 30-second pulse from the master clock 210 into a non-polar 60-second pulse. Reference numeral 268 denotes a power supply circuit.

  Reference numeral 262 denotes a commercial power input terminal of the power supply circuit 268, which supplies commercial power to the power supply circuit 268 via the power switch 267. The power supply circuit 268 converts the commercial power supply into a DC voltage and outputs it from the tower clock drive DC power supply terminal 263. In addition, a secondary battery 269 is provided so that the tower clock device does not stop due to a power failure or the like. An indicator lamp 273 indicates that the power supply is operating.

  Reference numeral 261 denotes a drive control signal input terminal for inputting a polarized 30-second pulse from the master clock 210 via the connection line 240. Reference numeral 264 denotes a tower clock control signal output terminal for outputting a non-polar 60-second pulse for controlling the driving of the tower clock movement 230. Reference numeral 270 denotes a needle-adjusting switch, which is fast forward on the A side, constant speed on the B side, and stopped at the intermediate non-contact position.

  That is, when the hand adjustment switch 270 is on the side of the symbol A, the DC voltage of the power circuit 268 is output from the tower clock control signal output terminal 264, and the tower clock movement 230 is continuously operated. On the other hand, when the adjustment switch 270 is on the B side, a 60-second pulse is output from the tower clock control signal output terminal 264, and the tower clock movement 230 is operated once a minute. In either case of the reference signs A and B of the adjusting switch 270, the tower clock movement 230 is driven by the DC power from the tower clock driving DC power supply terminal 263, following the output signal of the tower clock control signal output terminal 264. is there.

  Reference numeral 265 denotes a back monitor pulse input terminal for driving the tower clock monitor clock 272. Although not shown in the figure, the tower clock movement 230 is a back monitor that uses a DC voltage supplied from the tower clock driving DC power supply terminal 263 by a cam and a switch mechanism as a 60-second intermittent pulse every time the minute hand of the hour / minute indicator 232 advances by one minute. Send back to the pulse input terminal 265.

  In other words, the tower clock drive DC power supply terminal 263, the tower clock control signal output terminal 264, the back monitor pulse input terminal 265 of the tower clock drive device 220 installed indoors and the tower clock movement 230 installed outdoors are wired by a plurality of connection lines 250. The tower clock monitor clock 272 moves by the back monitor pulse from the tower clock movement 230 every time the minute hand of the hour / minute indicator 232 advances by one minute.

  Therefore, by setting the time indicated by the tower clock monitor clock 272 to the time indicated by the hour / minute indicator 232 of the tower clock movement 230 as an initial setting, the adjustment switch 270 is operated as described above to operate both. Can be matched to the current time. After the current time is reached, the tower clock monitor clock 272 moves following the movement of the tower clock movement 230 once a minute by setting the adjusting switch 270 to the symbol B side. The tower clock monitor clock 272 can be used to monitor the operation state.

Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd., “DC-type master clock drive control type tower clock adjuster TA41239C drawing number LV-4-232, BF creation 951206”, [online], [searched on January 29, 2007], Internet <http : //biz.national.jp/Ebox/ecomets/>, search term "TA41239C, specifications, instruction manual, construction manual"

  However, the conventional tower clock device 200 described in the above-mentioned Non-Patent Document 1 sends a slave clock drive signal of 30 seconds with a pole from the parent clock 210 to the tower clock drive device 220 via the connection line 240. The tower clock movement 230 is driven by sending a tower clock control signal of 60 seconds without pole and a DC power source to the tower clock movement 230 from the clock driver 220 via the plurality of connection lines 250. Therefore, a connection between the master clock 210 and the tower clock driving device 220 and a plurality of connection wirings between the tower clock driving device 220 and the tower clock movement 230 are essential.

  Although not shown, when the time calibration of the master clock 210 is automatically calibrated with the time information of the GPS or long wave standard radio wave, the master clock 210, connection to these time calibration receivers, and further, this time A connection line between the calibration receiver and the receiving antenna is also required.

  The master clock 210 incorporates the time calibration receiver, and even if the function of the master clock 210 incorporating the time calibration receiver is incorporated in the tower clock drive device 220, the tower clock drive device 220 installed indoors Between the tower clock movements 230 installed outdoors, a plurality of connection wirings 250 for each pair of power supply lines, tower clock control signal lines, and back monitor pulse lines are required. In particular, when the distance between the tower clock drive device 220 installed indoors and the tower clock movement 230 installed outdoors increases, the power supply line is low-voltage DC power transmission. There was a problem that it was necessary to wire with a thick low resistance wire.

  Further, in the conventional tower clock device 200, even when the power supply is stopped due to a power failure or the like, the tower clock drive device 220 includes the secondary battery 269, and the operation of the tower clock device 200 continues. However, when the power supply exceeding the charging capacity of the secondary battery 269 is stopped, the tower clock device 200 completely stops functioning, so that the artificial initial setting, that is, the indication time of the tower clock monitor clock 272 is changed to the tower clock movement. There is a problem that it is necessary to make the operation coincide with the current time by operating the adjustment switch 270 to coincide with the time indicated by the hour / minute pointer 232 at 230. In addition, there is a problem that the maintenance and replacement of the secondary battery 269 are also required periodically.

  That is, the conventional tower clock device is in the form of a parent clock-child clock, and a plurality of wirings are provided between a tower clock driving device including a parent clock or a monitor clock installed indoors and a tower clock movement installed outdoors. In addition, since the tower clock movement is composed of passive elements, there is a problem that initial setting and operation monitoring at the start of operation are essential.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tower clock device that solves the above-described problems, facilitates installation wiring and the like, and is completely maintenance-free against power supply stoppage due to initial setting or power failure. It is in.

The tower clock device of the present invention basically employs the following constituent elements.
A time information receiver that receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and outputs time information, a movement having an independent pointer position detecting device for each of the hour hand and the minute hand, and an independent pointer driving device and a control driving device. A tower clock device, wherein the time information receiver and the movement are independently supplied with power, the time information receiver and the movement are connected by a pair of serial signal lines, and the hour hand display The time and the display time of the minute hand display the current time following the time information of the time information receiver once every minute.

  Further, when the power supply to the tower clock device is stopped, the driving of the hour hand and the minute hand by the driving device is stopped, and when the power supply to the tower clock device is restored, the pointer position detecting device The hour hand and the minute hand are driven to a position at which the hour hand operates, and then the hour hand and the minute hand are continuously driven until the time information of the time information receiver coincides with reference to the pointer detection position of the hour hand and the minute hand. It is characterized by that.

  Further, the memory contents are cleared at a position where the pointer position detecting device operates, and each time the hour hand and the minute hand are driven, a pointer position memory is provided for storing the hour hand pointer position information and the minute hand pointer position information, When the power supply to the tower clock device is stopped, the pointer driving of the hour hand and the minute hand by the drive device is stopped, and when the power supply to the tower clock device is restored, the pointer stored in the pointer position memory The hour hand and the minute hand of the movement are continuously driven until the position information matches the time information of the time information receiver.

  Further, the hour hand pointer position detecting device is disposed between a rotating shaft of the hour hand and a housing supporting the rotating shaft, and can be rotated and fixed with respect to the rotating shaft of the hour hand. Features.

  The movement is provided with a time difference information preset switch function.

  In other words, the tower clock device of the present invention supplies power independently to the GPS time information receiver installed in a place with good reception conditions and the movement that displays the time by the hands, and this time information receiver and the movement They are connected by a pair of serial signal lines. In addition, this movement includes an independent pointer position detecting device and an independent pointer driving device for the hour hand and the minute hand, respectively, and makes the pointer follow the time information from the GPS satellite synchronously based on the pointer detected position. .

  As described above, the tower clock device according to the present invention includes the pointer position detecting device and the pointer driving device that are independent of the hour hand and the minute hand, respectively, and the reception time from the GPS satellite based on the pointer detected position. To quickly synchronize the hour and minute hands with information, even if the power supply to the tower clock device stops due to a power failure, etc., if the power supply resumes, the pointer position automatically returns to the current time and follows. Therefore, there is no need for a monitor clock for confirming the position of the pointer of the movement, and there is no need to mount a secondary battery for operation compensation against unexpected power supply stoppage. In addition, a time information receiver that receives time information from a GPS satellite is connected to a movement that displays time by a serial signal line, and thus can be installed at any place. Therefore, the time information receiver can be installed in a place with good reception conditions, and the place where the movement for displaying the time is not restricted, and a highly reliable tower clock device with high accuracy can be provided.

  The most characteristic feature of the tower clock device according to the present invention is that a time information receiver and a movement are installed independently, and a pair of serial signal lines are connected between them, and the hour and minute hands of this movement are connected. The display time is displayed once every minute, and the current time is displayed following the reception time information.

First, an overview of an embodiment of a tower clock device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an entire system of a tower clock device according to the present invention.
The tower clock device 100 includes a time information receiver 10 and a movement 20, and the time information receiver 10 and the movement 20 are connected by a pair of serial signal lines 30.
The time information receiver 10 includes a GPS signal receiver 11 and a receiving antenna 12 and is operated by an external power supply 19 to transmit reception time information from a GPS satellite to the movement 20 via a serial signal line 30.

  The movement 20 includes a control drive device 40, a drive mechanism 50, a dial 71, an hour hand 72, and a minute hand 73. The control drive device 40 is operated by the external power supply 49 and time information from the serial signal line 30 to drive the drive mechanism 50. The drive mechanism 50 drives the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 and follows the time information from the serial signal line 30 to display the current time once per minute. In addition, since the tower clock apparatus of this embodiment presupposes that a time display surface is exposed to the outdoors, the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are made to be strong enough to withstand wind and snow and sun exposure.

  Also, transmission of reception time information from the time information receiver 10 to the movement 20 uses, for example, the RS232C format and a transmission speed of 9600 bps. Therefore, the serial signal line 30 uses a pair of twisted pair lines, and the time information receiver 10 and the movement 20 can be installed with a distance of about 1 km. Further, the transmission distance can be further extended by inserting a booster in the middle of the serial signal line 30.

Next, details of the control drive device 40 and the drive mechanism 50 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control drive device and a drive mechanism according to the present invention.
The control drive device 40 has a time information input interface 42, a hand position memory 43, a time difference information preset switch 44, an hour hand position input interface 45, an hour hand drive circuit 46, a minute hand position input interface 47, and a minute hand drive circuit around an arithmetic circuit 41. 48, and power to the control drive device 40 is supplied from an external power supply 49. Further, the time information is input to the time information input interface 42 via the serial signal line 30.

  The drive mechanism 50 includes an hour hand position detection device 54, an hour hand drive motor 52, a minute hand position detection device 66, and a minute hand drive motor 62. The output signal of the hour hand position detection device 56 is connected to the hour hand position input interface 45, and the minute hand position detection device 66 is connected to the minute hand position input interface 47 to transmit the pointer position information to the control drive device 40. The hour hand drive motor 52 is connected to the hour hand drive circuit 46, and the minute hand drive motor 62 is connected to the minute hand drive circuit 48 to drive the respective motors.

Next, details of the drive mechanism 50 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a drive mechanism according to the present invention. The drive mechanism 50 includes an hour hand system and a minute hand system.
The hour hand system includes a screw gear (worm) 53 directly connected to the hour hand drive motor 52, a worm gear mechanism formed by a helical gear (worm wheel) 54 having a rotation axis orthogonal thereto, and a coaxial with the helical gear 53. A slit disk 56b fixed to the upper hour hand shaft 55 and a photodetector 56a that detects passage of the slit through the slit disk 56b. The slit disk 56b and the light detector 56a are the hour hand position detecting device 56, and optically detect the passage of the slit of the slit disk 56b fixed coaxially with the hour hand shaft 55 once in one rotation of the hour hand shaft 55.

  The minute hand system includes a screw gear (worm) 63 directly connected to the minute hand drive motor 62, a worm gear mechanism formed by a helical gear (worm wheel) 64 having a rotation axis orthogonal thereto, and a coaxial with the helical gear 64. A slit disk 66b fixed to the upper minute hand shaft 65 and a photodetector 66a for detecting passage of the slit through the slit disk 66b. The slit disk 66b and the photodetector 66a are the minute hand position detecting device 66, and optically detect the passage of the slit of the slit disk 66b fixed coaxially with the minute hand shaft 65 once in one rotation of the minute hand shaft 65.

  The hour hand shaft 55 and the minute hand shaft 65 pass through the center portion of the hour hand shaft 55 coaxially. Then, the end portions of the hour hand shaft 55 and the minute hand shaft 65 are exposed on the dial 71 shown in FIG. 1, and the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are fixed respectively.

  Further, the position at which the hour hand position detecting device 56 operates is set in advance to a position where the hour hand 72 shown in FIG. 1 indicates the 0:00 position when the movement 20 is installed. Similarly, the position at which the minute hand position detection device 66 operates is set to a position where the minute hand 73 indicates the 0 minute position.

Next, the operation of the above-described tower clock device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
When the power supply 49 is supplied from the outside to the control drive device 40 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the arithmetic circuit 41 having a clock function built in the internal register starts from the initial state, and drives the hour hand drive motor 52 and the minute hand. The motor 62 is continuously driven until the hour hand position detecting device 56 and the minute hand position detecting device 66 detect the hand position. When the hour / minute hand position is detected, the built-in clock function of the arithmetic circuit 41 is also cleared. That is, the hour hand position detecting device 56 and the minute hand position detecting device 66 are at the 0 hour and 0 minute positions, respectively, so that the hour hand 72, the minute hand 73 and the built-in clock function are based on 0:00.

  Next, the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are continuously driven based on the time information from the time information receiver 11 until the time information coincides with the 00:00 position as a base point. Thus, the display times of the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are synchronized with the time information from the time information receiver 11. Since the hour hand drive motor 52 and the minute hand drive motor 62 are independent pulse motors, the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 can be made to coincide with time information quickly by simultaneous operation. After synchronization, the hour hand drive motor 52 and the minute hand drive motor 62 are pulse-driven corresponding to one minute every time the time information divides by one minute.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the pointer position detection device and the pointer driving device are provided independently for the hour hand and the minute hand, respectively, and the reception time information from the GPS satellite is obtained based on the pointer detection position. On the other hand, in order to quickly follow the hour and minute hands, even if the power supply to the tower clock device stops due to an unexpected power failure, etc., if the power supply resumes, the pointer position will automatically return to the current time. Follow. In addition, the time information receiver that receives time information from GPS satellites is connected to the movement that displays the time with a serial signal line, so it can be installed in any location, and the time information receiver can be placed in a place with good reception conditions. It is possible to provide a highly reliable tower clock device that can be installed and is not restricted by the installation location of the movement for displaying the time.

  Next, another embodiment will be described in which time synchronization is performed when power supply to the tower clock device is stopped or restored due to an unexpected power failure or the like. The time synchronization method is characterized in that the pointer position when the power supply is stopped is stored in the pointer position memory.

  That is, the needle position memory 43 is a non-volatile memory or a memory that can hold the stored content by a backup battery. In addition, the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are synchronized with the time information using the 0: 0 position as a base point, thereby obtaining data obtained by digitizing the pointer position indicated by the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 in increments of 1 minute. That is, the hand position memory 43 updates and stores the hand position data indicated by the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 as the current hand position data every time the hour hand 72 and the minute hand 73 are driven every minute.

  The tower clock device according to the present invention does not include a secondary battery or the like that backs up the operation of the control drive device 40 when the external power supply 49 stops due to a power failure or the like. Stop at the position where 49 stops. However, when the power supply 49 recovers, the current hand position is stored in the hand position memory 43, and therefore the hour hand 72 is used until it matches the time information input from the time information receiver 11 via the serial signal line 30. By moving the minute hand 73, the tower clock device again synchronizes with the time information from the time information receiver 11.

  Next, an embodiment of the time difference correction means of the tower clock device according to the present invention will be described. The time information obtained by the GPS receiver 11 is UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). The tower clock device 100 in FIG. 1 must normally display the time in the local time of the area where the tower clock device is installed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a time difference setting mechanism according to the present invention. The slit disk 56b is fixed to the hour hand shaft 55 corresponding to the time difference. Here, a positioning pin 55a is provided on the surface of the hour hand shaft 55 on which the slit disk 56b is fixed, and 12 pieces are provided on the slit disk 56b. A positioning hole 56d is provided. That is, by aligning either the positioning pin 55a or the positioning hole 56d, the position of the slit 56c on the slit disk 56b can be indexed with respect to the hour hand shaft 55 in increments of one hour.

  Reference numeral 57 denotes a spring that presses and fixes the slit disk 56b against the surface of the positioning pin 55a. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 65 denotes a minute hand shaft, which shows a state of passing through the coaxial central portion of the hour hand shaft 55.

  In other words, the time difference correcting means of the tower clock device according to the present invention presses and fixes the slit disk 56b of the hour hand position detecting device 56 with the spring 57 so that it can be rotated and fixed with respect to the rotating shaft of the hour hand shaft 55. In addition, since it is possible to index every hour, it is easy to display the local time in the area where the tower clock device is installed.

  Next, an embodiment of the daylight saving time setting means of the tower clock device according to the present invention will be described. Daylight saving time may or may not be implemented depending on the region. Even when daylight saving time is implemented, the implementation time varies. Therefore, it is preferable that the daylight saving time setting means provided in the tower clock device 100 is set artificially.

  Therefore, the daylight saving time setting means of the tower clock device 100 according to the present invention is performed by the time difference information preset switch 44 described with reference to FIG. That is, if the switch 44 is ON, the arithmetic circuit 41 advances the UTC time received by the time information input interface 42 to the tower clock device 100 by one hour, and if it is OFF, the UTC time is applied as it is.

  The configuration and operation of the tower clock device according to the present invention have been described above in detail. The time difference correction means and the summer time setting means are both in increments of 1 hour based on the UTC time received by the time information input interface 42. Therefore, the time difference correction means for indexing the slit disk 56b with respect to the hour hand shaft 55 in increments of one hour may be used for the summer time setting. Further, the time difference information preset switch 44 used for the summer time setting means is composed of a plurality of switches such as a dip switch capable of setting four or five sets of ON / OFF, for example, up to 4 bits or 5 bits, that is, 12 hours. Alternatively, the time difference correction setting for 24 hours may be used.

Next, an application example of the tower clock device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an overall system of a plurality of tower clock devices according to the present invention.
The time information receiver 10 including the GPS signal receiver 11 and the receiving antenna 12 and including the external power supply 19 is one set. The time information from the time information receiver 10 is branched and supplied to a plurality of clocks 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f via the serial signal line 30a. Reference numerals 49a, 49b, 49c, 49d, 49e, and 49f are power supplies individually supplied to the plurality of timepieces 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d, 20e, and 20f. Reference numerals 20a, 20b, and 20c denote pointer type watches, and 20d and 20e denote digital type watches.

  In other words, the tower clock device of the present invention can quickly synchronize the hour / minute hands and the display time with respect to the reception time information from the GPS satellite even for a plurality of clocks. Even if the power supply is stopped, if the power supply is resumed, it automatically returns to and follows the current time. Therefore, it is not necessary to mount a secondary battery for operation compensation against unexpected power supply stop. In addition, a time information receiver that receives time information from a GPS satellite is connected to a movement that displays time by a serial signal line, and thus can be installed at any place. Therefore, the time information receiver can be installed in a place with good reception conditions, and the place where the movement for displaying the time is not restricted, and a highly reliable tower clock device with high accuracy can be provided.

  In the above-described tower clock device according to the present invention, the configuration example in which the GPS receiver is used as the time information receiver has been described. However, the time information receiver has the same configuration even if it receives a long wave standard radio wave. It can be.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole system of the tower clock apparatus by this invention. It is a block diagram of the control drive device and drive mechanism by this invention. It is a top view of the drive mechanism by this invention. It is a perspective view of the time difference setting mechanism by this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole system of the some tower clock apparatus by this invention. It is a schematic diagram of the conventional tower clock apparatus. It is a block diagram of the conventional tower clock drive device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Tower clock apparatus 10 Time information receiver 11 GPS signal receiver 12 Receiving antenna 19, 49 Supply power supply 20 Movement 30 Serial signal line 40 Control drive device 41 Calculation circuit 42 Time information input interface 43 Pointer position memory 44 Preset switch 45 Hour hand position Input interface 46 Hour hand drive circuit 47 Minute hand position input interface 48 Minute hand drive circuit 50 Drive mechanism 52 Hour hand drive motor 54 Hour hand position detection device 55 Hour hand shaft 55a Positioning pin 56 Hour hand position detection devices 56b and 66b Slit disk 56d Positioning hole 62 Minute hand drive motor 65 Minute hand shaft 66 Minute hand position detector 66b Slit disc 72 Hour hand 73 Minute hand

Claims (5)

  A time information receiver that receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and outputs time information, a movement having an independent pointer position detecting device for each of the hour hand and the minute hand, and an independent pointer driving device and a control driving device. In the tower clock device, the time information receiver and the movement are independently supplied with power, the time information receiver and the movement are connected by a pair of serial signal lines, and the display time of the hour hand is The display time of the minute hand is a tower clock device that displays the current time following the time information of the time information receiver once every minute.   When the power supply to the tower clock device is stopped, the driving of the hour hand and the minute hand by the driving device is stopped, and when the power supply to the tower clock device is restored, the pointer position detection device is activated. The hour hand and the minute hand are driven to a position where the hour hand and the minute hand are driven, and then the hour hand and the minute hand are continuously driven until the time information of the time information receiver is coincident with reference to the pointer detection position of the hour hand and the minute hand. The tower clock device according to claim 1, wherein: A memory for clearing the memory at the position where the pointer position detecting device operates, and a pointer position memory for storing the pointer position information of the hour hand and the pointer position information of the minute hand each time the hour hand and the minute hand are driven; If the power supply to the device is stopped, stop driving the hour hand and minute hand by the drive device,
When the power supply to the tower clock device is restored, the hour hand and the minute hand of the movement are continuously driven until the hand position information stored in the hand position memory matches the time information of the time information receiver. The tower clock device according to claim 1.   The hour hand pointer position detecting device is disposed between a rotating shaft of the hour hand and a housing supporting the rotating shaft, and is capable of turning and fixing with respect to the rotating shaft of the hour hand. The tower clock device according to claim 1.   4. The tower clock device according to claim 1, wherein the movement has a time difference information preset switch function.

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