JP2016183872A - Timer device and clocking method for timer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a timer device capable of accurately measuring time even if communication is disrupted.SOLUTION: A timer device comprises: a reception unit 31 that receives first clock time information to determine a first clock time determined according to pulses from an oscillator 44 and second clock time information to determine a second clock time determined according to pulses from the oscillator 44; a clocking unit 48 for measuring time according to pulses output by a zero-cross detection unit 51 having an accuracy lower than the oscillator 44; a control unit 47 that receives an output from the clocking unit 48, the first clock time information, and the second clock time information, identifies a time error measured by the clocking unit 48 between the first clock time and the second clock time, and sets relative relation between the time difference between the first clock time and the second clock time and the error; and a storage unit 52 for storing the identified relative relation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a timer device and a timer timing method.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a timer device is generally known. The timer device measures time based on the pulse of the oscillator. A pulse is generated from an AC voltage supplied from a commercial power source.

JP 2002-318645 A

  Unlike commercial power supplies, power sources such as private power generation do not stabilize the frequency of the AC voltage, and timer devices that measure time based on pulses generated from the AC voltage tend to have large errors.

  According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a timer device capable of measuring time accurately even when a power supply reference such as in-house power generation where the frequency of an alternating voltage is not stable is used.

  One aspect of the present invention is a transmitting unit that transmits first time information that specifies a first time specified according to a pulse of an oscillator, and second time information that specifies a second time specified according to a pulse of the oscillator. A receiving unit that sequentially receives the first time information and the second time information, a clocking unit that starts counting from the time of reception of the first time according to a pulse generated based on an AC power supply, and the clocking A control unit that calculates a ratio between a time output from the unit and a time difference between the first time and the second time, and the control unit is configured to calculate the time counting unit based on the calculated ratio of the time differences. The present invention relates to a timer device that corrects the time.

  The first time and the second time are specified according to the pulse of the oscillator having higher accuracy than the pulse generated based on the AC power supply. In addition, the time measuring unit measures the time from the reception of the first time based on the pulse generated based on the AC power supply, and outputs the time. Since the accuracy of the pulse generated based on the AC power supply is lower than that of the oscillator, the time output from the time measuring unit deviates from the time difference between the first time and the second time. The control unit calculates a ratio between the time output from the time measuring unit and the time difference between the first time and the second time, and the time counting of the time measuring unit is corrected based on this ratio. As a result, the accuracy of the time measurement is increased.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a step of receiving first time information for specifying a first time specified according to a pulse of an oscillator, and a pulse generated on the basis of an AC power source when the first time information is received. Starting time measurement, receiving second time information specifying a second time specified in accordance with a pulse of the oscillator, receiving the second time information, measuring the time, and The present invention relates to a timer timing method including a step of calculating and storing a ratio between a first time and a time difference between the second time and a step of correcting the time measured using the stored ratio.

  As described above, according to the disclosed apparatus and method, the time can be accurately measured even with a timer device based on a pulse signal generated based on an AC power source such as private power generation.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows roughly the structure of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view showing roughly the appearance of the indoor unit concerning one embodiment. 1 is an enlarged plan view schematically showing an external appearance of a wireless remote controller according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows roughly the circuit structure of an air conditioner and a wireless remote control. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the processing operation of a control circuit. It is a flowchart which shows roughly the processing operation of the count value determination part of a control circuit.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(1) Configuration of Air Conditioner FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of an air conditioner 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioner 11 includes an indoor unit 12 and an outdoor unit 13. The indoor unit 12 is installed in an indoor space in a building, for example. In addition, the indoor unit 12 may be installed in a space corresponding to the indoor space. An indoor heat exchanger 14 is incorporated in the indoor unit 12. The outdoor unit 13 includes a compressor 15, an outdoor heat exchanger 16, an expansion valve 17, and a four-way valve 18. The indoor heat exchanger 14, the compressor 15, the outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17 and the four-way valve 18 form a refrigeration circuit 19.

  The refrigeration circuit 19 includes a first circulation path 21. The first circulation path 21 connects the first port 18a and the second port 18b of the four-way valve 18 to each other. A compressor 15 is provided in the first circulation path 21. The suction pipe 15a of the compressor 15 is connected to the first port 18a of the four-way valve 18 via a refrigerant pipe. The gas refrigerant is supplied to the suction pipe 15a of the compressor 15 from the first port 18a. The compressor 15 compresses the low-pressure gas refrigerant to a predetermined pressure. The discharge pipe 15b of the compressor 15 is connected to the second port 18b of the four-way valve 18 via a refrigerant pipe. Gas refrigerant is supplied from the discharge pipe 15 b of the compressor 15 to the second port 18 b of the four-way valve 18. The refrigerant pipe may be a copper pipe, for example.

  The refrigeration circuit 19 further includes a second circulation path 22. The second circulation path 22 connects the third port 18c and the fourth port 18d of the four-way valve 18 to each other. The outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17, and the indoor heat exchanger 14 are incorporated into the second circulation path 22 in order from the third port 18c side. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 exchanges heat energy between the refrigerant passing therethrough and ambient air. The indoor heat exchanger 14 exchanges heat energy between the refrigerant passing therethrough and ambient air. The second circulation path 22 may be formed by a refrigerant pipe such as a copper pipe.

  A blower fan 23 is incorporated in the outdoor unit 13. The blower fan 23 ventilates the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The blower fan 23 generates an air flow according to the rotation of the impeller, for example. The airflow passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 16. The flow rate of the airflow passing through is adjusted according to the rotational speed of the impeller.

  A blower fan 24 is incorporated in the indoor unit 12. The blower fan 24 ventilates the indoor heat exchanger 14. The blower fan 24 generates an air flow according to the rotation of the impeller. Indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit 12 by the action of the blower fan 24. The indoor air passes through the indoor heat exchanger 14 and exchanges heat with the refrigerant. The heat-exchanged cold air or warm air flow is blown out from the indoor unit 12. The flow rate of the airflow passing through is adjusted according to the rotational speed of the impeller.

  When the cooling operation is performed in the refrigeration circuit 19, the four-way valve 18 connects the second port 18b and the third port 18c to each other and connects the first port 18a and the fourth port 18d to each other. Therefore, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 16 from the discharge pipe 15 b of the compressor 15. The refrigerant flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 16, the expansion valve 17, and the indoor heat exchanger 14 in order. The outdoor heat exchanger 16 radiates heat from the refrigerant to the outside air. The refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the expansion valve 17. The decompressed refrigerant absorbs heat from the surrounding air in the indoor heat exchanger 14. Cold air is generated. The cold air is blown out into the indoor space by the function of the blower fan 24.

  When the heating operation is performed in the refrigeration circuit 19, the four-way valve 18 connects the second port 18b and the fourth port 18d to each other and connects the first port 18a and the third port 18c to each other. A high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant is supplied from the compressor 15 to the indoor heat exchanger 14. The refrigerant flows through the indoor heat exchanger 14, the expansion valve 17, and the outdoor heat exchanger 16 in order. The indoor heat exchanger 14 radiates heat from the refrigerant to the surrounding air. Warm air is generated. Warm air is blown into the indoor space by the function of the blower fan 24. The refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the expansion valve 17. The decompressed refrigerant absorbs heat from the surrounding air in the outdoor heat exchanger 16. Thereafter, the refrigerant returns to the compressor 15.

(2) Configuration of Indoor Unit FIG. 2 schematically shows the appearance of the indoor unit 12 according to an embodiment. The indoor unit 12 includes a main body 26. An outer panel 27 covers the front surface of the main body 26. An air outlet 28 is formed on the lower surface of the main body 26. The blower outlet 28 is opened toward the room. The main body 26 can be fixed to an indoor wall surface, for example. The blower outlet 28 blows out the cool air or the warm air generated by the indoor heat exchanger 14.

  A wind direction plate 29 is disposed at the outlet 28. The wind direction plate 29 can rotate around the horizontal axis. The wind direction plate 29 can open and close the air outlet 28 according to the rotation. Depending on the angle of the wind direction plate 29, the direction of the airflow to be blown out can be changed.

  A reception module 31 is embedded in the front surface of the main body 26. The receiving module 31 receives infrared rays. The received infrared signal is converted into an electrical signal by the receiving module 31.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the appearance of a wireless remote controller (hereinafter simply referred to as “remote controller”, which is the same as “transmitter”) 33. The remote control 33 includes a remote control main body 34. An operation unit 35 is embedded in the surface of the remote control body 34. The operation unit 35 includes an operation button group. The operation button group includes, for example, a “cooling” button 35a, a “heating” button 35b, a “dehumidification” button 35c, a “blower” button 35d, a “stop” button 35e, a “temperature setting” button 35f, a “timer setting” button 35g, “ Including a “timer cancel” button 35h. A predetermined operation is assigned to each operation button.

  A display panel 36 is embedded in the surface of the remote control body 34. On the screen of the display panel 36, predetermined numbers and characters are displayed. Numbers, letters, and the like include an operation display 37a such as “cooling” and “heating”, a set temperature display 37b, and a time display 37c.

  A transmission module 38 is embedded at the tip of the remote control body 34. The transmission module 38 transmits infrared rays with a determined directivity. The electrical signal is converted into an infrared signal by the transmission module 38. For such infrared transmission, for example, an infrared LED (light emitting diode) may be used. As will be described later, the transmission module 38 is used as a pair with the reception module 31 incorporated in the indoor unit 12.

(3) Circuit Configuration of Air Conditioner and Remote Controller As shown in FIG. 4, the remote controller 33 includes a signal generation unit 41. The signal generator 41 is connected to the transmission module 38. The signal generator 41 generates an instruction signal based on the operation signal and the time signal. The operation signal is a signal that gives an operation instruction to the air conditioner 11 such as “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, “air blowing”, “stop”, “temperature setting”, “timer setting”, and “timer cancellation”. The time signal is time information generated by the time management unit 43 of the remote controller 33. The instruction signal is output from the transmission module 38 of the remote controller 33. The infrared LED of the transmission module 38 blinks according to a rule determined for each operation. An infrared signal is thus formed.

  The remote controller 33 includes an operation control unit 42. The operation control unit 42 is connected to the signal generation unit 41. The operation control unit 42 generates an operation signal according to the signal output from the operation unit 35. For example, the operation control unit 42 generates the “cooling” operation signal based on the reception of the output signal of the “cooling” button 35a, and generates the “heating” operation signal based on the reception of the output signal of the “heating” button 35b. To do. When the “temperature setting” button 35f is operated, the operation signal specifies the designated temperature. When the “timer setting” button 35g is operated, the operation signal specifies the remaining time until the designated time. The operation signal is sent to the signal generator 41.

  The remote controller 33 includes a time management unit 43. The time management unit 43 is connected to the signal generation unit 41. An oscillator 44 is connected to the time management unit 43. The oscillator 44 generates a first pulse based on a built-in crystal oscillator. Based on the generated first pulse, the time management unit 43 generates a time signal. That is, the oscillator 44 outputs a first pulse signal for time display. In the time signal, the time is specified, for example, in seconds. The time signal is sent to the signal generator 41.

  The remote controller 33 includes a display control unit 45. The display control unit 45 is connected to the operation control unit 42 and the time management unit 43. The display control unit 45 generates a display signal based on the operation signal and the time signal. The display signal specifies an operation display 37a, a set temperature display 37b, and a time display 37c. When such a display signal is sent to the display panel 36, an operation display 37a, a set temperature display 37b, and a time display 37c are displayed on the screen of the display panel 36. In this way, the display panel 36 displays the time specified based on the pulse output from the oscillator 44.

  The air conditioner 11 includes a control circuit 47. The control circuit 47 is incorporated in the main body 26 of the indoor unit 12, for example. The control circuit 47 is constituted by a microcomputer, for example. The receiving module 31 is connected to the control circuit 47. The electrical signal output from the receiving module 31 is sent to the control circuit 47.

  The control circuit 47 is connected to the compressor 15, the expansion valve 17, the four-way valve 18, and the blower fan 23 that are incorporated in the outdoor unit 13. The control circuit 47 outputs a control signal toward the compressor 15, the expansion valve 17, the four-way valve 18 and the blower fan 23. The compressor 15, the expansion valve 17, the four-way valve 18, and the blower fan 23 operate according to a control signal from the control circuit 47. Thus, the control circuit 47 controls the operations of the compressor 15, the expansion valve 17, the four-way valve 18 and the blower fan 23.

  The control circuit 47 is connected to the blower fan 24 incorporated in the indoor unit 12 and the drive motor 29 a of the wind direction plate 29. The control circuit 47 outputs a control signal toward the blower fan 24 and the drive motor 29a. The blower fan 24 and the drive motor 29a operate according to a control signal from the control circuit 47. In this way, the control circuit 47 controls the operation of the blower fan 24 and the wind direction plate 29.

  A timer 48 is connected to the control circuit 47. The timer 48 includes a pulse counter 49. The pulse counter 49 counts pulses. When a reset signal is input, the pulse counter 49 outputs a pulse count value and starts counting from zero again. When a preset value is set in the pulse counter 49, the pulse counter 49 outputs a count-up signal when the pulse count value Px reaches the preset value.

  A zero cross detector 51 is connected to the pulse counter 49. The zero cross detection unit 51 detects the zero cross point of the AC voltage of the AC power supply, and generates the second pulse at the timing when the zero cross point is detected. The frequency of an AC power supply such as private power generation varies from 50 Hz or 60 Hz, for example, by about 1%. Therefore, the time measured by the second pulse generated from the AC power supply also has an error of 1%. On the other hand, the fluctuation of the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 44 is about 50 ppm, and the time measured by the generated first pulse is similarly an error of 50 ppm. Therefore, the accuracy of the zero cross detection unit 51 is lower than the accuracy of the oscillator 44. The generated pulse is sent to the pulse counter 49. The pulse counter 49 counts the pulses of the zero cross detector 51. In this way, the timer 48 counts the time according to the pulse output from the zero cross detector 51 and outputs the time. For generating the second pulse, an inexpensive ceramic oscillator may be used instead of using the zero-cross detector 51.

  A storage device 52 is connected to the control circuit 47. In the storage device 52, for example, a first time information area 52a, a second time information area 52b, and an error storage area 52c are partitioned. In the first time information area 52a, first time information for specifying the first time T1 specified in accordance with the pulse of the oscillator 44 is stored. In the second time information area 52b, second time information for specifying the second time T2 specified according to the pulse of the oscillator 44 is stored. In the error storage area 52c, a ratio between the time output from the time measuring unit 48 that starts counting from the time of reception of the first time T1 and the time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2 is stored as a correction value. . The error represents a difference between the time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2 and the time output by the time measuring unit 48 when the second time T2 is received. Here, the correction value is expressed by the ratio of the error to the time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2. The storage device 52 may be a memory or other storage medium.

  The control circuit 47 includes a reception processing unit 54. The reception processing unit 54 decodes the electrical signal converted from the infrared signal output from the remote controller 33. The reception processing unit 54 reads the instruction signal from the electrical signal. The reception processing unit 54 generates an operation instruction and time information. The operation instruction specifies the operation of the air conditioner 11 specified by the instruction signal. The time information specifies the time incorporated in the instruction signal. The first time T <b> 1 is transmitted together with an operation instruction “timer setting” for stopping the operation after a predetermined time, which is transmitted from the remote controller 33 to the air conditioner 11, for example, and received by the reception processing unit 54. The second time T2 is transmitted together with, for example, a temperature adjustment operation instruction after the transmission of the first time T1, and is received by the reception processing unit 54.

  The control circuit 47 includes an operation control unit 55. The operation control unit 55 is connected to the reception processing unit 54. An operation instruction is supplied to the operation control unit 55. A control signal is generated according to the operation instruction. The control signal generated in this way is supplied to the compressor 15, the expansion valve 17, the four-way valve 18, the blower fan 23, the blower fan 24 of the indoor unit 12, and the drive motor 29a.

  The control circuit 47 includes a count value determination unit 56. The count value determination unit 56 is connected to the operation control unit 55. When receiving the instruction signal assigned to the “timer setting” button 35g, the count value determination unit 56 determines the count value Ca of time from the time incorporated in the instruction signal. In the determination, the count value determination unit 56 determines a count value Cb obtained by correcting the time count value Ca. The correction value is acquired from the storage device 52.

The control circuit 47 includes an error calculation unit 57. The error calculation unit 57 is connected to the reception processing unit 54. Time information is sent from the reception processing unit 54 to the error calculation unit 57. The error calculation unit 57 stores the time specified by the time information in the storage device 52. When the first time information does not exist in the first time information area 52a of the storage device 52, the error calculation unit 57 stores the time as the first time T1 in the first time information area 52a. Simultaneously with the storage, the error calculator 57 supplies a reset signal to the pulse counter 49. When the first time information exists in the first time information area 52a of the storage device 52, the error calculation unit 57 stores the time as the second time T2 in the second time information area 52b. Simultaneously with the storage, the error calculation unit 57 acquires the pulse count value Px that is the time output from the time measuring unit 48 and supplies a reset signal to the pulse counter 49. The error calculating unit 57 performs correction based on the acquired time Px from the time measuring unit 48 and the time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2. Specifically, the timer 48 is corrected by the following equation.
Formula 1) Cb = Ca × (Px / (T2-T1))

(4) Operation of the air conditioner During the cooling operation, the compressed refrigerant is sent from the compressor 15 to the outdoor heat exchanger 16. In the outdoor heat exchanger 16, heat exchange is performed between the airflow and the refrigerant. Thermal energy is released from the refrigerant into the airflow. The refrigerant is decompressed by the expansion valve 17. In the indoor heat exchanger 14, the refrigerant takes heat energy from the airflow and evaporates. The airflow is cooled. The cooled air blows out from the outlet 28 of the indoor unit 12.

  During the heating operation, the compressed refrigerant is sent from the compressor 15 to the indoor heat exchanger 14. In the indoor heat exchanger 14, heat exchange is performed between the airflow and the refrigerant. Thermal energy is released from the refrigerant into the airflow. The warmed airflow is blown out from the air outlet 28 of the indoor unit 12. In this way, cold air and warm air are generated.

  The user operates the remote controller 33 when selecting or adjusting the operation of the air conditioner 11. A time display 37 c is displayed on the display panel 36 of the remote controller 33. A display signal is generated by the display control unit 45 in realizing the time display 37c. A time signal is supplied from the time management unit 43 to the display control unit 45. In operating the remote controller 33, the user points the infrared LED of the transmission module 38 toward the reception module 31 of the indoor unit 12. The infrared rays of the transmission module 38 are within the light receiving range of the reception module 31.

  When the “cooling” button 35a, the “heating” button 35b, the “dehumidification” button 35c, the “air blowing” button 35d, the “stop” button 35e, and the “temperature setting” button 35f are operated, the operation control unit 42 operates the operation unit 35. An operation signal is generated on the basis of the output signal. The operation signal is sent to the signal generator 41 and the display controller 45. The signal generator 41 generates an instruction signal based on the operation signal. In the signal generation unit 41, “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, “fan”, “stop”, and “set temperature” are specified according to the type of the operation signal. The instruction signal incorporates the current time (the time when the button is pressed) based on the time signal. The instruction signal is sent to the transmission module 38. An infrared signal is emitted from the transmission module 38. The display control unit 45 generates a display signal according to the type of operation signal. An operation display 37 a and a set temperature display 37 b are displayed on the display panel 36 of the remote controller 33.

  When the “timer setting” button 35g is operated, the operation control unit 42 generates an operation signal based on the output signal of the “timer setting” button 35g. The specified time is incorporated in the operation signal. The operation signal is sent to the signal generator 41. The signal generation unit 41 generates an instruction signal including the operation signal assigned to the “timer setting” button 35 g and the current time. The instruction signal is sent to the transmission module 38. An infrared signal is emitted from the transmission module 38.

  The infrared signal is received by the receiving module 31 of the indoor unit 12. The reception processing unit 54 of the control circuit 47 generates an operation instruction and time information from the received infrared signal. The operation instruction is sent to the operation control unit 55. The operation control unit 55 generates a control signal according to the operation instruction. Operations such as “cooling”, “heating”, “dehumidification”, “fan”, “stop”, and “temperature setting” are realized according to the output of the control signal.

  A flow of processing for calculating a correction value every time an instruction signal is received from the remote controller 33 by the control circuit 47 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, when reception of the instruction signal is confirmed in step S1, the error calculation unit 57 confirms the first time information area 52a of the storage device 52 in step S2. If the first time information does not exist in the first time information area 52a, the error calculation unit 57 stores the time as the first time T1 in the first time information area 52a in step S3. In step S8, the error calculator 57 sends a reset signal to the pulse counter 49, and the pulse counter 49 starts counting pulses. The timer 48 starts timing.

  When the presence of the first time information is confirmed in the first time information area 52a in step S2, the error calculation unit 57 stores the time as the second time T2 in the second time information area 52b in step S4. Subsequently, in step S5, the time count value Px is acquired from the timer 48. The acquired count value Px of time may be stored in the storage device 52. In step S6, the error calculator 57 calculates a correction value based on the acquired count value Px and the first time T1 and the second time T2. In calculating the correction value, the error calculator 57 calculates a time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2. Subsequently, the error calculator 57 calculates the difference between the count value Px of the time counted by the timer 48 from the first time T1 to the second time T2 and the time difference. A difference ratio is calculated with respect to the time difference. The error ratio calculated in this way is stored as a correction value in the error storage area 52c of the storage device 52. In step S7, the error calculation unit 57 rewrites the first time T1 in the first time information area 52a with the second time information. Thereafter, the processing operation of the error calculation unit 57 proceeds to step S8, and a reset signal is sent from the error calculation unit 57 to the pulse counter 49. The pulse counter 49 starts counting pulses in response to receiving the reset signal. In this way, timing is started by the timing unit 48.

  When the instruction signal assigned to the “timer setting” button 35g is confirmed in step S9, the processing operation proceeds to step S10. As shown in FIG. 6, the count value determination unit 56 determines the count value of time (upper limit value of count up) according to the correction value calculated in FIG. 5. In determination, the count value determination unit 56 checks the error storage area 52c of the storage device 52 in step S11. If the correction value is stored in the error storage area 52c, the count value determination unit 56 determines the range of the error ratio in step S12. If the error ratio is ± 1% or more, the count value determination unit 56 multiplies the remaining time (time information generated by the reception processing unit 54 from the instruction signal of the remote controller 33) by the error ratio in step S13 to obtain the time count value. Update. In step S14, the updated count value is sent to the pulse counter 49 as a preset value. The pulse counter 49 outputs a count-up signal when the pulse count value reaches a preset value. The operation control unit 55 performs designated operations such as “cooling”, “heating”, and “stop” in response to reception of the count-up signal.

  If no correction value is stored in the error storage area 52c, in step S15, the count value determination unit 56 sets the remaining time (time information generated from the instruction signal) as it is as the time count value. The set count value is sent to the pulse counter 49 as a preset value in step S14. When the error ratio falls within ± 1%, the count value determining unit 56 similarly sets the time count value in step S15. The set count value is sent to the pulse counter 49 as a preset value in step S14. In this way, designated operations such as “cooling”, “heating” and “stop” are reserved in accordance with the count value.

  The count value determining unit 56, the time measuring unit 48, and the storage device 52 form a timer device. In the timer device, the first time T1 and the second time T2 are specified according to the pulse of the oscillator 44 having higher accuracy than the pulse generated by the zero-cross detection unit 51. Based on the pulses generated by the zero cross detection unit 51 between the first time T1 and the second time T2, the time measuring unit 48 measures time. Since the accuracy of the pulse generated by the zero-cross detection unit 51 is lower than that of the oscillator 44, the measured time is deviated from the time difference between the first time T1 and the second time T2. In this way, the error of the timer 48 is specified. The error ratio is calculated. The time count of the time measuring unit 48 is corrected according to the error ratio. As a result, the accuracy of the time measurement is increased.

  Generally, when the operation of the air conditioner 11 is reserved with the “timer setting” button 35g, the remote controller 33 is not operated again until the reserved operation is performed thereafter. Unless the remote controller 33 is operated, the infrared LED of the transmission module 38 is rarely directed to the reception module 31 of the indoor unit 12. In this embodiment, since the error ratio (correction value) is stored in the storage device 52 every time an instruction signal is received from the remote controller 33, it is not necessary to receive the instruction signal from the remote controller 33 after the timing is started. Therefore, even if communication between the timer device and the oscillator 44 is not performed after the time measurement is started, the time can be accurately measured.

  In the present embodiment, the oscillator 44 uses a crystal oscillator for time display. The crystal oscillator specifies the time with high accuracy.

  In the above embodiment, the time in seconds is specified by the time signal of the remote controller 33. In addition, in the time signal, the time may be specified in units of microseconds or minutes. Alternatively, the number of pulses may be specified in the time signal instead of the time. In this case, the number of pulses may be used for the calculation when the error calculation unit 57 of the control circuit 47 specifies the time error. The timer 48 may use the number of pulses for setting the count value.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Electrical appliance (air conditioner), 31 Reception part (reception module), 44 1st oscillator, 47 Control part (control circuit), 48 Time measuring part, 51 Zero cross detection part, 52 Storage part (storage device).

Claims (2)

First time information specifying a first time specified according to a pulse of the oscillator, a transmission unit transmitting a second time specified according to the pulse of the oscillator, the first time information and the second time information A receiver for sequentially receiving, a timer for starting timing from the time of reception of the first time in accordance with a pulse generated based on an AC power supply;
A controller that receives the first time information and the second time information and calculates a ratio between a time output from the timekeeping unit and a time difference between the first time and the second time;
The said control part correct | amends the time of the said time measuring part based on the ratio of the calculated said time difference, The timer apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. Receiving first time information specifying a first time specified according to a pulse of the oscillator;
Receiving the first time information, starting time measurement according to a pulse generated based on an AC power source; and
Receiving second time information specifying a second time specified according to a pulse of the oscillator;
When receiving the second time information, calculating and storing a ratio between the time measured and a time difference between the first time and the second time, and using the stored ratio, the time measurement is performed. And a step of correcting the time of the timer.