JP2751400B2 - Equipment control device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device control device capable of automatically turning on and off various terminal devices such as a lighting device and an air conditioner by making a timer reservation in advance.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional device control device of this kind is shown in a block diagram of FIG. The current time setting means 1 is connected to the time keeping means 2 and has a configuration capable of transmitting new current time information to the time keeping means 2 in accordance with a time signal or the like. The clock means 2 keeps generating the current time based on the current time information transmitted from the current time setting means 1 unless there is an instruction to change the setting thereafter. On the other hand, the reservation time setting means 3 follows the time chart as shown in the schedule diagram of FIG. 5, for example.
In this configuration, the device is controlled in advance on what day and at what time of the day, and at what time and on the same day the device should be turned off. Here, for simplicity of description, all time expressions are in 24-hour format, and the minimum unit of on / off reservation time is 1 minute. Regarding device control, it always starts and ends with off, and timer reservation that spans the next day It is assumed that the number of ON / OFF operations that can be repeated within one day is a maximum of four times (four stages) and that there is no overlap in the time zone of the timer reservation time.

The comparing / determining means 4 sends an ON / OFF control instruction signal for the corresponding device to the device control means 5 based on the time information obtained from the clocking means 2 and the reserved time setting means 3, and this operation is described in FIG. This will be described with reference to a flowchart. First, in step 601, after predetermined initial settings required for normal operation, in step 602, the current time information is read from the timekeeping means 2, but just one minute has elapsed (ie, the current time has shifted from 59 seconds to 0 seconds). If it is understood that the operation has been performed, the process proceeds to the next step 603, but if not, the step 602 is repeated.
In step 603, a pair of on / off reservation times determined in advance by the reservation time setting means 3 is read. However, if the on reservation time is not earlier than the off reservation time as shown in step 604, For example, if a setting is made such that the device is turned on at 20:00 and the device is turned off at 8:00, the process returns to step 602 as a setting error because it violates the above-described principle of starting with on and ending with off.
If the ON / OFF reservation time is set correctly, the process proceeds to step 605, and if the current time and the ON reservation time match, an ON control instruction signal to the device is output to the device control means 5 in step 606. Thereafter, the flow returns to step 602.
If not, the process proceeds to step 607. If the current time matches the off-reservation time, an off-control instruction signal to the device is output to the device control means 5 in step 608, and the process returns to step 602. If the current time does not match the on-reservation time or the off-reservation time, the process directly returns to step 602.

By the way, this control device is provided with power supply means 6 so as to be supplied with power from an external AC 100 V line in order to drive the entire apparatus, and while the power supply means 6 is outputting a constant voltage, This is a configuration in which the operation state is as shown in the flowchart. However, the time keeping means 2 which keeps generating the current time performs the operation of updating the current time information even when the power is not supplied from the power supply means 6 and has a backup battery, that is, even during a power failure. What is being done is also retained without loss.

Specifically, taking the Sunday in the schedule diagram of FIG. 5 as an example, the on / off operation timing of the device is first turned on at 0:00 and then turned off at 0:59. Turn on at 2:00, turn off at 8:30, turn on at 10:30, turn off at 13:20, last turn on at 15:59, turn off at 23:59 become. That is, in this case, the timer is reserved so that the on / off operation is repeated four times a day (four stages) to control the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, in the above configuration, for example, the current time information obtained from the timer means coincides with the on / off reservation time information previously reserved by the timer at the reservation time setting means, and the device control means is just turned on. Or, at the moment of trying to output the OFF control instruction signal, if power is not supplied from the power supply means, that is, if a power failure occurs,
Not only will the on / off operation not be possible during the power failure, but even if the power failure state returns after a certain period of time, the on / off operation that could not be performed during the power failure will not be redone, so the current time matches the next on / off reservation time Until this is done, no on / off control instruction signal is sent to the device control means, and as a result, the on / off state of the device remains contrary to the timer reservation contents.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem. Even in the case of a long-term power failure, instantaneous interruption, or power supply voltage drop, when the power supply is restored, it immediately returns to the normal timer operation state based on the original timer reservation contents. The purpose is to:

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the device control device of the present invention is
When the power is supplied by the power supply means, that is, when the power is restored from the power failure state to the power return state, the current time information obtained from the clocking means is compared with the on / off reservation time information for the corresponding device obtained from the reservation time setting means. If the current time is in the on-control time zone, an on instruction is transmitted to the device control means, or if the current time is in the off-control time zone, an off instruction is transmitted to the device control means. is there.

Operation The present invention has the above-described configuration, and in any operation state such as when the corresponding device is in an ON state or an OFF state, or when the comparison / determination unit sends an ON control instruction signal or an OFF control instruction signal to the device control unit. Even if a power failure occurs and this device or the corresponding device is stopped, power is supplied from the power supply means because on / off control based on the timer reservation content is performed again by the function of the power failure recovery determination means immediately after recovery from the power failure. A normal timer operation is always performed based on the timer reservation contents during all time periods (that is, during a power failure).

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

For the sake of simplicity, as in the conventional example, the time is expressed in a 24-hour system, the minimum unit of the on-off reservation time is 1 minute, and the control of the device must start and end with on, and extend over the next day. It is assumed that there is no timer reservation and that the number of ON / OFF operations that can be repeated in one day is a maximum of four times (four stages) and that there is no overlap in the time period of the timer reservation time.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a current time and current time setting means for initial setting or changing, and comprises a key input unit and a display unit. The clocking means 2 is connected to the current time setting means 1 and, upon receiving an instruction to "set the current time to what time, minute, and second", restarts the timekeeping based on the content thereof, and continuously generates the current time thereafter. . In addition, the clock means 2 changes the minute of the current time (ie, the time has shifted from 59 seconds to 0 seconds).
At this time, it is composed of a real-time clock IC and a backup battery so as to transmit a signal indicating that to the comparison / determination unit 4. On the other hand, the reservation time setting means 3 is provided with a key input unit that allows the user to make a timer reservation of up to four on / off operation schedules a day, at what time and at what time of the day the equipment should be turned on and at what time and at what time. , A display unit and a non-volatile memory unit for holding the reservation contents.

A microcomputer having an operation unit and an input / output unit for transmitting an on / off control instruction signal for the device to the device control unit 5 based on the time information obtained from the clock unit 2 and the reservation time setting unit 3 It consists of. First, the current time information is read from the clock means 2. Here, if it is found that exactly one minute has elapsed (that is, the current time has shifted from 59 seconds to 0 seconds), then the reservation time setting means 3 determines in advance. A pair of on / off reservation times is read out. Here, the current time information is compared with the ON or OFF reservation time information. If the current time and the ON reservation time match, an ON control instruction signal to the device is immediately sent to the device control means 5. Or, if the current time coincides with the off-reservation time, an off-control instruction signal to the corresponding device is immediately sent to the device control means 5. If neither the on-time reservation time nor the off-time reservation time coincides with the current time, nothing is done and the next one minute elapses.

In addition, this control unit is
Power supply means 6 is provided so that power is supplied from an AC 100V line. The power supply means 6 performs smoothing, constant voltage and the like on the applied power supply voltage, and supplies power to the entire apparatus to satisfy the operation. However, the time keeping means 2 which keeps generating the current time has a backup battery and updates the current time information even when power is not supplied from the power supply means 6, that is, even during a power failure. Content is retained without loss.

As can be seen from the above, among the components of the present apparatus, the current time setting means 1, the clocking means 2, the reserved time setting means 3, the comparison and judgment means 4, the device control means 5, and the power supply means 6 are shown in the conventional example. It can be considered that the component has a function substantially equivalent to that of each component.

In this embodiment of the present invention, a power failure recovery judging means 7 is further added. The power failure recovery judging means 7 is, like the comparison judging means 4, provided with the clocking means 2 and the reserved time setting means 3.
And a microcomputer provided with an input / output unit for sending an on / off control instruction signal of the corresponding device to the device control means 5 based on the time information obtained from the microcomputer. It is characterized in that it is driven not at the moment of coincidence but at the time of recovery from power failure. The operation of the power failure recovery determination means 7 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At the time of reset start (that is, power-on or recovery from power failure), first, in step 201, the current time is read from the reservation time setting means 3 to confirm whether or not the on / off reservation for the corresponding device has been made in advance.
If it is determined that the on / off reservation has not been made, the process directly goes to the main process. In step 202, the current time is read from the timekeeping means 2 as to what day of the week, what hour, what minute, and what second, and it is confirmed whether or not the current time is included in the ON reserved time zone area for the device. . If it is determined that the current time is included in the area of the ON reserved time zone, the process immediately proceeds to step 203, where an ON control instruction signal of the corresponding device is transmitted to the device control means 5, and the process exits to the main processing. Similarly, in Steps 204 and 205, if it is found that the current time is included in the area of the off-reservation time zone instead of the on-reservation time zone, it immediately sends the off-control instruction signal of the relevant device to the device control means 5, and then proceeds to the main processing. Exit.

FIG. 3 specifically shows the above operation principle in a time chart. The upper row is the timer reservation state, which is turned off until 0:00 by the reservation time setting means in advance, 0:
This indicates that settings are made to turn on from 00 to 0:59, and to turn off thereafter. The middle stage shows the state of energization of this device, which is always energized, but it is assumed that a power failure occurs only from 0:50 to 0:51. The lower part shows the transition of the on / off state of the actual device under the above conditions when this apparatus is used. The device first gives an ON instruction at 0:00 according to a timer reservation, and then from 0:50 to 0:51, both the device and the corresponding device are turned off due to a power failure. However, as soon as the power is restored at 0:51, it is confirmed that the current time (0:51) is included in the area of the ON reserved time zone, and the ON instruction is given. Finally, at 0:59, he stated that the device was changed from the on state to the off state by giving an off instruction according to the timer reservation.

In the above configuration, when the power failure recovery generating means or the reset start (that is, when the power is turned on or the power failure recovers), the on / off control instruction signal based on the on / off reservation status is always transmitted. This has the effect of automatically restoring to match the reservation details.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the device control device of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Even if a power failure occurs immediately before the device is controlled from the off state to the on state or from the on state to the off state, the operation based on the timer reservation content is automatically restarted immediately after the power failure is recovered, so-called unintended operation. "Stuck on and off the device" does not occur. In particular, the restart of the timer operation after the power failure is performed by the instruction signal from the power failure recovery determination means, so that it is not necessary to intervene human hands at all, and therefore, when the combustion equipment or the like is operated by the timer, the operation is unmanned due to the power failure timing. This is very advantageous in terms of safety because it is possible to avoid a situation in which the appliance continues to burn by mistake.

(2) Even when using this device in an environment where there are many power outages or when operating the equipment continuously for a long time, there is an automatic recovery function that does not delay power outages that occur during operation. It can greatly contribute to improving reliability and economy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in a power failure recovery determination means of the device control device.
FIG. 4 is a time chart showing a device state change by the device control device, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the conventional device control device, FIG. 5 is a schedule diagram for determining ON / OFF reservation time by the conventional device control device, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure in a comparison determining means in a conventional device control device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Current time setting means, 2 ... Time measuring means, 3 ... Reservation time setting means, 4 ... Comparative judgment means, 5 ... Equipment control means, 6 ... Power supply means, 7 ... Power failure recovery judgment means .

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-51-104543 (JP, A) JP-A-55-70136 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A power supply means for supplying an external power supply for driving the apparatus, a current time setting means for setting a current time, and a clock means having a backup battery and updating the current time even during a power failure. A device control unit that sends an on / off instruction signal to a device to be controlled, a reservation time setting unit that reserves in advance a time at which the device is to be turned on or off, the clocking unit, the device control unit, It is connected to the reserved time setting means, compares the current time information obtained from the time keeping means with the reserved time information for controlling on / off of the device obtained from the reserved time setting means, If the ON reservation time or the OFF reservation time matches, the comparison determination means for transmitting an ON instruction or an OFF instruction to the device control means; After the start of power supply from the device, the current time information obtained from the clocking means is compared with the reservation time information for on-control or off-control of the device obtained from the reservation time setting means, and the current time is determined as the on-control time of the device. A power failure recovery determining means for transmitting an ON instruction to the device control means if the current time is in the OFF control time zone if the current time is in the OFF control time zone;