JP3449965B2 - Combustion equipment - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a combustion device such as a heater or a water heater, and more particularly to controlling a main body control device for controlling combustion in a combustion part from a remote control device by utilizing radio frequency such as radio waves. Combustion equipment to be obtained, and the remote control device (remote controller: abbreviated as a remote control hereinafter) is driven by a primary battery or a secondary battery, so it is necessary to extend the battery life, and therefore low power consumption measures are taken. The present invention relates to a combustion device which is particularly effective for the combustion device and which has an improved part for displaying a time on a remote controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, information signals carried on radio frequencies such as radio waves have begun to be used for remote control of various combustion equipment as described above, and in order to secure the freedom of installation of remote controls. In some cases, it has become necessary to use a primary battery, a secondary battery, or the like as the power source of the remote controller as described above so that the remote controller can be freely moved while being held.
Therefore, since it is necessary to extend the life of such a battery, if the user does not operate various operation switches for a certain period of time or more, a display for displaying the current time and various information related to combustion provided in the remote controller. Low power consumption measures such as turning off the display of the means or cutting off the power supply of almost all circuits are adopted.

Of course, it is now common to equip a remote control with a clock for displaying the current time, but there are mainly two methods for measuring the time of such a clock, and it is said that the resonance frequency of the remote control is stable. There is a method of dividing the frequency by using a crystal oscillator or a ceramic oscillator, and a method of dividing the frequency of the commercial power source by the main body control device to measure the frequency.

[0004]

However, when the above-described low power consumption countermeasure is adopted in the conventional remote controller, the timing of the main body control device is kept as long as there is a timing at which the power of almost all circuits of the remote controller is shut off. The clock cannot be displayed on the display means of the remote controller during operation. Therefore, inevitably, the clock display on the remote control side is conventionally the first method described above,
That is, the method using the oscillator built into the remote controller is substantially limited.

However, even when a ceramic oscillator or a crystal oscillator with higher precision is used, there is no error in their oscillation frequencies, and the clock error is 30 months.
If the crystal oscillator is required to have higher precision such as 5 seconds per month or less, for example, the crystal oscillator becomes very expensive in terms of cost.

In the past, however, rather than saying that the power of almost all circuits is turned off when it is not necessary, the power is periodically supplied to the receiving circuit to check whether or not there is an information signal to be received. There is also a system in which a liquid crystal display device having low power consumption is used as the display means of the remote controller so that power is always supplied to constantly display the device status to the user. However, even with this, as long as the conventional idea described above is followed, there is still time when the receiving circuit becomes inactive,
It was not possible to always display the clock on the remote control with highly accurate timekeeping information using the mains control unit side commercial power frequency, and it relied solely on the oscillation frequency of the oscillator built into the remote control.

The present invention has been made in view of this point, and is a combustion device in which power is supplied only when necessary to a transmitting circuit or a receiving circuit provided in a battery-powered remote controller. Even if you have to rely on the oscillation frequency of the oscillator built into the remote controller for timekeeping to display the time on the built-in display means, the time display can be corrected with timekeeping based on a highly accurate commercial power frequency. To do.

Further, since the present invention considers time correction by radio frequency as will be described later in solving the above-mentioned basic problem, the problem of interference between adjacent devices under actual operation due to this is also considered. Try to solve. In other words, when some same type of combustion equipment such as water heaters of the same type is newly installed at one time in an apartment, etc., the radio frequency for time correction in the adjacent house may interfere and the It is not unthinkable that the correction will be made or the time correction itself cannot be done. Therefore, the present invention also proposes a configuration that rationally deals with such a situation.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention, as described above, has a fixed main body control device for controlling combustion in a combustion section and a remote control device for remotely controlling the main body control device. By providing a transmission circuit and a reception circuit to the device (remote control), it is configured so that information signals can be exchanged between the main body control device and the remote control device via a radio frequency. The receiving circuit is a remote control device with a built-in microcomputer,
The transmission circuit and the reception circuit of the main body control device are configured so that the power supply thereof is cut off or supplied depending on the situation by a microcomputer incorporated in the main body control device, and the transmission circuit and the reception circuit of the remote control device are As an improvement on the combustion equipment in which the power supply of the receiving circuit is supplied from the battery, we propose a combustion equipment having the following constituent features (A) to (F). (A) The remote control device is provided with a first time measuring unit that measures time based on an oscillation frequency of an oscillator that generates a clock signal of a microcomputer provided in the remote control device. (B) The main body control device is provided with a second timing means for timing based on the frequency of the commercial AC power supply. (C) The current time measured by the first timing means is displayed on the display means of the remote control device. (D) The second timing means transmits the current time being counted as one of the information signals via the transmission circuit of the main body control device at a predetermined time interval. (E) The current time measured by the first time measuring means is temporarily corrected by the clock correcting means based on the current time received via the receiving circuit of the remote control device, and the corrected current time is restarted from the first time measuring means. Starts timing. (F) If the information signal of the current time sent from the main control unit cannot be received at the correction scheduled time determined by the above time interval, only the next scheduled correction time will be the above time interval. Is the time when a time obtained by adding the addition time individually determined for each combustion device has elapsed.

The addition time set individually for each combustion device may be basically set individually for each device when the product is unloaded. However, this would be wasteful if it had been set even for a combustion device that would be used in an environment where interference would not occur when it was installed, which would be a great deal of trouble. Therefore, in a desirable subordinate concept of the present invention, a configuration in which each device is set when necessary, but an addition time different from that of other devices is also disclosed.

As a first subordinate conceptual configuration, the addition time individually determined for each combustion device is determined by the microcomputer provided in the remote control device and the microcomputer provided in the main body control device. In the process of continuing the operation, it can be proposed to set the time obtained by a predetermined relational expression based on the same numerical value counted for the same type of counting object via the respective counter means attached thereto.

As a second subordinate conceptual configuration, when the remote control device cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main control device side at the correction scheduled time,
The time obtained by a predetermined relational expression is individually set for each combustion device based on the numerical value counted with respect to the predetermined count target through the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided therein. In addition to the addition time, the main body control device does not send a reply signal indicating that the correction is completed to the main body control device, and the main body control device indicates that the correction is completed within a predetermined time from the scheduled correction time. If no reply signal is received, the same numerical value that has been counted with respect to the same counting target as the predetermined counting target in the remote control unit via the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the main body control unit. Based on the same relational expression as the above-mentioned predetermined relational expression in the remote control device. During it may propose to the adding time which is determined individually for each combustion equipment.

Further, as a third subordinate conceptual configuration, when the remote control device cannot receive the information signal of the present time sent from the main body control device side at the correction scheduled time, it is provided therein. The time obtained by the predetermined relational expression based on the numerical value counted with respect to the predetermined count object through the counter means attached to the microcomputer is set as the addition time individually determined for each combustion device. At the same time, the added time thus obtained is transmitted to the main body control device, and the main body control device receiving this adds the received added time to the time interval until the next scheduled correction time. I can suggest that.

On the contrary, as a fourth subordinate conceptual configuration for calculating the addition time by the main body control unit, the remote control unit sets the current time sent from the main body control unit at the correction scheduled time. If the information signal cannot be received, the main control device does not send a reply signal indicating that the correction has been completed, and the main control device completes the correction within a predetermined time from the scheduled correction time. If a reply signal indicating that is not received, it is determined in advance based on the numerical value counted for the predetermined count target via the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the main body control device. The time calculated by a certain relational expression is used as the addition time individually determined for each combustion device, and the calculated addition time is transmitted. Configuration that adds the addition time to the time interval until the next correction scheduled time can also be proposed.

The counting target, which has been monitored while the microcomputer continues its operation, may be basically any, but the number of combustions up to that time is counted for the purpose of maintenance or the like. Since this is often done, the number of times of combustion may be the number.

In addition, to describe a subordinate structure from another viewpoint of the present invention, in addition to the above basic structure, a remote control device oscillates a low frequency signal relatively, and a low frequency oscillator that always operates. A high-frequency oscillator that oscillates a relatively high-frequency signal is provided, and the first timing means measures the time based on the oscillation frequency of the low-frequency oscillator, while the microcomputer incorporated in the remote control device has a transmission circuit. When the power supply from the battery is cut off for both the receiver and the receiver circuit, the operation of the high frequency oscillator is stopped, the clock signal based on the oscillation frequency of the low frequency oscillator operates in the relative low power consumption mode, and the transmission is performed. When power is supplied from the battery to at least one of the circuit and the receiving circuit, the high-frequency oscillator is activated, and the clock signal based on the oscillation frequency causes relatively high power consumption for normal operation. When configured to operate in over de,
This is desirable as a measure for low power consumption when used together with the timepiece correction function of the present invention.

Further, the remote control device is provided with operating means by which a user can manually input the current time, and the main body control device inputs and sets the current time based on the operation of the operating means in the remote control device. It is practical to configure the second timekeeping means to start the timekeeping with the time when the input and set current time information is transmitted from the remote control device as the reference time for starting the timekeeping. The time can be set, and it can be a measure after a power failure.
Since the second timekeeping means on the main controller side operates on commercial power, there is a possibility that the current time information for correction will be lost due to a power failure.Therefore, it is not possible to reset the current time from the remote controller side. In a sense, it is also one of the basic functions.

Further, the main body control device is capable of variably setting after the start of the time measurement by the second time measuring means, and when the predetermined first time elapses, the first time current information transmission is performed at that time. It is desirable to configure to transmit the current time and then transmit the current time at a predetermined time interval, and the microcomputer provided in the remote control device will receive the current time from the main control device. It is a practical consideration for commercialization that the power supply is supplied to the reception circuit of the remote control device for a predetermined number of minutes before the time to enter the reception standby state at the current time.

Further, when the operation member provided in the operation means of the remote control device is operated, an information signal relating to combustion is transmitted from the remote control device, and when the main control device receives the information signal, the main control device receives the information signal. When the reply signal indicating that the information signal has been received is transmitted to the remote control device, if the reply signal includes the current time measured by the second timing means at that time. , A more detailed current time correction display can be made. The time interval for receiving the current time information from the main body control device side, that is, the correction time interval of the current time on the display means of the remote control device is arbitrary, but generally at least once a day, for example, It is desirable to secure a 24-hour interval.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of one individual combustion apparatus B to which the present invention is applied will be described. However, the combustion apparatus B may be any one, and in the case of the drawing, for example, a water heater having a function of supplying hot water to a bathtub is assumed. ing. In general, a main body control device 10 for controlling combustion in a combustion part (not shown) is fixedly installed in the main body of the combustion device B. The main body control device 10 is configured to include a microcomputer (hereinafter, a microcomputer), A combustion control circuit 11 that controls various functions related to combustion in the combustion unit is provided. Since the combustion control mode itself is not directly related to the present invention, its explanation is omitted.

Starting the combustion control circuit 11 of the main body control device 10,
The transmitter circuit 12, the receiver circuit 13, the frequency detection means 14, the second timing means 15, and the counter means 16, which will be sequentially described below, are used for commercial purposes only at all times or only when necessary, as described below in the desirable low power consumption measures. Power supply Power based on AC is supplied.

On the other hand, the remote control device (remote control) 20 is driven by a primary or secondary battery 27, and when an operation switch (not shown) provided in the operation means 22 that can be operated by the user is operated, In order to operate the built-in microcomputer in the normal operation mode in the remote control control circuit 21 that was operating in the low power consumption mode by the relatively low frequency clock signal oscillated by the low frequency oscillator 28 in the standby state up to
The high frequency oscillator 29 is driven to obtain a clock signal based on its relatively high oscillation frequency. The low-frequency oscillator 28 and the high-frequency oscillator 29 may be suitable oscillators such as ceramic oscillators, crystal oscillators, etc., but the present invention is an improvement relating to the clock display, and an oscillator that oscillates a clock signal for timekeeping Since it is used, it is preferably a crystal oscillator from the viewpoint of obtaining high accuracy. To put it the other way around, however, in the present invention, as will be apparent from the later description, the correction interval of the current time can be arbitrarily set, and it is easy to secure a correction number of once a day or more, so that it is inexpensive. It means that a ceramic resonator may be used, and if so, it will greatly contribute to the price reduction.

However, the microcomputer 21 that has shifted to the normal operation mode supplies power to the transmission circuit 25 and waits until the transmission circuit 25 can transmit a radio frequency signal. This time is generally short, but during that time, the microcomputer preferably displays an indication on the display means 30 that the operation switch has been operated.

After waiting until the transmission circuit 25 becomes ready for transmission, the remote controller control circuit or the microcomputer 21 sends the transmission data to be transmitted at that time, for example, a combustion start command signal, to the transmission circuit 25, and the transmission circuit 25 becomes appropriate. The signal is transmitted from the antenna 42 to the main body control device 10 as a radio frequency signal via a modulation method. When the transmission of the transmission data is completed, the remote control circuit or the microcomputer 21 (hereinafter simply referred to as microcomputer
21) only shuts off the power supply of the transmitter circuit 25 and the receiver circuit.
26 is supplied with power and put in a standby state capable of receiving a radio frequency signal.

On the other hand, the combustion control circuit 11 of the main body control device 10 or a built-in microcomputer (hereinafter referred to simply as the microcomputer 11) generally supplies power to the receiving circuit 13 at all times, or at least when transmitting data. Other than that is configured to supply power, when receiving a radio frequency signal, which is an information signal indicating that the operation switch has been operated, from the remote controller 20 through the antenna 41, the receiving circuit 13 demodulates the signal.
The main body control device 10 is turned on (a state from the start of combustion to the continuation of combustion) via the microcomputer 11. Then, for example, in a combustion device having a function of automatically supplying hot water to a bathtub, the amount of water in the bathtub is detected by a water amount detector (not shown), and when a predetermined amount of water or more is detected, the combustion unit starts the combustion operation. After that, the microcomputer 11 preferably turns off the power of the receiving circuit 13, supplies the power to the transmitting circuit 12, waits until the transmitting circuit 12 becomes in the transmittable state, and then outputs the information signal indicating that the combustion has started. After appropriately modulating in the transmission circuit 12, it is transmitted as a radio frequency signal from the antenna 41, and after the transmission is completed, the power supply to the transmission circuit 12 is cut off, and the power is supplied again to the reception circuit 13 for reception. Stand by as a possible state.

Here, the microcomputer 11 substantially increments the count value of the number of combustions up to that point by one by the counter means 16 which can be constituted by the microcomputer 11, and stores the numerical data in a memory device (not shown). . As will be described later, this numerical data for counting the number of combustions is originally used for maintenance, but the present invention makes effective use of this.

On the side of the remote controller 20, the antenna 42 is transmitted within a predetermined time (for example, about 20 to 30 seconds) after transmitting some data via the transmission circuit 25 as described above.
When a radio frequency signal is received from the receiving circuit 26, it is demodulated and an operation is performed according to the content, but as described above, a response from the main body control device side indicating that the signal has started combustion is sent. If it is a signal, it is preferably visually displayed on the display means 30 attached to the remote controller.

As in the case of the main body control device 10, the counter means 31, which can be substantially constituted by the microcomputer 21, sets the same object as the counting object, that is, the object of counting the number of times of combustion, for example. The value is incremented by one and the resulting numerical value is stored in a memory (not shown). Naturally, the count values on the main controller 10 side and the remote controller 20 side are the same because the count targets are the same. If necessary, the combustion frequency data may be displayed on the display device 30 by the user's selective operation on the operation means 22.

Returning to the explanation of the wireless transmission / reception between the main body control device 10 and the remote controller 20, however, the above-described operation enjoys various functions such as changing the set temperature for hot water supply in the operating means 22 of the remote controller 20. The same applies when other operations are performed in order to do so. Then, the remote controller 20 predetermines after the last reception of the radio frequency signal regarding all of the reply signal from the main body control device side to the transmission signal generated by itself and the information signal spontaneously emitted by the main body control device. If a new radio frequency signal is not received within a certain period of time (for example, 20 to 30 seconds), and the operating means of the remote controller 20 does not perform a new switch operation, the power of the receiving circuit 26 is turned on. After shutting off and setting the built-in microcomputer 21 to the low power consumption mode in the low frequency clock operation based on the oscillation frequency of the low frequency oscillator 28, the high frequency oscillator 29 is stopped and the high frequency oscillation is stopped to reduce the power consumption. Enter power mode. The low-frequency oscillator 28 is always driven because of the relation with the clock timing described later. Even if it is not so, if the low-frequency oscillator 28 is also controlled to be turned on / off in accordance with the switching timing to the high-frequency oscillator 29, the circuit for taking the switching timing becomes complicated and expensive. It is unpleasant if there is a timing when neither oscillator operates.

Even in the low power consumption mode, the microcomputer 21 with a built-in remote controller monitors the switch state of the operating means 22 (determines whether or not it has been operated, and what kind of operation has been performed), and preferably always operates it. Also, the display on the display means 30 using a liquid crystal display element with low power consumption is continued. Then, after that, the main body control measures at regular time intervals
A so-called intermittent reception operation is performed in order to capture a radio frequency signal carrying various information that may be sent from the 10 side. That is, after entering the low power consumption mode, after a predetermined period of time (for example, 28 seconds), the microcomputer 21 with the remote controller drives the high frequency oscillator 29 to start the high frequency oscillation and use the high frequency clock signal. After shifting to the normal operation mode, power is supplied to the reception circuit 26, and the reception mode is set for a time (for example, about 2 seconds) enough to receive the radio frequency signal transmitted by the main body control device.

Here, when a radio frequency signal is received from the main body control device, a display corresponding to the received signal on the display means 30 (for example, a display indicating that hot water has boiled up to a set temperature, a temperature display, etc.) After changing to (), if there is no other received signal within a predetermined time as previously described, the microcomputer 21 enters the low power consumption mode again.

Of course, when the radio frequency signal is not received in the regular receivable state, the power of the receiving circuit 26 is cut off, the microcomputer enters the low power consumption mode in the low frequency clock operation, and the high frequency oscillator The driving of 29 is also stopped, and as in the above, waits for the time when the next time point should be ready for reception.
That is, in the above specific time example, one set is repeated for 28 seconds for waiting and 30 seconds for 2 seconds for subsequent reception.

Now, the timepiece display of particular interest in the present invention will be described. The operation means 22 is provided with operation members similar to the current time setting means that is typical of remote controls for household electric appliances, and is used by the user. Allows you to enter the current time in a fixed way. After the user has set the current time, the microcomputer 21 of the remote controller 20 determines that the current time setting operation has ended even if the user performs a setting end operation in a predetermined manner or preferably after a certain time has elapsed in the current time setting state. However, a predetermined first time (for example, 6 to 12 hours) from that point in time is not shown as the scheduled reception time (= correction scheduled time) of the first correction current time from the main body control device 10. The information signal including the current time set as a radio frequency signal is wirelessly transmitted to the main body control device 10 via the transmission circuit 25 while being stored in the memory device, and from that time point, the built-in microcomputer 21 substantially configures the information signal. The first clocking means 23 capable of starting the counting of the oscillation frequency of the low-frequency oscillator 28 or the clock signal based thereon (actually, counting the frequency divided by an appropriate dividing ratio) It starts counting, to start the time display on the display means 30.

It is desirable that the user can arbitrarily set the first time from the current time setting operation by the user to the first scheduled correction time. Of course, when the current time setting operation is performed, the user is awake and active, but if the first correction is performed while sleeping, the correction will not be noticeable or bothersome. Then, as will be described later, if the regular scheduled correction time interval is set to 24 hours, the second and subsequent corrections will also be in bed. If this is not the case, the theory of probability is used, but even if the first time is fixedly set to about 6 to 12 hours as described above, the probability that the correction will be performed while the user is sleeping will be high. If the variable setting is made, it is convenient if it can be done by operating the operation means on the remote control side in a specific way, and the first time set by this is stored in the memory in the remote control 20, and the built-in microcomputer 21 While operating according to the time information, the set first time information is sent to the receiving circuit 13 of the main body control device 10 via the transmitting circuit 25 of the remote controller, and the built-in microcomputer 11
Also operates according to this time information.

Now, the main body control device 10 which has received the current time setting information transmitted from the transmission circuit 25 of the remote controller 20 as the remote controller 20 is manually set is controlled by the remote controller 20.
In the same manner as in (1), a few hours after the time when the signal is received (6 to 12 hours later, or if the user can manually set the first time, the time information is also received to set the time. (After the first time) is stored as the scheduled transmission time of the current time for the first correction, and the frequency count of the commercial power supply is also practically divided by the frequency detection means 14 that detects the frequency of the commercial power supply AC. The second clocking means 15, which can be constituted substantially by the microcomputer 11, starts the clocking of the time by starting the circuit around the clock.

When the above-mentioned first time has elapsed from the start of the timekeeping, the main body control device 10 sends the current time measured by the second timekeeping means to the correction current time information via the transmission circuit 12. Send as a signal. On the other hand, the microcomputer 21 on the remote control side supplies the battery power to the receiving circuit 26 for a predetermined number of minutes before the stored correction scheduled time (for example, about one minute) to enter the reception standby state, and the main body control device 10 The radio frequency signal of the above-mentioned current time for correction sent from the above side is received.

Therefore, the main body controller 10 is connected via the receiving circuit 26.
The microcomputer 21 that has received the current time information for correction from the current time of the result measured by the first time counting means 23 is the received current time by the clock correction means 24 that can also be substantially configured by the microcomputer 21. The time is corrected, the corrected one is displayed on the display means 30, the time measurement is newly started from that time point by the first time measuring means 23, and an information signal indicating that the correction is completed is wirelessly transmitted to the main body control device. Send.

On the side of the main body control device 10 which has received this reply signal, the second timing means 15 is activated again when the above-mentioned predetermined time interval (time Ts described later with reference to FIG. 2) has elapsed. The current time that has been timed through is transmitted as a correction current time information signal through the transmission circuit 12. Similarly, the remote controller 20 also supplies battery power to the receiving circuit 26 by a predetermined number of minutes (for example, about 1 minute) before the correction scheduled time when a predetermined time interval has elapsed. The reception standby state is set so that the radio frequency signal of the correction current time sent from the main body control device 10 side can be received, and with the reception, the first timing means 23 measures the time by the same operation as above. The current time as a result of the clock correction means
According to 24, the received current time is corrected, the corrected one is displayed on the display means 30, and the time counting by the first timing means 23 is newly started from that point, and the correction is completed if necessary. An information signal indicating "" is wirelessly transmitted to the main body control device, and thereafter, such periodical clock correction operation is intermittently continued.

Here, it is generally preferable that the time interval Ts at which the first clocking means 23 is to be corrected regularly is at least once a day, and it is realistic that the time interval Ts is 24 hours.

Further, not only the correction of the first clock means 23 is performed only at the scheduled correction time, but also the user operates the operation means 22 of the remote controller 20 and an information signal based on the operation is sent to the main body control device. In the case where the microcomputer 11 which has been transmitted and receives this is configured to transmit a reply signal to the remote controller 20 side as it performs an operation based on the information signal, this reply signal is If the current time information measured by the time measuring means 15 is included, the time measurement of the first time measuring means 23 is corrected via the clock correction means 24 each time the remote control 20 receives the current time information. Therefore, it is possible to make a finer and more accurate clock time display.

Other than the above-described embodiment, any modification according to the spirit of the present invention is free. The present invention can of course be applied to a combustion device in which a clock signal for driving a microcomputer with a remote controller is obtained from a single oscillator that is always operating. Naturally, the frequency information for is based on the oscillation frequency of the single oscillator. Further, on the side of the main body control device 10, even if power is constantly supplied to the transmission circuit 12 and the reception circuit 13 for commercial power supply drive,
Unlike the situation in the remote controller driven by the battery 27, this may be permitted even from the viewpoint of low power consumption.

The above-described first time which can be set for the first correction need not be provided in particular, and is fixed to the same time as the time interval when the correction is performed at the predetermined time interval Ts. It may be set. This means that the current time on the remote controller side is corrected with a predetermined time interval Ts from the beginning.

However, the combustion device B constructed as a single device as described above has a problem to be considered a little. For example, especially in newly built apartments,
As a result of the proximity of the installation locations of the combustion equipment B of adjacent houses,
This means that interference may occur if the corrected scheduled time of the current time display happens to match. FIG. 2 schematically shows such a case. The components with the suffix "-1, -2" correspond to the components in FIG. 1 that are the same as the reference symbols without the suffix. On the other hand, when the constituent elements are described without adding suffixes to the reference numerals, the description is applicable to both of them.

As shown in FIG. 2 (A), two combustion devices B-1 of the same type as the combustion device B described with reference to FIG.
It is assumed that B-2 is placed adjacent to a neighboring house. Then, the remote controllers 20-1 and 20-2 attached to each of them have the same configuration as each other.
At least one of them (for example, the remote controller 20-2) is a position where the main body control device 10 of the combustion device B (for example, B-1) installed in the adjacent house can receive the information signal transmitted on the radio frequency. Suppose In such a case, of course, this information signal is transmitted to the remote controller 20-2 other than the target remote controller 20-1.
Is a disturbing signal Sint.

If there is only a disturbing relationship, it is unlikely that a problem will occur if the reception time point is determined in time, but as a matter of fact, as shown in FIG. The corrected scheduled time To with the interval Ts is not the same. In such a case, since the user sets and inputs the current time as described above before starting the time measurement, either one of the combustion devices, for example, the combustion device B-1 is erroneously or significantly errored. The current time for correction transmitted by the second time measuring means 15 of the combustion device B-1 that has started time measurement from the current time set by the user,
There is a possibility that the remote controller 20-2 attached to the adjacent combustion device B-2 receives the error by mistake and updates the clock display on the display device 30 with the information. In some cases, the current time information for correction cannot be received in the first place.

Therefore, in the present invention, when the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device 10 side cannot be received at the correction scheduled time To determined by the predetermined time interval Ts, the adjacent same pattern is received. Time of combustion device B
As it is highly possible that To and the correction time To match and the influence of the interference signal Sint is high, only the next scheduled correction time is set to the combustion devices B-1 and B-1 at the predetermined time interval Ts. By setting the times T1 and T2 that have passed the time obtained by adding the addition times δ1 and δ2 individually determined for each -2, the correction scheduled time To for each device is shifted so that they do not overlap. Of course, when the adjacent combustion devices B-1 and B-2 have failed to receive the current time information for correction, the combustion devices B-1 and B-2 of both of them are not able to be received.
The following addition time is calculated at
If the poor reception occurs only in 2), the extension of the addition time δ2 is applied only to the device B-2 in which the poor reception occurs. In Fig. 2 (B), as a result of the matching of the scheduled correction times, reception failure occurs in both combustion equipments B-1 and B-2, and separate and different addition times δ1 and δ2 are set as an example. is doing.

In any case, if the next correction scheduled time is the predetermined time interval Ts + additional time δ1 (δ2), the time interval from the next correction scheduled time T1, T2 to the next and subsequent corrections is predetermined. Even if the time is returned to the time interval Ts of 1, the corrected scheduled times To of the adjacent devices do not overlap each other anymore. After that, a time difference of | δ1−δ2 | (a time difference of the addition time δ1 or δ2 itself when correction is made on only one side) always occurs. Of course, as is the case with this type of determination technology, a margin time may be provided to determine that the current time information could not be received at the correction scheduled time To, for example, the microcomputer 21 may set a certain time from the correction scheduled time To. For example, when the information cannot be received at present even after 1 minute, it may be determined that the reception fails at the corrected scheduled time To.

Here, the addition time δ (suffix is omitted for generalization below) individually determined for each combustion device is basically the same for each device by the time the device is delivered. It may be set. Scheduled correction time
When the reception of the current time from the main body control device 10 side fails in To, the preset addition time δ may be read from, for example, an appropriate memory device and used.

However, due to the presence of the interfering signal Sint, there should not be many devices that fail to receive the current time information. In that case, it is wasteful to preset different addition times δ = δ1, δ2, δ3, ... In all devices in advance just in case. There is a numerical limit. Therefore, it is desirable to set a time for each device when necessary, but it is preferable to adopt a method in which the addition time is different from other devices.

However, what is considered to be a desirable configuration for producing this added time is a process in which the microcomputer 21 provided in the remote controller 20 and the microcomputer 11 provided in the main body control device 10 have continued their respective operations. Then, the time obtained by a predetermined relational expression based on the same numerical value counted for the same kind of counting object via the respective counter means 31 and 16 attached thereto is used as the addition time.

For example, as described above, in the case where the microcomputer 11 of the main body control device 10 stores the number of combustions up to that time in a memory device (not shown) by the counter means 16 which can be constituted substantially by the microcomputer 11. In many cases, similarly, the microcomputer 21 of the remote controller 20 also stores the number of combustions, which is the same count target, in the memory device (not shown) via the counter means 31. Naturally, both numbers are the same. Such a count value is originally used to know the operating status of the device during device maintenance.
For example, if you look at the number of combustions, if there is some failure,
It is a criterion for determining whether or not equipment fatigue is involved. Even if the failure has not occurred yet, it is possible to judge whether or not the life of each component of the combustion section is approaching, and it is possible to recommend early replacement for safety. If necessary, the remote controller 20 can also be used for displaying the number of combustions (the number of times the device has been used so far) to the user via the display device 30. However,
It is not hindered to provide the counter means for counting the number of combustions only for the purpose of the present invention.

Anyway, such counter means 16, 31
It is rational to use the count value and the count value, and to set the time obtained by the predetermined relational expression based on this value as the addition time. For example, when the number of combustions is stored as binary data, a binary numerical value represented by all or part (for example, lower 4 bits) of the binary data is re-read as “minute” and this is set as the addition time δ. In this case, the predetermined relational expression may be a one-to-one conversion expression, or may be a simple linear expression that adds and subtracts a predetermined numerical value. It can be a simple expression that only transforms the dimension of to a fractional number or number of times. For example, the lower 4 bits of the count value are "01
If it is "01", it may be simply converted to "0101 minutes" by dimension conversion, that is, "5 minutes" in decimal notation. Of course, the relational expression is essentially arbitrary, and in short, it suffices that the numerical value already counted by the counter means can be used to calculate the addition time. Naturally, the addition time δ thus obtained differs for each device B. Even though they are adjacent to each other, it is unlikely that they will be used in the same way, that is, the same number of combustions up to that time.

In addition to the above-mentioned number of combustions, there are various objects to be counted, and any object can be used as long as the object to be counted will naturally be different under normal use environment. If the water heater has a hot water supply function, the number of times the hot water supply valve is operated may be counted, and if the water heater has the function of additional heating to the bathtub, the number of additional cooks may be counted. May be used.

Further, as a lower configuration, some configurations as described below can be considered. For example, if the remote controller 20 cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device 10 side at the scheduled correction time To, the counter means 31 attached to the microcomputer 21 is used to set a predetermined count target. Regarding the numerical value that has been counted with respect to, for example, the number of combustions, the time δ obtained by the predetermined relational expression as described above is set as the addition time δ, and the main controller 10 indicates that the correction is completed. Do not send a reply signal.

On the other hand, the main body control device 10 determines the correction scheduled time To
If the reply signal indicating that the correction is completed is not received within a predetermined time (for example, about 1 minute) from the above, the predetermined number in the remote controller 20 is determined through the counter means 16 attached to the microcomputer 11. Based on the same numerical value that has been counted with respect to the same counting object (for example, the number of combustions) as a certain counting object, the time obtained by the same relational expression as the predetermined relational expression on the remote control side is individually determined for each combustion device. Let time be δ.

As described above, the addition time δ may be set individually for the remote controller 20 and the main body control device 10 using the presence / absence of a reply signal from the remote controller side, but the addition time δ may be the same time. However, it is also possible to send what is set in one to the other. For example, if the remote controller 20 cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device side at the scheduled correction time To, the microcomputer
Through a counter means 16 attached to the reference numeral 21, a time δ obtained by a predetermined relational expression based on a predetermined count target, for example, a numerical value counted with respect to the number of combustions, is set as an addition time δ, and a transmission circuit 25 From antenna
The calculated addition time δ toward the main body control device 10 via 42.
To send. The main body control device 10 receiving this from the antenna 41 via the receiving circuit 13 adds the received addition time Δ to the time interval Ts until the next scheduled correction time.

On the contrary, as the structure for generating the added time on the main controller 10 side, the remote controller 20 cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main controller 10 side at the scheduled correction time To. The main controller,
Do not send a reply signal indicating that the correction is completed. When the main body control device 10 does not receive a reply signal indicating that the correction is completed within a predetermined time (for example, about 1 minute as described above) from the scheduled correction time To, the microcomputer 11 Based on the numerical value counted with respect to a predetermined count object (for example, the number of combustions) via the counter means 16 attached to the, the time δ obtained by the predetermined relational expression is set as the addition time δ and the transmission circuit 12
Transmits the calculated addition time through the antenna 41. The remote controller 20, which has received the addition time information from the antenna 42 via the receiving circuit 26, adds the addition time Δ to the time interval Ts until the next scheduled correction time.

By such means, erroneous reception or non-reception of the correction current time information that may occur between the adjacent combustion devices of the same type can be dealt with as a one-time problem, and the time correction can be correctly performed from the next time. You will be able to do it.

[0059]

According to the present invention, when the main body control device fixedly installed to the main body of the combustion equipment is remotely controlled by radio frequency, the battery life of the primary battery or the secondary battery used as the power source of the remote controller is extended. As a result, the clock can be clocked only based on the oscillation frequency of the oscillator incorporated in the remote controller, and therefore, there is a possibility that the accuracy of the clock may be problematic over a long period of time, so that the correction can be performed periodically. Even when the same type of device is installed adjacently, it is possible to prevent the time correction of other devices from being corrected due to radio frequency interference or interference at least once, and it is possible to achieve high accuracy. The time correction can be continued for a long time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a preferred embodiment of a combustion device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of interference and interference problems that may occur when the combustion equipment of the present invention is installed adjacently, and an explanatory diagram relating to correction of a scheduled correction time.

[Explanation of symbols]

B combustion equipment 10 Main unit control device 11 Combustion control circuit (microcomputer) 12 Transmitter circuit 13 Receiver circuit 14 Frequency detection means 15 Second timing means 16 Counter means 20 Remote control device (remote control) 21 Remote control circuit (microcomputer) 22 Operation method 23 First timing means 24 Clock correction means 25 Transmitter circuit 26 Receiver circuit 27 batteries 28 Low frequency oscillator 29 high frequency oscillator 30 display means 31 Counter means 41 antenna 42 antenna

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F23N 5/26 F24H 1/10 G04G 5/00

Claims (13)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main body control device which is fixedly installed to control combustion in a combustion section, and a remote control device which remotely controls the main body control device, by providing a transmission circuit and a reception circuit, respectively. The remote control device is configured to be capable of receiving and transmitting an information signal via radio frequency, and the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit of the remote control device are provided by a microcomputer incorporated in the remote control device. The transmission circuit and the reception circuit of the main body control device are configured so that the power supply thereof is cut off or supplied according to the situation by a microcomputer incorporated in the main body control device, and the remote control device is provided. The power source for the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit is a combustion device supplied from a battery; provided in the remote control device and provided in the remote control device. A first time measuring means for measuring time based on an oscillation frequency of an oscillator for generating a clock signal of the microcomputer; and a second time measuring means provided in the main body control device for measuring time based on a frequency of a commercial AC power supply. Included; while displaying the current time measured by the first time measuring means on the display means of the remote control device; the second time measuring means at predetermined time intervals via the transmission circuit of the main body control device. The current time being measured is transmitted as one of the information signals; the current time measured by the first time measuring means is based on the current time received via the receiving circuit of the remote control device. , Once corrected by the clock correction means, and again from the corrected current time,
The first time counting means starts time counting; when the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device side cannot be received at the correction scheduled time determined by the time interval, the next time Only the correction scheduled time is a time when a time obtained by adding an addition time individually determined for each combustion device to the above time interval has elapsed; 2. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the addition time determined individually for each combustion device is provided in the microcomputer provided in the remote control device and the main body control device. In the process of continuing the operation with the respective microcomputers, the time determined by a predetermined relational expression based on the same numerical value counted for the same kind of counting object through the respective counter means Combustion equipment characterized by the following. 3. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device cannot receive the information signal of the present time sent from the main body control device side at the correction scheduled time. , Via the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the remote control device,
Based on the numerical value counted with respect to a predetermined count object, the time obtained by a predetermined relational expression is set as the addition time individually determined for each combustion device, and correction is made to the main body control device. Does not send a reply signal indicating that the correction is completed; when the main body control device does not receive the reply signal indicating that the correction is completed within a predetermined time from the correction scheduled time, , Based on the same numerical value that has been counted with respect to the same count target as the predetermined count target in the remote control unit, via the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the main body control unit, The time calculated by the same relational expression as the above-mentioned predetermined relational expression is added to the above-mentioned addition value individually determined for each combustion device. Combustion equipment according to claim; be time. 4. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device side at the correction scheduled time. , Via the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the remote control device,
Based on the numerical value that has been counted with respect to a predetermined count object, the time obtained by a predetermined relational expression is set as the addition time that is individually determined for each of the combustion devices, and to the main body control device, The main body control device adds the received addition time to the time interval until the next scheduled correction time, the combustion apparatus. 5. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device cannot receive the information signal of the current time sent from the main body control device side at the correction scheduled time. , Does not send a reply signal indicating that the correction is completed to the main body control device; the main body control device returns a reply indicating that the correction is completed within a predetermined time from the correction scheduled time If the signal is not received, the counter means attached to the microcomputer provided in the main body control device is used to calculate the value based on the numerical value counted with respect to the predetermined count object, according to the predetermined relational expression. The calculated time is set as the added time individually determined for each combustion device, and the calculated added time is transmitted; the remote control device that receives the added time And adding the added time to the time interval until the next scheduled correction time; 6. The combustion device according to claim 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the count target is the number of combustions up to that point. 7. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device oscillates a relatively low frequency signal and a constantly operating low frequency oscillator and a relatively high frequency signal. A high-frequency oscillator; the first clocking means clocks the clock based on the oscillation frequency of the low-frequency oscillator; the microcomputer incorporated in the remote control device includes the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit. When the power supply from the battery is cut off for both of them, the operation of the high frequency oscillator is stopped, and the relative low power consumption mode is operated by the clock signal based on the oscillation frequency of the low frequency oscillator, When power is supplied from the battery to at least one of the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit, the high frequency oscillator is operated, and the clock signal based on the oscillation frequency causes relatively high power consumption. Combustion equipment characterized by operating in a normal operation mode. 8. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the remote control device is provided with an operating means by which a user can manually input a current time; and the main body control device is the remote control device. In the above, the current time is input and set based on the operation of the operating means, and the time when the second time measuring means is used as the reference time for starting the time when the information of the input and set current time is transmitted from the remote control device. Combustion equipment characterized by starting; 9. The combustion device according to claim 8, wherein the main body control device is the first current time when a predetermined first time has elapsed after the start of the time counting by the second time measuring means. Combustion equipment characterized by transmitting the current time at that time as time information transmission, and then transmitting the current time at a predetermined time interval. 10. The combustion device according to claim 9, wherein the first time is variably settable. 11. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the microcomputer provided in the remote control device receives the current time from the main body control device at the predetermined time interval. Combustion equipment, characterized in that the power is supplied to the receiving circuit of the remote control device for a predetermined number of minutes before the time, and the receiving circuit is placed in a reception standby state at the current time. 12. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein an information signal is transmitted from the remote control device by operating an operation member provided in the operation means of the remote control device, and the information signal is transmitted from the main body. When received by the control device, the main body control device is configured to send a reply signal to the remote control device, the reply signal indicating that the information signal has been received; (2) Combustion equipment characterized in that it includes the current time measured by the time measuring means. 13. The combustion device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time interval is 24 hours.