JPH07191159A - Control device with clock function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an inexpensive control device with a clock function having a simple structure capable of controlling in correspondence to the period of current supply service interruption without backup of large-capacity capacitor even if service interruption occurs when a timer mode is set. CONSTITUTION:This device is composed of clock means 4 indicating a present time, time setting means 5, a capacitor C charged which is discharged upon current supply service interruption, operation control means 1 provided with a timer mode, and memory means for various information. The means 1 is provided with various information writing/reading means 10 to or from the means 8, discharge amount detection means 11 for detecting the discharge amount of the capacitor C, and a judgement means of operation continuation or cancelling according to the timer mode through information stored in the means 8 upon resetting of current supply based on the detection results of the means 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device having a clock function capable of controlling a controlled device at an arbitrarily set time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a fan heater equipped with a control device with a clock function, a user sets an arbitrary time,
By setting the so-called timer mode, it is possible to start or stop the operation of the fan heater at the set time. A control device with a clock function of this kind controls a controlled device when a clock means for measuring the present time, a time setting means for setting an arbitrary time, and a time when the present time coincides with an arbitrarily set time. An operation control means such as a microcomputer is provided.

By the way, in case of a power failure while the timer mode is set, when the power supply to the clock means and the time setting means is stopped, the time of the clock means and the time of the time setting means return to the initial values, When the power is restored, the present time and the set time have to be set again, which is troublesome.

Therefore, the operation control means sets the information indicating whether or not the timer mode is selected, the current time of the clock means, and the set time of the time setting means to the EEPR by the operation control means.
Write to OM (non-volatile storage means) and EEP when power is restored
It is desired to read the information from the ROM and automatically reset the present time and the set time.

However, if there is a capacitor that backs up the power supply of the control device for 0.5 seconds, it is not possible to write information such as whether or not the timer mode is selected, the current time, and the set time to the EEPROM immediately after the power failure. It is possible, but since the time during which the power was cut off cannot be known, the following is shown in the case of automatically resetting the time of the clock means and the time of the time setting means by the information stored in the EEPROM when the power is restored. Such inconvenience may occur.

That is, when the power failure time is very long, E
There is an inconvenience that the time of the clock means stored in the EPROM and the current time at the time of power recovery are deviated, and the set time is significantly delayed from the time desired by the user. Also, in the case of a fan heater, if the power plug is unplugged from the outlet in the timer mode when it is stored after the cold period, it will be in the same state as when the power is restored when the power plug is connected to the outlet the next time it is used. , The time of the clock means and the time of the time setting means are set according to the information of the EEPROM stored when the power plug is unplugged, and the fan heater follows the set time of the time setting means regardless of the user's intention. The operation of will be started or stopped.

In order to eliminate the above-mentioned inconvenience, a capacitor is provided to back up the power supply of the control device at the time of power failure, and the power is supplied to the control device even during power failure. There are some that are designed to maintain. For example, by providing a capacitor having a capacity capable of supplying power for 3 minutes in order to cope with a power failure for at least 3 minutes, the current time can be measured during the power failure if the power failure is within 3 minutes. .

However, generally, a large-capacity capacitor capable of backing up the power supply to the control device for 3 minutes is very expensive, and there is a disadvantage that the cost of the product increases.

[0009]

The present invention solves the above inconvenience, and according to the present invention, even if a power failure occurs when the timer mode is set, the present invention can respond to the length of the power failure without backing up the large-capacity capacitor. Control can be done,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device with a clock function that is inexpensive and has a simple configuration.

[0010]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a clock means for measuring the current time, a time setting means for setting an arbitrary time, a charge when energized, and a discharge when a power failure occurs. And a capacitor, an operation control means capable of selecting a timer mode for controlling the controlled device to a predetermined operation when the current time coincides with an arbitrarily set time, information on whether or not the timer mode is selected, and a clock means. And non-volatile storage means for respectively storing the information of the time of, the information of the set time of the time setting means, the operation control means,
Information writing / reading means for writing each information to the storage means at the time of power failure and reading each information from the storage means at the time of power recovery, and discharge amount detection means for detecting the discharge amount of the capacitor at power recovery,
Comparing the discharge amount detected by the discharge amount detecting means with a predetermined value,
When the timer mode is selected and the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than a predetermined value, based on the time of the clock means before the power failure stored in the storage means and the set time stored in the storage means. And a timer mode operation is continued, and when the timer mode is selected and the discharge amount of the capacitor is larger than a predetermined value, the operation unit is canceled in the timer mode.

In the present invention, the operation control means is
When the amount of discharge of the capacitor at the time of power restoration is smaller than a predetermined value, a power failure time calculating means for calculating a time during which there is a power failure according to the discharge quantity, and a power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculating means are stored in the memory. The means may include a current time adjustment means for adding the time stored in the clock means at the time of power failure to adjust the time of the clock means.

Further, in the present invention, a forced discharge means for forcibly discharging after charging the capacitor during energization is provided, and the operation control means sets the discharge time obtained by discharging the capacitor by the forced discharge means. Information writing / reading means for writing data indicating the relationship with the discharge amount in the storage means and reading it when power is restored, and when the discharge amount of the capacitor is less than a predetermined value at the time of power restoration, the discharge amount and the data are written. A power failure time calculating means for calculating the time of power failure based on
There may be provided current time adjusting means for adding the power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculating means to the time of the clock means stored at the time of power failure in the storage means to correct the time of the clock means.

Further, it is preferable that the amount of discharge of the capacitor at the time of power recovery is the difference between the amount of charge at the time of power recovery of the capacitor and the reference value.

In this case, it is preferable that the reference value is the charged amount of the capacitor at the time of energization after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of energization or the charged amount of the capacitor immediately after the power failure.

[0015]

According to the control device of the present invention, in the event of a power failure, information on whether or not the timer mode is selected by the information writing / reading means of the operation control means, time information of the clock means, and information of the set time of the time setting means. Is stored in the storage means. During a power outage,
The capacitor is discharged and its charge gradually decreases.

When the power is restored, the information writing / reading means of the operation control means reads the information on the presence / absence of selection of the timer mode from the storage means, and the discharge amount detecting means detects the discharge amount of the capacitor. When the timer mode is selected before the power failure and the comparison result by the determination means is that the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than the predetermined value, the time of the clock means before the power failure stored in the storage means. Is regarded as the current time at the time of power recovery, and when the current time matches the time set by the time setting means set before the power failure and stored in the storage means, the timer for controlling the controlled device to a predetermined operation Restore mode operation.

On the other hand, when the timer mode is selected before the power failure and the comparison result by the judging means indicates that the discharge amount of the capacitor is larger than the predetermined value, the power failure is relatively long and, for example, Assuming that the power plug was removed from the outlet for a long time to accommodate the control equipment, the operation in timer mode is canceled.

Further, in the control device of the present invention, when the discharge amount of the capacitor detected by the discharge amount detecting means is smaller than the predetermined value when the power is restored, the power failure time calculating means determines the discharge amount according to the discharge amount. Calculate the time during which there was a power outage. Then, the current time correction means adds the power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculation means to the time of the clock means stored in the storage means at the time of power failure, and corrects the time of the clock means.

Further, in the control device of the present invention, first, the capacitor is forcibly discharged when the capacitor is sufficiently charged at the time of initial energization by the forced discharge means. Data indicating the relationship between the discharge time and the discharge amount at that time is written in the storage means by the information writing / reading means. Then, when the collection of the data is completed, the capacitor is charged again.

When the power is restored and the discharge amount of the capacitor detected by the discharge amount detecting means is smaller than a predetermined value, the power failure time calculating means determines the time during which the power is out based on the discharge quantity and the data. calculate. And
The present time correction means adds the power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculation means to the time of the clock means stored in the storage means at the time of power failure, and corrects the time of the clock means.

The discharge amount of the capacitor in the control device of the present invention is obtained by the difference between the reference value and the charge amount of the capacitor detected at the time of power recovery.

The reference value is the charged amount of the capacitor during energization after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of energization, that is,
It is the amount of charge when the capacitor is fully charged. Alternatively, the reference value is the charge amount of the capacitor immediately after the power failure, that is, the charge amount when the capacitor starts discharging.

[0023]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an essential part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an essential part of another embodiment.

The control device with a timepiece function of this embodiment is provided, for example, in a fan heater (not shown) and controls the operation of the fan heater.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control device with a clock function is a timer mode control unit 1 which is an operation control means for controlling the operation of the clock function by a microcomputer or the like.
And a fan heater controller 2 that controls the operation itself of the fan heater. The control unit 2 of the fan heater is provided with a mode selection unit 3 that selects a timer mode and a normal operation mode that is a non-timer mode, which will be described later. The timer mode is a timed control mode for starting or stopping the operation of the fan heater at a desired time, and the normal operation mode is an operation mode other than the operation in the timer mode.

As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 1 in the timer mode is provided with clock means 4 for measuring the current time and time setting means 5 for setting an arbitrary time. The clock means 4 includes a current time display section 6 that displays the current time, and the time setting means 5 includes a set time display section 7 that displays the set time. Further, the control unit 1 in the timer mode is provided with a capacitor C that is charged when energized and discharged when a power failure occurs. The capacitor C is
Since it is not for backing up the power supply of the control unit 1 in the timer mode but for detecting the discharge amount as described later, its capacity may be smaller than that for backup. Further, the timer mode control unit 1 is provided with an EEPROM 8 which is a non-volatile storage means.

A backup means such as a capacitor (not shown) is provided to maintain the energized state of the control unit 1 in the timer mode for 0.5 seconds even when the supply of electricity is stopped due to a power failure or the like. There is.

Each part will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 1, the control part 1 in the timer mode includes a power failure detecting part 9, an information writing / reading part 10, a discharge amount detecting part 11, and a judging part 1.
2. A power failure time calculation unit 13 and a current time correction unit 14 are provided. The power failure detection unit 9 detects that a power failure has occurred and that the power has been restored. Information writing / reading unit 10
When there is a power failure, the EEPROM stores the information on the selection mode of the mode selection unit 3, the time information of the clock means 4, the time information of the time setting means 5, and the discharge data of the capacitor C described later.
When writing to 8 and power is restored, EEPROM8
The above information is read from. The discharge amount detector 11 detects the discharge amount of the capacitor C. Here, in the present embodiment, the charge amount of the capacitor C at the time of energization after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of energization of the capacitor C, that is, the charge amount when the capacitor C is sufficiently charged is set as a reference value, and The discharge amount of the capacitor C is defined as the difference between the reference value and the charge amount of the capacitor C at power recovery. In addition, this reference value is used as the capacitor C immediately after the power failure.
May be the charge amount of

Further, the judging unit 12 continues the operation in the timer mode or cancels the timer mode depending on the magnitude of the discharge amount of the capacitor C detected by the discharge amount detecting unit 11 and the predetermined value. The power failure time calculation unit 13 calculates the power failure time based on the discharge amount of the capacitor C at the time of power recovery. Then, the current time correction unit 14 corrects the time of the clock means 4 based on the power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculation unit 13.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the capacitor C is provided with a forced discharge means 15 for forcibly discharging the charged capacitor C when energized. Explaining the circuit added to the capacitor C including the forced discharging means 15, R ₁ is a charging resistor and R ₂ is a discharging resistor, as shown in FIG. Tr ₁ is an input control transistor that inputs the voltage of the capacitor C to the discharge amount detection unit 11 at the time of power recovery. Specifically, the discharge amount is detected by the CPU, and the A / D input port is used as its input port. The capacitor C is fully charged by the charging resistor R _{1 in} about 3 minutes. Further, Tr ₂ is a charge / discharge control transistor as the forced discharge means 15, and controls charging and discharging of the capacitor C when energized. The charge / discharge control transistor Tr ₂ is charged at the time when the capacitor C is sufficiently charged during energization (in this embodiment, 5 minutes after the start of energization).
Is forcibly discharged, the data indicating the relationship between the discharge time and the discharge amount at that time is processed by the CPU, and then written in the data storage unit 16 of the EEPROM 8 by the information writing / reading unit 10. The data at this time is the charging voltage of the capacitor C every 10 seconds in 3 minutes
A / D is input by the input transistor Tr ₁ whose bias is controlled by. As a result, the data storage unit 16 stores 18 pieces of data corresponding to the charging voltage value of the capacitor C every 10 seconds. When the data collection is completed, the charge / discharge control transistor Tr ₂ charges the capacitor C again.

Next, the operation of the control device of this embodiment will be described. First, after the initial energization, the forced discharge means 1 as described above.
5, the capacitor C sufficiently charged by 5 is forcibly discharged, and the data is read and written by the information writing / reading unit 10.
After writing to the data storage unit 16 of the PROM 8, the capacitor C is charged again.

When a power failure occurs, the information writing / reading unit 10 causes the EEPROM 8 to display information on the selected mode of the mode selecting unit 3, time information of the clock means 4, and time information of the time setting means 5.
Write in each part of. Note that writing to the EEPROM 8 is performed during the 0.5 second period in which the backup means (not shown) maintains the energized state. During a power failure, the capacitor C is discharged and the amount of charge is gradually reduced.

When power is restored, the information writing / reading unit 10
The information of the selected mode is read from the mode storage unit 17 of the EEPROM 8 and the discharge amount detection unit 11 detects the discharge amount of the capacitor C. Accordingly, when the timer mode is selected before the power failure, first, the charging voltage value of the capacitor C detected by the discharge amount detection unit 11 and the 18 data stored in the data storage unit 16 of the EEPROM 8 are stored. The determination unit 12 performs the comparison with.
Then, when the charging voltage value of the capacitor C at power recovery is smaller than the data corresponding to 3 minutes of the 18 data, the power failure time calculation unit 13 finds the closest value among the 18 data. , The time corresponding to the data is the power failure time. Next, the current time correction unit 14 causes the EEP
The time of the clock means 4 is corrected by adding the power failure time found by the power failure time calculation section 13 to the time of the clock means 4 at the time of power failure stored in the current time storage section 18 of the ROM 8. As described above, it is not necessary to reset the time of the clock means 4 again after the power is restored, and even if the capacitor C has a variation in the product, the discharge time and the discharge amount of the used capacitor C are Since the power failure time is calculated based on the data indicating the relationship, the time of the clock means 4 can be corrected extremely accurately. Then, the current time correction unit 14
Time and EEPROM of clock means 4 modified by
The clock means 4 and the time setting means 5 are automatically set according to the set time stored in the set time storage section 19 of No. 8, and the operation in the timer mode is restored.

On the other hand, when the timer mode is not selected before the power failure, or even when the timer mode is selected,
When the charging voltage value of the capacitor C detected by the discharge amount detection unit 11 is smaller than the data corresponding to 3 minutes out of the 18 data stored in the data storage unit 16 of the EEPROM 8, for example, the controlled device Since the power outage is a relatively long time, such as when the power plug is removed from the outlet for a long time to store the
Sets the operation in the normal operation mode. As a result, even if the fan heater is restarted after the power plug of the fan heater is disconnected from the outlet for a long period of time, it is possible to reliably prevent an unexpected start or stop of the operation in the timer mode.

In this embodiment, as described above, the power failure time is calculated on the basis of the data showing the relationship between the discharge time and the discharge amount of the capacitor C to realize the extremely accurate correction of the clock means. However, even if such data is not collected, it is possible to estimate the power failure time to some extent from the charge amount of the capacitor C at the time of power recovery. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the charge / discharge control transistor Tr ₂ shown in FIG. 2 is not provided, the discharge of the capacitor C is completed in 3 minutes by the discharge resistor R ₂ and the low level is reached. As a result, first, the amount of charge of the capacitor C that has been sufficiently charged when energized is calculated by the CPU.
Input to the A / D port of the
It is stored in the data storage unit 16 of FIG. Immediately after power recovery, the charge amount of the capacitor C is input to the A / D port of the CPU. At this time, it can be seen that if the level is higher than a predetermined value, the power failure is less than 3 minutes, and if the level is lower than the predetermined value, the power failure is more than 3 minutes. Therefore, if there is a power failure for 3 minutes or more, the timer mode is released. Further, when the power failure is less than 3 minutes, the operation in the timer mode is restored, but prior to that, the charge amount of the capacitor C stored in the data storage unit 16 by the power failure time calculation unit 13 before the power failure. And the charge amount of the capacitor C immediately after power recovery are calculated, and the estimated value of the power failure time is calculated from the difference. According to the test results of the present inventors, the power failure time calculated at this time was ± 30 seconds with respect to the actual power failure time. Based on this calculation result, the time of the clock means 4 may be corrected in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment. In this case, the accuracy of the time of the clock means 4 which has been corrected is slightly deteriorated as compared with the above embodiment, but the forced discharge means 15 shown in FIG.
Further, the cost can be reduced.

Further, if it is only necessary to cancel the timer mode when the power failure is 3 minutes or more and to restore the operation in the timer mode when the power failure is less than 3 minutes, It is conceivable that the time of the clock means 4 does not have to be corrected as in each of the embodiments. Even if the operation time is delayed with respect to the time desired by the user,
Because the maximum delay is 3 minutes, there are cases where there is not much support. In this case, as shown in FIG.
The discharge resistance R ₂ completes the discharge of the capacitor C in 3 minutes to reach a low level, and the charge amount of the capacitor C is input to the A / D port of the CPU immediately after the power is restored. Then, if the input level is high, the determination unit 12 determines that the value is 3
It is determined that the power outage is less than a minute, and if the power level is low, the power outage is 3 minutes or more. When the power failure for less than 3 minutes is satisfied, the determination unit 12 determines that the EEPROM 8
A timer mode in which the time before the power failure of the clock means 4 stored in 1 is regarded as the current time, and when the current time matches the set time of the time setting means 5 also stored in the EEPROM 8, the fan heater is started or stopped. To return. According to this, the time of the clock means 4 after power recovery is delayed by a maximum of 3 minutes, but the forced discharge means 1 shown in FIG.
5, power failure time calculation unit 13, current time correction unit 1
4. The data storage section 16 of the EEPROM 8 is no longer needed,
Further, it can be constructed at low cost and with a simple structure.

[0038]

As is apparent from the above, the control device with a timepiece function of the present invention has information on whether or not the timer mode is selected at the time of power recovery or power failure, time information of the clock means, and time setting means. The information indicating whether or not the timer mode is selected is read from the storage means that stores the information about the set time, and the discharge amount detecting means detects the discharge amount of the capacitor to determine whether the timer mode is selected before the power failure. If the comparison result by the means is that the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than the predetermined value, the operation in the timer mode is restored according to the time information of the clock means and the information of the set time of the time setting means stored in the storage means. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of resetting the clock means and the time setting means each time there is a power failure.

Further, when the timer mode is selected before the power failure and the comparison result by the determination means is that the discharge amount of the capacitor is larger than the predetermined value, the operation in the timer mode is canceled, so that the operation is relatively long. At the time of power outage,
For example, even if the power plug is removed from the outlet for a long period of time to house the controlled device, the time setting means will be set against the user's intention when the power plug is connected to the outlet during the next use. It is possible to reliably prevent the operation of the fan heater from being started or stopped according to the time.

Further, in the control device with a timepiece function of the present invention, when the amount of discharge of the capacitor is smaller than the predetermined value when the power is restored, the time during which the power is cut off is calculated by the power failure time calculating means according to the amount of discharge. Calculated, by the current time adjustment means,
Since the time of the clock means is corrected by adding the power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculating means to the time of the clock means stored in the storage means at the time of the power failure, not only the trouble of resetting the set is eliminated. The time of the clock means can be corrected accurately and the operating state of the controlled device can be controlled.

Further, the control device with a timepiece function of the present invention is provided with the forced discharge means to forcibly discharge the capacitor,
Data indicating the relationship between the discharge time and the discharge amount at that time is stored in the storage unit by the information writing / reading unit, and when the power is restored, the power failure time calculating unit causes a power failure based on the discharge amount and the data. Since the calculated time is calculated, the time of the clock means can be corrected very accurately by the current time correction means.

Further, as described above, since the capacitor for detecting the discharge amount is provided, the cost can be reduced and the product cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a large-capacity capacitor for backup at the time of power failure is provided. It can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a main part of another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Operation control means, 4 ... Clock means, 5 ... Time setting means,
8 ... Storage means, 10 ... Information writing / reading means, 11 ... Discharge amount detecting means, 12 ... Judging means, 13 ... Blackout time calculating means,
14 ... Current time correction means, 15 ... Forced discharge means, C ... Capacitor.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A clock means for measuring the current time, a time setting means for setting an arbitrary time, a capacitor charged when energized and discharged at a power failure, and the current time coincides with the arbitrarily set time. The operation control means that can select the timer mode for controlling the controlled device to a predetermined operation when doing, information on whether the timer mode is selected, time information of the clock means,
The operation control means writes each information to the storage means at the time of power failure and reads each information from the storage means at the time of power restoration. The information writing / reading means for outputting, the discharging quantity detecting means for detecting the discharging quantity of the capacitor at the time of power recovery, and the discharging quantity detected by the discharging quantity detecting means are compared with a predetermined value, and the timer mode is selected. When the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than a predetermined value, the timer mode operation is continued based on the time of the clock means before the power failure stored in the storage means and the set time stored in the storage means, and ,
A control device with a clock function, comprising: a determination unit that cancels the operation in the timer mode when the timer mode is selected and the amount of discharge of the capacitor is larger than a predetermined value. 2. The operation control means, when the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than a predetermined value at the time of power recovery, a power failure time calculating means for calculating a time during which a power failure has occurred, and the power failure time. The present time adjusting means for adjusting the time of the clock means by adding the power failure time calculated by the calculating means to the time of the clock means stored in the storage means at the time of the power failure. The control device with the described clock function. 3. A relationship between a discharge time and a discharge amount obtained by discharging the capacitor by the forced discharge means by providing a forced discharge means for forcibly discharging after charging the capacitor during energization. The information writing / reading means for writing the data indicating to the storage means at the time of power recovery, and the power discharge based on the amount of discharge and the data when the discharge amount of the capacitor is smaller than a predetermined value at the time of power recovery. A power failure time calculating means for calculating the time, and a power failure time calculated by the power failure time calculating means is added to the time of the clock means stored in the storage means at the time of the power failure to correct the time of the clock means. 2. The timepiece function-equipped control device according to claim 1, further comprising time adjustment means. 4. The discharge amount at the time of power recovery of the capacitor is a difference between the charge amount at the time of power recovery of the capacitor and a reference value. Control device with clock function. 5. The control device with a timepiece function according to claim 4, wherein the reference value is a charge amount of the capacitor during energization after a lapse of a predetermined time from the start of energization. 6. The control device with a clock function according to claim 4, wherein the reference value is a charge amount of a capacitor immediately after a power failure.