JPS6225285A - Alarm clock - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit the easy timer setting and the recognition of remaining time and to add a fun to an alarm clock by moving a moving body according to lapse of time so as to arrive at a target position at the alarm time and iteratively moving said body in said position. CONSTITUTION:The moving body 14 and the target 13 are provided. The moving body 14 is made attachable to and detachable from the target 13 by a driving means. The moving distance of the moving body 14 is so set as to correspond to the time till the alarm time so that the moving body 14 moves toward the target according to the lapse of time and attains the state nearest the target 13 at the alarm time. The moving body 14 is iteratively operated to, for example, continuously strike the target 13 when the moving body moves nearest the target. The remaining time is thereby known at a glance and a fun in terms of design is added to the alarm clock.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field of invention] This invention relates to an alarm clock.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in a digital clock, an alarm time, an hour on a timer, etc. are set, and the cent time and the remaining time until the set time is displayed.

Also, in a pointer-type timer, etc., the remaining time is indicated by rotating the hand.

[Problems with the Prior Art] In the digital system, the remaining time is not intuitively recognized because it is displayed numerically, and there is a problem in that it is easy to misread the displayed characters.

In addition, with the pointer type, setting the timer was troublesome and required a gear mechanism, making the structure complex. The aim is to provide an alarm clock with an interesting design, which not only allows easy timer setting, but also makes it easy to intuitively understand the remaining time.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned 11th objective, the present invention has a system in which an object that operates when an alarm time or a timer reaches one hour is sequentially moved toward a target object as time passes to notify the remaining time. The main points are as follows.

<Configuration of the Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows an overall circuit diagram of an alarm clock according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a control section, and this control section 1 operates based on a predetermined program according to a flow process described later. Control unit 1 that performs timekeeping processing, timer processing, and other controls
A storage section 2 consisting of a RAM is connected to the storage section 2, and time measurement data and remaining time data are stored in this storage section 2.

Further, a key power section 3 for time correction, timer time setting, etc. is connected to the control section 1, and a display section 4 for displaying time data and timer time data set by the key power section 3 is also connected. It is connected. Furthermore, a moving mechanism 5 for setting and starting a timer is connected to the control section 1, and this moving mechanism 5 includes a motor drive section 6 and a drive mechanism 7. A pulse generated by an oscillator 8 is frequency-divided by a frequency divider 9 and supplied to the control unit 1 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the storage section 2 includes a normal time register S for storing the normal time displayed on the display section 4 and a timer register T. The timer register T further includes a time unit register H110 minute register IOM,
A minute unit register M is provided, and a time intermediate flag register h and a 10 unit flag register m are also provided.The 0 hour intermediate register H is provided with a value in time units for timer settings input from the key human power section 3. However, the 10-minute unit register IOM similarly stores numerical values in units of 10 minutes, and the minute unit register similarly stores numerical values in units of minutes. In addition, a flag is set in the time unit flag register h if there is a value of the time unit in the register H, and a flag is similarly set in the 10 minute unit flag register m if there is a value of 10 minutes I'i. Next, FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 show the external appearance and internal structure of the alarm clock. In the figures, numeral 11 is a watch case of the alarm clock, which is hollow inside and shaped like a house, for example. A chimney-like column part (hereinafter referred to as chimney part) 12 is installed on one end of the roof of this watch case 11. This chimney part 12 has a hollow box shape inside, and the chimney part 12 has a hollow box shape so that the hills resonate and become larger. A clock part is equipped inside the clock case 11, and the display section 4 and the key operator section 3 are arranged on the wall surface of the clock case 11. A groove 13 is formed in the center of the roof of the watch case 11, and a peck-type operating member 14 is movably disposed in the groove 13. This actuating member 14 is accessible from a distance from the chimney portion 12, and the roof is provided along the groove portion 13 with an equal division scale 16 indicating the moving distance of this actuating member 14.
As shown in the figure, it is placed on, for example, a belt of the drive mechanism 7, and is reciprocated via drive wheels by a step motor of the motor drive unit 6, for example. This alarm clock is a digital display clock, and the display section 4 displays the year, the first day of the month, and the day of the week in a rich variety of segments. Actuating member 1 after the set time of the timer
4 generates a timed sound by hitting the chimney part 12, and as shown in FIG. The 0 operating member 14 is swung when the f end is pushed by the motor 17, which rotates after one hour of the timer elapses, via the conversion R mechanism 18 that converts the rotational movement into reciprocating interlocking movement.

When the timer is set, the first actuating member 14 is moved away from the chimney part 12 by a predetermined scale along the groove part 13 by the moving mechanism 5, and approaches the chimney part 12 by -['' marks after the timer is started.

The actuating member 14 approaches the chimney part 12 closest to the chimney part 12 after one hour of the timer, and then hits the chimney part 12 for a predetermined period of time to generate a timed sound. Is the number from 0M to 10M in the above eyes I & 16? Nth place, IOM-IH takes about 10 minutes, IH-5
The characters up to H represent units of time.

[Operation of the embodiment] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

Overall processing and key processing> Figure 6 shows the flow of the overall processing of the circuit shown in Figure 1. Normally, it is in the HALT state of step Tl, and for example, when a timing signal is output every 1/16 seconds, clock processing is performed. (
Step T2) is performed, and timer processing is performed to detect time coincidence of timer (alarm) (step T2).
3) When the setting switch is operated, key processing is performed in step T4, and then, in step T5, movement processing is performed to set the operating member to the timer position.

Movement process for setting the timer for one hour〉J1 at alarm time
When the timer setting in time units is performed from the key manual unit 3, the control unit l performs the flow process shown in FIG. It is determined whether the contents of register H are “0” (step Xi), and if the contents are not “0” (1
If it is north of time), the process proceeds to step X2 and sets a flag (1) in the time intermediate flag register h of the timer register T. Then, 15 drive pulses are applied to the motor drive unit 6 to move the actuating member 14 within the groove 13 via the WA drive mechanism. That is, the actuating member 14 is separated from the chimney portion 12 by 15 scale marks 1641 to the left (step x3);
At this time, the actuating member 14 subtracts 1 from the contents of the IH position δ on the 0 mark 16 by subtracting 1 from the contents of the 1-hour register H (step
Determine again whether the content of is “0” (step x
5) If the content is not "O" (furthermore, if more than 1 hour remains), proceed to step x6 and move the actuating member 14 to the left by one scale on the time unit scale. Subtract 1 from the contents of unit register H (step x
7) Return to step X5 and again judge whether the contents of the time unit register H are "0". In this way, the actuating member 14 is moved to the chimney portion 12 for the specified time while the timer is being set.
For example, if the timer is set for 5 hours, the actuating member 14 is placed on the scale 5H, and for 4 hours, the actuating member 14 is placed on the scale 4H.

If it is determined in step XI that there is no timer setting for 1 o'clock t111 or more, that is, if the content of the time unit register H is "O", the flow for setting a timer for the middle of 10 minutes shown in FIG. 8 is entered. If the content of the time unit register H is "0" in step x5, all the timer settings for the time scale are completed and the flow ends. That is, the control g9 unit 1 determines whether the content of the 10-minute intermediate register IOM in the register T for the timer is 0'' (step A1), and if the content is not 0'' (if it is 10 minutes or more), the process proceeds to step A2. Set a flag (1) in the 10-minute intermediate flag register m of the advance timer register T. In this case, ten drive pulses are applied to the motor drive unit 6 to move the actuating member 14 within the groove 13 via the drive mechanism 7. Namely, smoke;
The actuating member 14 is separated to the left by 10 scales from the protrusion 12 to the scale 16 (step A3). At this time, the actuating member 14
is at the 10-minute middle mark 10M on the scale 161-.

Next, the control unit l selects 1 from the contents of the intermediate register IOM for 10 minutes.
(Step A4), then judge again whether the content of the 10-minute intermediate register IOM is "O" (Step A5), and if the content is not "°0°" (more than 10 minutes remain). ), proceed to step A6 and 10
Move the actuating member 14 to 11] on the minute scale to the left.Next, the control unit 1 subtracts 1 from the contents of the register IOM in units of 10 minutes (step A7), returns to step A5, and returns to step A5. 10 minutes? The contents of the i-position register IOM are o”
judge whether In this way, move the actuating member 14 to the left from the chimney part 12 for the middle of the 10 minutes specified during timer setting. Mark each on the 40M scale.

If it is determined in step A1 that there is no timer setting for 10 minutes or more, that is, if the content of the intermediate register IOM for 10 minutes is "0", the process enters the unit timer setting flow from step A8 in FIG. . In addition, lO in the step 2 block A5
If the content of the division rank register lOM is “0”, it is 10 here.
Since all the timer settings for the middle minutes have been made, the flow ends.

However, the minute-by-minute timer setting is performed in the flow from step A8 onwards. That is, the control unit l determines whether the content of the minute unit register M in the timer register is "0" (step A8), and if the content is not "0" (
If it is longer than 1 minute), the process advances to step A9, in which case one drive pulse is applied to the motor drive section 6 to move the actuating member 14 within the groove section 13 via the drive mechanism 7. That is, the actuating member 14 is moved one scale to the left from the chimney 12 on the scale 16, and at this time the actuating member 14 is at the one-unit scale IM position t on the scale 16. Next, the control unit l subtracts 1 from the contents of the minute unit register M (step Al0) and returns to step A8 again, at which time the contents of the minute unit register M are “
0'' (Step A8) Repeat the flow above 0 to separate the actuating member 14 to the left from the chimney part 12 by the amount corresponding to the timer setting in minutes.0 For example, if the timer is set for 9 minutes, the actuating member 14 on scale 9 M J
If it is 8 minutes, place it in 8M1: of 11 mounds. If the content of the minute unit register M is "0'° in step A8, then all minute timer settings have been made and the flow ends.

Timer temporary processing> Next, after setting the timer for one hour, the control section 1 performs the flow processing shown in FIG. Every time there is a carry (Step 7 Sl), the timer mm is set and one minute is subtracted from the one hour timer set in the register T (Step S2).
At that time, it is determined whether the content of the timer register T is "0" (step S3). If the content is "O" (because the timer limit has reached), the control unit 1 causes the motor drive unit 6 to move in the reverse direction. Apply one drive pulse and move the actuating member 14 by one scale within the groove 13 via the drive mechanism 7 (
Step S4), that is, the actuating member 14 approaches the chimney part 12 closest to the chimney part 12 on the scale 16, and then the control part l sends a signal to the motor 17 to swing the actuating member 14 via the conversion mechanism 18 to 12 to generate an alarm sound (step S5).

In step S3, if the timer setting time is 1 minute or longer, that is, if the content of the timer register T is not "0", the flag is erased according to the flow shown in FIG. 10 (step S3).
6).

In FIG. 10, after subtracting 1 minute from the contents of the timer register T, the control unit 1 sets the time intermediate flag register h when the contents of the time unit L and register H are "0". Erase the current flag (set h=O) (step P
I, P2). Next, the control unit 1 uses the 10 minute intermediate register IOM.
When the content of is 0'', the flag set in the 10-minute medium flag register m is erased (m = O) (steps P3, P4), and the content of the time unit register 7 H is cleared in the step Pi. When is not "0", there is still more than one hour of timer limit time remaining, so the time unit flag register h is filled with 4.g*hsi.Similarly, in step P3, the contents of the 10-minute intermediate register IOM are changed to " If it is not 0'', the flag in the 10-minute intermediate flag register m is not canceled because more than 10 minutes remain in the timer limit.

Returning to FIG. 9, the process proceeds to step S7, and the control unit 1 determines whether the content of the minute unit register M is 9. In other words, if the timer remaining time is 9 minutes or less, the flag in the time unit flag register h is set to zero. (Step S8), and since the flag in the 10-minute intermediate flag register m is not set (Step S9), the control section 1 gives one drive pulse in the reverse direction to the motor drive section 6 (Step S1O). Kakeru! ! I] The actuating member 14 is moved to the right by one scale within the groove 13 in units of minutes via the mechanism 7. That is, the actuating member 14 approaches the chimney portion 12 by one scale. The control unit 1 returns to the start of this flow and repeats it, and when the final minute has reached the step S5 of the alarm processing is reached.

In step S7, the contents of the numerator lt position register M are lO.
If the time is less than 1-, it is determined whether the content of the 10-minute register IOM is 5 (step 5ll). In other words, if the remaining time of the timer is less than 50 minutes, the 7 lag of the flag register h at the time I'lt is (Step 31)
2) The control unit 1 applies one drive pulse in the opposite direction to the motor drive unit 6 (step 5IO), and moves the actuating member 14 by one scale to the right within the 10 minute range in the groove 13 via the drive mechanism 7. Move towards the street. On the other hand, if the contents of the IO minute register IOM are longer than 50 minutes in step Sll, the remaining time on the timer is more than one hour, so the control section 1 applies one drive pulse in the reverse direction to the motor drive section 6. (Step S t
O) The actuating member 14 is moved to the right by one scale within the time unit range within the groove portion 13 via the drive mechanism 7.

In this way, if the timer setting time is 2 hours,
11 to IH, the actuating member 14 is moved gently toward the chimney part 12 with one pulse per hour.For the remaining hour, that is, for 60 minutes, pulses are applied every 10 minutes for the first 50 minutes.
The actuating member 14 is moved slightly 111 toward the chimney portion 12 by a pulse
- During the remaining 1° minute, the actuating member 14 is moved toward the chimney 12 with one pulse every minute.5
If the timer is set to 0 minutes, the first 40 minutes will be a little faster, and the remaining 10 minutes will be at V. Since the actuating member 14 moves to the chimney 12, you can intuitively recognize whether the remaining time is slow or short.

Note that the alarm clock of the present invention can be used not only as a timer but also as an alarm clock. That is, the same operation can be performed by calculating (alarm time) - (current time) by the control unit and storing it in register T. . Furthermore, the time may be displayed using hands.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained in detail below, the present invention includes means for setting the position of a moving object in accordance with the remaining time until an alarm;
Since it is equipped with a means for sequentially moving the moving body according to the passage of time and a step for repeatedly interlocking the moving body with the alarm setting, it is possible to intuitively know how much time is left on the timer. The shape of the moving object allows it to be used as interior decoration, and changing the movement of the moving object can add interest.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of an uninvented alarm clock, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a storage section, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the alarm clock, and FIG. 4 5 is a partial sectional view of the alarm clock, FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the overall process, FIGS. 7 and 8 are flowcharts of the setting movement process, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the moving mechanism. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of timer processing. 1...Control unit, 2...Storage unit, 3...
...Key human power section, 4...Display section, 5.・・・
...Movement mechanism, 6...Motor drive section, 7.
...I movement mechanism, 8...Oscillator, 9...
...Frequency divider, 11...Watch case, 13...
... Groove. 14...Operating member, 16...[1 serving,
17...Motor, T...Timer register, ■T...Time 1ifY'n register, I
OM・・・10 minute unit register, M・・・・・・
Middle register, h: old time middle flag register, m: 10 minute unit flag register. Patent applicant: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Figure 5 Chronology/1 Sheet Figure 2 Figure 10 Figure 8

Claims (1)

[Claims] a driving means for moving the moving body toward and away from the target; a movement control means for causing the moving body to approach the target sequentially as time passes; and when the moving body approaches the target 1. An alarm clock comprising: a control means for repeatedly moving the movable body.