JP7045887B2 - Timekeeping device, timekeeping system, and timekeeping method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a timekeeping device, a timekeeping system, and a timekeeping method.

A timekeeping system that can adjust the time of the timekeeping device of each layer by layering multiple timekeeping devices and sequentially relaying time information from the timekeeping device of the upper layer to the timekeeping device of the lower layer. Are known. In such a timekeeping system, time information is transmitted from a higher-level timekeeping device to a lower-level timekeeping device by one-way communication. For this one-way communication, for example, short-range wireless communication is used. The timekeeping device in the lower layer refers to the transmission timing information included in the transmission data together with the time information, and determines the automatic reception timing for receiving the transmission data from the timekeeping device in the upper layer thereafter.
In such a timekeeping system, it is possible to easily construct a network as compared with bidirectional communication in which timekeeping devices are paired with each other. For example, a timekeeping device capable of automatically constructing an appropriate link relationship between timekeeping devices is known (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-257484

In the timekeeping system as described above, radio waves are used for communication between the timekeeping devices. However, in general, the electric field strength of radio waves fluctuates due to interference and interference. Therefore, in the timekeeping system as described above, when the timekeeping device is installed, the time information may be accidentally received from the upper layer timekeeping device at the lower limit of the reception sensitivity. If the reception is accidentally successful at the lower limit of the reception sensitivity, there is a problem that the time information cannot be stably received due to the fluctuation of the electric field strength of the received radio wave in the subsequent periodic automatic reception.
In particular, it is not easy to change the communication distance with the timekeeping device of the upper layer because it is not easy to move the timekeeping device which is troublesome to install once it is installed. For example, in a wall clock or table clock, unlike a wristwatch, once installed, the communication distance with the clock in the upper layer is determined. Therefore, if the wall clock or table clock cannot be automatically received, it takes time and effort for the user to re-install it in a place closer to the timekeeping device in the higher layer.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a timekeeping device, a timekeeping system, and a timekeeping method capable of stably receiving time information.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one aspect of the present invention is one of a plurality of time measuring devices constituting a tree-type network, in order to modify the time measuring data. The receiving unit that receives the reference time signal transmitted by the transmitting device as a receiving signal including the reference time information of the above, the signal strength determining unit that determines the strength of the received signal received by the receiving unit, and the strength of the received signal are After the reference transmission device determination unit determines that the transmission device determined by the signal strength determination unit to be equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value as the reference transmission device, and the reference transmission device determination unit determines the reference transmission device. , A signal determination that determines that the received signal from the reference transmitting device is used for correcting the timed data and that the received signal from the transmitting device other than the reference transmitting device is not used for correcting the timed data. Based on the reference time information included in the received signal indicated by the determination result of the signal determination unit, the correction unit that corrects the time measurement data, and the correction unit that corrects the time measurement data. The transmitting device is a time measuring device having a level higher than the own device in the tree-type network, and the reference time signal is used at different times between the plurality of transmitting devices. It is transmitted by the transmitting device, and the receiving unit transmits the reference transmitting device at a predetermined time when the reference transmitting device transmits the reference time signal after the reference transmitting device determining unit determines the reference transmitting device. It is a time measuring device that receives the reference time signal .

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the timekeeping device, the signal strength determination unit receives the received signal when the receiving unit receives the received signal for the first time after the receiving unit starts operation. Determine the strength.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the timekeeping device, the reference transmission device determining unit determines that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value when the connection with the reference transmission device is lost. The transmission device determined by the strength determination unit is newly determined to be a reference transmission device.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the timekeeping device, the signal strength determination unit determines the strength of the received signal received by the receiving unit when the receiving unit receives the received signal by manual reception. judge.

Further, in one aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned timekeeping device, when the signal strength determination unit determines that the intensity is less than a predetermined value, a display unit indicating that the intensity is less than the predetermined value is further added. Be prepared.

Further, one aspect of the present invention is a timekeeping system that constitutes the tree-type network by providing a plurality of the above-mentioned timekeeping devices.
Further, one aspect of the present invention is a time measuring method in one of a plurality of time measuring devices constituting a tree-type network, which includes reference time information for correcting the time measuring data and is transmitted by the transmitting device. A reception procedure for receiving a time signal as a reception signal, a signal strength determination procedure for determining the strength of the received signal received in the reception procedure, and a signal strength determination when the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The reference transmission device determination procedure for determining the transmission device determined in the procedure as the reference transmission device, and the reception from the reference transmission device after the reference transmission device is determined in the reference transmission device determination procedure. A signal determination procedure for determining that the signal is used for correcting the timed data and determining that the received signal from the transmitting device other than the reference transmitting device is not used for correcting the timed data, and a determination of the signal determination procedure. It has a correction procedure for correcting the time measurement data based on the reference time information included in the received signal indicated by the result, and a time measurement procedure for performing time measurement based on the time measurement data corrected in the correction procedure . The transmitting device is a time measuring device at a higher level than the own device in the tree-type network, and the reference time signal is transmitted by the transmitting device at different times among the plurality of transmitting devices, and the above-mentioned The receiving procedure receives the reference time signal transmitted by the reference transmission device at a predetermined time when the reference transmission device transmits the reference time signal after the reference transmission device determination procedure determines the reference transmission device. It is a timing method to do.

According to the present invention, time information can be stably received.

It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the timekeeping system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the reference time information and a communication channel which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the timekeeping apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the display panel P of the display device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the control part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the preprocessing for receiving the time information which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the long wave reception processing in the master unit mode which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the short-range communication processing in the master unit mode which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the short-distance reception processing in the handset mode which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the normal timekeeping processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the process for time adjustment in a normal time of the handset which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the reroute processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display control processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention.

(First Embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the timekeeping system S according to the present embodiment. The timekeeping system S includes a plurality of timekeeping devices C1 to C6, and the timekeeping devices C1 to C6 form a tree-type network.
Hereinafter, one of the timekeeping devices C1 to C6 may be referred to as a timekeeping device C.

This network has a hierarchy indicated by layers, and the timekeeping device C in the uppermost layer acquires time information, and the time information is sequentially transmitted from the timekeeping device C in the upper layer to the timekeeping device C in the lower layer. Here, the time information acquired by the time measuring device C in the uppermost layer is, for example, information indicating a reference time included in the standard radio wave. When the timekeeping device C of each layer receives the time information from the timekeeping device C of the upper layer, the timekeeping device C of each layer corrects the time of its own device. As a result, the timekeeping devices C1 to C6 constituting the timekeeping system S maintain an accurate time.

The timekeeping devices C1 to C6 provided in the timekeeping system S are radio clocks installed in, for example, an office building or a factory. Depending on the installation location, the radio-controlled watch may not be able to receive standard radio waves.
Therefore, in the timekeeping system S, the timekeeping devices C1 to C6 are divided into a master unit that receives a standard radio wave and a slave unit that receives a reference time signal from the master unit. Here, the reference time signal is a signal including the reference time information B which is the time information for time adjustment. The timekeeping device C1 serving as a master unit is installed near a window where standard radio waves can be easily received. On the other hand, the timekeeping device C2 and the timekeeping device C3, which are slave units, are set on the back side of the building and receive the reference time signal from the timekeeping device C1 which is the master unit.

In the timekeeping system S, when the timekeeping device C receives the reference time signal from the timekeeping device C of the upper layer, the timekeeping device C subsequently receives the reference time signal from the timekeeping device C of the upper layer at a predetermined reception timing. A transmission device of an upper layer that transmits a reference time signal to the timekeeping device C is called a reference transmission device.
In the timekeeping system S, when the strength of the received reference time signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the timekeeping device C stabilizes the time information by using the transmitting device that transmits the reference time signal as the reference transmitting device. Can be received.

In the timekeeping system S, one-way communication in short-range wireless communication is used at the time of transmission. This short-range wireless communication is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy: BLE. The transmitted data includes layer information indicating the hierarchy of the network. The timing devices C2 to C6 add 1 to the value of the layer received at the time of initial reception to make the layer of the own device. After that, the timekeeping devices C2 to C6 acquire only the transmission data having a layer value one smaller than the layer value of the own device, and a tree-type network is constructed.

In the timekeeping system S, by using one-way communication, it is possible to save time and effort such as pairing in short-distance communication and IP address setting in a general network, and it is possible to realize a parent-child clock system more easily than those.

The timekeeping device C1 which is a master unit acquires time information by receiving a standard radio wave such as JJY (registered trademark) or a satellite radio wave (UTC) by receiving a long wave. Alternatively, the timekeeping device C1 which is the master unit acquires time information from the smartphone by short-range wireless communication. The user sets from which information source the timekeeping device C1 acquires the time information. Further, the user also sets whether the timekeeping device C functions as a master unit or a slave unit in the timekeeping system S.

The timekeeping device C1 corrects the timekeeping data of its own device based on the acquired time information. The timekeeping device C1 generates the reference time information B based on the corrected timekeeping data. The timekeeping device C1 transmits a reference time signal including the generated reference time information B to the timekeeping device C2 and the timekeeping device C3 in the lower layer by the transmission channel 0.

Here, with reference to FIG. 2, the reference time information B and the communication channel will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the reference time information B and the communication channel according to the present embodiment. The reference time information B includes layer information B1, transmission channel information B2, time information B3, and station information B4.

The layer information B1 is information for specifying the layer on which the time measuring device C that has transmitted the reference time information B is located. The layer information B1 takes, for example, a range of 0 to 99.

The transmission channel information B2 is information for specifying the communication channel to which the reference time information B is transmitted. For example, when 60 communication channels are prepared, the transmission channel information B2 is set to, for example, a value from 0 to 59 corresponding to the communication channel.

The time information B3 is information indicating the time such as year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week.
The station information B4 is information indicating which information source the time information B3 was modified based on. The station information B4 is, for example, UTC, JJY (40 kHz; East / Fukushima transmission station), JJY (60 kHz, West / Kyushu transmission station), a smartphone, and information indicating the distinction at the time of manual adjustment.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the timekeeping system S will be continued.
In the timekeeping system S, a time slot TS every 10 seconds is provided to prevent interference, and the transmission timing of the reference time information B is determined from the layer and the transmission CH to prevent the transmission timings from overlapping between a plurality of transmission devices. There is. Here, the transmission CH means a time-division time slot, not a frequency, and is randomly set from the numbers 0 to 59. An example of transmission timing is expressed by the equation (1).

Unlike BLE's two-way communication, which prevents interference by frequency hopping, in BLE's one-way communication, when the broadcaster, which is the transmitting device, transmits the advertisement packet, which is the transmission data, the three frequencies are sequentially switched and transmitted. , If the timings overlap, the possibility of interference increases. In the timekeeping system S, the transmission timings are prevented from overlapping by the equation (1).

The time measuring device C2 having a layer value of 1 receives the reference time information B from the time measuring device C1 having a layer value of 0. The timekeeping device C2 corrects the timekeeping data of its own device based on the time information B3 included in the reference time information B. The timekeeping device C2 generates the reference time information B based on the corrected timekeeping data. The timekeeping device C2 transmits the generated reference time information B to the timekeeping device C4 having a layer value of 2. Here, the timekeeping device C2 uses a transmission channel 3 different from the transmission channel 0 used by the timekeeping device C1 in the upper layer for transmission.

Hereinafter, similarly, the timekeeping device C of each layer receives the reference time information B from the timekeeping device C of the layer whose layer value is smaller by 1, and is based on the time information B3 included in the received reference time information B. Correct the timekeeping data of your device. The timekeeping device C generates the reference time information B based on the corrected timekeeping data. The timekeeping device C uses a transmission channel different from the transmission channel used by the timekeeping device C of the upper layer whose layer value is smaller by 1, and generates reference time information B in the lower layer whose layer value is larger by 1. It is transmitted to the timekeeping device C of.

In the timekeeping system S, in addition to the timekeeping device C, a timekeeping device having no function of transmitting reference time information B may be arranged as needed.

Next, the configuration of the time measuring device C will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment. The timekeeping device C includes a long wave receiving circuit 1, a power supply circuit 2, a connector 3, a main device 4, and a display device 5.

The long wave receiving circuit 1 receives and demodulates standard radio waves JJY or satellite radio waves (UTC) including time information, and outputs digital received information to the main device 4 via the connector 3.
The power supply circuit 2 includes an AC (alternating current) adapter connection plug 21 and a battery 22, and supplies direct current power from the AC adapter or the battery 22 to the main device 4 via the connector 3.

The display device 5 includes a display panel P (for example, a liquid crystal display panel) having a segment structure, and displays information such as time information and radio wave transmission / reception status.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the display of the display panel P of the display device 5 will be described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the display panel P of the display device 5 according to the present embodiment. The display panel P is a morning display segment P1, an afternoon display segment P2, a TL mark segment P3, a time display segment P4, a delimiter segment P5, a minute display segment P6, a second display segment P7, a master unit / slave unit mode mark segment P8, and an information source. It includes a mark segment P9, a BLE mark segment P10, an antenna mark segment P11, a reception level segment P12, a battery mark segment P13, a month display segment P14, a day display segment P15, and a day display segment P16.

The morning display segment P1 and the afternoon display segment P2 display the distinction between morning and afternoon when the time is displayed for 12 hours.
The TL mark segment P3 is a display segment for displaying that a reference time signal can be received from the timekeeping device C in the upper layer. Further, by switching the display mode of the TL mark segment P3, it is displayed that reception is in progress, transmission is in progress, and the like.
The time display segment P4, the delimiter segment P5, the minute display segment P6, and the second display segment P7 display the current time in the format of "hour: minute second".

The master unit slave unit mode mark segment P8 displays whether the timekeeping device C is set to the master unit mode or the slave unit mode. When the timekeeping device C is set to the master unit mode, the letter "P" in the master unit slave unit mode mark segment P8 lights up. On the other hand, when the timekeeping device C is set to the slave unit mode, the letter "C" in the master unit slave unit mode mark segment P8 lights up.

The information source mark segment P9 indicates whether or not the standard radio wave signal is received within a predetermined time, and if so, whether the information source is the west station, the east station, or UTC. For example, when the timekeeping device C receives JJY 60 kHz and uses it for time adjustment within 24 hours, the W mark segment lights up. If the timekeeping device C receives JJY 40 kHz and uses it for time adjustment within 24 hours, the E mark segment lights up. If the timekeeping device C receives the UTC and uses it for time adjustment within 24 hours, the U mark segment lights up.

The BLE mark segment P10 displays whether or not time information is received from the smartphone by short-range wireless communication such as BLE.
The antenna mark segment P11 and the reception level segment P12 are segments for displaying the strength of the received radio wave.
The battery mark segment P13 is a segment for displaying the voltage state of the battery 22.
The month display segment P14, the day display segment P15, and the day of the week display segment P16 are segments for displaying the month, day, and day of the week.

Returning to FIG. 3, the description of the configuration of the timekeeping device C will be continued.
The main device 4 includes a voltage detector 6, a regulator 7, a switch group 8, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit 9, a crystal oscillator 10, and a control unit 11.

The voltage detector 6 detects the output voltage of the power supply circuit 2 and supplies the detected value to the control unit 11.
The regulator 7 stabilizes the voltage supplied from the power supply circuit 2 and supplies it into the main device 4.

The switch group 8 includes a plurality of switches such as a RESET switch, a RECV switch, and a MODE switch. The switch group 8 supplies various information and instructions to the control unit 11 according to the on / off of the switch by the user's operation, the length of the on time, and the like.

When the RESET switch is operated, the control unit 11 is in the initial state.
When the RECV switch is operated, a manual reception process for receiving a received signal is executed for a predetermined time.
When the MODE switch is operated, the mode is switched between a long wave receiving master unit mode for receiving a long wave, a BLE master unit mode for acquiring time information by receiving from a smartphone by BLE, and a slave unit mode. It should be noted that it may be automatically selected whether to acquire the time information by switching between the two modes of the master unit mode and the slave unit mode and using the long wave reception or the BLE reception in the master unit mode.

The RF circuit 9 receives the reference time signal transmitted by the timekeeping device C in the upper layer as a reception signal under the control of the control unit 11. The RF circuit 9 demodulates the received reference time signal and outputs it to the control unit 11. Further, the RF circuit 9 transmits the reference time information B to the timekeeping device C in the lower layer by using a transmission channel different from the reception channel.
The crystal oscillator 10 oscillates at a predetermined oscillation frequency and supplies an oscillation signal to the control unit 11.

The control unit 11 controls the entire operation of the timekeeping device C. The control unit 11 determines the timing operation based on the oscillation signal of the crystal oscillator 10, determines the strength of the reference reception signal (standard radio wave signal or reference time signal) of the long wave reception circuit 1 or RF circuit 9, and receives the reference reception signal. Determination of transmitter, determination of whether to use the received reference reception signal for correction of timed data, correction operation of time data based on the reference reception signal received from the reference transmitter, reference time information based on the corrected time data Transmission via the RF circuit 9, display control of various information to the display device 5, processing in response to the operation input of the switch group 8 and the like are performed.

Here, the configuration of the control unit 11 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control unit 11 according to the present embodiment. The control unit 11 includes a processor 20, a timekeeping data acquisition unit 30, an encoder 40, a decoder 50, a signal strength acquisition unit 60, a key input unit 70, a voltage data input unit 80, and a register group 90. ..

The processor 20 includes a signal strength determination unit 201, a reference transmission device determination unit 202, a signal determination unit 203, a correction unit 204, a timekeeping unit 205, a master unit / slave unit mode control unit 206, and a communication control unit 207. , A display control unit 208 is provided. The processor 20 includes a signal strength determination unit 201, a reference transmission device determination unit 202, a signal determination unit 203, a correction unit 204, a timekeeping unit 205, a master unit / slave unit mode control unit 206, and a communication control unit 207. , Display control unit 208 and each process.
The processor 20 is realized by a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like.

The signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9.
The reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines that the time measuring device C determined by the signal strength determination unit 201 that the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is the reference transmission device.
The signal determination unit 203 determines whether or not the received signal received by the RF circuit 9 is used for correcting the timekeeping data.

The correction unit 204 corrects the timekeeping data based on the reference time information B included in the received signal indicated by the determination result of the signal determination unit 203.
The timekeeping unit 205 performs timekeeping based on the timekeeping data corrected by the correction unit 204.

The communication control unit 207 controls the reception of the received signal by the RF circuit 9 and the transmission of the reference time signal by the RF circuit 9. Here, the communication control unit 207 receives the reference time signal transmitted by the timekeeping device C in the upper layer as a reception signal via the RF circuit 9.
The display control unit 208 controls the display of various information on the display device 5.

The timekeeping data acquisition unit 30 counts the oscillation signal from the crystal oscillator 10, acquires the timekeeping data at regular time intervals, and outputs the timekeeping interrupt signal to the processor 20. Here, the fixed time is, for example, 100 ms.

The encoder 40 encodes the data to be transmitted, for example, the reference time information B supplied from the processor 20 to generate a baseband signal, and supplies the baseband signal to the RF circuit 9.
The decoder 50 decodes the received signal received by the long wave receiving circuit 1 and the RF circuit 9, demodulates, for example, the baseband signal of the standard time information and the reference time information B, and supplies the baseband signal to the processor 20.

The signal strength acquisition unit 60 acquires the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9. Here, the strength of the received signal is the received signal strength (Received Signal Strength Indicator: RSSI).

The key input unit 70 decodes the on / off signal input according to the operation of the switch group 8 and supplies it to the processor 20.
The voltage data input unit 80 outputs the voltage value detected by the voltage detector 6 to the processor 20.

The register group 90 includes a master unit slave unit mode register 901, a timekeeping data register 902, a reception channel register 903, a transmission channel register 904, a layer register 905, and a continuous reception failure count register 906.

The master unit slave unit mode register 901 stores the master unit slave unit mode setting information. The master unit slave unit mode setting information indicates whether the timekeeping device C is set to the long wave reception master unit mode, the BLE master unit mode, or the slave unit mode.
The timekeeping data register 902 stores information indicating the current time measured by the timekeeping device C as timekeeping data. Here, the information indicating the current time is information indicating the month, day, hour, minute, second, and day of the week.

The reception channel register 903 stores reception channel designation data (for example, a value of any of 0 to 59 described above) that specifies a communication channel for receiving reference time information from the timekeeping device C in the upper layer, received data, and the like. .. In the case of the timekeeping device C1 in which the value of the layer in which the timekeeping device C of the upper layer does not exist is 0, the time type such as the standard time and the information indicating the information source from which the time information is acquired are stored. Here, the information indicating the information source obtained from the time information is information indicating the type of standard radio wave (UTC, JJY east transmission station, JJY west transmission station, etc.) and a smartphone.

The transmission channel register 904 stores transmission channel designation data (for example, any value of 0 to 59 described above) that specifies a transmission channel for transmitting the reference time information B to the timekeeping device C in the lower layer. The channel designation data stored in the transmission channel register 904 is transmitted as the transmission channel information B2 in the reference time information B.

The layer register 905 stores layer data (for example, a value of 0 to 99 described above) indicating which layer of the plurality of layers the time measuring device C is located in.

The continuous reception failure count register 906 stores the number of continuous reception failures, which is the number of times that the reference time information B from the timekeeping device C of the upper layer could not be continuously received. In the case of the time measuring device C1 in which the value of the layer in which the time measuring device C of the upper layer does not exist is 0, the number of times that the standard radio wave signal could not be continuously received is stored.

(Arrangement)
The user arranges a plurality of timekeeping devices C constituting the timekeeping system S within a distance range in which communication by the RF circuit 9 is possible, and turns on the power.

(Initial operation)
When the power is turned on, the timekeeping device C starts preprocessing for receiving time information together with other initialization operations. This preprocessing is also started when the RESET switch of the switch group 8 is operated and the control unit 11 is in the initial state.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of preprocessing for receiving time information according to the present embodiment.
Step S100: The master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines whether or not the timekeeping device C is set to the master unit mode. Here, the master unit mode is either a long wave reception master unit mode or a BLE master unit mode.

The master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 acquires the master unit slave unit mode setting information from the master unit slave unit mode register 901. When the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines that the acquired master unit slave unit mode setting information indicates either the long wave reception master unit mode or the BLE master unit mode (step S100; YES), the processor. 20 executes the process of step S101.

On the other hand, when the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines that the acquired master unit slave unit mode setting information does not indicate either the long wave reception master unit mode or the BLE master unit mode (step S100; NO). , The processor 20 executes the handset mode short-range reception process in step S104. The handset mode short-distance reception processing will be described later with reference to FIG.

In step S100, the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 supplies the master unit slave unit mode setting information to the display control unit 208. The display control unit 208 uses the master unit slave unit mode mark segment P8 for the display device 5 according to the master unit slave unit mode setting information supplied by the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206, and the time measuring device C is the master unit. Display whether the mode is set or the slave unit mode is set.

Step S101: The master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines whether or not the timekeeping device C is set to the long wave reception master unit mode. When the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines that the master unit slave unit mode setting information indicates the long wave reception master unit mode (step S101; YES), the processor 20 executes the long wave reception process in step S102. The long wave reception process will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.
On the other hand, when the master unit slave unit mode control unit 206 determines that the master unit slave unit mode setting information does not indicate the long wave reception master unit mode (step S101; NO), the processor 20 is close to the master unit mode in step S103. Executes distance communication processing. The master unit mode short-range communication processing will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of long wave reception processing in the master unit mode according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 7 is the long wave reception process of step S102 shown in FIG.
Step S200: The communication control unit 207 controls the long wave receiving circuit 1 to receive a standard radio wave broadcast at 60 kHz from JJY's Kyushu transmission station. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 30 seconds. The communication control unit 207 causes the decoder 50 to decode the received signal received by the long wave receiving circuit 1 and acquires standard time information.

Step S201: The communication control unit 207 controls the long wave receiving circuit 1 to receive a standard radio wave broadcast at 40 kHz from JJY's Fukushima transmission station. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 30 seconds. The communication control unit 207 causes the decoder 50 to decode the received signal received by the long wave receiving circuit 1 and acquires standard time information.

Step S202: When the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 can receive both 60 kHz and 40 kHz standard radio waves and can obtain a decoded signal (step S202; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S208. do. On the other hand, when the long wave receiving circuit 1 determines that the standard radio waves of both 60 kHz and 40 kHz have not been received (step S202; NO), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S203.

Step S203: When the long wave receiving circuit 1 determines that the standard radio wave of 60 kHz can be received (step S203; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S209. On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 could not receive the standard radio wave of 60 kHz (step S203; NO), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S204.

Step S204: Further, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 has received the standard radio wave of 40 kHz (step S204; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S210. On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 could not receive the standard radio wave of 40 kHz (step S204; NO), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S205.

Step S205: When the long wave receiving circuit 1 cannot receive the standard radio wave, the communication control unit 207 causes the long wave receiving circuit 1 to receive UTC from a GPS satellite or the like.
Step S206: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the long wave receiving circuit 1 has received UTC. When the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 has received UTC (step S206; YES), the processor 20 executes the process of step S211.
On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the long wave receiving circuit 1 could not receive UTC (step S206; NO), the processor 20 executes the process of step S207.

Step S207: The communication control unit 207 executes a long wave reception failure process. The communication control unit 207 supplies a signal indicating that the long wave reception has failed to the display control unit 208.
The display control unit 208 causes the display device 5 to display that the long wave reception has failed by using the antenna mark segment P11 and the reception level segment P12 based on the signal supplied by the communication control unit 207. Here, the display device 5 blinks, for example, the antenna mark segment P11 and turns off the reception level segment P12.

Step S208: The communication control unit 207 selects one transmission station capable of more stable reception. After that, the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S211.

Step S209: The communication control unit 207 selects the west transmission station (Kyushu). After that, the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S211.

Step S210: The communication control unit 207 selects the east transmission station (Fukushima). After that, the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S211.

Step S211: The processor 20 executes the long wave reception initial setting process.
The timekeeping unit 205 sets the timekeeping data based on the standard radio wave received in the timekeeping data register 902.
The communication control unit 207 sets the reception channel register 903 with information indicating that the time type is a standard radio wave and the east-west transmission station. Further, the communication control unit 207 sets 0 as the layer value in the layer register 905. The communication control unit 207 resets the number of continuous reception failures stored in the continuous reception failure number register 906.

Further, the display control unit 208 causes the display device 5 to display information indicating the timekeeping data, the reception state, and the battery state stored in the timekeeping data register 902. Here, the display contents of the display panel P of the display device 5 include, for example, the morning / afternoon display by the morning display segment P1 and the afternoon display segment P2, the time display segment P4, the delimiter segment P5, the minute display segment P6, and the second display segment. P7, month display segment P14, day display segment P15, and day display segment P16 display year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and information source mark segment P9 display standard radio wave information source, reception level segment P12 receives standard radio wave. It includes a status display, a power supply status display based on a detected value of the voltage detector 6 captured via the voltage data input unit 80, and the like.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of short-range communication processing in the master unit mode according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 8 is the master unit mode short-range communication process of step S103 shown in FIG.

Step S300: The communication control unit 207 activates the RF circuit 9.
Step S301: The communication control unit 207 causes the RF circuit 9 to intermittently transmit an advertisement signal for connecting to the smartphone for a predetermined time. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 30 seconds.

Step S302: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the RF circuit 9 is connected to the smartphone and receives the short-distance time signal. When the communication control unit 207 determines that the RF circuit 9 has received the short-distance time signal (step S302; YES), the processor 20 executes the process of step S304. On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the RF circuit 9 has not received the short-distance time signal (step S302; NO), the processor 20 executes the process of step S303.

Step S303: The communication control unit 207 executes the short-range communication failure process. The communication control unit 207 supplies a signal indicating that the short-range communication has failed to the display control unit 208.
The display control unit 208 uses the BLE mark segment P10, the antenna mark segment P11, and the reception level segment P12 on the display device 5 based on the signal supplied by the communication control unit 207 to indicate that the short-range communication has failed. Display. Here, the display device 5 turns on, for example, the BLE mark segment P10, blinks the antenna mark segment P11, and turns off the reception level segment P12.

Step S304: The processor 20 executes the short-range communication initial setting process.
The timekeeping unit 205 sets the timekeeping data based on the short-distance time signal received in the timekeeping data register 902.
The communication control unit 207 sets the reception channel register 903 with information indicating that the time type is the time received from a smartphone or the like. Further, the communication control unit 207 sets 0 as the layer value in the layer register 905. The communication control unit 207 resets the number of continuous reception failures stored in the continuous reception failure number register 906.

Further, the display control unit 208 causes the display device 5 to display information indicating the timekeeping data, the reception state, and the battery state stored in the timekeeping data register 902. Here, the display contents of the display panel P of the display device 5 include, for example, the morning / afternoon display by the morning display segment P1 and the afternoon display segment P2, the time display segment P4, the delimiter segment P5, the minute display segment P6, and the second display segment. P7, month display segment P14, day display segment P15, and day display segment P16 to display the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and BLE mark segment P10 to indicate that time information has been acquired from a smartphone, and reception level segment P12 to display short distance. It includes a display of the reception status of the communication radio wave, a display of the power supply status based on the detected value of the voltage detector 6 captured via the voltage data input unit 80, and the like.

When switching between the two modes of the master unit mode and the slave unit mode and automatically selecting whether to acquire the time information using the long wave reception or the BLE reception in the master unit mode, for example, the figure. When the long wave reception process of step S102 of step 6 fails, the master unit mode short-range communication process of step S103 may be executed. In another example, the long wave reception process of step S102 may be executed when the master unit mode short-range communication process of step S103 of FIG. 6 fails.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of short-distance reception processing in the slave unit mode according to the present embodiment. The process shown in FIG. 9 is the handset mode short-distance reception process of step S104 shown in FIG.

Step S400: The communication control unit 207 activates the RF circuit 9.
Step S401: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the RF circuit 9 has received the short-distance time signal. When the communication control unit 207 determines that the RF circuit 9 has received the short-distance time signal (step S401; YES), the communication control unit 207 acquires the reference time information B from the decoder 50. After that, the processor 20 executes the process of step S402.
On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the RF circuit 9 has not received the short-distance time signal (step S401; NO), the processor 20 executes the process of step S405.

Step S402: The signal strength determination unit 201 determines whether or not the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. Here, the signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9 when the received signal is received for the first time after the RF circuit 9 starts operation.

The signal strength determination unit 201 causes the signal strength acquisition unit 60 to acquire the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9. The signal strength determination unit 201 determines whether or not the strength of the received signal acquired by the signal strength acquisition unit 60 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. Here, the predetermined threshold value is, for example, −90 dBm.
A predetermined threshold value for determining the strength of the received signal is determined in advance by, for example, investigating the relationship between the distance between the reference transmitting device and the time measuring device C which is a slave unit and the reception success rate of the reference time signal. ..

When the signal strength determination unit 201 determines that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (step S402; YES), the processor 20 executes the process of step S403. On the other hand, when the signal strength determination unit 201 determines that the strength of the received signal is not equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value (step S402; NO), the processor 20 executes the process of step S407.

Step S403: The reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines the reference transmission device. Here, the reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines the reference transmission device by setting the reception channel designation data of the reception channel register 903, for example.
The reference transmission device determination unit 202 causes the communication control unit 207 to acquire transmission channel information from the reference time information B. The reference transmission device determination unit 202 sets the transmission channel indicated by the acquired transmission channel information in the communication control unit 207 as the reception channel designation data of the reception channel register 903.

The reference transmission device determination unit 202 causes the communication control unit 207 to acquire layer information from the reference time information B. The reference transmission device determination unit 202 sets, in the communication control unit 207, a value obtained by adding 1 to the layer value indicated by the acquired layer information as the layer value in the layer register 905.
The communication control unit 207 resets the number of continuous reception failures stored in the continuous reception failure number register 906.

Step S404: The correction unit 204 corrects the timekeeping data. The correction unit 204 acquires the reference time information B from the communication control unit 207. The correction unit 204 corrects the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902 based on the time information included in the acquired reference time information B. In this way, the reference time information B is used to correct the timekeeping data.

Further, in step S404, the display control unit 208 causes the display device 5 to display information indicating the corrected timekeeping data, the reception state, and the battery state stored in the timekeeping data register 902. Here, the display contents of the display panel P of the display device 5 include, for example, the morning / afternoon display by the morning display segment P1 and the afternoon display segment P2, the time display segment P4, the delimiter segment P5, the minute display segment P6, and the second display segment. P7, month display segment P14, day display segment P15, and day of the week display segment P16 display year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and reception level segment P12 display the reception status of short-range communication radio waves, and via the voltage data input unit 80. It includes the display of the power supply status based on the detected value of the voltage detector 6 taken in.

Step S405: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the RF circuit 9 was started. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 24 hours. However, the predetermined time may be changed depending on the number of layers of the timekeeping system S.
When it is determined that a predetermined time has elapsed since the RF circuit 9 was started (step S405; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S406. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the RF circuit 9 was started (step S405; NO), the communication control unit 207 repeats the process of step S401.

Step S406: The communication control unit 207 executes a time-out process. The communication control unit 207 supplies the display control unit 208 with a signal indicating that reception of the reference time signal has failed.
The display control unit 208 causes the display device 5 to indicate that the reception of the reference time signal has failed by using the antenna mark segment P11 and the reception level segment P12 based on the signal supplied by the communication control unit 207. Here, the display device 5 blinks, for example, the antenna mark segment P11 and turns off the reception level segment P12. The user may change the position of the time measuring device C and re-install it in response to the failure of the time measuring device C to receive the reference time signal.

Step S407: The signal strength determination unit 201 causes the communication control unit 207 to discard the reference time information B acquired from the decoder 50.

Step S408: The communication control unit 207 causes the display control unit 208 to display that the strength of the received signal is less than a predetermined threshold value. The communication control unit 207 supplies the display control unit 208 with a signal indicating that the strength of the received signal is less than a predetermined threshold value.

The display control unit 208 displays on the display device 5 that the strength of the received signal is less than a predetermined threshold value by using the antenna mark segment P11 and the reception level segment P12 based on the signal supplied by the communication control unit 207. Let me. Here, the display device 5 lights, for example, the antenna mark segment P11 and lights only one antenna mark of the reception level segment P12. Here, the display device 5 may blink only one antenna mark of the reception level segment P12.
As described above, when the signal strength determination unit 201 determines that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value, the display device 5 displays that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value.

(Normal operation)
During normal operation, the timekeeping data acquisition unit 30 of the control unit 11 uses the oscillation signal of the crystal oscillator 10 to measure the time for a certain period of time (for example, 50 ms), and then interrupts the time to update the time. The signal is supplied to the processor 20. In response to this timekeeping signal, the processor 20 starts the process shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a normal timekeeping process according to the present embodiment.

Step S500: The timekeeping unit 205 updates the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902.
Step S5011: The timekeeping unit 205 causes the display control unit 208 to execute a process such as updating the display information of the display device 5.

Further, the timekeeping unit 205 sends a timekeeping interrupt signal for receiving the reference time signal to the processor 20 every time the elapse of a predetermined time (for example, 500 ms) is timed.
In response to this timed interrupt signal, the processor 20 starts the process shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for adjusting the time in a normal time of the slave unit according to the present embodiment.
Step S600: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the reroute condition is satisfied. Here, the reroute condition is, for example, that the reference time signal cannot be received from the reference transmission device for a predetermined time or longer. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 24 hours. The case where reception cannot be performed from the reference transmitting device for a predetermined time or longer is, for example, a case where a failure such as a failure or a dead battery occurs in the reference transmitting device.
The reroute condition may be that the reception of the reference time signal from the reference transmission device fails a predetermined number of times or more. Here, the predetermined number of times is, for example, eight times.

Step S601: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the current time is the reception timing of the reference time signal.
Here, the communication control unit 207 calculates the reception timing from the above equation (1) based on the value of the layer of the own device stored in the layer register 905 and the reception channel stored in the reception channel register 903. do. The reception timing is the transmission timing of the reference transmission device.

The communication control unit 207 acquires the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902. The communication control unit 207 compares the calculated reception timing with the current time indicated by the acquired timekeeping data, and determines whether or not the current time is a predetermined time before the reception timing. Here, the predetermined time is, for example, 2 seconds.

When the communication control unit 207 determines that the current time is the reception timing of the reference time signal (step S601; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S602. On the other hand, when it is determined that the current time is not the reception timing of the reference time signal (step S601; NO), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S605.

Step S602: The communication control unit 207 causes the RF circuit 9 to receive the reference time signal. Here, the communication control unit 207 causes the RF circuit 9 to receive the reference time signal for, for example, a maximum of 4 seconds.
The communication control unit 207 acquires the reference time information B from the decoder 50.

Step S603: The signal determination unit 203 determines whether or not the received signal, which is the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9, is used for correcting the timekeeping data. The signal determination unit 203 determines, for example, based on whether the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9 is a reception signal received from the reference transmission device determined by the reference transmission device determination unit 202.

The signal determination unit 203 acquires the reference time information B from the communication control unit 207. The signal determination unit 203 compares the transmission channel indicated by the transmission channel information included in the acquired reference time information B with the reception channel indicated by the reception channel designation data stored in the reception channel register 903.

When the transmission channel indicated by the transmission channel information included in the reference time information B and the reception channel indicated by the reception channel designation data match, the signal determination unit 203 sets the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9 as the reference transmission device. It is determined that the reception signal is received from the reference transmission device determined by the determination unit 202. In this case, the signal determination unit 203 determines that the received signal is used for correcting the timekeeping data.

On the other hand, when the transmission channel indicated by the transmission channel information included in the reference time information B and the reception channel indicated by the reception channel designation data do not match, the signal determination unit 203 uses the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9 as a reference. It is determined that the signal is not received from the reference transmission device determined by the transmission device determination unit 202. In this case, the signal determination unit 203 determines that the received signal is not used for correcting the timekeeping data.

When the signal determination unit 203 determines that the received signal, which is the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9, is used for correcting the timekeeping data (step S603; YES), the signal determination unit 203 supplies the reference time information B to the correction unit 204. After that, the processor 20 executes the process of step S604.
On the other hand, when the signal determination unit 203 determines that the received signal, which is the reference time signal received by the RF circuit 9, is not used for correcting the timekeeping data (step S603; NO), the processor 20 executes the process of step S609. do.

In this way, after the reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines the reference transmission device, the signal determination unit 203 uses the reception signal from the reference transmission device determined by the reference transmission device determination unit 202 to correct the timed data. judge. On the other hand, after the reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines the reference transmission device, the signal determination unit 203 receives a reception signal from the timekeeping device C, which is a transmission device other than the reference transmission device determined by the reference transmission device determination unit 202. It is judged not to be used for correcting the timekeeping data.

Step S604: The correction unit 204 updates the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902 based on the reference time information B supplied by the signal determination unit 203.

Step S605: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the current time is the transmission timing of the reference time signal.
Here, the communication control unit 207 calculates the transmission timing from the above equation (1) based on the value of the layer of the own device stored in the layer register 905 and the transmission channel stored in the transmission channel register 904. do. The communication control unit 207 acquires the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902. The communication control unit 207 compares the calculated transmission timing with the current time indicated by the acquired timekeeping data, and determines whether or not the current time is the transmission timing of the reference time signal.

When the communication control unit 207 determines that the current time is the transmission timing of the reference time signal (step S605; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S606. On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the current time is not the transmission timing of the reference time signal (step S605; NO), the processor 20 ends the process.

Step S606: The timekeeping unit 205 generates the reference time information B. The time measuring unit 205 includes a layer value indicated by the layer information stored in the layer register 905, a transmission channel indicated by the transmission channel designation data stored in the transmission channel register 904, and a time indicated by the time counting data stored in the timing data register 902. The reference time information B is generated based on the information and the information indicating the information source of the time information stored in the receive channel register 903.
The timekeeping unit 205 supplies the generated reference time information B to the communication control unit 207.

Step S607: The communication control unit 207 causes the RF circuit 9 to transmit a reference time signal. Here, the communication control unit 207 encodes the reference time information B supplied by the timekeeping unit 205 into the encoder 40 and supplies it to the RF circuit 9.

Step S608: The processor 20 executes the reroute process. The reroute process is a process of newly receiving a received signal when the connection with the reference transmitting device is lost, and newly determining the transmitting device that has transmitted the received signal as the reference transmitting device. A specific example of the reroute process will be described with reference to FIG.
When the processor 20 executes the reroute process, the processor 20 executes the process of step S601.

Step S609: The signal determination unit 203 causes the communication control unit 207 to discard the reference time information B acquired from the decoder 50.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the reroute process according to the present embodiment. The reroute process shown in FIG. 12 is executed when it is determined in step S600 of FIG. 11 that the reroute condition is satisfied.
The processes of step S701, step S702, step S703, step S704, step S705, step S706, step S707, and step S708 are the processes of step S401, step S402, step S403, step S404, step S405, and step in FIG. Since it is the same as each process of S406, step S407, and step S408, the description thereof will be omitted except for different parts.

Step S700: The communication control unit 207 executes a reset process. Here, the reset process is to delete the receive channel designation data stored in the receive channel register 903 and the layer data stored in the layer register 905. The communication control unit 207 executes the reset process when the value of the timekeeping data is, for example, 10 minutes.
After that, the processor 20 receives a received signal from another reference transmitting device by each process of step S701 to step S708, and corrects the timekeeping data.

However, in step S705, the predetermined time until the time-out process of step S706 is executed is different from the predetermined time in step S405 in FIG. In step S705, the predetermined time until the time-out process of step S706 is executed is, for example, 10 minutes. That is, the reroute process of FIG. 12 is executed from the time when the value of the minute of the timekeeping data is 10 minutes to 20 minutes.

The reroute process of FIG. 12 is executed when the reroute condition is satisfied in step S600 of FIG. Therefore, according to step S703, the reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value when the connection with the reference transmission device is lost. , Newly determined to be the reference transmitter.

When the RECV switch provided in the switch group 8 is operated, the processor 20 executes the manual reception process. The manual reception process is the same as the reroute process shown in FIG. Therefore, in the manual reception process, similarly to step S702 in FIG. 12, the signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the RF circuit 9 when the RF circuit 9 receives the received signal by manual reception. judge.

(Display control operation)
The processor 20 executes the display control process shown in FIG. 13, for example, by a periodic interrupt process every 500 ms.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of display control processing according to the present embodiment.

Step S800: The timekeeping unit 205 causes the display device 5 to display the current time via the display control unit 208. Here, the timekeeping unit 205 supplies the timekeeping data stored in the timekeeping data register 902 to the display control unit 208.

Step S8011: The communication control unit 207 determines whether or not the reference time information has been received within the past 24 hours. Here, the communication control unit 207 determines based on the number of times that the reference time information B from the timekeeping device C of the upper layer, which is stored in the continuous reception failure count register 906, cannot be continuously received.
When it is determined that the reference time information has been received within the past 24 hours (step S801; YES), the communication control unit 207 executes the process of step S802. On the other hand, when the communication control unit 207 determines that the reference time information has not been received within the past 24 hours (step S801; NO), the processor 20 ends the display control process.

Step S802: The communication control unit 207 causes the display device 5 to light the TL mark segment P3 via the display control unit 208.

As described above, the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment includes a receiving unit (communication control unit 207), a signal strength determination unit 201, a reference transmission device determination unit 202, a signal determination unit 203, and a correction unit. It includes 204 and a timekeeping unit 205.
The reception unit (communication control unit 207) receives the reference time signal transmitted by the transmission device (timekeeping device C in the upper layer) including the reference time information B for correcting the timekeeping data as a reception signal.
The signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the reception unit (communication control unit 207).
The reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines that the transmission device (timekeeping device C in the upper layer) determined by the signal strength determination unit 201 that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is the reference transmission device.
After the reference transmission device determination unit 202 determines the reference transmission device, the signal determination unit 203 determines that the reception signal from the reference transmission device determined by the reference transmission device determination unit 202 will be used for correcting the timekeeping data. It is determined that the reception signal from the transmission device (timekeeping device C in the upper layer) other than the reference transmission device determined by the reference transmission device determination unit 202 is not used for correcting the timekeeping data.
The correction unit 204 corrects the timekeeping data based on the reference time information B included in the received signal indicated by the determination result of the signal determination unit 203.
The timekeeping unit 205 performs timekeeping based on the timekeeping data corrected by the correction unit 204.

With this configuration, in the time measuring device C according to the present embodiment, after determining the reference transmitting device whose strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the time measuring device C receives the received signal used for correcting the timed data from the reference transmitting device. Therefore, time information can be stably received.

Further, the signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the reception unit (communication control unit 207) when the reception unit (communication control unit 207) receives the reception signal for the first time after the operation is started.
With this configuration, in the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment, since the strength of the received signal can be determined when the received signal is received for the first time, processing is performed as compared with the case where the strength of the received signal is determined each time the received signal is received. The load can be lightened.

Further, the reference transmission device determination unit 202 is a transmission device (upper layer timekeeping device C) in which the signal strength determination unit 201 determines that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value when the connection with the reference transmission device is lost. ) Is newly determined to be the reference transmitter.
With this configuration, in the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment, even when the connection with the reference transmission device is interrupted, the transmission device (timekeeping device C in the upper layer) in which the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. Since the received signal used for correcting the timekeeping data can be received from, the time information can be stably received even when the connection with the reference transmitting device is lost.

Further, the signal strength determination unit 201 determines the strength of the received signal received by the receiving unit (communication control unit 207) when the receiving unit (communication control unit 207) receives the received signal by manual reception.
With this configuration, in the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment, even when a received signal is received from a new transmission device (timekeeping device C in the upper layer) by manual reception, the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. Since the received signal used for correcting the timekeeping data can be received from the transmission device (timekeeping device C of the upper layer), the received signal is received from the new transmission device (timekeeping device C of the upper layer) by manual reception. Even in such a case, the time information can be stably received.

Further, the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment further includes a display device 5.
When the signal strength determination unit 201 determines that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value, the display device 5 displays that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value.
With this configuration, the timekeeping device C according to the present embodiment can display that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value, so that the user can know that the strength of the received signal is less than the predetermined value.

Further, the timekeeping system S according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of timekeeping devices C.
With this configuration, in the timekeeping system S according to the present embodiment, since each timekeeping device C can stably receive the time information, it is possible to maintain an accurate time.

In the above embodiment, the case where BLE is used for short-range wireless communication has been described, but as short-range wireless communication, WiFi (Wireless Wireless), ZigBee (registered trademark), EnOcean (registered trademark), and specified low power are used. Other wireless communication methods such as wireless may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the timekeeping system S has described the "clock" system, but the present invention is not limited to the so-called "clock" having a time display function, and the device / element having the timekeeping function. It is widely applicable to ICs (including integrated circuits (ICs) and tags) and systems.

A part of the timekeeping device C in the above-described embodiment, for example, the control unit 11 may be realized by a computer. In that case, the program for realizing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read by a computer system and executed. The "computer system" referred to here is a computer system built in the timekeeping device C, and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, or a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Further, a "computer-readable recording medium" is a medium that dynamically holds a program for a short time, such as a communication line when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In that case, a program may be held for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or a client. Further, the above-mentioned program may be for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, and may be further realized by combining the above-mentioned functions with a program already recorded in the computer system.
Further, a part or all of the time measuring device C in the above-described embodiment may be realized as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the timekeeping device C may be individually made into a processor, or a part or all of them may be integrated into a processor. Further, the method of making an integrated circuit is not limited to the LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Further, when an integrated circuit technology that replaces an LSI appears due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on this technology may be used.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is possible to do.

S ... Time measuring system, C, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 ... Time measuring device, 1 ... Long wave receiving circuit, 2 ... Power supply circuit, 21 ... AC (AC) adapter connection plug, 22 ... Battery, 3 ... Connector 4, Main device, 5 ... Display device, 6 ... Voltage detector, 7 ... Regulator, 8 ... Switch group, 9 ... RF circuit, 10 ... Crystal oscillator, 11 ... Control unit, 20 ... Processor, 201 ... Signal strength determination Unit, 202 ... Reference transmitter determination unit, 203 ... Signal determination unit, 204 ... Correction unit, 205 ... Measuring unit, 206 ... Master unit slave unit mode control unit, 207 ... Communication control unit, 208 ... Display control unit, 30 ... Time measurement data acquisition unit, 40 ... encoder, 50 ... decoder, 60 ... signal strength acquisition unit, 70 ... key input unit, 80 ... voltage data input unit, 90 ... register group, 901 ... master unit slave unit mode register, 902 ... time measurement Data register, 903 ... Receive channel register, 904 ... Transmission channel register, 905 ... Layer register, 906 ... Continuous reception failure count register, P ... Display panel

Claims (7)

It is one of the multiple timekeeping devices that make up a tree-type network.
A receiver that includes reference time information for correcting timekeeping data and receives a reference time signal transmitted by a transmitter as a reception signal.
A signal strength determination unit that determines the strength of the received signal received by the reception unit, and a signal strength determination unit.
A reference transmission device determination unit that determines that the transmission device that the signal strength determination unit determines that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is a reference transmission device.
After the reference transmission device determination unit determines the reference transmission device, it is determined that the reception signal from the reference transmission device is used for correcting the timekeeping data, and the transmission device other than the reference transmission device is used. A signal determination unit that determines that the received signal is not used for correcting the timekeeping data,
A correction unit that corrects the timekeeping data based on the reference time information included in the received signal indicated by the determination result of the signal determination unit.
A timekeeping unit that performs timekeeping based on the timekeeping data corrected by the correction unit, and a timekeeping unit.
Equipped with
The transmitting device is a timekeeping device at a higher level than the own device in the tree-type network.
The reference time signal is transmitted by the transmitter at different times between the plurality of transmitters.
The receiving unit receives the reference time signal transmitted by the reference transmitting device at a predetermined time when the reference transmitting device transmits the reference time signal after the reference transmitting device determining unit determines the reference transmitting device. Receive
Timekeeping device. The timekeeping device according to claim 1, wherein the signal strength determining unit determines the strength of the received signal received by the receiving unit when the received signal is received for the first time after the receiving unit starts operation. When the connection with the reference transmission device is lost, the reference transmission device determination unit uses the reference transmission device to determine that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The timekeeping device according to claim 1 or 2, which is newly determined to exist. The signal strength determining unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 determines the strength of the received signal received by the receiving unit when the receiving unit receives the received signal by manual reception. The timekeeping device described. 6. Timekeeping device. The tree-type network is configured by providing a plurality of timekeeping devices according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
Timekeeping system. It is a timekeeping method in one of a plurality of timekeeping devices constituting a tree-type network.
A reception procedure for receiving a reference time signal transmitted by a transmission device as a reception signal, including reference time information for correcting timekeeping data, and a reception procedure.
A signal strength determination procedure for determining the strength of the received signal received in the reception procedure, and a signal strength determination procedure.
A reference transmission device determination procedure for determining that the transmission device determined in the signal strength determination procedure that the strength of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is a reference transmission device, and a reference transmission device determination procedure.
After the reference transmission device is determined in the reference transmission device determination procedure, it is determined that the reception signal from the reference transmission device is used for correcting the timekeeping data, and the transmission device other than the reference transmission device is used. A signal determination procedure for determining that the received signal is not used for correcting the timekeeping data, and
A correction procedure for correcting the timekeeping data based on the reference time information included in the received signal indicated by the determination result of the signal determination procedure, and a correction procedure.
A timekeeping procedure for measuring time based on the timekeeping data corrected in the correction procedure, and a timekeeping procedure.
Have,
The transmitting device is a timekeeping device at a higher level than the own device in the tree-type network.
The reference time signal is transmitted by the transmitter at different times between the plurality of transmitters.
In the reception procedure, after the reference transmission device determination procedure determines the reference transmission device, the reference time signal transmitted by the reference transmission device at a predetermined time when the reference transmission device transmits the reference time signal is transmitted. Receive
Timekeeping method.

Images