EP0953888A1 - Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren - Google Patents

Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0953888A1
EP0953888A1 EP98201283A EP98201283A EP0953888A1 EP 0953888 A1 EP0953888 A1 EP 0953888A1 EP 98201283 A EP98201283 A EP 98201283A EP 98201283 A EP98201283 A EP 98201283A EP 0953888 A1 EP0953888 A1 EP 0953888A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
lights
control
electronic instrument
programming
day
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP98201283A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0953888B1 (de
Inventor
Ernesto Santini
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
BTicino SpA
Original Assignee
BTicino SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by BTicino SpA filed Critical BTicino SpA
Priority to PT98201283T priority Critical patent/PT953888E/pt
Priority to DE69811476T priority patent/DE69811476T2/de
Priority to AT98201283T priority patent/ATE232995T1/de
Priority to ES98201283T priority patent/ES2192299T3/es
Priority to EP98201283A priority patent/EP0953888B1/de
Publication of EP0953888A1 publication Critical patent/EP0953888A1/de
Priority to HK00102690.9A priority patent/HK1025638B/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0953888B1 publication Critical patent/EP0953888B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G15/00—Time-pieces comprising means to be operated at preselected times or after preselected time intervals
    • G04G15/006—Time-pieces comprising means to be operated at preselected times or after preselected time intervals for operating at a number of different times

Definitions

  • the present invention refers to an electronic instrument for the programming and the control of peripheral devices and to a related method.
  • Various types of electronic programming devices are very well known, said programming devices control, over a period of time, the operations of household appliances (as microwave or electric ovens, washing machines, dish washing machines, toasters, television sets, refrigerators, freezers), recording or video recording devices, lighting installations, watering installations, antitheft devices or other similar devices.
  • the electronic programming devices can be manufactured and connected to or integrated with a specific system to be controlled (dedicated programming device) or they can operate in a generic way, typical of any timer and they can be connected to various peripheral devices.
  • liquid crystal displays having various indications under numeric and/or symbolic form, the production costs of said displays affects significantly the costs of the whole instrument.
  • a purpose of the present invention is, then, to provide an electronic instrument for the programming and the control of peripheral devices, said instrument being suitable to overcome the above mentioned disadvantages, and to be utilised by a user through a simple and intuitive method of programming and of control and, therefore, easy to memorise and to repeat.
  • Another purpose of the present invention is to realise an electronic instrument for the programming and control of peripheral device, wherein the data relative to the working situation are the strictly necessary ones and are displayed in a clear way, so that said data are quickly understood.
  • a further purpose of the invention is to disclose an electronic instrument for the programming and the control of peripheral devices, wherein there are no requirements for particular display arrangements, nor for specific integrated drive circuits.
  • a further purpose of the invention is to disclose an electronic instrument for the programming and the control of peripheral devices and the relative programming and control method which are easy to realise, without the use of expensive components and of complex technologies.
  • the electronic instrument of the invention comprises a front lighted dial, where it is possible to adjust the current hour and to program the peripheral devices by means of one single rotating knob having also an additional axial motion.
  • the knob is surrounded by a dial with as many control lights as the time subdivisions to operate on. Typically, but not exclusively, twelve lights are provided to represent the hours and another twelve lights to represent the half hours, as in a watch dial, and altogether there are twentyfour lights in total positioned around the knob.
  • two additional lights which indicate the a.m. or the p.m. hours and other lights which indicate the days of the week and a push button to select the desired day.
  • the adjustment of the current hour and the programming of the peripheral devices can be done through a slider which moves inside a slot, along a straight line; in this case, the control lights are positioned along a line, in parallel to the slot.
  • numeral 10 indicates generally the front surface of the dial relative to the electronic programming and control instrument of the present invention, meanwhile numeral 1 indicates a rotating knob surrounded by twelve control lights, similar to a watch dial, provided in correspondence to the hours; said control lights are indicated by reference numeral 2.
  • a slider 11 is located on dial 10, said slider slides inside the rectangular slot 12; in parallel to slot 12, there are twelve control lights 13, corresponding to the twelve hours and another twelve control lights corresponding to the half hours, said lights are positioned along an imaginary straight segment.
  • the control lights 2, 2A and 13, 14 are preferably LED diodes.
  • the dial 10 there are provided on the dial 10 two additional control lights, indicated by numeral 3, relative to the a.m. and p.m. hours and, possibly, another seven lights which indicated the days of the week and which are indicated by numeral 4, together with a push button, indicated by numeral 5, for the selection of the day.
  • control lights 3 and 4 are, preferably, LED diodes.
  • knobs for the adjustment of two temperatures, which are associated to the on/off state of the control lights 2 and 2A of the circular arrangement; said knobs are indicated by the reference numeral 6.
  • the electronic instrument for the programming and control of peripheral devices works as follows; at rest, i.e. in absence of the user intervention, one of the control lights 2 or 13, corresponding to the current hour, flashes, while one of the control lights 3 stays steadily lighted, whether it is an "ante meridiem” hour (light 3 corresponding to the AM letters) or a "post meridiem” hour (light 3 corresponding to the PM letters).
  • control lights 2, 2A or 13, 14 of the circular arrangement or of the linear segment, except the light which indicates the current hour indicate the activated programming state, in such a way that each of the lights 2, 2A or 13, 14, when they are off, indicate that the particular peripheral device controlled by the electronic instrument according to the invention is deactivated on the hour (or half an hour) corresponding to said lights 2, 2A or 13, 14.
  • each of the lights 2, 2A or 13, 14, when they are on, means that the particular peripheral device controlled by the electronic instrument according to the invention is activated on the hour (or half an hour) corresponding to said specific light 2, 2A or 13, 14.
  • the control light 4, corresponding to the current day, is steadily on, if present on the dial 10.
  • the control lights 2, 2A of the circular arrangement indicate, then, the forecast programming for the half day indicated by the lights 3.
  • the advancing of the signal of the current hour which is obtained through the flashing of the lights 2, 2A or 13, 14, is assured by a known inside electronic control of the control lights state and by a clock pulse generator of the traditional type.
  • knob 1 A simple clockwise or counterclockwise rotation, by the user, of knob 1 causes a correspondent progressive change of the flashing control lights 2, 2A.
  • the instrument restarts the normal advancement of the hour signal, in such a way that the twenty four hour sequence of the whole day is visualised through two apparent rotations (or through two, back and forth, movements) of the flashing signal along the circular arrangement (or along the straight segment) of the control lights 2, 2A or 13, 14.
  • the difference between a.m. and p.m. hours (and half hours) is displayed by the alternate lighting of one of the control lights 3, which are automatically set on the on or off position at noon or at midnight.
  • the user can program the electronic instrument of the present invention as follows:
  • the adjustment of the current hour and/or the programming of the peripheral devices can be obtained, alternatively, by pushing or pulling the slider 11 and/or by moving said slider along the slot 12; in this case, the activated programming will be visualised through the control lights 13, 14.
  • the two temperatures of reference can be set up through the control action of two knobs positioned on the instrument dial and each knob is associated to a working state (on or off) of the control lights of the circular arrangement or of the straight segment.
  • Each knob allows the set up of a defined temperature value comprised between two limit values; said values are preferably equal to 5 and 30° C, respectively.
  • Said electronic instrument without the day programming push button and the corresponding control lights, can be a chronothermostat having only a daily program.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Control Of Resistance Heating (AREA)
  • Input From Keyboards Or The Like (AREA)
  • Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)
  • Programmable Controllers (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Electrochromic Elements, Electrophoresis, Or Variable Reflection Or Absorption Elements (AREA)
  • Electrophonic Musical Instruments (AREA)
EP98201283A 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren Expired - Lifetime EP0953888B1 (de)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PT98201283T PT953888E (pt) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Instrumento electronico para a programacao e o controlo de dispositivos perifericos e o metodo relativo
DE69811476T DE69811476T2 (de) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren
AT98201283T ATE232995T1 (de) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches instrument zur programmierung und kontrollierung von randapparaten und dazu gehörendes verfahren
ES98201283T ES2192299T3 (es) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Instrumento electronico para la programacion y el control de dispositivos perifericos y procedimiento correspondiente.
EP98201283A EP0953888B1 (de) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren
HK00102690.9A HK1025638B (en) 2000-05-03 An electronic instrument for the programming and the control of peripheral devices and the relative method

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP98201283A EP0953888B1 (de) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0953888A1 true EP0953888A1 (de) 1999-11-03
EP0953888B1 EP0953888B1 (de) 2003-02-19

Family

ID=8233626

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98201283A Expired - Lifetime EP0953888B1 (de) 1998-04-21 1998-04-21 Elektronisches Instrument zur Programmierung und Kontrollierung von Randapparaten und dazu gehörendes Verfahren

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0953888B1 (de)
AT (1) ATE232995T1 (de)
DE (1) DE69811476T2 (de)
ES (1) ES2192299T3 (de)
PT (1) PT953888E (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1715394A3 (de) * 2005-04-19 2009-09-02 Pegler Limited Zeitschalter

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2054908A (en) * 1979-07-18 1981-02-18 Vedette Horlogerie Time switch with microcomputer or microprocessor
FR2493552A1 (fr) * 1980-10-30 1982-05-07 Hitachi Ltd Compteur de temps numerique programmable et a fonction de chronodeclenchement
GB2091914A (en) * 1981-01-23 1982-08-04 Randall Electronics Ltd Central heating system control
US4432652A (en) * 1980-02-20 1984-02-21 Sony Corporation Timer apparatus
EP0119312A2 (de) * 1983-03-22 1984-09-26 Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co Digitale Schaltuhr
EP0167848A1 (de) * 1984-06-12 1986-01-15 Elesta Ag Elektronik Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Setzen und zur Anzeige der Schaltzeiten bei einer digitalen Schaltuhr

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2054908A (en) * 1979-07-18 1981-02-18 Vedette Horlogerie Time switch with microcomputer or microprocessor
US4432652A (en) * 1980-02-20 1984-02-21 Sony Corporation Timer apparatus
FR2493552A1 (fr) * 1980-10-30 1982-05-07 Hitachi Ltd Compteur de temps numerique programmable et a fonction de chronodeclenchement
GB2091914A (en) * 1981-01-23 1982-08-04 Randall Electronics Ltd Central heating system control
EP0119312A2 (de) * 1983-03-22 1984-09-26 Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co Digitale Schaltuhr
EP0167848A1 (de) * 1984-06-12 1986-01-15 Elesta Ag Elektronik Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Setzen und zur Anzeige der Schaltzeiten bei einer digitalen Schaltuhr

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1715394A3 (de) * 2005-04-19 2009-09-02 Pegler Limited Zeitschalter

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES2192299T3 (es) 2003-10-01
DE69811476T2 (de) 2003-12-18
EP0953888B1 (de) 2003-02-19
PT953888E (pt) 2003-07-31
HK1025638A1 (en) 2000-11-17
ATE232995T1 (de) 2003-03-15
DE69811476D1 (de) 2003-03-27

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