Timer

A timer which is resistive or substantially impervious to an outage which is encountered in the main power supply voltage. The timer includes a non-volatile power storage for specifiable switching timepoints, and instead of a power storage-buffered or backed running reserve possesses only a resetting device for the actual timer time setting at the renewed availability of the main power supply.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a timer which is resistive or 
substantially impervious to a power outage which is encountered in the 
main power supply. 
As a rule, a timer of that type is usually equipped with a so-called 
running reserve for bridging over of transient outages of the main power 
supply, such that the timer will also continue to operate in a correct 
time cycle even during the outage or failure of the main power supply, and 
as a consequence, the normal operation under main power can again proceed 
upon renewed availability of the main power supply with requiring the 
setting of the timer to the actual real point in time. The running reserve 
generally comprises a primary or a secondary battery and a 
voltage-controlled switching device, The voltage-controlled switching 
device connects the timer to the main power supply during normal 
operation, and connects the timer to the secondary battery when the main 
power-supply voltage falls below a minimum value which is necessary for 
operation; in essence, especially when the power fails completely due to 
reasons of operating disruptions caused by the power supply. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
A timer of this type which is battery-backed for the provision of a running 
reserve, but which is ordinarily operated from a main power supply, is 
generally known in the timing control art. Through the operational 
buffering or support from the built-in running reserve there is ensured 
that upon the occurrence of a power outage, the time-maintaining advancing 
sequence of the switching mechanism will continue to run and thereby, at a 
renewed presence in the main power supply, the power control over the 
timer will again take place at the specified points in time. However, in 
having a timer equipped with such a running reserve, it is necessary to 
provide two driving mechanisms in order to facilitate the time-dependent 
operation of the timer selectively from either a main power supply or from 
a battery, which as a rule has a contrastingly lower voltage, or with 
quite considerably complex converting circuits for the seamlessly smooth 
operating transition of the driving device between different power sources 
which are known in the art. Moreover, it is particularly problematic in 
the utilization of such a power-backed running reserve, that the power 
storage element or battery, because of aging phenomena, will no longer 
possess the necessary capacity for the bridging operation. This typically 
occurs after a multi-year undisrupted operation utilizing the main power, 
while the running reserve slowly discharges, and there is a failure of the 
main power supply. The available power storages which come into 
consideration for the running reserve, especially such as rechargeable 
batteries are in effect subject to the quite serious disadvantage, that 
after a few years, as a result of age, there will be encountered an 
internal short-circuit condition; in effect, they would no longer be 
available as a bridging source. The short-circuit can even lead to the 
operating failure for the timer notwithstanding the available or renewedly 
available main power supply. In particular, at high temperatures of the 
surroundings, such as can also be encountered in switch boxes, the life 
expectancy of such power storages sinks rapidly to short residual time 
periods; while on the other hand, low temperatures of the surroundings 
lead to a considerably reduced capacity for the electrochemical power 
storage. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, in recognition of these conditions, it is an object of the 
present invention to provide a timer which is operationally-resistive or 
substantially impervious against power outages, and which without the need 
for the relatively expensive and comparatively disruption-susceptible 
power storages, is adequate for the conventional assurance of providing 
for an operating or running reserve. 
The foregoing object is inventively attained in that the timer of the type 
considered herein includes a non-volatile power storage device which is 
programmed with preselected switching timepoints, and instead of a power 
storage-buffered or backed running reserve possesses only a resetting 
device for the actual timer time setting at the renewed availability of 
the main power supply. 
The foregoing object is predicated on the recognition that the lead 
circuit, the power consumer or appliance, such as a heating installation, 
which is to be controlled in dependence upon the actual time, cannot be 
operated when the main power supply which supplies the controlling timer 
as well as the lead circuit does not stand available. In essence, it is 
adequate that the power consumer or appliance control which is oriented to 
the absolute time is then automatically again placed into operation in its 
correct time, when the main power supply again renders available the 
operating power. However, for this purpose the need for any conventional 
running reserve which would be based on the above described bridging 
operation from a power storage device is obviated. In the present 
invention, when the main power supply is once again able to provide power, 
the timer is corrected for its future operation to the present. This is 
effectuated, for example, by means of a central time transmitter over a 
wire utilizing remote communication or power supply lines, or more 
preferably by means of a radio clock. The radio clock essentially 
operating as a receiver and possibly display installation which is 
synchronized through a time telegram-radio transmitter. From the impulse 
telegrams or signals which are transmitted by radio, the telegram-radio 
transmitter decodes the momentarily set time, and with this absolute time 
information newly sets from the time register of an electronic timer which 
is to be switched forward from the power supply; for example, the wheel 
mechanism of a motor-driven clockwork. 
Thus, the control over the power consumer is again effectuated in the 
correct time when the main power supply again stands available, and the 
actual time can again be decoded on which there is corrected the 
heretofore power outage-caused indication in malfunctioning in the control 
of the switching position, without that this necessitates the expensive 
and disruption-susceptible power storage for an operational bridging 
during the power outage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
An appliance or power consumer 11, such as a heating or illuminating 
installation, is to be connected to, and disconnected from the power 
supply 12 at specified points in time. For this purpose, the power 
consumer or user 11 is connected through a switching circuit 13 of a timer 
14 to the power supply 12. An electro-mechanical or electronic time 
control installation or clock 15 is controllable through a non-volatile 
storage device 16 such that the switching circuit 13 is either switched on 
or off at specified points in time with regard to the operation of the 
timer 14. The term non-volatile is a term of art which is used to indicate 
that the particular device, whether it be an electro-mechanical device 
such as a time-timing dial or an electronic device such as a ROM or 
EEPROM, will perform its predetermined function regardless of external 
interruptions. In the present invention, the non-volatile storage device 
16 is preprogrammed with a predetermined switching cycle. Regardless of an 
power outages, interruptions or surges, the non-volatile storage device 16 
will contain the predetermined switching cycle. Based upon these 
programmed times, the time control installation 15 will open or close the 
swtichign circuit 13 accordingly. 
The timer 14 is not provided with a running reserve for the bridging over 
of operationally-caused or disruption-caused temporary or transient 
outages of the main power supply 12. At the outage of the power supply 12, 
the timer 14 remains at a standstill. As a result, there is accordingly an 
interruption in the time-dependent control over the switching circuit 13. 
This interruption is of little consequence because in the absence of 
energy being available in the main power supply 12, the power consumer or 
user 11 which is dependent upon the power supply cannot be operated. The 
content of the non-volatile storage device 16 for the specified switching 
timepoints, however, remains intact due to the fact of its non-volatile 
construction. If a power outage occurs prior to the time-correct renewed 
operation of the switching control, which is the normal operation of the 
device which has been programmed into the non-volatile storage device 16, 
the switching circuit 13 is set to the open position, thereby 
disconnecting the power consumer 11 from the power supply 12. The 
switching circuit 13 is automatically set to the open position in order to 
avoid any uncontrolled switching cycles or, respectively, undesired 
heavy-load conditions at the renewed availability of the main power supply 
12. If the switching circuit 13 were not set to the open position and held 
there upon the renewed availability of the power, the power consumer 11 
might to subjected to numerous power cycles as the time control 
installation 15 is reset. A few minutes, subsequent to the return of the 
main power and the present decoded and the timer 14 is correspondingly 
reset, then in sequence the time-dependent specified switching conditions, 
which have been programmed into the non-volatile storage device 16, will 
be actuated. Hereby, there can be contemplated to operate further at the 
correct time with the previously interrupted switching program, stored in 
the non-volatile storage device 16 however, the operating cycles which 
were skipped during the interruption are caught up with offset in time in 
a manner for example, so as not to avoid any cooling phases utilized in 
the refrigeration technology. Basically, the time control of the power 
consumer 11 should pick up at the state where it should have been prior to 
the power interruption. 
For example, when the power supply 12 is again placed into operation and, 
as a consequence, the timer 14 again commences running, there is a 
tendency that because of the previous operating standstill, eventually the 
momentary actuation of the switching 13 is no longer stored in coincidence 
with that which is actually specified for this point in time. In order to 
again synchronize the time control as rapidly as possible with the actual 
timing sequence, a radio clock 17 is provided as a resetting device, from 
which the time-control device 15 is corrected to the actual time which is 
received over the radio clock 17. A receiving decoder 18, which is 
basically a radio receiver and decoder, is connected to the main power 
supply 12 and the time-control device 15. The radio clock 17 need not 
operate independently, but can also be powered from the main power supply 
12. This, as stated previously, is because as long as the main power 
supply 12 has failed the, power consumer or user 11 cannot be operated, 
and in effect no switching cycles need to be implemented. 
When the power supply 12 is again available, normal operating conditions, 
the radio clock 17 will receive time telegrams or signals, through the 
receiving decoder 18, the absolute time information for implementing the 
correction of the time-control device 15. The receiving decoder 18 is 
utilized to reset the time-control device or clock 15 to the present time 
of day. The receiving decoder 18 accomplishes this for example by 
temporarily providing more power to the clock 15 thereby forcing it to 
move ahead in time just as in every ordinary radio controlled consumer 
clock. If the clock 15 is an electro-mechanical timer, then it is reset by 
accelerated operation of the drive mechanism of the clock. It is important 
to recall however, that during this correction time, the switching circuit 
13 is open. The clock 15 and the non-volatile storage device 16 control 
only the switching circuit 13 based upon a predetermined program or 
sequence. The switching circuit 13 is only a bridge between the power 
supply 12 and the power user 11. 
Power users or consumers 11 are available which evaluate time-dependent 
power supply-control functions, especially through their timer control. 
Therefore, malfunctions caused by fluctuations in the periodicity of the 
voltage in the main power supply 12 cannot be completely precluded, and 
thus the time information which is obtained for the timer 14 from a 
vacillating power supply 12 can at least temporarily not exactly coincide 
with the official time which is determined by means of the radio clock 17. 
In order to avoid disturbances due to these time differences an activating 
control circuit 19 is utilized. The activating control circuit 19, which 
responds to the renewed operation of the previously switched-off power 
supply 12, will place the radio clock 17 into temporary operation, and 
thereafter to again alone operate the timer 14 from the power supply 12. 
Basically, to avoid fluctuations in time caused by fluctuations in the 
supply voltage, the timing of the power consumer 11 is controlled by the 
radio clock 17. However, it can be contemplated that the activating 
control circuit 19 be designed such that at greater intervals the 
momentary time setting of the timer 14 is tested and possibly is to be 
corrected, when as a result of operating malfunctions, without any actual 
power outage time offsets should have been encountered due to the 
actuation of the switching circuit 13. 
At the input of the control circuit 19, there is a differential positive 
signal which appears when the power is returned after a power outage on 
the power supply line 12. The control circuit 19 thus only reacts to the 
reappearance of the voltage in the power supply 12. It reacts with the 
output of an actuating signal for the radio clock 17 which receives from a 
long wave transmitter a binary coded telegram, whose content is the actual 
real specified point in time. This coded real time information is 
converted in the decoding circuit 18 (as is known in every commercial 
radio clock) into a time information signal which is transmitted to the 
time control-installation 15 of the timer 14. This time control 
installation 15 can be an electro-mechanical or electronic clock as stated 
above and which through the assumption of the decoded actual time 
information from the momentary erroneous position (in as much as the 
operation with the outage of the power supply 12 was interrupted) is 
corrected to the actual momentarily specified point in time. This 
correction is effected, as is usual for every ordinary radio controlled 
consumer clock, and in the electro-mechanical instance through accelerated 
operation of the drive, until the display again "shows correct". 
Naturally, for a timer 14, the time need not be indicated by indicators or 
numerals, it is adequate that the correction of the time setting is 
effected internally after an interruption of the operation due to an 
outage of the power 12 has been ended.