Calibration method and system for vehicle-mounted mechanical clock, and vehicle

Abstract

A calibration method for a vehicle-mounted mechanical clock (100). The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock (100) is provided with an electric motor (110) for driving clock hands (120) to rotate. The calibration method comprises: acquiring a current time (S100); in any state of a vehicle, when the current time reaches a zero-point time, performing zero-point detection on an electric motor (110) to determine a zero-point position (S200); controlling the electric motor (110) to move to the zero-point position to drive clock hands (120) to point to the zero-point time (S300); and after the clock hands (120) point to the zero-point time, controlling the electric motor (110) to drive the rotation of the clock hands (120) according to the current time (S400). In any state of the vehicle, when the current time reaches the zero-point time, zero-point detection is performed on the electric motor (110). The electric motor (110) is controlled to move to the zero-point position to drive the clock hands (120) to point to the zero-point time, and the electric motor (110) subsequently uses the zero-point position as a reference to continue to drive the clock hands (120) to rotate in accordance with the current time, thereby improving the frequency of calibration of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock (100), and ensuring time accuracy. Further provided are a calibration system for a vehicle-mounted mechanical clock (100), and a vehicle.

Description

Methods, systems and vehicles for calibrating onboard mechanical clocks Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of automobiles, specifically to a method, system, and vehicle for calibrating an on-board mechanical clock. Background Technology

[0002] Mechanical clocks are commonly found in high-end cars or SUVs in the automotive industry. These clocks use stepper motors to drive the hour and minute hands. Due to the inherent characteristics of stepper motors, they will develop some error after a period of operation, typically within ±1 second per 24 hours. To compensate for this error, automotive mechanical clocks often use GPS time for calibration. The clock obtains the GPS time from the vehicle via a bus and then performs calibration. However, calibration relies on the accurate operation of the motor, which currently requires the vehicle to be running. If the vehicle is parked for an extended period, the motor cannot be calibrated, and the owner will find the clock inaccurate when they get in the car.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a method, system, and vehicle for calibrating an in-vehicle mechanical clock, which can avoid timekeeping errors caused by the vehicle being stationary for extended periods.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for calibrating an in-vehicle mechanical clock is provided, wherein the in-vehicle mechanical clock is equipped with a motor for driving the clock hands to rotate, and the calibration method includes:

[0006] Get the current time;

[0007] In any state of the vehicle, when the current time reaches zero, the motor is subjected to zero-point detection to determine the zero-point position;

[0008] Control the motor to move to the zero position, so as to drive the clock hand to point to the zero time;

[0009] Once the clock pointer points to the zero point, the motor is controlled to rotate the clock pointer according to the current time.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method further includes:

[0011] Each time the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock is powered off and then powered on again, it controls the motor to drive the clock pointer to point to the zero point time in order to perform zero-point calibration on the motor.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method further includes:

[0013] After zero-point calibration of the motor, the motor is controlled to drive the clock pointer to rotate from pointing to the zero-point time to pointing to the current time.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, controlling the motor to drive the clock hand to point to the zero point includes:

[0015] The motor is controlled to drive the clock hand to rotate at a first preset speed, wherein the first preset speed is set to be greater than the speed at which the motor drives the clock hand to rotate according to the current time.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, controlling the motor to drive the clock hand to rotate from pointing to the zero point time to pointing to the current time includes:

[0017] The motor is controlled to drive the clock hand to rotate at a second preset speed, and the second preset speed is set to be greater than the speed at which the motor drives the clock hand to rotate according to the current time.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method further includes:

[0019] When the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero point position is greater than a first preset value after each power outage and power-on of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock, the motor is zero-point calibrated.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method further includes:

[0021] Zero-point detection is performed on the motor in both the vehicle's operating and non-operating states.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method further includes:

[0023] The zero point position is set as the position of the motor when the zero point time is 12 o'clock.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present invention, controlling the motor to drive the clock hand to rotate according to the current time includes:

[0025] The motor is controlled to drive the minute hand to rotate, thereby causing the hour hand to rotate.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the calibration method includes:

[0027] After performing zero-point detection on the motor to determine the zero-point position, if the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero-point position is greater than a second preset value, the motor is controlled to move to the zero-point position.

[0028] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an in-vehicle mechanical clock calibration system includes:

[0029] A vehicle-mounted mechanical clock, equipped with a clock hand and a motor for driving the clock hand to rotate;

[0030] The vehicle satellite positioning module is used to obtain the current time;

[0031] The control module is used to perform zero-point detection on the motor to determine the zero-point position when the current time reaches zero point in any state of the vehicle; and control the motor to move to the zero-point position to drive the clock pointer to point to the zero point time; and after the clock pointer points to the zero point time, control the motor to drive the clock pointer to rotate according to the current time.

[0032] A vehicle according to a third aspect of the present invention includes the aforementioned vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration system.

[0033] The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to embodiments of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0034] In any vehicle state, this invention performs zero-point detection on the motor when the current time reaches zero. By controlling the motor to move to the zero-point position, the clock pointer is driven to point to the zero-point time. Afterward, the motor continues to drive the clock pointer to rotate with the current time based on the zero-point position, thereby increasing the frequency of mechanical clock calibration and ensuring time accuracy.

[0035] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the transmission connection between the motor, minute hand and hour hand of the vehicle mechanical clock calibration system of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration system of the present invention;

[0041] Reference numerals: Vehicle mechanical clock 100; Motor 110; Clock hand 120; Minute hand 121 and Hour hand 122; Control module 130; Vehicle satellite positioning module 200; Vehicle status detection module 300; Battery module 400; Reducer 500; Gearbox 600. Detailed Implementation

[0042] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0043] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0044] In the description of this invention, "multiple" refers to two or more. The use of "first" and "second" is for distinguishing technical features only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features or their sequential relationship.

[0045] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "set up," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0046] Even after the vehicle switches from working to non-working state, the vehicle mechanical clock 100 will still accumulate time. However, if the vehicle stays still for too long, the motor 110 will not be able to perform zero-point calibration, resulting in inaccurate time indication by the vehicle mechanical clock 100. Even if the vehicle switches from working to working state, the vehicle mechanical clock 100 will perform time calibration based on the GPS time from the satellite positioning module. However, because the error of the motor 110 itself is not calibrated, the mechanical clock display will still deviate from the current time.

[0047] To overcome this problem, this invention proposes a method for calibrating an in-vehicle mechanical clock, as shown in Figure 1. The calibration method includes:

[0048] Step S100: Obtain the current time;

[0049] Step S200: In any state of the vehicle, when the current time reaches zero, perform zero-point detection on the motor 110 to determine the zero-point position;

[0050] Step S300: Control the motor 110 to move to the zero position, so as to drive the clock pointer 120 to point to the zero time;

[0051] Step S400: After the clock pointer 120 reaches the zero point, control the motor 110 to drive the clock pointer to rotate according to the current time.

[0052] Regardless of whether the vehicle is in a working or non-working state, as long as the power supply to the vehicle is uninterrupted, and as long as the time reaches zero, the on-board mechanical clock 100 will perform a zero-point detection on the motor 110, calibrate the motor 110 once, and then rotate according to the current time to ensure accurate timekeeping.

[0053] The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100 is equipped with a motor 110 and a clock hand 120. The motor 110 can drive the clock hand 120 to rotate according to the current time. In this embodiment, the motor 110 and the clock hand 120 are rigidly connected by transmission. When the drive end of the motor 110 moves, the clock hand 120 rotates accordingly. In the production design, the motor 110 in the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100 is set with a zero point position on the movement trajectory. This zero point position corresponds to the zero point time of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100. It can be understood that when the motor 110 moves to the zero point position, the clock hand 120 points to the zero point time of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100.

[0054] When performing zero-point detection on motor 110, the distance between the current position of motor 110 and the zero-point position is detected. This can be understood as whether the current position of motor 110 has reached the zero-point position. It is equivalent to the clock pointer 120 pointing to the zero-point time when the current time reaches the zero point. Under normal circumstances, the clock pointer 120 will also point to the zero point time, and motor 110 will also move to the zero-point position.

[0055] Due to the inherent error of the motor 110, the jamming caused by mechanical transmission during operation, and the timekeeping error caused by the vehicle being stationary for a long time, when the current time reaches zero, the motor 110 cannot accurately move to the zero position, causing the clock hand 120 to not accurately point to the zero time. In this embodiment, the motor 110 is detected every time the current time reaches zero to check whether the movement of the motor 110 has reached the zero position. If it has not reached the zero position, the motor 110 is directly controlled to move to the zero position, which will also cause the clock hand 120 to point to the zero time.

[0056] After performing zero-point detection on the motor to determine the zero-point position, if the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero-point position is greater than a second preset value, the motor is controlled to move to the zero-point position. The setting of the second preset value can be determined according to the actual situation. If the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero-point position is less than the second preset value, it is determined that the motor has moved to the zero-point position.

[0057] Regarding the setting of the zero point time, this embodiment sets 12 o'clock as the zero point time. The preset zero point position in this embodiment is the movement position of the motor 110 when the zero point time is 12 o'clock. It can be understood that the zero point detection of the motor 110 is performed once every 12 hours. In some other embodiments, the zero point time can be set to other times.

[0058] In this embodiment, 12 o'clock is set as the zero time, which also facilitates the detection of motor 110 and clock hand 120. In this embodiment, clock hand 120 includes minute hand 121 and hour hand 122 that drive each other. Motor 110 drives minute hand 121 to drive hour hand 122 to rotate. At 12 o'clock, minute hand 121 and hour hand 122 coincide.

[0059] This invention performs a zero-point detection on motor 110 whenever the current time reaches midnight, regardless of whether the vehicle is in a working or non-working state. Specifically, when the vehicle is in a working state, a zero-point detection is performed every time the time reaches 12 o'clock. If motor 110 is not at the zero-point position, the minute hand 121 drives the hour hand 122 to point to the 12 o'clock position. During this period, motor 110 does not respond to current time control. Similarly, when the vehicle is not in a working state, a zero-point detection is performed every time the time reaches 12 o'clock. If motor 110 is not at the zero-point position, the minute hand 121 drives the hour hand 122 to point to the 12 o'clock position. During this period, motor 110 also does not respond to current time control.

[0060] In this embodiment, the vehicle status is identified by acquiring the vehicle's IG signal, which includes IG ON and IG OFF, representing both working and non-working states.

[0061] For obtaining the current time, this embodiment can obtain the GPS signal from the vehicle through the LIN bus, CAN bus, or Ethernet bus. The vehicle's GPS time is set to the current time, and the bus can be a LIN bus, CAN bus, or Ethernet bus.

[0062] Furthermore, the calibration method also includes: performing zero-point calibration on the motor 110 each time the vehicle mechanical clock 100 is powered off and then powered on again, specifically: controlling the motor 110 to move to the zero-point position to drive the clock pointer 120 to point to the zero-point time.

[0063] In other words, each time the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100 is disconnected from and reconnected to the power supply module, the motor 110 undergoes zero-point calibration. Zero-point calibration involves detecting the distance between the current position of the motor 110 and the zero-point position to determine if the current position of the motor 110 has reached the zero-point position. If it hasn't, the motor 110 is controlled to move to the zero-point position. This is because when the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100 is powered off, the motor 110 stops running, but the current time continues to tick. When power is restored, the position of the motor 110 cannot be detected, and the power outage also introduces significant transmission errors into the motor 110 itself. Recalibrating the motor 110's zero point compensates for these errors.

[0064] After calibrating the zero position of the motor 110, the zero position is used as a reference to control the motor 110 to drive the clock pointer 120 to rotate from pointing to the zero time to pointing to the current time at a second preset speed. Then the motor 110 follows the current time to drive the clock pointer 120 to rotate.

[0065] The second preset speed is greater than the speed at which the motor 110 normally drives the clock pointer 120 to rotate according to the current time, thereby increasing the speed of zero-point position calibration of the motor 110.

[0066] When calibrating the zero position of motor 110, this embodiment controls motor 110 to drive clock pointer 120 to rotate at a first preset speed. The first preset speed in this embodiment is greater than the speed at which motor 110 normally drives clock pointer 120 to rotate at the current time, which can improve the speed of zero position calibration of motor 110.

[0067] When calibrating the zero position of motor 110, it is necessary to check whether the current position of motor 110 after the vehicle mechanical clock 100 is powered off and then powered on has reached the zero position. If it has not reached the zero position, control motor 110 to move to the zero position.

[0068] In this embodiment, zero-point calibration of motor 110 is only performed when the distance between the current angular position of the drive shaft and the zero point position is greater than a first preset value. If the distance between the current angular position of the drive shaft and the zero point position is less than the first preset value, it is determined that motor 110 has reached the zero point position and zero-point calibration is not required. The setting of the first preset value can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0069] As shown in Figure 2, the specific process of the vehicle mechanical clock calibration method in this embodiment is as follows: After starting the program, first check whether the vehicle mechanical clock 100 has been powered off and then powered on again:

[0070] If the vehicle mechanical clock 100 is powered off and then powered on again, the motor 110 is zero-point calibrated. The movement position of the motor 110 is checked to see if it has reached the zero-point position. If the movement position of the motor 110 has not reached the zero-point position, the motor 110 moves to the zero-point position and drives the clock hand 120 to point to the zero-point time. After the zero-point position of the motor 110 is calibrated, the zero-point position is used as a reference to control the motor 110 to drive the clock hand 120 to rotate from pointing to the zero-point time to pointing to the current time at a second preset speed. After that, the motor 110 follows the current time to drive the clock hand 120 to rotate.

[0071] If the vehicle mechanical clock 100 is always powered on, the motor 110 will be checked for zero point every time the current time reaches zero. The motor 110 will be checked to see if its position has reached zero. If the motor 110 has not reached zero, the motor 110 will be directly controlled to move to zero. At this time, the clock hand 120 will also be driven to point to zero. After that, the motor 110 will drive the clock hand 120 to rotate according to the current time.

[0072] As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, a speed changer 600 is provided between the minute hand 121 and the hour hand 122, while a speed reducer 500 is provided between the motor 110 and the minute hand 121. The speed changer 600 can adjust the transmission speed at multiple levels, while the speed reducer 500 can perform both speed change and speed reduction functions, and also adjust the transmission speed at multiple levels. The transmission ratio between the minute hand 121 and the motor 110 is different from the transmission ratio between the minute hand 121 and the hour hand 122. When the motor 110 drives the minute hand 121 to rotate together with the hour hand 122 according to the current time, the speed changer 600 and the speed reducer 500... When the transmission 500 is adjusted to the first gear, the motor 110 drives the minute hand 121 to rotate according to the current time, and the hour hand 122 also rotates accordingly. When the motor 110 is performing calibration, the transmission 600 and the reduction transmission 500 are adjusted to the second gear. At this time, the motor 110 drives the minute hand 121 to rotate at a preset speed, and the hour hand 122 also rotates accordingly. The rotation speed of the hour hand 122 and the minute hand 121 is greater than the normal rotation speed. The above functions can be achieved by switching between the transmission 600 and the reduction transmission 500, thereby improving the calibration efficiency.

[0073] In this embodiment, both the transmission 600 and the reduction gear 500 are electric motor gearboxes, and the gear shift is controlled by the control module 130.

[0074] As shown in Figure 4, the present invention also provides an in-vehicle mechanical clock calibration system, including: an in-vehicle mechanical clock 100, a battery module 400, a vehicle satellite positioning module 200, and a vehicle status detection module 300.

[0075] The battery module 400 is used to power the vehicle mechanical clock 100. The battery module 400 uses a storage battery and also powers the whole vehicle. The vehicle satellite positioning module 200 is used to transmit the current time signal to the vehicle mechanical clock 100. The vehicle status detection module 300 is used to transmit the vehicle's driving status signal to the vehicle mechanical clock 100.

[0076] The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock 100 includes a clock hand 120, a motor 110 for driving the clock hand 120, and a control module 130 for controlling and detecting the movement of the motor 110. The control module 130 also receives signals from the vehicle satellite positioning module 200, the vehicle status detection module 300, and the battery module 400. The control module 130 uses an infrared limit sensor to detect and calibrate the zero-point position of the motor 110.

[0077] Furthermore, the control module 130 also controls the gear shifting of the transmission 600 and the reduction gear 500.

[0078] This invention also provides a vehicle including the aforementioned on-board mechanical clock calibration system. The vehicle can be a private car, such as a sedan, SUV, MPV, or pickup truck. It can also be a commercial vehicle, such as a van, bus, small truck, or large trailer. The vehicle can be a gasoline-powered vehicle or a new energy vehicle. When the vehicle is a new energy vehicle, it can be a hybrid vehicle or a pure electric vehicle.

[0079] In any vehicle state, when the current time reaches zero, the motor 110 performs zero-point detection. By controlling the motor 110 to move to the zero-point position, the clock hand 120 is driven to point to the zero-point time. Afterward, the motor 110 continues to drive the clock hand 120 to rotate with the current time, using the zero-point position as a reference, thus increasing the frequency of mechanical clock calibration. Furthermore, each time the on-board mechanical clock 100 is disconnected from the power supply module and reconnected, the motor 110 is zero-point calibrated. The motor 110 is controlled to move to the zero-point position to drive the clock hand 120 to point to the zero-point time. Then, using the zero-point position as a reference, the motor 110 drives the clock hand 120 from pointing to the zero-point time to pointing to the current time. Afterward, the motor 110 follows the current time, driving the clock hand 120 to rotate. This avoids timekeeping errors caused by prolonged vehicle stoppages. Additionally, if the motor 110 occasionally jams, causing time lag, the zero-point calibration of the motor 110 can eliminate the error caused by the jamming.

[0080] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating an on-board mechanical clock, characterized in that, The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock is equipped with a motor for driving the clock hands to rotate, and the calibration method includes: Get the current time; In any state of the vehicle, when the current time reaches zero, the motor is subjected to zero-point detection to determine the zero-point position; Control the motor to move to the zero position, so as to drive the clock hand to point to the zero time; Once the clock pointer points to the zero point, the motor is controlled to rotate the clock pointer according to the current time.

2. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calibration method further includes: Each time the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock is powered off and then powered on again, it controls the motor to drive the clock pointer to point to the zero point time in order to perform zero-point calibration on the motor.

3. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The calibration method further includes: After zero-point calibration of the motor, the motor is controlled to drive the clock pointer to rotate from pointing to the zero-point time to pointing to the current time.

4. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control of the motor to drive the clock hand to point to the zero point includes: The motor is controlled to drive the clock hand to rotate at a first preset speed, wherein the first preset speed is set to be greater than the speed at which the motor drives the clock hand to rotate according to the current time.

5. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control of the motor to drive the clock hand from pointing to the zero point to pointing to the current time includes: The motor is controlled to drive the clock hand to rotate at a second preset speed, and the second preset speed is set to be greater than the speed at which the motor drives the clock hand to rotate according to the current time.

6. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The calibration method further includes: When the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero point position is greater than a first preset value after each power outage and power-on of the vehicle-mounted mechanical clock, the motor is zero-point calibrated.

7. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calibration method further includes: Zero-point detection is performed on the motor in both the vehicle's operating and non-operating states.

8. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calibration method further includes: The zero point position is set as the position of the motor when the zero point time is 12 o'clock.

9. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hour hand includes a minute hand and an hour hand; The control of the motor to drive the clock hand to rotate according to the current time includes: The motor is controlled to drive the minute hand to rotate, thereby causing the hour hand to rotate.

10. The vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The calibration method includes: After performing zero-point detection on the motor to determine the zero-point position, if the distance between the current angular position of the motor's drive shaft and the zero-point position is greater than a second preset value, the motor is controlled to move to the zero-point position.

11. A vehicle-mounted mechanical clock calibration system, characterized in that, include: A vehicle-mounted mechanical clock, equipped with a clock hand and a motor for driving the clock hand to rotate; The vehicle satellite positioning module is used to obtain the current time; The control module is used to perform zero-point detection on the motor in any state of the vehicle when the current time reaches zero, so as to determine the zero-point position; And control the motor to move to the zero position, so as to drive the clock hand to point to the zero time; And after the clock pointer points to the zero point, control the motor to drive the clock pointer to rotate according to the current time.

12. A vehicle comprising the on-board mechanical clock calibration system as claimed in claim 11.

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