Timepiece, timepiece system, and method of controlling timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10838368-B2
Application number	US-201815973884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2018
Priority date	Jul 18, 2017
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

There is provided a timepiece which includes a movable pointer, an acquisition unit which acquires information on a movable range corresponding to at least a portion of a movable range of the movable pointer and acquires information indicating a target position to which the pointer is to be moved, a control unit which compares the target position with the movable range and determines a movement direction of the pointer based on the comparison result, and a drive unit which drives the pointer in the determined movement direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising:
a movable pointer;
an acquisition unit which acquires information on a movable range corresponding to at least a portion of a movable range of the movable pointer and acquires information indicating a target position to which the pointer is to be moved;
a control unit configured to compare the target position with the movable range and determine a movement direction of the pointer based on the comparison result so that the pointer can move in the determined movement direction to the target position without passing outside the movable range; and
a drive unit which drives the pointer in the determined movement direction to the target position,
wherein the control unit is configured to
compare a prohibition area start position which is an end position of the movable range with the movement start position, correct the prohibition area start position by adding the movable range of the pointer to the prohibition area start position, set the prohibition area start position as a post-comparison prohibition area start position in a case where the prohibition area start position is a position before the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and set the prohibition area start position as the post-comparison prohibition area start position without correcting the prohibition area start position in a case where the prohibition area start position is a position ahead of the movement start position as a result of the comparison,
compare the target position and the movement start position, correct the target position by adding the movable range of the pointer to the target position, set the target position as a post-comparison target position in a case where the target position is a position before the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and set the target position as the post-comparison target position without correcting the target position in a case where the target position is a position ahead of the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and
compare the post-comparison target position with the post-comparison prohibition area start position, determine that the post-comparison target position is to be moved in a normal direction in a case where the post-comparison target position is a position before the post-comparison prohibition area start position as a result of the comparison, and determine that the post-comparison target position is to be moved in a reverse direction in a case where the post-comparison target position is a position ahead of the post-comparison prohibition area start position as a result of the comparison.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein when at least one of one end and the other end of the movable range is included between a movement start position and the target position in a predetermined one direction from the movement start position, the control unit determines the movement direction as a movement direction to another direction different from the predetermined one direction.

3. The timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit determines the movement direction within a range obtained by adding the movable range of the pointer with respect to the position in a case where at least one of the one end of the movable range, the other end of the movable range, and the target position straddles a reference position when viewed from the movement start position when it is intended to move the pointer in a predetermined one direction from the movement start position.

4. The timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acquisition unit acquires a first target position which is the target position and a second target position which is requested after the first target position and is the target position, and
the control unit controls the drive unit so that the pointer is driven based on the second movement direction before the pointer reaches the first target position, based on a first movement direction calculated based on the first target position and a second movement direction calculated based on the second target position.

5. The timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acquisition unit acquires information in which the target position and the movable range are combined.

6. The timepiece according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a regulation unit which regulates a rotation range of the pointer,
wherein the acquisition unit is a communication unit which transmits and receives information to and from an electronic device having a communication function, and
the control unit determines a range in which the movable range acquired by the acquisition unit overlaps a rotation range regulated by the regulation unit as a movable range of the pointer.

7. The timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit notifies a notification signal in a case where the target position is outside the movable range.

8. The timepiece according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a storing unit which stores a plurality of the movable ranges,
wherein the acquisition unit is a communication unit which transmits and receives information to and from an electronic device having a communication function and acquires a selection signal indicating whether the movable range is one of the plurality of movable ranges, and
the control unit selects one of the plurality of movable ranges according to the selection signal.

9. A timepiece system comprising:
a timepiece which includes
a movable pointer,
a communication unit which acquires information on a movable range corresponding to at least a portion of a movable range of the movable pointer and acquires information indicating a target position to which the pointer is to be moved,
a control unit configured to compare the target position with the movable range and determine a movement direction of the pointer based on the comparison result so that the pointer can move in the determined movement direction to the target position without passing outside the movable range, and
a drive unit which drives the pointer in the determined movement direction; and

an electronic device provided with a communication unit which transmits information indicating the movable range and information indicating the target position,
wherein the control unit is configured to
compare a prohibition area start position which is an end position of the movable range with the movement start position, correct the prohibition area start position by adding the movable range of the pointer to the prohibition area start position, set the prohibition area start position as a post-comparison prohibition area start position in a case where the prohibition area start position is a position before the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and set the prohibition area start position as the post-comparison prohibition area start position without correcting the prohibition area start position in a case where the prohibition area start p position ahead of the movement start position as a result of the comparison,
compare the target position and the movement start position, correct the target position by adding the movable range of the pointer to the target position, set the target position as a post-comparison target position in a case where the target position is a position before the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and set the target position as the post-comparison target position without correcting the target position in a case where the target position is a position ahead of the movement start position as a result of the comparison, and
compare the post-comparison target position with the post-comparison prohibition area start position, determine that the

Assignees

• Seiko Instr Inc

Inventors

• Nomura Takayuki

Classifications

• G04C3/146

  incorporating two or more stepping motors or rotors · CPC title

• G04C9/08 Primary

  by electric drive · CPC title

• G04G21/04

  using radio waves (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title

• G04C3/14 Primary

  incorporating a stepping motor (G04C3/02 - G04C3/12 take precedence {; generating commutating pulses in primary clocks G04C13/0463}) · CPC title