Method for automatically adjusting a piece of time information on a watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10884381-B2
Application number	US-201716079631-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Feb 26, 2016
Publication date	Jan 5, 2021
Grant date	Jan 5, 2021

Abstract

A method for adjusting a timepiece including: providing a portable object including a screen and a camera; testing accuracy of a piece of time information of the timepiece by using the camera of the portable object to compare with a piece of time information obtained from an external source; sending the time information from the portable object to the timepiece if a difference is detected, the timepiece including at least one phototransistor arranged at a case for receiving the time information, the timepiece to display the correct time information, the sending including: defining on the screen of the portable object an area of shape and dimensions similar to the case of the timepiece; holding the case of the timepiece against the area; sequentially displaying black or white in the area, in a sequence of black and white corresponding to a luminous coding of the time information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for adjusting a timepiece including a case, including a bracelet, in which a microcontroller powered by a cell stack or battery is arranged, the microcontroller including a time base and memory areas and used to send control signals to a display to display at least one piece of time information, the method comprising:
testing accuracy of a piece of time information of the timepiece by using a camera of a portable object to compare with a piece of time information obtained from an external source, the portable object including a screen and a second case in which there is electronic circuitry including a second microcontroller, a second display, the camera, and a communication circuit, the electronic circuitry being powered by a second battery;
sending the time information from the portable object to the timepiece when a difference is detected, the timepiece including at least one phototransistor arranged on the case for receiving the time information, the timepiece configured to operate the display to display a correct time information; and
checking that the correct time information is displayed,
wherein the sending the time information from the portable object to the timepiece further comprises:
defining, on the screen of the portable object, an area of shape and dimensions similar to the case of the timepiece,
instructing the case of the timepiece to be held against the defined area, and
sequentially displaying black or white in an entirety of the area or an entirety of a portion of this area, in a sequence of black and white corresponding to a luminous coding of the time information.

2. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the area defined on the screen of the portable object is divided into a first portion and a second portion, each portion displaying sequentially and independently of the other portion black or white in the displaying substep, the timepiece comprising two phototransistors arranged on the case, the first phototransistor configured to detect the sequence of the first portion, the second phototransistor configured to detect the sequence of the second portion.

3. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the sequence of black and white of the first portion corresponds to a luminous coding of the time information, and the sequence of black and white of the second portion corresponds to a clock signal allowing a synchronous transmission between the portable object and the timepiece.

4. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the area defined on the screen of the portable object is divided into a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion such that the first and second portions are physically separated by the third portion, each portion displaying sequentially and independently of the other portions black or white in the displaying, the timepiece comprising two phototransistors arranged on the case, the first phototransistor configured to detect the sequence of the first portion, the second phototransistor configured to detect the sequence of the second portion.

5. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the sequence of black and white of the first portion corresponds to a luminous coding of the time information, and the sequence of black and white of the second portion corresponds to a clock signal allowing a synchronous transmission.

6. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the testing the accuracy of the displayed time information comprises:
capturing, at a given instant, an image of the display of the timepiece and an image of a piece of time information from an external source;
processing the image of the display of the timepiece by comparing the position of the display with a series of reference points for detecting the displayed time information;
comparing the detected time information with the image of the time information from the external source.

7. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the checking that the correct information is displayed comprises:
capturing, at a given instant, an image of the display of the timepiece and an image of a piece of time information from an external source;
processing the image of the display of the timepiece by comparing the positions of the display with a series of reference points for detecting the displayed time information;
comparing the detected time information with the image of the time information from the external source.

8. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a preliminary calibrating the timepiece comprising:
sending to the timepiece, via the communication circuit, a command for displaying a specified piece of time information;
sending a command to the display means via the microcontroller so that the display can display the specified time information.

9. The adjusting method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the portable object is a smartphone or a tablet computer.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Lagorgette Pascal
• Balli Fabien
• Balmer Raphaël
• Christe Laurent
• Peters Jean-Bernard

Classifications

• G04R20/26 Primary

  the radio signal being a near-field communication signal · CPC title

• G04G5/002

  brought into action by radio · CPC title

• G04G5/00

  Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title

• G04D7/004 Primary

  Optical measuring and testing apparatus · CPC title

• G06T7/74

  involving reference images or patches · CPC title