Analog electronic watch system and analog electronic watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11226593-B2
Application number	US-201816496473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2018
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

An analog electronic watch includes watch's internal time, and controls rotation of a group of indicators based on the watch's internal time. A terminal appliance stops the rotation of the group of indicators, generates an image of the indicators and the dial plate with an imaging unit, detects current display positions of the group of indicators in identification areas as part of the image of the indicators and the dial plate, generates current display time information based on the current display positions, and generates display time correction information based on a difference between the current display time information and the watch's internal time information. The analog electronic watch corrects the display positions of the group of indicators based on the display time correction information. There are provided an analog electronic watch system and an analog electronic watch that can reduce a time required for display time correction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An analog electronic watch system comprising:
an analog electronic watch that includes
a dial plate on which indexes are formed, and
one or more indicators configured to rotate on the dial plate; and
a terminal appliance that includes
a communication unit on a terminal side configured to be able to transmit/receive at least time information about time to/from an external appliance,
an imaging unit configured to image the dial plate, and generate an image of the indicators and the dial plate including an image corresponding to the indicators and the dial plate, and
a controller on the terminal side configured to detect current display positions of the indicators based on the indexes in the image of the indicators and the dial plate, generate current display time information based on the current display positions, and generate display time correction information based on a difference between the current display time information and watch's internal time information received from the analog electronic watch, wherein
the controller on the terminal side
outputs, to the analog electronic watch, a rotation stop signal for stopping rotation of the indicators before performing imaging with the imaging unit,
detects the current display positions of the indicators within identification areas that are part of the image of the indicators and the dial plate and include the indexes and expected display positions of the indicators based on the watch's internal time information, and
outputs the display time correction information to the analog electronic watch, and
the analog electronic watch
stops the rotation of the indicators based on the rotation stop signal, and
corrects display positions of the indicators based on the display time correction information.

2. The analog electronic watch system according to claim 1 , wherein
the identification area corresponding to the indicator, among the two or more indicators, a relative position of which is distant from the indexes as compared with the other indicators is larger than the identification areas corresponding to the other indicators in a radial direction in rotation of the indicators.

3. The analog electronic watch system according to claim 1 , wherein
the identification area corresponding to the indicator, among the two or more indicators, a rotation amount of which per one time is smaller than the rotation amounts of the other indicators is smaller than the identification areas corresponding to the other indicators in the rotation direction of the indicators.

4. The analog electronic watch system according to claim 1 , wherein
when it is determined that the current display position of each of the indicators is not able to be detected within the corresponding identification area, the controller on the terminal side expands the identification area.

5. The electronic watch system according to claim 1 , wherein
the terminal appliance includes a display surface, and a touch panel unit configured to detect an operation input position operated by a user on the display surface, and
the controller on the terminal side
displays the image of the indicators and the dial plate on the display surface, and prompts the user to perform an operation input on an index position corresponding to 12 o'clock on the dial plate before determining the identification areas, and
when it is determined that the operation input is performed, determines the identification areas based on the watch's internal time information and operation input position information for the image of the indicators and the dial plate.

6. The analog electronic watch system according to claim 1 , wherein
the terminal appliance includes a display surface, and a touch panel unit configured to detect an operation input position operated by a user on the display surface, and
the controller on the terminal side
displays, on the display surface, a plurality of analog electronic watch identification images related to information about the indicators and the dial plate including shape information of the indicators and the dial plate for each analog electronic watch stored in the terminal appliance in advance, and prompts the user to perform an operation input for selecting one of the analog electronic watch identification images before detecting the current display positions of the indicators, and
when it is determined that the operation input is performed, detects the current display positions of the indicators within the identification areas based on the information about the indicators and the dial plate related to the analog electronic watch identification image corresponding to the operation input position among the analog electronic watch identification images.

7. An analog electronic watch comprising:
a dial plate on which indexes are formed;
one or more indicators configured to rotate on the dial plate;
a driving mechanism unit configured to rotate the indicators;
a communication unit on a watch side configured to be able to transmit/receive at least time information about time to/from an external appliance; and
a controller on the watch side that includes at least watch's internal time, and is configured to control rotational driving of the indicators performed by the driving mechanism unit based on the watch's internal time, wherein
the controller on the watch side
stops a rotation of the indicators rotated by the driving mechanism unit based on a rotation stop signal from a terminal appliance, and
corrects display positions of the indicators based on display time correction information from the terminal appliance that is based on a difference between current display time information that is generated based on current display positions of the indicators and watch's internal time information received from the analog electronic watch, the current display positions being detected in identification areas as part of an image of the indicators and the dial plate including an image corresponding to the indicators and the dial plate, the identification areas including the indexes and expected display positions of the indicators based on watch's internal time information.

Assignees

• Citizen Watch Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watanabe Makoto
• Aihara Katsuyoshi
• Matsuoh Daisuke
• Yamada Daisuke
• Uemura Ryutaro

Classifications

• G04C10/04

  with means for indicating the condition of the power supply · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• G04C3/146

  incorporating two or more stepping motors or rotors · CPC title

• G04C9/02 Primary

  brought into action by radio transmission · CPC title

• G04C10/02

  the power supply being a radioactive {or photovoltaic} source · CPC title