Radio-controlled wristwatch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9310777-B2
Application number	US-201214237889-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2012
Priority date	Aug 11, 2011
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

Provided is a radio-controlled wristwatch, including: reception means ( 11 ) for receiving a radio wave from a satellite to extract time-of-week specifying information and week specifying information; clock means for counting a current date and time; date and time adjustment means for adjusting the current date and time counted by the clock means; week information holding means for holding the week specifying information; week information updating means for updating the week specifying information held in the week information holding means based on the current date and time counted by the clock means; and week information reception limiting means for limiting the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception means, and controlling the reception means to receive the week specifying information in a predetermined case. Therefore, power consumption required for reception in the radio-controlled wristwatch configured to receive a radio wave containing time information from a satellite in a global positioning system is reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio-controlled wristwatch, comprising:
a reception unit for receiving a radio wave to extract time-of-week specifying information and week specifying information;
a clock for counting a current date and time;
a date and time adjustment unit for adjusting the current date and time counted by the clock;
a week information holding unit for holding the week specifying information;
a week information updating unit for updating the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit based on the current date and time counted by the clock; and
a week information reception limiting unit for limiting the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit, and controlling the reception unit to receive the week specifying information in a predetermined case,
wherein the week information reception limiting unit is configured to control the reception unit to receive the week specifying information in at least one of the cases a) and d) and at least one of cases b), c), and e), wherein
in case a) a user has adjusted a date counted by the clock;
in case b) a date and time converted from the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit or a date and time counted by the clock falls within a predetermined range with respect to a time point at which the week specifying information is updated;
in case c) in accordance with the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit,
a difference in the forward direction is defined as a difference between the date and time converted from the time of week and the date and time counted by the clock when assuming that the date and time converted from the time of week is located in the forward direction with respect to the date and time counted by the clock,
a difference in the reverse direction is defined as a difference between the date and time converted from the time of week and the date and time counted by the clock when assuming that the date and time converted from the time of week is located in the reverse direction with respect to the date and time counted by the clock,
a smaller one of the difference in the forward direction and the difference in the reverse direction extends over the time point at which the week specifying information is updated;

in case d) the clock has halted due to a decrease in power supply voltage; and
in case e) the user has adjusted information indicating a number of cycles of the week specifying information.

2. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 1 , wherein the date and time adjustment unit is configured to:
adjust a time or a date and time counted by the clock based on the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit and the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit, when the reception of the week specifying information is limited by the week information reception limiting unit; and
adjust the date and time counted by the clock based on the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit and the week specifying information received by the reception unit, when the reception of the week specifying information is performed by the reception unit under control of the week information reception limiting unit.

3. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 2 , wherein the reception unit is controlled to receive the time-of-week specifying information a plurality of times in a case where a date counted by the clock is adjusted by a user or where the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit is unreliable, and,
the date and time adjustment unit adjusts a time or a date and time counted by the clock based on the obtained plurality of pieces of the time-of-week specifying information when the obtained plurality of pieces of the time-of-week specifying information have consistency.

4. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 3 , wherein the week information reception limiting unit limits the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit when the reception by the reception unit is performed based on information indicating an ambient environment of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

5. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 2 , wherein the week information reception limiting unit limits the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit when the reception by the reception unit is performed based on information indicating an ambient environment of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

6. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 1 , wherein the reception unit is controlled to receive the time-of-week specifying information a plurality of times in a case where a date counted by the clock is adjusted by a user or where the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit is unreliable, and,
the date and time adjustment unit adjusts a time or a date and time counted by the clock based on the obtained plurality of pieces of the time-of-week specifying information when the obtained plurality of pieces of the time-of-week specifying information have consistency.

7. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 6 , wherein the week information reception limiting unit limits the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit when the reception by the reception unit is performed based on information indicating an ambient environment of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

8. The radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 1 , wherein the week information reception limiting unit limits the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit when the reception by the reception unit is performed based on that an information indicating an ambient environment of the radio-controlled wristwatch indicates a suitable condition.

9. A radio-controlled wristwatch, comprising:
a reception unit for receiving a radio wave to extract time-of-week specifying information and week specifying information;
a clock for counting a current date and time;
a date and time adjustment unit for adjusting the current date and time counted by the clock;
a week information holding unit for holding the week specifying information;
week information updating unit for updating the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit based on the current date and time counted by the clock; and
week information reception limiting unit for limiting the reception of the week specifying information performed by the reception unit, and controlling the reception unit to receive the week specifying information in a predetermined case,
wherein the date and time adjustment unit is configured to:
adjust a time or a date and time counted by the clock unit based on the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit and the week specifying information held in the week information holding unit, when the reception of the week specifying information is limited by the week information reception limiting unit;
adjust the date and time counted by the clock unit based on the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit and the week specifying information received by the reception unit, when the reception of the week specifying information is performed by the reception unit under control of the week information reception limiting unit;
adjust only the time counted by the clock based on the time-of-week specifying information received by the reception unit, when the reception of the week specifying information is limited by the week information reception limiting unit and when a curre

Assignees

• Kato Akira
• Citizen Holdings Co Ltd
• Citizen Watch Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Akira

Classifications

• G01S19/34 Primary

  Power consumption · CPC title

• G04G9/00 Primary

  Visual time or date indication means · CPC title

• G04R20/06

  Decoding time data; Circuits therefor · CPC title

• G04R20/04

  Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor · CPC title