JP6233367B2 - Electronic clock - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a satellite signal receiving apparatus and an electronic device that perform positioning and time correction based on a signal from a position information satellite such as a GPS satellite.

An electronic device that receives a satellite signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and performs positioning and time adjustment is known (for example, Patent Document 1).
When such an electronic device is assumed to be a device that moves with the user, such as a wristwatch, for example, it is conceivable that the electronic device has moved to an environment where it cannot receive satellite signals, such as indoors and underground malls.

  If reception processing is performed in an environment where such satellite signals cannot be received, power is wasted. In particular, in battery-powered electronic devices such as wristwatches, it is necessary to reduce current consumption in order to ensure the duration and reduce the battery size, and it is necessary to avoid useless reception processing.

  For this reason, in Patent Document 1, when a solar panel is provided in an electronic device, the amount of power generation is compared with a threshold value for determining whether the device is indoors or outdoors, it is determined whether the electronic device is disposed outdoors. The reception process was performed.

JP 2008-39565 A

  By the way, the amount of power generated by a solar panel corresponds to the illuminance of light applied to the solar panel. For this reason, the amount of power generation corresponding to the illuminance when the electronic device is outdoors during the day and the illuminance when the electronic device is indoors is obtained, and the threshold value is set so that these power generation amounts can be distinguished. It was thought that it was possible to judge.

However, actually, even when the electronic device is disposed outdoors, the amount of power generation may not exceed the threshold depending on the usage state of the electronic device. For example, when the electronic device provided with the satellite signal receiving device is a wristwatch, the amount of power generation may not exceed the threshold even when the electronic device is placed outdoors because the solar cell is covered with a sleeve or the like. is there. Also, depending on the season and weather, the amount of power generation may not exceed the threshold even when the electronic device is placed outdoors because it is not exposed to direct sunlight or is weak.
In such a case, since reception processing is not performed for a long period of time, the internal time cannot be corrected with the time information obtained by receiving the satellite signal, and the time accuracy may be reduced. For this reason, there has been a demand for a satellite signal reception process that can be reliably executed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a satellite signal receiving apparatus and an electronic apparatus that can reliably execute satellite signal reception processing.

  The present invention is a satellite signal receiving device having a receiving unit for receiving a satellite signal transmitted from a position information satellite, a receiving time setting unit for setting a receiving time, a time measuring unit for measuring an internal time, and the time measuring And a time reception control unit that performs time reception processing for operating the reception unit when the time counted by the unit reaches the reception time.

  According to the present invention, since the time reception control unit is provided, the reception process can be executed if the internal time becomes the reception time set by the reception time setting unit. That is, the reception process is performed once a day when the reception time is reached. For this reason, unlike the case where a solar cell is used, the satellite signal reception process can be reliably executed without being affected by the use state, the season, or the weather.

In the satellite signal receiving apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the reception time setting unit sets a time at which reception processing has been performed in the past and succeeded in reception as the reception time.
Here, the past reception processing includes reception processing at the reception time by the time reception control unit. However, in the case where a function of performing reception processing by detecting light is also provided, this light reception processing may be included. Good. Furthermore, forcible reception processing performed by a user's button operation or the like may be included.

According to the present invention, since the reception time is set to the time when reception was successful in the past, the probability of successful reception during the time reception process can be increased.
The life pattern of the user of the satellite signal receiving apparatus is almost the same. In particular, the weekday behavior pattern of commuters / commuters is almost constant, and at the time when reception was successful in the past, there is a high possibility that the satellite signal receiving device is arranged in an environment suitable for receiving satellite signals.
Therefore, if the time at which reception was successful in the past is set as the reception time, the probability of successful reception can be improved compared to the case where the reception time is fixed regardless of the reception record.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, when the reception time setting unit fails the reception process at the reception time continuously a predetermined number of times, without setting the time at which the reception process has failed as the reception time, It is preferable to set another time as the reception time.

  According to the present invention, since the time when reception fails continuously is not set as the reception time thereafter, it is possible to prevent the reception process from being performed at a time when the reception success rate is low. For this reason, useless reception processing can be eliminated and power saving can be achieved.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, when the solar cell, the illuminance detection circuit for detecting the illuminance of light hitting the solar cell, and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection circuit are equal to or higher than a set threshold, the receiving unit is An optical reception control unit that performs optical reception processing that operates, and a forced reception control unit that performs forced reception processing to operate the reception unit when a user's reception operation instruction is input, and the reception time setting unit is The reception time may be set to any one of a time at which reception was successful in the optical reception processing in the past, a time at which reception was successful at the time reception processing in the past, and a time at which reception was successful in the forced reception processing in the past. preferable.

According to the present invention, since the reception time is set to the time when reception was successful in the past, the probability of successful reception during the time reception process can be increased.
In particular, if the time when reception was successful in the optical reception process is set as the reception time, the probability of successful reception is likely because it is likely that the user's life pattern is a time zone where the user is moving outdoors suitable for reception. Can be improved.
In addition, even when the time when reception was successful in the time reception process is set as the reception time, the probability of successful reception is high because there is a high possibility that it is a time when the user's life pattern is moving outdoors suitable for reception. Can be improved.
Furthermore, even when the time when reception was successful in the forced reception process is set as the reception time, it is highly likely that the user is performing the reception process by recognizing that the user has moved to an environment suitable for outdoor reception, If the life pattern is the same, there is a high possibility that the user is moving outdoors suitable for reception at the same time, so the probability of successful reception can be improved.

In the present invention, it is necessary to set the reception time to the time when reception was successful, but since three types of reception processing can be executed, the probability of successful reception can be increased. That is, when only the optical reception process is performed, the reception process itself is not executed unless the light is detected as in Patent Document 1. In addition, when performing only the time reception process in which the reception process is performed at the set time, the reception is not successful unless the satellite signal receiving apparatus is arranged outdoors suitable for reception at that time. Furthermore, when only the forced reception process is performed, a user who does not fully understand the reception mechanism may perform a reception operation indoors or leave the reception process for a long time without performing the reception process.
On the other hand, in the present invention, three types of reception processing can be performed, and if reception is successful in any one, the reception time can be set, so that convenience can be improved.

  Here, it is preferable that the reception time setting unit switches the reception time to the success time of each reception process each time reception processing is performed.

  According to the present invention, when reception is successful in each of the three types of reception processing, or when reception is successful in two types of reception processing among the three types of reception processing, a plurality of reception success times exist. Will do. In such a case, if the reception success time is switched and the reception time is set every time reception processing is performed, the time reception processing is performed at a different time, and the probability of successful reception can be improved.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, it is preferable that the reception time setting unit switches and sets the reception times in the order of the last successful reception among the success times of the respective reception processes.

In the present invention, the reception success time set as the reception time is the most recent (latest) reception success in the order of reception success last in each reception processing, that is, the reception success time in the three types of reception processing. The setting is prioritized from the set time.
By setting the latest reception success time to the reception time in this way, even when the user's behavior pattern changes, it becomes easier to set the reception time as the time when the user is moving outdoors in the new behavior pattern, and the reception succeeds. Probability can also be improved.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, the reception time setting unit includes a time when the reception is successful in the optical reception process, a time when the reception is successful in the time reception process, and a time when the reception is successful. It is preferable to set the reception time by switching the time when the reception is successful in the process.

Since the reception time is set by switching between the success time in the optical reception process or the time reception process and the success time in the forced reception process, the probability of successful reception compared to the case where it is fixed to either one Can be increased.
That is, since it is possible that the user performs the forced reception process when the user has an unusual behavior pattern, if the reception time is set only by the forced reception success time, the reception success probability may be lowered.
On the other hand, when the forced reception process is performed consciously during times when the user is often outdoors, even if reception fails during the reception success time of the optical reception process or time reception process, the reception is performed at the forced reception success time. In some cases, the probability of success is increased.
Therefore, the reception success probability can be increased by switching the reception time between the success time in the optical reception process or the time reception process and the success time in the forced reception process.

  At this time, after the reception is successful, the reception is suspended for a certain period of time, and when the reception time setting unit resumes the reception after the suspension, the reception succeeds in the optical reception process, and the reception is performed in the time reception process. It is preferable that the last successful time among the successful times is set as the initial setting value of the reception time.

  If reception is suspended for a certain period, for example, two days, when reception is successful, power consumption can be suppressed. Also, when the reception success time of either the optical reception process or the time reception process is set as the reception time when the reception is resumed after the suspension, the reception time can be set with an emphasis on the time when the user was outdoors in the behavior pattern. Compared with the case where the forced reception success time is set as the reception time, the probability of successful reception in the time reception process can also be improved.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, the reception time setting unit is a time when the reception time has been successfully received in the past, and is shifted from the reception time by a certain time when the reception process at the reception time has failed. It is preferable to set the time to the new reception time.

According to the present invention, when the reception process fails, the reception process is performed at a time shifted by a certain time from the time when there is a successful reception record, so that the reception success probability can be improved.
That is, the fixed time is, for example, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc., and may be set as appropriate. For example, if the time to leave home for commuting is 7:00, and the reception time is set to match that time, and the time to leave home is delayed by 10 minutes, the reception time is 7:00. At 0 minutes, the satellite signal receiver may be indoors and fail to receive. In such a case, if the reception time of the next day is set to 7:30, which is shifted by 30 minutes, the probability of successful reception on the next day can be increased.

  The satellite signal receiving device of the present invention includes a forced reception control unit that performs a forced reception process that activates the reception unit when a user's reception operation instruction is input, and the reception time setting unit includes the forced reception process. When the reception process at the reception time at which the reception was successfully set fails for a predetermined number of times, the reception time is not set as the reception time, and another time is set as the reception time. It is preferable to set to.

  According to the present invention, when the reception process at the forced reception success time continuously fails, the reception time is not set thereafter, so that the reception process can be prevented from being performed at a time when the reception success rate is low. . For this reason, useless reception processing can be eliminated and power saving can be achieved. In particular, the forced reception process may be performed regardless of the user's behavior pattern. For example, when the forced reception process is performed at a special event such as a trip, the reception success time may be a time when the user does not move outdoors in the normal behavior pattern. In this case, even if the reception process is performed at the forced reception success time, the probability of reception failure is high, and by eliminating this time from the reception time, useless reception processing can be eliminated.

  In the satellite signal receiving apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the reception time setting unit sets a time after a certain time has elapsed since the reception process was last performed as the reception time.

  According to the present invention, the time reception process is performed when a predetermined time elapses from the reception process, and therefore the reception process is repeated at regular time intervals. For this reason, if the length of the fixed time is appropriately set, the reception frequency can be increased, and the number of successful receptions can be increased accordingly.

  In the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention, when the solar cell, the illuminance detection circuit for detecting the illuminance of light hitting the solar cell, and the illuminance detected by the illuminance detection circuit are equal to or higher than a set threshold, the receiving unit is An optical reception control unit that performs optical reception processing that operates, and the time reception control unit performs the time reception processing when the optical reception processing by the optical reception control unit is not performed for a predetermined time or longer. It is preferable to implement.

  According to the present invention, the time reception process is performed only when the optical reception process is not performed for a predetermined time or more. For this reason, optical reception processing that can be received outdoors and has a high probability of successful reception is preferentially performed, and time reception processing that may be received indoors is exceptionally performed, which is useless. Reception processing can be eliminated, and power saving can be achieved.

  The electronic device of the present invention acquires at least time information from the satellite signal receiving device described above and the satellite signal received by the satellite signal receiving device, and calculates the internal time measured by the time measuring unit based on the time information. A time correction unit for correcting, and a time display unit for displaying the internal time measured by the time measuring unit.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the satellite signal receiving apparatus. In particular, according to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the internal time can be corrected with the time information acquired from the satellite signal, so that it can be used as an electronic timepiece with high time display accuracy.

It is a top view of an electronic timepiece. It is a schematic sectional drawing of an electronic timepiece. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of an electronic timepiece. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control circuit of an electronic timepiece. It is a flowchart which shows the reception control process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception time setting process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception control process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception time setting process of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception control process of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception control process of 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the reception time setting process of 4th Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment which is one of the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Structure of electronic equipment]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electronic timepiece 1 that is an electronic device including a satellite signal receiving device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic timepiece 1. As is clear from FIG. 1, the electronic timepiece 1 is a wristwatch worn on the user's wrist and includes a dial 11 and hands 12, and measures the time and displays it on the surface. Most of the dial plate 11 is formed of a non-metallic material (for example, plastic or glass) that easily transmits light and microwaves in the 1.5 GHz band. The pointer 12 is provided on the surface side of the dial 11. The pointer 12 includes a second hand 121, a minute hand 122, and an hour hand 123 that rotate about the rotary shaft 13, and is driven by a step motor through a gear.

  In the electronic timepiece 1, processing according to manual operation of the crown 14, the button 15, and the button 16 is executed. Specifically, when the crown 14 is operated, a manual correction process for correcting the display time according to the operation is performed. Further, when the button 15 is pressed for a long time (for example, a time of 3 seconds or more), a reception process for receiving a satellite signal is executed. Further, when the button 16 is pressed, a switching process for switching the reception mode (time measurement mode or positioning mode) is executed. At this time, when the timekeeping mode is set, the second hand 121 moves to the “Time” position (5 second position), and when the positioning mode is set, the second hand 121 is set to the “Fix” position ( Move to the 10 second position).

When the button 15 is pressed for a short time, a result display process for displaying the result of the previous reception process is performed. For example, when the reception is successful in the time measurement mode, the second hand 121 moves to the position “Time” (5 second position), and when the reception is successful in the positioning mode, the second hand 121 is “Fix” (10 second position). ) Position. In the case of reception failure, the second hand 121 moves to the “N” position (20-second position).
Note that these instructions by the second hand 121 are also performed during reception. That is, the second hand 121 moves to the “Time” position (5 second position) during reception in the timekeeping mode, and the second hand 121 moves to the “Fix” position (10 second position) during reception in the positioning mode. When the GPS satellite cannot be captured, the second hand 121 moves to the “N” position (20-second position).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic timepiece 1 includes an outer case 17 made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS) or titanium. The exterior case 17 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape. A surface glass 19 is attached to the opening on the surface side of the outer case 17 via a bezel 18. The bezel 18 is made of a non-metallic material such as ceramics in order to improve satellite signal reception performance. A back cover 20 is attached to the opening on the back side of the exterior case 17. In the exterior case 17, a movement 21, a solar cell 22, a GPS antenna 23, a secondary battery 24, and the like are arranged.

  The movement 21 includes a step motor and a wheel train 211. The step motor is composed of a motor coil 212, a stator, a rotor, and the like, and drives the pointer 12 via the train wheel 211 and the rotating shaft 13. A circuit board 25 is disposed on the rear cover 20 side of the movement 21. The circuit board 25 is connected to the antenna board 27 and the secondary battery 24 via the connector 26.

  The circuit board 25 is provided with a GPS receiving circuit 30 that processes satellite signals received by the GPS antenna 23, a control circuit 40 that performs various controls such as drive control of a step motor, and the like. The GPS receiving circuit 30 and the control circuit 40 are covered with a shield plate 29 and are driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery 24.

  The solar cell 22 is a photovoltaic element that performs photovoltaic generation to convert light energy into electrical energy. The solar cell 22 includes an electrode for outputting generated power, and is disposed on the back side of the dial 11. Since most of the dial plate 11 is made of a material that easily transmits light, the solar cell 22 can receive light transmitted through the surface glass 19 and the dial plate 11 and perform photovoltaic power generation.

  The secondary battery 24 is a power source for the electronic timepiece 1 and accumulates electric power generated in the solar cell 22. In the electronic timepiece 1, the two electrodes of the solar cell 22 and the two electrodes of the secondary battery 24 can be electrically connected to each other. At the time of connection, the secondary battery 24 is generated by the photovoltaic power generation of the solar cell 22. Charged. In the present embodiment, a lithium ion battery suitable for a portable device is used as the secondary battery 24. However, a lithium polymer battery or other secondary battery may be used, or a power storage different from the secondary battery. A body (for example, a capacitor) may be used.

  The GPS antenna 23 is an antenna that receives microwaves in the 1.5 GHz band, and is disposed on the back side of the dial 11 and mounted on the antenna substrate 27 on the back cover 20 side. In the direction orthogonal to the dial plate 11, the portion of the dial plate 11 that overlaps the GPS antenna 23 is formed of a material that easily transmits microwaves in the 1.5 GHz band (for example, a non-metallic material with low conductivity and low permeability). Has been. Further, the solar cell 22 having electrodes is not interposed between the GPS antenna 23 and the dial 11. Therefore, the GPS antenna 23 can receive the satellite signal transmitted through the surface glass 19 and the dial 11.

  By the way, the closer the distance between the GPS antenna 23 and the solar cell 22 is, the more the GPS antenna 23 and the metal member in the solar cell 22 are electrically coupled to generate a loss, or the radiation pattern of the GPS antenna 23 changes to the solar cell 22. It gets blocked and gets smaller. For this reason, in the embodiment, the distance between the GPS antenna 23 and the solar cell 22 is arranged to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value so that the reception performance does not deteriorate.

  The GPS antenna 23 is arranged so that the distance from the metal member other than the solar cell 22 is also a predetermined value or more. For example, when the exterior case 17 and the movement 21 are made of a metal member, the GPS antenna 23 is arranged such that both the distance to the exterior case 17 and the distance to the movement 21 are equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As the GPS antenna 23, a patch antenna (microstrip antenna), a helical antenna, a chip antenna, an inverted F antenna, or the like can be employed.

The GPS receiving circuit 30 is a load driven by the electric power stored in the secondary battery 24. When each time driving, the GPS receiving circuit 30 attempts to receive a satellite signal from the GPS satellite through the GPS antenna 23 and succeeds in receiving it. Supplies the acquired information such as the trajectory information and the GPS time information to the control circuit 40, and supplies information to that effect to the control circuit 40 if it fails. Note that the configuration of the GPS receiving circuit 30 is the same as the configuration of a known GPS receiving circuit, and a description thereof will be omitted.
Therefore, the receiving unit of the present invention includes the GPS antenna 23 and the GPS receiving circuit 30.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the electronic timepiece 1. As shown in this figure, the electronic timepiece 1 includes a solar cell 22, a secondary battery 24, a GPS receiver circuit 30, a control circuit 40, a diode 41, a charge control switch 42, and a charge state detection circuit 43. A voltage detection circuit 44, a clock unit 50, and a storage unit 60. The illuminance detection circuit according to the present invention includes a charge state detection circuit 43 and a voltage detection circuit 44.

  The control circuit 40 is composed of a CPU for controlling the electronic timepiece 1 including a satellite signal receiving device. As will be described later, the control circuit 40 includes a reception control unit 70 that controls the GPS reception circuit 30 to execute reception processing, and an internal time measured by the clock unit 50 using the acquired GPS time information. And a time correction unit 45 for correcting. Further, the control circuit 40 controls the operation of the charge state detection circuit 43 and the voltage detection circuit 44.

  The diode 41 is provided in a path that electrically connects the solar cell 22 and the secondary battery 24, and without interrupting the current (forward current) from the solar cell 22 to the secondary battery 24, the secondary battery 24. To the solar cell 22 (reverse current) is cut off. The forward current flows only when the voltage of the solar cell 22 is higher than the voltage of the secondary battery 24, that is, during charging. Further, a field effect transistor (FET) may be employed instead of the diode 41.

The charge control switch 42 connects and disconnects a current path from the solar cell 22 to the secondary battery 24, and is a switching provided in a path that electrically connects the solar cell 22 and the secondary battery 24. An element 421 is provided. When the switching element 421 transitions from the off state to the on state, it is turned on (connected), and when the switching element 421 transitions from the on state to the off state, it is turned off (disconnected).
For example, the charging control switch 42 is turned off when the battery voltage of the secondary battery 24 exceeds a predetermined value so that the battery characteristics do not deteriorate due to overcharging.

  The switching element 421 is a p-channel transistor, and is turned on when the gate voltage Vg1 is at a low level, and turned off when the gate voltage Vg1 is at a high level. The gate voltage Vg1 is controlled by the control circuit 40.

  The charging state detection circuit 43 operates based on a binary control signal CTL1 that specifies the detection timing of the charging state, detects the charging state (charging state) from the solar cell 22 to the secondary battery 24, and the detection result RS1 is output to the control circuit 40. The state of charge is “charging” or “not charging”, and the detection is performed based on the battery voltage VCC and the PVIN of the solar cell 22 when the charge control switch 42 is on. For example, when the voltage drop of the diode 41 is Vth and the on-resistance of the switching element 421 is ignored, it is determined as “charging” when PVIN−Vth> VCC, and “non-display” when PVIN−Vth ≦ VCC. It can be determined that charging is in progress.

  In the present embodiment, the control signal CTL1 is a pulse signal having a cycle of 1 second, and the charge state detection circuit 43 detects the charge state during a period in which the control signal CTL1 is at a high level. That is, the charge state detection circuit 43 repeatedly detects the charge state at a cycle of 1 second while maintaining the charge control switch 42 in the connected state.

  The reason why the state of charge is detected intermittently is to reduce the amount of power consumed by the state of charge detection circuit 43. If this reduction is unnecessary, the state of charge may be detected continuously. The charge state detection circuit 43 can be configured using, for example, a comparator, an A / D converter, or the like.

  The voltage detection circuit 44 operates based on a binary control signal CTL2 that specifies the voltage detection timing, and the terminal voltage PVIN of the solar cell 22 during the period when the charge control switch 42 is turned off by the control signal CTL2. That is, the open voltage of the solar cell 22 is detected. Further, the voltage detection circuit 44 outputs the detection result RS2 of the open circuit voltage to the control circuit 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the reception control unit 70 includes a reception time setting unit 71, a time reception control unit 72, an optical reception control unit 73, and a forced reception control unit 74.
The reception time setting unit 71 sets a reception time for automatic reception.
When the internal time reaches the reception time set by the reception time setting unit 71, the time reception control unit 72 operates the GPS reception circuit 30 to execute reception processing. The reception process by the time reception control unit 72 is a time reception process in the present invention. Hereinafter, the time reception process is expressed as an automatic time reception process.
When the open voltage (illuminance) detected by the voltage detection circuit 44 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the light reception control unit 73 operates the GPS reception circuit 30 to execute reception processing. The reception process by the optical reception control unit 73 is the optical reception process in the present invention. Hereinafter, the optical reception process is expressed as an automatic optical reception process.
The automatic reception process (automatic time reception process, automatic light reception process) by the time reception control unit 72 and the optical reception control unit 73 is controlled to be performed only once a day.
When the user presses the button 15 to perform a forced reception operation, the forced reception control unit 74 operates the GPS reception circuit 30 to execute a reception process (forced reception process).

  The timepiece unit 50 includes a movement 21 and is driven by the electric power stored in the secondary battery 24 to perform a time measurement process. In the time measurement process, the time is measured, and the time (display time) corresponding to the time is displayed on the surface of the electronic timepiece 1. Therefore, in the present invention, the time measuring unit for measuring the internal time is constituted by the clock unit 50.

  As will be described later, the storage unit 60 includes a latest reception success time and reception history (reception processing time, reception result, etc.) in each of the automatic optical reception processing, automatic time reception processing, and forced reception processing, and a reception time setting unit. Various information such as the reception time set in 71 is stored. The storage capacity of the storage unit 60 may be selected depending on the number and size of information to be stored.

[Description of reception control processing]
Next, the reception control processing in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
The reception control unit 70 of the control circuit 40 starts the reception control process of FIG. 5 when the internal time measured by the clock unit 50 reaches 0:00 AM 0 seconds.

First, the reception control unit 70 refers to the storage unit 60 to determine whether there is a record of a reception success time (S1). In the present embodiment, as will be described later, there are two types of successful reception times: automatic reception success time and forced reception success time, which are stored separately in the storage unit 60.
And when it determines with Yes by S1, the reception control part 70 implements a reception time setting process by the reception time setting part 71 (S2).

On the other hand, when the system is reset, the storage unit 60 is also initialized so that the reception success time is not recorded. Thus, when there is no record of the reception success time, it is determined No in S1.
When the reception success time is not recorded, the reception time is not set, and therefore the time reception control process by the time reception control unit 72 is not executed. That is, the automatic time reception process is not executed until the reception process by the optical reception control unit 73 or the forced reception control unit 74 is performed and the reception is successful. Hereinafter, these processes will be described.

The reception control unit 70 determines whether the internal time has reached 23:59:59 after the processing of No or S2 is performed in S1 (S3). If it is determined Yes in S3, the reception control process is terminated (S4). However, since the reception control process is started every day at midnight, when it is determined Yes in S3, the reception control process is started again from S1 after one second.
If it is determined No in S3 and one day has not elapsed since the start of the reception control process, the reception control unit 70 determines whether there is a forced reception operation by the button 15 (S5).

[Forced reception processing]
If it determines with Yes by S5, the forced reception control part 74 of the reception control part 70 will operate the GPS receiving circuit 30, and will implement a forced reception process (S6).
The forced reception control unit 74 determines whether or not the reception is successful in the forced reception process (S7). Here, when the reception is successful, the reception time setting unit 71 updates the forced reception success time stored in the storage unit 60 with the time when the forced reception is successful (S8).
Further, the control circuit 40 corrects the internal time counted by the clock unit 50 based on the time information acquired from the GPS receiving circuit 30 (S9). As a result, the time displayed on the hands 12 is corrected to the correct time.

  Then, the reception control process in FIG. 5 is terminated in both cases where the forced reception is successful (Yes in S7) and in the case where it is unsuccessful (No in S7) (S10). Since the reception process that operates the GPS receiving circuit 30 consumes a large amount of power, it is preferable to limit it to about once a day. For this reason, even when the forced reception process S6 is performed, the reception control process for the day ends, and the reception process is not performed until the next day.

[Optical reception processing]
On the other hand, when it is determined No in S5, the reception control unit 70 determines whether or not the detection value (open voltage) of the voltage detection circuit 44, that is, the illuminance exceeds a predetermined threshold (S11).
When it is determined Yes in S11, the light reception control unit 73 of the reception control unit 70 operates the GPS reception circuit 30 to perform the automatic light reception process (S12).

The optical reception control unit 73 determines whether or not reception is successful in the automatic optical reception process (S13). Here, when the reception is successful, the reception time setting unit 71 updates the automatic reception success time stored in the storage unit 60 with the time when the optical automatic reception is successful (S14).
Furthermore, the control circuit 40 corrects the internal time measured by the clock unit 50 based on the time information acquired from the GPS receiving circuit 30 (S15). As a result, the time displayed on the hands 12 is corrected to the correct time.

  Then, in both cases where automatic optical reception is successful (Yes in S13) and failure (No in S13), the reception control process is terminated in the same manner as the forced reception process (S10). Therefore, the automatic optical reception process is executed only once a day.

[Automatic reception processing]
When it is determined No in S11, the reception control unit 70 determines whether the reception time set in the reception time setting process S2 exists (S16). Here, after the system reset, when the reception success time by the forced reception process or the automatic optical reception process is not recorded, the reception time setting process S2 is not performed, so that it is determined No in S16. For this reason, the determination process of S3, S5, and S11 is repeated without performing the automatic time reception process.

If the reception time is set (Yes in S16), the reception control unit 70 determines whether or not the internal time measured by the clock unit 50 has reached the set reception time (S17). Until the reception time is reached, it is determined No in S17, and the process returns to the determination process of S3.
On the other hand, when it determines with Yes by S17, the time reception control part 72 of the reception control part 70 operates the GPS receiving circuit 30, and implements an automatic time reception process (S18).

Similar to the optical reception control unit 73, the time reception control unit 72 determines whether or not the reception is successful in the automatic time reception process (S13). Here, when the reception is successful, the reception time setting unit 71 updates the automatic reception success time stored in the storage unit 60 with the time when the automatic time reception was successful (S14).
Furthermore, the control circuit 40 corrects the internal time measured by the clock unit 50 based on the time information acquired from the GPS receiving circuit 30 (S15). As a result, the time displayed on the hands 12 is corrected to the correct time.

  Then, in both cases where the automatic time reception succeeds (Yes in S13) and fails (No in S13), the reception control process is terminated in the same manner as the automatic optical reception process (S10). Therefore, the automatic time reception process is executed only once a day.

As described above, when the reception time is not set as in the case of system reset, the reception control unit 70 continues the reception control process until the forced reception process or the automatic optical reception process is performed during one day. To do. When the reception time is set, the reception control unit 70 performs automatic time reception processing when the reception time is further reached. When any reception process is performed, the reception control process is terminated until the next day.
If reception is successful, the forced reception success time and automatic reception success time are updated with the success time. The successful reception time is usually the start time of the successful reception process, but may be the end time of the successful reception process or the time during the successful reception process.

[Reception time setting process]
Next, the reception time setting process S2 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the reception success time is recorded in S1, the reception control unit 70 operates the reception time setting unit 71 to execute the reception time setting process in S2.
The reception time setting unit 71 determines whether the previous optical automatic reception process or the automatic time process has been successfully received (S21). That is, the time reception control unit 72, the optical reception control unit 73, and the forced reception control unit 74 store the history of whether or not the reception is successful in each reception process in the storage unit 60, and the reception time setting unit 71 Is determined by confirming this reception history.

If it is determined Yes in S21, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether or not the previous successful reception process was a forced reception process based on the reception history (S22).
If NO is determined in S22, that is, if the immediately preceding reception success process is the automatic optical reception process or the automatic time reception process, the automatic reception success time is set as the reception time (S23).
On the other hand, if it is determined Yes in S22, that is, if the immediately preceding reception success process is a forced reception process, the forced reception success time is set as the reception time (S24).
Therefore, in any case, the latest reception success time is set as the reception time.

When it is determined No in S21, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether the previous reception was an automatic reception success time (S25). That is, if the previous reception is an automatic reception success time, the reception process was performed at the reception time for which the automatic reception success time was set, that is, the previous reception failed was the time automatic reception process. That's right.
Therefore, when it is determined Yes in S25, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether there is a record of the forced reception success time (S26). When it is determined Yes in S26, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the forced reception success time as the reception time (S24).
That is, since the automatic time reception process when the automatic reception success time is set as the reception time has failed (No in S21), the time is set to another time by newly updating the reception time with the forced reception success time. Set so that automatic reception processing can be executed.

  If it is determined No in S26, there is no forced reception success time, so the reception time setting unit 71 sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time (S23). In this case, as a result, the reception time remains the same.

If it is determined No in S25, it is the time automatic reception process at the forced reception success time or the optical automatic reception process that failed in the previous reception. Therefore, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether there is a record of the automatic reception success time (S27).
If it is determined Yes in S27, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time (S23).
If it is determined No in S27, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the forced reception success time as the reception time (S24).

Since the reception time is set as described above, the reception time setting unit 71 ends the reception time setting process S2.
When the reception time is set in S2, it is determined Yes in S16 of FIG. 5, so that after the reception control is started at midnight, the set reception is performed without executing the forced reception process or the automatic optical reception process. When the time is reached, the automatic time reception process is executed.

[Effects of First Embodiment]
According to the first embodiment, when the reception is successful in the forced reception process or the automatic optical reception process after the system reset, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the reception success time as the reception time, and performs time reception control. The unit 72 executes reception processing at the set reception time. For this reason, even if the electronic timepiece 1 is hidden by clothes and the light reception control unit 73 does not operate even if the user moves outdoors, the time reception control unit 72 reliably executes the reception process once a day. it can. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the satellite signal from being received for a long period of time and the display time accuracy from being lowered.

  Further, since the reception time is a past successful reception time, the probability of successful reception can be improved even in the automatic time reception process. That is, since the time reception control unit 72 performs reception processing without confirming whether the reception environment is actually in a good state, when the reception time is fixed in advance, the probability of reception failure is high. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the past successful reception time is set as the reception time, there is a high possibility that the reception time is set at the time when the user is moving outdoors in the behavior pattern of the user. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the probability of successful reception even in the automatic time reception process.

  Furthermore, when both the automatic reception success time and the forced reception success time are stored, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the latest reception success time as the reception time. For this reason, even when the user's behavior pattern changes, the probability that the reception time can be set during the time when the user is moving outdoors according to the latest behavior pattern is increased, and the probability that the time automatic reception processing will be successful accordingly. Can be increased.

  In addition, when only one of the automatic reception success time and the forced reception success time is recorded, the reception time setting unit 71 can set the one reception success time as the reception time. For this reason, if one of the automatic optical reception process and the forced reception process is successful, the reception time can be set, and the automatic time reception process can be executed from the next day. Therefore, the user does not need to perform a special operation for setting the reception time, and the operability can be improved.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the contents of the reception control process, but the structure of the electronic timepiece 1 and the satellite signal reception process in the control circuit are the same as those in the first embodiment. Detailed description thereof will be omitted or simplified.
In the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8, the same or similar processes as those in the flowcharts of FIGS.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the reception control unit 70 first determines whether or not the day is a reception suspension day at the start of the reception control process at midnight (S31). Specifically, the reception control unit 70 confirms the reception history stored in the storage unit 60. If reception is successful on the previous day, the reception control unit 70 suspends reception for two days from the next day. Therefore, if reception is successful on the previous day or the day before yesterday, the reception control unit 70 determines that the day is a reception suspension day.
If the reception control unit 70 determines Yes in S31, it ends the reception control process for that day (S32).

On the other hand, when it is determined No in S31, the reception control unit 70 performs the determination of S1, and if there is a record of the reception success time, the reception time setting process is executed (S33).
In addition, since the processes S3 to S18 after the reception time is set in S33 or when it is determined No in S1 are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

[Reception time setting process]
Next, the reception time setting process S33 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Also in FIG. 8, the same processes as those in the reception time setting process S2 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

When the reception time setting process S33 is executed, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether it is a reception start date (S34). The reception start date is the date on which reception after the break after the reception is suspended is started. That is, the next day after two days of suspension after successful reception.
The reception time setting unit 71 suspends reception on the previous day and the day before yesterday. If today is the reception start date, the reception time setting unit 71 determines Yes in S34. In this case, the reception time setting unit 71 checks whether there is a record of the automatic reception success time (S27), and if there is a record, sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time (S23).
On the other hand, when it is determined No in S27, since the automatic reception success time is not recorded, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the forced reception success time as the reception time (S24).

  If it is determined No in S34, the reception process is performed on a date that is not the reception start date. That is, if reception fails, reception is continued every day without being suspended, and therefore reception processing is executed on a date that is not the reception start date. In that case, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether or not the previous reception was an automatic reception success time (S25), in the same manner as in the case where it is determined No in S21 of the first embodiment. ).

If it is determined Yes in S25, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether there is a record of the forced reception success time (S26). When it is determined Yes in S26, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the forced reception success time as the reception time (S24).
When it is determined No in S26, the reception time setting unit 71 sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time (S23).

  If it is determined No in S25, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether there is a record of the automatic reception success time (S27). As described above, the reception time is determined in S23 and S24 based on the determination result. Set.

Since the reception time is set as described above, the reception time setting unit 71 ends the reception time setting process S33.
If the reception time is set in S33, it is determined Yes in S16 of FIG. 7, so that after the reception control is started at midnight, the set reception is performed without executing the forced reception process or the automatic optical reception process. When the time is reached, the automatic time reception process is executed.

[Effects of Second Embodiment]
In such a second embodiment, the same operational effects as the first embodiment can be obtained.
Furthermore, in the second embodiment, since reception is suspended for two days after successful reception, the frequency of reception processing can be reduced and power saving can be realized. Since the accuracy of the internal clock in the clock unit 50 is the same as that of the quartz clock, even if it cannot be received for several days, the accuracy of the time display can be maintained at a level where there is no practical problem.

  The reception time setting unit 71 preferentially sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time for performing the automatic time reception process on the reception start date after reception suspension. For this reason, since it is possible to set the reception time with an emphasis on the time when the user was outdoors in the user's behavior pattern, the probability of successful reception in the subsequent automatic time reception process compared to when the forced reception success time is set as the reception time Can also be improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The third embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the process at the time of reception failure in the automatic time reception process S18. Since the other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted or simplified. Therefore, in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar processes as those in the flowchart of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

In 3rd Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the process from S1-S18 is the same as 1st Embodiment. For this reason, the reception time setting process S2 is also the same as in the first embodiment.
Then, after the automatic time reception process S18 is performed, the time reception control unit 72 determines whether the reception is successful (S41).
If it is determined in S41 that the reception is successful, the automatic reception success time is updated (S14) and the internal time is corrected (S15), as in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S41 that the reception has failed, the automatic reception success time stored in the storage unit 60 is updated by adding 10 minutes (S42).
For this reason, in the reception time setting process S2, when the reception time is set by the automatic reception success time, a time 10 minutes after the current reception failure time is set.
The addition time is not limited to +10 minutes, and may be +30 minutes, -20 minutes, -40 minutes, or the like. Further, a plurality of times may be prepared as the addition time, and the addition time may be changed every time reception fails in S41.

[Effect of the third embodiment]
In the third embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Furthermore, when reception fails in the automatic time reception process, the automatic reception success time is updated by adding a predetermined time to the automatic reception success time, so the next reception time is the time when this time is added. Can be set. Therefore, since the automatic time reception process can be executed in a time zone close to the time when there is a reception record, for example, even when the time of going out from home is slightly shifted, the probability of successful reception can be improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the fourth embodiment, when the time automatic reception process at the reception time set mainly as the forced reception success time fails, the number of forced reception failures is counted, and when the count value exceeds a specified value, The difference from the first embodiment is that the automatic time reception process based on the forced reception success time is stopped. Since the other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted or simplified. Therefore, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar processes as those in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 of the first embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the processing from S1 to S3 to S18 is the same as that in the first embodiment.
Then, after the automatic time reception process S18 is performed, the time reception control unit 72 determines whether the reception is successful (S41).
If it is determined in S41 that the reception is successful, the automatic reception success time is updated (S14) and the internal time is corrected (S15), as in the first embodiment.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S41 that reception has failed, the reception control unit 70 determines whether the reception time has been set to the forced reception success time (S51).
Only when it is determined Yes in S51, the reception control unit 70 adds 1 to the number of forced reception failures and stores it in the storage unit 60 (S52).
If the forced reception process S6 is performed and the reception is successful (Yes in S7), the processes of S8 and S9 are performed as in the first embodiment, and the reception control unit 70 is stored in the storage unit 60. The number of forced reception failures is reset to “0” (S53).

[Reception time setting process]
On the other hand, the reception time setting process S54 performed when it is determined Yes in S1 will be described with reference to FIG.
The reception time setting process S54 performs the processes of S21 to S27, similar to the reception time setting process S2 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, when it is determined Yes in S26, the reception time setting unit 71 determines whether the number of forced reception failures stored in the storage unit 60 exceeds a preset specified value (S55). This specified value is set as appropriate, but may be set to “3”, for example.

  When the specified value is exceeded in S55, that is, when the automatic time reception process at the forced reception success time has failed more than the specified value, the electronic timepiece 1 is placed in a place suitable for reception such as outdoors at the forced reception success time. It is highly possible that they are not placed. In this case, even if the time automatic reception process is continued at the same forced reception success time, there is a high possibility that the reception will fail again. Therefore, when it is determined Yes in S55, the reception time setting unit 71 checks whether there is a record of the automatic reception success time (S27), and if there is a record, sets the automatic reception success time as the reception time ( S23).

That is, in the first embodiment, in the case of Yes in S26, that is, when the reception time is set as the previous automatic reception success time, the forced reception success time is set as the reception time (S24), and the automatic reception fails. In addition, the reception time is alternately switched between the automatic reception success time and the forced reception success time.
On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, even in the case of Yes in S26, if the number of forced reception failures is larger than the specified value and the automatic reception success time is recorded, the automatic reception success time is set as the reception time. (S23) The time automatic reception process based on the forced reception success time is suspended until the reception succeeds again in the forced reception process and the number of forced reception failures is reset in S53.
However, also in this case, when there is no record of the automatic reception success time and only the forced reception success time is recorded, the forced reception success time is set as the reception time (S24).

[Effect of Fourth Embodiment]
Also in the fourth embodiment, the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.
Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, when the reception process at the forced reception success time has failed more than the specified number, if there is a record of the automatic reception success time, the reception process at the forced reception success time is stopped. For this reason, in a user's action pattern, when it is not moving outdoors at the forced reception success time, useless reception processing is not continued, and power saving can be achieved.
In addition, if the forced reception process succeeds again, the reception process at the forced reception success time can be resumed, so simply canceling the reception process can be canceled simply by performing the forced reception process while the user is moving outdoors. it can.

[Other Embodiments]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the structure of the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible within the range of the summary of this invention.

For example, as a method for setting the reception time by the reception time setting unit 71, a time after a certain time has elapsed since the reception process was last performed may be set as the reception time. For example, when the fixed time is set to 24 hours, the automatic time reception process is executed every 24 hours when the automatic optical reception process or the forced reception process is not performed. When automatic optical reception processing or forced reception processing is performed, reception times are set every 24 hours from the reception processing time.
The fixed time interval is not limited to 24 hours, and may be set according to the reception frequency to be set. In this case, the reception time setting unit 71 may detect the battery voltage and change the constant time interval according to the battery voltage. For example, when the battery voltage is as high as a predetermined value or higher, it is set to 24 hours, and when the battery voltage decreases, the fixed time interval may be set to 36 hours, 48 hours, or the like.

Also, after the start of the reception control process, the time reception control unit 72 is stopped on the first day, the optical reception control unit 73 is operated, and the automatic optical reception process by the optical reception control unit 73 is executed even if one day has elapsed. If not, the automatic time reception process may be executed by operating the time reception control unit 72 together with the light reception control unit 73 from the next day. At this time, if the automatic light reception process is performed by the time reception control unit 72 before the reception time is reached, the time reception control unit 72 may be stopped until the automatic light reception process is not executed for one day.
Thus, if the optical reception control unit 73 is prioritized, the possibility of reception when moving outdoors can be increased, and the probability of successful reception can be improved.

Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, only when the reception time is the forced reception success time, the reception process at the forced reception success time is stopped when the number of consecutive reception failures is counted and the specified value is exceeded. However, when the reception time is the optical automatic reception success time or the time automatic reception success time, the number of times of continuous failure in reception may be counted and the time may be excluded from the reception time.
It can be estimated that the time when reception has failed continuously is unsuitable for reception in the user's behavior pattern, and by eliminating this time, useless reception processing can be eliminated.

  The electronic device provided with the satellite signal receiving device of the present invention is not limited to a wristwatch (electronic timepiece 1), and is driven by a secondary battery such as a mobile phone, a portable GPS receiver used for mountain climbing, etc. It can be widely used in devices that receive satellite signals transmitted from information satellites.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic timepiece, 12 ... Pointer, 21 ... Movement, 22 ... Solar cell, 23 ... GPS antenna, 24 ... Secondary battery, 25 ... Circuit board, 30 ... GPS receiving circuit, 40 ... Control circuit, 42 ... For charge control Switch, 43 ... Charge state detection circuit, 44 ... Voltage detection circuit, 45 ... Time correction unit, 50 ... Timer unit, 60 ... Storage unit, 70 ... Reception control unit, 71 ... Reception time setting unit, 72 ... Time reception control unit 73 ... Light reception control unit, 74 ... Forced reception control unit, 121 ... Second hand, 122 ... Minute hand, 123 ... Hour hand.

Claims (8)

A receiver for receiving the signal;
A timekeeping section for measuring the internal time,
Solar cells,
A voltage detection circuit for detecting the illuminance of light incident on the solar cell;
A process for determining whether the illuminance detected by the voltage detection circuit is greater than or equal to a set threshold value, and a process for operating the receiving unit when the illuminance detected by the voltage detection circuit is greater than or equal to a set threshold value And a reception control unit having an optical reception control unit that performs optical reception processing including:
The reception control unit determines whether it is a reception suspension day when the internal time reaches a predetermined time every day,
The optical reception control unit executes the optical reception process when it is determined that it is not the reception stop date, and when it is determined that the reception stop date is determined, the date determined as the reception stop date is the optical reception An electronic watch characterized in that no processing is performed. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1,
The reception control unit
A time receiving process including a process of determining whether the time measured by the time measuring unit has become a reception time, and a process of operating the receiving unit when the time measured by the time measuring unit reaches the reception time. A time reception control unit to perform,
The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the time reception control unit does not perform the time reception process on the date determined as the reception suspension date when it is determined as the reception suspension date. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 or 2,
A storage unit for storing the reception history;
The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the reception control unit determines whether the reception suspension date is based on the reception history. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3,
The electronic timepiece characterized in that the reception history includes information indicating that reception was successful. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 or 2,
The reception control unit determines that it is the reception suspension date when reception is successful on the previous day. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 or 2,
The reception control unit determines that it is the reception suspension date when reception is successful on the day before yesterday. The electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The electronic timepiece is characterized in that the predetermined time is midnight. The electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The electronic timepiece is characterized in that the signal is a satellite signal including time information.

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