JP6759900B2 - Local time setting acquisition device, electronic clock, local time setting acquisition method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a local time setting acquisition device, an electronic clock, a local time setting acquisition method, and a program.

Conventionally, in electronic devices having a timekeeping function, daylight saving time implementation rules such as time zone, daylight saving time implementation period, and shift time during daylight saving time are set, and the date and time (local time) of each region to which these settings are applied is displayed. There is something that can be done. For portable electronic devices used by users who frequently move around the world, such settings can be easily switched so that the appropriate local time can be quickly displayed according to the current position. ..

In recent years, techniques for receiving radio waves from positioning satellites of various positioning systems related to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) to perform positioning and to acquire date and time information have become widely used. Since radio waves from positioning satellites can be received in a predetermined format over a wide range on the earth, it is possible to easily acquire date and time and position information by a predetermined process in various parts of the world. A technology for automatically displaying accurate local time according to the current position is disclosed by periodically acquiring this information in electronic devices and selecting the time zone and daylight saving time implementation rules according to the current position. (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-297191

However, the shape of the boundary line is often complicated in the setting range in each local time, and it takes time and effort to refer to a large-sized map data with high accuracy in order to automatically determine which setting range the setting range is in. It is arbitrary when and how much the user moves, and if the frequency of discrimination at the local time according to the current position is low, there will be a time lag before switching to the correct local time, and if the frequency of discrimination is high, the size will be larger than necessary. There is a problem that power consumption and load become excessive due to access to the data of.

An object of the present invention is to provide a local time setting acquisition device, an electronic clock, a local time setting acquisition method, and a program capable of acquiring local time information at a more appropriate timing while suppressing an excessive load and power consumption. There is.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
The location information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the current location,
A storage unit that stores the local time setting related to the time difference from the predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides the world into predetermined ranges.
Control unit and
With
The control unit
Acquire the current position based on the information related to the current position,
The local time setting of the area including the acquired current position is acquired from the storage unit, and is obtained.
Based on the information stored in the storage unit, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. ,
It is a local time setting acquisition device characterized in that it does not newly acquire the local time setting until the predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that local time information can be acquired at a more appropriate timing while suppressing an excessive load and power consumption.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of embodiment of the electronic clock of this invention. It is a figure explaining the example of the contents of the map data and the ID control table. It is a figure which shows the arrangement of the latitude ID, longitude ID, and 2-bit adjacency flags designated for each area. It is a figure explaining the update condition of a local time setting. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the local time setting update process executed by the electronic timepiece of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the local time setting update process executed by the electronic timepiece of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the contents of the ID control table provided in the electronic timepiece of 3rd Embodiment. It is a chart which shows the content of the map data in the electronic clock of 4th Embodiment and 5th Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.

The electronic watch 1 of the present embodiment is, for example, a wristwatch-type electronic watch having a band and worn on the user's arm by the band.
The electronic clock 1 includes a microcomputer 40, a satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50, an antenna A1, an operation reception unit 61, a display unit 62, a notification operation unit 63, a geomagnetic sensor 64, an acceleration sensor 65, and a pressure sensor 66. A ROM 67 (Read Only Memory) (storage unit, storage means), a power supply unit 70, and the like are provided.

The microcomputer 40 includes a host control unit 41, an oscillation circuit 46, a frequency dividing circuit 47, a timekeeping circuit 48 (timekeeping unit), and the like.

The host control unit 41 includes a host CPU 411 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 412 (Random Access Memory), and the like.
The host CPU 411 is a processor that performs various arithmetic processes. The arithmetic processing performed by the host CPU 411 is mainly related to date and time counting and display as a clock of the electronic clock 1, and is performed continuously and repeatedly over a long period of time with a low load.

The RAM 412 provides a working memory space to the host CPU 411 and stores temporary data and setting data. The setting data includes local time setting information 422, which is the setting of the time zone of the date and time to be used and displayed by the electronic clock 1 and the daylight saving time implementation rule (that is, whether or not daylight saving time is implemented, the implementation period, and the shift time at the time of implementation). Is done.

The oscillation circuit 46 generates and outputs a signal having a predetermined frequency. For example, a crystal oscillator or the like is used to generate a signal. This crystal oscillator may be externally attached to the microcomputer 40.

The frequency dividing circuit 47 outputs a frequency divided signal obtained by dividing the frequency signal input from the oscillation circuit 46 by a set division ratio. The division ratio setting may be changed by the host CPU 411.
The timekeeping circuit 48 counts and holds the current date and time (at least the current time) by counting the frequency division signals of a predetermined frequency input from the frequency division circuit 47. The current date and time counted by the timekeeping circuit 48 can be corrected (controlled) by a control signal from the host CPU 411 based on an accurate current date and time acquired by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50. The timekeeping circuit 48 may be hardware such as a counter, or the host CPU 411 may perform a counting operation by software using the RAM 412.

The satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 receives radio waves (satellite radio waves) transmitted from positioning satellites of satellite positioning systems such as the US GPS (Global Positioning System) via the antenna A1 to provide date and time information (current date and time information). Obtaining information related to the position of the positioning satellite (orbital information such as ephemeris, position and speed information), and performing positioning calculations to calculate the exact current date and time and current position based on this information (positioning information). This module is configured mainly for the purpose of performing a process of outputting to the host CPU 411. The satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 includes a reception unit 51 (position information acquisition unit, satellite radio wave reception unit), a module control unit 52 (control unit), a storage unit 53, and the like, and is integrally formed as an LSI. Further, the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 can be provided with an oscillation circuit and a frequency dividing circuit (not shown) separately from the oscillation circuit 46 and the frequency dividing circuit 47, particularly those having a high oscillation frequency.

The receiving unit 51 receives and detects radio waves from the positioning satellite to be received, performs a capturing operation such as identifying the positioning satellite and identifying the phase of the transmission signal, and also tracks the radio waves from the captured positioning satellite. The signal (information related to the current position) is continuously demodulated and acquired.

The module control unit 52 mainly performs processing such as reception control of satellite radio waves, identification of the current date and time based on the received signal, and calculation of the current position (that is, positioning calculation). The module control unit 52 includes a module CPU 521, a memory 522, and the like.

The module CPU 521 performs various arithmetic processes and controls the operation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50. The module CPU 521 (module control unit 52) has a higher calculation processing capacity than the host CPU 411 (host control unit 41), and can execute high-load processing such as the above-mentioned positioning calculation. Correspondingly, the power consumption of the module CPU 521 is larger than the power consumption of the module CPU 521 during standby or when the host CPU 411 performs the same corresponding processing. Between the module CPU521 and the host CPU411, such as ^{I 2} C bus, the power consumption efficiency is good connection has been made.
The memory 522 includes a volatile memory such as a DRAM or SRAM that provides a memory space (including a cache memory) for work to the module CPU 521, and a ROM that stores initial setting data and the like. As the ROM, a non-volatile memory that can be rewritten and updated may be used in addition to or instead of the mask ROM.

The storage unit 53 is an auxiliary storage device, and stores various setting data, history data, programs, and the like that are held regardless of the power supply state. A flash memory or the like is used for the storage unit 53.

The satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 can switch the presence / absence of power supply from the power supply unit 70 separately from each unit related to the operation of the clock such as the host CPU 411.

The operation reception unit 61 receives an external input operation such as a user operation. The operation reception unit 61 includes, for example, one or a plurality of push button switches, and outputs a signal corresponding to the push operation of the push button switches to the host CPU 411.

The display unit 62 performs various information display operations based on the control of the host CPU 411. The display unit 62 includes a display screen and a drive circuit thereof. As the display screen, for example, a liquid crystal display screen (LCD) is used, and the drive circuit performs a drive operation related to the display on the liquid crystal display screen. The content displayed on the display unit 62 includes information related to the current date and time.

The notification operation unit 63 performs various notification operations to the user. Examples of the mechanism for generating the notification operation include a speaker, a piezoelectric element that generates a beep sound, and a vibration motor.

The geomagnetic sensor 64 is a magnetic field sensor that measures a magnetic field in three axes with a magnetic field strength range and resolution similar to that of the geomagnetic field. As the magnetic field measurement, for example, a magnetoresistive element (MR element) is used, and the measured value is output to the host CPU 411 and the module CPU 521 as an electric signal. The output destination can be switched according to the settings and operating states of the host CPU 411 and / or the module CPU 521.

The acceleration sensor 65 is an acceleration sensor that measures acceleration in three axial directions, that is, measures the motion state of the electronic clock 1. As such an acceleration sensor, although not particularly limited, one using deformation of the piezoelectric element due to acceleration is used. The measured value of the acceleration sensor 65 is output to the host CPU 411 and the module CPU 521 as an electric signal. The output destination can be switched independently of the output destination of the measured value from the geomagnetic sensor 64 according to the setting and the operating state by the host CPU 411 and / or the module CPU 521.

The atmospheric pressure sensor 66 measures the atmospheric pressure. As the pressure sensor 66, a piezoelectric element or the like that converts deformation according to atmospheric pressure into an amount of electricity is used. The host CPU 411 and the module CPU 521 can convert the measured atmospheric pressure value into an altitude value and convert it into altitude information of the current position. The correspondence between the atmospheric pressure and the altitude is determined in advance by the table with respect to the reference sea level pressure, and is held in the ROM 67 or the storage unit 53, the RAM 412, etc., and corresponds to the current atmospheric pressure according to the input operation by the user. Correction is possible. If movement in the altitude direction is not expected, it is possible to simply use it as a barometer without converting it to an altitude value.
The geomagnetic sensor 64, the acceleration sensor 65, and the barometric pressure sensor 66 (when used as an altimeter) constitute a motion measurement unit that measures the motion state of the electronic clock 1 (satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50; own machine).

The ROM 67 is a storage unit that stores programs 671 and setting data for the host CPU 411 and the module CPU 521 to execute various processing operations, and is accessible to the host control unit 41 and the module control unit 52 in common. In addition to the mask ROM, the ROM 67 may have a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory capable of rewriting and updating data. The setting data stored in the ROM 67 includes the map data 672 and the ID control table 673, which will be described later, in addition to the atmospheric pressure altitude conversion table described above.

The power supply unit 70 supplies the electric power required for operation by each unit of the electronic clock 1 to each unit. The power supply unit 70 supplies the power output from the battery 71 at the operating voltage of each unit. When the operating voltage differs depending on the operating portion, the power supply unit 70 performs voltage conversion using a regulator and outputs the voltage. The battery 71 may be provided with a solar panel in which the power supply unit 70 generates power according to incident light, a secondary battery for storing the generated power, or the like, or a dry battery or a charge for the power supply unit 70. A battery or the like may be detachably provided.

Of these, the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 and the ROM 67 constitute a local time setting acquisition device (computer).

Next, the local time setting in the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
In the electronic clock 1, when the latitude and longitude of the current position are acquired, the local time setting in the area including the latitude and longitude is acquired with reference to the map data 672 and the ID control table 673, and the time measuring circuit 48 counts the data. The date and time (not particularly limited, but here, the UTC date and time) is converted into the date and time (local time) at the current position by applying the time difference according to the local time setting, and can be output and used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the map data 672 and the ID control table 673.
In the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment, as map data 672, data in which areas are divided into predetermined ranges in the latitude and longitude directions around the world and setting data for each area is arranged is stored in ROM 67. The arrangement order is latitude order and longitude order, and it can be compressed and held by a predetermined algorithm, for example, a run-length method.

As shown in FIG. 2A, in the map data 672, the setting data related to each area (area) divided by latitude and longitude includes latitude ID, longitude ID, adjacency flag (reference information, adjacency information), and And the area IDs are arranged in order with a code string having a predetermined number of bits. Since it is also possible to identify the position of each area from the array number (that is, the number of bits from the beginning) in the map data 672, it is not necessary to explicitly hold the latitude ID and longitude ID, but it is accurate. These IDs (or one-dimensional IDs in which latitudes and longitudes are arranged in order) and latitude / longitude values (for example, the center) representing each area can be held as data for guaranteeing reading. .. Further, when reading a part of the map data 672, these latitude IDs and longitude IDs may be added in association with the read data part.
The width of latitude and longitude of each area is determined as appropriate. As a general rule, these are set and arranged with a uniform width for each area, but since the distance per unit longitude in the longitude direction is smaller in the high latitude zone than in the low latitude zone, the width in the longitude direction is set with a predetermined latitude as the boundary. You may change it. The area size is within the range of the size that can be accurately acquired at the level required for practical use at the current position acquired within the accuracy range of positioning, and is set to, for example, 1 km or less, 200 meters, or the like. To. Since the entire ground surface is divided into a mesh shape with such a size, the size of the map data 672 becomes large, and it takes time to access the data as compared with other processes in the electronic clock 1.

The area ID indicates an area having the same combination of time zone, daylight saving time implementation rule, and standard radio wave to be received in various parts of the world. In the ID control table 673 shown in FIG. 2B, the time difference from the UTC time (predetermined reference date and time), the implementation period and the implementation of daylight saving time are set as local time settings in association with the region IDs (R31 to R37). The time shift time and the standard radio wave to be received are set respectively. Here, IDs "0", "11", etc. are shown as the daylight saving time implementation period, and this ID is further associated with the actual implementation period in another table (not shown). The implementation period may be specified directly in Table 673.

Alternatively, as the setting data of each area in the map data 672, as shown in FIG. 2C, a time zone ID, a daylight saving time ID (DST ID), and a standard radio wave ID are separately designated instead of the area ID. , An ID reference table may be provided in which the time zone, the daylight saving time implementation rule, and the correspondence relationship between the standard radio waves to be received and these IDs are individually defined.

The adjacency flag is a 2-bit flag here, and whether or not there is a boundary between the area adjacent to each area and a range to which one local time setting such as a time zone or a daylight saving time implementation rule is applied. Indicates. The first bit indicates whether or not any of the north, south, east, and west of the area touches the boundary. If it touches, the bit value is set to "1", and if it does not touch, the bit value is set to "0". To. The second bit indicates whether or not the boundary passes through the four vertices of the northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest in the diagonal direction, that is, in each area (“1”) (“0”).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an array of latitude ID, longitude ID, and 2-bit adjacent flags specified for each area. The two numbers in the upper row indicate the latitude ID and the longitude ID, respectively, and the two codes in the lower row indicate the first and second bits of the adjacent flag. That is, in FIG. 3, each area is arranged and shown so that the vertical axis direction is the latitude direction and the horizontal axis direction is the longitude direction.

When the boundary of the area ID is defined as shown by the thick solid line, the first and second bits of the adjacent flag change between "0" and "1" according to the positional relationship with the boundary. By using this, it is possible to determine whether or not the area is in contact with the boundary of the area ID without comparing the area IDs of the adjacent areas.

Next, the operation related to the local time setting and its update in the electronic clock 1 will be described.
In the electronic clock 1, when the current position is acquired, the area including the current position is identified, and the map data 672 is referred to to determine the time zone, the daylight saving time implementation rule, and the combination of standard radio waves in the area. The ID is acquired, and the local time setting corresponding to the area ID is performed by the ID control table 673. That is, when setting the local time, it is necessary to access the large-sized map data 672 as described above. In the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment, even if the current position is acquired, if there is no possibility that the current position is an area having a different area ID from the position where the local time was set most recently, the local time is set. By not updating the map data 672, the access frequency to the map data 672 is reduced.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the update condition of the local time setting.
Here, the linear distance (straight line moving distance D; predetermined moving distance) between the current position P and the reference position (initial position P0) set in the latest local time and the initial position P0 from the initial position P0 are set. Compared with the shortest distance Dr to the regional boundary B1 (set boundary) of the range (region) to which the local time setting according to the included regional ID is applied, while the linear movement distance D is less than the shortest distance Dr, It is determined that there is no possibility of moving to an area with a different area ID.

The linear movement distance D is determined by the angle δ formed by the two points with respect to the center of the earth based on the latitude and longitude of the two points and the radius R of the earth (approximately uniform, that is, the ground surface can be regarded as a spherical surface). It can be calculated as = Rδ. Alternatively, when the angle δ between the two points is sufficiently small, the linear movement distance D (= sqrt (= sqrt) is the sum of the distance Dθ in the latitude direction according to the orthogonal latitude difference and the distance Dφ in the longitude direction according to the longitude difference. Dθ ² + Dφ ² )) may be obtained. For example, if areas are defined on the equator to be 200 meters wide in the latitude and longitude directions, the width of each area will be 200 meters wide in the latitude direction regardless of latitude, and in the longitude direction. , It becomes narrower according to cos θ according to the latitude θ. Therefore, the distance Dθ is obtained as the number of areas between the two points multiplied by the width of 200 meters, and the distance Dφ is obtained as the number of areas between the two points multiplied by the width (200 × cosθ) meters. The value of latitude θ in this case can be appropriately set to the latitude or average value of any of the two points.

The shortest distance Dr is similarly obtained according to the angle difference with respect to the center of the earth if the regional boundary position PB having the shortest distance from the initial position P0 is obtained. For example, by reading the adjacency flag in each area on a substantially circle (equidistant) centered on the initial position P0 and expanding the radius of the circle if it is not adjacent, the regional boundary closest to the initial position P0 The location PB is identified.
At this time, it is not always possible to specify which side (vertex) of the area is the regional boundary only from the adjacent flag of each area, and it is also indicated at which point within the range of each area the regional boundary is located. Therefore, it is preferable to obtain the shortest distance Dr so that it is always smaller than the accurate value while referring to the adjacent flag of the surrounding area as necessary. That is, the shortest distance Dr (reference lower limit distance) obtained here is a value less than the actual accurate shortest distance.

It should be noted that selecting a substantially circular area for the lattice arrangement in the latitude / longitude direction is a little complicated and leads to a decrease in processing speed, so an adjacency flag is set within a certain width range (adjacent flag is set). An area (which is "1") may be searched to detect a plurality of candidate points, and if necessary, the distance may be actually calculated and the smallest one may be set as the shortest distance Dr.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the module control unit 52 of the local time setting update process executed by the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.

This local time setting update process is started and continuously executed when the module control unit 52 is started by the host control unit 41 and an execution command is acquired, and a predetermined operation related to the end command is performed by the operation reception unit 61. Is detected, and it ends at that point. The program 671 related to the local time setting update process is read from the ROM 67 every time, or is initially read once and stored in the storage unit 53, and is read from the storage unit 53 from the second time onward, or at the beginning. It may be installed in the storage unit 53 and read from.
When the local time setting update process is started, the module control unit 52 (module CPU 521) starts the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 (module control unit 52) and performs initial setting (step S101). The module control unit 52 sets the current date and time in UTC date and time based on the date and time information acquired from the host control unit 41, and starts the counting operation (step S102).

The module control unit 52 activates the reception unit 51 to start the operation of receiving satellite radio waves from the positioning satellite (step S103). When the module control unit 52 captures radio waves from the required number of positioning satellites and starts tracking and acquiring the signal, the module control unit 52 acquires the content of the signal (position information acquisition step, position information acquisition means). ), The current position P and the current date and time are identified based on the acquired contents (current position acquisition step, current position acquisition means) (step S104). Further, the module control unit 52 sets the identified current position P as the initial position P0.

The module control unit 52 acquires the local time setting according to the identified current position P (step S105; setting acquisition step, setting acquisition means). The module control unit 52 refers to the map data 672 to acquire the area ID in the area including the identified current position P, and refers to the ID control table 673 to execute the time zone and daylight saving time corresponding to the area ID. Acquire rules and standard radio waves to be received. The acquired local time setting is also output to the host CPU 411 at an appropriate timing, and the host CPU 411 stores the setting as the local time setting information 422. Further, the host CPU 411 may cause the notification operation unit 63 to perform a predetermined notification operation when the local time setting is changed.

The module control unit 52 calculates the shortest distance Dr from the initial position P0 to the regional boundary position PB set at the local time (step S106; shortest distance acquisition step, shortest distance acquisition means). The module control unit 52 acquires the latitude ID, longitude ID, and adjacent flag of each area within the range of the area in which the acquired area ID is set, and the area boundary closest to the current position P according to the adjacent flag. The position PB is searched and the distance to the position is calculated. When it is difficult to identify the regional boundary position PB of the shortest distance, the distances to a plurality of candidate positions are calculated respectively, and the smallest one is defined as the shortest distance Dr.

The module control unit 52 waits until a predetermined time elapses from the previous identification of the current position P, if necessary, then performs a process related to the identification of the next current position, and updates the information of the current position P (step S107). ). If there is a time from the previous current position identification (positioning completion) to the resumption of positioning, the module control unit 52 may temporarily stop the operation of the receiving unit 51.

The module control unit 52 calculates the linear movement distance D between the updated current position P and the initial position P0 (step S108). The module control unit 52 determines whether or not the calculated linear movement distance D is equal to or greater than the above-mentioned shortest distance Dr (step S109). If it is determined that the distance is not greater than or equal to the shortest distance Dr (“NO” in step S109), the process of the module control unit 52 returns to step S107.

If it is determined that the distance is greater than or equal to the shortest distance Dr (“YES” in step S109), the module control unit 52 identifies the area including the current position P last time (most recently) and sets the local time. It is determined whether or not the predetermined reference lower limit time or more has elapsed (step S110). For this reference lower limit time, for example, when the positioning accuracy is low, the current position P acquired near the regional boundary changes significantly, and the local time setting changes at a frequency that is not actually possible (going back and forth between the regional boundaries). ) Is to prevent. If it is determined that the elapse has not occurred (“NO” in step S110), the process of the module control unit 52 returns to step S107. If it is determined that the time has passed (“YES” in step S110), the module control unit 52 refers to the map data 672, identifies the area including the current position P, and uses the ID control table 673. Local time setting is performed based on the area ID of the identified area (step S111). Further, the module control unit 52 sets the current position as a new initial position P0 (step S112). Then, the process of the module control unit 52 returns to step S106.

As described above, the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 as the local time setting acquisition device according to the electronic clock 1 of the first embodiment has the reception unit 51 that acquires the information related to the current position and the reception unit 51 that acquires information related to the current position in each predetermined range around the world. A ROM 67 for storing the local time setting related to the time difference from the UTC date and time in each divided area and a module control unit 52 are provided, and the module control unit 52 calculates the current position based on the reception signal by the reception unit 51. , The local time setting of the area including the calculated current position is acquired from the map data 672 of the ROM 67, and based on the information stored in the map data 672, the current position is set as the initial position P0, and the initial position P0 and the acquisition are obtained. Acquire the reference lower limit distance Dr or less of the shortest distance Dr or less with the regional boundary B1 of the area to which the set local time setting is applied, and the predetermined movement distance D from the initial position P0 is equal to or more than the reference lower limit distance (here, the shortest distance Dr). Until, the local time setting is not newly acquired.
In this way, while measuring the movement distance from the current position P or the initial position P0 in substantially real time or at an appropriate interval, if the movement beyond the distance where the local time setting can be changed is not measured, the configuration of the local time setting is set. By not doing so, processing related to unnecessary local time setting update, that is, local time setting without a large time lag when it may be necessary to update local time setting while reducing the frequency of access to map data 672. Since it is possible to update the date and time, it is possible to use and display (make) the date and time by setting the local time according to the current position while avoiding an excessive processing load and power consumption. As a result, the battery life can be increased without degrading the accuracy of the local time setting, and the influence of the excessive processing load on other processing can be reduced.

Further, the module control unit 52 includes a receiving unit 51 that receives radio waves from the positioning satellite, and the module control unit 52 acquires the current position by performing a positioning calculation using the signal acquired from the received radio waves.
As a result, information on the current position and date and time can be easily and appropriately acquired by a single operation process over a wide area on the earth, so that the reception area of radio waves is restricted, and the reception frequency and operation process are processed depending on the reception area. It is possible to properly acquire the local time setting without switching the contents of.

Further, the module control unit 52 calculates a linear distance between the initial position P0 and the most recently acquired current position P, and sets it as a comparison target with the shortest distance Dr. That is, when the user makes a round trip or a round trip within a narrow range, unnecessary access to the map data 672 is suppressed by more appropriately reflecting the positional relationship between the current position P and the regional boundary B1. Can be done.

Further, in the map data 672 of the ROM 67, reference information for obtaining the shortest distance Dr between each area and the area boundary B1, here, the adjacent flag is stored and held for each area. As a result, it is possible to know whether or not each area is in contact with the area boundary B1 without comparing adjacent area IDs, so that it is possible to reduce the time and effort required to calculate the shortest distance Dr to the area boundary B1.

Further, in particular, by holding only the adjacent flag indicating whether or not each area touches the area boundary, a small data size, here, 2 bits of additional information per area is required, so that the map is originally large. It does not increase the size of data 672 even further.

Further, the module control unit 52 acquires the position information and the adjacent flag for each area in the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied, and calculates the shortest distance Dr. That is, since the necessary information of the area required for calculating the shortest distance Dr is read into the memory 522 and processed, the number of accesses to the map data 672 is not increased more than necessary even when calculating the shortest distance Dr, and the memory 522 The shortest distance Dr can be calculated at a higher speed based on the stored data.

Further, the map data 672 stored in the ROM 67 is compressed and stored by a predetermined algorithm. That is, each time it is accessed, it must be decompressed and expanded to acquire the necessary data. Therefore, by reducing the access frequency to the map data 672, the processing time, the processing load, and the power consumption related to the processing can be significantly reduced.

Further, the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment displays the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 and ROM 67 as the above-mentioned local time setting acquisition device, a timekeeping circuit 48 for counting the current date and time, and at least the time based on the current date and time. The module control unit 52 and the host control unit 41 include the display unit 62, and can convert the current date and time into the local time according to the current position based on the acquired local time setting. As a result, the electronic clock 1 can appropriately display the local time according to the current position according to the movement of the user while suppressing the power consumption without applying an excessive load more than necessary.

Further, by using the above-mentioned local time setting acquisition method, the process related to the update of the local time setting is not performed more than necessary, that is, the update of the local time setting can be performed while reducing the frequency of access to the map data 672. Local time settings can be updated without a large time lag if needed. Therefore, it is possible to use and display (make) the date and time by setting the local time according to the current position while avoiding an excessive processing load and power consumption.

Further, by installing and executing the program 671 related to the local time setting update process in the ROM 67, the current position can be easily prevented while preventing an excessive processing load and power consumption in the computer of the local time setting device (electronic clock 1). It is possible to use and display (make) the date and time by setting the local time according to.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the electronic clock of the second embodiment will be described.
The configuration of the electronic clock 1 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the electronic clock 1 of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted assuming that the same reference numerals are used.

Next, the local time setting operation in the electronic clock 1 of the second embodiment will be described.
In this electronic clock 1, the operation detection by the geomagnetic sensor 64, the acceleration sensor 65, and the barometric pressure sensor 66 is performed without receiving the radio wave from the positioning satellite and performing the positioning calculation based on the acquired signal except for the timing of setting the local time. Only the amount of movement is estimated based on this.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the module control unit 52 of the local time setting update process executed by the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.
In this local time setting update process, the process of steps S107 to S109 is replaced with the process of steps S107a to S109a with respect to the local time setting update process executed by the electronic clock 1 of the first embodiment, and steps S121 to S123. It is the same except that the processing of the above is added, and the same processing contents are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Following the process in step S106, the module control unit 52 stops the reception operation by the reception unit 51 (step S121). The module control unit 52 acquires the measurement data of the geomagnetic sensor 64, the acceleration sensor 65, and the barometric pressure sensor 66 as needed, and detects the motion state of the electronic clock 1, that is, the motion state of the user who wears the electronic clock 1. To do. As a method for detecting an exercise state, a conventionally well-known method for discriminating a walking state, a running state, or a moving state by various means of transportation such as a bicycle, a car, or a railroad is used by using a unique time change pattern according to the type of exercise. Can be done. Further, the module control unit 52 calculates the movement amount (estimated movement amount) at predetermined time intervals by various methods according to the determined movement state, and calculates the estimated current position by adding the movement amount to the initial position. (Step S107a). The estimated current position may include a directional component, or may simply be an integrated value of the movement amount of the scalar value when the accuracy of the directional component is insufficient.

The module control unit 52 calculates the estimated distance between the initial position and the estimated current position (that is, the estimated integrated movement amount) (step S108a), and the estimated distance (predetermined movement distance) is the shortest distance calculated in step S106. It is determined whether or not it is Dr or more (step S109a). If it is determined that the distance is not greater than or equal to the shortest distance Dr (“NO” in step S109a), the process of the module control unit 52 returns to step S107a. If it is determined that the distance is equal to or greater than the shortest distance Dr (“YES” in step S107a), the process of the module control unit 52 proceeds to step S110.

If it is determined in the determination process of step S110 that a predetermined lower limit reference time or more has elapsed since the previous local time setting (“YES” in step S110), the module control unit 52 is determined by the reception unit 51. The reception operation is restarted (step S122), and the current position is identified based on the acquired signal (step S123). Then, the process of the module control unit 52 shifts to step S111.

As described above, the local time setting acquisition device (satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 and ROM 67) and the electronic clock 1 of the second embodiment are motion measurement units that measure the motion state of the own machine, that is, the geomagnetic sensor 64, acceleration. A sensor 65 and a pressure sensor 66 are provided, and the module control unit 52 estimates from the initial position P0 by adding an estimated movement amount calculated at predetermined time intervals based on the motion state measured by the motion measurement unit. The integrated movement amount (estimated distance) is calculated, and when the estimated integrated movement amount becomes the reference lower limit distance (shortest distance Dr) or more, the receiving unit 51 is made to receive the radio wave from the positioning satellite and acquire the signal. In this way, by estimating the amount of movement by autonomous navigation without receiving radio waves from the positioning satellite, unnecessary access to map data 672 and updating of local time settings can be performed while further reducing power consumption. It can be suppressed.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, the electronic clock 1 of the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a chart showing an example of the contents of the ID control table 673 included in the electronic clock 1 of the third embodiment.

In the electronic clock 1 of the third embodiment, in the ID control table 673, the range of latitude and longitude including the area of the area ID is stored in association with each area ID. Thereby, when the data of each area corresponding to the area ID is extracted in the process of step S106, the target range for determining whether or not the area is the area of the area ID can be limited.

When the discrimination range of the area of the area ID is sufficiently limited in this way, the area of the area ID different from the area ID of the current position in the discrimination range is extracted and extracted instead of the area of the area ID. The shortest distance Dr may be calculated based on the distance between the area closest to the current position and the current position.

As described above, in the electronic clock 1 (local time setting acquisition device) of the third embodiment, the ROM 67 obtains the shortest distance Dr between each area and the regional boundary in the ID control table 673 in addition to the map data 672. The latitude / longitude range of the area is stored as the reference information of.
As a result, when calculating the shortest distance Dr, the data range to be read from the map data 672 can be limited, so that the amount of data read (the amount of access to the map data 672) and the amount of processing can be further reduced.

[Fourth and fifth embodiments]
Next, the electronic clock 1 of the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a chart showing the contents of the map data 672 in the electronic clock 1 of the fourth embodiment and the fifth embodiment.
In the electronic clock 1 of the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8A, a 3-bit adjacent flag (reference information) is set after the latitude ID and the longitude ID for each area, and the first bit is the regional boundary. The presence or absence of proximity to B1 is indicated, and the second and third bits indicate the direction of the region boundary position PB closest to each area in north, south, east, and west (EWSN). Although it is described here with four letters of the EWSN alphabet, it may be associated with any of the two-bit values.

As a result, the size of the map data 672 increases by 1 bit per area, but when calculating the shortest distance Dr in the process of step S106 of the local time setting update process, a search for identifying the nearest regional boundary position PB is performed. Since the number of areas is greatly reduced, the processing load and required time are reduced.
If the size of the map data 672 cannot be increased, only the north and south may be represented by one bit. The true east and the true west are also set to be classified as either north or south.

Alternatively, in the map data 672, when the north, south, east, and west directions are held by 2 bits without providing the adjacent flag of the first bit, and the data of the target range is read from the map data 672 of the ROM 67 to the memory 522 in the process of step S106. In addition, the adjacency flag may be generated by referring to the area ID.

Further, in the electronic clock 1 of the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8B, following the latitude ID and the longitude ID for each area, the value of the shortest distance Dr itself is used instead of the adjacent flag. It is retained as reference information related to. The value of the shortest distance Dr may be an approximate value within a range that does not exceed the actual value depending on the number of available bits.
As a result, the data capacity for holding the shortest distance Dr increases, but the calculation of the shortest distance Dr is omitted in the process of step S106 in the local time setting update process, and this value is directly acquired with a low load and in a short time. Can be done.

As described above, in the electronic clock 1 (local time setting acquisition device) of the fourth embodiment, the map data 672 shows the positional relationship between the two as reference information for obtaining the shortest distance Dr between each area and the regional boundary. Since the information is included, the processing time and load for calculating the shortest distance Dr can be greatly reduced, especially when the area to which the local time setting related to the acquired area ID is applied is wide.

Further, in the electronic clock 1 (local time setting acquisition device) of the fifth embodiment, the shortest distance Dr itself from each area to the regional boundary is stored as reference information in the map data 672, so that the shortest distance Dr is stored. The shortest distance Dr is acquired in a short time with almost no processing load without the need for calculation processing, and based on this, the local time setting is updated at times other than necessary, that is, access to map data 672 is performed. It can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the above embodiment, when the shortest distance Dr is obtained, the adjacent flags are searched substantially concentrically from the initial position P0, but the present invention is not limited to this. The search is simply performed in the order of arrangement, or in the longitude and latitude directions, and the shortest distance Dr is identified when the area of the shortest distance Dr, which is smaller than the minimum distance obtained on the way, is no longer the search target. You may.

Further, in the above embodiment, the map data 672 of the ROM 67, the ID control table 673, and the like are provided separately from the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50, but the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 50 and the ROM 67 may be integrally formed. Further, these map data 672 and the ID control table 673 may be stored in the storage unit 53.

Further, in the above embodiment, in the process of step S106, all the data of the area of the same area ID is searched, but only the area of the same area ID and the adjacent flag is set is detected. By doing so, the number of areas to be read from the ROM 67 to the memory 522 can be significantly reduced, and the shortest distance Dr can be more easily obtained by sequentially determining the distance to the read area. ..

Further, in the electronic clock 1 of the second embodiment, the update condition of the local time setting is that the estimated distance becomes the shortest distance or more in the process of step S109a, but the current position is identified by the determination process of step S123. At that time, the distance between the current position and the reference position may be further calculated, and if the calculated distance is not equal to or greater than the shortest distance, the process of step S111 may not proceed. In this case, the estimated distance is obtained by adding the subsequent movement amount to the calculated distance at this time.

Further, in the above embodiment, the shortest distance Dr to the regional boundary is calculated even if it is an approximation, but the movement can be performed within a predetermined time (for example, one day) depending on the usage situation (for example, walking only). When the regional boundary is not detected within the range of the almost unexpected distance (for example, 50 km), the distance (here, 50 km) is set as the reference lower limit distance, and the distance is set every predetermined time (once a day). ) May be updated with the conventional local time setting.

Further, in the above embodiment, the current position is acquired by receiving the radio wave from the positioning satellite, but the current position is acquired by another method in which the current position can be obtained independently of the local time setting. May be possible.

Further, in the above embodiment, a wristwatch that can be worn on the wrist by a user by a band has been described as an example, but various portable electronic watches that are stored in a pocket, a bag, or the like may be used, or an automobile. It may be a table clock placed in the car or the like.

Further, the above-mentioned local time setting acquisition device may be used for an electronic device other than an electronic device whose main purpose is to function as a clock. For example, it is used for a mobile communication device having a timekeeping function, an activity meter, a pedometer, or the like. You may. Further, the electronic device itself may be an electronic device that outputs the local time setting to another electronic device without having a time measuring function.

Further, in the above description, ROM 67 which can include a non-volatile memory as a computer-readable medium of the operation processing program 671 such as the local time setting update processing related to the processing operation of the module control unit 52 according to the present invention is taken as an example. However, it is not limited to this. As other computer-readable media, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD discs can be applied. A carrier wave is also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing data of a program according to the present invention via a communication line.
In addition, specific details such as the configuration, control contents, and procedures shown in the above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.
The inventions described in the claims originally attached to the application of this application are added below. The item number of the claim described in the appendix is the scope of the claims originally attached to the application of this application.

[Additional Notes]
<Claim 1>
The location information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the current location,
A storage unit that stores the local time setting related to the time difference from the predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides the world into predetermined ranges.
Control unit and
With
The control unit
Acquire the current position based on the information related to the current position,
The local time setting of the area including the acquired current position is acquired from the storage unit, and is obtained.
Based on the information stored in the storage unit, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. ,
A local time setting acquisition device, characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance.
<Claim 2>
The position information acquisition unit includes a satellite radio wave receiving unit that receives radio waves from a positioning satellite.
The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires a current position by performing a positioning calculation using a signal acquired from a received radio wave.
<Claim 3>
The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit calculates a linear distance between the reference position and the most recently acquired current position as the predetermined movement distance.
<Claim 4>
Equipped with a motion measurement unit that measures the motion state of the aircraft
The control unit calculates the predetermined movement distance by adding the estimated movement amount calculated at predetermined time intervals based on the movement state measured by the movement measurement unit, and the predetermined movement distance is calculated. The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the reference lower limit distance or more is reached, the position information acquisition unit acquires information related to the current position.
<Claim 5>
The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage unit stores reference information for obtaining the shortest distance between each area and the setting boundary.
<Claim 6>
The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 5, wherein the reference information includes adjacent information indicating whether or not each of the regions touches the setting boundary.
<Claim 7>
The region according to claim 6, wherein the control unit acquires the position information about each area in the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied and the adjacent information, and calculates the shortest distance. Time setting acquisition device.
<Claim 8>
The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the data stored in the storage unit is compressed and stored by a predetermined algorithm.
<Claim 9>
The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
A timekeeping section that counts the current time,
A display unit that displays the time based on the current time, and
With
The control unit is an electronic clock characterized in that the current time is converted into a local time according to the current position based on the local time setting acquired by the local time setting acquisition device.
<Claim 10>
It is a local time setting acquisition method of a local time setting acquisition device provided with a storage unit for storing the local time setting related to the time difference from a predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides various parts of the world into predetermined ranges.
Location information acquisition step to acquire information related to the current location,
The current position acquisition step of acquiring the current position based on the information related to the current position,
Setting acquisition step of acquiring the local time setting of the area including the acquired current position from the storage unit,
Based on the information stored in the storage unit, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. Shortest distance acquisition step,
Including
In the setting acquisition step, a local time setting acquisition method is characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance.
<Claim 11>
Computer,
Location information acquisition means for acquiring information related to the current location,
Current position acquisition means for acquiring the current position based on the information related to the current position,
A storage means for storing local time settings related to the time difference from a predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides various parts of the world into predetermined ranges.
Setting acquisition means for acquiring the local time setting of the area including the acquired current position from the storage means,
Based on the information stored by the storage means, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. Shortest distance acquisition means,
To function as
The setting acquisition means is a program characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance.

1 Electronic clock 40 Microcomputer 41 Host control unit 411 Host CPU
412 RAM
422 Local time setting information 46 Oscillation circuit 47 Division circuit 48 Timekeeping circuit 50 Satellite radio wave reception processing unit 51 Reception unit 52 Module control unit 521 Module CPU
522 Memory 53 Storage unit 61 Operation reception unit 62 Display unit 63 Notification operation unit 64 Geomagnetic sensor 65 Acceleration sensor 66 Atmospheric pressure sensor 67 ROM
671 Program 672 Map data 673 ID control table 70 Power supply unit 71 Battery A1 Antenna B1 Regional boundary D Linear movement distance Dr Shortest distance P Current position PB Regional boundary position P0 Initial position

Claims (11)

The location information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the current location,
A storage unit that stores the local time setting related to the time difference from the predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides the world into predetermined ranges.
Control unit and
With
The control unit
Acquire the current position based on the information related to the current position,
The local time setting of the area including the acquired current position is acquired from the storage unit, and is obtained.
Based on the information stored in the storage unit, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. ,
A local time setting acquisition device, characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance. The position information acquisition unit includes a satellite radio wave receiving unit that receives radio waves from a positioning satellite.
The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit acquires a current position by performing a positioning calculation using a signal acquired from a received radio wave. The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit calculates a linear distance between the reference position and the most recently acquired current position as the predetermined movement distance. Equipped with a motion measurement unit that measures the motion state of the aircraft
The control unit calculates the predetermined movement distance by adding the estimated movement amount calculated at predetermined time intervals based on the movement state measured by the movement measurement unit, and the predetermined movement distance is calculated. The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the reference lower limit distance or more is reached, the position information acquisition unit acquires information related to the current position. The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage unit stores reference information for obtaining the shortest distance between each area and the setting boundary. The local time setting acquisition device according to claim 5, wherein the reference information includes adjacent information indicating whether or not each of the regions touches the setting boundary. The region according to claim 6, wherein the control unit acquires the position information about each area in the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied and the adjacent information, and calculates the shortest distance. Time setting acquisition device. The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the data stored in the storage unit is compressed and stored by a predetermined algorithm. The local time setting acquisition device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
A timekeeping section that counts the current time,
A display unit that displays the time based on the current time, and
With
The control unit is an electronic clock characterized in that the current time is converted into a local time according to the current position based on the local time setting acquired by the local time setting acquisition device. It is a local time setting acquisition method of a local time setting acquisition device provided with a storage unit for storing the local time setting related to the time difference from a predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides various parts of the world into predetermined ranges.
Location information acquisition step to acquire information related to the current location,
The current position acquisition step of acquiring the current position based on the information related to the current position,
Setting acquisition step of acquiring the local time setting of the area including the acquired current position from the storage unit,
Based on the information stored in the storage unit, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. Shortest distance acquisition step,
Including
In the setting acquisition step, a local time setting acquisition method is characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance. Computer,
Location information acquisition means for acquiring information related to the current location,
Current position acquisition means for acquiring the current position based on the information related to the current position,
A storage means for storing local time settings related to the time difference from a predetermined reference date and time in each area that divides various parts of the world into predetermined ranges.
Setting acquisition means for acquiring the local time setting of the area including the acquired current position from the storage means,
Based on the information stored by the storage means, the reference lower limit distance equal to or less than the shortest distance between the reference position and the set boundary of the area to which the acquired local time setting is applied is acquired with the current position as the reference position. Shortest distance acquisition means,
To function as
The setting acquisition means is a program characterized in that a new local time setting is not acquired until a predetermined moving distance from the reference position becomes equal to or greater than the reference lower limit distance.

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