GB2209233A

GB2209233A - Method and circuit for controlling a digital timepiece using one button

Info

Publication number: GB2209233A
Application number: GB8820443A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Young-Sik Kim; Won-Chung Cho
Original assignee: Samsung Semiconductor and Telecomunications Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Semiconductor and Telecomunications Co Ltd
Priority date: 1987-08-27
Filing date: 1988-08-30
Publication date: 1989-05-04
Anticipated expiration: 2008-08-30
Also published as: KR890004218A; GB8820443D0; HK57892A; JPH01131485A; GB2209233B; SG107691G

Abstract

A method of controlling the adjustment mode conversion and the number increment in the adjustment mode of a digital liquid crystal timepiece, the method employing the operation of one button. Selection is made between an hour/minute adjustment mode and a month/day adjustment mode in accordance with the input condition of a switch operated by the button in the normal condition, and the number is increased in proportion to the input time of said switch in the selected adjustment mode. The normal mode is restored automatically when said switch does not input for more than a given time in the adjustment mode.

Description

METHOD AND CIRCUIT FOR CONTROLLING A DIGITAL TIMEPIECE BY USING ONE BUTTON The present invention relates to a method and a circuit for controlling a digital timepiece using one button, and particularly, enables the two functions of mode conversion and number increment to be performed by operating one switch.

A conventional digital liquid crystal timepiece has two or more switches, one of them being a switch to change the adjustment mode between minute, hour, date or month adjustment, the other being a switch to increment the displayed number indicating the minute, hour, date or month in the respective adjustment mode.

Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings is a block diagram of the major circuit components of the known digital liquid crystal timepiece having both a mode conversion switch and a number increment switch, Fig.

4 being a flow chart illustrating the method of controlling the circuit of Fig. 3. According to the flow chart of Fig. 4, the method of controlling the known digital liquid crystal timepiece of Fig. 3 is described as follows.

The mode conversion switch (SW1) is operable to change the adjustment mode of minute, hour, date or month, once for each mode change in the normal display condition, the conversion being made sequentially to month adjustment mode, date adjustment mode, hour adjustment mode, minute adjustment mode. In the normal display condition, the hour and minute are displayed in display window and the colon between the hour and minute flickers every second, whereby in this normal display condition the flow of time is represented in a lifelike manner.

When the normal display condition is converted to one for an adjustment mode by the mode conversion switch (SW1), the number to be adjusted flickers, then if the number increment switch (SW2) is operated, the flickering number is incremented according to the number of operations of the switch SW2 or is incremented rapidly in proportion to the duration of the switch operation if such operation is maintained for a long time.

The month, date, hour, minute of the known digital liquid crystal timepiece can be adjusted as desired by the above method. When adjustment has been completed, the normal display condition is restored by depressing the mode conversion switch (SW1).

On the other hand, Fig. 4 illustrates an example of the method of controlling the known digital liquid crystal timepiece. The sequence of conversion between the adjustment modes may be different from Fig. 4, and one or more other adjustment functions may be inserted or substituted for existing functions. For example, an adjustment function for a displayed day of the week may be inserted and then the number increment switch (SW2) increments a sequence of letters representing the days of the week.

If the digital liquid crystal timepiece is arranged to operate according to the above method of control at least two switches are necessary.

The present invention aims to simplify the arrangement of the digital liquid crystal timepiece by allowing the two functions of mode conversion and number increment to be performed with one switch.

The present invention also aims to provide a convenient switching operation for instantly converting between the adjustment modes and for number increment.

According to the invention there is provided a method for controlling an adjustment mode conversion and for increasing a number in an adjustment mode of a digital timepiece, comprising the steps of; selecting an hour/minute adjustment mode or a month/date adjustment mode in accordance with the input condition of the switch at a normal display condition of the timepiece; increasing the number in proportion to the input time of said switch at the selected adjustment mode; and converting to the normal mode automatically when said switch is not inputted for more than a given time at said adjustment mode.

According to the invention there is also provided a control circuit for adjusting a digital time display in a timepiece wherein the circuit is responsive to the operation of a manually operable element of the timepiece to select between a plurality of adjustment modes associated with respective different time quantities, and wherein once a said mode has been selected, the circuit is responsive to further operation of the same said element to adjust the associated time quantity.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which; Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the digital liquid crystal timepiece adapted to provide mode conversion and number increment using one switch, according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is the flow chart illustrating the control method for performing mode conversion and number increment by operating the digital liquid crystal timepiece with one switch, according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is the block diagram of a known digital liquid crystal timepiece which has two switches, respectively, for performing mode conversion and number increment; and Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the known control method to perform mode conversion and number increase using two switches.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the block diagram Fig. 1 and the flow chart Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, numeral 100 designates an oscillator outputting 215 Hz, number 101 designates a 15 stage divider to perform a 15 stage division of the215 Hz signal and thus produce from its final stage an output of 1Hz. Numeral 103 designates a mode setting circuit selecting one of two advance selectors 108, 109 according to the switch (SW1) input signal, numeral 104 designates a normal mode return circuit, numeral 107 designates a switched frequency selection circuit, which outputs different frequencies selected according to the input condition of switch (SW1) from the inputted 4Hz and 32Hz output signals from the 15 stage divider 101.

Numerals 110, 111, and 112 designate counters for calculating each second, minute/hour, date/month, and numeral 116 designates a decoder for illustrating numbers or letters through a display window.

Fig. 2 represents briefly, the operation of the block diagram of Fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention.

The control method in accordance with the present invention adjusts the digital liquid crystal timepiece illustrated by the block diagram of Fig. 1, with one switch (SW1). A description of the control method follows.

First, the second counter (110) counts the output signal F1 of 15 stage divider (101) in the normal condition in which switch (SWl) is not operated.

When the second counter 110 counts 60, the carry signal is input to the minute/hour counter (111) to increment the minute count. If the minute counter counts 60, the hour counter is incremented. If the hour counter counts 24, the carry signal is then input into the date/month counter (112); if the date counter increments and counts up to a designated number, the months counter is incremented. The said date/month counter (112) is connected to a decoder (117), which generates the carry signal to increment the month count according to the output of date counter, when the date counter registers 31 for Jan., Mar., May, July, Aug., Oct., Dec., 30 for Apr., June, Sep., Nov., and 28 for Feb.

There will now be described the operation whereby input switch (SW1) converts the adjustment mode.

First of all, when the switch SW1 is inputted, its pulse is inputted to the mode setting circuit 103 through the debouncing circuit (102), and mode setting circuit 103 designates one of the advance selectors 108, 109 according to the time the switch SW1 is pushed. That is, if switch SW1 is inputted once and the input condition is held continuously for more than three seconds, the advance selector 108 is designated and selects the minute/hour adjustment mode, whereas if switch SW1 is inputted twice within one second, the advance selector 109 is designated and selects the day/month adjustment mode. The detection of the input time of the switch SW1 is carried out by a flipflop circuit within the mode setting circuit.

The output signal of the mode setting circuit 103 thus designates one of the said two adjustment modes and also enables the frequency selection circuit 107 through OR gate 105.

If switch SW1 is now inputted, the output signal of the frequency selection circuit (107) is applied to the present designated advance selector. Then, at the frequency selection circuit (107) the output signal is changed according to the input signal of the switch (SW1). If one pushes the switch (SWl) intermittently, the pulse is outputted intermittently and applies the number increment signal to the minute/hour counter (111) or date/month counter (112) through the designated advance selector.

If one pushes the switch (SW1) between two to four seconds continuously, the frequency selection circuit (107) increments the number in the present adjustment mode by outputting the 4Hz frequency inputted from the F4 stage of the 15 stage divider (101). If one pushes the switch (SW1) for more than five seconds continuously, the frequency selection circuit (107) increments the number of the present adjustment mode by outputting the 32Hz frequency inputted from the F32 stage of the 15 stage divider (101).

Therefore, if the present adjustment mode is the minute/hour adjustment mode selected, as described earlier by operating the switch (SW1) for more than three seconds in the normal display condition, the output signal of the advance selector (108) is inputted to minute/hour counter (111) and increments the displayed minute number; if this minute number increases so that the carry occurs, the hour number is increased.

On the other hand, the output signal of the mode setting circuit (103) which designates either the minute/hour adjustment mode or the date/month adjustment mode, is also inputted to AND gate (106), and causes the displayed number in the display window to flicker through the decoder (116) in accordance with the frequency (Fx) of the order of a few Hz.

That is, the number displayed through the display window in the normal condition does not flicker, but the displayed number flickers in the adjustment mode.

On the other hand, the three state buffers (113, 114) and inverter (115) constituted to input selectively the output signal from the minute/hour counter (111), the date/month counter (112) to the decoder (116) are controlled by the output signal of the mode setting circuit (103). If the switch (SW1) does not provide an input for more than eight to nine seconds in the adjustment mode, the normal condition restore circuit (104) automatically resets the mode setting circuit (103) so as to restore the normal mode automatically. After the normal mode has been thus restored, if one inputs the switch (SW1) once, the second counter (110) is reset and is able to set the time correctly at the adjusted condition, and does not convert back to the adjustment mode. That is, second counter (110) is always reset every time the switch (SW1) is inputted once in the normal condition.

According to the above described method of controlling a digital liquid crystal timepiece, it is possible to achieve the conversion of the adjustment mode of the liquid crystal timepiece and also the number increment operation using a single switch.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an adjustment mode conversion and for increasing a number in an adjustment mode of a digital timepiece, comprising the steps of: selecting an hour/minute adjustment mode or a month/date adjustment mode in accordance with the input condition of the switch at a normal display condition of the timepiece; increasing the number in proportion to the input time of said switch at the selected adjustment mode; and converting to the normal mode automatically when said switch is not inputted for more than a given time at said adjustment mode.

2. A control circuit for adjusting a digital time display in a timepiece wherein the circuit is responsive to the operation of a manually operable element of the timepiece to select between a plurality of adjustment modes associated with respective different time quantities, and wherein once a said mode has been selected, the circuit is responsive to further operation of the same said element to adjust the associated time quantity.

3. A control circuit according to Claim 2 wherein the control circuit is responsive to inoperation of said element for a predetermined period following selection of a said adjustment mode to restore the timepiece to normal time display.

4. A method for controlling an adjustment mode conversion and for increasing a number in an adjustment mode of a digital timepiece, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A control circuit for adjusting a digital time display in a timepiece, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.