JP2000292571A - Time zone-outputting device and time zone-outputting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate an output that matches a natural rhythm changing, depending on seasons and locations of each time zone being used for the performance or the like of such artificial environment as a fountain and environmental music by equipping a means or the like for inputting the latitude data of a location concerned. SOLUTION: The device for outputting a time zone such as morning/afternoon and morning/daytime/evening/night according to a location for use and a day is composed of, for example a latitude data-inputting means 13, a calendar means 11 for outputting a year, a month, a date and the like, a means 12 for storing sunrise and sunset time, and a time zone-outputting means 14. Then, the means 12 for storing sunrise and sunset time receives latitude data from a current data/latitude data-inputting means from the calendar means 11, and selects and outputs those that match out of the sunrise/sunset data for each latitude being retained. By receiving the data, the time zone-outputting means 14 outputs a current time zone A. The latitude data can be inputted directly or by means of a city name, a prefecture name, a zip code, an area code, or the like. Also, a GPS can be utilized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a time zone output device and a time zone output method for outputting a time zone (morning, afternoon, morning, noon, evening, night, etc.) according to a place to be used and a day. Particularly, the present invention relates to a device in which time and surrounding conditions (such as light and dark) are easily matched according to a place where the device is used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No.
As indicated in the issue,
Although there are clocks that output the time of sunrise, sunset, etc., time zones are classified based on the time of sunrise, sunset, such as morning, noon, evening, night, etc. Did not exist. Also, in the above-mentioned timepiece, as a method of inputting latitude data for specifying a place to be used, a city number to be used and longitude and latitude are input.

As a method of classifying a day into each time zone,
Classification by fixed time is also conceivable, but the method is based on seasonal and geographical conditions,
It is not possible to cope with the time of sunset, and the accompanying change in the length of day and night, resulting in a deviation from the actual time zone.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a change in the time of sunrise, sunset, and the like depending on the date and place. As can be seen from the figure, even on the same date, the difference between Sapporo and Naha is 11 minutes at sunrise time and 1 hour and 39 minutes at sunset time. A difference of 2 hours and 3 minutes occurs at the entry time. Therefore, in the morning,
If the classification is performed such as day, evening, night, etc., there is a deviation from the actual situation, such as judging morning when dawn is not dawn, or judging night even though it is still bright. Regarding the method of inputting the latitude data, in the method of directly specifying the latitude of the place to be used, it is necessary to check the latitude of the place at the time of use.

[0005]

The conventional time zone output device and time zone output method are configured as described above. In order to classify the time zone of the day, the actual state and the actual state depend on the applied geography. However, there is a problem that it is not easy to handle because it is necessary to check and input geographic information such as latitude according to the geography. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to easily input the output method of each time zone that changes depending on the season to be used and the place, and the latitude data of the place to be used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a time zone output device and method which can be performed.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time zone output device comprising: a calendar means having a calendar function for outputting a date; and a latitude for inputting latitude data of the place to the device. Data input means, sunrise / sunset time storing means for storing required sunrise / sunset time at required date / time and required latitude, date output from the calendar means, and the latitude data The latitude data input from the input means is input to the sunrise / sunset time storage means, and the sunrise / sunset at the location is output from the sunrise / sunset time storage means. A time zone output means for outputting a time zone at the place on the day based on the sunrise and sunset times with time input.

The time zone output device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a calendar means having a calendar function for outputting the date, and a latitude data input means for inputting the latitude data of the place to the apparatus. , The date output above,
Sunrise / sunset time calculating means for calculating the time of sunrise / sunset in accordance with the latitude of the location from the latitude data and the latitude data; And a time zone output means for outputting a time zone at the place on the day based on the input and the time.

In the time zone output device according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the time zone output device according to the first or second aspect, when the postal code is input, the latitude data inputting means may input the postal code. Is output.

The time zone output device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the time zone output device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the latitude data input means is configured to input an area telephone number. It outputs the latitude data corresponding to the toll telephone number.

In the time zone output device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the time zone output device according to the first or second aspect, the latitude data input means receives a name of a prefecture when the name is input. Outputs the latitude data corresponding to the prefecture name.

The time zone output device according to claim 6 of the present invention is the time zone output device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the latitude data input means is a GPS (Global Time).
Positioning System) is used to obtain latitude data.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time zone output device, comprising: clock means for holding time information; light sensing means for detecting sunrise and sunset by brightness; Means for storing the times of sunrise and sunset detected by the means; and means for storing the current time at the location on that day based on the time of sunrise and sunset on the previous day held in the storage means. Time zone output means for outputting a time zone.

[0013] The time zone output method according to claim 8 of the present invention includes a step of outputting a date, a step of outputting latitude data of the place, and a step of outputting the output date.
With reference to the latitude data and the sunrise and sunset time storage tables storing the sunrise and sunset times of each year, month and day according to the latitude of the place, the sunrise and sunrise at the place for that day are stored. The method includes a step of selecting and outputting a sunrise time, and a step of outputting the time zone of the day on the day with the output sunrise and sunrise times as inputs.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time zone output method, comprising: a step of outputting a date; a step of outputting latitude data of the place;
Calculating the time of sunrise and sunset according to the latitude of the location from the data and the latitude data; and inputting the calculated sunrise and sunset times as input to the time zone of the location on that day. Is output.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time zone output method, comprising the steps of: outputting time information; detecting sunrise and sunset by brightness; and detecting the sunrise and sunset. The method includes a step of retaining the time information of the time, and a step of outputting the time zone in the day and the relevant place with reference to the stored sunrise and sunset time before the predetermined day.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a time zone output device and an azimuth according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a time zone output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 13 denotes latitude data input means for inputting latitude data into the apparatus, 11 denotes calendar means for outputting date information such as year, month and day, and 12 denotes the calendar means 1
The sunrise / sunset time storage means 14 outputs the sunrise / sunset time on the day output by 1; the sunrise / sunset output from the sunrise / sunset time storage means 12
, And based on the time of sunrise, sunset,
Each time zone A, such as morning, noon, evening, night, etc.
Is output during the time period.

The operation will be described below. FIG. 8 shows an example of the sunrise, sunset, and time data stored in the sunrise / sunset time storage unit 12. The data structure in FIG. 8 is based on latitude data and date data,
As long as the time of sunset can be specified, it may be of a different style.

The sunrise / sunset time storage means 12 receives the current date inputted from the calendar means 11 and the latitude data inputted from the latitude data input means 13,
The data selected from the data of the sunrise and the sunrise / sunset for each latitude shown in FIG. 8 is selected and output, and in response to this, the time zone output means 14 outputs the current time zone A, that is, AM / PM. ,
Outputs information such as morning, noon, evening, and night.

As the method of inputting the latitude data, the latitude itself may be directly input. However, information such as a city name, a prefecture name, a postal code, an area telephone number, etc., which can be easily understood by the user. Is input by the user or the installer of the apparatus, thereby specifying the latitude of the place of use.

As described above, in response to the date information output from the calendar means 11 and the latitude information output from the latitude data input means 13, each of the sunrise / sunset time storage means 12 receives the date information. The corresponding data is selected from the time data of sunrise and sunset for each latitude, and the time zone information A at the current location is obtained based on this data. By such a method, it is possible to output a time zone at the current location, that is, output information such as morning / afternoon, morning / day / evening / night. Therefore, by creating artificial environments surrounding us, such as fountains, environmental music, lighting, and fragrance, according to the current time zone generated by the above devices, we realize an environment that changes in synchronization with the natural rhythm can do.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a time zone output device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that the times of sunrise, sunset, and the like are not selected from those stored in advance and used, but output by calculation.

That is, sunrise / sunset time calculating means 2
2 is a predetermined equation for the date and time of sunrise and sunset in the place, based on the date data output from the calendar means 11 and the latitude data input from the latitude data input means 13. Is output by calculation using. Other processes are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the sunrise / sunset time is obtained by calculation using the date data and the latitude data. Thus, it is not necessary to hold a large amount of data in the day and time storage means.
The size of the device can be reduced, and the amount of memory used can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a time zone output device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is that the input of latitude data is GPS (Global Positioning Sy
stem). That is, GPS
The latitude data of the place where the device 33 is used and received by the device 33 and the date data output by the calendar means 11 are stored in the sunrise / sunset time storing means 12 or the sunrise and sunrise time data shown in the second embodiment. By inputting to the sunset time calculating means 22, the time of the sunrise, sunset, and the like at that day and the place are output. Other processes are the same as those described in the above embodiments.

As described above, in the third embodiment, since the latitude data is acquired by using the GPS device 33, the latitude of the current position can be automatically inputted. By inputting the latitude to a more detailed unit as compared to 2, it is possible to output a time zone with higher accuracy.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a time zone output device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes light detecting means for sensing light and outputting a signal in accordance with the degree of light; 42, clock means for outputting the current time; and 43, storage means for storing the time.

The operation will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S50, the sunrise and sunset are detected by the light detection means 41. When the sunrise or sunset is detected, in step S51,
The clock 42 outputs the current time.

If it is determined in step S52 that the output of the light detection means 41 has changed from "ON" to "OFF" (Yes), it is determined that the time is a sunset, and the time is stored in the storage means 43. Is done. On the other hand, in step S52, the output of the light detection means 41 is "O
"OFF" instead of changing from "N" to "OFF"
Is determined to be “ON” (No), the time is determined to be the time of sunrise, and the time is stored in the storage means 43.

Then, the sunrise and sunset times are stored in the storage means 43 as described above, and the sunrise and sunset times of the previous day are input to the time zone output means 14. Automatically output a time zone A based on the time of sunrise, sunset, and so on.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment,
The light detecting means 41 is provided, and the time zone of sunrise and sunset is set by ON / OFF operation of the light detecting means, and this is used as the time zone data of the next day. The time zone data A can be obtained with a low-cost and simple configuration without using expensive and complicated hardware such as latitude data input means, calendar means, and GPS means.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 6 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a time zone output device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 61 denotes clock means for outputting current time information, and 62 denotes comparison means for receiving the output of the clock means 61 and the output of the time zone output means 14, comparing these, and outputting a comparison result. . Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 used in the first embodiment. Here, the clock means 61 and the comparison means 6
Although the example in which the second embodiment is applied to the configuration shown in the first embodiment is described, the second embodiment can be similarly applied to the configurations shown in the second to fourth embodiments.

The operation will be described below. In the time zone output device shown in FIG. 6, time zone data A output from time zone output means 14 in the configuration of the first embodiment.
And the current time data B output from the clock means 61 are input to the comparing means 62, and the current time and the time zone data are compared to output a time zone C including the current time. Become. Thus, in units of 24 hours
The time zone can be output in conjunction with the current time.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, in the time zone output device shown in the first to fourth embodiments, the clock means 61 and the comparison means 62 are provided, and the output time zone information and Since the time zone information C according to the current time is output by comparing the current time with the current time,
Time zone information centering on the current time can be obtained.

In each of the above embodiments, the latitude data input by the latitude data input means 13 is stored in the sunrise / sunset time storage means 12 or the sunrise / sunset time calculation means 22. Then, when using at the same latitude, it is sufficient to read the previously stored latitude data,
It can be used with one input without having to input the latitude data many times.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, sunrise and sunset times are received by receiving date information output from calendar means and latitude information input via latitude data input means. From the time data of sunrise and sunset for each latitude stored in the storage means, a corresponding one is selected, and the sunrise and sunset times are obtained at the corresponding place on that day, and time zone information is obtained from this. Or the time of the sunrise, sunset, etc. at the location on that day is obtained by calculation from the date data and the latitude data.
There is an effect that an artificial environment such as environmental music, lighting, and aroma is changed according to a time zone according to the natural rhythm, and an effect that matches the natural rhythm can be provided.

As the latitude data input means, a postal code, an area telephone number, and a prefecture name are input, or the latitude data is input using a GPS device. It is possible to easily input latitude data for specifying a place to be used, and it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in the place of use.

Further, according to the present invention, the light detecting means is provided, and the time of sunrise / sunset is obtained by ON / OFF operation of the detecting means, and based on this, the time zone data of the next day is set. Therefore, there is an effect that time zone data can be obtained with a low-cost and simple configuration without using latitude data of a place of use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time zone output device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a time zone output device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time zone output device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time zone output device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart for explaining the operation of the time zone output device according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a time zone output device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a difference in sunrise and sunset time due to a difference in date and place.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure in sunrise / sunset time storage means of the time zone output device shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 6;

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Claims (10)

[Claims] Claims: 1. Calendar means having a calendar function of outputting a date, a latitude data input means for inputting latitude data of a relevant place into an apparatus, and a sunrise at a required date, a required latitude. The sunrise / sunset time storage means storing the sunrise / sunset time, the date output from the calendar means, and the latitude data output from the latitude data input means, The sunrise / sunset at that location, which is input to the time storage means and output from the sunrise / sunset time storage means, is input. A time zone output device for outputting a time zone in the ground, and a time zone output device. 2. A calendar means having a calendar function of outputting a date, a latitude data input means for inputting latitude data of the place to the apparatus, and The sunrise that calculates the time of sunrise and sunset according to the latitude of the place,
A sunrise / sunset calculated as described above, and a time zone output means for outputting a time zone in the place based on the sunrise / sunset time, with the calculated sunrise / sunset time as an input; A time zone output device comprising: 3. The time zone output device according to claim 1, wherein the latitude data input means outputs, when a zip code is input, latitude data corresponding to the zip code. A time zone output device. 4. The time zone output device according to claim 1, wherein the latitude data input means outputs latitude data corresponding to the toll telephone number when the toll telephone number is input. A time zone output device. 5. The time zone output device according to claim 1, wherein said latitude data input means, when a prefecture name is input, outputs latitude data corresponding to the prefecture name. A time zone output device, characterized in that: 6. The time zone output device according to claim 1, wherein the latitude data input means obtains the latitude data using a GPS (Global Positioning System). Band output device. 7. Clock means holding time information; light sensing means for detecting sunrise and sunset by brightness; and sunrise and sunset time detected by said clock means and light sensing means. Storage means for holding, and time zone output means for outputting a time zone at the place on that day based on the time of sunrise and sunset on the previous day held in the storage means. Characteristic time zone output device. 8. A step of outputting a date, a step of outputting latitude data of the place, and a step of outputting each year corresponding to the latitude of the place by referring to the output date and latitude data. A step of selecting and outputting a sunrise / sunset time at the corresponding location from the sunrise / sunset time storage table storing the time of the sunrise / sunset of the month / day; A time zone output method, comprising: inputting sunrise and sunset times and outputting a time zone at the location on that day. 9. A step of outputting a date and time, a step of outputting latitude data of the place, and a sunrise and sunset according to the latitude of the place based on the output date and latitude data. , Calculating the time of the day, and inputting the calculated sunrise and sunset times as input, and outputting the time zone at the location on that day, a time zone output method comprising: . 10. A step of outputting time information; a step of detecting sunrise and sunset based on brightness; a step of retaining time information when the sunrise and sunset are detected; Outputting a time zone on the day and the relevant location with reference to the sunrise and sunrise time of the previous day, and a time zone output method.