JP2973265B2 - Electronic clock - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece equipped with a barometer having a barometric pressure detecting function for detecting a barometric pressure using a pressure sensor and a time keeping function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a timepiece in which other functions are added to a timepiece for performing timekeeping measurement has been proposed and commercialized. Among them, a sensor in which a diaphragm and a resistor are formed on a silicon chip, that is, a so-called diffusion type semiconductor sensor, has been put to practical use, and a watch provided with a barometric pressure measurement function using the sensor has been realized. When it is applied to a watch, it is carried and moved.Compared with a product that is fixed and used like a wall-mounted barometer, it can be used when the user wants to know the atmospheric pressure in daily life. Is used as one of the data when predicting the weather by graphically displaying as a pressure change.

[0003]

However, based on the concept of the standard atmosphere, it is a well-known fact that the pressure changes when the altitude changes. Has a problem that it is not possible to recognize whether the atmospheric pressure has changed due to a change in atmospheric pressure or altitude due to a change in atmospheric pressure. Also, the graphic display of the difference from the previous atmospheric pressure value with respect to the time change only shows a small change in the atmospheric pressure, and is not enough to recognize a large atmospheric pressure change due to the weather cycle.
In addition, it is also difficult to provide a portable watch with a large display area for displaying the pressure difference for several days. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the user of the watch moves while carrying it in daily life and the altitude changes, the altitude change is automatically recognized, and the progress information and the current time at which the weather cycle can be determined are displayed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a watch with a barometric pressure measurement function capable of recognizing and predicting a weather tendency with probability.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pressure sensor, and an A / D conversion circuit for converting a detection signal measured by the pressure sensor into a digital value. A conversion means for converting the output signal of the A / D conversion circuit into a pressure value, calculating a difference value between the pressure value at a predetermined time and the pressure value before a predetermined time, and setting the difference value to zero when the predetermined value is exceeded. A first calculating means, a second calculating means for obtaining a pressure variation value using at least two or more of the difference values, a RAM for storing the calculation results of the first and second calculating means, and the RAM And a display unit for displaying the data.

[0005] In the invention according to claim 2, the RA
2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying numerical data with respect to a time change stored in M, a switching unit for switching a time unit to be displayed in an entire display width, and a number of data corresponding to the time unit. And a second display means for displaying the numerical value of the time unit in a bar-shaped graphic display by the numerical value of the data.

In the invention according to claim 3, the RA
2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying numerical data with respect to a time change stored in M, when the number of numerical data exceeds a time unit displayed in a full display width, the time unit remains unchanged. And a display area moving means for moving the display area with respect to the time axis.

In the invention according to claim 4, the RA
And a calculating means for calculating a fluctuation value of the atmospheric pressure having a temporal bias using a coefficient according to the storage order of the difference value stored in M.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a graphic display unit in which one display area corresponding to the fluctuation value of the time-biased atmospheric pressure is turned on and rewritten at predetermined time intervals. Features.

[0009]

The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic timepiece according to the present invention. Reference numeral 17 denotes an oscillation circuit for generating a frequency serving as a reference of a time signal of the timepiece. 16 is a frequency dividing circuit, 15 is a time counter, and 14 is a control circuit for switching graphic display. 13a is a liquid crystal driver for displaying the liquid crystal display element 13b. The liquid crystal driver 13a displays the time 26 and the atmospheric fluctuation graphic 24 of FIG. 2 on the liquid crystal. 20 is a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor 20 is an element that detects a pressure change of a gas or a fluid and deforms silicon, thereby changing a bridge resistance, thereby causing a balance shift and a voltage change. The pressure sensor 20 converts the amount of atmospheric pressure into an electric signal and inputs the electric signal to the amplifier circuit 19. An amplified signal from the amplifier circuit is converted into an analog-digital converter circuit (hereinafter referred to as an A / D converter circuit).
18 and is converted from an analog signal 10a to a digital signal 10b. The digital signal 10b is input to the arithmetic circuit 11, calculated as an atmospheric pressure value, and stored in the RAM 12.

FIG. 2 is an external view of a timepiece provided with a barometric pressure measuring function according to the present invention. Reference numeral 21 denotes a watch case, which is a display unit, which is a liquid crystal display device. Reference numeral 23 denotes three switches for instructing a scale value and scrolling, which will be described later, on the side portion on the 3 o'clock side. Numeral 24 indicates a graphic representation of the change in atmospheric pressure up to the present, with the horizontal axis representing elapsed time and the vertical axis representing changes in atmospheric pressure.
Reference numeral 25 denotes the scale of the horizontal axis currently displayed on the atmospheric pressure fluctuation graphic 24. Reference numeral 27 denotes a graphic display unit that indicates the tendency of atmospheric pressure. In the present embodiment, the tendency of the atmospheric pressure change is classified into stages, and when displayed in the center, it indicates that there is almost no atmospheric pressure change. The change in the atmospheric pressure after a short time is predicted by looking at the above-described graphic 24 of the atmospheric pressure fluctuation. 26 displays the current time.

First, a graphic display showing a change in the atmospheric pressure will be described.

Atmospheric pressure is measured every hour and every 30 minutes.
Atmospheric pressure difference data DP 30 minutes ago by the arithmetic circuit 21
(T) is calculated as follows and stored in the RAM 22.
The number of storages is 48 times. When the number of times exceeds 48 times, old data is deleted and the latest data is always stored for 48 times.

−2.0 <P (t) −P (t−0.5
h) <2.0 DP (t) = P (t) -P (t-0.5h) -2.0≥P (t) -P (t-0.5h) or P (t)- When P (t−0.5h) ≧ 2.0 DP (t) = 0 where P (t): Pressure data at time t P (t−0.5): Pressure 30 minutes before time t Data DP (t): Atmospheric pressure difference data at time t, that is, DP (t) = 0 when a pressure fluctuation of 2.0 hPa or more occurs within 0.5 h. This is because, in general, a pressure fluctuation in the same place does not change by 2.0 hPa or more within 30 minutes unless a sudden weather pressure change occurs, and a fluctuation of 2.0 hPa or more is caused by the movement of the carrier. It is presumed that it is a barometric pressure fluctuation resulting from altitude change.
In addition, the life pattern of the user is to act within a certain fixed pattern, and it is extremely rare that the user always moves at a different altitude every 30 minutes.

The data to be displayed graphically is at 0:00
Atmospheric pressure difference data D every 6 hours at 6:00, 12:00 and 18:00
P (t) is a total sum of 48 SDP (t), which is obtained and stored. The storage number of SDP (t) is 41 times, that is, data every 6 hours is 10 days, and when it exceeds 41 times, old data is deleted and the latest data is always stored 41 times.
The value indicated by SDP (t) is a large change in atmospheric pressure for several days when the movement of the carrier is canceled.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a graphic for displaying pressure fluctuation according to the present invention. 32 graphic displays
The minimum unit of display is 1 dot, the horizontal axis is 21 dots, the time axis is, and the vertical axis is the value of SDP (t). Display as The right end of the display unit 24 is the starting point of the graphic and always displays the latest data, and the left end displays past data. In this embodiment, 2 in FIG.
By the switch 3a, the scale, which is a unit of time displayed in the entire display width, is switched from 2 days to 10 days, and the scale value 25 is displayed. As an example, on the 5-day scale, the horizontal axis represents one dot 6 hours, and when the SDP (t) is calculated at 0 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 12 o'clock, and 18 o'clock, the entire currently displayed graphic is shifted one dot to the left. And rewrite the display. When the scale is switched, the scale value / 20 is established for the time represented by one dot on the horizontal axis, and the corresponding data is displayed from SDP (t) in the RAM.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a scroll operation which is a movement on the time axis according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, the scale value of the display area 42 is displayed for 5 days. In order to view the recorded SDP (t) data 41 for 10 days, the display area 42 of the scale for 5 days is scrolled in units of one dot with respect to the time axis of the horizontal axis by operating the switches 23b and 23c in FIG. I do. The scroll limit is from the data 43 at 0 o'clock 10 days before the left end of the display area to the current data 44 at the right end of the display area 42. In the operation of this embodiment, scrolling is performed leftward by the switch 13b and rightward by the switch 13c.

The data graphically displayed in this manner is processed by data for 48 times every 30 minutes. It has been conventionally known that the atmospheric pressure value fluctuates extremely with movement during normal life, and when only the pressure difference from the previous time is displayed as data, it is set to 0 to prevent so-called jumps that suddenly change the graph. However, according to the present invention, the data obtained by canceling a sudden change in data due to movement or the like is calculated as a pressure change value indicating a large change in the atmosphere. The probability increases. In general, the atmospheric pressure changes periodically in the time axis of about 3 to 5 days. By providing a graphic that can display the atmospheric pressure change for 2 to 10 days, the periodicity of the atmospheric pressure change is provided. This also allows the user to make a more predictive judgment on weather fluctuations. Further, by arbitrarily scrolling the time display window, it is possible to visually recognize the change in the atmosphere from 10 days ago, and to immediately grasp the current weather trend.

Next, a description will be given of the atmospheric pressure tendency value representing the fluctuation of the atmospheric pressure having a time deviation.

The data obtained by the arithmetic circuit at every hour and every 30 minutes is divided into 48 data including the latest data from the 48 differential data DP (t) of the atmospheric pressure stored in the RAM 12, and a coefficient is divided into each range. The coefficient is multiplied by all of the data within the set range and the sum is calculated. In the present embodiment, numerical values are weighted so that the data in the area close to the latest data is divided into four parts and has several times the data in the past area. This sum value is a value that largely indicates a recent atmospheric pressure fluctuation as the atmospheric pressure tendency index A.

Generally, when observing a change in atmospheric pressure for several days, a small swell appears at intervals of about 12 hours in a large atmospheric pressure fluctuation that periodically fluctuates on a time axis of about 3 to 5 days. Therefore, if the atmospheric pressure has been rising for about 12 hours up to the present, the atmospheric pressure tendency index A becomes a very large value. Also, if the atmospheric pressure that had risen from 12 hours ago began to fall from 6 hours ago, and if the current time had the same value as 12 hours ago, the simple sum would be close to 0, but this bias was present. According to the atmospheric pressure tendency calculation, a negative value is obtained, and it is clearly indicated by a numerical value that the atmospheric pressure tends to decrease in a range close to the current time.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a graphic showing a pressure tendency according to the present invention. The pressure tendency is indicated by the value of the pressure tendency index A. The barometric pressure trend display section 27 is composed of marks 52 arranged vertically in five rows and displays one mark according to the value of A, and rewrites the display every hour and every 30 minutes. In the embodiment, the upper mark indicates that A is larger, that is, the air pressure tends to increase. As an example, when 52a is lit, the wearer can judge that the atmospheric pressure has increased continuously or greatly for several hours and the weather has improved.

It has already been described that merely displaying the pressure difference graphic for several hours as in the prior art is not enough to recognize atmospheric fluctuations due to weather fluctuations. As an actual use example of the present invention, the barometric pressure fluctuation graphic that displays the past change in various forms recognizes the atmospheric fluctuation period, and the barometric pressure trend graphic knows the barometric pressure trend in the past, so that the barometric pressure change is stronger. You can predict how the current weather is likely to change while being aware of the situation.

[0024]

As described above, according to the present invention, even when a user carrying a watch having a function of detecting atmospheric pressure and predicting weather changes in altitude by moving in daily life. Since the air pressure fluctuation value within the predetermined time is automatically calculated by excluding the pressure difference value exceeding the predetermined value from the air pressure at the predetermined time within the predetermined time and the air pressure before the predetermined time within the predetermined time, is the pressure change due to altitude movement? In order to discriminate whether the change is the atmospheric pressure due to the fluctuation of the atmosphere, there is an effect that highly reliable weather prediction is performed without causing a large error even when altitude moves in daily life.

In a display unit for displaying numerical data with respect to a time change, a bar-like graphic is displayed by a numerical value calculated from data in which an error due to movement is canceled, a time unit of the entire display width is switched, and a numerical value in a time unit is displayed. By doing so, there is an effect that an atmospheric change from past to present over several days can be recognized as an image.

As a function of the display unit, when the number of numerical data exceeds the time unit of the entire display width, the display area is moved with respect to the time axis while keeping the time unit unchanged, so that the display area is within the range displayed on the display unit. , It is possible to make a prediction based on data for a longer period of time, and the reliability of the user's judgment is increased. By having this display area moving function, the area of the graphic part of the atmosphere that is normally displayed can be reduced, and the other display parts can be enlarged to increase the visibility, and the size of the entire watch can be reduced to make it portable. It is possible to provide a watch body with high reliability.

Further, a variation value of the atmospheric pressure having a temporal bias with respect to the oldest data with respect to the latest data is calculated, one display area corresponding to the variation value of the atmospheric pressure is turned on, and rewritten hourly. The provision of the graphic display allows the current and future weather to be judged. The combination of the barometric pressure fluctuation graphic and the trend graphic described above increases the judgment data for further forecasting the weather and increases reliability. This has the effect that the weather tendency can be recognized and predicted with a higher probability than before, for example, a high prediction can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an internal circuit of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a graphic for displaying atmospheric pressure fluctuation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a scroll operation of a display area.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a graphic for displaying a pressure tendency.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Operation circuit 12 RAM 13a Liquid crystal driver 13b Liquid crystal display element 14 Control circuit 15 Time counter 16 Frequency divider 17 Oscillation circuit 18 A / D conversion circuit 19 Amplification circuit 20 Pressure sensor 21 Watch case 22 Display part 23a, 23b, 23c Switch 24 Atmospheric pressure fluctuation graphic display unit 25 Scale display unit 26 Time display unit 27 Atmospheric pressure trend graphic display unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G04G 1/00 315

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pressure sensor, an A / D conversion circuit for converting a detection signal measured by the pressure sensor into a digital value,
Conversion means for converting the output signal of the / D conversion circuit into an atmospheric pressure value;
Calculating a difference value between the air pressure at a predetermined time and the air pressure before a predetermined time, and setting the difference value to zero when the pressure exceeds a predetermined value;
Computing means, a second computing means for obtaining a fluctuation value of the atmospheric pressure using at least two or more of the difference values, a RAM for storing computation results by the first and second computing means,
An electronic timepiece comprising a display unit for displaying M data. 2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying numerical data with respect to a time change stored in said RAM, a switching unit for switching a time unit displayed in a full display width, and said time unit. An electronic timepiece comprising: first display means for graphically displaying a number of data in a bar-like form by the numerical value of the data; and second display means for displaying the numerical value in time units. 3. An electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit for displaying numerical data with respect to a time change stored in said RAM, when the number of numerical data exceeds a time unit displayed in a full display width. An electronic timepiece comprising display area moving means for moving a display area with respect to a time axis while keeping the time unit unchanged. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a calculating means for calculating a fluctuation value of the atmospheric pressure having a time bias with a coefficient according to a storage order of said difference values stored in said RAM. Electronic clock. 5. A graphic display unit which lights up one display area according to a variation value of the atmospheric pressure having a time deviation and is rewritten every predetermined time.
Electronic clock as described.