JP6800067B2 - Radio watch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a radio-controlled wristwatch, and more particularly to battery management of a radio-controlled wristwatch.

A satellite radio-controlled clock that adjusts the time based on a time signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, or a standard radio-controlled clock that adjusts the time based on a time signal called a long-wave standard radio wave transmitted from a standard radio wave transmission station. Radio-controlled watches are known. Many radio-controlled wristwatches operate on a built-in rechargeable battery, but consume a relatively large amount of power, especially during reception of a time signal. Therefore, during the time signal reception operation, a relatively large voltage drop occurs in the built-in battery of the radio-controlled wristwatch. If such a large voltage drop occurs when the battery level is low, the built-in processor that holds the current time and other important operations becomes inoperable, and there is a risk of system down.

In this regard, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch disclosed in Patent Document 1 below immediately stops the reception operation and displays a reception failure when the signal from the satellite cannot be received within the upper limit time. At this time, in order to suppress the drop in the battery voltage, the above upper limit time is changed according to the current battery voltage value.

Japanese Patent No. 5614548

However, the amount of voltage drop of the battery under load depends largely on the temperature of the battery. Therefore, in the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch according to the above-mentioned prior art, the upper limit time for reception may not be sufficiently shortened, especially when the temperature of the built-in battery is low, such as when the wristwatch is removed from the wrist and exposed to cold air. There is sex.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a radio-controlled wristwatch capable of appropriately limiting operation according to the temperature of a built-in battery.

(1) The built-in battery, a temperature sensor that outputs temperature data indicating the temperature of the built-in battery, a receiving circuit that receives power from the built-in battery and receives a signal from the outside, and power supply from the built-in battery. A radio wave watch including a control circuit for determining an upper limit time for supplying power from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data when the signal is received by the receiving circuit.

(2) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (1), when the control circuit receives the signal by the receiving circuit, the receiving circuit from the built-in battery is based on the temperature data and the voltage of the built-in battery. A radio-controlled wristwatch that determines the maximum time to supply power to a battery.

(3) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (1) or (2), when the control circuit receives the signal by the receiving circuit, the control circuit transfers the signal from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data. A radio-controlled wristwatch that determines whether or not to ban power supply.

(4) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (3), the control circuit determines whether or not to prohibit power supply from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data and the voltage of the built-in battery. Radio watch.

(5) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (1) to (4), a memory for storing a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time is further associated with each combination of the temperature data range and the voltage range. Including, radio-controlled wristwatches.

(6) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (5), the memory has a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when the signal is received for time correction, and the signal when the signal is received for positioning. A radio-controlled wristwatch that stores a plurality of candidates for an upper limit time in association with a combination of the temperature data range and the voltage range of the built-in battery, respectively.

(7) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (5) or (6), the memory has a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when the built-in battery is being charged, and the upper limit when the built-in battery is being discharged. A radio-controlled wristwatch that stores a plurality of candidates for time in association with a combination of the temperature data range and the voltage range of the built-in battery, respectively.

(8) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (5) to (7), the width of the range of the temperature data associated with each of the plurality of candidates of the upper limit time is related to the low temperature. A radio-controlled wristwatch that is as narrow as it is.

(9) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (5) to (8), temperature tendency data indicating a tendency of the temperature data output by the temperature sensor is acquired, and the temperature data of the temperature data is obtained based on the temperature tendency. A radio-controlled wristwatch that changes each range.

(10) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (9), the temperature tendency data includes the position data of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

(11) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (9) or (10), the temperature trend data includes the current date data.

(12) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (1) to (11), the control circuit limits the hand movement of the radio-controlled wristwatch while receiving the signal by the receiving circuit, and the upper limit time. A radio-controlled wristwatch that releases the hand movement restriction after a given standby time elapses when the signal is not successfully received.

(13) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (12), the control circuit indicates that the signal is being received until the standby time elapses.

(14) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (12 or (13), the control circuit determines the standby time based on the temperature data.

(15) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (14), the control circuit determines the standby time based on the temperature data and the voltage.

(16) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (1) to (15), when the control circuit succeeds in receiving the signal, after the lapse of a time determined by the standby time and the time until the reception is successful. , A radio-controlled wristwatch that lifts the restrictions on hand movement.

(17) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (1) to (16), the control circuit limits the hand movement of the radio-controlled wristwatch while receiving the signal by the receiving circuit, and the upper limit time. A radio-controlled wristwatch that releases the hand movement restriction according to a comparison between the voltage and a predetermined reference voltage when the signal is not successfully received.

(18) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of (1) to (17), the temperature data output from the temperature sensor is also used for temperature compensation of an oscillator that generates a clock signal.

(19) In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to (18), the temperature sensor, the oscillator, and the built-in battery are all arranged in a region on one side of a dichotomous line passing through the center of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

It is a top view which shows an example of the appearance of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the satellite radio-wave wristwatch which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the voltage transition of the secondary battery at the time of the reception failure of a satellite signal. It is a figure which shows an example of the upper limit time table. It is a figure which shows the modification 1 of the upper limit time table. It is a figure which shows an example of the waiting time table. It is a flow chart which shows the reception operation of the satellite radio-wave wristwatch which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flow chart which shows the return processing at the time of reception failure. It is a flow figure which shows the modification of the return processing at the time of reception failure. It is a flow chart which shows the return processing at the time of reception success. It is a figure which shows the modification 2 of the upper limit time table. It is a figure which shows the modification 3 of the upper limit time table. It is a figure which shows the modification 4 of the upper limit time table. It is a block diagram which shows the modification of the internal structure of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 according to the present embodiment receives a radio wave including time information, and corrects the time measured by itself using the time information included in the received radio wave. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of the appearance of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1. As shown in these figures, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 includes an antenna 10, a receiving circuit 20, a DCDC converter 23, a control circuit 30, an oscillator 38, a power supply unit 40, a drive mechanism 50, and the like. It includes a time display unit 51, a pointer 52, a dial 53, and an operation unit 60.

The antenna 10 receives a satellite signal transmitted from the satellite as a radio wave including time information. In particular, in the present embodiment, the antenna 10 is a patch antenna that receives radio waves having a frequency of about 1.6 GHz transmitted from GPS satellites. GPS is a kind of satellite positioning system, and is realized by a plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the earth. Each of these GPS satellites is equipped with a high-precision atomic clock, and periodically transmits a satellite signal including time information measured by the atomic clock.

The receiving circuit 20 decodes the satellite signal received by the antenna 10 and outputs a bit string (received data) indicating the content of the satellite signal obtained as a result of the decoding. Specifically, the receiving circuit 20 includes a high frequency circuit (RF circuit) 21 and a decoding circuit 22. The output voltage of the secondary battery 42 is converted into a predetermined voltage by the DCDC converter 23, and the converted voltage is supplied to the receiving circuit 20 as a power supply voltage.

The high-frequency circuit 21 is an integrated circuit that operates at a high frequency, and amplifies and detects an analog signal received by the antenna 10 to convert it into a baseband signal. The decoding circuit 22 is an integrated circuit that performs baseband processing, decodes the baseband signal output by the high frequency circuit 21, generates a bit string indicating the content of data received from GPS satellites, and refers to the control circuit 30. Output.

The dial 53 of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 is provided with a reception status display 61 indicating the status of the reception circuit 20 by, for example, the characters “OK”, “NG”, and “RX”, and the satellite signal by the reception circuit 20 is provided. The second hand 52c indicates the character "RX" during reception, and then if the reception circuit 20 succeeds in receiving the satellite signal, the second hand 52c indicates the character "OK" and then the normal hand movement is resumed. .. If the reception of the satellite signal fails, the second hand 52 indicates the character "NG" and then the normal hand movement is restarted.

The control circuit 30 is a circuit that controls various circuits and mechanisms included in the satellite radio wristwatch 1, and includes a microcontroller 31, a motor drive circuit 35, an oscillation circuit 36, and a temperature sensor 37. .. The microcontroller 31 includes a calculation unit 32, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 33, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 34, and the control circuit 30 is composed of, for example, one integrated circuit.

The arithmetic unit 32 performs various types of information processing according to the program stored in the ROM 34. The details of the processing executed by the calculation unit 32 in this embodiment will be described later. The RAM 33 functions as a work memory of the calculation unit 32, and data to be processed by the calculation unit 32 is written. In particular, in the present embodiment, bit strings (received data) representing the contents of the satellite signal received by the receiving circuit 20 are sequentially written in the buffer area in the RAM 33, and the values of various variables for control are held.

The oscillation circuit 36 supplies a clock signal used for timekeeping inside the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1. The calculation unit 32 acquires the internal time based on the clock signal supplied from the oscillation circuit 36, and determines the time (display time) to be displayed on the time display unit 51.

The oscillation circuit 36 is electrically connected to an external oscillator 38 such as a crystal oscillator. Since the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 38 is temperature-dependent, the oscillation circuit 36 performs a temperature compensation operation so as to keep the frequency of the clock signal generated by the oscillator 38 constant. Specifically, when the microcontroller 31 acquires the temperature data of the vibrator 38 measured by the temperature sensor 37, the microcontroller 31 transmits a compensation signal to the oscillation circuit 36 so as to keep the frequency of the clock signal constant. .. The oscillation circuit 36 changes the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 38 according to the compensation signal, whereby the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 38 and the frequency of the clock signal output from the oscillation circuit 36 are kept constant regardless of the temperature.

The temperature sensor 37 acquires temperature data by measuring the state of the temperature sensitive device. For example, the temperature sensor 37 may be configured to include a CR oscillator, and the oscillation frequency of the CR oscillator can be measured, and temperature data can be acquired from the oscillation frequency thus obtained.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature sensor 37 is built in the corner of the control circuit 30 which is an integrated circuit. In the case of the satellite radio watch 1, the oscillator 38 is arranged next to the circular secondary battery 42 in a plan view, and the temperature sensor 37 is located in the corner formed by the secondary battery 42 and the oscillator 38. The corners of the provided control circuit 30 are arranged so that the temperature sensor 37 is close to not only the oscillator 38 but also the secondary battery 42. The secondary battery 42, the oscillator 38, and the temperature sensor 37 are all arranged in a region (upper side in FIG. 1) of the dichotomy line α passing through the center of the clock (the position of the rotation axis of the pointer 52). In FIG. 1, the dichotomy line α passes through the positions of 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, but the dichotomy line α may be an arbitrary straight line that passes through the center of the clock and divides the dial 53 in two in a plan view. When the secondary battery 42 is large, the center 42a of the secondary battery 42 may be located in the region on one side of the dichotomy α, and a part of the peripheral edge thereof is on the other side. May be good. Other elements, such as parts of the control circuit 30 other than the temperature sensor 37, the antenna 10, the receiving circuit 20, the DCDC converter 23, and the like may be arranged on either side of the dichotomy line α, and FIG. 1 shows the control circuit 30. This is an example of the arrangement of the antenna 10, the receiving circuit 20, and the DCDC converter 23. Due to the arrangement of the secondary battery 42, the oscillator 38, and the temperature sensor 37, the temperature data output by the temperature sensor 37 not only indicates the temperature of the oscillator 38, but also indicates the temperature of the secondary battery 42. It can also be used as. The temperature sensor 37 does not have to be built in the control circuit 30, and may be an independent device. Alternatively, the temperature sensor 37 may be built into another device. In either case, the temperature sensor 37 is arranged in the vicinity of the secondary battery 42 and the oscillator 38. Further, the temperature of the oscillator 38 and the temperature of the secondary battery 42 may be detected by separate sensors.

The motor drive circuit 35 outputs a drive signal for driving the motor included in the drive mechanism 50 according to the display time determined by the calculation unit 32. As a result, the display time generated by the microcontroller 31 is displayed on the time display unit 51.

Further, in the satellite radio wristwatch 1 according to the present embodiment, the arithmetic unit 32 corrects the internal time measured by the clock signal supplied from the oscillation circuit 36 based on the satellite signal received by the reception circuit 20.

The power supply unit 40 supplies power necessary for its operation to each part in the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1, such as the reception circuit 20, the control circuit 30, and the drive mechanism 50. The power supply unit 40 includes a solar cell 41, a secondary battery 42, and a switch Sw1.

The solar cell 41 is arranged under, for example, a dial 53 which is a translucent thin plate, generates electricity by external light such as sunlight emitted to the satellite radio watch 1, and secondarily generates the generated electric power. It is supplied to the battery 42.

The secondary battery 42 includes a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion battery and a battery management circuit that manages charging and discharging of the battery such as the lithium ion battery, and stores the power generated by the solar cell 41. Then, the stored electric power is supplied to each part that requires electric power, such as the receiving circuit 20, the control circuit 30, and the driving mechanism 50. Further, the above battery management circuit includes a voltage sensor that detects the voltage of the secondary battery 42 main body, and the voltage detected by the voltage sensor is notified to the microcontroller 31.

The secondary battery 42 is connected in parallel with the solar cell 41 via a switch Sw1 connected in series. Specifically, the positive electrode of the solar cell 41 and the positive electrode of the secondary battery 42 are connected via the switch Sw1. The solar cell 41 supplies power to the secondary battery 42 while the switch Sw1 is on.

Here, since the reception of the satellite signal by the receiving circuit 20 consumes a relatively large amount of power, the power supply from the DCDC converter 23 to the receiving circuit 20 is controlled by the switch Sw2 output from the control circuit 30. The microcontroller 31 is trying to save power by supplying power to the receiving circuit 20 with the switch Sw2 turned on only when necessary. For example, the microcontroller 31 supplies power to the receiving circuit 20 at a predetermined time every day, or supplies power to the receiving circuit 20 when a receiving operation is performed by the operation unit 60. Further, the microcontroller 31 supplies power to the receiving circuit 20 when it is presumed that the amount of power generated by the solar cell 41 is large and the antenna 10 arranged under the dial 53 is likely to face the satellite direction. You can do it.

Here, the battery management of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 schematically shows the voltage transition of the secondary battery 42 when the satellite signal is received. In particular, the figure shows the voltage transition of the secondary battery 42 when the reception of the satellite signal is not successful within the upper limit time.

As shown in the figure, when the switch Sw2 is switched to the ON state (timing T1) and the receiving circuit 20 starts the satellite signal receiving operation, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 drops sharply immediately after that. When starting the satellite signal reception operation, the second hand 52c points to the character "RX" on the dial 53 as described above, thereby informing the user that the reception operation has started.

After that, the sudden voltage drop immediately after the start of energization of the receiving circuit 20 converges, and the voltage of the secondary battery 42 recovers to some extent. However, after that, as the power consumption by the receiving circuit 20 continues, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 gradually decreases. Here, the speed at which the voltage of the secondary battery 42 drops due to the power consumption of the receiving circuit 20 largely depends on the temperature of the secondary battery 42. That is, the lower the temperature, the faster the voltage of the secondary battery 42 drops. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upper limit of the time for supplying power to the receiving circuit 20 is determined based on the temperature of the secondary battery 42 by referring to the upper limit time table (described later) stored in the ROM 34. Specifically, the lower the temperature of the secondary battery 42, the shorter the upper limit time of power supply.

Then, when the elapsed time from the start of supplying power to the receiving circuit 20 reaches the upper limit time thus determined (timing T2), the microcontroller 31 switches the switch Sw2 to the off state. As a result, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 can be prevented from dropping excessively.

Here, if the energization of the receiving circuit 20 is continued for the upper limit time, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 may be lower than the voltage sufficient to drive the drive mechanism 50 (motor drive voltage). Here, the motor drive voltage is a voltage capable of operating all motors such as forward rotation, reverse rotation, and high-speed hand movement. The drive voltage is not limited to the above, and can be set to any voltage at which the motor does not operate abnormally, such as a voltage capable of only forward rotation.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the microcontroller 31 does not immediately restart the motor drive by the motor drive circuit 35 even after the switch Sw2 is switched to the off state and the reception operation by the reception circuit 20 is stopped. By reducing the power consumption in this way, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 gradually recovers after the timing T2.

At this time, the voltage recovery speed of the secondary battery 42 largely depends on the temperature of the secondary battery 42. That is, the lower the temperature, the slower the recovery speed of the voltage of the secondary battery 42. In consideration of this, in the present embodiment, the standby time table (described later) stored in the ROM 34 is set as the standby time from when the power supply to the receiving circuit 20 is stopped until the motor driving by the motor driving circuit 35 is started. With reference, the determination is made based on the temperature of the secondary battery 42. Specifically, the lower the temperature of the secondary battery 42, the longer the standby time. The standby time is set to a sufficient time so that the voltage of the secondary battery 42 does not fall below the motor drive voltage again due to the motor drive after the standby time has elapsed. During the standby, the second hand 52c keeps pointing to the character "RX".

When the elapsed time after the power supply to the receiving circuit 20 is stopped reaches the standby time determined as described above (timing T3), the microcontroller 31 moves the second hand 52c by the motor drive circuit 35, and the second hand 52c is moved. The second hand 52c is set to indicate the character "NG" on the dial 53. After that, the microcontroller 31 causes the motor drive circuit 35 to resume the normal hand movement operation.

The amount of voltage drop of the secondary battery 42 differs depending on the operation method of the pointer such as forward rotation, reverse rotation, high-speed hand movement, or low-speed hand movement. Therefore, when the pointer is operated by the motor drive circuit 35 after the standby time has elapsed, the operation method may be selected based on the temperature and voltage of the secondary battery 42.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the above-mentioned upper limit time table. In the present embodiment, in the battery management circuit of the secondary battery 42, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 main body is less than 2.0 V (voltage range 1), 2.0 V or more and less than 2.1 V (voltage range 2), 2.1 V. More than 2.4V (voltage range 3), 2.4V or more and less than 2.65V (voltage range 4), 2.65V or more and less than 2.7V (voltage range 5), 2.7V or more and less than 2.8V (voltage range) 6) Detects whether it is 2.8 V or more and less than 3.3 V (voltage range 7) or 3.3 V or more (voltage range 8), and notifies the microcontroller 31 of this. Further, the temperature data detected by the temperature sensor 37 is, for example, in increments of 0.1 ° C. In the microcontroller 31, the temperature indicated by the temperature data is, for example, less than −10 ° C. (temperature range 1), −10 ° C. or higher and −5 ° C. Less than (temperature range 2), -5 ° C or more and less than 0 ° C (temperature range 3), 0 ° C or more and less than 5 ° C (temperature range 4), 5 ° C or more and less than 10 ° C (temperature range 5), 10 ° C or more and less than 25 ° C (Temperature range 6), 25 ° C. or higher and lower than 40 ° C. (temperature range 7), or 40 ° C. or higher (temperature range 8) is determined. The temperature range is set so that the lower the temperature, the narrower the temperature range. As a result, the lower the temperature, the more precise the battery management can be performed.

The upper limit time table shown in FIG. 4 is held in the ROM 34, and stores the candidates for the upper limit time in association with each combination of the voltage range and the temperature range acquired by the microcontroller 31 as described above. .. For the combination of the temperature range and the voltage range in which the reception operation by the reception circuit 20 is prohibited, a flag to the effect of "prohibition" is stored in the upper limit time table.

In the upper limit time table, the lower the temperature range, the shorter the upper limit time. For example, the upper limit time is 80 seconds at 40 ° C. or higher, whereas the upper limit time is shortened to 5 seconds at −5 ° C. or higher and lower than 0 ° C. Further, the lower the temperature range, the higher the voltage, and the receiving operation by the receiving circuit 20 is prohibited. For example, when the temperature is 40 ° C. or higher and the temperature is lower than 2.65 V, the reception operation is prohibited, while when the temperature is -5 ° C or higher and lower than 0 ° C., the reception operation is prohibited when the voltage is lower than 2.8 V. As shown in FIG. 5, in the upper limit time table, the upper limit time of each temperature range may be set so as to become shorter as the voltage range decreases. In this way, the upper limit time can be changed depending not only on the temperature range but also on the voltage range.

Further, the microcontroller 31 may display the voltage measured by the battery management circuit. For example, the character "L0" indicating the low voltage level, the character "L1" indicating the medium voltage level, and the character "L2" indicating the high voltage level are displayed on the dial 53, and the operation unit 60 is displayed. When a predetermined operation is performed, a pointer 52 such as the second hand 52c may be used to indicate a character corresponding to the voltage range sent from the battery management circuit. Here, "L0" is instructed in the case of voltage ranges 1 to 4, "L1" is instructed in the case of voltage ranges 5 and 6, and "L2" is instructed in the case of voltage ranges 7 and 8. In the case of a low voltage level, voltage information is notified from the battery management circuit to the microcontroller 31 by four voltage ranges that are larger than the other voltage levels, and more precise battery management is possible.

The upper limit time shown in the upper limit time tables of FIGS. 4 and 5 may indicate the elapsed time from the energization start timing of the receiving circuit 20. Further, when the receiving circuit 20 performs a low power consumption warm-up operation immediately after the start of energization and then actually performs a receiving operation, the upper limit time indicates the elapsed time from the end timing of the warm-up operation. It may be.

Next, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the above-mentioned waiting time table. The standby time table shown in the figure is held in the ROM 34, and stores the standby time candidates in association with each combination of the voltage range and the temperature range acquired by the microcontroller 31 as described above. .. For the combination of the temperature range and the voltage range in which the resumption of hand movement is prohibited, a flag indicating "prohibition" is stored in the standby time table.

In the standby time table, the lower the temperature range, the longer the standby time. For example, when the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is 3.3 V or more, the standby time is 0 seconds at 40 ° C. or higher, whereas the standby time is extended to 30 seconds at −5 ° C. or higher and lower than 0 ° C. In addition, the lower the temperature range, the higher the voltage at which resumption of hand movement is prohibited. For example, at 40 ° C. or higher, resumption of hand movement is prohibited when the voltage is less than 2.65 V, whereas at -5 ° C or higher and lower than 0 ° C., resumption of hand movement is prohibited when the temperature is higher than 2.7 V. .. Further, in the standby time table, the standby time of each temperature range is set to increase as the voltage range decreases. In this way, the standby time is changed depending on not only the temperature range but also the voltage range. Of course, the standby time may be determined only by the temperature range.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing control by the microcontroller 31 when receiving a satellite signal. The control shown in the figure is executed when the periodic satellite signal reception timing arrives or when the operation unit 60 gives an instruction to receive the satellite signal. First, the microcontroller 31 controls the motor drive circuit 35 so that the second hand 52c indicates "RX" in the reception status display 61. After that, the operation of the pointer 52 is stopped (S101). Next, the temperature data is acquired from the temperature sensor 37, and the voltage data is acquired from the battery management circuit of the secondary battery 42 (S102). After that, the temperature range to which the acquired temperature data belongs is specified. Then, the upper limit time table stored in the ROM 34 is referred to, and the upper limit time or the prohibition flag associated with the specified temperature range and the voltage range indicated by the voltage data acquired from the battery management circuit is read out (S103).

When the prohibition flag is read in S103 (S104), it is displayed that reception of the satellite signal is prohibited (S112). In this case, the reception operation is not performed. For example, the second hand 52c is moved for 2 seconds, or the second hand 52c is moved to a special position indicating that reception is prohibited and non-reception is performed. Alternatively, a pointer (not shown) different from the hour hand 52a, the minute hand 52b, and the second hand 52c may be provided, and the pointer may indicate that reception is prohibited and reception is not received. After explicitly indicating that reception of satellite signals is prohibited and non-reception is performed, normal hand movement operation is resumed. It should be noted that the elapse of a predetermined waiting time may be waited before the normal hand movement is restarted.

Further, in S104, it is not necessary to explicitly indicate that the reception of satellite signals is prohibited. In this case, with the second hand 52c instructing "RX" on the reception status display 61, a predetermined waiting time (a relatively long time, for example, 30 seconds) is waited for, and then the second hand is waited for. It is desirable that the 52c indicates "NG" once, and then the normal hand movement is restarted. By doing so, even if the operation unit 60 continuously instructs the reception operation, the interval at which the operation shown in FIG. 7 is started can be extended, and the power consumption can be reduced. In the present embodiment, since it is determined whether or not to prohibit the reception operation based on both the temperature and the voltage of the secondary battery 42, it is possible to reliably prevent an excessive voltage drop of the secondary battery 42.

On the other hand, when the upper limit time is read out in S103 (S104), the switch Sw2 is turned on to energize the receiving circuit 20, and the microcontroller 31 starts counting the timer (S105). This timer is for measuring the energization time of the receiving circuit 20. As described above, when the elapsed time from the end timing of the warm-up operation is held as the upper limit time in the upper limit time table, the timer count may be started from the end timing of the warm-up operation. After that, the satellite signal reception operation is continued until the satellite signal is successfully received (S107) or the timer value reaches the upper limit time read in S103 (S108). If the reception of the satellite signal is successful before the value of the timer reaches the upper limit time (S107), the timer is stopped (S110), the recovery process when the reception is successful, which will be described later, is executed (S111), and the process is terminated. Further, if the timer value reaches the upper limit time without succeeding in receiving the satellite signal (S108), the recovery process at the time of reception failure described later is executed (S109), and the process ends.

The processing of S102 and S103 may be executed again at the timing of S106 to update the reception upper limit time. By doing so, it is possible to more reliably prevent the voltage drop according to the change in the temperature and the voltage of the secondary battery 42. Further, when the prohibition flag is stored in the upper limit time table in relation to the temperature range and the voltage range acquired during reception, it is desirable to immediately stop the energization of the receiving circuit 20. In that case, it is desirable to wait for a certain period of time until the voltage of the secondary battery 42 rises, and then restart the hand movement. In this case, the hand may be moved for 2 seconds in order to reduce power consumption. Further, the temperature range and the voltage range of the secondary battery 42 in which the reception of the satellite signal should be interrupted may be managed by a table different from the upper limit time table. Here, the voltage range of the secondary battery 42 in which the reception of the satellite signal should be interrupted may be lower than the voltage range associated with "prohibition" in the upper limit time table.

Further, after the receiving circuit 20 is energized, the voltage change of the secondary battery 42 is monitored by measuring at a relatively short time interval for a predetermined period (for example, within 2 to 3 seconds), and the amount of voltage drop during that period is the expected amount. If it is smaller than the value (for example, when the deterioration of the secondary battery 42 is small), the upper limit time may be extended. For example, a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) may be added to the upper limit time acquired in S103. Alternatively, if there is a candidate value (longer or the same as the current upper limit time) adjacent to the high temperature side or the high voltage side of the upper limit time table, the upper limit time may be changed to that value.

On the contrary, after the receiving circuit 20 is energized, the voltage change of the secondary battery 42 is monitored for a predetermined period, and when the voltage drop amount during that period is larger than the expected value (when the deterioration of the secondary battery 42 is large). Etc.), the upper limit time may be shortened. For example, a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) may be subtracted from the upper limit time acquired in S103. Alternatively, if there is a candidate value (shorter or the same as the current upper limit time) adjacent to the low temperature side or the low voltage side of the upper limit time table, the upper limit time may be changed to that value. By doing so, the upper limit time of energization can be set more appropriately according to the actual behavior of the secondary battery 42 immediately after energization.

According to the above embodiment, when the temperature of the secondary battery 42 is low, the upper limit energization time of the receiving circuit 20 can be shortened accordingly, and the voltage of the secondary battery 42 can be prevented from dropping excessively. As a result, the possibility of system down can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the return processing at the time of reception failure in S109 of FIG. In this process, first, the standby time table is referred to, and the standby time or the prohibition flag associated with the already specified temperature range and the voltage range indicated by the already acquired voltage data is read out (S201). Needless to say, the temperature data and the voltage data may be acquired again at this timing. In the standby time table, when the prohibition flag is stored in association with the temperature range and voltage range corresponding to the re-acquired temperature data and voltage data, reception of the satellite signal is prohibited at the start of reception by the reception circuit 20. This is a case where at least one of the temperature or voltage of the secondary battery 42 drops during the reception operation and transitions to the temperature range and voltage range associated with "prohibited" in the standby time table. In such a case, after a sufficiently long standby time (for example, 0 to 100 seconds) has elapsed, if the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the hand movement is restarted. In this way, if it is determined whether or not to prohibit the resumption of hand movement based on both the temperature and the voltage of the secondary battery 42, an excessive voltage drop of the secondary battery 42 can be prevented more reliably.

If the waiting time is read in S201, the timer count is started (S202), and the timer counting is continued until the waiting time read in S201 elapses (S203). Then, when the standby time elapses, the microcontroller 31 moves the second hand 52c to indicate "NG" on the reception status display 61, and then resumes normal hand movement after a predetermined time. That is, the display of the current time is restarted. In this way, the hand movement can be restarted after the voltage of the secondary battery 42 has sufficiently risen, and the voltage of the secondary battery 42 can be prevented from being excessively lowered by driving the motor for hand movement. The microcontroller 31 holds the current time, and can calculate the amount of movement of the pointer required to restart the display of the current time. Therefore, the microcontroller 31 may adjust the standby time according to this amount of operation. That is, when the amount of operation is large, the waiting time may be extended, and when the amount of operation is small, the waiting time may be shortened. In this way, the waiting time can be made long enough. Further, the operation method of the pointer may be selected according to the amount of operation. In this way, the pointer can be operated while saving power when the amount of operation is large.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing another example of the return processing at the time of reception failure in S109 of FIG. In this process, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 main body is acquired from the battery management circuit of the secondary battery 42 (S301), and if the voltage is not equal to or higher than the threshold value (S302), it waits for a predetermined time (S303). The operation (S301) of acquiring the voltage of the secondary battery 42 main body is repeated. Then, when the voltage of the secondary battery 42 main body becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value, the microcontroller 31 moves the second hand 52c to instruct "NG" of the reception status display 61, and after a predetermined time, the normal hand movement is performed. resume. Even in this way, the hand movement can be restarted after the voltage of the secondary battery 42 has risen sufficiently.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the return processing when the reception of S111 in FIG. 7 is successful. In this process, first, the standby time is calculated using the upper limit time (t1) read in S103 of FIG. 7 and the value of the timer stopped in S110 (t2) (S401). For example, the actual waiting time may be obtained by acquiring the waiting time as the reference time from the waiting time table and multiplying the acquired reference time by (t2 / t1) in the same manner as in S201 of FIG.

After that, the microcontroller 31 starts counting the timer (S402), and continues counting the timer until the waiting time acquired in S401 elapses (S403). When the standby time elapses, the microcontroller 31 moves the second hand 52c to instruct "OK" on the reception status display 61, and then resumes normal hand movement after a predetermined time. In this way, even when reception is successful, the hand movement can be restarted after the voltage of the secondary battery 42 has risen sufficiently. When the reception is successful, the correct time information is obtained based on the satellite signal, and the microcontroller 31 can calculate the operation amount of the pointer required for displaying the correction time. Therefore, the microcontroller 31 may adjust the standby time according to this amount of operation. That is, when the amount of operation is large, the waiting time may be extended, and when the amount of operation is small, the waiting time may be shortened. In this way, the waiting time can be made long enough. Further, the operation method of the pointer may be selected according to the amount of operation. In this way, the pointer can be operated while saving power when the amount of operation is large. Further, the temperature and voltage of the secondary battery 42 may be acquired again at the start of the recovery process when the reception is successful. Then, when the prohibition flag is stored in association with the temperature range and voltage range corresponding to the re-acquired temperature data and voltage data in the standby time table, a sufficiently long standby time (for example, 0 to 100 seconds) has elapsed. After that, if the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the hand movement may be restarted.

According to the satellite radio wristwatch 1 described above, since the energizing time of the receiving circuit 20 is limited by the temperature of the secondary battery 42, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 can be prevented from dropping excessively. As a result, the voltage supplied to the microcontroller 31 can be prevented from being excessively reduced and the system going down.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways, and these modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the upper limit time table may store candidates for each upper limit time in relation to only the temperature range. When the upper limit time table shown in FIG. 11 is used, either the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is less than a predetermined voltage (voltage threshold) or the temperature is less than a predetermined temperature (temperature threshold), whichever is satisfied at least one condition is satisfied. In this case, reception of satellite signals may be prohibited. That is, a common voltage threshold is used regardless of the temperature range, and a common temperature threshold is used regardless of the voltage range.

Further, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 may not only obtain time information from satellite signals but also position information. In order to obtain time information, it is sufficient to receive only a part of the satellite signals from one satellite, but in order to obtain highly accurate position information, it is necessary to receive satellite signals from multiple satellites. It also increases the size of satellite signals that must be received. Therefore, it is necessary to lengthen the upper limit time of energization of the receiving circuit 20 when obtaining the position information as compared with the case where the time information is obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the upper limit time table (a) when the receiving circuit 20 is energized for acquiring the position information and the case where the receiving circuit 20 is energized for acquiring the time information. The upper limit time table (b) and the two tables of the above are stored in the ROM 34, and the microcontroller 31 may use these tables properly according to the purpose of reception.

In this case as well, as in the upper limit time table of FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 13A, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is less than the predetermined voltage (voltage threshold value for position information), or the temperature is the predetermined temperature (position). If it is less than the information temperature threshold value) or at least one of the conditions is satisfied, the reception of the satellite signal for acquiring the position information may be prohibited. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13B, whether the voltage of the secondary battery 42 is lower than the predetermined voltage (time information voltage threshold value) or the temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature (time information temperature threshold value). If at least one of the conditions is satisfied, the reception of the satellite signal for acquiring the time information may be prohibited. Here, the voltage threshold value for time may be lower than the voltage threshold value for position information. Further, the temperature threshold value for time information may be lower than the temperature threshold value for position information.

It is desirable that each voltage threshold value is set to a voltage at which the receiving circuit 20 and all other electronic components can operate normally at a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature threshold value. Further, it is desirable that each temperature threshold value is set to a temperature at which the receiving circuit 20 and all other electronic components can operate normally at a voltage equal to or higher than the voltage threshold value.

Further, the temperature of the secondary battery 42 may be acquired during the reception of the satellite signal, and if the acquired temperature is less than a predetermined temperature threshold value (temperature threshold during reception), the reception of the satellite signal may be interrupted. The receiving temperature threshold may be lower than the temperature threshold indicated by the upper limit time table. Similarly, the voltage of the secondary battery 42 may be acquired during reception of the satellite signal, and reception of the satellite signal may be interrupted if the acquired temperature is less than a predetermined voltage threshold (voltage threshold during reception). The receiving voltage threshold may also be lower than the voltage threshold indicated by the upper limit time table.

Further, two upper limit time tables are prepared for charging and discharging the secondary battery 42, and these are stored in the ROM 34, and the microcontroller 31 determines whether or not the secondary battery 42 is charging those tables. You may use it properly depending on. The microcontroller 31 can determine whether or not the secondary battery 42 is being charged from the voltage transition of the secondary battery 42. Alternatively, if the battery management circuit stores the fact that the battery is fully charged, it can be determined that the battery is being discharged.

Further, the upper limit time table and the standby time table may be switched depending on the temperature tendency such as whether the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 is in a low temperature environment or a high temperature environment. It is desirable that the table in the low temperature environment is a table of the same size, but each temperature range on the low temperature side is set finer (narrower). On the contrary, in the table in a high temperature environment, it is desirable that each temperature range on the high temperature side is set more finely. As the temperature tendency, for example, the position data of the radio-controlled wristwatch, for example, the latitude data acquired from the satellite signal can be adopted in consideration of the fact that the temperature tendency differs depending on the position. In addition, considering that the temperature tendency differs depending on the season, date data can be adopted as the temperature tendency.

Further, battery management using the upper limit time table and battery management using the standby time table are embodiments of the two independent inventions, and each invention can be implemented independently. For example, the upper limit time is determined based only on the voltage of the secondary battery 42 without depending on the above upper limit time table, and the energization time of the receiving circuit 20 is controlled using the determined upper limit time, and then shown in FIG. In this way, the motor drive may be kept stopped until the standby time determined by the standby time table and the normal hand movement are restarted.

Further, the temperature data may not be acquired at the start of reception, but the data acquired regularly (for example, log data every minute) may be diverted. Similarly, the voltage data may not be acquired at the start of reception, but the data acquired periodically (for example, log data every 10 seconds) may be diverted.

Further, the present invention can be widely applied when the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 1 performs the first operation and the second operation in order. That is, in such a case, the start timing of the second operation may be determined based on the temperature of the secondary battery 42. For example, the receiving circuit 20 has a circuit portion (for example, an analog circuit portion) that operates at the first power supply voltage Va and a circuit portion (for example, a digital circuit portion) that operates at the second power supply voltage Vb (Va> Vb). If so, as shown in FIG. 14, the first power supply voltage Va may be generated by the DCDC converter 23a, and the second power supply voltage Vb may be generated by the DCDC converter 23b. In such a case, if the voltage conversions of the DCDC converters 23a and 23b are started at the same time, the voltage drop of the secondary battery 42 becomes large. Therefore, the control circuit 30 may start the voltage conversion in the DCDC converter 23a and the voltage conversion in the DCDC converter 23b at different timings. Then, the deviation of the start timing (for example, on the order of milliseconds) may be determined based on the temperature of the secondary battery 42. In this case, a table in which the temperature range of the secondary battery 42 and the deviation time are related may be used. In this table, for example, the lower the temperature range, the greater the shift time. Alternatively, it may be determined based on the temperature and voltage of the secondary battery 42. In this case, a table associated with the combination of the temperature range and the voltage range of the secondary battery 42 may be used. In this table, for example, the lower the temperature range, the greater the shift time. Further, the lower the voltage range, the larger the deviation time. Since the DCDC converter 23a has a larger amount of voltage drop immediately after the start of voltage conversion, the voltage conversion may be started from the DCDC converter 23a. The deviation time held in the table may be the elapsed time from the start of voltage conversion by one of the DCDC converters.

1 Satellite radio watch, 10 antennas, 20 receiving circuits, 21 high frequency circuits, 22 decoding circuits, 23, 23a, 23b DCDC converters, 30 control circuits, 31 microcontrollers, 32 arithmetic units, 33 RAM, 34 ROM, 35 motor drive circuits , 36 oscillator circuit, 37 temperature sensor, 38 oscillator, 40 power supply, 41 solar battery, 42 secondary battery, 50 drive mechanism, 51 time display, 52 pointer, 52a hour hand, 52b minute hand, 52c second hand, 53 characters Board, 60 operation unit, 61 reception status display.

Claims (19)

With built-in battery
A temperature sensor that outputs temperature data indicating the temperature of the built-in battery, and
A receiving circuit that receives power from the built-in battery and receives signals from the outside,
When receiving power from the built-in battery and receiving the signal by the receiving circuit, a control circuit that determines an upper limit time for supplying power from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data.
Radio watch including. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 1.
The control circuit determines an upper limit time for supplying electric power from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data and the voltage of the built-in battery when the signal is received by the receiving circuit. .. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 1 or 2.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that determines whether or not to prohibit power supply from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data when the signal is received by the receiving circuit. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 3.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that determines whether or not to prohibit power supply from the built-in battery to the receiving circuit based on the temperature data and the voltage of the built-in battery. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A radio-controlled wristwatch further comprising a memory for storing a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time in association with each combination of the temperature data range and the voltage range. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 5.
The memory has the temperature data of a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when receiving the signal for time correction and a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when receiving the signal for positioning, respectively. A radio-controlled wristwatch that stores data in association with the combination of the range of the above and the voltage range of the built-in battery. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 5 or 6.
The memory includes a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when the built-in battery is being charged and a plurality of candidates for the upper limit time when the built-in battery is being discharged, respectively, in the range of the temperature data and the built-in. A radio-controlled wristwatch that stores in association with a combination of battery voltage ranges. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 5 to 7.
A radio-controlled wristwatch in which the width of the range of the temperature data associated with each of the plurality of candidates for the upper limit time is narrower as the range relates to a low temperature. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 5 to 8.
A radio wave watch that acquires temperature tendency data indicating a tendency of the temperature data output by the temperature sensor and changes each range of the temperature data based on the temperature tendency. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 9.
The temperature trend data is a radio-controlled wristwatch including the position data of the radio-controlled wristwatch. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 9 or 10.
The temperature trend data is a radio-controlled wristwatch including current date data. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The control circuit limits the hand movement of the radio-controlled wristwatch while the signal is being received by the receiving circuit, and if the signal is not successfully received until the upper limit time, the control circuit may wait after a given standby time. A radio-controlled wristwatch that lifts restrictions on hand movement. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 12.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that displays that the signal is being received until the standby time elapses. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 12 or 13.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that determines the standby time based on the temperature data. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 14.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that determines the standby time based on the temperature data and the voltage. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 12 to 15.
The control circuit is a radio-controlled wristwatch that releases the hand movement restriction after a lapse of time determined by the standby time and the time until the reception is successful when the signal is successfully received. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 1 to 16.
The control circuit limits the hand movement of the radio-controlled wristwatch while the signal is being received by the receiving circuit, and when the signal is not successfully received until the upper limit time, the voltage and a predetermined reference voltage are set. A radio-controlled wristwatch that releases the restrictions on hand movement according to the comparison. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to any one of claims 1 to 17.
The temperature data output from the temperature sensor is also used for temperature compensation of an oscillator that generates a clock signal, a radio-controlled wristwatch. In the radio-controlled wristwatch according to claim 18.
The temperature sensor, the oscillator, and the built-in battery are all arranged in a region on one side of a dichotomy line passing through the center of the radio-controlled wristwatch.

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