JP6911954B2 - Electronic clock, information acquisition control method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic clock, an information acquisition control method and a program.

Conventionally, there is an electronic clock that can maintain an accurate date and time by receiving wireless radio waves from the outside, acquiring date and time information, and correcting the date and time to be counted by itself. As radio waves for acquiring date and time information, standard radio waves in a long wavelength band, radio waves from positioning satellites, radio waves related to short-range wireless communication with portable electronic terminals, and the like are widely used.
Acquiring the date and time by receiving these various radio waves has advantages and disadvantages such as additional configuration required for reception, receivable area, reception time and power consumption, cost and electronic clock usage area (sales area), etc. Depending on the type, the appropriate one is selected or used properly.

Further, in an electronic clock capable of receiving radio waves from a positioning satellite, there are cases where only date and time information is acquired and cases where position information is acquired together with date and time information. In this electronic clock, it may be possible to select whether or not to acquire the position information according to the input operation of the user (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-78546

However, in electronic clocks, operating members such as push button switches that accept operations are limited, and as the number of choices increases, the operation tends to become complicated. In particular, if the operation of selecting a configuration in which it is difficult to obtain the date and time is uniformly included, there is a problem that unnecessary operations occur until the desired selection is made, which requires extra time and labor and is inefficient.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic clock, an information acquisition control method, and a program capable of acquiring date and time information more flexibly and efficiently.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention
A radio wave receiver that receives radio waves including time information,
A communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection with the set external device,
Control unit and
With
When the control unit has a setting related to an external device, the control unit performs a first information acquisition operation of acquiring information related to the current time or information related to the current position from the set external device via the communication unit. It is an electronic clock characterized by selecting and selecting a second information acquisition operation for acquiring information related to the current time based on the radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit when the setting is not provided. ..

According to the present invention, there is an effect that date and time information can be acquired more flexibly and efficiently.

It is a front view which shows the electronic clock of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of an electronic clock. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the function selection control processing executed by the electronic clock of this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the modification 1 of the function selection control processing. It is a flowchart which shows the modification 2 of the function selection control processing. It is a flowchart which shows the modification 3 of the function selection control processing.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronic clock 1 according to an embodiment of the electronic clock of the present invention.

The electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment is an electronic wristwatch capable of displaying the date and time by four pointers including a date wheel 14 which is a rotating disk. In the electronic clock 1, an hour hand 11, a minute hand 12, and a second hand 13 are provided between the casing 6, the dial 7, and the windshield (not shown) that covers the front surface. Further, the date wheel 14 is provided on the lower surface side of the dial 7 (the side opposite to the windshield glass side (exposed surface side)) substantially parallel to the dial 7. The hour hand 11, the minute hand 12, the second hand 13, and the date wheel 14 are rotatably arranged around the same axis at the center of the dial 7. Push button switches B1 and B2 and a crown C1 are provided on the side surface of the casing 6.

On the upper surface side (windshield side) of the dial 7, a sign (hour letter) and a scale for indicating the date and time are provided. Further, signs "C", "TIME", and "T + P" are provided between the 4 o'clock direction and the 6 o'clock direction of the dial 7, and each of them indicates a state related to radio wave reception from the outside. These will be described in detail later.

The date wheel 14 is an annular rotating disk, and signs (date signs) of "1" to "31" representing dates are arranged in order on the circumference at equal intervals. By rotating the date wheel 14, one date sign is exposed from the opening 8 provided in the 3 o'clock direction of the dial 7 to indicate the date.

The pushbutton switches B1 and B2 accept operations when pressed by the user. The crown C1 can be pulled out in two stages, and the pulling out operation, the rotating operation in the pulled out state, and the pushing back operation are accepted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.

The electronic clock 1 includes an hour hand 11, a stepping motor 31 that rotates the hour hand 11 via the train wheel mechanism 21, a minute hand 12, and a stepping motor 32 that rotates the minute hand 12 via the train wheel mechanism 22. The second hand 13, the stepping motor 33 that rotates the second hand 13 via the train wheel mechanism 23, the sun wheel 14, the stepping motor 34 that rotates the sun wheel 14 via the train wheel mechanism 24, and the drive circuit 30. , Microcomputer 40, ROM 51 (Read Only Memory), operation reception unit 52, notification unit 53, satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (radio wave reception unit, satellite radio wave reception unit), antenna AN1, communication unit 55, and antenna. It is equipped with an AN2, a power supply unit 60, and the like.

The microcomputer 40 includes a CPU 41 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 42 (Random Access Memory), an oscillation circuit 44, a frequency dividing circuit 45, a timekeeping circuit 46, and the like.

The CPU 41 and the RAM 42 constitute a control unit 40a that functions as a processor that controls the overall operation of the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.
The CPU 41 performs various arithmetic processes, acquires signals from each unit as needed, and outputs control signals to the respective units. For example, the CPU 41 sets the hour hand 11, the minute hand 12, the second hand 13, and the date wheel 14 (display unit; hereinafter, a part or all of them are collectively referred to as pointers 11 to 14 and the like) with respect to the drive circuit 30 at appropriate timings. Outputs a control signal to rotate.

The RAM 42 provides the CPU 41 with a working memory space and stores temporary data. The temporary data stored in the RAM 42 includes setting data and history data related to each function. The setting data related to each function includes, for example, identification information 421 (setting) of the external device to be communicated and connected at the time of communication with the external device by the communication unit 55 by Bluetooth (registered trademark). Further, the history data includes, for example, the latest timing when the date and time information is acquired from the outside, the acquisition type, and the like.

The oscillation circuit 44 generates a predetermined frequency signal and outputs it to the frequency dividing circuit 45. As the oscillation circuit 44, a crystal oscillator is used here. The crystal oscillator in this case may be externally attached to the microcomputer 40.

The frequency dividing circuit 45 divides the frequency signal input from the oscillation circuit 44, generates a signal of the frequency set by the control signal from the CPU 41, and outputs the signal to the CPU 41. Further, the frequency dividing circuit 45 generates a predetermined frequency signal (for example, a 1-second signal) and outputs it to the time measuring circuit 46.

The timekeeping circuit 46 is a counter that counts the input frequency signal and counts the date and time. Alternatively, the timekeeping circuit 46 may be a memory such as a DRAM that stores the date and time counted by software by the CPU 41.

The ROM 51 stores various programs 511 executed by the control unit 40a (CPU 41) and initial setting data used in these programs 511. The program 511 and the initial setting data are read, executed, and used by the CPU 41 at the time of starting the electronic clock 1 and at any time as needed. The ROM 51 may have various non-volatile memories such as a rewritable flash memory and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) in addition to or instead of the mask ROM.

The operation reception unit 52 detects and accepts an external input operation such as an input operation by the user, converts it into an electric signal, and outputs it to the CPU 41 as an input signal. The operation receiving unit 52 includes push button switches B1 and B2 and a crown C1 as operation members. The user can correct the current date and time (time), perform positioning, and perform operations related to various other functions by input operations via these push button switches B1, B2 and crown C1. ..

The notification unit 53 performs a predetermined notification operation to the user. Examples of the predetermined notification operation include the generation of a buzzer sound, the generation of vibration, and the lighting (blinking) operation of a lamp. The notification unit 53 has one or a plurality of configurations corresponding to these operations. For example, a piezoelectric element provided with electrodes at both ends and a diaphragm are used to generate a buzzer sound. For example, a rotary motor provided with a weight is used to generate vibration. Further, for example, an LED is used for lighting the lamp.

The satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 receives radio waves (broadcast radio waves including time information) from the positioning satellite via the antenna AN1, acquires the date and time, performs positioning calculation, and outputs the radio waves to the CPU 41. The positioning satellite to be received by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 is, for example, a positioning satellite related to GPS (Global Positioning System) in the United States, but it is possible to receive radio waves of other positioning satellites and use them for positioning. It may be. The CPU and the calculation circuit that perform the positioning calculation may be included in the above-mentioned control unit 40a here. These can be arranged together with the receiving unit that synchronizes, amplifies, captures, demodulates (inverse spread spectrum), etc. of the radio wave in the module of the satellite radio wave receiving processing unit 54, but are arranged together with the CPU 41, the RAM 42, and the like. You may.

The communication unit 55 performs communication control for wirelessly mutual communication (wireless communication) by making a communication connection with an external electronic device (external device) set via the antenna AN2. The communication unit 55 controls communication according to the Bluetooth protocol, although it is not particularly limited. As the communication by Bluetooth, the power saving communication of version 4 can be used here, and the power consumption required for each communication is not large compared to the power consumption required for the normal operation of the electronic clock 1. Alternatively or additionally, it may be possible to use version 3 high-speed communication or other versions as Bluetooth communication.

The power supply unit 60 supplies the required power to the microcomputer 40 at a predetermined operating voltage. The power supply unit 60 is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, a solar panel and a secondary battery as batteries, enabling long-term and stable power supply. Alternatively, power may be supplied from a primary battery such as a button-type dry battery that can be attached to and detached from the power supply unit 60. When the output voltage of the battery and the operating voltage of each part are different, the power supply unit 60 converts the voltage and outputs it to each part. Further, the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54, the communication unit 55, and the like can switch whether or not power is directly supplied from the power supply unit 60 under the control of the microcomputer 40 (CPU 41).

The stepping motors 31 to 34 are step-driven based on the voltage waveform of the drive pulse input from the drive circuit 30, and the pointers 11 to 14 are independently rotated in the forward direction (the direction in which the time and time advance) or the reverse direction. It is possible to rotate and move by a predetermined angle (in the direction in which the time and time return). Here, these stepping motors 31 to 34 can be driven by a drive pulse of 64 pps (pulse per second) at the fastest in the forward rotation direction, and can be driven by a drive pulse of 32 pps at the fastest in the reverse direction. be.

The drive circuit 30 outputs a drive pulse having a pulse width set in each of the stepping motors 31 to 34 based on the control signals related to the operation of the pointers 11 to 14 output from the CPU 41. The drive circuit 30 is configured not to output drive pulses to a plurality of stepping motors at the same time. That is, when hand movement commands for a plurality of pointers are input at the same time, the drive circuit 30 sequentially outputs drive pulses to the stepping motor according to a preset priority for the pointers to be moved. do.

In the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment, each time the stepping motors 31 to 34 are driven by one step, the hour hand 11 and the minute hand 12 rotate once, the second hand 13 rotates 6 degrees, and the date wheel 14 rotates 1 /. The train wheel mechanism 21 to 24 is configured to rotate 124 degrees (360 / (31 × 1440) degrees). Therefore, in the normal time display mode, the second hand 13 rotates one step every second based on the input interval of the drive pulse to the stepping motor 33, and the minute hand 12 moves in conjunction with the movement of the second hand 13, and the 1 second digit is changed. It rotates one step every 10 seconds at the timing of "0" (1:10 in time ratio), and one step every two minutes at the timing when the hour hand 11 becomes an even number in the 1-minute digit in conjunction with the movement of the minute hand 12. The operation is controlled so that it rotates (1:12 in time ratio). The date wheel 14 rotates every other time at the turn of the date, that is, at the timing when the hour hand 11 points in the direction of 12 o'clock, and rotates 1440 steps in fast forward to change the display for one day.

Further, the second hand 13 displays the date / time information and the current position information according to the acquisition contents and the type of acquisition means when performing the date / time correction operation or the positioning operation.

Next, the date and time correction operation in the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment will be described.
In the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment, at the time of communication connection with an external device via Bluetooth via the communication unit 55, date and time information and current position information (information related to the current time and information related to the current position) are transmitted from the connected external device. To get. The current position information referred to here includes information on a position in a wide range such as a time zone and a local time setting area. The communication connection with the external device is made at an arbitrary timing based on the input operation by the user, and the connection for acquiring the date and time information and the current position information at a predetermined time once or multiple times a day is provided. It is done automatically. The time required to acquire the date and time information and the current position information from an external device is short, for example, about 1 to several seconds, and the power consumption is also small. For Bluetooth communication with an external device, it is necessary that the identification information of the external device is set in advance and held in the RAM 42. The external device mainly includes, but is not limited to, a portable electronic terminal that can be easily used together with the electronic watch 1, for example, a smartphone. It may be a fixed terminal, or it may be various servers on the Internet line.

On the other hand, in the electronic clock 1, the date and time information can be acquired from the positioning satellite by the operation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54, or the current position can be identified by performing positioning. In addition, when positioning is performed, local time settings such as the time zone to which the identified current position belongs and the daylight saving time implementation setting are also acquired, and the date and time display can be adjusted. The acquisition and positioning of the date and time information can be performed based on the user's operation. Further, in the electronic clock 1, if the date and time cannot be acquired by Bluetooth, the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 is activated once a day under predetermined conditions to acquire the date and time.

It takes about several seconds to 10 seconds for the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 to acquire the date and time according to a well-known algorithm if the position information of the positioning satellite that can be received in advance is not held. The date and time can be obtained anywhere in the world as long as radio waves from any positioning satellite can be received outdoors. However, the power consumption required for the operation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 is significantly larger than the power consumption required for the normal operation of the electronic clock 1 and the communication operation by Bluetooth. Further, the positioning takes about 20 seconds to 1 minute, and the power consumption becomes larger than that at the time of acquiring the date and time depending on the length of the reception processing time.

These, the communication unit 55 acquires the date and time information and the current position information (first information acquisition operation), the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 acquires the date and time information (second information acquisition operation), and the satellite radio wave reception processing unit. The positioning operation by 54 is switched according to the operation received by the push button switch B1. In the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment, selection is made according to the presence / absence of identification information (setting) of an external device to be a communication connection destination by Bluetooth. In the electronic clock 1, the first predetermined input operation is regarded as a date / time information acquisition operation command (information acquisition command related to the current time), and the communication unit 55 (external device) serves as a date / time information acquisition means (acquisition destination). ) Or the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (positioning satellite) is selected, and the selection is changed or changed to the positioning operation according to a further input operation.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the control unit 40a of the function selection control process executed by the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment.
In this function selection control process, which is an embodiment of the information acquisition control method of the present invention, a state in which the push button switch B1 is continuously pressed for a predetermined time, here for 1 second (predetermined input operation) is detected. To be started. That is, the function selection control process is started regardless of whether or not the pressed state of the push button switch B1 is released.

When the function selection control process is started, the control unit 40a (CPU 41) determines whether or not the communication connection partner for communication by Bluetooth has been set (pairing setting) (step S101). If it is determined that this has not been done (“NO” in step S101), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S122.

When it is determined that the pairing setting has been made (“YES” in step S101), the control unit 40a outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 30 and moves the second hand 13 to the position of the sign “C”. (Step S102). The control unit 40a activates the communication unit 55 (step S105). The control unit 40a establishes a Bluetooth communication connection with an external device for which pairing has been set, and acquires date and time information (step S106). The control unit 40a may disconnect the communication connection as soon as the date and time are acquired, but may also acquire other information at the same time.

The control unit 40a determines whether or not it is within a predetermined time (second reference time) from the activation of the communication unit 55 (step S107). When it is determined that the time is within the predetermined time (“YES” in step S107), the control unit 40a detects the pressing operation of the push button switch B1 (usually the pressing operation by the user) (input of the predetermined operating member). It is determined whether or not the operation has been detected again (step S108). If it is determined that it has been detected (“YES” in step S108), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S122. If it is determined that it has not been detected (“NO” in step S108), the process of the control unit 40a returns to step S107.

When the determination process of steps S101 and S108 shifts to step S122, the control unit 40a outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 30 and moves the second hand 13 to the position of the sign “TIME” (step S122). The control unit 40a activates the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 to start the operation of acquiring the date and time information (step S123). That is, the control unit 40a causes the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 to capture the radio waves of at least one positioning satellite and acquire the information necessary for identifying the date and time from the captured positioning satellite. At this time, the control unit 40a may disconnect the wireless communication connection with the external device by the communication unit 55. If the date and time information has already been acquired at this point, the control unit 40a discards the date and time information. The control unit 40a may modify the date and time counted by the timekeeping circuit 46 by reflecting the already acquired date and time information once.

The control unit 40a determines whether or not the date and time information has been acquired from the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (step S124). If it is determined that it has been acquired (“YES” in step S124), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S129. If it is determined that it has not been acquired (“NO” in step S124), the control unit 40a determines whether or not the pressing operation of the push button switch B1 is detected (step S125). If it is determined that it has not been detected (“NO” in step S125), the process of the control unit 40a returns to step S124.

When it is determined that the push button switch B1 is pressed (that is, between the activation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 and the acquisition of the date and time information (within the third reference time), the push button switch B1 is operated. When it is detected again (“YES” in step S125), the control unit 40a outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 30 and moves the second hand 13 to the position of the indicator “T + P” (step S126). The control unit 40a outputs a control signal to the operating satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 to shift from the date and time acquisition operation to the positioning operation (step S127). If the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 cannot shift from the date / time acquisition operation to the positioning operation in the middle, the control unit 40a suspends (stops) the operation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 once and starts the date / time acquisition operation again. You may. The control unit 40a acquires the positioning result (that is, the information related to the current time and the information related to the current position) from the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (step S128). Then, the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S129.

When the process of steps S124 and S128 shifts to the process of step S129, the control unit 40a stops the operation of the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (step S129). Then, the control unit 40a ends the function selection control process.
Of the above processes, each process of steps S101, S106, and S123 constitutes an operation selection step (operation selection means) in the information acquisition control method (program) of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a modification 1 of the function selection control process.
In the function selection control process of the first modification, the processes of steps S103, S104, S120, and S121 are added to the function selection control process shown in FIG. 3, and the processes of steps S107 and S108 are omitted. .. Other processing contents are the same, and the same processing contents are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When it is determined in the determination process of step S101 that the pairing setting has been made (“YES” in step S101), the control unit 40a detects that the push button switch B1 is released from the pressed state. It is determined whether or not it is present (step S120). If it is determined that it has not been detected (“NO” in step S120), the control unit 40a has a push button switch B1 pressed state (duration of a predetermined input operation) of 2 seconds (first reference time). ) It is determined whether or not the continuation is continued (step S121).

If it is determined that the pressed state has not continued for 2 seconds or more (“NO” in step S121), the processing of the control unit 40a returns to step S120. If it is determined that 2 seconds or more have passed (“YES” in step S121), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S122. When it is determined in the determination process of step S120 that the release of the pressed button switch B1 is detected (that is, the release is performed in less than 2 seconds) in the determination process of step S120 (in step S120, ". YES ”), the control unit 40a ends the function selection control process.

Further, after the process of step S102, the control unit 40a determines whether or not the release of the pressed button switch B1 is detected (step S103). If it is determined that it has not been detected (“NO” in step S103), the control unit 40a has a push button switch B1 pressed state (duration of a predetermined input operation) of 2 seconds (first reference time). ) It is determined whether or not the continuation is continued (step S104). If it is determined that the continuation is not continued for 2 seconds or more (“NO” in step S104), the processing of the control unit 40a returns to step S103. If it is determined that 2 seconds or more have passed (“YES” in step S104), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S122.

If it is determined in the determination process of step S103 that the release of the push button switch B1 is detected (that is, the release is performed in less than 2 seconds) (“YES” in step S103), the control unit 40a The process proceeds to step S105. After the processes of steps S105 and S106 are completed, the control unit 40a ends the function selection control process.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a modification 2 of the function selection control process.
In the function selection control process of the second modification, the processes of steps S103, S104, S120, S121, S131 to S133, and S141 are added to the function selection control process shown in FIG. 3, and steps S107, S108, and S124 are added. The process of S125 has been deleted. Other processes are the same, and the same processing contents are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. Further, the processing of steps S103, S104, S120, and S121 is the same as that of the above-described modification 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

After the process of step S123, the control unit 40a determines whether or not the number of positioning satellites captured within the predetermined time is the number required for positioning, that is, four or more (step S131). If it is determined that there are not four or more aircraft (“NO” in step S131), the control unit 40a acquires the date and time information from the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 (step S141), and performs the function selection control process. finish.

When it is determined that the number of captured positioning satellites is 4 or more (3 or more when information in the height direction is not required) (“YES” in step S131), the control unit 40a determines. It is determined whether or not the SNR (reception intensity) of the received signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value in four or more of the captured radio waves from the positioning satellite (step S132). If it is determined that the value is not equal to or higher than the reference value (“NO” in step S132), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S141.

When it is determined that the SNR is equal to or higher than the predetermined reference value (“YES” in step S132), is the remaining amount of the battery supplied from the power supply unit 60 sufficient for positioning by the control unit 40a (“YES” in step S132)? It is determined whether or not it is OK and the information related to the current position can be acquired (step S133). If it is determined that the value is not sufficient (not OK) (“NO” in step S133), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S141. If it is determined that it is sufficient (“YES” in step S133), the process of the control unit 40a shifts to step S126.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a modification 3 of the function selection control process.
In the function selection control process of the third modification, the processes of steps S131 to S133 and S141 are added to the function selection control process shown in FIG. 3, and the processes of steps S107, S108, S124 and S125 are omitted. ing. Other processing contents are the same. Further, the processing of steps S131 to S133 and S141 performed in place of the processing of steps S124 and S125 is the same as that shown in the modified example 2, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the electronic clock 1 of the present embodiment wirelessly connects the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 that receives the broadcast radio wave including the date and time information with the external device in which the identification information 421 is set. It includes a communication unit 55 that performs communication, a control unit 40a (CPU 41 and RAM 42), and an operation reception unit 52 that receives an input operation via operation members (push button switches B1, B2 and crown C1). When the long press operation corresponding to the current date / time information acquisition command is received via the push button switch B1, the control unit 40a (CPU 41) transmits the current date / time information from the set external device via the communication unit 55. From the first information acquisition operation to be acquired and the second information acquisition operation to acquire information based on the broadcast radio wave from the positioning satellite received by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54, the identification information 421 related to the external device Select according to the presence or absence of setting.
In this way, if the identification information 421 is not set according to the presence or absence of the setting, the operation reception operation related to the acquisition of information from the external device is omitted from the beginning. It is possible to reach the reception state of the desired operation more efficiently without stress by skipping unnecessary judgments such as existence. Further, when the identification information 421 is set, the date and time can usually be acquired from an external device in a short time and with low power consumption, so that the date and time correction operation by the user becomes easier.
Therefore, the electronic clock 1 can acquire the date and time information more flexibly and efficiently.

Further, when the duration of the pressed state of the push button switch B1 is 2 seconds (first reference time) or more after selecting the first information acquisition operation, the control unit 40a provides the second information. Change the selection to the acquisition operation. In this way, even if the device is connected to an external device such as a smartphone, if there is a reason such as not having it at hand or being unable to use it, the radio wave from the positioning satellite is promptly received and the electronic watch is used. Since the date and time information can be acquired independently, the user can easily and flexibly switch the acquisition target of the date and time information according to the situation while receiving from an external device. Further, in this case, since the user simply keeps pressing the push button switch B1, the operation to be remembered becomes easy.

Further, after selecting the first information acquisition operation, the control unit 40a changes the selection to the second information acquisition operation when the pressing operation of the push button switch B1 is detected again within a predetermined time. As described above, since the operation of the communication unit 55 can be started and then the radio wave reception from the positioning satellite can be easily switched by an additional operation, the processing is not complicated. Further, since the reception target can be switched by operating only the single push button switch B1, the user operation is not complicated.

Further, in the first information acquisition operation, the information related to the current time and the information related to the current position are acquired. If the identification information 421 is set in this way, the date and time information and the current position information can be acquired together in a short time with a simple operation, so that the radio wave is received from the positioning satellite. While leaving the operation within a range that does not complicate the operation, it is usually possible to easily acquire the information necessary for displaying the accurate date and time including the local time setting.

Further, the radio wave receiving unit includes a satellite radio wave receiving processing unit 54 that receives radio waves from the positioning satellite.
By making it possible to acquire date and time information and current position information using radio waves from positioning satellites, the electronic clock 1 can count and display accurate date and time around the world even when external devices such as smartphones cannot be used. can.

Further, when the pressing operation of the push button switch B1 is detected again within the time until the date and time acquisition after selecting the second information acquisition operation, the control unit 40a performs the positioning operation and relates to the current time. Acquire information and information related to the current position. When switching from the acquisition of date and time information to the acquisition including the current position information when the identification information 421 of the external device is not set, it is only necessary to press the push button switch B1 once additionally, so that the switching operation is performed. Does not become complicated and does not greatly increase the time and effort of the user.

Further, when the second information acquisition operation is selected, the control unit 40a determines whether or not the positioning operation is possible based on the remaining amount of the battery that supplies power to the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54. That is, if there is not enough battery power remaining to perform the positioning operation, the positioning operation can be prevented from starting. Therefore, in the electronic clock 1, efficient information acquisition is performed while avoiding unnecessary power consumption and an increase in the waiting time of the user.

Further, when the second information acquisition operation is selected, the control unit 40a operates the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 and is based on at least one of the number of positioning satellites captured by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 and the SNR. To determine whether positioning operation is possible. That is, when the environment is not such that positioning can be easily and surely performed, the electronic clock 1 can prevent the positioning operation from being performed. Therefore, in the electronic clock 1, efficient information acquisition is performed while avoiding unnecessary power consumption and an increase in the waiting time of the user.

In addition, pointers 11 to 14 (particularly, the second hand 13) for displaying the type of information acquisition operation selected based on the control of the control unit 40a are provided. As a result, in the electronic clock 1, the user can easily know which operation is being performed.

Further, the information acquisition control method of the present embodiment is performed from an external device set in the identification information 421 when a long press operation corresponding to an acquisition command of information related to the current time is received via the push button switch B1. The first information acquisition operation of acquiring information via the communication unit 55 and the second information acquisition operation of acquiring information based on the broadcast radio wave received by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 are related to the external device. Includes an action selection step to select and acquire information depending on whether or not there is a setting.
In this way, by selecting the information acquisition destination according to whether or not the identification information 421 is set, when the identification information 421 is set, the date and time can be easily obtained from an external device in a short time. When the information is acquired and the identification information 421 is not set, the date and time information is acquired by receiving the broadcast radio wave which can obtain the same information by itself without using an external device. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the date and time information more easily and efficiently while avoiding causing the user to perform complicated processing, requiring an unnecessarily long waiting time, and consuming power.

Further, the program 511 of the present embodiment receives a long press operation corresponding to an instruction to acquire information related to the current time via the push button switch B1 on the computer (control unit 40a) of the electronic clock 1. Information is acquired based on the first information acquisition operation of acquiring information from the external device set in the identification information 421 via the communication unit 55 and the broadcast radio wave from the positioning satellite received by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54. From the second information acquisition operation to be performed, the function is made to function as an operation selection means for selecting according to the presence or absence of the setting of the identification information 421 related to the external device.
By installing such a program 511 and controlling the operation by software to efficiently acquire the date and time information, the electronic clock 1 can easily acquire the date and time information without complicating the circuit scale and the like. Efficient control can be performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the above embodiment, the radio wave from the positioning satellite has been described as an example of the broadcast radio wave including the time information, but other broadcast radio waves such as a standard radio wave in a long wavelength band may be included.

Further, in the above embodiment, the communication unit 55 decides to perform communication by Bluetooth, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as it transmits and receives to and from the set communication connection destination. For example, a wireless LAN or the like may be used.

Further, the number of external devices set in the identification information 421 is not limited to one. A plurality of settings may be made. In this case, the date and time information acquisition operations may be performed in a predetermined order for the plurality of settings. Further, one unit may be a communication connection partner by Bluetooth, and the other unit may be a communication connection destination by another communication means such as a wireless LAN. If no unit is set, radio waves are received from the positioning satellite.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the information is acquired from the external device by Bluetooth via the communication unit 55, the current position information is always acquired together with the date and time information, but the current position information must be acquired at the same time. There is no. It may not be acquired, or even if the selection is changed so that the date and time information is also acquired according to the pressed state of the push button switch B1, as in the transition from the date and time acquisition by the satellite radio wave reception processing unit 54 to the positioning operation. good.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the communication by Bluetooth is performed, the information related to the time zone, the daylight saving time implementation area, etc. may be acquired as the current position information. A portable electronic terminal such as a smartphone connected by short-range wireless communication may perform a positioning operation to acquire the positioning result.

Further, in the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not to execute positioning by judging all of the remaining battery level, the number of captured satellites, and the radio wave reception intensity from the captured satellites, but one or two of them (for example, , One of the number of captured positioning satellites and SNR), or may be used in combination with other criteria. In addition, here, if positioning is enabled, positioning is automatically executed, but even if it is possible to accept a user operation that approves the transition to the positioning operation or cancels the transition to the positioning operation. good. In any case, if there is no user operation within the predetermined time, the control unit 40a can perform control that does not shift to the positioning operation or shifts to the positioning operation according to the basic setting.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the pointer-type analog electronic clock provided with the pointers 11 to 14 as the display unit has been described as an example, but the electronic clock has a digital display screen in addition to or instead of these. You may.

Further, in the above description, various non-volatile memories such as a flash memory and EEPROM are provided as a computer-readable medium for storing the program 511 of the function selection control process related to the processing operation of the control unit 40a (CPU 41) according to the present invention. Although the ROM 51 has been described as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. As other computer-readable media, HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD discs can be applied. A carrier wave is also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing data of a program according to the present invention via a communication line.

In addition, the contents of the various treatments shown in the above-described embodiment and its modifications can be carried out in any combination as long as they do not contradict each other or cancel out the effects.
In addition, specific details such as the configuration, control contents, and procedures shown in the above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

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

[Additional Notes]
<Claim 1>
A radio wave receiver that receives broadcast radio waves including time information,
A communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection with the set external device,
Control unit and
An operation reception unit that accepts input operations via operating members,
With
When a predetermined input operation corresponding to an acquisition command of information related to the current time is received via the predetermined operation member, the control unit receives the information from the set external device via the communication unit. The first information acquisition operation for acquiring the information and the second information acquisition operation for acquiring the information based on the broadcast radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit are selected according to the presence or absence of the setting related to the external device. An electronic clock characterized by
<Claim 2>
After selecting the first information acquisition operation, the control unit changes the selection to the second information acquisition operation when the duration of the predetermined input operation exceeds the first reference time. The electronic clock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic clock is characterized by the above.
<Claim 3>
After selecting the first information acquisition operation, the control unit selects the second information acquisition operation when the input operation to the operation member is detected again within the second reference time. The electronic clock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic clock is changed.
<Claim 4>
The electronic clock according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the first information acquisition operation, information relating to the current time and information relating to the current position are acquired.
<Claim 5>
The electronic clock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the radio wave receiving unit includes a satellite radio wave receiving unit that receives radio waves from a positioning satellite.
<Claim 6>
After selecting the second information acquisition operation, if the input operation to the operation member is detected again within the third reference time, the control unit performs a positioning operation to provide information related to the current time. The electronic clock according to claim 5, further comprising acquiring information relating to the current position.
<Claim 7>
When the second information acquisition operation is selected, the control unit determines whether or not the positioning operation is possible based on the remaining amount of the battery that supplies power to the radio wave receiving unit. The electronic clock according to claim 6.
<Claim 8>
When the second information acquisition operation is selected, the control unit operates the satellite radio wave receiving unit, and is based on at least one of the number of positioning satellites captured by the satellite radio wave receiving unit and the reception intensity. The electronic clock according to claim 6 or 7, wherein it determines whether or not the positioning operation is possible.
<Claim 9>
The electronic clock according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a display unit that displays the type of the selected information acquisition operation based on the control of the control unit.
<Claim 10>
A radio wave receiving unit that receives broadcast radio waves including time information, a communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection between a set external device, an operation receiving unit that accepts an input operation via an operating member, and an operation receiving unit. It is an information acquisition control method of an electronic clock equipped with
A first method of acquiring the information from the set external device via the communication unit when a predetermined input operation corresponding to an instruction to acquire information related to the current time is received via the predetermined operating member. From the information acquisition operation of the above and the second information acquisition operation of acquiring the information based on the broadcast radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit, an operation selection step of selecting according to the presence or absence of the setting related to the external device is performed. An information acquisition control method characterized by including.
<Claim 11>
A radio wave receiving unit that receives broadcast radio waves including time information, a communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection between a set external device, an operation receiving unit that accepts an input operation via an operating member, and an operation receiving unit. When a predetermined input operation corresponding to an acquisition command of information related to the current time is received through the predetermined operating member of the computer of the electronic clock including the above, the set external device via the communication unit. From the first information acquisition operation of acquiring the information and the second information acquisition operation of acquiring the information based on the broadcast radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit, depending on the presence or absence of the setting related to the external device. A program characterized by functioning as an action selection means for selection.

1 Electronic clock 6 Casing 7 Dial 8 Opening 11 Hour hand 12 Minute hand 13 Second hand 14 Day wheel 21 to 24 Wheel train mechanism 30 Drive circuit 31 to 34 Stepping motor 40 Microcomputer 40a Control unit 41 CPU
42 RAM
421 Identification information 44 Oscillation circuit 45 Division circuit 46 Timekeeping circuit 51 ROM
511 Program 52 Operation reception unit 53 Notification unit 54 Satellite radio wave reception processing unit 55 Communication unit 60 Power supply unit AN1, AN2 Antenna B1, B2 Push button switch C1 Crown

Claims (7)

A radio wave receiver that receives radio waves including time information,
A communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection with the set external device,
Control unit and
With
When the control unit has a setting related to an external device, the control unit performs a first information acquisition operation of acquiring information related to the current time or information related to the current position from the set external device via the communication unit. An electronic timepiece that is selected and, if it does not have the above setting, selects a second information acquisition operation for acquiring information related to the current time based on the radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit. The radio receiver is an electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the receiving radio waves or standard radio waves from positioning satellites. After selecting the second information acquisition operation, the control unit performs the radio wave reception operation by the radio wave receiving unit when an instruction relating to the execution of the information acquisition operation is detected within the third reference time. The electronic clock according to any one of claims 1 or 2 , wherein the information relating to the current time or the information relating to the current position is acquired. When the second information acquisition operation is selected, the control unit determines whether or not the radio wave reception operation is possible based on the remaining amount of the battery that supplies power to the radio wave reception unit. The electronic clock according to claim 3. The electronic clock according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising a display unit that displays the type of the selected information acquisition operation based on the control of the control unit. It is an information acquisition control method of an electronic clock including a radio wave receiving unit that receives radio waves including time information and a communication unit that performs wireless communication by making a communication connection between a set external device.
When having a setting related to an external device, the first information acquisition operation for acquiring information related to the current time or information related to the current position from the set external device via the communication unit is selected, and the setting is performed. An information acquisition control method including an operation selection step of selecting a second information acquisition operation for acquiring information related to the current time based on the radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit. .. When a computer of an electronic clock equipped with a radio wave receiving unit that receives radio waves including time information and a communication unit that makes a communication connection between a set external device and performs wireless communication has a setting related to the external device. In addition, when the first information acquisition operation for acquiring the information related to the current time or the information related to the current position is selected from the set external device via the communication unit and the setting is not provided, the radio wave reception is performed. A program characterized in that it functions as an operation selection means for selecting a second information acquisition operation for acquiring information related to the current time based on radio waves received by the unit.

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