JPS59225385A - Electronic timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a timepiece which enables the matching of time with natural phenomenon as much as possible by making two times, twelve o'clock midnight and at noon coincide with the standard time while any regular hour between the two times do not coincide with the standard time. CONSTITUTION:A block 38 adapted to made a reference signal for indicating a time at a desired cycle is a control circuit for changing over the calculation, control and memory and which memorizes sun rises and sun sets and the time at noon for a year to perform a calculation or the like. It also contains a circuit which memorizes an input signal for the time indicated at a desired cycle to preform a processing or the like. The numerals 40, 41 and 42 indicate dividers for indicating any desired time not standard time, each for second, minute and hour. Points of sun rise, the noon, sun set and twelve o'clock are judged with a control circuit 38 to make respective reference signals which are fed to a second divider 40. The switching between the standard time and the desired time is done on signals of A and B from the control circuit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a clock in which only two times, midnight and 12:00, coincide with standard time, and other times can be set arbitrarily according to the user's preference.

For conventional clocks, the standard time of each country is established around the world starting from the Greenwich Observatory in England, and the second as a unit of time is also based on the detailed definition of cesium and rubidium atomic clocks, where 60 seconds is 1 minute and 60 seconds is the standard time. Minutes are 1 hour, 2
We are designed to work in a four-hour day. Although errors may occur in the time standard due to the rotation of the Earth, this is corrected once or twice a year in units of seconds to match the natural history.

FIG. 1 shows the hour of the day in a straight line according to conventional time. 1 and 5 indicate midnight or midnight, 2 indicates 6 a.m., 3 indicates noon, and 4 indicates 6 p.m. or late hour. The numbers 1 to 3 indicate the morning, and the numbers 3 to 5 indicate the afternoon, with the horizontal line for the morning marked in black. 6 indicates 1 a.m., and the length of an hour from midnight to 1 a.m. For example, 7 indicates 7 a.m., but the length of an hour from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. The length of time is the same,
It is also common worldwide.

Therefore, if a standard one-second signal is obtained from a crystal oscillator, etc., it can be counted by an electronic counter, and it is possible to carry up one minute in 60 seconds, and it is possible to carry up the time in 60 minutes. ,1
If it can return to its original state every 2 or 24 hours and display the contents in digital or analog form, it can function as a clock.

In recent years, since crystal oscillators have been used as the standard signal for regular clocks, clocks have rarely gone awry.

This is very difficult for watch users, and in daily life, train and bus users are also able to use their time effectively and with peace of mind, and it has become possible to indulge in unnecessary activities. Just to name a few, having an accurate clock is extremely beneficial when commuting to work, school, traveling, meetings, and gatherings.

However, a uniformly controlled life such as
This ignores the fact that the times of sunrise and sunset, which are part of the natural calendar, change from day to day, and by about three hours in summer and winter. In recent years, it has been called the age of the heart, and there has been a growing trend of valuing people's feelings.Also, the aging population is increasing, and some people are thinking of living a life that suits nature after retirement. It is predicted that the number will increase. The present invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks.

An object of the present invention is to provide a clock that uses natural phenomena such as sunrise and sunset as a reference and synchronizes the time with natural phenomena as much as possible. Another object of the present invention is to provide a time that matches standard time only at midnight and noon, which are necessary for social life, but allows other times to be set according to individual preference. It is something to do.

The present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the present invention, and shows the time in winter. l] is midnight, which coincides with standard time. 12 is the time of sunrise, which is 6 a.m., but according to standard time, the sun rises around 7:30 a.m. 13 is noon and corresponds to 12 o'clock in standard time. 1
4 indicates the time of sunset, which is 6:00 p.m., which is around 4:00 p.m. in standard time. 15 is midnight, and 11
matches.

(With Iffi, there are only two times, midnight and noon, that coincide with standard time, and there is no symmetry between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., including noon, so other than the two points mentioned above are at arbitrary intervals.) !6 indicates 1 a.m., 17 indicates 7 a.m., 18 indicates 1 p.m., and 19 indicates 7 p.m., but each hour is not the same. 1 hour until J6 is the time from midnight to sunrise divided into 6 # minutes.Similarly, the time from sunrise to noon is divided into 6 equal parts, and l and time are from 12 to 17. The hour from 13 to 18 is the time from noon to sunset divided into six equal parts, and the hour from 14 to 194 is the time from sunset to midnight. The time is divided into 6 equal parts. As mentioned above, Figure 2 shows the time of winter, which changes depending on the season, as well as depending on the latitude on the Earth's surface,9 and on topography such as mountains and valleys. During the hours from 11 to 12 and from 18 to 24 when the sun is not shining, the horizontal lines are made black, emphasizing the idea of clearly distinguishing between night and day. In order to embody the clock of the present invention, one second is calculated by dividing the time from midnight to the pre-programmed sunrise time by 21,600, which is the number of seconds for six hours. The time until sunrise can be displayed by counting as a standard 1 second, which corresponds to 1 second. Similarly, the time from sunrise to noon is 21°6
By counting based on the value divided by 00, it is possible to display the time up to noon. It is possible to display the same information even at sunset and midnight.

If the noon point is calculated as noon in standard time, it will automatically indicate standard time.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram for embodying the present invention.

Reference numeral 31 denotes a reference signal oscillator, which uses a relatively high frequency oscillator such as a crystal oscillator.

Here, a signal is generated which is frequency-divided by 1 to a frequency suitable for oscillation and subsequent processing.

32, 33, and 34 are frequency dividers for creating a time that matches standard time, and are blocks for seconds, minutes, and hours, respectively. Reference numerals 35, 36, and 37 are display devices, each of which displays 1 minute and 2 o'clock in the second. For example, the time can be displayed digitally using a liquid crystal display or the like, and it is also possible to use other display bodies. 38 is a block that creates a reference signal for displaying time at an arbitrary period, and includes calculation, control, storage,
It is a control circuit for performing switching, etc.
The yearly sunrise, date input, and noon time are stored and the calculations described above are performed. It also includes a circuit that stores and processes input signals for the time displayed by the user at arbitrary intervals. 39 is a keyboard, and switches for the user to enter input into the clock are also included. Included.4
o, 41 p, and 42 are frequency dividers for indicating any time other than standard time, each representing 2 seconds.

It is a circuit for time. The control circuit 38 determines the points of sunrise, noon, and sunset at 9:00,
The operation of sending each reference signal to the second frequency divider 40 is performed. Also, switching between displaying standard time or a programmed arbitrary time is done by the A and B signals output from the control circuit.If A is output, the standard time is displayed, and if B is output, the arbitrary time is displayed. It can be controlled by the gate circuit 43 as shown in FIG. These overall circuits are 1
It is also possible to configure it with a CHOeLSI chip.
It can be manufactured at low cost by applying current semiconductor technology. Furthermore, since it can be manufactured in an extremely small size, it can be made into the size of a wristwatch, and table clocks and wall clocks can easily be made into clocks. In the embodiment, the explanation was limited to a digital clock, but according to the idea of the present invention, it is also included in the present invention to summarize the clock as an analog clock. It is also possible to apply it as an electronic clock using a liquid crystal image display or the like.

As explained above, not only clocks that match the standard time, but also clocks that match the natural history are natural for humans, and their practical value will be recognized as we move towards an aging society. It is useful as a watch, and it is of great significance because it can be easily and inexpensively realized by applying current electronics technology and semiconductor technology.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 shows the hour of the day on a straight line according to an ordinary clock, and Fig. 2 shows the hour of the day in a straight line according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows an example of a block diagram for embodying the electronic timepiece of the present invention. 1.2, 3, 4.5 are respectively 0 o'clock, 6 o'clock, noon, 18
hour, 24 hours. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 are respectively 0
It indicates the hour, sunrise at 6 o'clock, noon, sunset at 18 o'clock, and 0 o'clock. 3]: Reference signal oscillator 32-34: Standard time divider, 35-37: Display device: 38 control circuit 3
9: Human key A: Switching signal line to indicate standard time
B: To indicate the user's arbitrary time Applicant Suwa Seikosha Co., Ltd. Patent Attorney Mogami (0n (6) (12)
) (/8) (24
) Figure 1-50 (

Claims (1)

[Claims] +1+ Only two times, midnight and 12:00,
An electronic timepiece characterized in that the time corresponds to standard time, but the hourly time between the two times does not correspond to standard time. (2) The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the time of sunrise is 6:00 a.m. and the time of sunset is 6:00 p.m. (3) The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein each correct time is controlled based on information programmed in advance. 141. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein each hourly time can be programmed arbitrarily by the user.