JPS6142235B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece in which standard times in various parts of the world are arbitrarily displayed digitally.

The following three types are listed as conventional examples of this type.

(1) It is a fairly large table clock with an opaque world map board based on the Mercator projection, with holes at the locations of major cities, and a lamp at the back of each hole. In the foreground is a light-emitting display that digitally displays hours, minutes, and seconds, and a number of key switches corresponding to major cities. When you press one of the city switches, the lamp for that city lights up and at the same time the display changes to the standard time for that city. It has a logic circuit for that purpose inside.

(2) It is also a large table clock, with a map panel that shows the time zone by printing topography and city names, and marking the boundaries of time zones. There are lamp holes lined up along the equator of the panel, one for each time zone. At the top of the panel (towards the north) there is a window for a luminescent digital display of the time. The selected time zone is indicated by a lit lamp, and the local time is displayed. At the bottom of the panel is a switch for shifting the selected area to the right or left (east or west), GMT
There are switches etc. that call the .

(3) It is an electronic wristwatch with a liquid crystal time display in the center, and around 20 names of representative cities, one selected for each time zone, printed on the entire circumference of the partition plate surrounding it in order of time difference. has been done. There are display electrodes with small marks corresponding to the names of cities around the periphery of the liquid crystal display, and only the mark corresponding to the selected city is displayed. There is a button switch that allows you to select cities either clockwise or counterclockwise, and each time you press either button, the index shifts to the next city, and the displayed time changes accordingly. It has an internal time counter and display decoder driver that can switch between oscillation, frequency division, and up/down, and tracks the time by increasing or decreasing the number of pulses in the time counter according to the number of button operations. You can also select two regions in advance and switch between home time and world time almost instantly using a separate switch and fast-forward circuit.

However, these conventional examples have the following drawbacks.

Conventional Examples 1 and 2 It is useful as a table clock because it allows you to locate any region in the world on a map and determine the standard time, but if you make it the size of a wristwatch, the printed city names and time zone lines will be too small to distinguish. Providing a large number of key switches in a wristwatch is extremely undesirable from the standpoint of cost and operability.

Conventional Example 3 It is convenient to know the time of a representative city directly, but it has the drawback that it cannot be used for other place names unless you know in advance whether the standard time there is the same as or close to which representative city.

The present invention was made to solve these difficulties, and its main purpose is to provide a map-equipped digital world clock that facilitates regional searches and is not difficult to read even though it is a relatively small clock. In particular, the gist of this is that at least one of the partially divided world maps can be switched and displayed.
and configured such that any one region of the world can be displayed by position on one of the divided world maps,
The other part includes at least an electro-optical display device configured to digitally display the time, and selecting the arbitrary region and displaying it on a map;
This digital display world clock is characterized in that it has an electronic circuit including a world clock system for displaying a corresponding time on a time display section of the display device, and a control means consisting of an operation switch. This will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an embodiment of the present invention in which a map showing the Eurasian continent as a region and a digital display showing the date, time, minutes, and seconds commonly used are electro-optically displayed. Next, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the American continent region is switched and displayed on the map by the switch means.

To explain in more detail, in Figure 1, there is a bright spot on the Japanese archipelago, and an initial letter T is shown near it, which indicates the location of Tokyo. , the date and time in a separate column, i.e. 13:00 on the 1st.
This means that 45 minutes and 58 seconds is Tokyo local time. In addition, each city located on this map is represented by a spot and an initial letter, which indicates that it is a selected point by blinking sequentially by operating a switch means or by other means, and ,
The date and time displayed at that time will be the local time at that point. The indications in Figure 2 have the same meaning, and in the example shown, N, that is, New York is on the 31st,
It shows that the time is 23:45:58. The means for indicating the date and time is a commonly used electro-optical display device having a segment structure, but the means characteristic of the present invention is used for the map. To explain Figure 1, it is a continuous electro-optical display element starting from Northern Europe, then the Mediterranean Sea, then Africa, then the Arabian Peninsula, then the Indian Peninsula. The map is drawn from the Chinese Peninsula to China, Korea, and Siberia using another connected display element. Note that different continents and islands floating on the ocean, such as the Japanese archipelago and Australia, are each configured by a single display element. It goes without saying that the shape of a map can be drawn by simultaneously exciting these display elements. Next, the Americas shown in FIG. 2 are depicted using a similar arrangement of display elements, but in this example, a cut is provided on the northeastern coastline of the South American continent. Third
Although the figure shows the state in which FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are superimposed, an actual electro-optic display element is arranged in combination in two areas on the same panel in this way. The aforementioned breaks in the map lines are for separating the electro-optical display elements at their intersections.
In addition to arranging the two regions on the same panel plane as described above, there is also a method in which the two regions are arranged apart in the thickness direction so that there is no need to provide a cut in the electro-optical display element. The Eurasian continent map and the American continent map are placed on the same panel.
Either of them is electrically energized as needed to cause a display to appear.

Although the method of representing place names on a map using the initials of cities has already been described, FIG. 4 shows an embodiment using another means. In this case, the place name New York is used, for example, by airlines around the world.
It is represented on the display panel by the abbreviation NYC. This abbreviation is a very useful system as it is guaranteed to represent the names of cities around the world using 3 digits of alphabetic characters. By assembling them using the commonly used segment system, place names can be switched and displayed in sequence. In Figure 4, the spot corresponding to New York on the map is blinking or attracting similar attention, and at the same time
The abbreviation for NYC indicates the local time in New York.

Although not shown here, when you call up the local time in Chicago using a conventional switch, the blinking spot on the map will move one spot to the left of New York.
At the same time, the abbreviation changes to CHI (CHI), indicating the meaning of Chicago, and the date and time, in the example in Figure 4, 0:00 on the 1st.
Displays 45 minutes and 58 seconds, local time in Chicago.

The three letters explained above can be used as an abbreviation to indicate the day of the week by means of another excitation signal, such as SUNDAY.
It can also be expressed as SUN.

Also, in order to reduce the number of display elements, the spots indicating the location of cities on the map may be switched and made common between the regions to be displayed (in the above example, the Eurasian continent and the American continent). As a result, there are advantages such as economizing the display element itself and simplifying the wiring leading to the display element. In this case, the location of the city itself or the outline of the map may be subject to some deformation. Speaking of Deiforum, the maps already illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 were first compressed vertically in the high latitude areas where there are few major cities and the southern hemisphere (Figure 5), and then expanded horizontally. The shape and size make it easy to handle as a watch panel. Furthermore, to show an embodiment in which a liquid crystal panel is employed as the display panel, FIG. 6 is a layout wiring diagram of a so-called upper electrode (segment electrode), and FIG. 7 is a layout wiring diagram of a lower electrode (common electrode). 1st~
The number has increased compared to the city points illustrated in Figure 3.
The method of drawing out the electrode lead wires shown here is for statically driving map and number character segments, but in order to further reduce the number of lead wires,
Group the upper electrodes into n pieces, and put one of each of the lower electrodes together.
The electrode pattern for matrix driving may be formed by dividing the electrode pattern into n parts so as to intersect with each other. (n=2~4
When creating a matrix of upper electrodes in the map area, there are line segments that indicate topographic contours (the number of subdivisions may be increased as appropriate) and small segments that indicate cities or rural areas. It is best to avoid combinations of n pieces (there may be less than n pieces) as much as possible. The sun-shaped mark is a daylight saving time display mark, and when this mark is turned on by an external operation, the time one hour ahead is displayed.

In addition, there are cases where a map cannot be divided properly for various reasons as shown in Figure 3, resulting in two or three maps interfering with each other, and cases where city name segments, etc., are part of the map as shown in Figure 4. If overlap is a problem, it is best to use a double liquid crystal cell and distribute the overlapping patterns to two display sections, respectively. The double liquid crystal cell consists of upper polarizing plate - upper glass substrate - upper segment electrode - upper liquid crystal layer - upper common electrode - middle glass substrate - lower segment electrode - lower liquid crystal layer - lower common electrode - lower glass substrate - lower polarizing plate. - It has the structure of a reflector. It goes without saying that electro-optical display elements such as LED display devices, transparent ferroelectric display devices, EL display devices, elastomer display devices, plasma display devices, electrochromism display devices, etc. can also be used in addition to those exemplified here. do not have. By setting colors as necessary, the display can be made easier to see.

It is also possible to divide the world into three parts. FIG. 8 is an example of this, and is the result of dividing the Eurasian continent in the explanation so far into the European-African continent and the Asian continent.

Next, when using the watch as an actual watch, what methods can be used to make it easier for the user to use?The first thing to do is to move the point on the map in which direction. The currently displayed point is as explained above, but when you move the operating member, depending on how you move it, the next point on the adjacent east side of the map or the next point on the west side will be displayed. It can be made to issue a preliminary warning that it is about to move here. When a preliminary warning is issued as desired by the user, a small cycle of operating the operating members is completed, the location is moved, and the time is changed to the local time. If you want to move to a more distant point, you can repeat the above operation, or after deciding the direction, the direction will be memorized.
It can also be done by simply continuing the movement operation.

Of course, it goes without saying that the map display will automatically change when you cross a map division during this movement process.

Secondly, especially for small watches such as wristwatches,
The size of the map is also limited, and it may not be possible to clearly mark the spots of each major city on it. When we say this, the city name itself is
It is expressed in alphabetical abbreviations as explained above, and on the map, recognizable marks are displayed roughly in the areas where the city is located, such as Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. It can also be served as a stool.

Next, an example of the circuit system of the world clock of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 is a reference time system composed of a crystal oscillator, a frequency divider, and a time counter, and is almost the same as the time system of an ordinary digital watch. Reference numeral 2 denotes a counter whose time difference is set by inputting a switch 3 which is opened and closed by an external operating member. 4 is a group of adders/subtractors which adds or subtracts the counted value of the reference time system 1 and the set value of the time difference counter 2, outputs the time counted value corresponding to the set time difference, and drives the time display section 5 with this. do. 6 is a correction circuit used for initial setting of time and error correction, and may be the same as that of a normal digital watch. 7 is a decoder for selectively displaying one city name corresponding to the set time difference, a map including the city, and city points on the map, and is also a type of ROM. The output controls the display of map outlines, city marks, city display character segments, etc. on the map and city-related display section 8. For example, if -5 (5 hours behind GMT) is set as the time difference setting value in counter 2, time display section 5 will display a time that is 5 hours behind GMT, and map display section 6 will display a time that is 5 hours behind GMT. The continents appear, the New York city mark flashes, and the letter segments form NYC. Since each block of the circuit can be configured in detail without difficulty based on the operational explanation of the present application, a specific circuit diagram will not be shown. By adding another time difference counter or adding a memory, it is also possible to store the time differences between two regions of particular interest and instantly change and display them using another manual switch. Additionally, a summer time setting switch is provided, and the output of this switch can be applied only to the adder/subtractor to display the summer time. Furthermore, if there are multiple cities (for example, three) corresponding to one time difference, of the two outputs of the counter 6, the one going to the decoder 7 advances by one count each time the external switch 3 is operated, but the one going to the adder/subtractor 4 increases by one count each time the external switch 3 is operated. Output is external switch 3
The counter 2 may be configured so that the count advances by one hour (or 30 minutes in some cases) after the button is pressed three times. It is also easy to provide the decoder 7 with other types of decoding functions. For example, instead of selectively displaying only one city or country name, several countries,
A large district consisting of several states is selected, and the corresponding map outline and the corresponding continental substance are displayed by flashing or changing colors, and the character segments are also displayed with appropriate abbreviations. Alternatively, if there is no famous and representative place name corresponding to a certain time difference, the time difference from GMT may be displayed as is, such as -11, using numeric character segments. Also, it is natural that the map will change automatically when the time difference is shifted using an external switch, but in order to quickly reach a certain place name as a goal, first select one of the divided maps that includes the destination. However, it is also possible to search for a destination within the search results. For this purpose, another external operation switch may be provided so that when selecting a map, several counts of time difference can be input with one operation.

As described above, in the present invention, when displaying the region corresponding to the time displayed by the digital world clock on the attached map, the map is
This is one of the divided world maps that is switched and displayed on an electro-optical display (preferably of the same type as the time display), so that even on a small watch-sized display, the map can be enlarged sufficiently and selected. It is easy to geographically check the location, and the time in nearby locations can also be known, which has the effect of significantly increasing its usefulness as a world clock.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one display state of the display section of an embodiment of the present invention, that is, a state in which Tokyo time is displayed, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which New York time is similarly displayed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an overlapping state of map display segments in the display section of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display state of the display section of another embodiment of the present invention in which a place name display segment is further added. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a world map that has been deformed to fit the display panel of a watch; FIG. 6 is a segment configuration diagram of an example of an upper electrode pattern in a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is also a lower electrode pattern diagram, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the pattern of the map portion when the number of map divisions is different in still another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a circuit system diagram in one example. 1...Reference time system, 2...Time difference setting counter,
3... External operation switch, 4... Addition/subtraction device, 5...
...Time display section, 7...Map, city decoder, 8...
...Map, city display section, A-W...Initial letter of city name.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A world clock that has an electronic circuit that digitally displays local time, which is the result of adding or subtracting the time difference selected by an external operation switch to the time information created by the standard time system, on the time display section of a liquid crystal display device. In the above, the liquid crystal display device further includes a map display section having a plurality of segments showing the topography of each region of a world map divided into a plurality of regions and the position of major cities included in the region, The circuit further includes a decoder circuit for supplying display voltages to one segment of the region of the world map corresponding to the time difference selected by the switch and to the location display segments of major cities. world clock.