JPS623913B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece having a world time function and an alarm function.

Today, the development of electronic watches is remarkable due to the development of LSI technology, etc., and especially in the field of all-electronic watches, multi-functions such as chronograph function, alarm function, world time function, counter function, etc. are rapidly progressing. be. In addition, there are some multifunctional watches that are difficult to use and only combine these various functions.

The present invention aims to solve these problems and provide an easy-to-use multifunctional watch by organically linking additional functions.

Conventionally, watches that have a combination of world time and alarm functions usually emit an alarm sound when the time in the area where the time is displayed matches the alarm set time, and it is important to make effective use of each function. It was impossible. The present invention aims to provide an easy-to-use watch that organically combines a world time function and an alarm function.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an explanatory view of the appearance of a timepiece according to the present invention. The structure of the watch is well known, so I will not go into details, but 1 is a liquid crystal panel, the state shown in Figure 1 is the world time mode display state, and 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d are marks that display the state of the clock. Each light can be turned on, turned off, or blinked individually, and the display state can be identified by the combination of the lighting states. 1e is a mark indicating a region, and there are as many marks as there are regions that can be displayed, and one of them lights up to explain which region the displayed time is. 1f is a display element that displays 0 or 00 to 99, and indicates "hour" in world time mode display. 1g is cologne. 1h, 1i, and 1k are similar to 1f and indicate "minutes,""seconds," and "days," respectively. 1j is AM or PM
Display. 1l is a display element that displays numbers and alphanumeric characters, and in world time mode display, displays the "day of the week." 1m is a mark indicating whether the alarm is set or not, and 1n is a mark indicating whether the time signal is ringing or not. Also, 1p is a colon. From the above, this display state indicates that the alarm and time signal were set at 9:23:45 a.m. on Saturday the 28th in the Tokyo area.

2, 3, 4, and 5 are operation buttons, 2 is a button for switching modes, 3 and 4 are buttons for operating within the mode, and 5 is a light button. 6 is a part that sounds an alarm sound.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing how to use this watch.
The multi-function watch of this embodiment has five modes, and by operating the mode switching button 2, the modes are sequentially switched to home time mode, world time mode, alarm set mode, home zone set mode, and time set mode. . The display of each mode is shown in Figures 2-a and 2-a of the figure, respectively.
Figure b, Figure 2-c, or Figure 2-d, Figure 2-e
2-f.

The mode switching button 2 has a function of forcibly returning from any mode to the home time mode if the input state continues for 1 to 1.25 seconds. Further, the alarm set mode has a jump function that returns to the home time mode when the mode switching button 2 is pressed after operating the in-mode operation button 3 or 4. Further, in each of the alarm set, home zone set, and time set modes, if the in-mode operation button 3 or 4 is not operated for 1 to 2 minutes, the home time mode is automatically returned. As mentioned above, multi-function watches have various display states, and it can sometimes be difficult to determine which display is currently being shown.However, various methods have made it easier to return to the home time mode, which is the basic display state. ing.

In the home time mode shown in Figure 2-a, the "mode identification mark" 1b displays "TIME".
lights up to indicate that you are in home time mode, as well as the "region", "hour", "minute", "second", and "AM/
"PM", "Day", "Day of the week", "Alarm mark", and "Time signal mark" are displayed. The state shown in FIG. 2-a is "Saturday, 29th Tokyo, 9:23:45 p.m. Alarm/time signal setting in progress."

If you press the in-mode operation button 3 in the state shown in Figure 2-a, the GMT time (second-
Figure a-1) is displayed. The displayed time is a time that is shifted by the time difference from the home time zone. In addition, GMT time in this state is displayed in a 24-hour format for the convenience of those who use GMT time.
However, in daily life, the 24-hour system is difficult for ordinary people to use, so when displaying the time in London, which is in the GMT zone, as the home time or world time, it is displayed in the 12-hour system.

Figure 2-a-1 shows “GMT time on Friday the 28th”
At 21:23:45, the alarm/time signal is being set.''

FIG. 2-a-2 shows another display when the in-mode operation button 3 is shown in the state shown in FIG. 2-a.

The displays shown in FIGS. 2-a-1 and 2-a-2 appear alternately when the in-mode operation button 3 is pressed.

In FIG. 2-a-2, the display elements 1f and 1h display the year, and the display element 1i displays the month. The figure shows "Saturday, August 29, 1978 in Tokyo, alarm/time setting in progress."

This display also displays the "year, month, day, day" calendar only while the in-mode operation button 3 is pressed.

2-a-3 is displayed while the in-mode operation button 4 is pressed in the state shown in FIG. 2-a, and the home time zone time and alarm set time are displayed. The alarm time is displayed using display elements 1l, 1k, and 1p. The figure shows that an alarm is set at 10:00 AM.

Figure 2-a-4 shows an alarm time display that is displayed using the same operation as in Figure 2-a-3.The alarm set described later can be set to the home time alarm time or the world time alarm time. Depending on the setting, the alarm time shown in Figure 2-a-3 is displayed, or the alarm time shown in Figure 2-a-4 is displayed.

Therefore, Figure 2-a-4 appears when setting the alarm time for the world time zone. The figure shows that "the New York time in the world time zone is 7:23:45 p.m. and the alarm set time is 10:00 a.m."

Figure 2-b shows the world time mode display. Mode display elements 1a and 1b indicate the world time display state.

The area display element 1e blinks, indicating that the area can be moved by operating the in-mode operation button 3 or 4. If you press button 3, you will move to an area where time advances, and if you press button 4, you will move to an area where time lags. Also button 3
Or, if you hold down 4 for 1 to 1.25 seconds, you can fast-forward the area movement.

The figure shows that the time in the New York zone is 7:23:45 a.m. on Saturday the 29th in world time mode, and the alarm and time signal are set. Figures c-1 and 2-c-2 are alarm set mode, and 2-d and 2-d
Figure-1 and Figure 2-d-2 show the world alarm set mode.

FIG. 2-c is a display showing the alarm set mode. The display elements 1c and 1d flash to indicate that the alarm set mode is active, and also to indicate that the alarm set mode or the world alarm set mode can be selected. That is, each time the button 4 is pressed, the state shown in FIG. 2-c and the state shown in FIG. 2-d are repeatedly displayed. Also, the alarm time is displayed on display elements 1l, 1p, and 1k.

FIG. 2-c shows a state in which "an alarm is set at 10 a.m.". From this state, button 3
When you press , the state shown in Figure 2-c-1 is displayed and display element 1
l flashes to show that the alarm time "hour" is set, and the home time mode time "9:23:45 a.m." is displayed at the bottom of the LCD panel 1. At this time, the display element 1c has already been set. , 1d will be lit, and the world alarm set mode will not be entered even if button 4 is pressed.In this state, if button 4 is pressed, the hour of the alarm time will change in the positive direction every hour. It's changing.
In this way, the "hour" of the alarm time can be set. If you press button 3 in this state, the second-c-2
The state changes to the state shown in the figure, and the "minute" of the alarm time blinks, indicating that the "minute" is set. Button 4 allows you to set the minutes in the same way as the hours.

If button 3 is pressed in this state, the screen returns to Fig. 2-c. If you set the alarm time to 10 a.m. in this alarm set mode, the GMT time display (Figure 2-a-1) will be displayed even in the home time mode (Figure 2-a).
In both the world time mode (Fig. 2-b) and the world time mode (Fig. 2-b), when the clock in that display state matches 10 a.m., an alarm sounds.

Figure 2-d, Figure 2-d-1, and Figure 2-d-2 are also related to Figure 2-c, Figure 2-c-1, and Figure 2-d-2.
It is the same as in Figure c-2, but the world time zone mark 1e is lit and the time indicates the time in the world time zone. If you set the alarm time in this state, an alarm will sound if the time in the world time zone matches the alarm set time. Therefore, if the alarm is set in the state shown in Figure 2-d-1, that is, "New York time is 7:23:45 a.m. and the alarm set time is 10 a.m.", it is difficult to know which mode the clock is in. Even at 10am in New York, the alarm sounds.

Once you set the world alarm, even if you change the world time zone in the world time mode (Figure 2-b), the alarm will still sound at the originally set time of 10am in New York. However, when the clock display is moved one hour to the side of the time difference, the alarm set time and world time time will also be moved one hour to the side, and the alarm set time will be 9:00 a.m., and the world time will also be the same as the morning of the Chicago zone. The time is 6:23:45.

By dividing the alarm setting method into the normal alarm setting mode and the world alarm setting mode as described above, various benefits can be obtained in terms of usage.

For example, if you are traveling around the world and wake up at 7 a.m. every morning in every country, you may set the alarm time to 7 a.m. in alarm set mode and then use the world time mode to carry your alarm. If you are in any country, just change the world time zone and the time will start at 7am every morning.
I can wake up.

Also, in Japan, 10 a.m. New York time
In some cases, such as when you need to call New York, you no longer need to calculate the time difference and set the alarm time every time. Even if you later change the world time zone, the originally set New York time may change. It disappears.

Figure 2-e shows the home zone set mode. The display element 1d lights up to indicate this mode. Also, the zone mark 1e flashes to indicate that the home zone is set.

When button 3 is pressed in this state, the zone moves toward the time difference side with each push. Also, if you press button 4,
Each press moves the zone toward the time difference side.

2-f to 2-f-1 are display elements 1b,
1d is lit to indicate the time adjustment mode. In FIG. 2-f, the "second" of the time blinks to indicate that the second is being corrected. If you press button 4 at this point, the seconds will be divided by ±30 seconds and reset to 00 seconds. When button 3 is pressed, the digits that are corrected each time the button is pressed can be set to ``minute'', ``hour'', ``day'', ``month'', ``year'', and ``day of the day''. These correction methods are well known methods.

Among the above operations, when moving the zone, setting the alarm time, and setting the time, pressing and holding button 3 or 4 for 1 to 1.25 seconds will fast forward at 8Hz, but at this time the display element will change from blinking to lit. The fast forwarding status is now easier to see.

The alarm sound can be stopped in any mode by pressing button 3 or button 4 while the alarm is sounding.

Also, to stop/restore the alarm sound, such as disabling the time signal sound or the set alarm sound without erasing the set time, or restoring it to sound again, press button 3 in home time mode. Alternatively, by pressing the button 4 at the same time, the display elements 1m and 1n are turned on or off. When 1m is lit, it shows that the alarm is in the set state, and when 1m is lit, it is shown that the time signal is in the set state.

By pressing buttons 3 and 4 at the same time, (1
By cyclically repeating the sequence (simultaneous lighting of m and 1n) → (simultaneous extinguishment of 1m and 1n) → (lighting of only 1m) → (lighting of only 1n), an alarm or time signal can be sounded according to preference.

Also, by performing this operation, you can preview the alarm so that you can try and hear how the alarm sounds.

The alarm sounds for 20 seconds after the times match, and the way it sounds is different for the first 10 seconds and the second 10 seconds, and this listening method also allows you to listen to the first half and the second half alternately.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a block diagram of an electronic timepiece according to the present invention having a world time function and an alarm function, in which 11 is a time standard source such as a crystal oscillator, and 12 is a time standard source signal up to 1 Hz. Frequency dividing circuit, 13 is seconds, minutes, hours, days,
A time counter consisting of a dividing circuit that divides the frequency into months and years; 14 is a circuit that receives signals from the 17 zone/time difference setting circuits and adds/subtracts the basic clock time in units of 30 minutes and 1 hour; 15; A display switching circuit receives a 32 Hz signal from the frequency dividing circuit 12 and switches the display, and 16 is a display means such as a liquid crystal panel. 21 is a switch corresponding to button 2 in FIG. 1, 22 is a switch corresponding to button 3, and 23 is a switch corresponding to button 4. 24 is a switch control circuit, and 18 is an alarm function selection circuit that receives a signal from 23 and selects an alarm set mode or a world alarm set mode. 19 is 2
This is an alarm time setting counter that receives switch signals No. 2 and 23 to set an alarm time.
When the world alarm set mode is selected at 18, when the zone changes at 17, the alarm setting time will also change in conjunction with the time difference. That is,
The alarm time setting counter 19 partially includes an addition/subtraction circuit similar to that of the alarm time setting counter 14, although not specifically shown. Reference numeral 20 denotes an alarm coincidence detection circuit which, when the alarm time and clock time match, drives the audio equipment 26 through the audio equipment control circuit 25.

The 17 zone/time difference setting circuits have 1 hour interval setting circuits.
In addition to 24 zones, it also includes 30 minute zones, 15 minute zones, and 45 minute zones.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and various changes can be made within the technical scope of the claims. be done.

As described above, the electronic timepiece according to the present invention is a convenient multi-functional electronic timepiece that organically combines both the world time alarm function and the normal alarm function, and maximizes the world time alarm function and the alarm function.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a timepiece according to the present invention, and is a view showing the surface state of the timepiece. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the button operations of the watch and the corresponding display states of the display. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing part of the circuit configuration of the timepiece.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 a time standard source, a frequency divider circuit 12 that divides the output of the time standard source, a time counter 13 that counts hours, minutes, etc. based on the time unit signal from the frequency divider circuit;
A zone time difference setting circuit 17 that selects a zone and sets a time difference amount based on a first external input signal, a circuit 14 that adds or subtracts the time difference amount from the time counter according to the output of the zone time difference setting circuit, and a second external input signal. The alarm function selection circuit 18 selects the alarm set mode and the world alarm set mode based on the world alarm set mode, sets the alarm time by a third external input signal, and when the alarm function selection circuit selects the world alarm set mode, the zone time difference an alarm time setting counter 19 that adds or subtracts the time difference set by the setting circuit; an alarm coincidence detection circuit that detects coincidence between the time signal obtained by the adding/subtracting circuit and the count value of the alarm time setting counter; 20. Alarm means 25, 26 for issuing a warning based on the coincidence signal of the alarm coincidence detection circuit; setting the time and alarm setting time based on the time signal obtained by the addition/subtraction circuit and the set value of the alarm time setting counter; The display means 16 includes display sections 1a and 1c for distinguishing and displaying the selected state of the alarm set mode and the world alarm set mode according to the output of the alarm function selection circuit. Electronic clock with alarm world time.