Electronic timepiece

• US 10,338,536 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nozawa, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wicklund, Daniel P
• Application Number:
  US15/460,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20170277128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/04 with north-seeking magnetic elements, e.g. needles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/28 Electromagnetic compasses with north seeking magnetic elements and having electric pick-offs G01C17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/06 Dials moving discs G04B19/20; illuminated dials or hands G04B19/30; for time-pieces without clockwork G04B49/04 ; machines and arrangements for the manufacture of dials or hands G04D3/0048
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 47/065 with a compass compasses G01C17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 17/0091 Combined electro-optical and electro-mechanical displays see provisionally also G04G9/0082
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/02 Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An electronic timepiece includes a magnetic sensor that serves as a magnetic detection unit, a GPS reception unit that serves as a reception unit receiving positional information of a current position, a time zone setting unit that sets a time zone, a specifying unit that specifies a declination angle based on the positional information of the current position, a decision unit that decides a direction of a due north based on an output of the magnetic sensor and a declination angle, and an azimuth display unit that displays the direction of the due north decided by the decision unit.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:

a magnetic detection unit;

a reception unit that receives positional information of a current position;

a specifying unit that specifies a controller-determined declination angle based on the positional information;

a declination angle adjustment unit that allows a user to adjust the controller-determined declination angle to a user-adjusted declination angle;

a decision unit that decides a direction of a due north based on a output of the magnetic detection unit and the user-adjusted declination angle;

an azimuth display unit that displays the direction of the due north decided by the decision unit; and

a declination angle display unit that displays at least one of the controller-determined declination angle and the user-adjusted declination angle,

wherein a hand of the timepiece indicates the direction of the due north in a compass mode and the hand of the timepiece indicates the at least one of the controller-determined declination angle and the user-adjusted declination angle in a declination angle adjustment processing mode.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time zone setting unit that sets a time zone,

wherein the specifying unit specifies the controller-determined declination angle based on the positional information used when the time zone setting unit sets the time zone.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1,

wherein the specifying unit specifies the controller-determined declination angle using a geomagnetism distribution.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a declination angle table in which a plurality of controller-determined or user-adjusted declination angles are associated with a plurality of pieces of positional information,

wherein the specifying unit specifies the controller-determined declination angle using the declination angle table.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 4,

wherein the storage unit stores the declination angle table so that the declination angle table is able to be rewritten.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time zone setting unit that sets a time zone according to a manipulation on a pointing hand by a user,

wherein the specifying unit is a specifying unit that starts specifying the controller-determined declination angle according to a starting manipulation by the user, and

wherein the electronic timepiece further comprises;

a declination angle specifying urging unit that urges the starting manipulation in a case in which the time zone setting unit sets the time zone.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time zone setting unit that sets a time zone according to a manipulation on a pointing hand by a user,

wherein the specifying unit specifies the controller-determined declination angle in a case in which the time zone setting unit sets the time zone.