Correcting mechanism of electronic azimuth meter, electronic azimuth meter having thereof and electronic time piece with electronic azimuth meter

• US 20010042314A1
• Filed: 04/18/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kato, Kazuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,768,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/356
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses

Abstract

A correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter includes a storing unit for storing maximum values and minimum values with regard to magnetic field detecting values by X- and Y-direction magnetic sensors, an updating unit for updating the magnetic field detecting values when newly detected magnetic field detecting values exceed maximum values/minimum values of the storing unit, an azimuth change inducing unit for providing display for inducing continuous change of azimuth of an electronic azimuth meter main body in a range larger than 360 degree, a predicting unit for predicting whether maximum value/minimum value are true when maximum/minimum magnetic field detecting values are not updated during a predetermined time period even by rotating the azimuth meter main body in accordance with induction display and canceling true prediction when maximum value/minimum value are updated and a stop control unit for stopping updating processing when all of maximum values/minimum values in X- and Y-directions are predicted to be true and induction by inducting display reaches 360 degree or more.

Claims

1. A correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter comprising:

a correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter having an X-direction magnetic sensor and a Y-direction magnetic sensor for detecting intensities of a magnetic field in two orthogonal directions X and Y and constituted to calculate an azimuth from magnetic field detecting values of the X- and the Y-direction magnetic sensors;

storing means for storing respectives of a maximum value and a minimum value with regard to the magnetic field detecting value by each of the X-direction and the Y-direction magnetic sensors;

updating means for updating the maximum value or the minimum value to a newly detected magnetic field detecting value when the magnetic field value which is newly detected by each of the X-direction and the Y-direction magnetic sensors is larger than the maximum value stored in the storing means or smaller than the minimum value stored therein;

azimuth change inducing means for providing a display of inducing a continuous change of the azimuth of an electronic azimuth meter main body over a range larger than 360 degree;

predicting means for predicting that the maximum value or the minimum value in the X- or Y-direction is a true value when each of the maximum values and the minimum values of the magnetic field detecting values in the X-direction and the Y-direction is not updated during a predetermined time period in accordance with rotation of the electronic azimuth meter main body in accordance with an induction display of the azimuth change inducing means and canceling a prediction indicating the true value when the maximum value or the minimum value predicted to be the true value is updated by the updating means; and

stop control means for stopping an updating processing by the updating means when all of the maximum values and the minimum values in the X-direction and the Y-direction are predicted to be the true values and induction by induction display of the azimuth change inducing means reaches 360 degree or more.

4. The correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 1

, wherein the stop control means is constituted to stop also the induction by the induction display of the azimuth change inducing means when the updating processing by the updating means is stopped.

6. An electronic azimuth meter having the correcting mechanism according to

claim 1

.

9. An electronic azimuth meter having the correcting mechanism according to

claim 4

.

11. An electronic time piece with the electronic azimuth meter having the electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 6

.

14. An electronic time piece with the electronic azimuth meter having the electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 9

.

2. A correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter comprising:

a correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter having an X-direction magnetic sensor and a Y-direction magnetic sensor for detecting intensities of a magnetic field in two orthogonal directions X and Y; and

azimuth change inducing means for inducing a continuous change of an azimuth of an electronic azimuth meter main body;

wherein the azimuth change inducing means is constituted to provide an induction display over a range larger than 360 degree.

3. A correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 2

, further comprising:

predicting means for predicting that a maximum value or a minimum value in X- or Y-direction is a true value when the maximum value or the minimum value of a magnetic field detecting value in each of the X-direction and the Y-direction is not updated during a predetermined time period in accordance with rotation of the electronic azimuth meter main body in accordance with rotation of a display of the azimuth change inducing means and canceling a prediction indicating the true value when the maximum value or the minimum value predicted to be the true value is updated; and

stop control means for stopping an updating processing by the updating means when all of the maximum values and the minimum values in the X-direction and the Y-direction are predicted to be the true values and induction by the induction display of the azimuth change inducing means reaches 360 degree or more.

5. The correcting mechanism of an electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 3

, wherein the stop control means is constituted to stop also the induction by the induction display of the azimuth change inducing means when the updating processing is stopped.

7. An electronic azimuth meter having the correcting mechanism according to

claim 2

.

8. An electronic azimuth meter having the correcting mechanism according to

claim 3

.

10. An electronic azimuth meter having the correcting mechanism according to

claim 5

.

12. An electronic time piece with the electronic azimuth meter having the electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 7

.

13. An electronic time piece with the electronic azimuth meter having the electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 8

.

15. An electronic time piece with the electronic azimuth meter having the electronic azimuth meter according to

claim 10

.