Time Adjustment Device, Timepiece with a Time Adjustment Device, and a Time Adjustment Method

• US 20090129206A1
• Filed: 10/29/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Baba, Norimitsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,649,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/04 Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor

Abstract

A time adjustment device having a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites; a time information generating unit that generates internal time information; a time information adjustment component that corrects the internal time information; and a reception controller that controls operation of the reception unit; wherein the satellite signal contains satellite time information that is kept by the positioning information satellite; the reception unit can select a first reception mode for receiving first information including the hour, minute, and second data in the satellite signal, and a second reception mode for receiving second information including the hour, minute, and second data, week information for the current year, month, and day, and satellite health information in the satellite signal; the time information adjustment component includes a time adjustment recording component that records whether or not the time was adjusted using the second information received in the second reception mode after the internal time information was initialized, a first time information adjustment component that controls the reception unit by way of the reception controller in the first reception mode to receive the first information, and sets the hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information based on the received first information, and a second time information adjustment component that controls the reception unit in the second reception mode to receive the second information, and sets the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information using the received second information; the first time information adjustment component operates when it is recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information; and the second time information adjustment component operates when it is not recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information.

Claims

1. A time adjustment device, comprising:

a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites;

a time information generating unit that generates internal time information;

a time information adjustment component that corrects the internal time information; and

a reception controller that controls operation of the reception unit;

wherein a satellite signal contains satellite time information that is kept by the positioning information satellite that transmitted the satellite signal;

the reception unit can select

a first reception mode for receiving first information including the hour, minute, and second data in the satellite signal, and

a second reception mode for receiving second information including the hour, minute, and second data, week information for the current year, month, and day, and satellite health information in the satellite signal;

the time information adjustment component includes

a time adjustment recording component that records whether or not the time was adjusted using the second information received in the second reception mode after the internal time information was initialized,

a first time information adjustment component that controls the reception unit by way of the reception controller in the first reception mode to receive the first information, and sets the hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information based on the received first information, and

a second time information adjustment component that controls the reception unit in the second reception mode to receive the second information, and sets the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information using the received second information;

the first time information adjustment component operates when it is recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information; and

the second time information adjustment component operates when it is not recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information.

2. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

the time information adjustment component has a decision component that determines if the internal time can be adjusted using the first information received in the first reception mode, and the time information adjustment component adjusts the internal time using the received first information when the decision component determines that the internal time can be adjusted using the received first information, and

operates the second time information adjustment component when the decision component determines that the internal time cannot be adjusted using the received first information.

3. The time adjustment device described in claim 2, wherein:

the decision component determines that the internal time can be adjusted using the received first information if a difference between the received first information and the internal time data is within a predetermined allowable internal time range, and

determines that the internal time cannot be adjusted using the received first information if the difference between the received first information and the internal time data is outside the predetermined allowable internal time range.

4. The time adjustment device described in claim 2, wherein:

the first time information adjustment component controls the reception unit in a first reception mode and receives the first information contained in satellite signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning information satellites; and

the decision component determines that the internal time can be adjusted using the received first information if the difference between the first information received from the plural positioning information satellites is within a preset allowable satellite time range, and

determines that the internal time cannot be adjusted based on the received first information if the difference between the first information exceeds this allowable satellite time range.

5. The time adjustment device described in claim 2, wherein:

the first time information adjustment component controls the reception unit in a first reception mode to receive the first information contained in satellite signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning information satellites;

the decision component determines that the internal time can be adjusted using the received first information if the difference between the first information received from the plural positioning information satellites is within a preset allowable satellite time range and the difference between the received first information and the internal time information is within a preset allowable internal time range, and

determines that the internal time cannot be adjusted based on the received first information if the difference between the first information exceeds this allowable satellite time range, or the difference between the received first information and the internal time information is outside the allowable internal time range.

6. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

the time information adjustment component operates the second time information adjustment component, controls the reception unit in the second reception mode, receives the second information, and adjusts the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the internal time information based on the received second information within a preset time after the internal time information is initialized.

7. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, further comprising:

an external operating member that can be operated by a user;

wherein the time information adjustment component can select an automatic reception mode that automatically runs the reception process when the internal time reaches a previously set predetermined time, and an unconditional reception mode that unconditionally runs the reception process when an operation of the external operating member that manually starts reception is detected, and

operates the second time information adjustment component, controls the reception unit in the second reception mode, receives the second information, and adjusts the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the internal time information according to the received second information when the unconditional reception mode is selected.

8. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

the time information adjustment component has an elapsed time recording component that records how much time has passed since the last time the time was adjusted based on the first information or the second information, and

operates the second time information adjustment component, controls the reception unit in the second reception mode, receives the second information, and adjusts the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the internal time information according to the received second information when the elapsed time is greater than or equal to a set time.

9. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

the time information adjustment component has a manual adjustment recording component that records if the time was adjusted manually after the last time the time was adjusted, and

operates the second time information adjustment component, controls the reception unit in the second reception mode, receives the second information, and adjusts the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the internal time information according to the received second information the first time the time information is received after the time is manually adjusted.

10. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

the time information adjustment component has a voltage detector that detects the power supply voltage, and prohibits operation of the second time information adjustment component and always operates the first time information adjustment component when the power supply voltage goes to or below a set voltage.

11. The time adjustment device described in claim 1, wherein:

when the second time information adjustment component controls the reception unit in the second reception mode and receives the second information including the year, month, day, hour, minute, second, and satellite health information in the satellite signal, the second time information adjustment component

determines if a flag denoting the satellite signal is usable is set in the satellite health information, and adjusts the year, month, day, hour, minute, second of the internal time information based on the received second information if the flag is set, and

receives a satellite signal transmitted from a different positioning information satellite to adjust the internal time information if the flag is not set.

12. A timepiece, comprising:

a time adjustment device as described in claim 1; and

a time display unit that displays the internal time information.

13. A time adjustment method, comprising:

a time information generating step that generates internal time information;

an adjustment recording step that records in a time adjustment recording component whether or not the time was adjusted using second information after the internal time information was initialized,

the second information including the hour, minute, and second data, week information for the current year, month, and day, and satellite health information contained in a satellite signal received from a positioning information satellite;

a first information time adjustment step that controls a reception unit in a first reception mode to receive first information composed of the hour, minute, second information in the satellite signal, and sets the hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information based on the received first information; and

a second information time adjustment step that controls the reception unit in a second reception mode to receive the second information, and sets the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second values of the internal time information using the received second information;

wherein the first information time adjustment step operates when it is recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information; and

the second information time adjustment step operates when it is not recorded in the time adjustment recording component that the time was adjusted using the second information.