Electronic device and control method for electronic device

• US 6,693,851 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Teruhiko, Okeya, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LINDINGER, MICHAEL L
• Application Number:
  US09/743,665
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 368/64-66, 368/203-205, 320/100-167, 713/320-322
• US Class Current: 368/203
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 19/12 Arrangements for reducing power consumption during storage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

When an electronic timepiece is in a power-saving mode in which the current time display is suspended, it is determined whether or not the charge voltage supplied from a high-capacity capacitor is higher than a predetermined reference voltage, and if higher, enough electrical energy is stored in the high-capacity capacitor to return from the power-saving mode to the display mode, so that a current time restoration process is performed upon detecting power generation. On the other hand, if the charge voltage is less than or equal to the predetermined reference voltage, the supply of the power supply voltage to the control circuits is stopped to prevent the electrical energy stored in the high-capacity capacitor from being consumed needlessly. As a result, the electronic timepiece can be reactivated quickly when the power generating device begins to generate power.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a chargeable power supply unit for supplying electrical energy;

a driven unit;

a mode switching unit for switching, based on a preset condition, an operating mode of said electronic device between a drive mode in which said driven unit is driven and a power-saving mode in which said driven unit is not driven;

a control circuit operated by the electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, for generating control signals to control elements in said electronic device;

a drive unit operated by the electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, for generating a drive signal in response to a part of said control signals under a condition in which said electronic device is in the drive mode; and

an operation suspending unit, responsive to the mode switching unit switching the operating mode of the electronic device to a power-saving mode, for suspending operation of said control circuit when the amount of electrical energy stored in said power supply unit becomes smaller than a predetermined electrical energy amount.

2. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said operation suspending unit suspends supply of the electrical energy from said power supply unit to said control circuit when suspending the operation of said control circuit.

3. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said power supply unit comprises a power generating unit for converting external energy into electrical energy, and a power storing unit for storing electrical energy supplied from said power generating unit and supplying the electrical energy to said control circuit.

4. An electronic device in accordance with claim 3, wherein

said power storing unit comprises one of an auxiliary battery and a capacitor.

5. An electronic device in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

a power generation state detecting unit for detecting whether or not said power generating unit is in a power generation state, and

wherein said mode switching unit switches the operating mode based on whether or not said power generating unit is in a power generating state as determined by said power generation state detecting unit.

6. An electronic device in accordance with claim 5, wherein

said power generation state detecting unit comprises an energy amount determining unit for determining whether or not the amount of electrical energy output from said power generating unit exceeds a criterion energy amount;

and

a power generation time determining unit for determining whether or not a duration, over which the electrical energy amount as determined by said energy amount determining unit exceeds the criterion energy amount, exceeds a criterion time value.

7. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a carried state detecting unit for detecting whether or not said electronic device is in a carried state, and

wherein said mode switching unit switches the operating mode from said drive mode to said power-saving mode when the duration over which said electronic device is found to be in a non-carried state by said carried state detecting unit continues for a predetermined time, and switches the operating mode from said power-saving mode to said drive mode when said carried state detecting unit detects switching from the non-carried state to a carried state.

8. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage detecting unit for detecting the voltage of said power supply unit, and

wherein said operation suspending unit determines whether the amount of electrical energy stored in said power supply unit becomes smaller than said predetermined electrical energy amount, based on the voltage detected by said voltage detecting unit.

9. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an electrical energy amount detecting unit for detecting the amount of electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, and

wherein said predetermined electrical energy amount is an amount of electrical energy required to restore the operating mode from said power-saving mode to said drive mode, and said operation suspending unit determines whether the amount of electrical energy stored in said power supply unit becomes smaller than said predetermined electrical energy amount based on the amount of electrical energy detected by said electrical energy amount detecting unit.

10. An electronic device in accordance with claim 3, further comprising:

a power generation state detecting unit for detecting whether or not said power generating unit is in a power generating state; and

an operation initiating unit for initiating the operation of said control circuit when initiation of power generation by said power generating unit is detected by said power generation state detecting unit under a condition in which the operation of said control circuit is in a suspended state due to said operation suspending unit.

11. An electronic device in accordance with claim 10;

wherein

said operation initiating unit performs the initiation of operation of said control circuit when the amount of electrical energy output from said power generating unit exceeds an energy amount sufficient for reactivation for a predetermined duration.

12. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a carried state detecting unit for detecting whether or not said electronic device is in a carried state; and

an operation initiating unit for initiating operation of said control circuit when a switch from a non-carried state to a carried state is detected by said carried state detecting unit under a condition in which the operation of said control circuit is in a suspended state due to said operation suspending unit.

13. An electronic device in accordance with claim 12, wherein

the switch from said non-carried state to the carried state is made when the carried state continues for a predetermined duration after switching from a non-carried state to a carried state.

14. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an external operation input unit for a user to perform operations from outside,

wherein said mode switching unit switches the operation mode from said drive mode to said power-saving mode based on the operating conditions of said external operation input unit.

15. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an external operation input unit for a user to perform operations from outside; and

an operation initiating unit for initiating operation of said control circuit based on operating conditions of said external operation input under condition in which the operation of said control circuit is in a suspended state due to said operation suspending unit.

16. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said driven unit has a time display unit for displaying the time.

17. An electronic device in accordance with claim 16, wherein

said control circuit comprises a current time restoring unit for restoring the time display to the current time when the operating mode is switched from said power-saving mode to said drive mode by the mode switching unit.

18. An electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein

said predetermined electrical energy amount is set to an electrical energy amount required to restore the current time from the power-saving mode using said current time restoring unit.

19. An electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein

the amount of energy sufficient to perform restoration is set to a minimum amount required to enable time display using said time display unit by initiating the operation of said control circuit.

20. An electronic device in accordance with claim 17, wherein

said time display unit comprises hands for displaying the time and a motor for driving said hands;

and

said current time restoring unit restores the motion of the hands by said motor by restoring them at a high-speed hand-moving speed which is higher than the normal hand-moving speed.

21. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

said control circuit comprises an oscillator circuit for generating a reference pulse; and

said operation suspending unit suspends the operation of said control circuit by suspending the operation of the oscillator circuit.

22. An electronic device in accordance with claim 21, wherein

said operation suspending unit suspends the supply of electrical energy to said oscillator circuit.

23. An electronic device in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said control circuit comprises an oscillator circuit for generating a reference pulse, and a divider circuit for dividing the reference pulse output from said oscillator circuit;

and

said operation suspending unit suspends operation of said control circuit by suspending the operation of said oscillator circuit or said divider circuit.

24. An electronic device in accordance with claim 23, wherein

said operation suspending unit comprises a regulated voltage generating circuit for generating a regulated voltage lower than the power supply voltage for driving at least one of the oscillator circuit and the divider circuit;

and

said operation suspending unit suspends the supply of electrical energy to said regulated voltage generating circuit.

25. A control method for an electronic device comprising:

a chargeable power supply unit for supplying electrical energy;

a driven unit;

a control circuit operated by the electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, for generating control signals to control elements in said electronic device;

a drive unit operated by the electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, for generating a drive signal in response to a part of said control signals while the electronic device is in a drive mode;

the control method comprising;

a mode switching step of switching an operating mode of said electronic device from said drive mode in which said driven unit is driven to a power-saving mode in which said driven unit is not driven; and

then

a drive suspending step of suspending operation of said control circuit when the amount of electrical energy stored in said power supply unit is determined to be smaller than a predetermined amount of electrical energy.

26. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 25, wherein:

said power supply unit comprises a power generating device for converting external energy into electrical energy, and a power storing device for storing electrical energy supplied from said power generating device and supplying said electrical energy to said control circuit; and

said method further comprises a power generation state detecting step of determining whether or not power is being generated by the power generating device; and

said mode switching step switches the operating mode of said electronic device from the power-saving mode to the drive mode when power generation by the power generating device is detected in said power generation state detecting step.

27. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 26, wherein:

said power generation state detecting step comprises an energy amount determining step for determining whether or not the amount of electrical energy outputted from said power generating device has exceeded a criterion energy amount; and

a power generation time determining step of determining whether or not the duration over which the electrical energy amount exceeding the criterion energy amount as determined in said energy amount determining step exceeds a criterion time value.

28. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 25, wherein:

said method further comprises a carried state detecting step for detecting whether or not the electronic device is being carried; and

said mode switching step comprises a step of switching the operating mode from said drive mode to said power-saving mode when said electronic device is detected to be in a non-carried state in said carried state detecting step, and the time over which said electronic device is in a non-carried state continues for a predetermined time, and a step of switching the operating mode from said power-saving mode to said drive mode when a switch from the non-carried state to a carried state is detected in said carried state detecting step.

29. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 25, further comprising:

an electrical energy amount detecting step for detecting an amount of electrical energy supplied from said power supply unit, and

wherein said drive suspending step comprises a step of determining whether the electrical energy amount capable of being supplied by said power supply unit detected by said electrical energy detecting step is smaller than a predetermined electrical energy amount required to restore the operating mode of said driven unit from said power-saving mode to said drive mode.

30. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 25, wherein:

said power supply unit comprises a power generating device for converting external energy into electrical energy, and a power storing device for storing electrical energy supplied from said power generating device, and supplying said electrical energy to said oscillator circuit, said control circuit and said drive circuit; and

said method comprises a power generation state detecting step of detecting whether or not said power generating device is in a power generation state; and

further comprises an operation initiating step of initiating operation of the control circuit when said power generating device initiating power generation is detected in said power generation state detecting step under a condition in which the operation of said control circuit is in a suspended state.

31. A control method for an electronic device in accordance with claim 25, wherein:

said power supply unit comprises a power generating device for converting external energy into electrical energy, and a power storing device for storing electrical energy supplied from said power generating device, and supplying said electrical energy to said control circuit; and

said method comprises a carried state detecting step for detecting whether or not said electronic device is in a carried state; and

said method further comprises an operation initiating step of initiating operation of the control circuit when said electronic device is detected as having switched from a non-carried state to a carried state in said carried state detecting step under a condition in which the operation of said control circuit is in a suspended state.