Portable time synchronization system

• US 9,906,929 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2017
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tsuchiya, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US15/409,975
• Publication Number:
  US 20170215054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 455 661, 4555561, 375354, 375356
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0025 synchronizing potentially movable access points

Abstract

An electronic timepiece includes: a first time counter which clocks the time; a first timer which clocks a predetermined elapsed time period from the time of communication establishing processing with a portable electronic device; and a near field wireless communication portion which is capable of establishing communication in a case of synchronizing the time with the time of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device includes a second time counter which clocks the time, a second timer which clocks the predetermined elapsed time period from the time of communication establishing processing with the electronic timepiece, and a near field wireless communication portion which is capable of establishing the communication in a case of synchronizing the time with the time of the timepiece, and sends time data which synchronizes the time of the first time counter with the time of the second time counter to a first communication portion in a case where the predetermined time period has elapsed in the second timer.

Claims

1. A portable time synchronization system which synchronizes clocking between first and second devices that comprise a portable terminal and a timepiece, wherein

the first device comprises:

a first time counter configured to start to run from an initial paring with the second device and recursively measure a predetermined time; and

a first communication portion configured to automatically start sending an advertisement at an end of every measurement by the first time counter of the predetermined time and establish communication with the second device in response to a connection request from the second device, wherein the first communication portion is configured to receive time information from the second device via the established communication, and the first time counter is configured to synchronize itself to the received time information, and

the second device comprises;

a second time counter configured to start to run from the initial paring with the first device and recursively measure the predetermined time; and

a second communication portion configured to automatically start scanning for the advertisement at an end of every measurement by the second time counter of the predetermined time and send the connection request to the first device upon a detection of the advertisement, wherein the second communication portion is configured to send the time information to the first device via the established communication, and the time information represents an instant time measured by the second time counter.

2. The portable time synchronization system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is equal to one day.

3. The portable time synchronization system according to claim 2, wherein

the advertisement includes an identification of the first device, and

where the second communication portion is configured to scan for the advertisement only for a second predetermined time which is shorter than the predetermined time.

4. The portable time synchronization system according to claim 1, wherein

the advertisement includes an identification of the first device, and

the second communication portion is configured to scan for the advertisement only for a second predetermined time which is shorter than the predetermined time.

5. The portable time synchronization system according to claim 1, the timepiece configures a solar battery as a power source.

6. The portable time synchronization system according to claim 1, wherein the first device comprises the timepiece, and the second device comprises the portable terminal.

7. A portable time synchronization system which synchronizes time of a portable terminal and a timepiece,

the timepiece including a first time counter configured to clock the time, a first timer configured to clock a predetermined elapsed time period from the time of communication establishing processing with the portable terminal, and a first communication portion configured to be capable of establishing communication in a case of synchronizing the time with the time of the portable terminal, and

the portable terminal including a second time counter configured to clock the time, a second timer configured to clock the predetermined elapsed time period from the time of communication establishing processing with the timepiece, and a second communication portion configured to be capable of establishing the communication in a case of synchronizing the time with the time of the timepiece, the second communication portion being configured to send time data which synchronizes the time of the first time counter with the time of the second time counter to the first communication portion in a case where the predetermined time period has elapsed in the second timer,

wherein the first communication portion sends identification information of the timepiece in a case where the predetermined elapsed time period has elapsed in the first timer, and

the second communication portion is placed in a time synchronizable state by scanning the identification information during a second predetermined elapsed time period which is shorter than the predetermined elapsed time period in a case where the predetermined elapsed time period has elapsed in the second timer.