Electronic Device and Time Adjustment Method

• US 20080030403A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fujisawa, Teruhiko, Urano, Osamu, Honda, Katsuyuki, Matsuzaki, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/35 Constructional details or hardware or software details of the signal processing chain
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An electronic device having a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth; a time information generating unit that generates time information; a time correction information storage unit that stores time correction information for correcting the time information; a time correction information generating unit that generates the time correction information based on the satellite signals; an environmental information acquisition unit that gets information about the reception unit environment; a reception environment information generating unit that generates reception environment information for the reception unit based on the environment information; and a positioning information satellite selection unit that selects the positioning information satellite from which signals are to be received by the reception unit based on the reception environment information.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth;

a time information generating unit that generates time information;

a time correction information storage unit that stores time correction information for correcting the time information;

a time correction information generating unit that generates the time correction information based on the satellite signals;

an environmental information acquisition unit that gets information about the reception unit environment;

a reception environment information generating unit that generates reception environment information for the reception unit based on the environment information; and

a positioning information satellite selection unit that selects the positioning information satellite from which signals are to be received by the reception unit based on the reception environment information.

2. The electronic device described in claim 1, further comprising:

an almanac data storage unit that stores almanac data describing orbital information for all of a plurality of positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth;

wherein the positioning information satellite selection unit selects the positioning information satellite from which signals are to be received by the reception unit based on the reception environment information and the almanac data.

3. The electronic device described in claim 2, wherein:

the environmental information is indoor location information indicating the reception unit is located indoors, or outdoor location information indicating the reception unit is located outdoors;

the positioning information satellite selection unit selects a positioning information satellite at a low altitude from the almanac data when the environmental information is indoor location information, and

selects a positioning information satellite at a high altitude from the almanac data when the environmental information is outdoor location information.

4. The electronic device described in claim 3, wherein:

the reception unit comprises an azimuth-of-reception information storage unit that stores azimuth-of-reception information, which is azimuth information for the positioning information satellite from which the reception unit previously received a signal; and

the positioning information satellite selection unit preferentially selects the positioning information satellite that matches the azimuth-of-reception information when selecting a positioning information satellite at a low altitude from the almanac data.

5. The electronic device described in claim 3, further comprising:

a specific azimuth information storage unit that stores specific azimuth information, which is azimuth information for the positioning information satellite;

wherein the positioning information satellite selection unit preferentially selects the positioning information satellite that matches the specific azimuth information when selecting a positioning information satellite at a low altitude from the almanac data.

6. The electronic device described in claim 2, wherein:

the almanac data includes satellite time and movement information that is time-based movement information for the positioning information satellites; and

the positioning information satellite selection unit adds standby time information based on the satellite time and movement information to select a positioning information satellite.

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

a satellite altitude-related transmission delay time information storage unit that stores satellite altitude-related transmission delay time information, which is transmission delay time information correlated to positioning information satellite altitude information,

the transmission delay time being the time required for the satellite signal transmitted from the positioning information satellite to reach the reception unit;

wherein the reception unit acquires satellite time information from the positioning information satellite; and

the time correction information generating unit produces the time correction information based on the satellite time information and the satellite altitude-related transmission delay time information.

8. An electronic device comprising:

a reception unit that captures a positioning information satellite orbiting the Earth and receives a signal from the positioning information satellite; and

a corrected time information display unit that generates time correction information based on the satellite signal received by the reception unit, corrects the displayed time information based on the time correction information, and displays the corrected time;

wherein the reception unit includes an indoor/outdoor determination unit that determines if the electronic device is indoors or outdoors, and captures the positioning information satellite based on the indoor/outdoor determination unit.

9. The electronic device described in claim 8, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises a solar panel;

a power generation detection data storage unit that detects power generation by the solar panel, and acquires and stores power generation detection data; and

a power generation threshold value data storage unit that stores power generation threshold value data related to a power generation threshold value used by the reception unit for the indoor/outdoor determination; and

the indoor/outdoor determination unit determines the environment of the electronic device based on the power generation detection data in the power generation detection data storage unit and the power generation threshold value data in the power generation threshold value data storage unit of the indoor/outdoor determination unit.

10. The electronic device described in claim 8, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises an acceleration sensor;

an acceleration sensor detection data storage unit that detects the output waveform of the acceleration sensor and stores the resulting acceleration sensor output waveform data;

a generated waveform amplitude data storage unit that generates and stores amplitude data from the acceleration sensor output waveform data; and

an acceleration threshold value data storage unit that stores acceleration sensor output signal amplitude threshold value data related to a threshold value of the amplitude data used by the reception unit for the indoor/outdoor determination; and

the indoor/outdoor determination unit determines the environment of the electronic device based on the amplitude data from the acceleration sensor of the indoor/outdoor determination unit, and the acceleration sensor output signal amplitude threshold value data in the acceleration threshold value data storage unit.

11. The electronic device described in claim 10, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises a solar panel;

a power generation detection data storage unit that detects power generation by the solar panel, and acquires and stores power generation detection data; and

a power generation threshold value data storage unit that stores power generation threshold value data related to a power generation threshold value used by the reception unit for the indoor/outdoor determination; and

the indoor/outdoor determination unit determines the environment of the electronic device based on the power generation detection data in the power generation detection data storage unit and the power generation threshold value data in the power generation threshold value data storage unit.

12. The electronic device described in claim 11, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises a date data storage unit that stores date data for a date display unit of the electronic device;

a time data storage unit that stores time data for a time display unit of the electronic device;

a region-of-use data storage unit for inputting region-of-use information for the location of the reception unit; and

a daylight data table storage unit that stores data tables including a region data table, a date data table, and a daylight time data table;

the electronic device further comprising;

a daylight time extraction data storage unit that extracts and stores daylight time data from the daylight time data table based on the date data and region-of-use information, and the region data table and date data table in the daylight data table storage unit; and

a power generation/acceleration selection unit that compares the daylight time data with the time data in the time data storage unit.

13. The electronic device described in claim 12, wherein the region-of-use information is the position of the reception unit determined from the satellite signal received from the positioning information satellite.

14. The electronic device described in claim 13, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises an indoor/outdoor determination information storage unit that stores a time band when the reception unit captured the positioning information satellite; and

the reception unit captures the positioning information satellite based on the time band in the indoor/outdoor determination information storage unit.

15. The electronic device described in claim 8, wherein:

the indoor/outdoor determination unit comprises a temperature sensor;

a power generation detection data storage unit that detects power generation from the temperature sensor, and acquires and stores power generation detection data; and

a power generation threshold value data storage unit that stores power generation threshold value data related to a power generation threshold value used by the reception unit for the indoor/outdoor determination; and

the indoor/outdoor determination unit determines the environment of the electronic device based on the power generation detection data in the power generation detection data storage unit and the power generation threshold value data in the power generation threshold value data storage unit of the indoor/outdoor determination unit.

16. A time correction method for an electronic device, comprising:

an environmental information acquisition step in which an environmental information acquisition unit of the electronic device gets information about the reception unit environment;

a reception environment information generating step in which a reception environment information generating unit of the electronic device generates reception environment information for the reception unit based on the environment information;

a positioning information satellite selection step in which a positioning information satellite selection unit of the electronic device selects the positioning information satellite orbiting the Earth from which signals are to be received by the reception unit based on the reception environment information;

a reception step in which the reception unit of the electronic device receives satellite signals from the positioning information satellite selected in the positioning information satellite selection step; and

a time correction information generating step in which a time correction information generating unit of the electronic device generates time correction information for correcting the time information of the time information generating unit based on the satellite signals.

17. A time correction method for a timepiece device, comprising:

a step of a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth capturing the positioning information satellite;

a time correction information generating step of a time correction unit generating time correction information based on the satellite signals received by the reception unit; and

a displayed time information correcting step of a display information correction unit correcting the displayed time information based on the time correction information;

wherein the reception unit has an indoor/outdoor determination unit for determining the environment of the timepiece device in the step of capturing the positioning information satellite;

the indoor/outdoor determination unit has a power generation detection process including

detecting and storing power generation by a solar panel, and

comparing the power generation detection data and power generation threshold value data in a power generation threshold value data storage unit that stores power generation threshold value data related to a power generation threshold value used to determine if the reception unit is indoors or outdoors; and

the reception unit is an electronic device that captures the positioning information satellite based on the indoor/outdoor determination unit.

18. A time correction method for a timepiece device, comprising:

a step of a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth capturing the positioning information satellite;

a time correction information generating step of a time correction unit generating time correction information based on the satellite signals received by the reception unit; and

a displayed time information correcting step of a display information correction unit correcting the displayed time information based on the time correction information;

wherein the reception unit has an indoor/outdoor determination unit for determining the environment of the timepiece device in the step of capturing the positioning information satellite;

the indoor/outdoor determination unit has an acceleration sensor output waveform detection process including

detecting and storing output waveform data from the acceleration sensor,

generating and storing amplitude data from the output waveform data, and

comparing the amplitude data with acceleration sensor output signal amplitude threshold value data related to a threshold value of the amplitude data used to determine if the reception unit is indoors or outdoors; and

the reception unit is an electronic device that captures the positioning information satellite based on the indoor/outdoor determination unit.

19. A time correction method for a timepiece device, comprising:

a step of a reception unit that receives satellite signals from positioning information satellites orbiting the Earth capturing the positioning information satellite;

a time correction information generating step of a time correction unit generating time correction information based on the satellite signals received by the reception unit; and

a displayed time information correcting step of a display information correction unit correcting the displayed time information based on the time correction information;

wherein the reception unit has an indoor/outdoor determination unit for determining the environment of the timepiece device in the step of capturing the positioning information satellite;

the indoor/outdoor determination unit has a power generation detection process including

detecting and storing power generation by a solar panel, and

comparing the power generation detection data and power generation threshold value data in a power generation threshold value data storage unit that stores power generation threshold value data related to a power generation threshold value used to determine if the reception unit is indoors or outdoors; and

an acceleration sensor output waveform detection process including

detecting and storing output waveform data from the acceleration sensor,

generating and storing amplitude data from the output waveform data, and

comparing the amplitude data with acceleration sensor output signal amplitude threshold value data related to the amplitude data used to determine if the reception unit is indoors or outdoors; and

the reception unit is an electronic device that captures the positioning information satellite based on the indoor/outdoor determination unit.