Electronic Timepiece, Time Adjustment Method for an Electronic Timepiece, and Control Program for an Electronic Timepiece

• US 20090135675A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Toshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,077,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/14
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/06 Decoding time data; Circuits therefor

Abstract

An electronic timepiece has a reception unit that can receive satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites and acquire time information and positioning information; a time zone data storage component that stores region data dividing geographical information for which time zone information is set into a plurality of regions, and time zone information for each region; a time zone information acquisition component that extracts a region containing positioning information acquired by the reception unit from the region data, and acquires the time zone information for that region; a time zone information display that displays the time zone information acquired by the time zone information acquisition component as a time zone candidate; an input device; a time zone information selection component that selects time zone information from the time zone candidates displayed on the display based on operation of the input device; a time calculation component that calculates the current time based on the time information acquired by the reception unit and the time zone information selected by the time zone information selection component; and a time display that displays the current time.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece, comprising:

a reception unit that can receive satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites and acquire time information and positioning information;

a time zone data storage component that stores region data dividing geographical information for which time zone information is set into a plurality of regions, and time zone information for each region;

a time zone information acquisition component that extracts a region containing positioning information acquired by the reception unit from the region data, and acquires the time zone information for that region;

a time zone information display that displays the time zone information acquired by the time zone information acquisition component as a time zone candidate;

an input device;

a time zone information selection component that selects time zone information from the time zone candidates displayed on the time zone information display based on operation of the input device;

a time calculation component that calculates the current time based on the time information acquired by the reception unit and the time zone information selected by the time zone information selection component; and

a time display that displays the current time.

2. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1, wherein each region in the region data is sized so that each region contains less than or equal to a predetermined number of time zones.

3. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1, wherein each region in the region data is a rectangular region.

4. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1, further comprising:

a time zone information selection storage component that stores the time zone information selected by the time zone information selection component;

wherein the time zone information display displays the previously selected time zone as the first time zone candidate when a previously selected time zone is stored in the time zone information selection storage component for the region containing the positioning information received by the reception unit.

5. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1, further comprising:

a digital display device for displaying information;

wherein the time zone information display displays the time zone candidates acquired by the time zone information acquisition component on the digital display device; and

the time zone information selection component selects a time zone candidate displayed on the digital display device based on operation of the input device.

6. The electronic timepiece described in claim 5, wherein the time zone information display displays the time zone candidate acquired by the time zone information acquisition component first on the digital display device, and can display other time zone candidates following the time zone information.

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

an analog display device including a hand and a dial with markings indicating time zone candidates;

wherein the time zone information display moves the hand at a regular time interval to sequentially point to markings indicating time zone candidates acquired by the time zone information acquisition component; and

the time zone information selection component selects the time zone candidate indicated by the hand when the input device is operated.

8. A time adjustment method for an electronic timepiece, comprising:

storing region data dividing geographical information for which time zone information is set into a plurality of regions, and time zone information for each region;

receiving satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites and acquiring time information and positioning information;

extracting a region containing positioning information acquired by the reception step from the region data, and acquires the time zone information for that region;

displaying the time zone information acquired by the time zone information acquisition step as a time zone candidate;

selecting time zone information from the displayed time zone candidates based on operation of an input device;

calculating the current time based on the time information acquired by the reception step and the time zone information selected by the time zone information selection step; and

displaying the current time.

9. A control program for an electronic timepiece comprising a reception unit that can receive satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites and acquire time information and positioning information, a control device, a storage device that stores region data dividing geographical information for which time zone information is set into a plurality of regions, and time zone information for each region, an input device, and a display device, wherein the control program, when executed, causes the control device to:

extract a region containing positioning information acquired by the reception unit from the region data and acquire the time zone information for that region;

display the acquired time zone information as a time zone candidate;

select time zone information from the displayed time zone candidates based on operation of the input device;

calculate the current time based on the time information acquired by the reception unit and the selected time zone information; and

display the current time.