Electronic timepiece, time adjustment method for an electronic timepiece, and control program for an electronic timepiece

• US 8,493,816 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Akiyama, Toshikazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W
• Application Number:
  US13/293,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20120051190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/1, 368/46, 368/472, 368/21, 368/47
• US Class Current: 368/21
• 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 includes a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from a positioning information satellite; an information acquisition unit that processes the received satellite signals to acquire time information and positioning information; a time difference information acquisition component that acquires time difference information based on the acquired position information; a time difference information display that displays as time difference candidates the acquired time difference information; an external input device; a time difference information selection component that selects time difference information from the displayed time difference candidates; a time calculation component that calculates current time based on the acquired time information and the selected time difference information; and a time display that displays the current time.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece, comprising:

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

an information acquisition unit that processes the received satellite signals to acquire time information and positioning information;

a time difference information acquisition component that acquires time difference information based on the position information acquired by the information acquisition unit;

a time difference information display that displays as time difference candidates the time difference information acquired by the time difference information acquisition component;

an input device;

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

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

a time display that displays the current time.

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

a time difference area information storage component that stores a plurality of area data for which time information is set along with time difference information corresponding to each area data;

wherein the time difference information acquisition component detects specific area data including associated positioning information acquired by the information acquisition unit and acquires time difference information corresponding to the detected specific area data.

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

a digital display device for displaying information;

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

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

4. The electronic timepiece described in claim 3, wherein the time difference information display first displays the time zone candidate acquired by the time difference information acquisition component related to a current position on the digital display device, and then displays other time zone candidates.

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

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

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

receiving satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites;

processing the received satellite signals to acquire time information and positioning information;

acquiring time difference information based on the acquired positioning information;

displaying as time difference candidates the acquired time difference information;

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

calculating current time based on the acquired time information and the selected time difference information; and

displaying the current time.

7. A non-transitory device-readable medium containing a control program for an electronic timepiece, wherein the control program, when executed, causes the electronic timepiece to:

receive satellite signals transmitted from positioning information satellites;

process the received satellite signals to acquire time information and positioning information;

acquire time difference information based on the acquired positioning information;

display as time difference candidates the acquired time difference information;

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

calculate current time based on the acquired time information and the selected time difference information; and

display the current time.