Electronic device

• US 8,879,364 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Honda, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kayes, Sean
• Application Number:
  US13/104,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20110280108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 368/14, 368 21- 22
• US Class Current: 368/14
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/06 Decoding time data; Circuits therefor

Abstract

An electronic device that can display the current time reduces the number of times that the time must be manually set. The electronic device 100 has a CPU 20 that keeps time internally, a display unit 50 that displays the time based on the internal time, a GPS device 10 that receives satellite signals and outputs satellite time information according to the positioning information and UTC, and EEPROM 32 that stores time zone information denoting the time difference to UTC for individual regions. The CPU 20 adjusts the displayed time based on the satellite time information and correction information. The CPU 20 also adjusts the displayed time based on an operation signal, and stores time difference information denoting the time difference between the displayed time after being adjusted and UTC linked to the region associated with the positioning information in flash ROM 33.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a timekeeping unit that keeps internal time;

a display unit that displays a display time based on the internal time;

a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from satellites and outputs positioning information and satellite time information corresponding to a reference time based on the received signals;

a first correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the satellite time information and correction information;

a first storage unit that stores time zone information denoting the time difference to the reference time for each region;

an operating unit that outputs an operation signal corresponding to user operations;

a second correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the operation signal, and generates time difference information based on the operation signal, the time difference information indicating the time difference between the reference time and the corrected display time;

a second storage unit, different from the first storage unit, that correlates and stores the time difference information generated by the second correction unit with the region identified by the positioning information; and

a control unit that, when positioning information is output from the reception unit, executes a process of determining if the positioning information identifies a region corresponding to time difference information stored in the second storage unit,

executes a process of supplying the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the positioning information identifies a region in the second storage unit, and

when the positioning information does not identify a region in the second storage unit, executes a process of referencing the first storage unit and supplying the time zone information corresponding to the region identified by the positioning information as the correction information to the first correction unit;

wherein;

the control unit counts the number of times that, after the time difference information is generated, positioning information for the region corresponding to the time difference information is output from the reception unit but the display time corrected in the first correction unit is not corrected in the second correction unit, and

overwrites the time zone information in the first storage unit with the time difference information when the count reaches a specific value.

2. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein:

the control unit counts the number of times that, after the time difference information is generated, positioning information for a location at a distance that is less than or equal to a specific distance from the location identified by the positioning information for the region corresponding to the time difference information is output from the reception unit but the display time corrected in the first correction unit is not corrected in the second correction unit, and

overwrites the time zone information in the first storage unit with the time difference information when the count reaches a specific value.

3. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein:

the display unit displays a daylight saving time symbol indicating whether or not daylight saving time is in effect;

the first storage unit stores daylight saving time information specifying the daylight saving time period for each region;

the second correction unit corrects displaying the daylight saving time symbol that is presented on the display unit based on the operation signal, and generates corrected daylight saving time information indicating the corrected date and time; and

the control unit executes a process of storing the corrected daylight saving time information correlated to the positioning information in the second storage unit when a user operates the operating unit and changes the daylight saving time symbol displayed on the display unit, and

when positioning information is output from the reception unit,

executes a process of calculating the distance between the positioning information output from the reception unit and the positioning information stored in the second storage unit,

executes a process of determining if the calculated distance is less than or equal to a specific distance,

executes a process of supplying information reflecting the corrected daylight saving time information in the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the calculated distance is less than or equal to the specific distance, and

executes a process of supplying information reflecting the daylight saving time information in the time zone information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the calculated distance exceeds the specific distance.

4. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein:

the second correction unit generates the time difference information when the display time is corrected based on the operation signal before a specific time passes after the positioning information is output.

5. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein:

the first storage unit stores time zone information for regions segmented by longitude and latitude.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a timekeeping unit that keeps internal time;

a display unit that displays a display time based on the internal time;

a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from satellites and outputs positioning information and satellite time information corresponding to a reference time based on the received signals;

a first correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the satellite time information and correction information;

a first storage unit that stores time zone information denoting the time difference to the reference time for each region;

an operating unit, that outputs an operation signal corresponding to user operations;

a second correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the operation signal, and generates time difference information based on the operation signal, the time difference information indicating the time difference between the reference time and the corrected display time;

a second storage unit, different from the first storage unit, that correlates and stores the time difference information generated by the second correction unit with the region identified by the positioning information; and

a control unit that, when positioning information is output from the reception unit, executes a process of determining if the positioning information identifies a region corresponding to time difference information stored in the second storage unit,

executes a process of supplying the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the positioning information identifies a region in the second storage unit, and

when the positioning information does not identify a region in the second storage unit, executes a process of referencing the first storage unit and supplying the time zone information corresponding to the region identified by the positioning information as the correction information to the first correction unit;

wherein;

the display unit displays a daylight saving time symbol indicating whether or not daylight saving time is in effect;

the first storage unit stores daylight saving time information specifying the daylight saving time period for each region;

the second correction unit corrects displaying the daylight saving time symbol that is presented on the display unit based on the operation signal, and generates corrected daylight saving time information indicating the corrected date and time; and

the control unit executes a process of storing the corrected daylight saving time information correlated to the region identified by the positioning information in the second storage unit when a user operates the operating unit and changes the daylight saving time symbol displayed on the display unit, and

when positioning information is output from the reception unit,

executes a process of determining if the positioning information identifies a region corresponding to time difference information stored in the second storage unit,

executes a process of supplying information reflecting the corrected daylight saving time information in the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the positioning information identifies said region, and

executes a process of referencing the first storage unit and supplying information reflecting the daylight saving time information in the time zone information for the region identified by the positioning information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the positioning information does not identify said region.

7. An electronic device comprising:

a timekeeping unit that keeps internal time;

a display unit that displays a display time based on the internal time;

a reception unit that receives satellite signals transmitted from satellites and outputs positioning information and satellite time information corresponding to a reference time based on the received signals;

a first correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the satellite time information and correction information;

a first storage unit that stores time zone information denoting the time difference to the reference time for each region;

an operating unit that outputs an operation signal corresponding to user operations;

a second correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the operation signal, and generates time difference information indicating the time difference between the reference time and the corrected display time;

a second storage unit that correlates and stores the time difference information and the positioning information; and

a control unit that, when positioning information is output from the reception unit,

executes a process of calculating the distance between the positioning information output from the reception unit and the positioning information stored in the second storage unit,

a process of determining if the calculated distance is less than or equal to a specific distance,

a process of supplying the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the calculated distance is less than the specific distance, and

a process of supplying the time zone information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the calculated distance is less than the specific distance.

8. An electronic device comprising:

a display unit that displays a display time;

a reception unit that receives a satellite signal transmitted from a satellite and outputs positioning information and satellite time information corresponding to a reference time based on the received signal;

a first correction unit that adjusts the display time based on the satellite time information and correction information;

a first storage unit that stores time zone information denoting the time difference to the reference time for each region;

a second correction unit that adjusts the display time based on a user operation signal, and generates time difference information based on the user operation signal, the time difference information indicating the time difference between the reference time and the corrected display time;

a second storage unit, different from the first storage unit, that stores time difference information generated based on user operation with a region; and

a control unit that, when positioning information is output from the reception unit, executes a process of determining if the positioning information identifies a region corresponding to time difference information stored in the second storage unit,

executes a process of supplying the time difference information as the correction information to the first correction unit when the positioning information identifies a region in the second storage unit, and

when the positioning information does not identify a region in the second storage unit, executes a process of referencing the first storage unit and supplying the time zone information corresponding to the region identified by the positioning information as the correction information to the first correction unit.

wherein;

the control unit counts the number of times that, after the time difference information is generated, positioning information for the region corresponding to the time difference information is output from the reception unit but the display time corrected in the first correction unit is not corrected in he second correction unit, and

overwrites the time zone information in the first storage unit with the time difference information when the count reaches a specific value.