Satellite radio signal receiver, electronic timepiece, date and time acquiring method and recording medium

A date and time acquiring method, comprising:

• receiving radio signals from a plurality of satellites and demodulating the signals to identify received bits of the demodulated signals as received bits;
• comparing each received bit of the plurality of satellites with estimated bits which are estimated to be received within a possible deviation range from a current date and time acquired as a reception timing of the received bit, so as to obtain comparison result information between the received bits and the estimated bits in relation to deviations within the possible deviation range with respect to each of the plurality of satellites;
• integrating the comparison result information on the received bits of the plurality of satellites;
• specifying a deviation that satisfies a predetermined match condition of the received bits and the estimated bits based on the comparison result information;
• acquiring date and time information based on date and time indicated by the estimated bits of the deviation that satisfies the predetermined match condition;
• specifying a reception timing difference of the received bits which is due to a difference in propagation time between the plurality of satellites;
• using the reception timing difference to align the deviations that are respectively associated with the plurality of satellites in the comparison result information;
• integrating the comparison result information of the plurality of satellites by using the respective aligned deviations;
• specifying a deviation for at least one of the plurality of satellites, in which the deviation satisfies a predetermined individual match condition of the comparison result information on the received bits of the satellite;
• specifying the reception timing difference by using the specified deviation as a reference;
• counting comparison numbers and mismatch numbers with respect to the respective deviations and the respective plurality of satellites, in which the comparison numbers are the numbers of comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits, and the mismatch numbers are the numbers of mismatches in comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits;
• and
• when the mismatch number relative to the comparison number at a deviation of a satellite is equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit threshold among the comparison numbers and the mismatch numbers with respect to the respective deviations and the respective plurality of satellites, determining that the deviation of the satellite satisfies the individual match condition.

A satellite radio signal receiver, comprising:

• a receiving section which receives radio signals from a plurality of satellites and demodulates the signals to identify bits of the demodulated signals as received bits;
• and
• a processor,
• wherein the processor compares each received bit of the plurality of satellites with estimated bits which are estimated to be received within a possible deviation range from a current date and time acquired as a reception timing of the received bit, so as to obtain comparison result information between the received bits and the estimated bits in relation to deviations within the possible deviation range with respect to each of the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor integrates the comparison result information on the received bits of the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor specifies a deviation that satisfies a predetermined match condition of the received bits and the estimated bits based on the integrated comparison result information,
• wherein the processor acquires date and time information based on date and time indicated by the estimated bits of the deviation that satisfies the predetermined match condition,
• wherein the processor specifies a reception timing difference of the received bits which is due to a difference in propagation time between the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor uses the reception timing difference to align the deviations that are respectively associated with the plurality of satellites in the comparison result information,
• wherein the processor integrates the comparison result information of the plurality of satellites by using the respective aligned deviations,
• wherein the processor counts comparison numbers and mismatch numbers with respect to the respective deviations and the respective plurality of satellites, in which the comparison numbers are the numbers of comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits, and the mismatch numbers are the numbers of mismatches in comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits, and
• wherein the processor integrates the comparison result information by calculating total mismatch numbers which are sums of the mismatch numbers of the plurality of satellites with respect to respective aligned deviations and total comparison numbers which are sums of the comparison numbers corresponding respectively to the total mismatch numbers.

A satellite radio signal receiver, comprising:

• a receiving section which receives radio signals from a plurality of satellites and demodulates the signals to identify bits of the demodulated signals as received bits;
• and
• a processor,
• wherein the processor compares each received bit of the plurality of satellites with estimated bits which are estimated to be received within a possible deviation range from a current date and time acquired as a reception timing of the received bit, so as to obtain comparison result information between the received bits and the estimated bits in relation to deviations within the possible deviation range with respect to each of the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor integrates the comparison result information on the received bits of the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor specifies a deviation that satisfies a predetermined match condition of the received bits and the estimated bits based on the integrated comparison result information,
• wherein the processor acquires date and time information based on date and time indicated by the estimated bits of the deviation that satisfies the predetermined match condition,
• wherein the processor specifies a reception timing difference of the received bits which is due to a difference in propagation time between the plurality of satellites,
• wherein the processor uses the reception timing difference to align the deviations that are respectively associated with the plurality of satellites in the comparison result information,
• wherein the processor integrates the comparison result information of the plurality of satellites by using the respective aligned deviations,
• wherein the processor specifies a deviation for at least one of the plurality of satellites, in which the deviation satisfies a predetermined individual match condition of the comparison result information on the received bits of the satellite,
• wherein the processor specifies the reception timing difference by using the specified deviation as a reference, and
• wherein the processor specifies the reception timing difference between the plurality of satellites by obtaining a reference deviation that is a deviation from received bits of one satellite that satisfies the individual match condition and then obtaining a deviation from received bits of each of the other satellite within a phase difference range of a predetermined number of bit from the reference deviation at which received bits match estimated bits to a highest degree.

A date and time acquiring method, comprising:

• receiving radio signals from a plurality of satellites and demodulating the signals to identify received bits of the demodulated signals as received bits;
• comparing each received bit of the plurality of satellites with estimated bits which are estimated to be received within a possible deviation range from a current date and time acquired as a reception timing of the received bit, so as to obtain comparison result information between the received bits and the estimated bits in relation to deviations within the possible deviation range with respect to each of the plurality of satellites;
• integrating the comparison result information on the received bits of the plurality of satellites;
• specifying a deviation that satisfies a predetermined match condition of the received bits and the estimated bits based on the comparison result information;
• acquiring date and time information based on date and time indicated by the estimated bits of the deviation that satisfies the predetermined match condition;
• specifying a reception timing difference of the received bits which is due to a difference in propagation time between the plurality of satellites;
• using the reception timing difference to align the deviations that are respectively associated with the plurality of satellites in the comparison result information;
• integrating the comparison result information of the plurality of satellites by using the respective aligned deviations;
• counting comparison numbers and mismatch numbers with respect to the respective deviations and the respective plurality of satellites, in which the comparison numbers are the numbers of comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits, and the mismatch numbers are the numbers of mismatches in comparisons between the received bits and the estimated bits;
• and
• integrating the comparison result information by calculating total mismatch numbers which are sums of the mismatch numbers of the plurality of satellites with respect to respective aligned deviations and total comparison numbers which are sums of the comparison numbers corresponding respectively to the total mismatch numbers.

A date and time acquiring method, comprising:

• receiving radio signals from a plurality of satellites and demodulating the signals to identify received bits of the demodulated signals as received bits;
• comparing each received bit of the plurality of satellites with estimated bits which are estimated to be received within a possible deviation range from a current date and time acquired as a reception timing of the received bit, so as to obtain comparison result information between the received bits and the estimated bits in relation to deviations within the possible deviation range with respect to each of the plurality of satellites;
• integrating the comparison result information on the received bits of the plurality of satellites;
• specifying a deviation that satisfies a predetermined match condition of the received bits and the estimated bits based on the comparison result information;
• acquiring date and time information based on date and time indicated by the estimated bits of the deviation that satisfies the predetermined match condition;
• specifying a reception timing difference of the received bits which is due to a difference in propagation time between the plurality of satellites;
• using the reception timing difference to align the deviations that are respectively associated with the plurality of satellites in the comparison result information;
• integrating the comparison result information of the plurality of satellites by using the respective aligned deviations;
• specifying a deviation for at least one of the plurality of satellites, in which the deviation satisfies a predetermined individual match condition of the comparison result information on the received bits of the satellite;
• specifying the reception timing difference by using the specified deviation as a reference;
• and
• specifying the reception timing difference between the plurality of satellites by obtaining a reference deviation that is a deviation from received bits of one satellite that satisfies the individual match condition and then obtaining a deviation from received bits of each of the other satellite within a phase difference range of a predetermined number of bit from the reference deviation at which received bits match estimated bits to a highest degree.