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US 6,643,223 B2Granted
Time keeping apparatus and control method therefor
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorTeruhiko Fujisawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When a time keeping apparatus is in a power saving mode, performing time display is stopped, and the apparatus periodically receives external time data and sets the data into a second time counter and an hour-and-minute time counter. When the operation mode of the time keeping apparatus is switched from the power saving mode to the display mode, the apparatus resumes display of the current time based on the counted values in the second time counter and the hour and minute time counter.
Claims17
A time keeping apparatus comprising:
- a generator unit that generates electricity using external energy;
- a storage unit that stores the electricity;
- a time display unit that displays time by using the electricity supplied from the storage unit;
- a generation state detecting unit that detects an operation state of the generator unit and that outputs a detected generation state signal;
- a mode switching unit that, responsive to the detected generation state signal, switches an operation mode of the time display unit between a normal operation mode in which the time display operation is performed and a power saving mode in which the time display operation is stopped;
- a receiver unit for receiving external time information in a prescribed cycle;
- a current time counting unit that updates current time information by referring to the time that corresponds to the time information received by the receiver unit;
- and,
- a current time display switching unit that is responsive to the operation mode switching from the power saving mode to the normal operation mode to switch a state of the time display unit from a time display stoppage state to a current time display state in which a current time is displayed, based on the current time information;
- wherein the mode switching unit is responsive to the detected generation state signal to switch the operation mode from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode when the state of the generator unit is detected to be in a non-generation state.
7 more elements
A time keeping apparatus comprising:
- a generator unit that generates electricity using external energy;
- a storage unit that stores the electricity;
- a time display unit that displays time by using the electricity supplied from the storage unit;
- a carry-state detecting unit that detects a carry-state of the time keeping apparatus and that outputs a detected carry-state signal;
- a mode switching unit that, responsive to the detected carry-state signal, switches an operation mode of the time display unit between a normal operation mode in which the time display operation is performed and a power saving mode in which the time display operation is stopped;
- a receiver unit that receives external time information in a prescribed cycle;
- a current time counting unit for updating current time information by referring to the time which corresponds to the time information received by the receiver unit;
- and,
- current time display switching unit that is responsive to the operation mode switching from the power saving mode to the normal operation mode to switch a state of the time display unit from a time display stoppage state to a current time display state in which a current time is displayed, based on the current time information;
- and
- wherein the mode switching unit is responsive to the detected carry-state signal to switch the operation mode from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode when the carry-state of the time keeping apparatus is detected to be in a non-carried state.
8 more elements
A method for controlling a time keeping apparatus that comprises a generator unit that generates electricity by converting external energy to electrical energy and a time display unit that performs a time display, the method comprising:
- detecting an operation state of the generator unit and outputting a detected generation state signal;
- in response to the detected generation state signal, switching an operation mode of the time display unit between a normal operation mode in which the time display is performed and a power saving mode in which the time display is stopped;
- receiving external time information in a predetermined cycle during the power saving mode;
- updating a current time information that corresponds to the current time by referring to the received external time information;
- and,
- when the operation mode is switched from the power saving mode to the normal operation mode, switching a state of the time display unit from a time display stoppage state to a current time display state in which a current time is displayed, based on the current time information;
- responsive to the detected generation state signal, switching the operation mode from the normal operation mode to the power saving mode when the state of the generator unit is detected to be in a non-generation state.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.