Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Chronological – With power monitor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-11-20
Miska, Vit (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Chronological
With power monitor
C368S204000, C307S121000, C307S130000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320822
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to portable electronic equipment and a control method for the electronic equipment, and in particular to electronic equipment and a control method for the electronic equipment with which a power saving mode and a normal operating mode can be switched over depending on a condition of use of the electronic equipment by the user. More specifically, the present invention relates to a timepiece and a control method for the timepiece which can indicate the time with high accuracy for a long time without replacing a battery.
2. Background Art
Recently, small size electronic watches such as wristwatches incorporating power generators, e.g., solar cells, and operating with no need of replacing batteries, have been developed as one form of electronic equipment. Those electronic watches have a function of charging electric power generated by power generators in large-capacity capacitors, and indicate the time with the power discharged from the capacitor when power is not generated. The electronic watches can therefore operate with stability for a long time without batteries. In consideration of the inconvenience of replacing batteries and a problem in disposal of exhausted batteries, it is expected that power generators will be incorporated in more and more electronic watches in future.
Meanwhile, a power generator incorporated in a wristwatch, etc. comprises a solar cell for converting irradiated light into electric energy, or a power generating system for converting kinetic energy, e.g. produced upon motion of the user's arm, into electric energy. Such a power generator is very advantageous in utilizing energy in the user's environment for conversion into electric energy, but has problems in that useable energy density is low and energy cannot be obtained in continuous fashion. Accordingly, power generation can not be performed in a continuous fashion, and the electronic watch operates with the power accumulated in a large-capacity capacitor while the power generation is suspended. For this reason, a large-capacity capacitor is desired, with a capacity as large as possible. A capacitor having too large a size however would raise problems that such a capacitor cannot be accommodated in a wristwatch device, and a proper level of voltage is hard to obtain because a longer time is required for charging the capacitor. On the other hand, if the capacity is too small, the electronic watch would stop operation when power is not generated for a long time. Even if the electronic watch is started again by, for example, irradiating light, the indicated time would be wrong and the precise time would not be indicated. Thus the electronic watch would not fulfill its function.
In a wristwatch device using a solar cell, because the intensity of ambient illumination can be detected with the solar cell, a system is conceived in which when the illumination intensity lowers below a setting value, the time indication is stopped but the time from when indication is stopped is continuously counted by an internal counter, and when the illumination intensity rises, the time indication is resumed and the current time is restored based on a value of the internal counter. With such a wristwatch device, the operation of indicating the time is stopped and energy is saved when the illumination is darkened, e.g., while the user is sleeping, and the time indication is automatically resumed and the current time is restored when it becomes light, e.g. in the morning. Accordingly, the duration of the large-capacity capacitor can be prolonged and the wristwatch can be operated for a long time without inconveniencing the user. Also, by designing a system such that the day-of-time indication is stopped after a certain period of time has elapsed subsequent to a lowering of the illumination intensity, the time can be continuously indicated even if the illumination intensity lowers for a short time as occurs when the wristwatch is hidden under clothes. This system can also save energy without inconveniencing the user.
However, the user often desires to see the time even during the night, and it is inconvenient if the user cannot know the current time instantly on such an occasion. Also, the wristwatch is often not exposed to the sun in the winter during which the user is wearing a coat or the like. If the time indication is stopped under such a condition, the function of the wristwatch is not fulfilled. Conversely, when the user does not wear the wristwatch and leaves it in the room, the time indication continues since the wristwatch is exposed to weak light. This results in wasteful power consumption.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide electronic equipment and a control method for the electronic equipment with which a power saving mode and a normal operating mode can be switched over depending on a condition of use of the electronic equipment by the user.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a timepiece and a control method for the timepiece which can indicate the time with high accuracy for a long time without replacing a battery.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above objects, the present invention is featured in portable electronic equipment comprising a power supply device capable of accumulating electric energy, a driven device driven with electric power supplied from the power supply device, a carried-by-user detector for detecting whether the electronic equipment is being carried by a user or not, and a mode shift control device for shifting an operating mode of the driven device from a normal operating mode to a power saving mode in accordance with a detection result of the carried-by-user detector when the electronic equipment is not carried by the user, to thereby reduce power consumption of the driven device.
Further, the power supply device in the present invention includes a power generator for generating electric power by converting first energy into the electric energy as second energy, and is able to accumulate the generated power.
Further, the carried-by-user detector in the present invention detects whether the electronic equipment is being carried by the user or not in accordance with a power generation state of the power generator.
Also, the present invention comprises an operating condition restoring device which, when the operating mode is restored to the normal mode again after a shift to the power saving mode, restores an operating condition of the driven device to the same operating condition which would have resulted in the case of operating the driven device continuously for a period of time from the shift to the power saving mode to the time of restoring to the normal mode.
Also, the mode shift control device in the present invention shifts the operating mode to the power saving mode before an amount of power accumulated in the power supply device becomes less than a predetermined amount of power required which is set beforehand and corresponds to the amount of power required for the restoring of the operating condition.
Also, the carried-by-user detector in the present invention detects the carried state of the electronic equipment based on an electromotive voltage produced in the power generator.
Also, the carried-by-user detector in the present invention compares an electromotive voltage produced in the power generator with a plurality of setting voltage values, and detects the carried state of the electronic equipment in accordance with a comparison result.
Further, the carried-by-user detector in the present invention detects the carried state of the electronic equipment by selecting one of the plurality of setting voltage values depending on the current mode, and compares the electromotive voltage produced in the power generator with the selected setting voltage value.
Further, the carried-by-user detector in the present invention sets the setting voltage value, which is used for determining whether the operating mode is to be shifted from the power saving
Fujisawa Teruhiko
Kitahara Joji
Kojima Hiroyuki
Okeya Makoto
Shimura Noriaki
Miska Vit
Seiko Epson Corporation
Watson Mark P.
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