Electronic device, time correction method, electronic watch, and computer readable medium

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device, a time correction method, an electronic watch, and a computer-readable medium. The electronic device of the present invention comprises: a communication unit that communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device; and at least one processor that performs the following actions: a first determination action that determines the type of the communication connection when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit; an acquisition action that acquires the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; a second determination action that determines whether the time acquired by the acquisition action is more than a certain time; and a decision action that determines whether to send the time information to the external device based on the determination result of at least one of the first determination action and the second determination action.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application filed on February 25, 2021, with application number 202110214496.2 and invention name “Electronic watch, wireless communication system, time correction method and computer-readable medium”. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electronic watch, a wireless device, a wireless communication system, a time correction method, and a computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, electronic watches that can communicate wirelessly with wireless devices, such as smartphones, have been developed. In an electronic watch that communicates wirelessly with a wireless device, when a communication connection with the wireless device is established, more accurate time information is obtained from the wireless device, and the time information maintained by the device is corrected based on the time information (e.g., Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-100912). Summary of the invention

[0004] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] When the time information of the electronic watch is corrected based on the time information of the wireless device, the time information of the electronic watch is corrected every time a communication connection is established between the electronic watch and the wireless device, and there is a possibility that power is consumed wastefully.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of such a problem, and a main object of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic timepiece capable of appropriately correcting the time without wasting power.

[0007] Methods for solving problems

[0008] The present disclosure provides an electronic device, characterized in that it comprises: a communication unit, which communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device; and at least one processor, which performs the following actions: a first judgment action, when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit, judging the type of the communication connection; an acquisition action, obtaining the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; a second judgment action, judging whether the time obtained by the acquisition action is more than a certain time; and a decision action, based on the judgment result of at least one of the first judgment action and the second judgment action, deciding whether to send the time information to the external device.

[0009] The present disclosure also provides a time correction method performed by an electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises: a communication unit, which communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device, and is characterized in that when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit, the type of the communication connection is determined; the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device is obtained; it is determined whether the obtained time is longer than a certain time; and based on the result of at least one of the determination of the type of the communication connection and the determination of the obtained time, it is decided whether to send the time information to the external device.

[0010] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable medium storing a program of an electronic device, wherein the electronic device has: a communication unit that communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device, characterized in that the program causes the computer of the electronic device to execute the following steps: a first determination step, when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit, determining the type of the communication connection; an acquisition step, obtaining the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; a second determination step, when it is determined that the type of the communication connection is a first connection type, determining whether the acquired time is longer than a certain time; and a decision step, based on the determination result of at least one of the first determination step and the second determination step, determining whether to send the time information to the external device.

[0011] The present disclosure provides an electronic watch, characterized in that it comprises: a receiver, which communicates with an electronic device and receives time information from the electronic device; a timing circuit, which counts the time; and at least one processor, which performs the following actions: a first determination action, when a communication connection with the electronic device is established via the receiver, determining the type of the communication connection; a measurement action, measuring the time that has passed since the most recent correction of the time counted by the timing circuit in the past; a second determination action, determining whether the time measured by the measurement action is longer than a certain time; and a correction action, based on the determination result of at least one of the first determination action and the second determination action, determining whether to correct the time counted by the timing circuit based on the time information obtained from the electronic device.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, the time can be appropriately corrected without wasting electric power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a wireless communication system according to the first to third embodiments.

[0015] Figure 2 In the figure, (A) is a block diagram showing the structure of an electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment, and (B) is a block diagram showing the structure of a wireless device according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 This is an example of a flowchart of the time adjustment process executed by the CPU of the electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a block diagram showing the structure of an electronic timepiece according to a modified example of the first embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 This is an example of a flowchart of a time adjustment process executed by a CPU of an electronic timepiece according to a modification of the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 6 In the figure, (A) is a block diagram showing the structure of an electronic timepiece according to the second embodiment, and (B) is a block diagram showing the structure of a wireless device according to the second embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 In the figure, (A) is a block diagram showing the structure of an electronic timepiece according to the third embodiment, and (B) is a block diagram showing the structure of a wireless device according to the third embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 This is an example of a flowchart of a time information transmission process executed by the CPU of the wireless device according to the third embodiment.

[0022] Effects of the Invention

[0023] According to the present disclosure, the time can be appropriately corrected without wasting power. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in the drawings.

[0025] [First embodiment]

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 1 of the first embodiment includes an electronic watch 100 and a wireless device 300. As a basic function, the electronic watch 100 has a function of displaying the current time. The wireless device 300 is, for example, a smart phone with a mobile phone function, and can obtain accurate time information (for example, time information corresponding to Japan Standard Time) from a mobile phone base station or from a time server on the Internet via the base station.

[0027] In the wireless communication system 1, the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 perform wireless communication with each other, for example, based on a short-range wireless communication standard called Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as BLE). The electronic watch 100 obtains accurate time information maintained by the wireless device 300 through wireless communication, and corrects (updates) the time information maintained by the device according to the time information. For example, when the electronic watch 100 establishes a communication connection with the wireless device 300, the time information of the device is corrected according to the time information of the wireless device 300.

[0028] The electronic watch 100 is sometimes set to an always-connected mode, in which a communication connection is always established with the wireless device 300 and the communication connection is maintained. By setting the electronic watch 100 to the always-connected mode, a communication connection is always established between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300, and thus the wireless communication system 1 can achieve various useful functions.

[0029] In addition, immediately after the communication connection is established between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300, the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 exchange more information within a certain period of time, and therefore, communicate at a relatively short time interval, for example, 50 ms intervals. The time interval of wireless communication is sometimes referred to as a connection interval. In the always connected mode, a communication connection is established, and after the necessary information is exchanged with each other, the connection interval is set to a longer interval, and the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 communicate, for example, at 300 ms intervals. Since the connection interval is longer, the amount of information exchanged between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 within a certain period of time is reduced, but power consumption can be suppressed.

[0030] However, even if the electronic watch 100 is set to the always-connected mode, the communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 may be disconnected due to, for example, deterioration of the communication environment. This is called link loss. Link loss occurs when the physical distance between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 increases, when the radio waves used for wireless communication are disconnected or interfered, etc.

[0031] When the link is lost, the electronic watch 100 continues to send a signal (advertisement signal) requesting the establishment of a communication connection, thereby establishing a communication connection (recovery from the link loss) with the wireless device 300. If the main cause of the link loss is removed and the wireless device 300 can receive the advertisement signal, the communication connection is reestablished between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300.

[0032] When the electronic timepiece 100 is set to the always-connected mode and the link loss occurs frequently, the establishment and disconnection of the communication connection between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 are repeated multiple times in a short period of time. In this case, the time information of the electronic timepiece 100 is corrected each time the communication connection is established (recovered from the link loss), which wastes power.

[0033] For such reasons, when the communication connection is established between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300, it is preferable to correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100 under appropriate conditions. The appropriate conditions will be described below with examples.

[0034] For example, at 1:00 p.m. on January 1, 2020, the time of the electronic watch 100 is corrected. When the electronic watch 100 is set to the always connected mode, a link loss occurs at 2:00 p.m. on January 1, 2020, and the link loss is eliminated at 3:00 p.m. on January 1, 2020, and the communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 is reestablished. Only 2 hours have passed since the time information of the electronic watch 100 was corrected until the link loss occurred and the communication connection was reestablished. In this case, it is considered that the time information of the electronic watch 100 is relatively accurate (for example, close to Japan Standard Time), so even if the communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established after recovery from the link loss, the time information of the electronic watch 100 is not corrected.

[0035] On the other hand, when the electronic watch 100 is set to the always connected mode, the time of the electronic watch 100 is corrected at 1:00 p.m. on February 1, 2020, and the link loss occurs at 2:00 p.m. on February 1, 2020. The link loss is eliminated at 3:00 p.m. on February 2, 2020, and the communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 is reestablished. More than 24 hours have passed since the time information of the electronic watch 100 was corrected until the link loss occurred and the communication connection was reestablished. In this case, the time information of the electronic watch 100 may be inaccurate (for example, deviating from Japan Standard Time), so when the communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established after recovery from the link loss, the time information of the electronic watch 100 is corrected according to the time information of the wireless device 300.

[0036] In this way, when the communication connection between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 is established, it is determined whether to correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100 based on the time that has passed since the last correction of the time information of the electronic timepiece 100. By setting such a condition, it is possible to suppress waste of power and appropriately correct the time of the electronic timepiece 100. The wireless communication system 1 having such a feature will be described in detail below.

[0037] First, the hardware structure of the electronic timepiece 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 2 As shown in (A) in FIG. 1 , the hardware configuration includes a microcomputer 101 , a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 , a communication unit 103 including an antenna 104 , a display unit 106 , and an operation receiving unit 107 .

[0038] The microcomputer 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110 as a control unit, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 111 as a storage unit, a timing unit 112, etc. In addition, the RAM 111 and the timing unit 112 may be provided outside the microcomputer 101. In addition, the ROM 102 and the communication unit 103 (including the antenna 104) may also be provided inside the microcomputer 101.

[0039] The CPU 110 is a processor that performs various calculations and controls the overall operation of the electronic timepiece 100. The CPU 110 reads a control program from the ROM 102 and loads it into the RAM 111 to perform various operation processes such as calculation control of various functions and display. According to the control program, the CPU 110 controls the communication unit 103, for example, to establish a communication connection with the wireless device 300, to send information to the wireless device 300, and to receive information from the wireless device 300. In addition, the CPU 110 corrects the time counted by the timekeeping unit 112, for example.

[0040] The RAM 111 is a volatile memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The RAM 111 stores temporary data, various setting data, and the like.

[0041] The timer 112 includes an oscillating circuit, a frequency dividing circuit, a timing circuit, etc., and counts the current time. The timer 112 may be composed of software that changes the value stored in the RAM 111 at a predetermined time (eg, 1 second), or may be composed of dedicated hardware.

[0042] ROM 102 is a nonvolatile memory such as a mask ROM or flash memory, and stores control programs and initial setting data. The control program includes a program 113 for controlling correction of the time counted by the timer 112 and controlling various processes for controlling wireless communication with the wireless device 300.

[0043] The communication unit 103 is composed of, for example, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, a baseband (BB) circuit, and a memory circuit, and is also referred to as a wireless communication unit. The communication unit 103 demodulates and decodes the wireless signal received via the antenna 104 and sends it to the CPU 110. In addition, the communication unit 103 encodes and modulates the signal sent from the CPU 110 and sends it to the outside via the antenna 104. The communication unit 103 is implemented, for example, by a Bluetooth (registered trademark) controller that sends and receives wireless signals based on BLE.

[0044] The display unit 106 mainly displays the current time counted by the timekeeping unit 112 in a manner that can be recognized by humans, such as by analog or digital means. The display unit 106 may display information received from the wireless device 300 in addition to the current time, for example.

[0045] The operation accepting unit 107 is composed of, for example, a sensor, a button, a switch, etc., accepts an input operation from a user, and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the input operation to the microcomputer 101. For example, the operation accepting unit 107 may also include a touch sensor provided integrally with the display unit 106, and together with the display unit 106, constitute a touch panel display. The operation accepting unit 107 accepts, for example, an operation to set the electronic timepiece 100 to the always-connected mode, or an operation to release the electronic timepiece 100 from the always-connected mode. In addition, for example, an operation to immediately correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100 is accepted.

[0046] Next, the functional structure of the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100 will be described. The CPU 110 mainly functions as a time correction processing unit 121 and a time measurement unit 122. The functions of the time correction processing unit 121 and the time measurement unit 122 may be realized by a processor other than the microcomputer 101, for example, a CPU included in the communication unit 103.

[0047] The CPU 110 as the time correction processing unit 121 first performs a determination operation of determining whether to correct the time counted by the timer unit 112 when the communication unit 103 is controlled and the communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established. Then, when it is determined that the time counted by the timer unit 112 is to be corrected, the CPU 110 performs a correction operation of acquiring time information from the wireless device 300 and correcting the time counted by the timer unit 112 based on the acquired time information.

[0048] The CPU 110 as the time measuring unit 122 performs a measuring operation, which is an operation of measuring the time that has passed since the time information was last corrected in the past. For example, when the time information is corrected, "0" is written in the elapsed time storage area of ​​the RAM 111, and every time 1 second passes, 1 is added to the value stored in the elapsed time storage area, thereby measuring the time that has passed since the time information was last corrected.

[0049] When functioning as the time correction processing unit 121, the CPU 110 refers to the elapsed time since the most recent correction of the time information measured by the time measuring unit 122. Then, based on the elapsed time, it is determined whether to correct the time counted by the timekeeping unit 112.

[0050] In addition, the time measurement unit 122 may also be replaced by a time setting unit. The CPU 110 as the time setting unit performs a setting action, which is an action of setting a time corresponding to a future time point at the time point when the time information is corrected. For example, the time is set 24 hours after the time information is corrected. In the case where the time measurement unit 122 is replaced by the time setting unit, when the CPU 110 functions as the time correction processing unit 121, it determines whether to correct the time counted by the timer 112 based on whether the current time counted by the timer 112 reaches the time set in the time setting unit.

[0051] Next, the hardware structure of the wireless device 300 according to the first embodiment is described. Figure 2 As shown in (B) in FIG. 1 , the wireless device 300 has, as a hardware structure, a microcomputer 301, a ROM 302, a first communication unit (short-range wireless communication unit) 303 including an antenna 304, a display unit 306, an operation receiving unit 307, and a second communication unit (carrier communication unit) 308 including an antenna 309. The wireless device 300 is, for example, a smart phone having a mobile phone function.

[0052] The microcomputer 301 includes a CPU 310 as a control unit, a RAM 311 as a storage unit, a timing unit 312, etc. In addition, the RAM 311 and the timing unit 312 may be provided outside the microcomputer 301. In addition, the ROM 302, the first communication unit 303, and the second communication unit 308 may be provided inside the microcomputer 301.

[0053] The CPU 310 is a processor that performs various calculations and controls the overall operation of the wireless device 300. The CPU 310 reads a control program from the ROM 302 and loads it into the RAM 311 to perform various operation processes such as calculation control of various functions and display. According to the control program, the CPU 310 controls the first communication unit 303, for example, to establish a communication connection with the electronic timepiece 100, to send information to the electronic timepiece 100, and to receive information from the electronic timepiece 100. In addition, the CPU 310 controls the second communication unit 308, for example, to perform wireless communication with a base station.

[0054] The RAM 311 is a volatile memory such as an SRAM or a DRAM. The RAM 311 stores temporary data, various setting data, and the like.

[0055] The timer 312 includes an oscillation circuit, a frequency division circuit, a timing circuit, etc., and counts the current time. The timer 312 may be composed of software that changes the value stored in the RAM 311 at a predetermined time (eg, 1 second), or may be composed of dedicated hardware.

[0056] ROM 302 is a nonvolatile memory such as a mask ROM or flash memory, and stores control programs and initial setting data. The control program includes a program 313 for controlling various processes for wireless communication with the electronic timepiece 100 and various processes for wireless communication with a base station.

[0057] The first communication unit (near field wireless communication unit) 303 is composed of, for example, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, a baseband (BB) circuit, and a memory circuit. The first communication unit 303 demodulates and decodes the wireless signal received via the antenna 304 and sends it to the CPU 310. In addition, the first communication unit 303 encodes and modulates the signal sent from the CPU 310 and sends it to the outside via the antenna 304. The first communication unit 303 is implemented by, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) controller that sends and receives wireless signals based on BLE.

[0058] The second communication unit (carrier communication unit) 308 is also composed of, for example, a radio frequency (RF) circuit, a baseband (BB) circuit, and a memory circuit, similarly to the first communication unit 303. The second communication unit 308 performs wireless communication with a base station via an antenna 309.

[0059] The display unit 306 is composed of, for example, a display panel such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and a driver that outputs a drive signal corresponding to the type of the display panel to the display panel in response to a control signal from the microcomputer 301. The display unit 306 displays information received from the electronic timepiece 100, for example.

[0060] The operation accepting unit 307 accepts an input operation from a user and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the input operation to the microcomputer 301. For example, the touch sensor as the operation accepting unit 307 may be provided to overlap with the display panel of the display unit 306 and constitute a touch panel together with the display panel.

[0061] Next, the functional structure of the CPU 310 of the wireless device 300 will be described. The CPU 310 mainly functions as the time information transmission unit 321. The function of the time information transmission unit 321 may be realized by a processor other than the microcomputer 301, for example, a CPU included in the first communication unit 303.

[0062] The CPU 310 as the time information transmission unit 321 controls the first communication unit 303, and upon receiving a signal requesting the transmission of the time information from the electronic watch 100, transmits the time information held by the timing unit 312 or the time information stored in the ROM 302 or the RAM 311 to the electronic watch 100. Alternatively, the CPU 310 obtains more accurate time information from a base station via the second communication unit 308, and transmits the time information to the electronic watch 100.

[0063] Next, refer to Figure 3 The operation of the electronic timepiece 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 3 This is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the time adjustment process executed by the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100. The CPU 110 starts this process when a communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established.

[0064] In the determination steps S101 and S102, the CPU 110 determines whether to correct the time counted by the timer unit 112. Specifically, in the first determination step S101, the CPU 110 determines which connection category the establishment of the communication connection is classified into. When the electronic timepiece 100 is set to the always connected mode and the communication connection is established by recovering from the link loss, it is determined that it meets the first connection category and the process proceeds to step S102.

[0065] In addition, when the communication connection is established, if it is preferred to immediately correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100, it is determined that the second connection type is met, and the process proceeds to step S111. In addition, when the communication connection is established, if it is not necessary to correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100, it is determined that the third connection type is met, and the process ends. The details of the second and third connection types will be described later.

[0066] In the second determination step S102, the CPU 110 determines whether a certain time or more (e.g., 24 hours or more) has passed since the last time information was corrected. If the time elapsed since the last time information was corrected is more than the certain time (step S102; yes), the process proceeds to step S111. If the time elapsed since the last time information was corrected is less than the certain time (step S102; no), the process ends. In addition, the determination of whether a certain time or more has passed since the last time information was corrected can be performed based on the time measurement unit 122 (refer to Figure 2 The method may be performed based on the time measured by (A)) in the above description, or may be performed based on the time set by the time setting unit.

[0067] In the first correction step (acquisition step) S111, the CPU 110 acquires the time information from the wireless device 300. Specifically, the CPU 110 transmits a signal requesting the transmission of the time information to the wireless device 300 via the communication unit 103. The time information transmission unit 321 (see Figure 2 After receiving the signal requesting the transmission of the time information from the electronic timepiece 100, the CPU 310 of (B) sends the time information held by the device to the electronic timepiece 100. The CPU 110 receives the time information sent from the wireless device 300 and obtains more accurate time information (for example, closer to Japan Standard Time).

[0068] In the second correction step S112, CPU 110 corrects the time counted by timer 112 based on the time information acquired from wireless device 300. In addition, information related to the time information stored or set in ROM 102, RAM 111, etc. is corrected. This process ends.

[0069] Such an operation performed by the CPU 110 can prevent the time information from being corrected each time a communication connection is established (recovery from link loss) with the wireless device 300. In addition, the power consumed by the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 due to wireless communication can be reduced, and the power involved in the time correction of the timepiece unit 112 of the electronic timepiece 100 can be reduced.

[0070] In addition, it can also be configured that CPU110 determines whether the establishment of the communication connection is a recovery from link loss or not a recovery from link loss (for example, the case of the initial connection establishment between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300, etc.). When the establishment of the communication connection is not a recovery from link loss, the above-mentioned time correction processing flow is not executed, and CPU110 determines that the time information of the electronic watch 100 needs to be corrected.

[0071] In the wireless communication system 1 , the electronic timepiece 100 is not limited to being always set to the always-connected mode. There may be a situation where the communication connection between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 is disconnected as a normal state.

[0072] Even in such a case, the user may perform an operation to immediately correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100 via the operation accepting unit 107. In this case, it is preferable that the electronic timepiece 100 establishes a communication connection with the wireless device 300 and obtains more accurate time information from the wireless device 300. In this case, the user performs an operation to immediately correct the time information of the electronic timepiece 100, so it is not appropriate to determine whether to correct the time information.

[0073] Since the user has performed an operation to immediately correct the time information of the electronic watch 100, when the communication connection is established, the CPU 110 determines in step S101 that the second connection type is met. Then, without going through step S102, the process proceeds to steps S111 and S112 to correct the time counted by the timing unit 112. Through such an operation performed by the CPU 110, the user can correct the time information of the electronic watch 100 to more accurate time information at a desired timing.

[0074] In addition, even when a communication connection is established between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300, there may be a case where the time information of the electronic watch 100 does not need to be corrected. For example, the wireless communication system 1 can realize a remote operation function of controlling the operation of the wireless device 300 by operating the electronic watch 100. The remote operation function includes, for example, a function of emitting a sound from the wireless device 300 by operating the electronic watch 100. When a communication connection is established to realize such a remote operation function, in step S101, the CPU 110 determines that the third connection category is met. Then, the time information is not corrected and the present process ends.

[0075] Such an operation performed by the CPU 110 can suppress waste of power and appropriately correct the time of the electronic timepiece 100. In addition, it is possible to appropriately select which connection category the establishment of the communication connection is classified into. For example, in the always-connected mode, in most cases, it is considered that the link loss will be eliminated in a short time, so the establishment of the communication connection based on the recovery from the link loss can also be classified as the third connection category.

[0076] In addition, the electronic watch 100 generally has a mode called sleep mode in which it operates with low power consumption. For example, when no movement (acceleration or angular velocity) is detected for more than a certain period of time, the electronic watch 100 shifts to sleep mode, stops various functions including functions related to wireless communication, and reduces power consumption. In sleep mode, the communication connection between the electronic watch 100 and the wireless device 300 is cut off. However, when the electronic watch 100 detects movement, the electronic watch 100 recovers from sleep mode and establishes a communication connection with the wireless device 300. The establishment of a communication connection based on such recovery from sleep mode is preferably classified as the first connection category, for example, but may also be classified as the second or third connection category.

[0077] [Modification of the first embodiment]

[0078] like Figure 4 As shown, the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100 may have a function as a connection counting unit 123 in addition to the time correction processing unit 121 and the time measuring unit 122 as a functional structure. The CPU 110 as the connection counting unit 123 performs a counting operation, which is an operation of counting the number of times a communication connection has been established between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 since the time information was last corrected. For example, when the time information is corrected, "0" is written in the connection number storage area of ​​the RAM 111, and when a communication connection is established thereafter, 1 is added to the value stored in the connection number storage area, thereby counting the number of times a communication connection has been established.

[0079] When the CPU 110 functions as the time correction processing unit 121, it refers to the number of times the communication connection is established counted by the connection counting unit 123. Then, based on the number, it is determined whether to correct the time counted by the timing unit 112. For example, if the number is 100 or more, it is determined that the time counted by the timing unit 112 is corrected, and if the number is less than 100, it is determined that the time counted by the timing unit 112 is not corrected.

[0080] Figure 5 This is an example of a flowchart showing another flow of the time adjustment process executed by the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100. The CPU 110 starts this process when a communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established.

[0081] In the first determination step S101, the CPU 110 determines which connection type the establishment of the communication connection is classified into. When the electronic timepiece 100 is set to the always-connected mode and the communication connection is established by recovery from link loss, it is determined to be in the first connection type and the process proceeds to step S103.

[0082] In the third determination step S103, the CPU 110 determines whether the number of times the communication connection has been established since the time information was last corrected is greater than a certain number. If the number of times the communication connection has been established is greater than a certain number (step S103; yes), the process proceeds to steps S111 and S112 to correct the time counted by the timing unit 112. If the number of times the communication connection has been established is less than a certain number (step S103; no), the process ends.

[0083] Such an operation by CPU 110 makes it possible to avoid correcting the time information each time a communication connection with wireless device 300 is established (recovered from link loss).

[0084] [Second embodiment]

[0085] In the first embodiment, the electronic timepiece 100 performs the time adjustment process on its own when a communication connection is established between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300. However, when the communication connection is established, the wireless device 300 may send a signal to the electronic timepiece 100 to inquire whether the time adjustment is required, and when the electronic timepiece 100 receives the signal, the electronic timepiece 100 performs the time adjustment process. Hereinafter, as a second embodiment, a wireless communication system 2 is described in which, when a communication connection is established, a signal is sent from the wireless device 300a to the electronic timepiece 100a to inquire whether the time adjustment is required.

[0086] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 2 of the second embodiment includes an electronic watch 100a and a wireless device 300a. Figure 6 As shown in (A) of FIG. 1 , the electronic timepiece 100a has the same hardware structure as the electronic timepiece 100 of the first embodiment. Figure 6 As shown in (B) in FIG. 1 , the wireless device 300 a is also similar to the wireless device 300 of the first embodiment in terms of hardware configuration.

[0087] like Figure 6 As shown in (A) in FIG. 1 , the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100a of the second embodiment mainly functions as a time correction processing unit 121a and a time measuring unit 122. The CPU 110 of the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the CPU 110 functions as a time correction processing unit 121a instead of a time correction processing unit 121.

[0088] The CPU 110 of the time correction processing unit 121 of the first embodiment executes a determination operation of determining whether to correct the time counted by the timer unit 112 when the communication connection with the wireless device 300 is established, and also starts Figure 3On the other hand, the CPU 110 of the time correction processing unit 121a of the second embodiment receives an inquiry signal from the wireless device 300a asking whether the time correction is required after establishing a communication connection with the wireless device 300a, and performs a determination operation, and also starts Figure 3 The time correction process shown.

[0089] like Figure 6 As shown in (B) in FIG. 1 , the CPU 310 of the wireless device 300a of the second embodiment mainly functions as a time information sending unit 321 and a correction need inquiry unit 322. The CPU 310 of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, in addition to the time information sending unit 321, it also functions as a correction need inquiry unit 322.

[0090] The CPU 310 as the correction inquiry unit 322 controls the first communication unit 303, and after establishing a communication connection with the electronic timepiece 100a, sends an inquiry signal to the electronic timepiece 100a to inquire whether the time correction is required. The electronic timepiece 100a receives the inquiry signal and executes a determination operation based on the reception. In addition, Figure 3 The time correction process shown.

[0091] Even in the wireless communication system 2 of the second embodiment, it is possible to suppress waste of power and appropriately correct the time of the electronic timepiece 100a. In addition, as a functional structure, the CPU 110 of the electronic timepiece 100a of the second embodiment may also include the connection counting unit 123 described in the modified example of the first embodiment (see Figure 4 ).

[0092] [Third Embodiment]

[0093] In the first embodiment, when the communication connection between the electronic timepiece 100 and the wireless device 300 is established, the electronic timepiece 100 determines whether to correct the time information of the device itself. However, when the communication connection is established, the wireless device 300 may also determine whether to correct the time information held by the electronic timepiece 100. Hereinafter, as a third embodiment, a wireless communication system 3 is described that determines whether the wireless device 300b corrects the time of the electronic timepiece 100b when the communication connection is established.

[0094] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system 3 of the third embodiment includes an electronic watch 100 b and a wireless device 300 b. In the third embodiment, the electronic watch 100 b is as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown in (A) of FIG. 1 , the hardware structure is the same as that of the electronic timepiece 100 of the first embodiment. Figure 7 As shown in (B) in FIG. 1 , the hardware configuration is the same as that of the wireless device 300 of the first embodiment.

[0095] The CPU 110 of the electronic watch 100b is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in (A) in FIG. 1 , the CPU 110 mainly functions as the time information receiving unit 124. The CPU 110 as the time information receiving unit 124 controls the communication unit 103 to receive the time information transmitted from the wireless device 300b, and corrects the time counted by the timekeeping unit 112 based on the time information.

[0096] The CPU 310 of the wireless device 300b is as follows: Figure 7 As shown in (B) in FIG. 1 , the CPU 310 mainly functions as a time information transmission processing unit 323 and a time measurement unit 324. The CPU 310 as the time information transmission processing unit 323 first performs a determination operation, which is to control the first communication unit 303 to determine whether to correct the time information held by the electronic watch 100b when the communication connection with the electronic watch 100b is established. And, if it is determined that the time information held by the electronic watch 100b is to be corrected, the sending operation of sending the time information held by the device to the electronic watch 100b is performed.

[0097] The CPU 310 as the time measuring unit 324 measures the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the electronic timepiece 100b. For example, when the time information is sent to the electronic timepiece 100b, "0" is written in the elapsed time storage area of ​​the RAM 311, and 1 is added to the value stored in the elapsed time storage area every time 1 second passes, thereby measuring the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the electronic timepiece 100b.

[0098] When the CPU 310 functions as the time information transmission processing unit 323, it refers to the elapsed time since the time information was most recently transmitted to the electronic timepiece 100b measured by the time measurement unit 324. Then, based on the elapsed time, it determines whether to transmit the time information held by the device to the electronic timepiece 100b.

[0099] In addition, the time measurement unit 324 may also be replaced by a time setting unit. When the CPU 310 as the time setting unit sends the time information to the electronic watch 100b, it sets the time corresponding to the future time point at that time point. For example, it sets the time 24 hours after the time information is sent. In the case where the time measurement unit 324 is replaced by the time setting unit, when the CPU 310 functions as the time information transmission processing unit 323, it determines whether to send the time information maintained by the device to the electronic watch 100b according to whether the current time counted by the timing unit 312 reaches the time set in the time setting unit.

[0100] Next, refer to Figure 8 The operation of the wireless device 300b according to the third embodiment will be described. Figure 8 This is an example of a flowchart showing the flow of the time information transmission process executed by the CPU 310 of the wireless device 300b according to the third embodiment. The CPU 310 starts this process when a communication connection with the electronic timepiece 100b is established.

[0101] In steps S301 and S302, CPU310 determines whether to correct the time of electronic watch 100b. Specifically, in step S301, CPU310 determines which connection category the establishment of the communication connection is classified into. For example, when the electronic watch 100b is set to the always-connected mode and the communication connection is established by recovering from the link loss, it is determined to be in compliance with the first connection category and the process proceeds to step S302. In addition, for example, when the user performs an operation to immediately correct the time information of the electronic watch 100b, and therefore, when the communication connection is established, it is determined to be in compliance with the second connection category and the process proceeds to step S311. Furthermore, when there is no need to correct the time information of the electronic watch 100b, it is determined to be in compliance with the third connection category and the process ends.

[0102] In step S301, the CPU 310 may control the first communication unit 303 to send a signal to the electronic timepiece 100b to inquire as to which connection type the establishment of the communication connection corresponds to, and may determine which connection type the establishment of the communication connection corresponds to based on the response to the inquiry signal from the electronic timepiece 100b.

[0103] Next, in step S302, the CPU 310 determines whether a certain time or more (e.g., 24 hours or more) has passed since the time information was last sent to the electronic watch 100b. If the time elapsed since the time information was last sent is more than the certain time (step S302; yes), the process proceeds to step S311. If the time elapsed since the time information was last sent is less than the certain time (step S302; no), the process ends. In addition, the determination of whether a certain time or more has passed since the time information was last sent can be performed based on the time measured from the time when the time information was last sent, or based on whether the current time has reached the time set when the time information was last sent.

[0104] In step S311, the CPU 310 sends the time information stored in the device to the electronic timepiece 100b. The time information may be the time information stored in the timekeeping unit 312 or the time information stored in the ROM 302 or the RAM 311. Alternatively, the time information may be the time information obtained from the base station via the second communication unit 308.

[0105] The present process is terminated in this way. The electronic timepiece 100b adjusts the time information stored in the electronic timepiece based on the time information acquired from the wireless device 300b.

[0106] Even in the wireless communication system 3 of the third embodiment, it is possible to suppress waste of power and appropriately correct the time of the electronic watch 100b. In addition, as a functional structure, the CPU 310 of the wireless device 300b of the third embodiment may also include the connection counting unit 123 described in the modified example of the first embodiment (see Figure 4 ).

[0107] [About connection interval]

[0108] As described above, after the communication connection is established between the electronic watch 100, 100a, 100b and the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b, the connection interval (time interval of wireless communication) is set to a shorter interval (e.g., 50ms interval). When the time information of the electronic watch 100, 100a, 100b is corrected, the time information and a plurality of information associated therewith need to be exchanged between the electronic watch 100, 100a, 100b and the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b. Therefore, it is preferable to correct the time of the electronic watch 100, 100a, 100b immediately after the communication connection with a shorter connection interval is established.

[0109] In the always connected mode, after establishing a communication connection and exchanging necessary information, the connection interval is set to a longer interval (e.g., 300 ms interval) to reduce power consumption. At this time, the electronic watches 100, 100a, 100b send a signal requesting the wireless devices 300, 300a, 300b to extend the connection interval.

[0110] When the connection interval is set to a longer interval in the always connected mode, when the time of the electronic timepiece 100, 100a, 100b is corrected, it is necessary to exchange information at a finer timing between the electronic timepiece 100, 100a, 100b and the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b, so the connection interval is set to a shorter interval. At this time, a signal requesting a shortening of the connection interval is transmitted from the electronic timepiece 100, 100a, 100b to the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b.

[0111] Even if the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b receives a signal requesting the connection interval to be extended or shortened, the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b may not accept the request due to various reasons. In such a case, after waiting for a certain period of time, the electronic watch 100, 100a, 100b retransmits the signal to the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b multiple times. Furthermore, even if the signal is retransmitted multiple times, if the wireless device 300, 300a, 300b does not accept the request, the change of the connection interval is stopped or the communication connection is disconnected.

[0112] When the connection interval is changed, the electronic timepieces 100 , 100 a , 100 b and the wireless devices 300 , 300 a , 300 b perform the above-described communication, for example.

[0113] [Other Modifications]

[0114] In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the wireless devices 300, 300a, and 300b are smartphones having a mobile phone function. However, the wireless devices 300, 300a, and 300b are not limited to smartphones, and may be any device as long as they can perform short-range wireless communication with the electronic watches 100, 100a, and 100b. For example, electronic devices such as PCs (Personal Computers), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), tablet terminals, and wearable terminals having a short-range wireless communication function can be considered as devices that can replace smartphones.

[0115] In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example in which the CPU 110 or 310 performs control operations is described. However, the control operations are not limited to software control by the CPU 110 or 310. A part or all of the control operations may be performed using a hardware structure such as a dedicated logic circuit.

[0116] In addition, in the above description, as a computer-readable medium for storing the program 113, 313, ROM 102, 302 composed of a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory is cited as an example for description. However, the computer-readable medium is not limited to this, and a removable storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a floppy disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical Disc), a memory card, and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory may also be applied. In addition, as a medium for providing the data of the program of the present disclosure via a communication line, a carrier wave (transport wave) is also applicable to the present disclosure.

[0117] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible. That is, specific details such as the structure and control process shown in the above-mentioned embodiments can be appropriately changed within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0118] Several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. An electronic device, It is characterized in that have: a communication unit that communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device; and at least one processor, The at least one processor performs the following actions: a first determination operation of determining a type of a communication connection when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit; An acquisition action, acquiring the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; A second determination operation is to determine whether the time acquired by the acquisition operation is longer than a certain time; as well as A determination operation is performed to determine whether to transmit the time information to the external device based on a determination result of at least one of the first determination operation and the second determination operation.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The second determination operation determines whether the time acquired by the acquisition operation is equal to or longer than a certain time when the type of the communication connection is determined by the first determination operation to be the first connection type.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, It is characterized in that The at least one processor sends the time information to the external device when it is determined in the first determination action that the category of the communication connection is a second connection category different from the first connection category, and does not send the time information to the external device when it is determined in the first determination action that the category of the communication connection is a third connection category different from the first connection category and the second connection category.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2 or 3, It is characterized in that The electronic device further comprises: a current time acquisition unit, which acquires the current time. The at least one processor further performs: a setting action, when the time information is sent to the external device, setting a first time; When the type of the communication connection is determined to be the first connection type in the first determination operation, the time information is sent to the external device on the condition that the time acquired by the current time acquisition unit reaches the first time set by the setting operation most recently in the past.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The communication unit is capable of establishing a constant communication connection with the external device, In the first determination operation, when the communication connection with the external device is established by recovery from link loss in the permanent communication connection, the at least one processor determines that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type.

6. A time correction method performed by an electronic device, the electronic device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device; It is characterized in that When a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit, determining a type of the communication connection; Obtaining the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; Determine whether the acquired time is longer than a certain time; Whether or not to transmit the time information to the external device is determined based on at least one of a determination result of the type of the communication connection and a determination of the acquired time.

7. The time correction method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that When it is determined that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type, it is determined whether the acquired time is longer than a certain time.

8. The time correction method according to claim 7, It is characterized in that When it is determined that the category of the communication connection is a second connection category different from the first connection category, the time information is sent to the external device; when it is determined that the category of the communication connection is a third connection category different from the first connection category and the second connection category, the time information is not sent to the external device.

9. The time correction method according to claim 7 or 8, It is characterized in that The electronic device further comprises: a current time acquisition unit, which acquires the current time. When the time information is sent to the external device, a first time is set, When it is determined that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type, the time information is transmitted to the external device on the condition that the time acquired by the current time acquisition unit reaches the first time set most recently in the past.

10. The time correction method according to claim 6, It is characterized in that The communication unit is capable of establishing a constant communication connection with the external device, When the communication connection with the external device is established by recovery from a link loss in the permanent communication connection, it is determined that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type.

11. A computer-readable medium storing a program for an electronic device, the electronic device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with an external device and sends time information to the external device; It is characterized in that The program causes the computer of the electronic device to execute the following steps: A first determination step of determining the type of the communication connection when a communication connection with the external device is established via the communication unit; An acquisition step of acquiring the time that has passed since the time information was most recently sent to the external device; A second determination step, when it is determined that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type, determining whether the acquired time is longer than a certain time; as well as A determination step of determining whether to transmit the time information to the external device based on a determination result of at least one of the first determination step and the second determination step.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The second determination step determines whether the time acquired in the acquisition step is longer than a certain time when the type of the communication connection is determined in the first determination step to be the first connection type.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 or 12, It is characterized in that In a case where it is determined in the first determination step that the category of the communication connection is a second connection category different from the first connection category, the time information is sent to the external device; and in a case where it is determined in the first determination step that the category of the communication connection is a third connection category different from the first connection category and the second connection category, the time information is not sent to the external device.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 11 or 12, It is characterized in that The electronic device further comprises: a current time acquisition unit, which acquires the current time. The program further executes: a setting step of setting a first time when the time information is sent to the external device, When it is determined in the first determination step that the type of the communication connection is the first connection type, the time information is sent to the external device on the condition that the time acquired by the current time acquisition unit reaches the first time set most recently in the setting step.

15. An electronic watch, It is characterized in that have: a receiver, which communicates with the electronic device and receives time information from the electronic device; a timing circuit that counts time; and at least one processor, The processor performs the following actions: A first determination action, when a communication connection with the electronic device is established via the receiver, determining a type of the communication connection; A measuring action for measuring the time that has passed since the most recent correction of the time counted by the timing circuit; a second determination operation of determining whether the time measured by the measurement operation is longer than a certain time; as well as The correction operation determines whether to correct the time counted by the timer circuit based on the time information obtained from the electronic device based on the determination result of at least one of the first determination operation and the second determination operation.

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