Needle driving control device, electronic watch, needle driving control method, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides a needle control device, comprising: a timing unit for counting the current time; and a control unit for outputting a signal to the driving unit to make the pointer rotate by a unit angle every unit time when the pointer is made to perform a display action synchronized with the time, the unit time being obtained by dividing a reference time into multiple, the signal comprising a first signal and a second signal, the first signal being used to make the pointer rotate by the driving unit every reference time based on the current time counted by the timing unit, the second signal being used to make the pointer rotate by the driving unit every unit time after the timing of the rotation action caused by the first signal, the control unit making the pointer move to a position corresponding to a first time before the current time and in units of the reference time and starting the display action from the first time when the pointer is made to move to a position corresponding to the current time and start the display action.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a needle control device, an electronic watch, a needle control method, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In analog watches, there exist electronic watches that can switch the time zone of the displayed time or perform and display functions other than time display. Furthermore, there are electronic watches that can obtain an accurate time from an external source to correct the displayed time. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-032067 discloses a feature that allows the pointer to fast-forward to quickly change its position when changing from another display to an accurate current time display. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The problem that the invention aims to solve One aspect of this disclosure relates to a needle movement control device comprising: a timing unit that counts the current time; and a control unit that, when a pointer performs a display operation synchronized with the time, outputs a signal to a drive unit causing the pointer to rotate by a unit angle every unit time, the unit time being obtained by dividing a reference time into multiple segments, the signal including a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is used to rotate the pointer by the drive unit at each reference time based on the current time counted by the timing unit, and the second signal is used to rotate the pointer by the drive unit every unit time elapsed from the timing of the rotation operation caused by the first signal, and the control unit, when moving the pointer to a position corresponding to the current time and starting the display operation, controls the pointer to move to a position corresponding to a first time prior to the current time and in units of the reference time, and starts the display operation from that first time. Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the accompanying drawings). Attached Figure Description

[0004] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the electronic watch in this embodiment.

[0005] Figure 2 (a) is a diagram illustrating the timing of the second hand's movement.

[0006] Figure 2 (b) is a diagram illustrating the timing of the second hand's movement.

[0007] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating the control sequence of the sweep-second needle movement control process.

[0008] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates the return action displayed at the return time.

[0009] Figure 5 A flowchart showing the control sequence of the return processing at different times.

[0010] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the control sequence of the time display return process in another embodiment.

[0011] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the control sequence of the time display return process in another embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 As shown in the block diagram, the electronic watch 1 includes a control unit 11, RAM 12 (Random Access Memory), a storage unit 13, an operation receiving unit 14, an oscillation circuit 15, a frequency divider circuit 16, a timing circuit 17 (timing unit), a drive circuit 21, a stepper motor 22, a gear train mechanism 23, and a hand 24. The electronic watch 1 can be a portable electronic watch (such as a wristwatch).

[0013] The control unit 11 includes a processor that controls the overall operation of the electronic watch 1. The processor can be a general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), or a microcontroller, integrated circuit (IC), or large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) suitable for watch operation. The control unit 11 may have a single processor or multiple processors, each performing processing operations independently depending on its purpose. Alternatively, multiple processors may work together in parallel. The control unit 11 includes an interval timer 111. The interval timer 111 may not be a hardware component; it may simply be calculated by the control unit 11 counting a clock signal to determine the elapsed time. The interval timer 111 starts counting upon triggering, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, it outputs an interrupt signal. This interrupt signal will also be referred to as a timer interrupt below. The control unit 11 is included in the hand movement control device 10 of this embodiment.

[0014] RAM12 provides memory space for the control unit 11 to operate and stores temporary data. RAM12 stores data such as the number of pointer actions per second.

[0015] Storage unit 13 has non-volatile memory that stores program 131 and setting data, etc. The non-volatile memory may be, for example, flash memory. Alternatively, its type is not particularly limited as long as it can be used as other non-volatile memory.

[0016] The operation receiving unit 14 receives input operations from the outside and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the content of the received input operation to the control unit 11. The operation receiving unit 14 may, for example, be a push-button switch. Alternatively, the operation receiving unit 14 may also have a crown, a slide switch, or other operating mechanisms.

[0017] The oscillation circuit 15 includes, for example, a quartz crystal resonator and a resonant circuit, and generates a clock signal near the resonant frequency of the quartz crystal resonator. The resonant frequency can be, for example, 32.768 kHz or 16.384 kHz. This frequency varies not only depending on the adjustment accuracy of the quartz crystal resonator but also on environmental conditions such as temperature. The quartz crystal resonator can be an AT-cut crystal that is stable near room temperature relative to temperature changes. The frequency divider circuit 16 divides the clock signal into signals of appropriate frequencies and outputs the divided signals. The frequencies of the divided signals can be multiple and can be determined according to the frequencies required by each component of the electronic watch 1. The divided signals may also include a 1 Hz signal, i.e., a 1-second (reference time) signal, used for time and date counting.

[0018] The timing circuit 17 can also count the 1Hz signal, acquiring the current time and date (i.e., time and date) in units of 1 second (reference time). In other words, the timing circuit 17 does not count the decimal part of the seconds. The operation of the timing circuit 17 can also be included in the software operation of the control unit 11. That is, the electronic watch 1 may not have a timing circuit 17 as a hardware component. Alternatively, the electronic watch 1 may have an RTC (Real Time Clock) as a hardware component, separate from the operation of the control unit 11, which is the timing circuit 17.

[0019] The drive circuit 21 outputs drive pulses to the stepper motor 22 based on the control of the control unit 11. The stepper motor 22 rotates at a predetermined angle each time according to the input drive pulses. The gear train mechanism 23 is a gear system that converts the rotation of the stepper motor 22 into the rotation of the pointer 24. The pointer 24 is a needle-like body used for displaying the time synchronously, mainly for displaying the time. It rotates in the plane along the display surface of the electronic watch 1 according to the operation of the gear train mechanism 23, that is, the operation of the stepper motor 22. The pointer 24 may include a second hand 241, a minute hand, and an hour hand. The pointer 24 may include other hands besides the second hand 241, the minute hand, and the hour hand. Other hands may have a rotation axis at a position different from the second hand 241, the minute hand, and the hour hand. The drive circuit 21 and the stepper motor 22 correspond to the drive unit 20 of this embodiment. The drive circuit 21 can output drive pulses to make the pointer 24 perform a fast forward operation. The fast forward speed can be, for example, 32 to 90 steps per second. The fast-forward speed can differ depending on whether the pointer 24 moves clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0020] Next, the hand movement control method of the pointer 24 in the electronic watch 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the electronic watch 1, as described above, the time is displayed by the rotation of the second hand 241, the minute hand, and the hour hand. At least the second hand 241 rotates independently of the other hands. The second hand 241, the minute hand, and the hour hand can each rotate independently by their respective stepper motors 22 and gear train mechanisms 23. Alternatively, the minute hand and the hour hand can also rotate in conjunction. That is, the electronic watch 1 may also have a gear train mechanism 23, which causes the hour hand to rotate relative to the movement of the shared stepper motor 22 by a rotation angle of 1 / 12 of the minute hand's rotation.

[0021] In the time display operation, the second hand 241 of the electronic watch 1 rotates at intervals shorter than one second, which serves as the reference time, and completes one revolution around the display surface in one minute. The interval (unit of time) of the rotation can be, for example, a time obtained by dividing the reference time into multiple parts, here 12 parts, i.e., approximately 1 / 12 of a second. A typical second hand rotates 6 degrees every second. However, in this embodiment, the second hand 241 can also rotate in one motion, dividing 6 degrees into 12 parts, i.e., 0.5 degrees. In other words, the second hand 241 can rotate 12 times per second, and the unit angle of rotation in one motion is 0.5 degrees. This finely spaced, roughly equal interval rotation approximates a smooth rotation in the user's vision, and is also called a sweeping second hand movement. Furthermore, the minute and hour hands can also operate in the conventional manner. For example, the minute hand can rotate once every 10 seconds, 1 degree each time, and the hour hand can rotate once every 2 minutes, 1 degree each time.

[0022] In a typical electronic watch, a synchronization signal is output in conjunction with a timer that returns to zero after the decimal point of each second to count the time and control the movement of the hands. In the electronic watch 1 of this embodiment, in addition to this, the timing of other rotational movements besides the second synchronization timing is defined by repeatedly counting the intervals of the hand movements within one second using a timer. This interval counting is performed by the interval timer 111. That is, in the electronic watch 1, the output frequency of the synchronization signal is not increased based on the number of times the second hand 241 moves.

[0023] Therefore, in electronic watch 1, the existing high-precision second synchronization signal is maintained and synchronized with it for pointer movement and timing processing, while a separate timing for pointer movement of less than one second is determined. In this case, even if the timing of the pointer movement corresponding to the number of rotations of less than one second (i.e., the number of rotations per unit) deviates slightly from the accurate reference interval, the counting deviation will be initialized and eliminated during the timing of the second synchronization signal. Thus, no cumulative counting deviation will occur. Therefore, as long as the interval of pointer rotation is within a range that is not visually unnatural to the user, the accuracy of the counting time of interval timer 111 does not need to be high. In particular, when the reference interval is specified as the reciprocal of the frequency including multiples of prime numbers other than 2, there is no need to increase the frequency to improve accuracy. Therefore, electronic watch 1 can suppress the increase in manufacturing and operation costs and power consumption.

[0024] exist Figure 2 (a) and Figure 2 In section (b), the timing of the sweeping second hand 241, which moves 12 times per second, is explained. In the electronic watch 1, the movement of the second hand 241 is controlled by interrupt processing based on the second synchronization signal and interrupt processing based on the interval timer 111 at 1 / 12-second intervals. When the second synchronization signal is output, an interrupt signal is generated and timing processing to update the current time and date is performed. Furthermore, the hand movement enable signal (ENA; enablesignal) that enables the rotation of the second hand 241 is set, for example, to a high level, and output to the drive circuit 21 as the first signal. The hand movement enable signal can also be a flag set on the drive circuit 21. Drive pulses are output from the drive circuit 21 to the stepper motor 22. The interval timer 111, which counts at 1 / 12-second intervals, begins counting synchronously with the drive pulses. 1 / 12 second is 83.3 milliseconds, but as mentioned above, the interval (unit time) of the drive pulses can deviate from this. For example, the unit time can be around 81 to 85 milliseconds.

[0025] Furthermore, in practice, there is a delay TL between the interrupt signal involved in the input pointer movement and the actual output drive control signal. Therefore, the interval timer 111 can use the time obtained by subtracting a time equivalent to this delay TL from the unit time as the standby period until the processing for outputting the next drive pulse begins. For example, the standby period can be around 80 milliseconds. When a drive pulse is output from the drive circuit 21 to the stepper motor 22 with the setting of the pointer enable signal, the pointer enable signal is reset, for example, becoming low.

[0026] When the interval timer 111 counts during standby, it outputs an interrupt signal. Based on the timer interruption involved in this interrupt signal, the control unit 11 sets the hand movement enable signal that enables the rotation of the second hand 241 at the end of each unit of time and outputs it to the drive circuit 21 as a second signal. As a result, a drive pulse is output from the drive circuit 21. That is, the first hand movement of each second is based on the second synchronization signal, and the hand movement enable signal E1 is the first signal. The second to twelfth hand movements of each second are based on the timer interrupt corresponding to the counting of the interval timer 111, and the hand movement enable signals E2 to E12 are the second signals. In the case of this timer interruption, timing processing may not be performed. That is, the timing circuit 17 may also count the time in units of 1 second.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown in (a), the control unit 11 counts the number of times the needle movement enable signal (E1 to E12) is set or the number of times the drive pulse (P1 to P12) is output in each second. After the control unit 11 outputs the 12th needle movement enable signal E12 or the 12th drive pulse P12 in each second, it does not set a new needle movement enable signal. If the output interval (reference interval) of the drive pulse is less than 83.3 milliseconds, a 13th timer interrupt will occur after the output of the 12th drive pulse P12. The control unit 11 does not set the needle movement enable signal at the corresponding timing Ta. Therefore, the drive pulse corresponding to the 13th or subsequent timer interrupts will not be output from the drive circuit 21. When one second has elapsed and the next second synchronization signal is input, the count value of the number of times the needle movement enable signal is set or the number of times the drive pulse is output is initialized and the count restarts from the first time. Furthermore, the needle movement enable signal corresponding to the second synchronization interrupt is set.

[0028] On the other hand, such as Figure 2As shown in (b), when the output interval of the drive pulse is longer than 83.3 milliseconds, after the output of the 12th drive pulse P12, a second synchronization interrupt occurs during the counting of the standby period performed by the interval timer 111, accompanied by a second synchronization signal. In this case, the counting of the interval timer 111 is stopped even if it is in progress, and the number of times the needle movement enable signal is set or the number of times the drive pulse is output is initialized. Based on the needle movement enable signal E1 based on the second synchronization interrupt or the drive pulse P1, the number of times the needle movement enable signal is set or the number of times the drive pulse is output is restarted from 1.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown in the flowchart, a portion of the above sequence is executed by the control unit 11 as software control for interrupt handling. The control unit 11 determines whether a second synchronization interrupt signal exists (S1). If a second synchronization interrupt signal exists (S1; Yes), the control unit 11 counts the time and date (S2). The control unit 11 sets the time to the current time and date plus one second. The control unit 11 initializes the number of hands moving within the second to zero and initializes the count value of the interval timer 111 (S3).

[0030] The control unit 11 sets the needle movement enable signal (S4). As a result, the drive circuit 21 outputs drive pulses to the stepper motor 22. The control unit 11 increments the number of needle movements within a second by 1 (S5). The control unit 11 starts counting the interval timer 111 (S6). The control unit 11 resets the needle movement enable signal (S7). Then, the processing of the control unit 11 returns to step S1.

[0031] If it is determined that there is no interrupt signal for second synchronization (S1; No), the control unit 11 determines whether there is an interrupt signal for the interval timer 111 (S11). If it is determined that there is no interrupt signal for the interval timer 111 (S11; No), the processing of the control unit 11 returns to step S1.

[0032] If an interrupt signal for the interval timer 111 is detected (S11; Yes), the control unit 11 determines whether the number of needle movements is the maximum value MAX, which is 12 times in this case (S12). If the number of needle movements is determined to be the maximum value MAX (S12; Yes), the control unit 11 returns to step S1.

[0033] If it is determined that the number of needle movements is not the maximum value (MAX) (S12; No), the control unit 11 sets the needle movement enable signal (S14). As a result, the drive circuit 21 outputs drive pulses to the stepper motor 22. The control unit 11 increments the number of needle movements by 1 (S15). The control unit 11 starts counting with the interval timer 111 (S16). The control unit 11 resets the needle movement enable signal (S17). Then, the processing of the control unit 11 returns to step S1.

[0034] Alternatively, the interval timer 111 can be mechanically started in conjunction with the drive pulses output to the stepper motor 22. Furthermore, steps S1 to S7 and steps S11 to S17 can be different processes that are started independently for their respective interruptions.

[0035] The electronic watch 1 can also display content other than the time display, based on its functionalities. Displayable content may include, for example, alarm time settings, alarm reminder on / off switching, current time zone settings, switching between multiple time zones, a timer display counting down set times, notifications for emails received from external devices, SNS messages, and previews of scheduled events. These displays are temporary; when the display ends, it returns to showing the current time.

[0036] In the case of returning to the current time display, as mentioned above, it takes time to move to the current time of pointer 24. Therefore, when pointer 24 is moved to the position corresponding to the current time at the start of the movement, that current time has already passed by the time the movement is completed. Figure 4 As shown, the electronic watch 1 moves the pointer 24 to a position slightly earlier than the end of its movement. The time required for the pointer 24 to move is determined by the moving speed and the amount of movement. The amount of movement is obtained from the pointer positions before and after the movement. In the aforementioned fast-forward speed, even if several seconds have elapsed during the fast-forward action, the time required for the corresponding additional pointer movement is very small. Therefore, the pointer position after the movement can be approximated to the current time.

[0037] Here, the timing circuit 17 of the electronic watch 1 does not count moments less than one second. Therefore, even if the position corresponding to a non-integer second is set as the destination for the second hand 241, the display action cannot start at the accurate timing start time after the hand 24 reaches it. In the electronic watch 1, based on the calculated required time, the moment when the hand 24 can reach an integer second after the current moment but before that moment arrives (i.e., the moment defined in units of one second (reference time)) is set as the first moment. The position corresponding to this first moment is used as the target position to fast forward the hand 24. By controlling the action of starting the time display from the first moment, accurate time counting and display can be maintained thereafter.

[0038] like Figure 5 As shown, in the time display return process, the control unit 11 obtains the current pointer position (S21). The control unit 11 obtains the current time from the timing circuit 17 (S22). The control unit 11 sets the current time + 1 second, that is, the time obtained by adding the reference time to the current time (second time), as the target time for the movement destination of the pointer 24 (S23). The control unit 11 calculates the fast-forward time required for the pointer 24 to move from the current pointer position to the pointer position corresponding to the target time (S24). The control unit 11 carries over any fraction of a second of the fast-forward time and adds it to the target time (S25).

[0039] The control unit 11 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 21 to cause the pointer 24 to fast-forward to the pointer position corresponding to the target time (S26). After the fast-forward is completed, the control unit 11 begins the aforementioned second-hand sweep control process (S27). That is, the control unit 11 waits for an interrupt signal corresponding to the second synchronization signal to be generated before starting the second-hand sweep of the second hand 241. Subsequently, the control unit 11 finishes the time display return process.

[0040] In the above-described time display return process, sometimes the pointer 24 reaches the position corresponding to the target time and then synchronizes with the seconds, so the pointer 24 starts moving almost without stopping. Therefore, in one embodiment of the time display return process, a margin can be maintained in the setting of the target time.

[0041] Figure 6 The time display return process shown in one embodiment is to... Figure 5 The indicated time indicates that step S25 in the return processing has been changed to step S251. Other processes remain the same; steps with identical content are marked with the same symbols and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0042] After step S24, the control unit 11 may add a predetermined margin time relative to the fast forward time, and carry over any fraction of a second less than 1 second of the time obtained by adding the margin time, and then add it to the target time (S251). The margin time may be, for example, 0.1 to 0.4 seconds. Then, the processing of the control unit 11 moves to step S26.

[0043] In the time display return process, the target time is set in the following way: the time required to fast forward to the position corresponding to the tentative target time (second time) is calculated in advance, and based on the required time, a final target time (first time) is set such that the time node for the fast forward to end has not yet passed. However, the setting of the target time is not limited to this. If the target time is reached during the fast forward movement, the target time can be changed each time. Figure 7 The flowchart is to Figure 5 In the flowchart, step S26 is replaced with steps S261 to S264, and steps S24 and S25 are deleted. Other processes are the same; identical symbols are used for identical processes, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0044] When the target time is set in step S23, the control unit 11 outputs a control signal to the drive circuit 21 to start the fast-forward of the pointer 24 toward the indicated position corresponding to the target time (S261). The control unit 11 determines whether the pointer 24 has reached the target position (S262). If it is determined that the pointer 24 has reached the target position (S262; Yes), the processing of the control unit 11 moves to step S27.

[0045] If it is determined that pointer 24 has not reached the target position (S262; No), control unit 11 determines whether a second synchronization signal has been input (S263). If it is determined that no second synchronization signal has been input (S263; No), the processing of control unit 11 returns to step S262. If it is determined that a second synchronization signal has been input (S263; Yes), control unit 11 adds 1 second to the target time (S264). Afterwards, the processing of control unit 11 returns to step S262.

[0046] As described above, the hand movement control device 10 of this embodiment includes a control unit 11. When the control unit 11 causes the second hand 241 to perform a display operation synchronized with the time, it outputs a signal to the drive unit 20 causing the second hand 241 to rotate at 0.5 degrees per unit angle per unit time (here, 1 / 12 of a second). This unit time is obtained by dividing one second, which serves as a reference time, into multiple units. The signals used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate include a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate via the drive unit 20 at each reference time, based on the current time counted by the timing circuit 17. The second signal is used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate via the drive unit 20 every unit time elapsed since the timing of the rotation caused by the first signal. When the control unit 11 moves the second hand 241 to a position corresponding to the current time and starts the display operation, it also controls the pointer 24 to move to a position corresponding to a first time prior to the current time in units of reference time, and starts the display operation from that first time. Thus, by including a non-second-synchronized rotation in the rotation of the second hand 241, the hand movement control device 10 reduces the burden on maintaining the accuracy of timing processing. On the other hand, by starting the hour display from the position indicated by the second hand 241 without non-second synchronization, the hand movement control device 10 can easily and appropriately begin the hour-synchronized display. Therefore, by simultaneously executing the hour-synchronized display pointer with precise time intervals, the hand movement control device 10 can more easily begin the display operation.

[0047] Since the fast-forward speed of the pointer is limited, it takes time to move the pointer to the target position. In a digital watch, the time display is started by moving the pointer to the target position corresponding to a time before the time required for the movement compared to the current time, and by timing the arrival of the time at that target position. This results in a shorter time remaining until the start of the display. However, in order to start the display in time synchronization by moving the pointer at fine time intervals, time, effort, and cost are required to specify the accurate current time for all timings corresponding to those time intervals. In contrast, the pointer control device 10 of this embodiment can start the display operation more easily by simultaneously executing the pointer that moves at fine time intervals and displays the time in time synchronization.

[0048] Furthermore, the control unit 11 can calculate the time required for fast-forward movement and determine a first moment that is more than the required time ahead of the current moment. By calculating the required time in advance and determining the first moment, it is possible to easily start a display operation synchronized with the time after the simple pointer 24 fast-forwards.

[0049] Alternatively, during fast-forward movement, if the current time, counted by the timing circuit 17 in units of reference time, has passed the first moment, the control unit 11 can add the reference time to the first moment. In this way, by changing the first moment or even the target position at any time during fast-forward, it is easy to start a display synchronized with the moment corresponding to the target position.

[0050] Furthermore, the reference time can be 1 second. The timing circuit 17 can also count the current moment in units of the reference time. Based on the time resolution of the timing circuit 17, the display starts synchronously with the moment at whole-second intervals, thereby quickly initiating motion control of the moment display within the possible range and easily maintaining the accuracy of the displayed moment.

[0051] Furthermore, the electronic watch 1 of this embodiment includes the aforementioned hand movement control device 10, second hand 241, drive unit 20 for rotating the second hand 241 by a unit angle, and timing circuit 17 for timing the current time. According to this electronic watch 1, the following processes can be easily performed: the second hand 241 is moved within a time interval that is more precise than the counting of the hour, and the process of shifting from displays related to other functions to and starting the hour display.

[0052] Furthermore, the hand movement control method of this embodiment also includes the following steps: (1) When the second hand 241 performs a display operation synchronized with the time, a signal is output to the drive unit 20 to cause the second hand 241 to rotate by a unit angle every unit time, which is obtained by dividing the reference time into multiple units. Here, the signal used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate includes a first signal and a second signal. The first signal is a signal used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate by the drive unit 20 every reference time based on the current time counted by the timing circuit 17. The second signal is a signal used to cause the second hand 241 to rotate by the drive unit 20 every unit time elapsed from the timing of the rotation operation caused by the first signal. (2) When the pointer 24 is moved to a position corresponding to the current time and the display operation begins, the pointer is moved to a position corresponding to a first time before the current time and in units of reference time, and the display operation begins from that first time. Thus, the operation control of the time display will not start from a timing that does not correspond to the second synchronization, so the control related to the time display can continue with high precision and ease.

[0053] Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above description, during fast-forwarding of the pointer 24 before the start of the time display, the movement amount and required time are calculated based on the current time at the time of fast-forward setting, but it is not limited to this. The influence of the current time changing between the required fast-forward times can also be considered when calculating the movement amount and required time. In this case, the calculation can also be performed in multiple stages: the above calculation and the calculation of a correction amount for the movement of the pointer 24 towards the above-described position, taking into account the movement amount and required time.

[0054] Furthermore, while the above description illustrates an example of calculating the required time by pre-adding a margin of time, the method of adding this margin of time is not limited to this. It can also be modified by adding a base time to the target time based on the amount of time less than one second after calculating the required time in the usual way.

[0055] Furthermore, while the above description exemplifies the display of time as a display synchronized with time, it is not limited to this. For example, it could also be a timer display showing the remaining time until a specified time.

[0056] Furthermore, while the sweeping movement of the second hand 241 was illustrated above, it is not limited to this. Any display that synchronizes with the time, i.e., operates within a narrower interval than the timing interval, can also be a display of other hands. The display of other hands can be decorative. Additionally, the electronic watch 1 may not be a wristwatch, but rather another type of watch, such as a clock, pocket watch, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, while the above description uses a reference time of 1 second, it is not limited to this. For example, the timing circuit 17 can also count the time in 0.5-second increments (2Hz), and perform a sweeping hand movement every 0.5 seconds through 6 timer interrupts based on the synchronization signal used for counting that time.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above description, the storage unit 13, which is composed of non-volatile memory such as HDD or flash memory, is used as an example of a computer-readable medium storing the program 131 involved in the needle control of this disclosure, but it is not limited to this. Other computer-readable non-transitory storage media can be other non-volatile memory such as MRAM, portable storage media such as CD-ROM and DVD, etc. In addition, a carrier wave can also be used in this disclosure as a medium for providing data of the program involved in this disclosure via a communication line.

[0059] Furthermore, the specific configuration, processing actions, and sequence shown in the above embodiments can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. The scope of this invention includes the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0060] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-048774, filed on March 24, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A needle control device, characterized in that, have: The timing unit counts the current time; and The control unit, while causing the pointer to perform a display operation synchronized with the time, outputs a signal to the drive unit causing the pointer to rotate by a unit angle every unit of time, wherein the unit of time is obtained by dividing the reference time into multiple parts. The signal includes a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit at each reference time based on the current time counted by the timing unit, and the second signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit every unit time elapsed from the timing of the rotation caused by the first signal. When the control unit moves the pointer to a position corresponding to the current time and starts the display operation, it moves the pointer to a position corresponding to a first time before the current time and in units of the reference time, and starts the control of the display operation from that first time.

2. The needle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit calculates the time required for the movement and determines a first moment that is more than the required time ahead of the current moment.

3. The needle control device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, During the movement, when the current time, counted by the timing unit in units of the reference time, passes the first time, the control unit adds the reference time to the first time.

4. The needle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The reference time is 1 second. The timing unit counts the current moment using the reference time as the unit.

5. An electronic watch, characterized in that, have: The needle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; pointers; and A drive unit that causes the pointer to rotate by the unit angle.

6. A needle control method, comprising the following steps: Count the current time. as well as When the pointer performs a display action synchronized with the time, a signal is output to the drive unit causing the pointer to rotate by a unit angle every unit time. This unit time is obtained by dividing the reference time into multiple segments. The needle control method is characterized in that... The signal includes a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit at each reference time based on the counted current time, and the second signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit every unit time elapsed starting from the timing of the rotation caused by the first signal. The needle control method also Includes the following steps: When the pointer is moved to a position corresponding to the current time and the display action is started, the pointer is moved to a position corresponding to a first time before the current time and in units of the reference time, and the control of the display action is started from that first time.

7. The needle control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The needle control method further includes the following steps: Calculate the time required for the movement, and determine a first moment that is more than the required time ahead of the current moment.

8. The needle control method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The needle control method further includes the following steps: During the movement, when the current time, counted by the timing unit in units of the reference time, passes the first time, the reference time is added to the first time.

9. A storage medium, characterized in that, It is a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium storing a program that causes a computer of an electronic watch, which includes a pointer, a drive unit that rotates the pointer by a unit angle, and a timing unit that counts the current time, to perform the following processes: The process includes the following steps: When the pointer performs a display action synchronized with the time, a signal is output to the drive unit causing the pointer to rotate by a unit angle every unit time. This unit time is obtained by dividing the reference time into multiple segments. The signal includes a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit at each reference time based on the counted current time, and the second signal is used to rotate the pointer via the drive unit every unit time elapsed from the timing of the rotation caused by the first signal. The process also includes the following steps: When the pointer is moved to a position corresponding to the current time and the display action is started, the pointer is moved to a position corresponding to a first time before the current time and in units of the reference time, and the control of the display action is started from that first time.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, characterized in that, The process also includes the following steps: Calculate the time required for the movement, and determine a first moment that is more than the required time ahead of the current moment.

11. The storage medium according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The process also includes the following steps: During the movement, when the current time, counted by the timing unit in units of the reference time, passes the first time, the reference time is added to the first time.

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