Radio Controlled Timepiece Noise-Resistant Pulse Grouping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for acquiring time information from standard radio waves are prone to errors due to noise contamination, leading to inconsistent code determinations and repeated reception processes or erroneous time information generation.
Innovation Solution
A radio controlled timepiece with a time information acquiring apparatus that groups pulse signals and determines code strings based on degrees of proximity, using multiple samplings to correctly identify code strings even in noisy conditions, thereby reducing errors and improving noise resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If individual pulse signals are determined separately to generate time information, then the decoding process is simple and fast, but noise contamination causes high error rates in code determination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple pulse signal determinations into a unified code string determination process. Instead of evaluating individual pulse signals separately, the system determines code strings for groups of pulse signals together, using the combined information to improve noise resistance and accuracy while maintaining decoding efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary grouping of pulse signals into logical groups before determination. By pre-organizing pulse signals into groups that correspond to specific time intervals or code segments, the system enables more reliable noise-resistant decoding without significantly increasing processing time.
2Reliability
If multiple samplings are performed to improve noise resistance, then code determination accuracy improves, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial sampling by determining code strings for specific groups of pulse signals rather than processing every individual pulse signal independently. This selective approach provides sufficient noise resistance for reliable time information acquisition while reducing unnecessary processing time and computational complexity.
3Device complexity
If code determination is performed for each pulse signal individually, then the decoding algorithm is simple, but errors propagate through consistency checks requiring retransmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges individual pulse signal determinations into group-based code string determinations. By evaluating code strings for groups of pulse signals together and using consistency checks at the group level, the system prevents error propagation and maintains time information accuracy without significantly increasing algorithmic complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A time information acquiring apparatus for acquiring time information from a time code signal included in a standard radio wave, includes: a measuring section (S11) which detects a degree of proximity of an individual pulse signal constituting the time code signal to a predetermined code value; a grouping section which groups pulse signals into one group; an estimating section which estimates a code string having a possibility of emerging in a portion of the group in a frame of the time code signal; a determining section (S14, S15, S17, S18, S21-S26) which determines a probability that the code string of the grouped pulse signals corresponds to the estimated code string based on the degree; and a time information generating section (S34, S44) which generates the time information based on the code string for which it is determined that the probability is high.