Electronic Timepiece Automatic Daylight Saving Time Update via Smartphone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic timepieces, particularly portable ones, face challenges in maintaining accurate local time due to difficulties in updating daylight saving time settings, leading to potential deviations and user burden in manually correcting these settings.
Innovation Solution
A communication system comprising an electronic timepiece and a smartphone that uses Bluetooth communication to automatically update daylight saving time settings by acquiring and transmitting the latest information from an external data server, allowing for seamless integration of time zone and daylight saving time adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual correction of daylight saving time settings is implemented in electronic timepieces, then users can adjust time settings, but user burden increases and time accuracy decreases due to forgetfulness
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic timepiece automatically receives daylight saving time setting information from external devices (smartphones, PCs) via wireless communication, eliminating the need for manual user adjustment. The device self-updates its timekeeping settings based on received information, ensuring continuous accuracy without user intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes bidirectional communication between the electronic timepiece and external devices. The timepiece can request updated daylight saving time settings and automatically receive corrections, creating a feedback loop that maintains time accuracy without requiring user awareness or action.
2Reliability
If complex hardware configurations are added to enable frequent updates, then time accuracy improves, but power consumption and device size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic timepiece performs wireless communication and setting updates only at specific intervals (e.g., when connected to a smartphone or PC), rather than continuously. This periodic update approach maintains time accuracy while minimizing power consumption by keeping the communication module dormant between updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses smartphones or PCs as intermediary devices that store and transmit daylight saving time setting information. The electronic timepiece leverages the processing power and connectivity of these external devices, avoiding the need for built-in internet connectivity or complex update mechanisms that would increase power consumption.
3Reliability
If automatic updates are implemented, then time accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic timepiece utilizes the existing wireless communication capabilities (Bluetooth, NFC) already present in modern smartphones and PCs for setting updates. By leveraging the universal connectivity features of common devices, the system achieves automatic updates without adding specialized hardware or complex proprietary communication protocols.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic timepiece includes a timer unit, a timepiece-side communication unit, a timepiece-side daylight saving time information storage unit and a processor. The timer unit counts local time at a current position. The timepiece-side communication unit communicates with an external device. The timepiece-side daylight saving time information storage unit stores daylight saving time implementation information therein at least at the current position. The processor corrects the local time in correspondence to an implementation situation of daylight saving time at the current position, based on the daylight saving time implementation information, acquires update information of the daylight saving time implementation information from the external device through the timepiece-side communication unit and reflects the acquired update information in the daylight saving time implementation information.