Radio-Controlled Timepiece Marker Detection Using Signal Level Sampling

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing radio-controlled timepieces face challenges in accurately detecting marker signals under poor reception environments while requiring large memory capacity and high computational load.

Innovation Solution

A marker detecting apparatus that includes a signal input section, a level detecting section, a first calculating section, a second calculating section, and a marker determining section, which detects signal levels at specific points in marker characteristic intervals, calculates match-detected numbers, and determines marker pulse positions using these values across multiple frames, reducing memory and computational requirements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all sampling data of the time code signal is stored and waveform addition is performed using all sampling data, then marker signals can be accurately detected even under poor reception environments, but memory capacity requirements and computational load increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarker signal detection accuracyVSAvoidmemory capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential features needed for marker detection by detecting signal levels at specific points within marker characteristic intervals, rather than storing and processing all sampling data. This selective extraction of critical information points reduces memory requirements while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the continuous sampling data into discrete detection points within marker characteristic intervals. By dividing the signal processing task into specific sampling points rather than processing the entire data stream, the system achieves accurate marker detection with reduced computational load and memory usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If all sampling data of the time code signal is stored and waveform addition is performed using all sampling data, then marker signals can be accurately detected even under poor reception environments, but computational load increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarker signal detection accuracyVSAvoidcomputational load

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential features needed for marker detection by detecting signal levels at specific points within marker characteristic intervals, rather than storing and processing all sampling data. This selective extraction of critical information points reduces memory requirements while maintaining detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention segments the continuous sampling data into discrete detection points within marker characteristic intervals. By dividing the signal processing task into specific sampling points rather than processing the entire data stream, the system achieves accurate marker detection with reduced computational load and memory usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If signal levels are detected at multiple points within marker characteristic intervals and match-detected numbers are calculated, then marker signals can be accurately distinguished from non-marker signals, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemarker signal identification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention applies local quality by focusing detection efforts specifically within marker characteristic intervals at predetermined points, rather than uniformly processing the entire signal. This localized approach concentrates computational resources where they are most needed, improving marker identification accuracy without proportionally increasing overall processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses partial action by detecting signal levels at selected points within marker characteristic intervals rather than analyzing every aspect of the signal. This partial processing approach provides sufficient information for accurate marker identification while avoiding the excessive computational burden of complete signal analysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS8599650B2Marker detecting apparatus and radio-controlled timepiece

Publication Date: 2013.12.03 CASIO COMPUTER CO LTD

AI summary

A marker detecting apparatus includes: a signal input section where a time code signal is inputted; a level detecting section detecting a signal level of a pulse signal of the time code signal at points in a marker characteristic interval to detect a match between the pulse signal and an ideal marker pulse signal in the signal level; a first calculating section calculating a number of the detected matches so as to obtain a value thereof, and correlating the obtained value with a pulse position of the pulse signal, the pulse position being a same in any of frames of the time code signal; a second calculating section adding up the obtained values correlated with the pulse position in the frames; and a marker determining section determining at which pulse position in the frames a marker pulse signal is disposed, based on the added-up value.