Radio Timepiece Signal Level Detection Interval Narrowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional radio controlled timepieces face inefficiencies in processing power allocation, as they typically do not have high-load operation processes for indicator displays during standard radio wave reception, leading to a high load on the operation process circuit, which is not economically viable.
Innovation Solution
A radio controlled timepiece with a level change detecting section that narrows the detection interval for the indicator process after synchronization, reducing the load on the CPU and RAM by focusing the indicator display on specific intervals within a second, allowing concurrent sampling and decoding processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the detection interval for the indicator process is set to the whole 1-second period, then the indicator display can monitor the entire reception process, but the processing load on the operation process circuit increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the 1-second reception period into multiple detection intervals, each associated with specific synchronization points (first synchronization point, second synchronization point, etc.). The level change detecting section selectively detects signal levels only during these specific intervals rather than continuously throughout the entire second, thereby segmenting the monitoring task to reduce processing load while maintaining reliable indication of reception quality.
2Measurement precision
If a high processing power operation process circuit is mounted to handle both reception processing and indicator display, then both functions can be performed with high precision, but the device becomes less economical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial action by having the level change detecting section perform detection only during specific intervals (at synchronization points) rather than continuously throughout the entire reception period. This partial monitoring approach provides sufficient information for reliable indicator display while significantly reducing the processing requirements, allowing a low-specification operation process circuit to handle both reception and indication functions effectively.
3Loss of information
If the level change detecting section operates throughout the entire 1-second period, then all signal variations are captured, but the RAM storage requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining specific detection intervals based on expected synchronization point locations within the 1-second period. The level change detecting section is configured to proactively monitor only these predetermined intervals rather than reacting to all signal changes throughout the period. This approach captures the essential synchronization information while minimizing processing time and RAM usage.
Data Source
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AI summary
A radio controlled timepiece includes: a radio wave receiving section (12) which outputs a time code signal; an indicator display section (71) which performs a display regarding a reception condition; a level change detecting section (20) which detects a change of a signal level of the time code signal in a detection interval in a period of 1 second; an indicator control section (20) which controls a content of the display based on a number of times that the change of the detected signal level appears; and an interval setting section (20, 22b) which specifies the detection interval as a whole interval of the period of 1 second during a detecting process of a synchronization point in the time code signal every 1 second, and narrows the detection interval to be a certain interval within the period of 1 second after a detection of the synchronization point every 1 second.