Automatic time correction in a watch

A method for automatically correcting the time and/or the date for a self-correcting watch including at least one receiving member, at least one detecting member, and at least one processing unit for implementing the correction method. The correction method includes at least one step of receiving at least one datum, at least one step of detecting the wrong time and/or the wrong date and at least one step of correcting the time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 20180687.4 filed on Jun. 18, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to electronic watches and more particularly to quartz watches provided with a date.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

Commercially available analogue quartz watches can only be set by the user. However, the user does not know whether the time he/she is setting is before or after noon, which causes the date to change inappropriately.

Solutions exist that call for the use of a multitude of sensors, which increases the production cost, the production time and the failure probability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To this end, the present invention proposes overcoming all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks by means of a correction method for a self-correcting watch; said self-correcting watch comprising at least one receiving member, at least one detecting member and at least one processing unit for implementing said correction method; said correction method comprising at least one:Receipt of at least one datum by said at least one receiving member; said at least one datum comprising at least one period of the day from among a first period and a second period;Detection of a passing of time between said first period and said second period by said at least one detecting member;Calculation of a difference between said time and said at least one received datum;Correction of said time as a function of the result of said difference by said at least one processing unit.

Thanks to this disposition, the date and/or the time of said self-correcting watch can be corrected.

According to one embodiment, said at least one datum comprises a time in a 24-hour time system or in a 12-hour time system.

According to one embodiment, said first period is comprised between midnight and noon, or is greater than or equal to “12:00 AM” and strictly less than “12:00 PM” and/or said second period is comprised between noon and midnight or is greater than or equal to “12:00 PM” and strictly less than “12:00 AM”.

Thanks to one of these dispositions, said at least one datum indicates a time of day in a standard system.

According to one embodiment, the step of detecting a passing of time from said first period to said second period corresponds to a first passing, or a passing of time from said second period to said first period corresponds to a second passing.

Thanks to this disposition, said passing from day to night and from night to day, and preferably, said passing through midnight and said passing through noon, can be detected.

According to one embodiment, said detection of said passing of time comprises detecting a change of date.

Thanks to this disposition, said passing from day to night, and preferably, said passing through midnight, can be detected.

According to one embodiment, said change of date is detected by a change in the torque of said motor.

Thanks to this disposition, the change of date can be detected.

According to one embodiment, said correction comprises adding the difference to said time during or after the second passing.

Thanks to this disposition, the time can be set.

According to one embodiment, said addition controls the rotation of the motor.

Thanks to this disposition, the time is automatically corrected.

The present invention relates to a self-correcting watch comprising at least:A receiving member: said at least one receiving member being configured to receive said at least one datum;A detecting member: said at least one detecting member being configured to detect said passing of time between said first period and said second period; andA processing unit: said at least one processing unit being configured to calculate the difference between said time and said at least one received datum, in order to actuate said motor and to implement the method according to the invention.

Thanks to this disposition, the date and/or the time of said self-correcting watch can be corrected.

According to one embodiment, said at least one receiving member is configured to receive electromagnetic and/or light waves.

Thanks to this disposition, said at least one datum can be received.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The event is recurrent when the battery is changed, or when a watch is taken out of power-saving mode and the user has to set the time on his/her watch but does not know whether the time set109is before noon or after noon, known as ante-meridian or AM or post-meridian or PM.

The applicant proposes overcoming all or part of these drawbacks by means of a self-correcting watch100comprising at least one receiving member130, at least one detecting member170, and at least one processing unit150configured to implement a correction method500.

More specifically, one purpose of the method according to the invention is to verify, during the first hours of operation of said self-correcting watch100, that the set time109corresponds to the time of day when said self-correcting watch100was set or updated.

Conversely, if the set time109does not correspond to the time of day, then a correction is made by bringing the time forward542or backward541.

For example, if a date leap527is detected520at noon, said correction method500brings the time backward541by 12 hours at noon on that day or at midnight on the next day.

If, conversely, said correction method500does not detect520the leap at midnight, said correction method500brings the time forward542by 12 hours at midnight to cause the date leap527.

To this end, when said self-correcting watch100is powered on again, said at least one receiving member130receives510at least one datum131, comprising at least one period of the day from among a first period101and a second period102, by electromagnetic and/or light waves.

More particularly, said correction method500, implemented by said at least one processing unit150receives510said at least one datum131via said at least one receiving member130. Said at least one processing unit150can trigger the implementation of said correction method500following a battery replacement, for example.

Preferably, a smartphone999can be used to transmit said at least one datum131which comprises a time in a 24-hour time system or in a 12-hour time system, in other words a time with minutes and seconds in a standard system, and/or at least one date.

The user can set the time101using at least one setting member140by moving an hour hand110and/or a minute hand120to the desired time. Thus, the user indicates, with said hour hand110, approximately the index “3”, more precisely a space between the index “3” and “4”, and with said minute hand120, the index “10”. However, it is impossible for the user to distinguish whether the set time109is “3:50 AM”, i.e. a time which belongs, for example, to a first period101comprised between midnight and noon, or greater than or equal to “12:00 AM” and strictly less than “12:00 PM”, or “3:50 PM”, i.e. a time which belongs, for example, to a second period102comprised between midday and midnight or greater than or equal to “12:00 PM” and strictly less than “12:00 AM”.

As time passes511, said at least one datum131, which was stored in a memory160, is incremented with the time that passes, and the set time109rotates519, in other words said at least one datum131and the set time109change with the time519in a similar manner.

At a passing of the time between said first period101and said second period102, said correction method500detects520a torque change527, resulting from the driving of the date disc525by said motor160, via said at least one detecting member170, which can take the form of a conventional divider bridge and thus said at least one processing unit150, connected to said at least one detecting member170, detects520a torque change527through the power consumption of said motor160.

More specifically, if said self-correcting watch100changes the date527, said at least one detecting member170detects520said passing of the set time109between said first period101and said second period102, preferably said passing of time from said first period101to said second period102. Depending on certain environmental conditions, such as temperature for example, it is possible that said passing through midnight is detected520by said at least one processing unit150with a delay of up to 40 minutes under extreme conditions.

Thus, said passing from day to night, and preferably said passing through midnight, is detected520and said at least one processing unit150calculates a difference530, i.e. subtracts said time109set by the user from said at least one received datum131.

If said difference530is zero, then said time109set by the user corresponds to said at least one received datum131and no action is taken by said at least one processing unit150, or “0” is added to said set time109. More specifically, the time109set by the user can differ from said at least one datum131by a few seconds or even a few minutes. In this instance, what matters is the difference between the unit of the hours of the set time109and the unit of the hours of said at least one datum131; it is this difference530that is zero.

Conversely, if said difference530is not zero, then said at least one processing unit150corrects540said time as a function of the result of said difference530. In other words, if said time109set by the user was “3:50 PM” and said at least one received datum131indicated “3:50 AM”, said correction540will add545the difference530to said time during or after the second passing, i.e. “−12 hours”, and thus said addition545, more precisely, said at least one processing unit150will rotate said motor160counter-clockwise541to indicate noon, i.e. “12:00 PM” instead of midnight, i.e. 12:00 AM.

A second case is also provided for by the invention since, if said difference530is not zero and if said time109set by the user was “3:50 AM” and said at least one received datum131indicated “3:50 PM”, said correction540will again add545the difference530to said time during or after the second passing, i.e. “+12 hours”, and thus said addition545, more precisely, said at least one processing unit150will rotate said motor160clockwise542to indicate midnight, i.e. 12:00 AM instead of noon, i.e. “12:00 PM”; the time is thus automatically corrected.

It should not be forgotten that these corrections540can be made later, during the day or at night, so as not to disturb the user, and said difference530can be made between said at least one datum131stored in memory and the set time109which have evolved over time519: the result is identical.

Thus, the present invention allows said at least one datum131to be received via the smartphone999after replacing the battery or when changing time zone, and increases ease of use for the user.