Patent · US Expired

Electronic equipment and control method for electronic equipment

US6320822A · kind A · utility

66Cited by
2References
55Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 26, 1999
Grant dateNov 20, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 26, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG04C10/00
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Portable electronic equipment includes a carried-by-user detector for detecting whether the electronic equipment is in a state carried by a user or not. When the electronic equipment is in a state not carried by the user, i.e., when the user is not employing the electronic equipment, an operating mode is shifted from a normal operating mode to a power saving mode to reduce power consumption of the electronic equipment. Useless consumption of power during non-use of the electronic equipment can be thus reduced. Further, in electronic equipment (timepiece) incorporating a power generator for generating power by converting first energy (motion, pressure or heat) into electric energy as second energy, whether the power generator is generating power, i.e., whether the electronic equipment is carried by the user, is detected by a power generation detecting circuit, and when a non-power-generation time exceeds a predetermined time, the operating mode is shifted to the power saving mode, thereby reducing power consumption. Accordingly, the electronic equipment (timepiece) can be provided with which when the electronic equipment is in the state not carried by the user or when the electronic…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.