Electronically controlled mechanical timepiece
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023136121
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-07
Smart Images
Figure 2025030638000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece. [Background technology]
[0002] In an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece in which a pointer connected to a wheel train is rotated by the mechanical energy generated when the mainspring is released, and a regulator connected to the wheel train is controlled by a rotation control means, an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece equipped with a power supply means made of a primary or secondary battery that supplies electrical energy to the rotation control means is known (see Patent Document 1). In the electronically controlled mechanical watch of Patent Document 1, a switch is placed between an IC, which is the rotation control means, and a primary battery or a secondary battery. When the watch is left unused for an extended period of time, the mainspring is released and the wheel train is not driven, the switch is turned off, thereby preventing excess power consumption and extending the life of the power supply means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-52077 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, providing a switch between the IC and the battery increases the size of the watch movement, so there is a demand for an electronically controlled mechanical watch that has a battery that supplies electrical energy to the IC, preventing excess power consumption and preventing the movement from becoming larger. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein comprises a mainspring, a wheel train that transmits the mechanical energy of the mainspring, hands driven by the wheel train to display time, a regulator that controls the rotation period of the wheel train, a control IC, and a battery that supplies power to the control IC, and the control IC comprises a rotation detection unit that outputs a rotation determination signal corresponding to the rotation of the wheel train, and a speed regulating control unit that controls the speed governor, and is characterized in that when the rotation detection unit outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, the control IC operates the speed regulating control unit, and when the rotation detection unit outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating, the control IC continues to operate the rotation detection unit and stops the speed regulating control unit. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1 is a circuit diagram showing an oscillation circuit according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a speed regulation control process in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a rotation detection process performed by the induced voltage detection circuit of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a rotation detection process performed by the rotation period detection circuit of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the voltage of the power storage device, the IC consumption current, and the spring output torque in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing an oscillation circuit according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the voltage of the power storage device, the IC consumption current, and the spring output torque in the second embodiment. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0007] An electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a front view showing an electronically controlled mechanical watch 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1 is a wristwatch worn on the user's wrist, and is equipped with a cylindrical exterior case 2, with a dial 3 disposed on the inner circumference of the exterior case 2. Of the two openings in the exterior case 2, the opening on the front side is closed with a cover crystal, and the opening on the back side is closed with a back cover.
[0008] The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 is equipped with a movement (not shown) housed in an exterior case 2, and hands 4 that display time information. The hands 4 are made up of an hour hand 4A, a minute hand 4B, and a second hand 4C. The dial 3 is provided with a small calendar window 3A, through which a date wheel 6 can be seen. The dial 3 also has hour marks 3B for indicating the time, and a sector-shaped sub-dial 3C that indicates the duration with a power reserve hand 5.
[0009] A crown 7 is provided on the side of the exterior case 2. The crown 7 can be moved from a 0 position where it is pushed toward the center of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 to a 1 position or a 2 position by being pulled out. When the crown 7 is pulled to the first position and rotated, the date wheel 6 moves and the date can be adjusted. When the crown 7 is pulled to the second position, the second hand 4C stops, and when the crown 7 is rotated in the second position, the hour hand 4A and minute hand 4B move and the time can be adjusted. The method of adjusting the date wheel 6, hour hand 4A, and minute hand 4B using the crown 7 is the same as that of conventional watches, so a description is omitted here. Furthermore, when the crown 7 is rotated at the 0 position, the mainspring 40, which will be described later, can be wound. Then, in conjunction with the winding of the mainspring 40, the power reserve hand 5 moves.
[0010] [Outline of an electronically controlled mechanical clock] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 includes a control IC 10 as a control means, a mainspring 40 as a mechanical energy source, a wheel train 50 as an energy transmission device that transmits the torque of the mainspring 40, hands 4 connected to the wheel train 50 to display the time, a regulator 60 that controls the rotation period of the wheel train 50, a quartz crystal oscillator 80, and a battery 31.
[0011] The control IC 10 includes an oscillator circuit 11, a frequency divider circuit 12, a rotation detection circuit 13, and a speed regulation control circuit 14. The rotation detection circuit 13 is a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the wheel train 50, and includes an induced voltage detection circuit 131 and a rotation period detection circuit 132. The speed regulation control circuit 14 is a speed regulation control unit that controls the governor 60.
[0012] The mainspring 40 is wound by the crown 7 via a winding train wheel (not shown). The wheel train 50 is configured with multiple gears that rotate with the mechanical energy stored in the mainspring 40, and moves the hour hand 4A, minute hand 4B, and second hand 4C that are attached to the shafts of these gears. The wheel train 50 is an accelerating wheel train that accelerates and transmits the rotation of the barrel caused by the mainspring 40, just like a typical mechanical watch. The speed governor 60 includes a rotor 61 incorporating a magnet and a coil 62 wound around a stator. The rotor 61 is connected to the wheel train 50 by meshing an integrally formed pinion with the wheel train 50, and rotates in conjunction with the wheel train 50. Therefore, by measuring the period of the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60, it is possible to determine whether the wheel train 50 is moving. Furthermore, the speed of the wheel train 50 can be regulated by regulating the rotational speed of the rotor 61 by controlling the time for which the coil 62 is short-circuited to apply a short brake to the rotor 61. Although not shown, a winding train wheel that winds the mainspring 40 and a power reserve train wheel that is linked to the train wheel 50 are provided, and a power reserve hand 5 is attached to this power reserve train wheel.
[0013] The battery 31 is used in wristwatches and is configured as a replaceable button-type primary battery or the like, and supplies power to the control IC 10.
[0014] Next, the configuration of the oscillator circuit 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The oscillation circuit 11 is a circuit that oscillates the crystal oscillator 80, and includes an oscillation inverter 111 configured with a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) circuit, a feedback resistor 112, a gate capacitor 113 connected to the gate of the oscillation inverter 111, a drain capacitor 114 connected to the drain of the oscillation inverter 111, an N-channel transistor 115, and an AND gate 116. The oscillation inverter 111 is connected to the power supplies VDD and VSS of the power supply circuit connected to the battery 31 , and is connected to the power supply VSS via an N-channel transistor 115 . The N-channel transistor 115 functions as a switch that turns on and off the connection between the oscillation inverter 111 and the power supply VSS when a signal output from the rotation detection circuit 13 is input to the gate.
[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation detection circuit 13 has an induced voltage detection circuit 131 and a rotation period detection circuit 132. The induced voltage detection circuit 131 is a circuit that detects an induced voltage generated in the coil 62 of the speed governor 60 and detects whether the detected induced voltage is equal to or lower than a preset rotation determination voltage. The induced voltage detection circuit 131 compares the detected induced voltage with the rotation determination voltage. If the detected induced voltage is greater than the rotation determination voltage, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 determines that the wheel train 50 is rotating, and outputs a High signal to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115. If the detected induced voltage is equal to or lower than the rotation determination voltage, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 determines that the wheel train 50 is not rotating, and outputs a Low signal to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115. The rotation period detection circuit 132 is configured with a waveform shaping circuit and a mono multivibrator, not shown, connected to the speed governor 60, and shapes the waveform of the induced voltage detected by the induced voltage detection circuit 131, and outputs a rotation detection signal FG1 indicating the rotation frequency (rotation period) of the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60 to the speed governor control circuit 14. If the measured rotation period is equal to or shorter than the rotation determination time, the rotation period detection circuit 132 determines that the wheel train 50 is rotating, and outputs a High signal to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115. If the measured rotation period is greater than the rotation determination time, the rotation period detection circuit 132 determines that the wheel train 50 is not rotating, and outputs a Low signal to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115. The High signal output from the induced voltage detection circuit 131 and the rotation period detection circuit 132 is an example of a rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train 50 is rotating. The Low signal output from the induced voltage detection circuit 131 and the rotation period detection circuit 132 is an example of a rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train 50 is not rotating.
[0016] The N-channel transistor 115 is turned on when a High signal is input to its gate. This ensures a power supply path to the oscillation inverter 111, and the oscillation circuit 11 operates. On the other hand, the N-channel transistor 115 is turned off when a Low signal is input to its gate. This cuts off the power supply path to the oscillation inverter 111, stopping the power supply and causing the oscillation circuit 11 to stop.
[0017] The AND gate 116 receives the output signal of the oscillation inverter 111 and the signal from the rotation detection circuit 13. The output signal of the AND gate 116 is input to the frequency divider circuit 12. When a low signal is output from the rotation detection circuit 13, the output of the oscillation inverter 111 becomes undefined. However, since the low signal from the rotation detection circuit 13 is input to the AND gate 116 to which the output of the oscillation inverter 111 is connected, the output of the AND gate 116 is fixed to a constant potential, that is, low, and it is possible to prevent a short circuit current from flowing in the frequency division circuit 12 due to an input in an undefined state.
[0018] The oscillation circuit 11 oscillates a crystal oscillator 80, which is an oscillation signal generation source. The oscillation signal (32768 Hz) of the crystal oscillator 80 is output to the frequency divider circuit 12. The frequency divider circuit 12 divides the oscillation signal to generate clock signals of multiple frequencies (for example, 2 kHz to 8 Hz), and outputs the necessary clock signals to the speed governing control circuit 14. Here, the clock signal output from the frequency divider circuit 12 to the speed governing control circuit 14 is a reference signal fs1 that serves as a reference for controlling the rotation of the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60, as will be described later.
[0019] The speed governor control circuit 14 is a speed governor control unit that controls the speed governor 60, and compares the rotation detection signal FG1 output from the rotation period detection circuit 132 of the rotation detection circuit 13 with the reference signal fs1 output from the frequency divider circuit 12, and outputs a braking control signal to the speed governor 60 to regulate the speed of the speed governor 60. The reference signal fs1 is a signal that is adjusted to a reference rotation speed (e.g., 8 Hz) of the rotor 61 during normal hand movement. Therefore, the speed regulation control circuit 14 changes the duty ratio of the braking control signal according to the difference between the rotation speed of the rotor 61 (rotation detection signal FG1) and the reference signal fs1, and controls the on-time of a brake chopping transistor connected to the coil 62 of the speed governor 60 to adjust the short braking force and control the period of the rotor 61. Since the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60 meshes with the gear train 50, by controlling the period of the rotor 61, the period of the gear train 50, i.e., the hand movement speed of the hands 4, is also regulated.
[0020] Next, the speed regulation control process of the wheel train 50 by the control IC 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 7. Fig. 4 is a flowchart explaining the speed regulation control process by the control IC 10, and is a flowchart for the case where the speed regulation control process is started from a state in which the wheel train 50 is stopped. The control IC 10 starts speed regulation control in a state where the mainspring 40 is released and the rotation of the wheel train 50 is stopped (step S1). In the control stop state of step S1, the control IC 10 outputs a Low signal from the rotation detection circuit 13 to stop the oscillation circuit 11, which also stops the frequency division circuit 12 and the speed regulation control circuit 14. In other words, by stopping the oscillation circuit 11, the control IC 10 stops the speed regulation control circuit 14, which is the speed regulation control section. Furthermore, in the control stop state of step S1, the control IC 10 stops the oscillator circuit 11, and the clock signal required for detecting the rotation period is not output from the frequency divider circuit 12, so the rotation period detection circuit 132 is in a stopped state. On the other hand, since a clock signal is not required to detect the induced voltage generated in the coil 62, the control IC 10 keeps the induced voltage detection circuit 131 of the rotation detection circuit 13 in operation.
[0021] Next, the control IC 10 compares the induced voltage detected by the induced voltage detection circuit 131 with the rotation determination voltage to determine whether or not rotation has been detected by the induced voltage (step S2). As shown in Fig. 5, when the induced voltage generated in the coil 62 of the speed governor 60 is equal to or lower than the rotation determination voltage, the control IC 10 determines that the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60, i.e., the wheel train 50, is not rotating, determines non-detection in step S2, and maintains the control stop state of step S1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the induced voltage generated in the coil 62 of the speed governor 60 becomes greater than the rotation determination voltage, the control IC 10 determines that the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60, i.e., the wheel train 50, is rotating, determines that this is detected in step S2, and starts speed regulation control (step S3). The induced voltage detection circuit 131 can detect whether the wheel train 50 has started to rotate simply by monitoring the induced voltage generated in the coil 62, making it possible to easily and with low power determine when control of the governor 60 has started. Therefore, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 functions as a rotation start detection unit that detects when the wheel train 50 has started to rotate.
[0022] When the control IC 10 determines that rotation has been detected in step S2, it starts the speed regulation control of the wheel train 50 and the governor 60 (step S3). That is, when the control IC 10 starts the speed regulation control in step S3, it outputs a High signal from the rotation detection circuit 13 to the oscillation circuit 11, operates the oscillation circuit 11, and further operates the rotation period detection circuit 132. Note that, when the speed regulation control starts in step S3, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 stops its function as a rotation start detection unit, that is, its function of comparing the detected induced voltage with a rotation determination voltage and outputting a rotation determination signal. Then, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 continues its function of detecting the induced voltage generated in the coil 62 of the governor 60. After step S3, the rotation period detection circuit 132 outputs a rotation determination signal. After starting the speed regulation control in step S3, the control IC 10 enters a speed regulation control state (step S4). In this speed regulation control state, as shown in Fig. 6, the rotation period detection circuit 132 shapes the waveform of the induced voltage of the speed governor 60 detected by the induced voltage detection circuit 131, outputs it to the speed regulation control circuit 14 as a rotation detection signal FG1, and detects the period of the waveform. The speed governor control circuit 14 compares the rotation detection signal FG1 output from the rotation period detection circuit 132 with a reference signal fs1 output by dividing the oscillation signal output from the oscillation circuit 11 by the frequency divider circuit 12, and performs brake control on the speed governor 60 based on the comparison result.
[0023] The control IC 10 judges whether the wheel train 50 is rotating based on the rotation period detected by the rotation period detection circuit 132 (step S5). Specifically, if the rotation period detected by the rotation period detection circuit 132 is less than the rotation judgment time T_nodet, it judges that the rotation of the wheel train 50 is detected, and if it is equal to or greater than the rotation judgment time T_nodet, it judges that the wheel train 50 is not rotating. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the control IC 10 judges that the wheel train 50 is rotating from the rotation period t1 to t4 because the rotation period is shorter than the rotation judgment time T_nodet. Note that t4 is longer than t1 to t3, but in the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1, the rotation period may be temporarily longer due to the influence of the direction of the watch, etc., and the rotation judgment time T_nodet is set to a time somewhat longer than the reference period of the rotor 61 of the speed governor 60, so that the rotation is also judged to be occurring in the case of t4. For example, if the reference period of the rotor 61 of the governor 60 is 1 / 8 second (=8 Hz), the rotation judgment time T_nodet is set to 1 / 4 second (=4 Hz). This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary control stoppages from occurring when the rotation period becomes temporarily longer. Because t5 and t6 are longer than the rotation determination time T_nodet, the control IC 10 determines that the wheel train 50 is not rotating. When the control IC 10 detects the rotation period t5, it determines that the wheel train 50 is not rotating because t5 is longer than the rotation determination time T_nodet. Therefore, the induced voltage detection circuit 131 and the rotation period detection circuit 132 function as a rotation stop detection unit that detects when the wheel train 50 has stopped rotating.
[0024] If the control IC 10 determines in step S5 that rotation is being detected, it continues the speed regulation control in step S4. If the control IC 10 determines in step S5 that rotation is not detected, it transitions to the control stop state of step S1. In the control stop state, the rotation detection circuit 13 outputs a Low signal to the oscillation circuit 11 and stops the oscillation circuit 11 by turning off the N-channel transistor 115. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption. In addition, the control IC 10 starts the function of the induced voltage detection circuit 131 as a rotation start detection unit and stops the rotation period detection circuit 132. It is determined in step S5 that there is no rotation when the output torque of the mainspring 40 has decreased, and the control stop state in step S1 continues until the mainspring 40 is wound again. On the other hand, when the user of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 winds the mainspring 40 and an induced voltage is generated in the coil 62, it is determined in step S2 that rotation has been detected, and the processing of steps S3 to S5 is executed.
[0025] [Effects of the first embodiment] According to the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1, when the mainspring 40 is unwound and the rotation period becomes longer, the control IC 10 stops the oscillation circuit 11, so that the current consumption can be kept low. Therefore, the time until the capacity of the battery 31 runs out can be extended compared to when the oscillation circuit 11 is used without stopping, and the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1 can be used for a long period of time. For example, when the capacity of the battery 31 is 5 mAH and the current consumption of the control IC 10 while the oscillation circuit 11 is operating is 40 nA, if the operation of the oscillation circuit 11 is continued without stopping it, it will take about 14 years until the capacity of the battery 31 runs out. On the other hand, the current consumption when the oscillation circuit 11 stops oscillating is, for example, 10 nA, which is about 1 / 4 of the current consumption when the oscillation circuit 11 is operating. Therefore, if the oscillation circuit 11 is stopped while the mainspring 40 is in an open state and the wheel train 50 is stopped, the current consumption is significantly reduced, so that the time until the capacity of the battery 31 runs out can be further extended, and the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1 can be used for a long period of time.
[0026] In addition, since the battery 31 is used as the power source for the control IC 10, the duration during which the hands 4 can display the correct time can be longer than in the case of a conventional electronically controlled mechanical watch in which the control IC 10 is driven by electricity generated by a generator that also serves as a speed regulator driven by a spring and stored in a capacitor. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, if the voltage of a conventional power storage device that is a capacitor charged by a generator driven by a spring is V0 and the voltage of the battery 31 that is the power storage device of this embodiment is V1, the voltage V0 decreases in conjunction with the decrease in the output torque of the spring 40. Therefore, when the voltage V0 decreases to or below the drive stop voltage of the control IC 10, the control IC 10 stops, the speed regulator 60 becomes unable to regulate, and the hands 4 cannot indicate the correct time. In this case, the duration of the watch is T01 until the time T1 at which the voltage V0 decreases to or below the drive stop voltage of the control IC 10. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the control IC 10 is driven using the battery 31, which is a power storage device, so that even if the torque of the mainspring 40 decreases, the voltage V1 of the battery 31 can be maintained at or above the drive stop voltage of the control IC 10. Therefore, the duration T02 of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 is the time until time T2 when the torque of the mainspring 40 decreases and the hands 4 slow down, making it impossible to display the correct time. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control IC 10 is driven by the battery 31, so that the control IC 10 can be driven by the battery 31 even during the period from time T1 to time T2 when the torque of the mainspring 40 decreases, and the correct time can be displayed, and the duration can be extended to T02. For example, if the conventional duration T01 was about 72 hours, the duration T02 of this embodiment can be extended to about 90 hours. At time T3 when the mainspring 40 is completely unwound and the wheel train 50 stops, the control IC 10 stops the oscillation circuit 11 to reduce current consumption, thereby suppressing discharge from the battery 31 and extending the time until the battery 31 runs out of capacity. In addition, in the graph showing the changes in the voltages V1 and V0 of the power storage device in Fig. 7, the voltage fluctuations are exaggerated for ease of understanding. The same applies to Fig. 10 described below.
[0027] When the rotation detection circuit 13 detects that the torque of the mainspring 40 has decreased and that the wheel train 50 is not rotating, the control IC 10 stops the oscillation circuit 11 and stops the speed regulation control circuit 14, which is the speed regulation control section, so there is no need to provide a switch between the control IC 10 and the battery 31, and the movement can be made smaller. In the control stopped state, the rotation detection circuit 13 monitors the induced voltage generated in the coil 62 by the induced voltage detection circuit 131. Therefore, even if the oscillator circuit 11 and the frequency divider circuit 12 are stopped, the start of rotation of the wheel train 50 can be detected, and the start of rotation of the wheel train 50 can be determined easily and with low power. In the speed regulation control state, the rotation detection circuit 13 detects the rotation period of the rotor 61 by the rotation period detection circuit 132, so that the influence of temporary disturbances can be eliminated and the stop of rotation of the wheel train 50 can be detected with high accuracy.
[0028] [Second embodiment] Next, an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B of a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8 to Fig. 10. In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B, the same components as those in the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted. The electronically controlled mechanical watch 1B differs from the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1 in that it is equipped with a generator / governor 70 that doubles as a generator and governor driven by a wheel train 50, a rectifier circuit 75 that rectifies the AC generated by the generator / governor 70 to DC, and a secondary battery 32 that stores the current rectified by the rectifier circuit 75.
[0029] Like the governor 60, the generator / governor 70 includes a rotor 71 that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel train 50, and a coil 72 wound around a stator. However, since the generator / governor 70 also functions as a generator, the coil 72 of the generator / governor 70 is connected not only to the rotation detection circuit 13 and the governor control circuit 14, but also to a rectifier circuit 75, which is a difference from the governor 60 of the first embodiment. The rectifier circuit 75 may be a step-up rectifier, full-wave rectifier, half-wave rectifier, transistor rectifier, or the like, and may step-up and rectify the AC output from the generator / governor 70 and supply it to the secondary battery 32 . The secondary battery 32 is composed of a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or an all-solid-state battery.
[0030] The oscillator circuit 11B of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B may be the same as that of the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, an oscillator circuit 11B shown in FIG. 9 is used. The oscillation circuit 11B is a circuit that oscillates the crystal oscillator 80, and includes an oscillation inverter 111 configured with a CMOS circuit, a feedback resistor 112, a gate capacitor 113 connected to the gate of the oscillation inverter 111, a drain capacitor 114 connected to the drain of the oscillation inverter 111, an N-channel transistor 115B that connects the gate of the oscillation circuit 11 to the power supply VSS which is ground, and an inverter 117. The oscillation inverter 111 is connected to the power supplies VDD and VSS of the power supply circuit connected to the secondary battery 32 . The N-channel transistor 115B is configured so that a signal output from the rotation detection circuit 13 is input to the gate thereof via an inverter 117.
[0031] When the rotation detection circuit 13 detects the rotation of the wheel train 50, a High signal is output from the rotation detection circuit 13, and a Low signal is input to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115B via the inverter 117, turning off the N-channel transistor 115B, in the same manner as in the first embodiment. At this time, the oscillation circuit 11 enters a normal oscillation state. When the rotation detection circuit 13 does not detect the rotation of the wheel train 50, a low signal is output from the rotation detection circuit 13, and a high signal is input to the gate of the N-channel transistor 115B via the inverter 117, turning on the N-channel transistor 115B and pulling down the gate of the oscillation inverter 111. At this time, the gate potential of the oscillation circuit 11B is fixed to a constant potential, VSS, so that the oscillation is stopped. Since the gate potential of the oscillation circuit 11B is fixed, the output potential is also fixed, and it is possible to prevent a short circuit current from flowing through the frequency divider circuit 12 due to an input in an undefined state.
[0032] The speed regulation control process of the wheel train 50 by the control IC 10B of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B is the same as that of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described.
[0033] [Effects of the second embodiment] The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B can achieve the same effect as the first embodiment. That is, since the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1B drives the control IC 10B with the secondary battery 32, the duration during which the correct time can be displayed by the hands 4 can be extended, as in the first embodiment. That is, as shown in Fig. 10, the voltage V0 of the conventional power storage device decreases in conjunction with the decrease in the output torque of the mainspring 40, so the conventional duration T01 is the time until the voltage V0 decreases below the drive stop voltage of the control IC 10B. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the control IC 10B is driven using the secondary battery 32, so the voltage V2 can be maintained at or above the drive stop voltage of the control IC 10B. Therefore, the duration T02 of the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 is the time until the torque of the mainspring 40 decreases, causing the hands 4 to slow down and making it impossible to display the correct time, as in the first embodiment. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control IC 10B is driven by the secondary battery 32, so even in an area where the torque of the mainspring 40 has decreased, the control IC 10B can be driven to display the correct time, and the duration can be extended. In addition, when the torque of the mainspring 40 is high and the generator / governor 70 has a margin of power generation capacity, the rectifier circuit 75 can store electrical energy in the secondary battery 32, and as shown in Fig. 10, the time until the secondary battery 32 runs out of battery capacity can be extended. Therefore, electrical energy can be stored in the secondary battery 32 every time the mainspring 40 is wound up, so the secondary battery 32 can be made smaller than the battery 31 and can continue to be used for a long time even if its battery capacity is reduced. Furthermore, at time T3 when the mainspring 40 is completely unwound and the wheel train 50 stops, the control IC 10B stops the oscillation circuit 11B to reduce current consumption, so that discharge from the secondary battery 32 is suppressed and the time until the battery capacity runs out can be extended.
[0034] The electronically controlled mechanical watch 1B is equipped with a generator / governor 70, a rectifier circuit 75, and a secondary battery 32, so unlike when a primary battery is used, there is no need to replace the battery and the electronically controlled mechanical watch 1B can be used for a long period of time.
[0035] [Third embodiment] Next, an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1C of a third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1C, the same components as those in the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1 of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted.
[0036] The control IC 10C of the electronically controlled mechanical clock 1C is equipped with a constant voltage circuit 15 that drives the oscillator circuit 11 and the divider circuit 12, and differs from the electronically controlled mechanical clock 1 in that the constant voltage circuit 15 is configured to operate or stop according to a signal from the rotation detection circuit 13.
[0037] The constant voltage circuit 15 is a circuit that converts the voltage of the battery 31 into a constant voltage (constant voltage) and supplies it. The output voltage of the constant voltage circuit 15 is a constant constant voltage Vreg that is not affected by the battery voltage when the voltage of the battery 31 is equal to or higher than a set value. The set value of the output of the constant voltage circuit 15 is a design matter, and may be set higher than the stop voltage of each circuit that is driven by the output of the constant voltage circuit 15, such as the oscillator circuit 11 and the frequency divider circuit 12.
[0038] When the rotation detection circuit 13 detects the rotation of the wheel train 50, the control IC 10C activates the constant voltage circuit 15. This also activates the oscillator circuit 11 and frequency divider circuit 12, and speed regulation control by the speed regulation control circuit 14 can also be performed. On the other hand, when the rotation detection circuit 13 does not detect the rotation of the wheel train 50, the control IC 10C stops the constant voltage circuit 15. This causes the oscillation circuit 11 and frequency divider circuit 12, which were operating based on the output of the constant voltage circuit 15, to stop operating, making it possible to reduce current consumption. In other words, by stopping the constant voltage circuit 15, the oscillation circuit 11 and frequency divider circuit 12, as well as the speed governor control circuit 14, which was driven by a signal from the frequency divider circuit 12, stop, and control of the speed governor 60 stops.
[0039] [Effects of the third embodiment] The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1C of the third embodiment can achieve the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, because the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece 1C includes a constant voltage circuit 15, the characteristics of the control IC 10C can be kept constant without being affected by the battery voltage, and current consumption can be further reduced.
[0040] [Variations] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications, improvements, etc. within the scope that can achieve the object of the present disclosure are included in the present disclosure. In the electronically controlled mechanical timepieces 1, 1B, and 1C of the above-described embodiments, the rotors 61, 71 of the governor 60 or the generator / governor 70 are rotated by mechanical energy from the mainspring 40, and the rotation speed of the rotors 61, 71 is regulated and controlled to control the movement speed of each of the hands 4, but this is not limiting. For example, when the train wheel 50 that transmits the mechanical energy from the mainspring 40 is regulated using an escape wheel, an anchor, and a balance, an electronically controlled mechanical timepiece may be used that detects the vibration of the balance to regulate the operation of the balance.
[0041] In each of the above embodiments, the start of rotation of the wheel train 50 is detected by the induced voltage detection circuit 131, and the stop of rotation of the wheel train 50 is detected by the rotation period detection circuit 132, but the start and stop of rotation of the wheel train 50 may also be detected by the induced voltage detection circuit 131. Furthermore, the method of stopping the speed control circuit 14, which is the speed control section, is not limited to stopping the oscillation circuit 11, and the speed control circuit 14 may be stopped by cutting off the input of a signal to the speed control circuit 14. In this way, if the oscillation circuit 11 is operating even while the speed control circuit 14 is stopped, the rotation period detection circuit 132 may detect the start and stop of rotation of the wheel train 50.
[0042] As a condition for the rotation period detection circuit 132 to determine that the rotation of the wheel train 50 has stopped, the rotation may be determined to have stopped when the detected rotation period falls below the set rotation judgment time even once, or when it falls below the set rotation judgment time multiple times in succession. Similarly, as a condition for the rotation period detection circuit 132 to determine that the rotation of the wheel train 50 has started, the rotation may be determined to have started when the detected rotation period exceeds the set rotation judgment time, or when it exceeds the set rotation judgment time multiple times in succession. As a condition for determining that the gear train 50 has started to rotate using the induced voltage detection circuit 131, the rotation may be determined to have started when the detected induced voltage exceeds a set rotation determination voltage, or the rotation may be determined to have started when the induced voltage exceeds the set rotation determination voltage a predetermined number of times or more within a set time. As a condition for determining that the gear train 50 has stopped to rotate using the induced voltage detection circuit 131, the rotation may be determined to have stopped when the detected induced voltage falls below the set rotation determination voltage, or the rotation may be determined to have stopped when the induced voltage falls below the rotation determination voltage a predetermined number of times or more within a set time. In particular, if the start and stop of rotation are determined by multiple determinations, temporary effects of disturbances can be eliminated, allowing for more accurate determination.
[0043] In the second embodiment, a generator / governor 70 was provided, but a generator that generates electricity in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel train 50 and a governor that regulates the rotation of the wheel train 50 may be provided separately. In addition, the generator provided separately from the governor is not limited to one that generates electricity in conjunction with the rotation of the wheel train 50, and may be a solar panel, an electrostatic power generation device using an electret element, a power generation device using a piezoelectric element, a thermal power generation device, or the like. The oscillation circuit used in the electronically controlled mechanical timepieces 1, 1B, and 1C of each embodiment may be the oscillation circuit 11 of the first embodiment, the oscillation circuit 11B of the second embodiment, or an oscillation circuit different from these.
[0044] [summary] The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein comprises a mainspring, a wheel train that transmits the mechanical energy of the mainspring, hands driven by the wheel train to display time, a regulator that controls the rotation period of the wheel train, a control IC, and a battery that supplies power to the control IC, and the control IC comprises a rotation detection unit that outputs a rotation determination signal corresponding to the rotation of the wheel train, and a speed regulating control unit that controls the speed governor, and is characterized in that when the rotation detection unit outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, the control IC operates the speed regulating control unit, and when the rotation detection unit outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating, the control IC continues to operate the rotation detection unit and stops the speed regulating control unit. According to the electronically controlled mechanical watch of the present disclosure, the control IC is driven by power supplied from the battery, so that the control IC can be driven stably and the duration can be extended. The control IC includes a rotation detection unit that outputs a rotation determination signal according to the rotation of the train wheel, and a speed regulation control unit that controls the speed regulator. When the rotation detection unit outputs a rotation determination signal indicating that the train wheel is not rotating, the speed regulation control unit is stopped, so that the power consumption of the control IC can be reduced, and the power supplied from the battery can also be reduced, and the period until the battery is discharged can be extended. Furthermore, since the speed regulation control unit is stopped when the torque of the mainspring is reduced and the train wheel is not rotating, there is no need to provide a switch between the control IC and the battery, and the movement can be made smaller.
[0045] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, it is preferable that the rotation detection unit detects the rotation period of the wheel train, and if the rotation period of the wheel train is less than the rotation judgment time, outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, and if the rotation period of the wheel train is equal to or greater than the rotation judgment time, outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece of the present disclosure, the rotation of the wheel train is judged by comparing the rotation period of the wheel train with the rotation judgment time, so even if a period occurs in which the load temporarily increases due to disturbances or the like and the rotation period becomes longer, if the period is less than the rotation judgment time, it is judged that the wheel train is rotating, and it is possible to avoid repeatedly stopping and starting control of the control IC. Therefore, by setting the rotation judgment time according to the type of electronically controlled mechanical timepiece, it is possible to accurately detect whether the wheel train is rotating, and it is possible to reliably prevent unnecessary power consumption by operating the speed regulation control unit when the wheel train is not rotating, suppressing discharge from the battery and allowing the battery to last longer.
[0046] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the regulator is equipped with a coil that generates an induced voltage as the wheel train rotates, and the rotation detection unit detects the induced voltage, and if the induced voltage is greater than a rotation judgment voltage, outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, and if the induced voltage is equal to or less than the rotation judgment voltage, outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, if the induced power generated in the coil by the rotation of the wheel train is equal to or lower than the rotation judgment voltage, it is determined that the wheel train is not rotating, and if it is greater than the rotation judgment voltage, it is determined that the wheel train is rotating. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the wheel train is rotating simply by monitoring the induced voltage, and it is possible to easily and with low power to determine whether the governor has stopped being controlled.
[0047] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the speed regulator includes a coil that generates an induced voltage as the wheel train rotates, and the rotation detection unit includes a rotation start detection unit that detects the start of rotation of the wheel train and a rotation stop detection unit that detects the stop of rotation of the wheel train, and the rotation start detection unit detects the induced voltage, and if the induced voltage is greater than a rotation determination voltage, determines that the wheel train has started rotating and outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, and if the induced voltage is equal to or less than the rotation determination voltage, determines that the wheel train is not rotating and outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating, and detects the stop of rotation. It is preferable that the rotation start detection unit detects the rotation period of the wheel train, and if the rotation period of the wheel train is less than a rotation judgment time, it determines that the wheel train is rotating and outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, and if the rotation period of the wheel train is equal to or greater than the rotation judgment time, it determines that the wheel train has stopped rotating and outputs the rotation judgment signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating, and that the rotation start detection unit is operated when the control IC starts operating or when the rotation stop detection unit determines that the wheel train has stopped rotating, and that the rotation stop detection unit is operated when the rotation start detection unit determines that the wheel train has started rotating. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the rotation start detection unit, which detects the start of rotation of the wheel train, detects the start of rotation of the wheel train by comparing the induced power generated in the coil with a rotation determination voltage, so that it is possible to detect whether or not the wheel train is rotating simply by monitoring the induced voltage, and it is possible to easily and with low power to determine the start of rotation of the wheel train even when the oscillator circuit and divider circuit are stopped. In addition, the rotation stop detection unit, which detects the stop of rotation of the wheel train, compares the rotation period of the wheel train with the rotation judgment time to detect the stop of rotation of the wheel train, thereby eliminating the effects of temporary disturbances and accurately detecting the stop of rotation of the wheel train.
[0048] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, it is preferable that the control IC includes an oscillator circuit that generates a signal to be input to the speed regulating control unit, and that the speed regulating control unit is stopped by stopping the oscillator circuit. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece of the present disclosure, by stopping the oscillation circuit, the clock signal output from the oscillation circuit is not input to the speed regulation control unit, so the speed regulation control unit can be stopped. Since the oscillation circuit consumes a large amount of current in the circuit that constitutes the control IC, stopping the oscillation circuit can increase the effect of reducing current consumption, and can extend the time until the battery capacity runs out.
[0049] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the oscillator circuit is composed of a CMOS circuit, and when the oscillator circuit is stopped, it is preferable to stop the supply of power to the oscillator circuit and fix the output signal from the oscillator circuit at a constant potential. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, when the supply of power to the oscillation circuit is stopped and the oscillation circuit is stopped, the output signal of the oscillation circuit is fixed at a constant potential, thereby eliminating fluctuations in the output signal of the oscillation circuit that become unstable when the oscillation circuit is stopped, and preventing a short circuit current from flowing in the CMOS circuit provided in the frequency divider circuit next to the oscillation circuit.
[0050] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece of the present disclosure, the oscillation circuit is configured with a CMOS circuit, and when the oscillation circuit is stopped, it is preferable that the gate terminal of the CMOS circuit is fixed at a constant potential. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the gate terminal of the oscillator circuit composed of a CMOS circuit is fixed at a constant potential, and when oscillation is stopped, the output from the drain terminal, which is the output of the oscillator circuit, can be fixed. This eliminates fluctuations in the output signal of the oscillator circuit that become unstable when the oscillator circuit is stopped, and prevents a short circuit current from flowing in the CMOS circuit provided in the divider circuit next to the oscillator circuit.
[0051] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece of the present disclosure, it is preferable that the control IC includes a constant voltage circuit that outputs a constant voltage to the oscillation circuit, and that when the oscillation circuit is stopped, the constant voltage circuit is stopped. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, the oscillator circuit can be driven by the constant voltage output from the constant voltage circuit, and even if the voltage of the battery supplying power to the control IC is high, the constant voltage circuit can output a constant voltage. Driving the oscillator circuit with a constant voltage can prevent an increase in current consumption even if the battery voltage is high. Driving the oscillator circuit with a constant voltage can also reduce fluctuations in the output signal due to voltage. This makes it possible to achieve low current consumption and high accuracy in the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece, and extend the time until the battery capacity runs out.
[0052] In the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, it is preferable that a generator is provided that converts the mechanical energy of the spring into electrical energy, and the battery is a secondary battery that stores the electrical energy generated by the generator. According to the electronically controlled mechanical timepiece disclosed herein, since it is equipped with a generator and a secondary battery, when there is excess mechanical energy in the spring, the mechanical energy of the spring can be converted into electrical energy and stored in the secondary battery, thereby extending the period until the secondary battery is discharged. [Explanation of symbols]
[0053] 1...electronically controlled mechanical clock, 1B...electronically controlled mechanical clock, 1C...electronically controlled mechanical clock, 4...hand, 10...control IC, 10B...control IC, 10C...control IC, 11...oscillating circuit, 11B...oscillating circuit, 12...frequency dividing circuit, 13...rotation detection circuit, 14...speed regulating control circuit, 15...constant voltage circuit, 31...battery, 32...secondary battery, 40...spring, 50...wheel train, 60...speed regulator, 61...rotor, 62...coil, 70...generator / speed regulator, 71...rotor, 72...coil, 75...rectifier circuit, 80...quartz crystal oscillator, 111...oscillating inverter, 115...N-channel transistor, 115B...N-channel transistor, 116...AND gate, 117...inverter, 131...induced voltage detection circuit, 132...rotation period detection circuit.
Claims
1. Spring and a gear train for transmitting the mechanical energy of the mainspring; A hand driven by the wheel train to display time; a governor for controlling the rotation period of the wheel train; A control IC; A battery that supplies power to the control IC; Equipped with The control IC includes: a rotation detection unit that outputs a rotation determination signal corresponding to the rotation of the wheel train, and a speed governor control unit that controls the speed governor, When the rotation detection unit outputs the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating, the speed control unit is operated; When the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating is output from the rotation detection unit, the operation of the rotation detection unit is continued and the speed control unit is stopped. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
2. 2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, The rotation detection unit is Detecting the rotation period of the wheel train; If the rotation period of the wheel train is less than the rotation determination time, outputting the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating; If the rotation period of the wheel train is equal to or longer than the rotation determination time, the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating is output. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
3. 2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, the governor includes a coil that generates an induced voltage in association with rotation of the wheel train, The rotation detection unit is Detecting the induced voltage; When the induced voltage is greater than the rotation determination voltage, the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating is output. When the induced voltage is equal to or lower than the rotation determination voltage, the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating is output. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
4. 2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, the governor includes a coil that generates an induced voltage in association with rotation of the wheel train, the rotation detection unit includes a rotation start detection unit that detects a start of rotation of the wheel train, and a rotation stop detection unit that detects a stop of rotation of the wheel train, The rotation start detection unit is Detecting the induced voltage; If the induced voltage is greater than the rotation determination voltage, it is determined that the wheel train has started to rotate, and the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating is output. If the induced voltage is equal to or lower than a rotation determination voltage, it is determined that the wheel train is not rotating, and the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating is output; The rotation stop detection unit is Detecting the rotation period of the wheel train; If the rotation period of the wheel train is less than a rotation determination time, it is determined that the wheel train is rotating, and the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is rotating is output; If the rotation period of the wheel train is equal to or longer than the rotation determination time, it is determined that the wheel train has stopped rotating, and the rotation determination signal indicating that the wheel train is not rotating is output; the rotation start detection unit is operated when the control IC starts operating or when the rotation stop detection unit determines that the wheel train has stopped rotating; The rotation stop detection unit is operated when the rotation start detection unit determines that the rotation of the wheel train has started. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
5. 2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, The control IC includes an oscillator circuit that generates a signal to be input to the speed control unit, The oscillation circuit is stopped to stop the speed control section. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
6. 6. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 5, the oscillator circuit is configured by a CMOS circuit, When the oscillation circuit is stopped, the supply of power to the oscillation circuit is stopped and the output signal from the oscillation circuit is fixed at a constant potential. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
7. 6. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 5, the oscillator circuit is configured by a CMOS circuit, When the oscillation circuit is stopped, the gate terminal of the CMOS circuit is fixed at a constant potential. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
8. 6. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 5, the control IC includes a constant voltage circuit that outputs a constant voltage to the oscillation circuit, When the oscillation circuit is stopped, the constant voltage circuit is stopped. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
9. 2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, a generator for converting the mechanical energy of the mainspring into electrical energy, The battery is a secondary battery that stores the electrical energy generated by the generator. An electronically controlled mechanical watch characterized by:
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Electronic controlled mechanical timepiece
JP1999052077A