Timepiece Temperature Compensation Circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing timepieces face challenges in maintaining timekeeping precision due to temperature characteristics of crystal oscillators, which require frequent temperature compensation, leading to increased current consumption and power consumption difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A timepiece design incorporating a crystal oscillator, frequency divider, nonvolatile memory, temperature measuring circuit, evaluation circuit, and temperature compensation circuit that determines whether stored information is the same or different, allowing for efficient reading and updating of temperature compensation data to correct the reference signal, reducing power consumption while maintaining precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If temperature compensation is applied at a specific interval by reading information from nonvolatile memory, then timekeeping precision is maintained, but current consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-loading temperature characteristic information into volatile memory (RAM) during initialization or low-power periods. This allows the temperature compensation circuit to access previously loaded data during operation without repeatedly accessing nonvolatile memory, thereby maintaining timekeeping precision while reducing current consumption during active timekeeping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces volatile memory as an intermediary between nonvolatile memory and the temperature compensation circuit. The volatile memory acts as a buffer that stores temperature characteristic information, allowing frequent reads without accessing the high-power nonvolatile memory. This intermediary layer resolves the contradiction by enabling precise temperature compensation while minimizing current consumption during reads.
2Measurement precision
If temperature compensation is applied frequently, then timekeeping precision is maintained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent loads temperature characteristic information into volatile memory in advance, enabling frequent temperature compensation operations without repeated nonvolatile memory accesses. This preliminary loading action allows the system to perform multiple compensation cycles using the same cached data, maintaining precision while reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by updating temperature compensation data from nonvolatile memory at specific intervals (e.g., when power is first applied or at predetermined time intervals), rather than accessing nonvolatile memory continuously. Between updates, the system uses the cached data in volatile memory for compensation, reducing power consumption while maintaining precision.
3Measurement precision
If information is read from nonvolatile memory each time temperature compensation is applied, then accurate compensation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the memory system into two distinct parts: nonvolatile memory for storing temperature characteristic information and volatile memory for caching this information during operation. This segmentation allows the system to maintain compensation accuracy by keeping the data readily accessible in volatile memory while simplifying control logic, as the system only needs to manage two separate memory spaces with clear functional distinctions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-loading temperature characteristic information from nonvolatile memory into volatile memory during initialization or low-activity periods. This preliminary loading action simplifies subsequent temperature compensation operations, as the control logic only needs to read from the already-loaded volatile memory without implementing complex access control for frequent nonvolatile memory reads.
Data Source
AI summary
A timepiece reduces power consumption while maintaining required precision. The timepiece has a frequency divider that frequency divides an oscillation signal and outputs a reference signal; nonvolatile memory that stores information related to a temperature characteristic of the oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator; multiple registers; a temperature measuring circuit; an evaluation circuit; and a temperature compensation circuit. The temperature compensation circuit reads the information from one of the registers and corrects the reference signal based on the read information and the temperature measurement information when the evaluation circuit determines the information stored in the multiple registers is the same; and when the evaluation circuit determines the information stored in the multiple registers is different, reads the information from the nonvolatile memory, stores the read information in the multiple registers, and corrects the reference signal based on the read information and the temperature measurement information.