Electromechanical Watch Coil Communication Without Motor Interference
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electromechanical watches require significant modifications to their motor control circuits for contactless communication with external devices, which complicates integration and may disrupt the watch's operation.
Innovation Solution
A stepper motor-based electromechanical watch with a control circuit that uses the existing motor hardware for contactless communication, employing a coil as an antenna to receive and transmit magnetic signals, and a processing circuit to decode these signals without interfering with the watch's operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a demodulator and communication circuit are added to the motor control circuit, then contactless communication capability is achieved, but device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The motor control circuit is designed to perform both its original motor control function and the additional function of contactless communication. The same coil that drives the motor rotor also serves as an antenna for magnetic signal transmission and reception, eliminating the need for separate communication hardware and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the motor control circuit and communication circuit into a single integrated system. The coil structure serves dual purposes: as the electromagnetic actuator for the stepping motor and as the antenna for magnetic field-based wireless communication. This merging approach reduces component count and simplifies the overall device architecture.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the control circuit is modified to receive magnetic signals between rotor steps, then communication is enabled, but motor operation may be disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The control circuit operates in periodic cycles, alternating between motor driving phases and communication listening phases. During each cycle, the circuit drives the motor rotor for a period, then switches to a listening mode to receive magnetic signals. This periodic switching ensures that motor operation and communication both occur reliably without interfering with each other.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuit dynamically switches between different operational modes: motor driving mode and communication listening mode. This dynamic switching allows the system to adapt its behavior based on whether it needs to drive the motor or receive communication signals, ensuring both functions operate reliably without disruption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables seamless contactless communication between the watch and external devices using existing hardware, allowing for efficient data exchange without disrupting the watch's functionality or requiring additional components.
Implementation Method 1
a demodulator incorporated in the control circuit and arranged to be able to demodulate a voltage signal induced in the coil which is generated in this coil by the received magnetic signal
Implementation Method 2
means for contactless communication with a communication device external to the watch, arranged to be able to receive data from an external communication device via magnetic signals emitted by the latter
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~9
AI summary
The watch (50) comprises an electromechanical movement, equipped with a stepper motor (2) and a motor control circuit (20), and contactless communication means for an external communication device (100) comprising an antenna formed by the motor coil (18) and arranged to receive an amplitude-modulated magnetic signal based on coded data. The communication means are arranged to generate electrical detection pulses supplied to the motor coil with a pulse frequency corresponding to a coding frequency of the magnetic signal.They include a measurement circuit (32), arranged to be able to measure a rise time (TM) of each electrical detection pulse of a plurality of said electrical detection pulses generated during a reception of the magnetic signal, and a rise time processing circuit (36) of the measured rise time for each electrical detection pulse, which is arranged to determine the level, low or high, of the magnetic signal during each of the electrical detection pulses on the basis of said rise time, so as to determine the values of the bits of the coded data contained in the magnetic signal.