Electronic timepiece and motor control circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11137724-B2
Application number	US-202016827898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2020
Priority date	Mar 25, 2019
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

An electronic timepiece can prevent overrunning when driving a motor at a high speed. The electronic timepiece has a controller that controls a driver to an on state or an off state according to the current value detected by the current detector; a polarity changer that determines driving one step of the motor ended and changes the polarity of the drive current when the on time or off time is detected to meet a specific condition; and a drive period adjuster that sets the terminal supplying the drive current to the coil to a first state if the remaining drive step count is greater than the remaining count evaluation number, and if the remaining drive step count is less than or equal to the remaining count evaluation number, sets the terminal to a second state in which the brake force applied to the rotor is greater than in the first state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:
a motor having a coil and a rotor;
a driver that has a terminal through which drive current is supplied to the coil, and which is controlled to an on state supplying the drive current to the coil, and an off state not supplying the drive current;
a current detector configured to detect a current value flowing through the coil;
a controller configured to control the driver to the on state or the off state according to the current value detected by the current detector;
a polarity changer configured to determine driving one step of the motor ended and change the polarity of the drive current when an on time, which is a continuous time of the on state of the driver, or an off time, which is a continuous time of the off state of the driver, is detected to meet a specific condition;
a remaining drive step count detector configured to detect whether or not a remaining drive step count, which indicates a remaining number of drive steps until driving the motor ends and is counted down 1 each time the polarity of the drive current changes, is less than or equal to a remaining count evaluation number; and
a drive period adjuster configured to set the terminal supplying the drive current to the coil to a first state if the remaining drive step count is greater than the remaining count evaluation number, and if the remaining drive step count is less than or equal to the remaining count evaluation number, set the terminal to a second state in which a brake force applied to the rotor is greater than in the first state.

2. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a remaining count evaluation number setter configured to set the remaining count evaluation number based on a drive period of the motor.

3. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a remaining count evaluation number setter configured to set the remaining count evaluation number based on a number of drive steps or an elapsed time from a start of motor drive to convergence of the motor drive period.

4. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the first state sets the terminal to a high impedance state; and
the second state sets the terminal to a shorted state.

5. The electronic timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the first state sets the terminal to a high impedance state; and
the second state sets the terminal to a shorted state through a specific resistance.

6. An electronic timepiece comprising:
a motor having a coil and a rotor;
a driver that has a terminal through which drive current is supplied to the coil, and which is controlled to an on state supplying the drive current to the coil, and an off state not supplying the drive current;
a current detector configured to detect a current value flowing through the coil;
a controller configured to control the driver to the on state or the off state according to the current value detected by the current detector;
a polarity changer configured to determine driving one step of the motor ended and change the polarity of the drive current when an on time, which is a continuous time of the on state of the driver, or an off time, which is a continuous time of the off state of the driver, is detected to meet a specific condition;
a remaining drive step count detector configured to detect whether or not a remaining drive step count, which indicates a remaining number of drive steps until driving the motor ends and is counted down 1 each time the polarity of the drive current changes, is less than or equal to a remaining count evaluation number; and
a drive period adjuster configured to adjust the polarity changer to change the polarity of the drive current after a first specific time passes from detecting that the specific condition was met if the remaining drive step count is greater than the remaining count evaluation number, and if the remaining drive step count is less than or equal to the remaining count evaluation number, change the polarity of the drive current after a second specific time that is longer than the first specific time passes from detecting that the specific condition was met.

7. The electronic timepiece described in claim 6 , further comprising:
a remaining count evaluation number setter configured to set the remaining count evaluation number based on a drive period of the motor.

8. The electronic timepiece described in claim 6 , further comprising:
a remaining count evaluation number setter configured to set the remaining count evaluation number based on a number of drive steps or an elapsed time from the start of motor drive to convergence of the motor drive period.

9. A motor control circuit comprising:
a driver that has a terminal through which drive current is supplied to the coil of a motor, and which is controlled to an on state supplying the drive current to the coil, and an off state not supplying the drive current;
a current detector configured to detect a current value flowing through the coil;
a controller configured to control the driver to the on state or the off state according to the current value detected by the current detector;
a polarity changer configured to determine driving one step of the motor ended and change the polarity of the drive current when an on time, which is a continuous time of the on state of the driver, or an off time, which is a continuous time of the off state of the driver, is detected to meet a specific condition;
a remaining drive step count detector configured to detect whether or not a remaining drive step count, which indicates a remaining number of drive steps until driving the motor ends and is counted down 1 each time the polarity of the drive current changes, is less than or equal to a remaining count evaluation number; and
a drive period adjuster configured to adjust the polarity changer to change the polarity of the drive current after a first specific time passes from detecting that the specific condition was met if the remaining drive step count is greater than the remaining count evaluation number, and if the remaining drive step count is less than or equal to the remaining count evaluation number, change the polarity of the drive current after a second specific time that is longer than the first specific time passes from detecting that the specific condition was met.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Kawaguchi Takashi

Classifications

• H02P8/32

  Reducing overshoot or oscillation, e.g. damping · CPC title

• G04C3/146 Primary

  incorporating two or more stepping motors or rotors · CPC title

• H02P8/02

  specially adapted for single-phase or bi-pole stepper motors, e.g. watch-motors, clock-motors · CPC title

• G04C9/08

  by electric drive · CPC title

• H02P8/30 Primary

  Holding position when stopped · CPC title