Electronically controlled mechanical watch and method for controlling electronically controlled mechanical watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435698-B2
Application number	US-202016931531-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2020
Priority date	Jul 18, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

An electronically controlled mechanical watch includes a mechanical energy source, a power generator including a rotor driven by the mechanical energy source, a capacitor configured to be chargeable and accumulate electrical energy generated by the power generator, and a crystal oscillation circuit including a crystal oscillator and an oscillation circuit and configured to stop oscillating when a voltage of the capacitor falls below an oscillation stop voltage and to start oscillating when the voltage exceeds an oscillation start voltage higher than the oscillation stop voltage. The watch also includes a temperature compensation circuit configured to perform a temperature compensation function operation compensating for variation of a reference signal due to a temperature, a first voltage detection circuit configured to detect that the voltage exceeded a first voltage that is set higher than the oscillation start voltage, and a control circuit configured to stop the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit until the first voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage exceeded the first voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronically controlled mechanical watch comprising:
a mechanical energy source;
a power generator including a rotor driven by the mechanical energy source;
a capacitor configured to be chargeable and accumulate electrical energy generated by the power generator;
a crystal oscillation circuit including a crystal oscillator and an oscillation circuit and configured to stop oscillation when a voltage of the capacitor falls below an oscillation stop voltage, and to start oscillation and output an oscillation signal when the voltage exceeds an oscillation start voltage, which is higher than the oscillation stop voltage;
a divider circuit configured to output a reference signal by dividing the oscillation signal output from the oscillation circuit;
a temperature compensation circuit configured to perform a temperature compensation function operation that compensates for variation of the reference signal due to a temperature;
a first voltage detection circuit configured to detect that the voltage exceeded a first voltage that is set higher than the oscillation start voltage; and
a control circuit configured to stop the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit until the first voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage exceeded the first voltage.

2. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 1 , wherein
the control circuit starts the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit when the first voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage exceeded the first voltage, and subsequently continues the temperature compensation function operation even when the voltage falls below the first voltage.

3. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 1 , comprising an oscillation stop detection circuit configured to detect an oscillation stop of the crystal oscillation circuit, wherein
the control circuit stops the temperature compensation function operation when the oscillation stop of the crystal oscillation circuit is detected by the oscillation stop detection circuit.

4. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 3 , comprising a storage circuit configured to store detection by the first voltage detection circuit that the voltage exceeded the first voltage, wherein
the control circuit
initializes the storage circuit when the oscillation stop of the crystal oscillation circuit is detected by the oscillation stop detection circuit, and
stops the temperature compensation function operation when the storage circuit is initialized.

5. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 1 , comprising a second voltage detection circuit configured to detect that the voltage fell below a second voltage that is set lower than the first voltage, wherein
the control circuit stops the temperature compensation function operation when the second voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage fell below the second voltage.

6. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 5 , comprising a storage circuit configured to store detection by the first voltage detection circuit that the voltage exceeded the first voltage, wherein
the control circuit
initializes the storage circuit when the second voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage fell below the second voltage, and
stops the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit when the storage circuit is initialized.

7. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 1 , wherein
the temperature compensation circuit is configured to perform an individual difference correction function operation that corrects an individual difference of the crystal oscillator, and
the control circuit continues the individual difference correction function operation by the temperature compensation circuit when the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit is stopped.

8. The electronically controlled mechanical watch according to claim 1 , wherein the first voltage is set such that the voltage does not fall below the oscillation stop voltage due to the temperature compensation function operation, when the control circuit starts the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit.

9. A method for controlling an electronically controlled mechanical watch that includes a mechanical energy source, a power generator including a rotor driven by the mechanical energy source, a capacitor configured to be chargeable and accumulate electrical energy generated by the power generator, a crystal oscillation circuit including a crystal oscillator and an oscillation circuit and configured to stop oscillation when a voltage of the capacitor falls below an oscillation stop voltage and start oscillation and output an oscillation signal when the voltage exceeds an oscillation start voltage, which is higher than the oscillation stop voltage, a divider circuit configured to output a reference signal by dividing the oscillation signal output from the oscillation circuit, a temperature compensation circuit configured to perform a temperature compensation function operation that compensates for variation of the reference signal due to a temperature, and a first voltage detection circuit configured to detect that the voltage exceeded a first voltage that is set higher than the oscillation start voltage,
the control method comprising stopping the temperature compensation function operation of the temperature compensation circuit until the first voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage exceeded the first voltage.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yamazaki Yutaka

Classifications

• G04B17/22 Primary

  for the effect of variations of temperature {(alloys with small expansion coefficient C21C, C22C; adjustment of the regulator dependant on adjustment of the hands G04B18/028; depending on the difference in time with a comparison clockwork G04C11/007)} · CPC title

• G04C10/00 Primary

  Arrangements of electric power supplies in time-pieces {(Mounting, assembling of components G04C3/008)} · CPC title

• H03B5/04

  Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. power supply, load, temperature · CPC title

• G04G3/04

  Temperature-compensating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/345

  using capacitors as storage or buffering devices · CPC title