Timepiece and control method of a timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11669052-B2
Application number	US-202016816395-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	Mar 13, 2019
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising:
a crystal oscillator;
an oscillator circuit that causes the crystal oscillator to oscillate;
a frequency divider that frequency divides the oscillation signal output from the oscillator circuit, and outputs a reference signal;
a nonvolatile memory that stores information related to a temperature characteristic of the oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator;
multiple registers configured to the information;
a temperature measuring circuit that measures temperature and acquires temperature measurement information;
an evaluation circuit configured to determine whether or not the information stored in the multiple registers is the same; and
a temperature compensation circuit configured to read the information from one of the registers and correct 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, read the information from the nonvolatile memory and store the read information in the multiple registers, and correct the reference signal based on the read information and the temperature measurement information.

2. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the nonvolatile memory includes common temperature characteristics information memory that stores common temperature characteristics information that is common to the crystal oscillator as the information;
the registers include multiple common temperature characteristics information registers configured to store the common temperature characteristics information;
the evaluation circuit includes a common temperature characteristics information evaluation circuit configured to determine whether or not the common temperature characteristics information stored in the multiple common temperature characteristics information registers is the same; and
the temperature compensation circuit corrects the reference signal based on the common temperature characteristics information and the temperature measurement information.

3. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the nonvolatile memory includes device difference information memory that stores device difference information related to a temperature characteristic of the crystal oscillator as the information;
the registers include multiple device difference information registers that store the device difference information;
the evaluation circuit includes a device difference information evaluation circuit configured to determine whether or not the device difference information stored in the multiple device difference information registers is the same; and
the temperature compensation circuit corrects the reference signal based on the device difference information.

4. The timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
hands configured to display time;
a drive mechanism configured to drive the hands; and
a drive controller configured to drive the hands by the drive mechanism based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

5. The timepiece described in claim 2 , further comprising:
hands configured to display time;
a drive mechanism configured to drive the hands; and
a drive controller configured to drive the hands by the drive mechanism based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

6. The timepiece described in claim 3 , further comprising:
hands configured to display time;
a drive mechanism configured to drive the hands; and
a drive controller configured to drive the hands by the drive mechanism based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

7. The timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a spring;
a generator that is driven by a drive mechanism connected to the spring and produces power;
hands that connect to the drive mechanism and display time; and
a regulator controller configured to control rotation of the generator based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

8. The timepiece described in claim 2 , further comprising:
a spring;
a generator that is driven by a drive mechanism connected to the spring and produces power;
hands that connect to the drive mechanism and display time; and
a regulator controller configured to control rotation of the generator based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

9. The timepiece described in claim 3 , further comprising:
a spring;
a generator that is driven by a drive mechanism connected to the spring and produces power;
hands that connect to the drive mechanism and display time; and
a regulator controller configured to control rotation of the generator based on the reference signal corrected by the temperature compensation circuit.

10. A timepiece comprising:
a crystal oscillator;
an oscillator circuit that causes the crystal oscillator to oscillate;
a frequency divider that frequency divides the oscillation signal output from the oscillator circuit, and outputs a reference signal;
a common temperature characteristics information memory that stores common temperature characteristics information that is common to the crystal oscillator, the common temperature characteristics information memory being a nonvolatile memory;
a device difference information memory that stores device difference information related to a temperature characteristic of the crystal oscillator, the device difference information memory being a nonvolatile memory;
multiple common temperature characteristics information registers configured to store the common temperature characteristics information;
multiple device difference information registers that store the device difference information;
a common temperature characteristics information evaluation circuit configured to determine whether or not the common temperature characteristics information stored in the multiple common temperature characteristics information registers is the same;
a device difference information evaluation circuit configured to determine whether or not the device difference information stored in the multiple device difference information registers is the same;
a temperature compensation circuit configured to
read the common temperature characteristics information from one of the common temperature characteristics information registers when the common temperature characteristics information evaluation circuit determines the common temperature characteristics information stored in the multiple common temperature characteristics information registers is the same,
read the common temperature characteristics information from the common temperature characteristics information memory and store the read common temperature characteristics information in the multiple common temperature characteristics registers when the common temperature characteristics evaluation circuit determines the common temperature characteristics information stored in the multiple common temperature characteristics registers is different,
read the device difference information from one of the device difference information registers when the device difference information evaluation circuit determines the device difference information stored in the multiple device difference information registers is the same,
read the device difference information from the device difference information memory and store the read device difference information in the multiple device difference information registers when the device dif

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Ninomiya Masaya

Classifications

• G04D7/003

  for electric or electronic clocks · CPC title

• G04G3/02

  Circuits for deriving low frequency timing pulses from pulses of higher frequency (pulse frequency dividers in general H03K23/00 - H03K29/00) · CPC title

• G04G3/04 Primary

  Temperature-compensating arrangements · CPC title

• G04F5/04 Primary

  using oscillators with electromechanical resonators {producing electric oscillations or timing pulses} · CPC title

• G04G19/02

  Conversion or regulation of current or voltage · CPC title