Timepiece comprising a mechanical oscillator associated with a regulation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11868092-B2
Application number	US-201816223159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A timepiece includes a mechanical movement with a mechanical oscillator and an electronic device for regulating the medium frequency of this mechanical oscillator. It includes an electromagnetic transducer and an electric converter which includes a power supply capacitor for powering the regulation circuit. The electromagnetic transducer is arranged to supply a voltage signal exhibiting first voltage lobes in first half-alternations and second voltage lobes in second half-alternations of the oscillations of the mechanical oscillator. The regulating device includes a load pump arranged to store momentarily electric loads which are extracted selectively in different time zones according to a time drift detected in the functioning of the mechanical oscillator relative to an auxiliary oscillator, particularly quartz-based. The electric loads extracted are rendered after a certain delay to the power supply capacitor also according to the time drift detected.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A timepiece, comprising:
a mechanism,
a mechanical resonator suitable for oscillating about a neutral position corresponding to the minimal mechanical potential energy state thereof, each oscillation of the mechanical resonator defining an oscillation period and having two successive alternations each between two extreme positions which define an oscillation amplitude of the mechanical resonator, each alternation having a passage of the mechanical resonator via the neutral position thereof at a median time and consisting of a first half-alternation between an initial time of said alternation and the median time thereof and a second half-alternation between this median time and an end time of said alternation,
a maintenance device of the mechanical resonator forming with said mechanical resonator a mechanical oscillator which defines a running speed of said mechanism,
an electromechanical transducer arranged to be able to convert mechanical power from the mechanical oscillator into electrical power when the mechanical resonator oscillates with an amplitude included in an effective functioning range, said electromechanical transducer being formed by an electromagnetic assembly comprising at least one coil, mounted a mechanical assembly consisting of the mechanical resonator and a support thereof, and at least one magnet mounted on the mechanical assembly, the electromagnetic assembly being arranged so as to be able to supply an induced voltage signal between two output terminals of the electromechanical transducer at least when the mechanical resonator oscillates with an amplitude included in the effective functioning range,
an electric converter connected to the two output terminals of the electromechanical transducer so as to be able to receive an induced electric current from said electromechanical transducer, said electric converter comprising a power supply capacitor arranged to store electrical energy supplied by the electromechanical transducer, said electromechanical transducer and the electric converter forming a braking device of the mechanical resonator together which is arranged such that a quantity of electrical energy supplied to the power supply capacitor during recharging increases as a voltage level of said power supply capacitor lowers, a load connected or suitable for being regularly connected to the electric converter and powered by the power supply capacitor, and
a regulating device for regulating a frequency of the mechanical oscillator, said regulating device comprising an auxiliary oscillator and a measuring device arranged to be able to detect a potential time drift of the mechanical oscillator relative to the auxiliary oscillator, the regulating device being arranged to be able to determine whether the time drift measured corresponds to at least one certain gain;
wherein the braking device is arranged such that, in each oscillation period of the mechanical resonator when the oscillation amplitude of said mechanical resonator is in the effective functioning range, the induced voltage signal exhibits a first voltage lobe occurring at least mostly in a first half-alternation or in each of the two first half-alternations and a second voltage lobe occurring at least mostly in a second half-alternation or in each of the two second half-alternations;
wherein the braking device is arranged such that, at least when no time drift is detected by the measuring device and at least when said load consumes continuously or quasi-continuously electrical energy stored in the power supply capacitor during a normal functioning mode of the timepiece, each first voltage lobe and each second voltage lobe is suitable for generating an induced current pulse which recharges the power supply capacitor;

wherein each first voltage lobe exhibits, in absolute values, a first maximum value at a first time of the corresponding first half-alternation and each second voltage lobe exhibits, in absolute values, a second maximum value at a second time of the corresponding second half-alternation, the first and second voltage lobes defining, on one hand, first time zones each situated before said first time of a different first voltage lobe and after the second time of the second voltage lobe preceding said first voltage lobe and, on the other, second time zones each situated before said second time of a different second voltage lobe and after the first time of the first voltage lobe preceding said second voltage lobe;
wherein the regulating device comprises a load pump device arranged to be able to extract on request an electric load from the power supply capacitor, so as to momentarily reduce the voltage level of said power supply capacitor; and wherein the regulating device further comprises a logic control circuit which receives as an input a measurement signal supplied by the measuring device and which is arranged to activate the load pump device so that, when the time drift measured corresponds to said at least one certain gain, the logic control circuit extracts a first electric load from the power supply capacitor in a first time zone among said first time zones, the logic control circuit being further arranged to activate the load pump device so that the logic control circuit renders, in a normal functioning phase of the load pump device, at least partially the first electric load to the power supply capacitor in a second time zone among said second time zones.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein said second time zone, during which at least partial rendering of said first electric load to the power supply capacitor occurs, is that which occurs first after the first time zone during which the extraction of said first electric load occurs.

3. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the regulating device is also arranged to be able to determine whether the time drift measured corresponds to at least one certain loss; and wherein said logic control circuit is arranged to activate the load pump device so that, when the time drift measured corresponds to said at least one certain loss, the logic control circuit extracts a second electric load from the power supply capacitor in a second time zone among said second time zones, the logic control circuit being further arranged to activate the load pump device so that the logic control circuit renders, in a normal functioning phase of the regulating device, at least partially said second electric load to the power supply capacitor in a first time zone among said first time zones.

4. The timepiece according to claim 3 , wherein said first time zone, during which at least partial rendering of said second electric load to the power supply capacitor occurs, is that which occurs first after the second time zone during which the extraction of said second electric load occurs.

5. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the load pump device consists of a load pump comprising at least two temporary storage capacitors and switches and/or switches suitable for being controlled by the logic control circuit so as to either arrange at least two temporary storage capacitors in parallel, or arrange at least two temporary storage capacitors in series; and wherein said first electric load extracted from the power supply capacitor is stored temporarily in at least two temporary storage capacitors until said at least partial rendering of said first electric load to the power supply capacitor, the electric load actually rendered corresponding to most of said first electric load.

6. The timepiece according to claim 3 , wherein the load pump device is formed of a load pump comprising at least two temporary storage capacitors and switches and/or switches suitable for being controlled by the logic control circuit so as to either arrange at least

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Tombez Lionel

Classifications

• G04C11/00 Primary

  Synchronisation of independently-driven clocks · CPC title

• G04C3/04

  wherein movement is regulated by a balance · CPC title

• G04C3/047

  using other coupling means, e.g. electrostrictive, magnetostrictive · CPC title

• G04C10/00 Primary

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

• H02M3/07

  using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode {, e.g. charge pumps} · CPC title