Power management method for a solar watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12088133-B2
Application number	US-202117518002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A power management method for a solar watch or a solar automatic watch. The power management method including at least one providing a primary power supply from at least one energy supplier. The primary power supply is converted to a secondary power supply when the primary power supply reaches at least one primary threshold and/or at least one secondary threshold. A motor is supplied with the secondary power supply such as to wind a mainspring via the motor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power management method for a solar watch or a solar automatic watch; said power management method comprising:
providing a primary power supply from at least one energy supplier;
converting said primary power supply to a secondary power supply when said primary power supply having alternatively OFF periods and ON periods, each ON period starting when said primary power supply reaches a second voltage threshold and ending when this primary power supply then becomes a first voltage threshold lower than the second voltage threshold, the secondary power supply in each ON period being regulated so that its supply voltage remains at a third voltage threshold, higher than the first voltage threshold and lower than the second voltage threshold, when the voltage of the primary power supply exceeds said third voltage threshold;
supplying a motor with said secondary power supply during at least a part of each ON period by chopping the supply voltage into at least a periodic modulated signal which is provided by the secondary power supply; and
winding a mainspring via said motor.

2. The power management method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one energy supplier comprises at least one solar cell and/or at least one capacitor.

3. The power management method according to claim 1 , wherein the solar watch comprises a delaying circuit configured to delay in supplying said motor with said secondary power supply.

4. The power management method according to claim 1 , wherein the secondary power supply provides a first periodic modulated signal and a second periodic modulated signal which are inversed relative to each other and respectively provided to two supply terminals of the motor.

5. The power management method according to claim 4 , wherein a primary duration of each ON period of the secondary power supply is at least ten times longer than a secondary duration defined by the period of the first and second periodic modulated signals.

6. The power management method according to claim 5 , wherein said secondary duration is determined to maximize an efficiency of the motor.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Imboden Matthias
• Born Jean-Jacques
• Haemmerli Alexandre
• Paratte Lionel
• Germiquet Christophe
• Gueissaz François
• Willemin Michel

Classifications

• H02J7/855 Primary

  with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery · CPC title

• H02P8/02

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

• H02S99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H02J7/345

  using capacitors as storage or buffering devices · CPC title

• G04C10/02 Primary

  the power supply being a radioactive {or photovoltaic} source · CPC title