Electronically controlled mechanical timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12332605-B2
Application number	US-202217868869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2022
Priority date	Jul 21, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

An electronically controlled mechanical timepiece includes: a rotor including a rotary shaft, a pinion that is provided on the rotary shaft and to which torque from a mainspring is transmitted, and a rotor magnet attached to the rotary shaft, the rotor being configured to rotate by the torque; a generator that includes a coil and a stator and that is configured to generate power by rotation of the rotor; a main plate that contains a magnetic material, that has an opposing surface opposed to the stator, and that is configured to support the rotary shaft of the rotor; wherein in a cross-sectional view viewed from a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotary shaft, a center of the stator along the axial direction is disposed farther toward the opposing surface side than a center of the rotor magnet along the axial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronically controlled mechanical timepiece comprising:
a rotor including
a rotary shaft,
a pinion provided on the rotary shaft and to which torque from a mainspring is transmitted, and
a rotor magnet attached to the rotary shaft, the rotor being rotatable;

a generator including a coil and a stator, the generator being configured to generate power by rotation of the rotor;
a main plate containing a magnetic material, the main plate having an opposing surface opposed to the stator, and the main plate being configured to support the rotary shaft of the rotor; wherein
in a cross-sectional view viewed from a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotary shaft, a center of the stator along the axial direction is disposed farther toward the opposing surface side than a center of the rotor magnet along the axial direction.

2. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view, the rotor magnet and the stator are disposed at such positions as to at least partially overlap each other and
the center of the stator is disposed farther toward the opposing surface side than a surface on the main plate side of the rotor magnet.

3. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view, the rotor magnet and the stator overlap each other by 35% or more of a dimension in a height direction of the rotor magnet.

4. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 3 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view, the rotor magnet and the stator overlap each other by 50% or more of the dimension in the height direction of the rotor magnet.

5. An electronically controlled mechanical timepiece comprising:
a dial having a front surface and a back surface;
a main plate disposed on the back surface side of the dial, the main plate containing a magnetic material;
a rotor including
a rotary shaft having a tenon on both ends,
a pinion provided on the rotary shaft and to which torque from a mainspring is transmitted, and
a rotor magnet attached to the rotary shaft, the rotor being disposed on an opposite side of the main plate from the dial and being configured to rotate by the torque;

a bearing including
a frame body fixed to the main plate, the frame body being formed of a nonmagnetic material,
a hole jewel fixed to the frame body and into which one tenon of the rotary shaft is inserted,
a cap jewel disposed inside the frame body, and
a hold spring configured to hold the cap jewel,

the bearing being configured to rotatably support the one tenon; wherein
in a cross-sectional view viewed from a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the rotary shaft, the frame body is fixed to the main plate at a position farther toward the dial side than the hole jewel relative to the rotor magnet.

6. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 5 , wherein
the frame body includes an extending portion extending farther toward the dial side than the cap jewel in the cross-sectional view and
the main plate fixes the extending portion.

7. The electronically controlled mechanical timepiece according to claim 5 , wherein
the main plate includes a fixing portion configured to fix the frame body and an opening is formed, on the rotor magnet side of the fixing portion, in the main plate.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hiraya Eiichi
• Nagasaka Eiichi

Classifications

• G04B1/10

  with mainspring {(synchronous motors with power reserve G04C15/0054; springs in general F16F)} · CPC title

• G04B13/02

  Wheels; Pinions; Spindles; Pivots (bearings G04B31/00 {; chain wheels, spindles for chain wheels, also chains and driving weights G04B1/08}) · CPC title

• G04C3/101

  constructional details · CPC title

• G04C10/00 Primary

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