Electronic timepiece and control method of electronic timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9442465-B2
Application number	US-201514938968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2015
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

An electronic timepiece includes a solar power source, a voltage stabilizer circuit that generates a constant voltage by using power supplied from the solar power source, and a control circuit that clocks the time by driving a rotating body at first hand operation speed and at second hand operation speed which is faster than the first hand operation speed. The control circuit selects a voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the first hand operation speed, and selects at least any one voltage of the constant voltage and the voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the second hand operation speed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:
a solar power source;
a voltage stabilizer circuit that generates a constant voltage by using power supplied from the solar power source; and
a control circuit that clocks the time by driving a rotating body at first hand operation speed and at second hand operation speed which is faster than the first hand operation speed,
wherein the control circuit selects a voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the first hand operation speed, and selects at least any one voltage of the constant voltage and the voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the second hand operation speed.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rotating body includes an hour hand, a minute hand, and a second hand,
wherein the electronic timepiece includes multiple motors which respectively drive the hour hand, the minute hand, and the second hand, and
wherein in a case of the first hand operation speed, the control circuit drives at least the second hand within the rotating body by using the voltage of the solar power source.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit has two threshold values of a first threshold value for determining a voltage value of the solar power source and a second threshold value which is smaller than the first threshold value, and
wherein the control circuit compares the voltage value of the solar power source with the two threshold values, and switches a voltage used in the case of the second hand operation speed in accordance with a comparison result.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 , further comprising:
a detection unit that detects the voltage value of the solar power source,
wherein when the detected voltage value of the solar power source is greater than the first threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the first hand operation speed by using the voltage of the solar power source, and drives the rotating body at the secondhand operation speed by using the constant voltage,
wherein when the detected voltage value of the solar power source is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value and equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the firsthand operation speed and at the second hand operation speed by using the voltage of the solar power source, and
wherein when the detected voltage value of the solar power source is smaller than the second threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the first hand operation speed by using a voltage whose voltage value is smaller than the voltage value of the solar power source, and switches the voltage so as to stop driving the rotating body at the second hand operation speed.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an input unit that receives an instruction,
wherein the detection unit detects the voltage value of the solar power source, when the instruction received by the input unit is given so as to drive the rotating body at the second hand operation speed.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the rotating body is driven at the second hand operation speed, a drive pulse width is widened as the rotating body is progressively driven at the second hand operation speed.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 ,
wherein when the rotating body is driven at the second hand operation speed, a drive pulse width is widened as the rotating body is progressively driven at the second hand operation speed.

8. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 ,
wherein the rotating body which is driven at the second hand operation speed performs a forward rotation operation and a reverse rotation operation, and
wherein the control circuit performs at least any one between selecting and changing each value of the first threshold value and the second threshold value in accordance with the forward rotation operation or the reverse rotation operation.

9. The electronic timepiece according to claim 4 ,
wherein the rotating body which is driven at the second hand operation speed performs a forward rotation operation and a reverse rotation operation, and
wherein the control circuit performs at least any one between selecting and changing each value of the first threshold value and the second threshold value in accordance with the forward rotation operation or the reverse rotation operation.

10. A control method of an electronic timepiece that has two threshold values of a first threshold value for determining a voltage value of a solar power source and a second threshold value which is smaller than the first threshold value, and that clocks the time by driving a rotating body at first hand operation speed and at second hand operation speed which is faster than the first hand operation speed, the method comprising:
a voltage stabilizing procedure in which a voltage stabilizer circuit generates a constant voltage by using power supplied from the solar power source;
a procedure in which a control circuit drives the rotating body by using a voltage of the solar power source in a case of the first hand operation speed;
a procedure in which when the voltage value of the solar power source is greater than the first threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the first hand operation speed by using the voltage of the solar power source, and drives the rotating body at the second hand operation speed by using the constant voltage;
a procedure in which when the voltage value of the solar power source is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value and equal to or greater than the second threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the first hand operation speed and at the second hand operation speed by using the voltage of the solar power source; and
a procedure in which when the voltage value of the solar power source is smaller than the second threshold value, the control circuit drives the rotating body at the first hand operation speed by using a voltage whose voltage value is smaller than the voltage value of the solar power source, and switches the voltage so as to stop driving the rotating body at the second hand operation speed.

Assignees

• Seiko Instr Inc

Inventors

• Yamamoto Kosuke
• Ogasawara Kenji
• Koyama Kazuhiro
• Sakumoto Kazumi
• Maesawa Tamotsu
• Ihashi Tomohiro
• Matsumoto Ayumi
• Takakura Akira

Classifications

• G04G3/00

  Producing timing pulses (driving circuits for stepping motors G04C3/14; producing preselected time intervals for use as timing standards G04F5/00; pulse technique in general H03K; control, synchronisation, or stabilisation of generators in general H03L) · CPC title

• G04G19/00

  Electric power supply circuits specially adapted for use in electronic time-pieces · CPC title

• G04G17/02

  Component assemblies · CPC title

• G04G19/06 Primary

  Regulation · CPC title

• G04C10/02 Primary

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