Electronic clock

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612579-B2
Application number	US-201314415735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2013
Priority date	Jul 23, 2012
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

Provided is an electronic clock which is capable of finely controlling a driving force of a normal driving pulse and suppresses variation in current consumption without an increase in circuit size. The electronic clock is configured so that while a chopped driving pulse is output and in an interval in which coil terminals have heretofore been short-circuited, a pulse is output (hereinafter referred to as adjustment pulse) for control from a terminal that is different from a terminal of a motor driver from which the normal driving pulse has been output. The output pattern of the adjustment pulse is changed with reference to a driving rank selecting circuit to increase or decrease a motor driving current and hence change the driving force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic clock, comprising:
a bipolar stepping motor;
a motor driver including two driving terminals for driving the stepping motor;
a driving pulse generating circuit for generating a chopper driving pulse that is one group of several choppers for driving the stepping motor;
a selector for outputting the generated chopper driving pulse, which has been generated by the driving pulse generating circuit, to the motor driver; and
an adjustment pulse generating circuit for generating an adjustment pulse, which is output in an OFF period between outputs of the choppers of the chopper driving pulse during an ON period of the one group of the chopper driving pulse, to the selector,
wherein the selector outputs the original signal of the adjustment pulse to the motor driver so that the adjustment pulse is output from a driving terminal that is different from a driving terminal from which the chopper driving pulse is output,
wherein the adjustment pulse generating circuit generates a plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses, and
wherein the electronic clock further comprises a specifying circuit for selecting one of the plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses and instructing the adjustment pulse generating circuit to output the selected one of the plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses,
wherein the chopper driving pulse has a plurality of OFF periods, and
wherein the adjustment pulse includes a plurality of small pulses corresponding to the plurality of OFF periods, and the plurality of different kinds of adjustment pulses have different numbers and output positions of the plurality of small pulses.

2. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , wherein the driving pulse generating circuit is configured to be capable of generating a plurality of chopper driving pulses in which duties of at least some chopper subpulses of the plurality of chopper driving pulses are different from each other, and outputs selected one of the plurality of chopper driving pulses to the selector in response to an instruction of the specifying circuit.

3. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , further comprising a rotation detecting circuit for detecting whether or not the stepping motor has rotated,
wherein the specifying circuit gives an instruction to the adjustment pulse generating circuit based on a detection result of the rotation detecting circuit.

4. The electronic clock according to claim 3 , wherein less adjustment pulses are generated when the rotation detection circuit determines that the motor has not rotated.

5. The electronic clock according to claim 3 , wherein more adjustment pulses are generated when the rotation detection circuit determines that the motor has rotated a predetermined number of times.

6. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , further comprising a power source state detecting circuit for detecting a power source state,
wherein the specifying circuit gives an instruction to the adjustment pulse generating circuit based on a detection result of the power source state detecting circuit.

7. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment pulse suppresses the chopper driving pulse.

8. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , wherein the bipolar motor is controlled without using a multiplier circuit.

9. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment pulse and the chopper driving pulse are alternate pulses which reverse phases for each step.

10. The electronic clock according to claim 1 , wherein the different numbers and output positions of the plurality of small pulses rotate the bipolar stepper motor in different amounts of rotation.

11. An electronic clock, comprising:
a bipolar stepping motor;
a motor driver including two driving terminals for driving the stepping motor;
a driving pulse generating circuit for generating a chopper driving pulse that is one group of several choppers for driving the stepping motor;
a selector for outputting the generated chopper driving pulse, which has been generated by the driving pulse generating circuit, to the motor driver; and
an adjustment pulse generating circuit for generating an adjustment pulse, which is output in an OFF period between outputs of the choppers of the chopper driving pulse during an ON period of the one group of the chopper driving pulse, to the selector,
wherein the selector outputs the original signal of the adjustment pulse to the motor driver so that the adjustment pulse is output from a driving terminal that is different from a driving terminal from which the chopper driving pulse is output,
wherein the adjustment pulse generating circuit generates a plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses, and
wherein the electronic clock further comprises a specifying circuit for selecting one of the plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses and instructing the adjustment pulse generating circuit to output the selected one of the plurality of different kinds of the adjustment pulses
wherein the plurality of different kinds of adjustment pulses are configured so that widths of some of a plurality of small pulses are smaller than widths of others of the plurality of small pulses that occur within the same pulse stream.

12. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , wherein the driving pulse generating circuit is configured to be capable of generating a plurality of chopper driving pulses in which duties of at least some chopper subpulses of the plurality of chopper driving pulses are different from each other, and outputs selected one of the plurality of chopper driving pulses to the selector in response to an instruction of the specifying circuit.

13. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , further comprising a rotation detecting circuit for detecting whether or not the stepping motor has rotated,
wherein the specifying circuit gives an instruction to the adjustment pulse generating circuit based on a detection result of the rotation detecting circuit.

14. The electronic clock according to claim 13 , wherein less adjustment pulses are generated when the rotation detection circuit determines that the motor has not rotated.

15. The electronic clock according to claim 13 , wherein more adjustment pulses are generated when the rotation detection circuit determines that the motor has rotated a predetermined number of times.

16. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , further comprising a power source state detecting circuit for detecting a power source state,
wherein the specifying circuit gives an instruction to the adjustment pulse generating circuit based on a detection result of the power source state detecting circuit.

17. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , wherein the adjustment pulse suppresses the chopper driving pulse.

18. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , wherein the bipolar motor is controlled without using a multiplier circuit.

19. The electronic clock according to claim 11 , wherein the adjustment pulse and the chopper driving pulse are alternate pulses which reverse phases for each step.

Assignees

• Citizen Holdings Co Ltd
• Citizen Watch Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takyo Yu
• Namekawa Masaaki

Classifications

• G04C3/14

  incorporating a stepping motor (G04C3/02 - G04C3/12 take precedence {; generating commutating pulses in primary clocks G04C13/0463}) · CPC title

• G04C3/146 Primary

  incorporating two or more stepping motors or rotors · CPC title

• H02P8/18

  Shaping of pulses, e.g. to reduce torque ripple {(Reducing overshoot H02P8/32 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G04C3/143

  Means to reduce power consumption by reducing pulse width or amplitude and related problems, e.g. detection of unwanted or missing step · CPC title

• H02P8/22

  Control of step size; Intermediate stepping, e.g. microstepping · CPC title