Hand-moving mechanism and timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618906-B2
Application number	US-201514974667-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

A hand-moving mechanism moves a hand and includes a stepping motor and a wheel train mechanism. The stepping motor includes a plurality of coils and rotates a rotational shaft thereof in forward and reverse directions. The wheel train mechanism includes a plurality of gears having: one gear which is coupled to the rotational shaft of the stepping motor; and another gear which is coupled to the hand. The stepping motor includes two coil cores which are arranged in a vicinity of a peripheral edge portion in a module having a bent peripheral edge portion, which have a linear shape respectively and which extend from a central coupling portion respectively. Each of the two coil cores is formed to be bent at a predetermined angle following a bent shape of the peripheral edge portion of the module, so as to sandwich the central coupling portion between the two coil cores.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hand-moving mechanism configured to move a hand, the hand-moving mechanism comprising:
a stepping motor that includes a plurality of coils and that rotates a rotational shaft thereof in forward and reverse directions; and
a wheel train mechanism that includes a plurality of gears comprising:
one gear which is coupled to the rotational shaft of the stepping motor; and
another gear which is coupled to the hand,

wherein the stepping motor includes two coil cores which are arranged in a vicinity of a peripheral edge portion in a module having a bent peripheral edge portion, each of the two coil cores having a linear shape and extending from a central coupling portion,
wherein each of the two coil cores is formed to be bent at a predetermined angle following a bent shape of the peripheral edge portion of the module, so as to sandwich the central coupling portion between the two coil cores,
wherein the hand-moving mechanism further comprises coil substrates that are arranged at sides closer to respective end portions than the two coil cores,
wherein both ends of coils wound onto the respective coil cores are connected to the coil substrates,
wherein portions where both ends of the coils are connected to the coil substrates are covered with protective resins,
wherein the coil substrates and a circuit substrate have a surface contact with each other,
wherein the circuit substrate includes notches which open towards an outer periphery of the module while avoiding an overlap with the protective resins, and
wherein the protective resins are provided only at portions where the notches are formed on the circuit substrate.

2. The hand-moving mechanism according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor driving control unit that individually controls energization to each coil to drive the stepping motor,
wherein a number of the coils to be simultaneously energized in a display hand-moving operation is different from a number of the coils to be simultaneously energized in a non-display hand-moving operation.

3. The hand-moving mechanism according to claim 2 ,
wherein the stepping motor has two coils,
wherein the motor driving control unit energizes only one coil to rotate the hand in one direction in the display hand-moving operation, and
wherein the motor driving control unit energizes the two coils to rotate the hand in the other direction in the non-display hand-moving operation.

4. A timepiece comprising the hand-moving mechanism according to claim 3 .

5. A timepiece comprising the hand-moving mechanism according to claim 2 .

6. The hand-moving mechanism according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a motor driving control unit that individually controls energization to each coil to drive the stepping motor,
wherein the stepping motor has two coils,
wherein the motor driving control unit energizes only one coil to rotate the hand in one direction in a display hand-moving operation, and
wherein the motor driving control unit energizes the two coils to rotate the hand in the other direction in a non-display hand-moving operation.

7. A timepiece comprising the hand-moving mechanism according to claim 6 .

8. A timepiece comprising the hand-moving mechanism according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Saito Yuta
• Yano Junro

Classifications

• G04B19/04

  Hands; Discs with a single mark or the like {(moving indicating arrangements which have scales or numbers with stationary hands or reading means G04B19/20; optical projection of the position of the hands G04B19/34)} · CPC title

• G04C3/14 Primary

  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

• G04B19/241 Primary

  the date is indicated by one or more hands · CPC title

• G04B19/02

  Back-gearing arrangements between gear train and hands {(transmissions in general G04B13/00)} · CPC title