Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Power supply details
Patent
1998-02-24
1999-03-09
Roskoski, Bernard
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Power supply details
368204, 368140, 368148, G04B 100
Patent
active
058810277
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a watch movement according to the preamble of patent claim 1.
A watch movement is known from CH-597636, whose spring drives a time indicator and alternating-voltage-producing generator by means of gear train. The generator supplies voltage to a voltage transformer circuit, the voltage transformer circuit supplies voltage to a capacitive component, and the capacitive component supplies voltage to both an electronic reference circuit with a stable oscillator and an electronic control circuit. The electronic control circuit comprises a comparator-logic circuit and an energy dissipation circuit which is connected to the output of the comparator-logic circuit and whose power consumption is controllable by means of the comparator-logic circuit. One input of the comparator-logic circuit is connected to the electronic reference circuit and another input of the comparator-logic is connected with the generator. The comparator-logic circuit is designed such that it compares a clock signal from the electronic reference circuit with a clock signal from the generator, and, depending on the result of this comparison, the comparator-logic circuit controls the magnitude of the power consumption of the electronic control circuit by means of the magnitude to the power consumption of the energy dissipation circuit. In this manner, the comparator circuit also controls the movement of the generator and thereby the movement of the time indicator by control of the power consumption of the control circuit.
The power consumption of the energy dissipation circuit in the watch movement known from CH-597636 is, however, only controllable in two steps by means of the comparator-logic circuit according to CH-597636. The power consumption of the energy dissipation circuit according to CH-597636 is, namely, either maximum or zero. This means that the generator can only either be braked with a maximum strength or not at all. Significant control oscillations in the movement control of the watch movement result thereby. In this manner, relatively bad energy efficiency of the watch movement is obtained.
The voltage transformer circuit according to CH-597636 is a rectifier. One typically uses diodes as rectifiers in watch technology, such as is known, for example, from the publications GB-A-2,158,274, EP-A-0,326,312, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,931, EP-A-0,467,667, EP-A-0,326,313, EP-A-0,309,164, and EP-A-0,241,219. Diodes are passive components. The use of diodes as rectifiers during the total running time of a watch movement impairs the energy efficiency of the watch movement because of the threshold voltage of the diode.
In a watch movement whose spring drives a time indicator and a generator by means of a gear train, the problem arises that only limited energy can be stored in the spring. The more power is needed for driving the watch movement, the shorter is the movement reserve of the watch movement. The necessary drive power is a combination of the mechanical drive power for the watch movement, frictional power, and the electrical power of the generator. The electrical power output of the generator is determined by the power consumption of an energy-using electronic circuit connected to the generator. It is further noted that the frictional power of the generator has a direct relationship with the voltage induced by the generator. As a rough estimate, the mass of the rotor of a generator must be greater the greater the induced voltage is to be. However, the frictional power and the mass moment of inertia of the rotor also increase with the mass of the rotor. A relatively high mass moment of inertia of the rotor is, however, disadvantageous compared with a relatively small mass moment of inertia. If the rotor is, for example, stopped by an impact, it would start again more slowly with a relatively large mass moment of inertia compared with a relatively small mass moment of inertia. If the rotor has a relatively large mass moment of inertia it takes longer for it to once again achieve its nominal speed. There is thereby
REFERENCES:
patent: 4141064 (1979-02-01), Nagashima
patent: 5517469 (1996-05-01), Wiget
patent: 5699322 (1997-12-01), Born
patent: 5740131 (1998-04-01), Bernasconi
patent: 5751666 (1998-05-01), Farine et al.
Acts of Congress of Chronometrie, Nr. 1, 23 Sep. 1988, pp. 81-85, Hayakawa Mi A Study of New Energy Systems, etc. (II).
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