Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Power supply details
Utility Patent
1999-01-19
2001-01-02
Roskoski, Bernard (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Power supply details
C368S204000, C368S140000, C368S148000
Utility Patent
active
06169709
ABSTRACT:
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 capacitative component, and the capacitative 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 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 via a comparator step and an anticoincidence circuit. 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.
Other electronic circuits are known from patent documents EP 0239820 and EP 679968 for controlling the speed of a micro-generator in which a monitoring circuit continuously monitors an angle position of a rotor and brakes it as soon as the angle position is leading.
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 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 a danger during the starting phase of the rotor that the capacitive component will be discharged below a voltage level necessary to drive the watch electronics, this danger is naturally greater than with a rotor with a relatively small mass moment of inertia which accelerates more quickly so that the nominal speed is achieved more quickly.
Large electrical and mechanical energy losses necessarily lead, however, to a smaller movement reserve, or to the production to a watch movement with a larger spring, whereby the watch movement in its entirety has a greater volume.
It is an object of the present invention, to provide a watch movement whose spring drives a time indicator and a alternating-voltage-supplying generator by means of a gear train, which mechanism can be driven in a particularly energy-efficient manner.
This object is solved, according to the present invention, by a watch movement with the characteristics of patent claim
1
.
The particularly good energy efficiency of the watch movement of the present invention according to claim
1
is achieved in which at least one passive component is at least intermittently replaced with an active component with a smaller electrical resistance in the conducting direction. In this fashion, the voltage losses are decreased and the efficiency thereby increased.
This object is also achieved by a watch movement with the features of patent claim
2
.
With the watch movement of the present invention according to claim
2
, the power consumption of the electronic control circuit is controllable in more stages than with the watch movement according to CH-597,636. By these means, the control oscillations and energy losses related to the control oscillations can be decreased.
The object is further solved by a watch movement according to the invention with the features of patent claim
3
. With the watch movement of the present invention according to patent claim
3
, the power consumption of the electronic control circuit is practically continuously controllable in a predetermined range of values. A distinct decrease in control oscillations and related distinct improvement of energy efficiency of the watch movement is thereby achieved in comparison with the watch movement according to CH-597,636.
Advantageous embodiments of the watch movement of the present invention according to claim
1
are the subject of patent claims
4
through
6
,
8
,
9
, and
11
through
39
. Advantageous embodiments of the watch movement of the present invention according to patent claims
2
and
3
are the subject of patent claims
7
,
8
, and
10
through
39
.
The embodiments according to patent claims
5
to
7
combine the advantages of the watch movement of the present invention according to patent claim
1
and the watch movement of the present invention according to patent claim
2
, or as the case may be, the watch movement of the present invention according to claim
1
and the watch movement of the present invention according to patent claim
31
respectively.
According to the embodiment of patent claim
8
, the passive component is a diode and the accompanying active component is a switch controlled by a comparator. Voltage losses over the switch are at least about an order of magnitude smaller than voltage losses over a diode.
In the embodiments according to patent claims
12
,
26
, and
27
transistor structures are used in a double function as diodes and transistors. This is a particularly advantageous circuit technology and saves space.
The indicator for movement reserve in the embodiment according to patent claim
28
is particularly user friendly.
The circuit construction according to patent claims
32
and
33
as an IC is parti
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Roskoski Bernard
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