GB1372620A - Electronic timepieces - Google Patents

Abstract

1372620 Electronic timepieces DAINI SEIKOSHA KK 16 Oct 1972 [19 Oct 1971] 47597/72 Heading G3T A wholly electronic timepiece, e.g. a wrist watch, incorporates, in addition to normal time of day indication, a multi-timer by which a plurality of predetermined times can be pre-set in one operation, without waiting for one pre-set time to be reached before pre-setting the next. An accoustic or optical alarm is operated at the times pre-set. The pre-set times may be fed in by means of a punched card or tape co-operative with photoelectric sensors, Figs. 2, 3, or by operating pushbutton switches to feed a fixed frequency pulsed signal (e.g. at 1Hz) via counters to storage registers, Fig.1 (not shown). As shown, Fig.3, for normal time of day indication there is a known arrangement of a time base oscillator 19 followed by a frequency divider circuit 20, having an output at 1Hz which is fed to secs, mins, hours counters 21, 22, 23 respectively. The outputs of the counters are fed via gates 21c, 22c, 23c to decoders 24, 25, 26 and thence via drivers 27, 28, 29 to operate seconds, minutes and hours display. The display may be liquid crystal or light-emitting diode type. A display element 9 is activated when the display is indicating time of day. In pre-setting the timer, photo-electric elements, e.g. photo-transistors, 70a to 70d, Fig.3, respond respectively to the rows of perforations 63a to 63d, Fig.2, which represent the timer switching signal, and the hour, minute and second signals respectively, Signals from the elements are shaped at 71a to 71d respectively. A switch 15 is closed thereby closing gates 21c, 22c, 23c, which blocks the normal time display although counters 21-23 continue to run, and open gates 72a to 72d. The timer switching signal passes via gate 72a to a register 37 which selects the appropriate storage register 41 to 49 to which the timer pre-setting signals are to be applied. Thus to set the first time, the register 37 produces an output in a line 37a which opens gates 38, 39, 40. The hour signal will thereby pass to be stored in register 41, the minute signal in register 42, the seconds in register 43. After setting the first time, a signal produced in photo-electric element 70a operates the shift register 37 to allow the signal to appear on a line 37b. This permits the second predetermined time to be stored in registers 44, 45, 46 and so on by increasing the number of registers the number of predetermined times which can be "written in", can be increased. The pre-set time components i.e. the hours, minutes, seconds stored in the registers is compared in AND gates 53, 54, 55 respectively with the outputs of the hours, minutes and seconds counters 23, 22, 21 respectively and on correspondence an alarm 58 is activated. In addition a visual time indication is given by a display element 10. Display elements 11, 12, 13 are individually activated to indicate which predetermined time setting is functioning. The same display panel may be employed to display the pre-set time or time of day as in Fig.4 (not shown).