DE8903342U1 - Clock with memory warning indicator - Google Patents

Description

JGa 168 DE Fg/Bo

JUNGHANS UHREN GHBH, D-7230 Schramberg Clock with Speicher-Marnan watch

The invention relates to a watch according to the preamble of claim

Such a clock is known from US-PS 4,262,345 or, in more detail, particularly with regard to its detection device, from US-PS 3,898,790. The signaling of the impending shutdown of the clock due to the impending exhaustion of the battery is done by a flashing of the original display or by activating an additional display provided for this purpose. One possibility is not very informative for the user of a clock, since this operating state only occurs every few years in a clock powered by a primary battery and possibly at even longer intervals in a clock powered by primary energy via a memory, so the user is generally unable to interpret the flashing correctly. On the other hand, the effort required for a complete additional display, which is required solely for this signal, is far too great in terms of circuitry and space requirements for this rare special case in the operation of the clock to appear to be an economically viable solution.

In recognition of these circumstances, the invention is based on the task of equipping a watch of this type in such a way that a memory warning display can be realized which is both obvious in terms of the display appearance and the display effort as well as technically and economically efficient in terms of the display space required.

This object is essentially achieved according to the invention in that the generic watch is additionally designed according to the characterizing part of claim 1.

According to this solution, a very meaningful warning signal can be achieved with minimal additional effort in the already existing alphanumeric multi-segment display by displaying a battery symbol with at least one small additional segment by supplementing a standard character or by combining parts of the same standard character next to each other.

It is particularly useful to use an active optronic semiconductor component such as the emitter of an infrared light barrier in the detection device for controlling the warning information as a voltage detection element operating in two-point operation - which is also considered to be independently protectable, because such an element stops working when the voltage falls below a very defined level. If the clock is therefore already equipped with an infrared light barrier for detecting the position of the hands (see US-PS 4,645,357), for example, there is no need for the circuitry effort of an additional reference element for the function of the voltage detection device on the supply voltage storage device. In particular, it is possible to switch off the hand time display on a watch with a hybrid display (cf. EP-OS 0285838) if the light barriers for the hand position detection no longer work correctly, and to continue the time display via a digital display intended for other time-dependent displays, while the end of the light barrier function leads to the output of the memory warning information.

Additional alternatives and further developments as well as further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the further claims and, also taking into account the statements in the summary, from the following description of preferred implementation examples for the solution according to the invention, which are outlined in the drawing in a highly abstract manner and are limited to the essentials.

It shows:

Fig. 1 in the highly abstracted single-pole block diagram a solar-powered radio clock with hybrid display, alarm control circuit and storage detection device for reversing the digit nl-

Display for a battery warning indicator,

Fig. 2 in a section of a digital display an a.lphaniimpi i'u-hes multi-segment sign with segment additions to the probe information display regarding the end of the available storage energy,

Fig. 3 in a modification of the conditions according to Fig. 2 an alarm clock display with the addition of multi-segment symbols placed next to one another for the display of special information and

Fig. 4 the display according to Fig. 3 after switching to a battery change indicator as the special information.

The clock 11 shown in the drawing is equipped with an autonomously operating timekeeping circuit 12 and, in the example shown, also with a radio receiver 13.

for recording and decoding of absolute signals transmitted via radio
Time information for checking and, if necessary, correcting the information 15 just determined in the time register 14 about the actual current time; as described in detail in US-PS 4,650,344
described in more detail. In addition, the circuit 12 supplies control pulses to an electromechanical converter 17 for the time-keeping or corrective advancement of the hands 18 of an analog display 19.

The clock 11 is also equipped with a digital display 20, the electro-optical segment display (see Fig. 2 - Fig. 4) of which is controlled via a decoder circuit 21 in accordance with the output information of a display register 23 that can be set via a handle 22 or the current time information 15 from the time register 14 in order to present corresponding optical information alphanumerically on the display 20.

The clock 11 is operated from an electrical storage device 24, which can be a primary energy source such as a galvanic cell, or the electrophysical or electrochemical buffer storage device behind a primary energy converter 25 which responds, for example, to radiation energy (in the thermal or visible spectral range). A detection device 26 connected in parallel to the storage device 24 continuously or at intervals determines the charge level of the storage device 24, i.e. its energy reserve for operating the clock 11. If the operating voltage supplied from the storage device 24 drops critically, an input 27 of the decoder circuit 21 is activated in order to signal a warning on the display 20 (as per Fig. 2 or Fig. 4) that the storage device is almost exhausted and that proper operation of the clock will end in the foreseeable future. Depending on the circumstances, a primary energy storage device must now be replaced with a fresh galvanic battery or the energy supply to the converter 25 must be increased, for example by bright irradiation of solar cells.

It is now expedient to switch off any external consumers that are present and can be dispensed with from the power supply 28 in order to be able to continue to operate properly for as long as possible with the residual power in the memory 24, at least the most important functions, in particular the current time display and, in the case of an alarm clock, the alarm at the predefined alarm time. One such dispensable consumer with a relatively high energy requirement is the electromechanical converter 17 for the continuous or discontinuous movement of the hands 18. The warning information 29 supplied by the detector device 26 is therefore expediently also sent to a converter switching input 30 in order to stop the hand drive. It is now preferably adjusted in rapid motion to a predefined parking position in which the viewer of the clock 11 is as far as possible not subject to any false conclusions based on the current (but switched off) hand position, because e.g. B. both the minute hand and the hour hand point horizontally to the left (to the number 9), which is of course only possible with separate drives for these two hands. A hand position detection device 31, as

described in more detail in US-PS 4,645,357, can be used to signal the reaching of the parking position to the pointer control, which at the same time opens up the possibility of swinging the pointer 18 back into the currently correct position after sufficient energy reserves in the memory 24 have been restored, i.e. due to the elimination of the warning information 29 at the switching input 30.

The memory warning display on the display 20 triggered by the detection device 26 can be implemented in that one of the electromechanical or electrooptical alphanumeric multi-segment characters 32 that can be controlled via the decoder circuit 21 (Fig. 1) is equipped with additional segments 33 that can be specifically controlled from the decoder circuit 21 in order to give a memory warning that is unmistakable even for the layman (as described, for example, as a reminder to replace the battery immediately). A battery display 34 is preferred as such a warning display, which consists, for example, of the outer character segments 35 and an additional segment 33 in the form of a battery pole, optionally supplemented by a further additional element 33 in the form of a polarity indication, in the middle above an actual alphanumeric character 32.

The warning signal can be made more conspicuous by not designing it as a supplement to a normal character 32, but rather consisting of segments 35 of adjacent segments that are not usually used for a single character display, as can be seen in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. Here, the battery display 34 is made up of the character segments 35 of the upper half of two multi-segment characters 32 arranged next to each other, supplemented by the described additional segments 33 in the form of a battery pole and a polarity indication, and now further supplemented by bridging additional segments 33' between the adjacent characters 32-32. When the decoder circuit 21 is controlled accordingly from the detection device 26, a character display 34 (Fig. 4) is produced that is located in the direction of the character sequence on the display 2Q, transverse to the normal character 32.

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In the example shown in Fig. 3, the alarm time and the fact that the alarm function (display AL) is activated are normally shown on the display. When the detection device 26 is activated, the display switches to the battery display 34 and the current time (Fig. 4) is continuously shown on the display 20 (instead of the alarm time entered in register 23) after the pointer time display is switched off. The activation function of the clock 11 is retained, ^i.e. when the preset alarm time (now no longer constant, but only displayed when the button is pressed manually and then instead of the current time) is reached, the alarm signal is triggered.

Preferably, the display 20 also contains an additional numerical display 36 on which the time-keeping circuit 12 shows how long the battery display 34 has been present, i.e. how many hours or days of operating reserve are still left in the current economy mode before the clock 11 fails completely if the memory 24 has not been replaced or recharged by then.

In a manner known as such, it may be expedient to signal the need to recharge or replace the memory 24 even more emphatically by having the additional display .36 and/or the battery display 34 flash.

In the case of a hybrid display clock 11, i.e. a clock 11 equipped with hands 18 and a display 20, a detection device 31 is also required, regardless of the described function of the hand position detection for correcting a false display or for pivoting into a parking position, if synchronization information must be derived from the movement of the hands 18 for the coordination between analog and digital information representation, for example in the case of defined hand pitch runs.

This can be achieved using trailing contacts, but more conveniently (as they are less susceptible to interference) using contactless switching devices, such as a light barrier arrangement of the type mentioned above that operates in the infrared spectrum. For physical reasons, the semiconductor transmitting diode of such a light barrier has a very defined voltage threshold below which no more energy is emitted in the infrared spectrum. It is therefore expedient to use the optronic light barrier of the position detection device 31 as a reference element for detecting the drop in the supply voltage below a defined level within the scope of the detection device 26, so that the use of an independent voltage comparator circuit is unnecessary. As soon as the operation of the device stops due to a falling voltage at the storage device 24, from which the position detection device 31 is also fed (in Fig. 1 only indicated by the dashed continuation of the supply network 28), because the voltage at the light barrier transmitting diode collapses, this is evaluated as an indicator and therefore the warning information 29 is issued.

For checking purposes, the pointers 18 can initially be moved normally (time-keeping) in order to query the light barrier reference pulse in the next reference position passage expected based on the step sequence. However, if this does not occur repeatedly, this is extended as a criterion for failure of the light barrier (i.e. also for impending breakdown of the supply voltage). The pointers 18 can then still be swung into the specified parking position; since the last actually determined light barrier passage (reference position η), the calculated pointer steps have been counted in the pointer drive circuit, so that the current pointer position is known: and the number of steps still missing until the parking position is clearly determined from this.

Claims (1)

JQi 168 EN _ &bgr; _ Fg/Bo Expectations ■J. Clock (11) fed from an electrical storage device (24) with a multi-segment digital display (20) and a detection device (26) for issuing a warning message (29) when the storage device (24) is about to run out, characterized in that in addition to a multi-segment symbol (32) on the display (20), at least one additional element (33) is provided for a symbolic battery display (34) when the warning message (29) appears. 2. Clock according to claim 1, characterized in that an additional segment (33) in the form of a battery pole symbol is provided. 3. Clock according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an additional segment (33) in the form of a polarity indication is provided. 4. Clock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the additional segment (33) is arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis next to a multi-segment symbol (32). •-'9 - 5. Watch according to one of claims 1 to 3,
dadurcii marked, that the additional segment (33) is offset from the transverse center plane next to a multi-segment character (32). 6. Watch according to claim 5,
characterized, that adjacent parts of adjacent multi-segment characters (32-32) are bridged by additional segments (33*) in the direction of the battery display (34). 7. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery display (34) is controlled intermittently. 8. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in addition a display (36) is provided over a period of time in relation to the insertion of the battery display (34). ■*. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped as a hybrid display clock (11) with hands (18) for the continuous time display and with a display (20) in particular for time-derived or control information and that when the battery display (34) is activated, the continuous time display takes place via the display (?.0) . 10. Clock according to claim 9,
characterized, that when the time is displayed on the display (20), the hands (18) can be swivelled into a predetermined parking position. ...10 10 11. Watch according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is equipped with a heat- emitting semiconductor diode as a limit voltage reference element in its voltage detection device (26) for emitting a memory warning information (29). 12. Watch according to claim 11 and 9 or 10,
characterized, 10 daO the diode is part of a light barrier in a detection device (31) for the current position of the pointer (1ü).