EP1247145B1 - Watch provided with a device for the indication of the status of batteries - Google Patents

Watch provided with a device for the indication of the status of batteries Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1247145B1
EP1247145B1 EP01978709A EP01978709A EP1247145B1 EP 1247145 B1 EP1247145 B1 EP 1247145B1 EP 01978709 A EP01978709 A EP 01978709A EP 01978709 A EP01978709 A EP 01978709A EP 1247145 B1 EP1247145 B1 EP 1247145B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
circuit
battery
watch
counting
assessing
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EP01978709A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP1247145A1 (en
Inventor
Urs Haeni
Laurent Boillod
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ISA France SA
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ISA France SA
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C10/00—Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces
    • G04C10/04—Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces with means for indicating the condition of the power supply

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a watch equipped with a device for indicating the state of batteries. Such devices are well known to those skilled in the art.
  • US Pat. No. 5,446,702 includes, in a watch, a circuit for determining at least one physical characteristic of the battery that varies when it is at the end of its life, means for display of the state of the battery, and a control circuit of the display means.
  • An independent motor is for driving the display device. When this load falls below a limit value, the electronic circuit instructs the motor to drive the display device to a position indicating end of life of the battery.
  • the information thus given is therefore of the binary type.
  • the wearer of the watch has a few days to change the battery.
  • the device in which the device is intended to equip a watch which comprises several electrical components, at least one of which serves to activate a complementary function at the request of the user, the device counting includes a memory in which information relating to the consumption of this component is stored. The counting circuit is arranged in such a way that it sends to the evaluation circuit information relating to the energy consumed, whenever the complementary function, activated on demand, is requested.
  • the evaluation circuit it is generally advantageous for the evaluation circuit to be arranged in such a way that it sends to the control circuit the information coming from the counting circuit as long as the information coming from the determination circuit indicates a normal operation of the circuit. the battery. Indeed, in the In most cases, the information from the determination circuit varies only when the available energy can only ensure a few days of normal operation. By doing so, the watch indicates, during most of the operating time of its battery, information from the counting circuit and which is given from the consumption of the various components, while at the end of its life, is the determining circuit which takes over, so that the displayed information is based on information on the state of the battery.
  • the display means comprises a needle.
  • the control circuit is arranged so that, for a given energy consumption, the movement of the needle is all the more important that the available energy is low. In this way, the reading can be done on an important angle at the end of life, which corresponds to the most critical period.
  • the display means further comprise a scale opposite which the needle moves.
  • This scale has a first sector, which indicates the available energy, between 100% and a non-zero value and a second sector, which indicates that the battery is at the end of its life.
  • the control circuit is arranged so that it brings the needle facing the first sector exclusively as the information from the counting circuit is considered the most relevant.
  • the control circuit is arranged so that the needle is brought facing the second sector when the evaluation circuit sends an end of life indication command to the control circuit, as soon as the information coming from the circuit determination shows that the physical characteristic of the stack varies.
  • the watch schematically represented in FIG. 1 comprises, in a conventional manner, a battery 10, an electronic time counting circuit 12, an electronic alarm circuit 14 and a device for detecting and indicating the state of the battery. 16.
  • the battery 10 supplies the circuits 12 and 14 as well as the device 16, as shown in the drawing by the thick lines.
  • the time counting circuit 12 comprises a time base 18, in general a quartz and its maintenance circuit, a frequency divider 20 providing, in addition, a counter function, and an electromagnetic transducer 22, formed of a motor and its control circuit.
  • the time base 18 delivers a sinusoidal signal of stable frequency.
  • the divider 20 converts the sinusoidal signal into square pulses and divides the frequency to 1 Hz or below, depending on the rotation frequency of the motor.
  • the divider 20 provides, in addition, a counter function. It is arranged to contain the information relating to the second, the minute and the hour of the current time.
  • the 1 Hz signals are applied to the motor control circuit, which delivers motor pulses.
  • the motor of the transducer 22 comprises a rotor driven by these driving pulses, which rotates a gear train, schematically represented at 24, which carries needles ensuring the display of the current time.
  • the alarm circuit 14 is formed of a comparator 26, a memory 28, a control 30 and an electroacoustic transducer 32. It is intended to attract the attention of the wearer at a given moment, chooses to advance.
  • the comparator 26 is connected to the divider circuit 20, the memory 28 to the control 30. When there is identity between the contents of the memory 28 and the counter portion of the divider 20, this means that the chosen instant is reached .
  • the comparator 26 informs the control 30 which then activates the transducer 32.
  • the device for detecting and indicating the state of the battery 16 comprises a circuit 34 for determining the state of charge of the battery, a circuit 36 for counting the energy consumed by the components of the watch, display means 38, a control circuit 39 of the display means, and an evaluation circuit 40.
  • the circuit 34 determines whether or not the voltage measured under load is lower than a limit value which, when it is reached, means that the battery is reaching the end of its life. It is connected to the terminals of the battery 10 or a resistor disposed in series at its output, to measure the voltage, in a conventional manner.
  • the counting circuit 36 is connected to the divider 20 and the control 30. It thus knows the time during which the transducer 32 operates and the number of times that the alarm is activated. It will be noted that it is not necessary for the counting circuit 36 to be connected to the transducer 22, since the latter operates in a regular manner, so that its consumption can be evaluated on the basis of the information coming from the divider 20.
  • the counting circuit 36 would also be connected to the control circuit of this function, in order to know the time during which it operates.
  • the counting circuit 36 includes a memory and a decrementing counter, which have not been shown in the drawing, to avoid overloading it.
  • the memory contains information relating to the predictable capacity of the battery and to the power consumption of each of the components of the watch, which will be specified below. This information is introduced in manufacturing.
  • the display means 38 are partially shown in FIG. 2. There can be seen a needle 42 and a display scale 44 having a first sector 44a opposite which are indications relating to the load, in this case the numbers "100, 50, 20 and 10", and a second sector 44b opposite which is the needle 42 when the battery is at the end of life.
  • the needle 42 is carried by a mobile part of a gear train, itself driven by a stepper motor. Both the motor and the gear train have not been shown, to avoid overloading the drawing.
  • the evaluation circuit 40 receives information from both the determination circuit 34 and the counting circuit 36.
  • the watch as defined above further comprises control means for correcting the displayed time and for introducing the times at which the alarm must be activated, which have not been represented, since they are perfectly known to those skilled in the art. It works in the following way.
  • the time base 18 delivers a signal to the input of the divider 20.
  • the latter sends pulses to the motor 22 which drives the gear train 24.
  • the divider 20, in its counter part, comprises the information relating to the current time, the minute, the hour, the day, etc.
  • the control means of the watch are, for example, formed of a crown or pushers, which make it possible to modify the information displayed by the hands, by rotating the motor 22 at high speed and, simultaneously, to correct the contents of the divider 20.
  • the control means further ensure the modification and activation or deactivation of the alarm circuit 14. More specifically, the contents of the memory 28 adjusted, thus recording an alarm time.
  • the comparator 26 is put into operation so that the control 30 is activated when the contents of the memory 28 correspond to that of the counter part of the divider 20.
  • the transducer 32 then emits one or more sound signals informing the carrier, as he had programmed.
  • the counting circuit 36 is provided in its memory with information relating to the capacity of the battery, the consumption of the various components of the watch, and the indication of the charge of the battery. More precisely, the memory contains a value C p corresponding to the charge of the battery and two other values, T m and T a , relating to the consumption of the watch.
  • T m refers to the consumption of the watch in normal operation, that is to say that relating to the circuit 12, and T has the operation of the alarm, that is to say the circuit 14.
  • T m and T a are, then, the times necessary for the watch in normal operation, respectively the alarm, to consume 1uAh, ie one tenth of the total charge.
  • T m could be equal to 3600 seconds, or one hour. This means that the consumption of the watch is 1 ⁇ A.
  • T may be equal to 3.6 seconds, the transducer consumption 32 being equal to 1 mA.
  • the information relating to the indication relating to the charge of the battery relates to the values of the state of the decrementer for which the needle is to be moved. These values are called jump values in the following description.
  • the decrementor When a new battery is put in place, the decrementor is initialized to its nominal value. It is decremented by 1 each time the watch in normal operation has performed its function during a time T m , or the complementary function is activated during a time T a . The state of the decrementor is then compared with the value in memory relative to the indication. Whenever the state corresponds to a jump value, the information is transmitted to the evaluation circuit 40.
  • the evaluation circuit 40 receives information from both the determining circuit 34 and the counting circuit 36. As long as the determining circuit informs the evaluation circuit that the voltage of the battery is greater than the limit value, the evaluation circuit 40 considers the information from the counting circuit 36 as relevant. It then instructs the indicator 38, and more particularly its motor, to drive the needle 42 by one step each time the content of the counting circuit 36 is equal to a threshold value.
  • the number of jump values typically between 5 and 25, is equal to the number of steps to be performed by the motor of the indicator 38 for the needle 42 to traverse the angle corresponding to the sector 44a.
  • the needle 42 enters the second sector 44b only when the determination circuit 34 sends to the evaluation circuit 26 the information relating to the voltage drop across the terminals of the battery 10. At this point regardless of the position of the needle 42, the latter is brought opposite sector 44b.
  • the device as described can, of course, be the subject of many variants. It is thus possible to provide a counting circuit with an incrementer rather than a decrementer. It is also possible to provide a linear scale for the display of available energy.
  • An equivalent solution can be applied to a watch provided with a liquid crystal display, digital type or sectors. It is also conceivable to associate the watch with a complementary indication when the battery reaches the end of its life, for example by having a second hand limp, flashing a display, etc. It is also possible to interrupt the possible use of certain energy-hungry functions, such as a chronograph, for example.

Description

La présente invention concerne une montre équipée d'un dispositif d'indication de l'état de piles. De tels dispositifs sont bien connus de l'homme du métier.The present invention relates to a watch equipped with a device for indicating the state of batteries. Such devices are well known to those skilled in the art.

L'un d'entre eux est décrit dans le brevet US 5446702. Il comporte, dans une montre, un circuit de détermination d'au moins une caractéristique physique de la pile variant lorsqu'elle est en fin de vie, des moyens d'affichage de l'état de la pile, et un circuit de commande des moyens d'affichage. Un moteur indépendant est destiné à entraîner le dispositif d'affichage. Lorsque cette charge descend en dessous d'une valeur limite, le circuit électronique donne l'ordre au moteur d'entraîner le dispositif d'affichage dans une position indiquant la fin de vie de la pile. L'information ainsi donnée est donc de type binaire. Le porteur de la montre dispose ainsi de quelques jours pour changer sa pile.One of them is described in US Pat. No. 5,446,702. It includes, in a watch, a circuit for determining at least one physical characteristic of the battery that varies when it is at the end of its life, means for display of the state of the battery, and a control circuit of the display means. An independent motor is for driving the display device. When this load falls below a limit value, the electronic circuit instructs the motor to drive the display device to a position indicating end of life of the battery. The information thus given is therefore of the binary type. The wearer of the watch has a few days to change the battery.

Un autre dispositif de ce type est décrit dans le document JP 58061488. Ce document divulgue, plus précisément, une montre comportant des moyens permettant de transformer la charge de la pile en un temps de fonctionnement. Cette montre comporte un compteur et un affichage. Le compteur est régulièrement incrémenté et son contenu, qui correspond au temps de vie restant, est indiqué au moyen de l'affichage. Le porteur sait ainsi à tout moment l'espérance de vie de la pile. Pour qu'un tel dispositif soit sûr, il est nécessaire de prendre une marge de sécurité importante. En effet, la capacité d'une pile ne peut pas être mesurée avec précision sans la décharger. Elle varie considérablement de l'une à l'autre, à cause notamment des conditions de stockage. De la sorte, il est certain que, dans de nombreux cas, la pile sera changée alors que sa réserve de marche pourrait encore garantir un fonctionnement durant plusieurs semaines, voire plusieurs mois. Si la marge de sécurité est insuffisante, il est également possible que la réserve soit plus faible que celle évaluée, de sorte que la montre s'arrête avant que l'indicateur ne soit à zéro, ce qui est encore plus gênant.Another device of this type is described in document JP 58061488. This document discloses, more specifically, a watch having means for transforming the charge of the battery into an operating time. This watch has a counter and a display. The counter is incremented regularly and its content, which corresponds to the remaining life time, is indicated by means of the display. The wearer knows at any time the life expectancy of the battery. For such a device to be safe, it is necessary to take a large margin of safety. Indeed, the capacity of a battery can not be accurately measured without discharging it. It varies considerably from one to the other, mainly because of the storage conditions. In this way, it is certain that, in many cases, the battery will be changed while its power reserve could still guarantee operation for several weeks, or even months. If the margin of safety is insufficient, it is also possible that the reserve is lower than that assessed, so that the shows stops before the indicator is zero, which is even more embarrassing.

Le but de la présente invention est de pallier ces inconvénients. Ce but est atteint grâce au fait que la montre selon l'invention est équipée d'un dispositif comportant, en combinaison:

  • un circuit de comptage de l'énergie consommée par ladite montre, et
  • un circuit d'évaluation de la capacité de la pile, relié aux circuits de détermination et de comptage et agencé pour traiter les informations et sélectionner l'information la plus pertinente provenant soit du circuit de détermination soit du circuit de comptage.
The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages. This object is achieved by virtue of the fact that the watch according to the invention is equipped with a device comprising, in combination:
  • a circuit for counting the energy consumed by said watch, and
  • a capacitance evaluation circuit of the battery connected to the determination and counting circuits and arranged to process the information and select the most relevant information from either the determining circuit or the counting circuit.

Si les montres les plus simples ne comportent qu'un moteur assurant l'entraînement de l'ensemble de ses pièces mobiles, d'autres, plus complexes, comportent des transducteurs complémentaires, à l'instar d'un transducteur électro-acoustique, activé pour indiquer, par l'émission d'un son, un temps déterminé à l'avance. De tels transducteurs influencent considérablement la consommation de la montre. C'est pourquoi, dans un mode de réalisation particulièrement intéressant, dans lequel le dispositif est destiné à équiper une montre qui comprend plusieurs composants électriques dont l'un au moins sert à activer une fonction complémentaire à la demande de l'utilisateur, le dispositif de comptage comporte une mémoire dans laquelle sont stockées des informations relatives à la consommation de ce composant. Le circuit de comptage est agencé de manière à ce qu'il adresse au circuit d'évaluation une information relative à l'énergie consommée, chaque fois que la fonction complémentaire, activée à la demande, est sollicitée.While the simplest watches only have one motor that drives all of its moving parts, others, which are more complex, have complementary transducers, like an electro-acoustic transducer, which is activated. to indicate, by the emission of a sound, a predetermined time. Such transducers greatly influence the consumption of the watch. Therefore, in a particularly advantageous embodiment, in which the device is intended to equip a watch which comprises several electrical components, at least one of which serves to activate a complementary function at the request of the user, the device counting includes a memory in which information relating to the consumption of this component is stored. The counting circuit is arranged in such a way that it sends to the evaluation circuit information relating to the energy consumed, whenever the complementary function, activated on demand, is requested.

Il est, en général, avantageux que le circuit d'évaluation soit agencé de manière à ce qu'il adresse au circuit de commande l'information provenant du circuit de comptage tant que l'information provenant du circuit de détermination indique un fonctionnement normal de la pile. En effet, dans la plupart des cas, l'information provenant du circuit de détermination ne varie que lorsque l'énergie disponible ne peut plus assurer que quelques jours de fonctionnement normal. En procédant ainsi, la montre indique, durant l'essentiel du temps de fonctionnement de sa pile, une information provenant du circuit de comptage et qui est donnée à partir de la consommation des différents composants, alors qu'en fin de vie, c'est le circuit de détermination qui prend la relève, de sorte que l'information affichée se fonde sur des informations relatives à l'état de la pile.It is generally advantageous for the evaluation circuit to be arranged in such a way that it sends to the control circuit the information coming from the counting circuit as long as the information coming from the determination circuit indicates a normal operation of the circuit. the battery. Indeed, in the In most cases, the information from the determination circuit varies only when the available energy can only ensure a few days of normal operation. By doing so, the watch indicates, during most of the operating time of its battery, information from the counting circuit and which is given from the consumption of the various components, while at the end of its life, is the determining circuit which takes over, so that the displayed information is based on information on the state of the battery.

Dans un mode de réalisation préféré, les moyens d'affichage comprennent une aiguille. En outre, le circuit de commande est agencé de manière à ce que, pour une consommation d'énergie donnée, le déplacement de l'aiguille est d'autant plus important que l'énergie disponible est faible. De la sorte, la lecture peut se faire sur un angle important en fin de vie, ce qui correspond à la période la plus critique.In a preferred embodiment, the display means comprises a needle. In addition, the control circuit is arranged so that, for a given energy consumption, the movement of the needle is all the more important that the available energy is low. In this way, the reading can be done on an important angle at the end of life, which corresponds to the most critical period.

Avantageusement, les moyens d'affichage comprennent, en outre, une échelle en regard de laquelle se déplace l'aiguille. Cette échelle comporte un premier secteur, qui indique l'énergie disponible, comprise entre 100% et une valeur non nulle et un second secteur, qui indique que la pile est en fin de vie. Le circuit de commande est agencé de manière à ce qu'il amène l'aiguille en regard du premier secteur exclusivement tant que l'information provenant du circuit de comptage est considérée comme la plus pertinente. Le circuit de commande est agencé de manière à ce que l'aiguille soit amenée en regard du second secteur lorsque le circuit d'évaluation adresse au circuit de commande un ordre d'indication de fin de vie, dès que l'information provenant du circuit de détermination montre que la caractéristique physique de la pile varie.Advantageously, the display means further comprise a scale opposite which the needle moves. This scale has a first sector, which indicates the available energy, between 100% and a non-zero value and a second sector, which indicates that the battery is at the end of its life. The control circuit is arranged so that it brings the needle facing the first sector exclusively as the information from the counting circuit is considered the most relevant. The control circuit is arranged so that the needle is brought facing the second sector when the evaluation circuit sends an end of life indication command to the control circuit, as soon as the information coming from the circuit determination shows that the physical characteristic of the stack varies.

D'autres avantages et caractéristiques de l'invention ressortiront de la description qui va suivre, faite en regard du dessin annexé, dans lequel:

  • la figure 1 représente, de manière schématique, une montre munie d'un tel dispositif, et
  • la figure 2 montre une partie de cadran de la montre avec les moyens d'affichage de l'état de la pile.
Other advantages and features of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawing, in which:
  • FIG. 1 represents, schematically, a watch provided with such a device, and
  • Figure 2 shows a portion of the dial of the watch with the display means of the state of the battery.

La montre schématiquement représentée à la figure 1 comporte, de manière classique, une pile 10, un circuit électronique de comptage du temps 12, un circuit électronique d'alarme 14 et un dispositif de détection et d'indication de l'état de la pile 16. La pile 10 alimente les circuits 12 et 14 ainsi que le dispositif 16, comme représenté au dessin par les traits épais.The watch schematically represented in FIG. 1 comprises, in a conventional manner, a battery 10, an electronic time counting circuit 12, an electronic alarm circuit 14 and a device for detecting and indicating the state of the battery. 16. The battery 10 supplies the circuits 12 and 14 as well as the device 16, as shown in the drawing by the thick lines.

Le circuit de comptage du temps 12 comprend une base de temps 18, en général un quartz et son circuit d'entretien, un diviseur de fréquence 20 assurant, en outre, une fonction de compteur, et un transducteur électromagnétique 22, formé d'un moteur et de son circuit de commande.The time counting circuit 12 comprises a time base 18, in general a quartz and its maintenance circuit, a frequency divider 20 providing, in addition, a counter function, and an electromagnetic transducer 22, formed of a motor and its control circuit.

La base de temps 18 délivre un signal sinusoïdal de fréquence stable. Le diviseur 20 transforme le signal sinusoïdal en des impulsions carrées et divise la fréquence jusqu'à 1 Hz ou au-dessous, selon la fréquence de rotation du moteur. Le diviseur 20 assure, en outre, une fonction de compteur. Il est agencé pour contenir les informations relatives à la seconde, la minute et l'heure du temps courant. Les signaux de 1 Hz sont appliqués au circuit de commande du moteur, qui délivre des impulsions motrices. Le moteur du transducteur 22 comporte un rotor, entraîné par ces impulsions motrices, qui fait tourner un train d'engrenages, schématiquement représenté en 24, lequel porte des aiguilles assurant l'affichage du temps courant.The time base 18 delivers a sinusoidal signal of stable frequency. The divider 20 converts the sinusoidal signal into square pulses and divides the frequency to 1 Hz or below, depending on the rotation frequency of the motor. The divider 20 provides, in addition, a counter function. It is arranged to contain the information relating to the second, the minute and the hour of the current time. The 1 Hz signals are applied to the motor control circuit, which delivers motor pulses. The motor of the transducer 22 comprises a rotor driven by these driving pulses, which rotates a gear train, schematically represented at 24, which carries needles ensuring the display of the current time.

Le circuit d'alarme 14 est formé d'un comparateur 26, d'une mémoire 28, d'une commande 30 et d'un transducteur électroacoustique 32. Il est destiné à attirer l'attention du porteur en un instant donné, choisit à l'avance. Le comparateur 26 est relié au circuit diviseur 20, à la mémoire 28 à la commande 30. Lorsqu'il y a identité entre les contenus de la mémoire 28 et de la partie compteur du diviseur 20, cela signifie que l'instant choisi est atteint. Le comparateur 26 en informe la commande 30 qui active alors le transducteur 32.The alarm circuit 14 is formed of a comparator 26, a memory 28, a control 30 and an electroacoustic transducer 32. It is intended to attract the attention of the wearer at a given moment, chooses to advance. The comparator 26 is connected to the divider circuit 20, the memory 28 to the control 30. When there is identity between the contents of the memory 28 and the counter portion of the divider 20, this means that the chosen instant is reached . The comparator 26 informs the control 30 which then activates the transducer 32.

Le dispositif de détection et d'indication de l'état de la pile 16 comporte un circuit 34 de détermination de l'état de la charge de la pile, un circuit 36 de comptage de l'énergie consommée par les composants de la montre, des moyens d'affichage 38, un circuit de commande 39 des moyens d'affichage, et un circuit d'évaluation 40.The device for detecting and indicating the state of the battery 16 comprises a circuit 34 for determining the state of charge of the battery, a circuit 36 for counting the energy consumed by the components of the watch, display means 38, a control circuit 39 of the display means, and an evaluation circuit 40.

Le circuit 34 détermine si la tension mesurée en charge est ou non inférieure à une valeur limite qui, lorsqu'elle est atteinte, signifie que la pile arrive en fin de vie. Il est branché aux bornes de la pile 10 ou d'une résistance disposée en série à sa sortie, pour mesurer la tension, de manière classique.The circuit 34 determines whether or not the voltage measured under load is lower than a limit value which, when it is reached, means that the battery is reaching the end of its life. It is connected to the terminals of the battery 10 or a resistor disposed in series at its output, to measure the voltage, in a conventional manner.

Le circuit de comptage 36 est relié au diviseur 20 et à la commande 30. Il connaît ainsi le temps durant lequel le transducteur 32 fonctionne et le nombre de fois que l'alarme est activée. On relèvera qu'il n'est pas nécessaire que le circuit de comptage 36 soit relié au transducteur 22, car ce dernier travaille de manière régulière, de sorte que sa consommation peut être évaluée sur la base des informations provenant du diviseur 20.The counting circuit 36 is connected to the divider 20 and the control 30. It thus knows the time during which the transducer 32 operates and the number of times that the alarm is activated. It will be noted that it is not necessary for the counting circuit 36 to be connected to the transducer 22, since the latter operates in a regular manner, so that its consumption can be evaluated on the basis of the information coming from the divider 20.

Il est bien clair que si la montre était munie d'autres fonctions, par exemple d'un chronographe, le circuit de comptage 36 serait également relié au circuit de commande de cette fonction, afin de connaître le temps durant lequel il fonctionne.It is clear that if the watch was provided with other functions, for example a chronograph, the counting circuit 36 would also be connected to the control circuit of this function, in order to know the time during which it operates.

Le circuit de comptage 36 comporte une mémoire et un compteur à décrémentation, qui n'ont pas été représentés au dessin, pour éviter de le surcharger. La mémoire contient des informations relatives à la capacité prévisible de la pile et à la consommation d'énergie de chacun des composants de la montre, qui seront précisées plus loin. Ces informations sont introduites en fabrication.The counting circuit 36 includes a memory and a decrementing counter, which have not been shown in the drawing, to avoid overloading it. The memory contains information relating to the predictable capacity of the battery and to the power consumption of each of the components of the watch, which will be specified below. This information is introduced in manufacturing.

Les moyens d'affichage 38 sont partiellement représentés sur la figure 2. On peut y voir une aiguille 42 et une échelle d'affichage 44 comportant un premier secteur 44a en regard duquel se trouvent des indications relatives à la charge, en l'occurrence les nombres "100, 50, 20 et 10", et un second secteur 44b en regard duquel se trouve l'aiguille 42 lorsque la pile est en fin de vie.The display means 38 are partially shown in FIG. 2. There can be seen a needle 42 and a display scale 44 having a first sector 44a opposite which are indications relating to the load, in this case the numbers "100, 50, 20 and 10", and a second sector 44b opposite which is the needle 42 when the battery is at the end of life.

L'aiguille 42 est portée par un mobile faisant partie d'un train d'engrenages, lui-même entraîné par un moteur pas à pas. Tant le moteur que le train d'engrenages n'ont pas été représentés, pour éviter de surcharger le dessin.The needle 42 is carried by a mobile part of a gear train, itself driven by a stepper motor. Both the motor and the gear train have not been shown, to avoid overloading the drawing.

Le circuit d'évaluation 40 reçoit des informations à la fois du circuit de détermination 34 et du circuit de comptage 36.The evaluation circuit 40 receives information from both the determination circuit 34 and the counting circuit 36.

La montre telle que définie ci-dessus comporte, en outre, des moyens de commande, permettant de corriger l'heure affichée et d'introduire les temps auxquels l'alarme doit être activée, qui n'ont pas été représentés, car ils sont parfaitement connus de l'homme du métier. Elle fonctionne de la manière suivante.The watch as defined above further comprises control means for correcting the displayed time and for introducing the times at which the alarm must be activated, which have not been represented, since they are perfectly known to those skilled in the art. It works in the following way.

La base de temps 18 délivre un signal à l'entrée du diviseur 20. Ce dernier adresse des impulsions au moteur 22 qui entraîne le train d'engrenages 24. Le diviseur 20, dans sa partie compteur, comporte les informations relatives au temps courant, soit la minute, l'heure, le jour, etc.The time base 18 delivers a signal to the input of the divider 20. The latter sends pulses to the motor 22 which drives the gear train 24. The divider 20, in its counter part, comprises the information relating to the current time, the minute, the hour, the day, etc.

Les moyens de commande de la montre sont, par exemple, formés d'une couronne ou de poussoirs, qui permettent de modifier l'information affichée par les aiguilles, en faisant tourner le moteur 22 à grande vitesse et, simultanément, de corriger le contenu du diviseur 20.The control means of the watch are, for example, formed of a crown or pushers, which make it possible to modify the information displayed by the hands, by rotating the motor 22 at high speed and, simultaneously, to correct the contents of the divider 20.

Les moyens de commande assurent, en outre, la modification et l'activation ou la désactivation du circuit d'alarme 14. Plus précisément, le contenu de la mémoire 28 ajusté, enregistrant ainsi une heure d'alarme. En outre, le comparateur 26 est mis en service de manière à ce que la commande 30 soit activée lorsque le contenu de la mémoire 28 correspond à celui de la partie compteur du diviseur 20. Le transducteur 32 émet alors un ou plusieurs signaux sonores informant le porteur, ainsi qu'il l'avait programmé.The control means further ensure the modification and activation or deactivation of the alarm circuit 14. More specifically, the contents of the memory 28 adjusted, thus recording an alarm time. In addition, the comparator 26 is put into operation so that the control 30 is activated when the contents of the memory 28 correspond to that of the counter part of the divider 20. The transducer 32 then emits one or more sound signals informing the carrier, as he had programmed.

Le circuit de comptage 36 est muni, dans sa mémoire, d'informations relatives à capacité de la pile, à la consommation des différents composants de la montre, ainsi qu'à l'indication de la charge de la pile. Plus précisément, la mémoire contient une valeur Cp correspondant à la charge de la pile et deux autres valeurs, Tm et Ta, relatives à la consommation de la montre. Tm se rapporte à la consommation de la montre en fonctionnement normale, c'est-à-dire celle relative au circuit 12, et Ta au fonctionnement de l'alarme, c'est-à-dire au circuit 14.The counting circuit 36 is provided in its memory with information relating to the capacity of the battery, the consumption of the various components of the watch, and the indication of the charge of the battery. More precisely, the memory contains a value C p corresponding to the charge of the battery and two other values, T m and T a , relating to the consumption of the watch. T m refers to the consumption of the watch in normal operation, that is to say that relating to the circuit 12, and T has the operation of the alarm, that is to say the circuit 14.

Par exemple, avec une capacité de pile égale à 10 mAh, Cp pourrait être égale à 10'000. Tm et Ta sont, alors, les temps nécessaires pour que la montre en fonctionnement normal, respectivement l'alarme, consomme 1uAh, soit un dix millième de la charge totale. Typiquement, Tm pourrait être égal à 3600 secondes, soit une heure. Cela signifie que la consommation de la montre est de 1µA. Ta pourrait être égale à 3,6 secondes, la consommation du transducteur 32 étant égale à 1 mA. Les informations concernant l'indication relative à la charge de la pile concernent les valeurs de l'état du décrémenteur pour lesquelles l'aiguille doit être déplacée. Ces valeurs sont appelées valeurs de saut dans la suite de la description.For example, with a stack capacity equal to 10 mAh, C p could be equal to 10,000. T m and T a are, then, the times necessary for the watch in normal operation, respectively the alarm, to consume 1uAh, ie one tenth of the total charge. Typically, T m could be equal to 3600 seconds, or one hour. This means that the consumption of the watch is 1μA. T may be equal to 3.6 seconds, the transducer consumption 32 being equal to 1 mA. The information relating to the indication relating to the charge of the battery relates to the values of the state of the decrementer for which the needle is to be moved. These values are called jump values in the following description.

Lorsqu'une nouvelle pile est mise en place, le décrémenteur est initialisé à sa valeur nominale. Il est décrémenté de 1 chaque fois que la montre en fonctionnement normal a assuré sa fonction durant un temps Tm, ou que la fonction complémentaire est activée durant un temps Ta. L'état du décrémenteur est ensuite comparé avec la valeur en mémoire relative à l'indication. Chaque fois que l'état correspond à une valeur de saut, l'information est transmise au circuit d'évaluation 40.When a new battery is put in place, the decrementor is initialized to its nominal value. It is decremented by 1 each time the watch in normal operation has performed its function during a time T m , or the complementary function is activated during a time T a . The state of the decrementor is then compared with the value in memory relative to the indication. Whenever the state corresponds to a jump value, the information is transmitted to the evaluation circuit 40.

Le circuit d'évaluation 40 reçoit des informations à la fois du circuit de détermination 34 et du circuit de comptage 36. Tant que le circuit de détermination informe le circuit d'évaluation que la tension de la pile est supérieure à la valeur limite, le circuit d'évaluation 40 considère l'information provenant du circuit de comptage 36 comme pertinente. Il donne alors l'ordre à l'indicateur 38, et plus particulièrement à son moteur, d'entraîner l'aiguille 42 de un pas chaque fois que le contenu du circuit de comptage 36 est égal à une valeur de seuil. Le nombre de valeurs de saut, typiquement compris entre 5 et 25, est égal au nombre de pas que doit effectuer le moteur de l'indicateur 38 pour que l'aiguille 42 parcoure l'angle qui correspond au secteur 44a.The evaluation circuit 40 receives information from both the determining circuit 34 and the counting circuit 36. As long as the determining circuit informs the evaluation circuit that the voltage of the battery is greater than the limit value, the evaluation circuit 40 considers the information from the counting circuit 36 as relevant. It then instructs the indicator 38, and more particularly its motor, to drive the needle 42 by one step each time the content of the counting circuit 36 is equal to a threshold value. The number of jump values, typically between 5 and 25, is equal to the number of steps to be performed by the motor of the indicator 38 for the needle 42 to traverse the angle corresponding to the sector 44a.

Lorsque l'aiguille 42 a atteint une position correspondant à la fin du secteur 44a, cela signifie que, pour une pile normale, son espérance de vie est faible, de l'ordre de quelques jours à quelques semaines. Au-dessous de cette valeur, il n'y a plus de valeur de saut.When the needle 42 has reached a position corresponding to the end of the sector 44a, this means that for a normal battery, its life expectancy is low, of the order of a few days to a few weeks. Below this value, there is no more jump value.

L'aiguille 42 n'entre dans le second secteur 44b qu'au moment où le circuit de détermination 34 adresse au circuit d'évaluation 26 l'information relative à la chute de tension aux bornes de la pile 10. A ce moment-là, quelle que soit la position de l'aiguille 42, cette dernière est amenée en regard du secteur 44b.The needle 42 enters the second sector 44b only when the determination circuit 34 sends to the evaluation circuit 26 the information relating to the voltage drop across the terminals of the battery 10. At this point regardless of the position of the needle 42, the latter is brought opposite sector 44b.

Avec un tel mode de fonctionnement, il est possible que l'aiguille 42 n'atteigne jamais la limite du premier secteur ou, au contraire, y reste un temps relativement long. Un choix opportun de la valeur Cp permettra d'éviter que le saut ne soit trop important au moment où le circuit de détermination 34 informe le circuit d'évaluation 40 de la fin prochaine de la pile. De la sorte, l'utilisateur pourra prendre en compte la fin de vie de cette pile, en la changeant lorsqu'il doit, par exemple, partir en voyage, alors qu'il peut, sans autre attendre que l'aiguille se trouve dans le secteur 44b dans des conditions normales de vie.With such a mode of operation, it is possible that the needle 42 never reaches the limit of the first sector or, on the contrary, remains there a relatively long time. A timely choice of the value C p will prevent the jump is too important at the moment when the determining circuit 34 informs the evaluation circuit 40 of the next end of the stack. In this way, the user can take into account the end of life of this stack, changing it when he must, for example, go on a trip, while he can, without waiting for the needle is in sector 44b under normal living conditions.

Dans la description ci-dessus, il est fait mention de différents circuits électroniques assurant des fonctions spécifiques. Il va de soi que ces fonctions pourraient, sans autre être assurées par un microprocesseur comportant un programme dont les différentes séquences effectuent les fonctions énoncées ci-dessus.In the description above, reference is made to various electronic circuits providing specific functions. It goes without saying that these functions could, without being provided by a microprocessor comprising a program whose different sequences perform the functions listed above.

Le dispositif tel que décrit peut, bien entendu, faire l'objet de nombreuses, variantes. Il est ainsi possible de prévoir un circuit de comptage avec un incrémenteur plutôt qu'un décrémenteur. Il est également possible de prévoir une échelle linéaire pour l'affichage de l'énergie disponible.The device as described can, of course, be the subject of many variants. It is thus possible to provide a counting circuit with an incrementer rather than a decrementer. It is also possible to provide a linear scale for the display of available energy.

Une solution équivalente peut être appliquée à une montre munie d'un affichage à cristaux liquides, de type numérique ou par secteurs. Il est également envisageable d'associer à la montre une indication complémentaire lorsque la pile arrive en fin de vie, par exemple en faisant boiter une aiguille des secondes, en faisant clignoter un affichage, etc. Il est aussi possible d'interrompre l'utilisation possible de certaines fonctions gourmandes en énergies, comme un chronographe, par exemple.An equivalent solution can be applied to a watch provided with a liquid crystal display, digital type or sectors. It is also conceivable to associate the watch with a complementary indication when the battery reaches the end of its life, for example by having a second hand limp, flashing a display, etc. It is also possible to interrupt the possible use of certain energy-hungry functions, such as a chronograph, for example.

Claims (6)

  1. Watch powered by a battery (10), said watch comprising a device (16) for indicating the state of the battery, said devicd (16) comprising :
    - a circuit (34) for determining at least one physical characteristic of the battery (10) which varies when it is nearly discharged;
    - means for displaying the state of the battery (38, 40, 42), and
    - a controlling circuit (39) for controlling said display means
    said watch being characterized in that said device (16) furthermore comprises :
    - a counting circuit (36) for counting the power consumed by said watch;
    - an assessing circuit (40) for assessing the capacity of the battery, connected to the determining (34) and counting (36) circuits and designed to process data and select the most relevant information derived either from the determining circuit (34) or from the counting circuit (36).
  2. Watch according to claim 1, comprising several electrical components of which at least one (14) serves to activate an additional function at the request of the user, characterised in that said counting circuit (36) comprises a memory in which is stored information relating to the power consumption of said component, and in that said is designed so as to send to the assessing circuit (40) information relating to the power consumed whenever the additional function, activated on demand, is utilised.
  3. Watch according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterised in that said assessing circuit (40) is designed so as to send to said controlling circuit (39) information derived from the counting circuit (36) so long as the information derived from the determining circuit (34) indicates normal operation of said battery.
  4. Watch according to claim 3, characterised in that said display means consisting of a hand (42) and in that said assessing (40) and controlling (39) circuits are designed so that, for a given power consumption, the movement of the hand increases as the available power decreases.
  5. Watch according to claim 4, characterised in that said display means furthermore comprise a scale against which said hand (42) moves, said scale comprising a first sector (44a) which indicates the quantity of power available in a range between 100% and a non-null value, and a second sector (44b), which indicates that the battery is nearly discharged, and in that the controlling circuit (39) is designed so that said hand (42) is brought opposite the first sector (44a) exclusively so long as the information derived from the metering circuit (36) is considered the most relevant.
  6. Watch according to claim 5, characterised in that the controlling circuit (39) is designed so that said hand (42) is brought opposite the second sector (44b) when said assessing circuit (40) sends to the control circuit (39) an order indicating that the battery is nearly discharged, as soon as the information derived from the determining circuit (34) shows that said characteristic is varying.
EP01978709A 2000-10-24 2001-10-19 Watch provided with a device for the indication of the status of batteries Expired - Lifetime EP1247145B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR0013621A FR2815729B1 (en) 2000-10-24 2000-10-24 DEVICE FOR INDICATING THE BATTERY CONDITION, FOR FITTING A WATCH
FR0013621 2000-10-24
PCT/IB2001/001960 WO2002035296A1 (en) 2000-10-24 2001-10-19 Device indicating the state of batteries, designed to equip a watch

Publications (2)

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EP1247145A1 EP1247145A1 (en) 2002-10-09
EP1247145B1 true EP1247145B1 (en) 2007-05-09

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EP01978709A Expired - Lifetime EP1247145B1 (en) 2000-10-24 2001-10-19 Watch provided with a device for the indication of the status of batteries

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US (1) US6958954B2 (en)
EP (1) EP1247145B1 (en)
DE (1) DE60128328D1 (en)
FR (1) FR2815729B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2002035296A1 (en)

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DE60312536T2 (en) * 2003-12-16 2007-11-22 Asulab S.A. Electromechanical watch equipped with a power reserve indicator
EP1821163A3 (en) * 2006-02-13 2012-06-13 Ventura Watch SA Timepiece with generator
JP4775749B1 (en) * 2010-10-02 2011-09-21 日本テクノ株式会社 clock
CN104915161A (en) * 2014-03-10 2015-09-16 联想(北京)有限公司 Information processing method and electronic equipment
JP6204855B2 (en) * 2014-03-12 2017-09-27 シチズン時計株式会社 Electronics
JP6390238B2 (en) * 2014-03-20 2018-09-19 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Electronic timepiece and method for controlling electronic timepiece
JP2017106753A (en) * 2015-12-07 2017-06-15 セイコーエプソン株式会社 Electronic watch and display control method for the same
EP3845977A1 (en) * 2019-12-31 2021-07-07 The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd Method for testability of a thermoelectric element

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US3823551A (en) * 1971-05-03 1974-07-16 Riehl Electronics Corp Solid state electronic timepiece
US4058969A (en) * 1973-12-26 1977-11-22 Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. Electric timepiece for displaying the operating condition thereof
US4290129A (en) * 1978-07-27 1981-09-15 Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha Electronic watch with supplemental function display
JPS5861488A (en) 1981-10-08 1983-04-12 Seikosha Co Ltd Display device for life of battery
JPS6188179A (en) * 1984-10-05 1986-05-06 Seiko Instr & Electronics Ltd Display of life of battery in electronic time piece
CH688462B5 (en) 1993-04-20 1998-04-15 Isa France Sa watch movement comprising an end of battery life indicator device.
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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2815729A1 (en) 2002-04-26
US20040041570A1 (en) 2004-03-04
WO2002035296A1 (en) 2002-05-02
EP1247145A1 (en) 2002-10-09
US6958954B2 (en) 2005-10-25
DE60128328D1 (en) 2007-06-21
FR2815729B1 (en) 2003-03-28

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