GB1285012A - Digital electronic timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

1285012 Electronic timepieces DAINI SEIKOSHA KK and HATTORI TOKEITEN KK 19 April 1971 [30 July 1970] 21156/71 Heading G3T An electronic timepiece (e.g. a watch) has digital liquid crystal display and comprises a quartz crystal oscillator 1, Fig. 2, from which a frequency of 1 HZ is derived by a frequency divider 2 (14 flip-flops in cascade) and fed to cascade connected counters 3a to 3f. Counter 3a counts pulses corresponding to a time interval of one second, counter 3b to a time interval of ten seconds and so on. Binary code signals are sent from the counters to respective matrix circuits 4a to 4f which convert the signals to further binary signals corresponding to the number of segments (seven) in each time display unit 6 1 to 6 6 . The further binary signals are applied to the bases of respective transistors e.g. T 1 to T 6 , Fig.5, of selector circuit 5a, Fig.2, whereby to activate selected ones of the segments L 11 to L 17 of the respective display unit 6 1 . To correct the time setting, e.g. in accordance with a radio time signal, a switch S o is closed causing the resetting to zero of all the counters. Switches S 1 to S 6 are then closed to digitally advance the respective counters. Each display unit comprises a glass panel 17 Fig. 6, and back glass 19 with nematic liquid crystal in the space between. A transparent electrode 18 is deposited on the inner surface of 17 and a nickel layer 20 which forms the seven segments is deposited on the inner surface of 19. Spacers 21 are of plastics and the unit is sealed air-tight. Lighting electrodes 13, 14 are connected to the timepiece power source e.g. a battery and serve to distinguish the hour display from the minutes display and the minutes from the seconds display.