JP2012103178A - Pointer electronic timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic timepiece which can perform fast-forward drive of a pointer efficiently considering a battery voltage upon completion of the fast-forward drive.SOLUTION: An electronic timepiece includes: a stepping motor which drives a pointer; a power supply which supplies power to the stepping motor; level detection means which detects a power supply level; feature data storage means which stores therein feature data showing a power supply level drop feature (Fig. 2(b)) upon driving of the stepping motor and a power supply level return feature (Fig. 2(a)); fast-forward control means which outputs a drive signal to the stepping motor so as to cause the stepping motor to perform first-forward drive of the pointer; and speed determination means which calculates, based on the power supply level detected by the level detection means and the feature data, a change in power supply level due to the fast-forward drive, and finds a speed of the fast-forward drive so that the power supply level meets a predetermined condition upon completion of the fast-forward drive.

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer type electronic timepiece in which a pointer is driven by a stepping motor.

  For the time being, in the case of a pointer-type electronic timepiece, for example, when displaying various information other than the number of seconds by a second hand, or when returning a plurality of hands to zero (operation to return to the 12 o'clock position) There is a case where fast-forward driving is continuously performed for a specified number of steps.

  Further, as a prior art related to the present invention, Patent Document 1 discloses that a single pulse motor is driven with a fast pulse when fast-forwarding driving, while a two-pulse motor is driven with a slow pulse when simultaneously driving fast-forwarding. Thus, a technique for avoiding a large decrease in battery voltage is disclosed.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for switching to a single drive without simultaneously driving two stepping motors when a drive voltage drops in a camera having a two-group zoom device. Further, Patent Document 3 estimates a technique for switching the driving frequency of a stepping motor based on the power supply voltage, or estimates whether the power supply voltage is lower than a predetermined voltage value when a plurality of stepping motors are driven simultaneously. A technique is disclosed in which simultaneous driving is switched to single driving when estimated.

JP 60-162980 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-324245 JP 2002-325394 A

  In an electronic timepiece, when the stepping motor is driven one step, the battery voltage once drops and then gradually increases to return to the original voltage. Therefore, when the stepping motor is driven at a high speed (= short cycle) to fast-drive the pointer, the next drive is executed before the battery voltage returns, so the battery at the end of the fast-forward drive The voltage drops relatively large. On the other hand, when the stepping motor is driven at a slow speed (= long cycle), the battery voltage recovery period becomes longer, so that the battery voltage at the end of the fast-forward drive remains relatively small.

  In the electronic timepiece, when the battery voltage falls below the predetermined voltage, for example, the recovery state in which the battery voltage is recovered by stopping the acceptance of a predetermined operation for a certain period of time or stopping the hand movement process including fast-forwarding. Or there is a thing which transfers to a charge state. In addition, in an electronic timepiece having no recovery function or charging function, it is considered that normal operation cannot be obtained when the battery voltage is greatly reduced.

  Therefore, it was considered that the fast-forward drive of an efficient pointer can be performed by determining the speed of the fast-forward drive in consideration of the battery voltage at the end of the fast-forward drive. There was no control.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic timepiece that can perform fast-forward driving of an efficient pointer in consideration of a battery voltage at the end of fast-forward driving.

To achieve the above objective,
The invention described in claim 1
Guidelines,
A stepping motor for driving the pointer;
A power supply for supplying power to the stepping motor;
Level detecting means for detecting the level of the power source;
Characteristic data storage means for storing characteristic data representing a level drop characteristic of the power source and a level return characteristic of the power source for driving the stepping motor;
Fast-forward control means for outputting a drive signal to the stepping motor to execute fast-feed driving of the pointer;
Based on the power supply level detected by the level detection means and the characteristic data, a change in the power supply level due to the fast-forward drive is calculated so that the power supply level at the end of the fast-forward drive satisfies a predetermined condition. Speed determining means for determining the speed of the fast-forward drive,
It is a pointer type electronic timepiece characterized by comprising.

The invention according to claim 2 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to claim 1,
The speed determining means includes
Assuming that the level of the power source drops and returns according to the characteristic data immediately after the stepping motor is driven for one step and immediately before the next driving, the level of the power source when the fast-forward driving for the remaining number of steps is completed is predetermined. It is characterized in that the speed of the fast-forward drive is obtained so as not to fall below the threshold value.

The invention according to claim 3 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to claim 1 or 2,
The speed determining means includes
The speed for the remaining fast-forward drive is obtained again during the fast-forward drive by the fast-forward control means,
The fast-forward control means includes
When the speed determining means obtains a speed different from the previous speed in the middle of the fast-forwarding drive, the speed-changing means is changed to the other speed and the subsequent fast-forwarding drive is executed.

The invention according to claim 4 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The speed determining means is configured to obtain a speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies a condition from a plurality of preset designated speeds,
The characteristic data includes a plurality of level return characteristic data respectively corresponding to the plurality of designated speeds.

The invention according to claim 5 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to claim 4,
The speed determining means includes
Among the plurality of designated speeds, the fastest designated speed is determined as the fast-forward drive speed in a range in which the power supply level when the fast-forward drive is finished does not fall below a predetermined threshold value.

The invention according to claim 6 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A plurality of the pointers and the stepping motors are provided,
The speed determining means includes
When the speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies the conditions when the plurality of stepping motors are fast-driven at the same speed cannot be determined, the number of stepping motors that drive the fast-forward together is reduced to determine the speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies the conditions,
The fast-forward control means includes
When the speed determining means reduces the number of stepping motors that are fast-forwarding together and determines the speed of fast-forwarding driving, the fast-forwarding driving of one or more stepping motors reduced at the determined speed is executed. It is characterized by doing.

The invention according to claim 7 is the pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The power supply level is a voltage of the power supply.

  According to the present invention, since the speed of the fast-forward drive is determined in consideration of the power supply level at the end of the fast-forward drive, there is an effect that the fast-forward drive of the efficient pointer can be performed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an electronic timepiece 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a data chart which shows a specific example of power supply characteristic data. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the single drive process which carries out the fast-forward drive of one motor independently. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure of the multiple simultaneous drive process which fast-drives a some motor together at the same speed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an electronic timepiece 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment drives a plurality of hands 2 to 4 (second hand, minute hand, hour hand), a first motor 16 that drives the hand (second hand) 2, and hands (minute hand, hour hand) 3 and 4. The second motor 17, the wheel train mechanism 18 that transmits the rotational movements of the first motor 16 and the second motor 17 to the hands 2 to 4, the solar cell 21 that generates power by external light, and the generated current of the solar cell 21 A power source 22 that has a secondary battery that stores and stores power, supplies a power source voltage to each unit, a level detection unit (level detection means) 23 that detects an output level of the power source 22, and performs overall control of the timepiece CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10, ROM (Read Only Memory) 36 for storing control programs and control data executed by CPU 10, and RAM (Random Access Memory) 37 for providing CPU 10 with a working memory space , A speaker 45 and a buzzer circuit 46 for outputting a ramming sound, an illumination unit 43 and an illumination drive circuit 44 for illuminating the dial, an operation unit 48 having a plurality of operation buttons and inputting an operation command from the outside, An oscillation circuit 38 that supplies a signal of a predetermined frequency for timekeeping to the CPU 10, a frequency divider 39, and the like are provided.

  The first motor 16 and the second motor 17 are stepping motors that rotate step by step in response to a drive pulse. Although details are omitted, a drive pulse of a predetermined voltage is supplied to the first motor 16 and the second motor 17 through a drive circuit according to a drive command of the CPU 10, and the rotor rotates step by step by this drive pulse. The voltage of the drive pulse is generated by a regulator circuit based on the power supply voltage. In some cases, the power supply voltage is used as it is.

  The level detection unit 23 measures the output voltage of the power supply 22 according to a command from the CPU 10, converts the measured value into a digital value, and sends it to the CPU 10. The level detector 23 is configured to measure the output voltage of the power source 22 regardless of the output current and set it as the power source level. For example, the output current without the influence of the internal resistance is almost zero. The power supply voltage at the time may be measured as the power supply level, or the power supply voltage when there is a constant output current in consideration of the internal resistance may be measured as the power supply level.

  The ROM 36 measures time and hands with the passage of time and displays the time using the hands 2 to 4, or sets an alarm based on an operation command input via the operation unit 48. A main control processing program for returning 4 to zero is stored. Further, a fast-forward drive processing program 36a for driving the pointers 2 to 4 by a designated number of steps is also stored. This fast-forward drive process includes a single-drive process in which any one of the first and second motors 16 and 17 is fast-forwarded independently and a plurality of simultaneous drive processes in which both are fast-forwarded.

  The ROM 36 also functions as characteristic data storage means, and stores power supply characteristic data (characteristic data) 36b representing the level drop characteristic and level recovery characteristic of the power supply 22 as one of the control data.

  FIG. 2 shows a data chart representing an example of the power supply characteristic data 36 b stored in the ROM 36.

  The power supply characteristic data 36b includes a plurality of voltage recovery rate data (FIG. 2A) corresponding to a plurality of driving speeds as level recovery characteristics and first and second motors 16 and 17 as level drop characteristics. The data of the voltage drop amount of the power source 22 for the one-step driving (FIG. 2B) is included.

  The voltage recovery rate data in FIG. 2A corresponds to a plurality of predetermined speeds (for example, 90, 64, 32, and 16 pps: pulses per second) predetermined as fast-forward driving speeds, and the plurality of specified speeds, respectively. Thus, the voltage recovery rate (94, 96, 98, 99%) from the driving of one step to immediately before the driving of the next step is expressed.

  2A is set to a speed equal to or lower than the maximum drive speed of the first and second motors 16 and 17. When the maximum drive speeds of the first motor 16 and the second motor 17 are different and the designated speed in FIG. 2A exceeds the maximum drive speed of one motor, the motor is fast-forwarded. In such a case, the data of the designated speed may be ignored.

  In the voltage drop amount data in FIG. 2B, the power supply voltage drop amount “b1” when any one of the first and second motors 16 and 17 is driven alone and a plurality of them are driven simultaneously. The power supply voltage drop amount “b2” in this case (including the case where both are driven at slightly different timings) is shown.

  According to the power supply characteristic data 36b, for example, when the first motor 16 is driven alone at 90 pps, the power supply voltage decreases by “b1” by one-step driving and immediately before the next one-step driving. It can be estimated that the power supply voltage changes such that the voltage “b1 × 94%” is restored. Note that the output of the power source 22 is supplied not only to the first and second motors 16 and 17 but also to other functional configurations, and charging from the solar cell 21 is also performed when the intensity of external light is high. Therefore, the actual power supply voltage during the fast-forward drive is not limited to the change according to the power supply characteristic data 36b as described above, and may change differently.

  Next, the fast-forward driving process of the hands 2 to 4 in the electronic timepiece 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

[Single drive processing]
The fast-forward drive process is started by designating the motor for fast-forward drive and the number of steps for fast-forward drive by other control processes. First, a single drive process in the case where there is one fast-drive motor will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a single drive process for driving fast-forwarding any one of the first and second motors 16 and 17 independently. In this flowchart, each variable represents the following contents.

r: number of remaining steps in fast-forward drive A: power supply voltage P measured by level detector 23: estimated power supply voltage at the end of fast-forward drive a: operation of power supply 22 that guarantees the operation of each function of electronic timepiece 1 Guaranteed voltage M: Speed of actual fast-forward drive n: Index number of “0-3” indicating any of a plurality of specified speeds Mn: n-th specified speed M0 = 90 pps, M1 = 64 pps, M1 = 32 pps, M1 = 16pps
Bn: nth voltage recovery rate B0 = 0.94, B1 = 0.96, B2 = 0.98, B3 = 0.99

[Speed control at the start of fast-forward drive]
When the single drive process is started, first, the CPU 10 measures the voltage of the power source 22 at that time. Then, based on the measured value “A” of the power supply voltage, the voltage drop amount “b1” and the voltage recovery rate “B0 to B3” of the power supply characteristic data 36b, and the number of remaining steps “r” for fast-forward drive From the higher speed, the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end of the fast-forward drive is calculated. The estimated power supply voltage “P” is calculated on the assumption that the voltage of the power supply 22 changes according to the power supply characteristic data 36b.

Specifically, when the designated speed is Mn and the voltage recovery rate is Bn, the estimated power supply voltage “P” is calculated by the following equation (1).
P =
(((A−b1) + b1 × Bn) −b1 + b1 × Bn) −b1 + b1 × Bn... Repeated r times = A−b × b1 × (1−Bn) (1)

  The estimated power supply voltage “P” is set to the actual driving speed “M” with the fastest speed among the designated speeds that do not fall below the operation guarantee voltage “a” as the threshold value. Start.

[Speed control during fast-forward drive]
In the fast-forward drive processing of this embodiment, the optimum drive speed (the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end point is not changed during the fast-forward drive, instead of performing fast-forward drive throughout the processing at the determined speed. It is checked whether the fastest speed among the designated speeds that does not fall below the guaranteed operation voltage “a” has changed, and if so, the speed is changed and the remaining fast-forward drive is continued. Such processing is performed considering that the output voltage of the power source 22 changes due to power consumption of other functional configurations or power generation of the solar cell 21.

  Specifically, when the voltage of the power source 22 is measured for each step of driving and the fast-forward driving is continued at the current specified speed, the estimated power source voltage “P” at the end time is the operation guarantee voltage “a”. Check if it falls below. If it is lower, the designated speed is switched to the slower speed and the estimated power supply voltage “P” is recalculated to determine the optimum driving speed.

  In addition, if the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end time is not lower than the guaranteed operation voltage “a” at the current specified speed, the power supply voltage at the end of the end can be changed even if the specified speed is switched to a higher speed. It is confirmed whether the condition has been changed so as to satisfy the condition, and if the condition is satisfied, the designated speed is switched to the faster one.

  If the optimum driving speed has been switched, the driving speed is switched to this and the subsequent fast-forward driving is continued. Such processing is repeated until the final step of fast-forward driving.

[Control procedure]
The processing described above will be described in detail according to the flowchart of FIG. When the single drive process is started, first, the CPU 10 initializes the index number “n” for determining the designated speed to the number “0” of the fastest designated speed (step S1). Next, it is confirmed whether the remaining step number “r” has become zero (step S2). If the remaining step number “r” is not zero, the level detector 23 measures the voltage of the power source 22 (step S3).

  Subsequently, an estimated power supply voltage “P” when fast-forward driving is performed at the designated speed of the currently selected index number “n” is calculated (step S4). Then, it is determined whether this is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a” (step S5). As a result, if the operation guarantee voltage is “a” or more, since the index number “n = 0” of the fastest designated speed is currently selected, the process proceeds to “YES” in the determination process of step S9. Thus, the designated speed “M0” is set to the actual drive speed “M” of the motor (step S15).

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation guarantee voltage “a” is below the guaranteed operation voltage “a” in the determination process in step S5, the index number “n” for determining the designated speed is incremented to the next slow designated speed number “n + 1” (step S6). ) And the estimated power supply voltage “P” is calculated (step S7). Then, it is determined whether this is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a” (step S8). If it is still lower than the operation guarantee voltage “a”, the processing from step S6 is repeated, and the designated speed number “n” is incremented until the estimated power supply voltage “P” becomes the operation guarantee voltage “a” or more. By these processes, it is possible to select the fastest designated speed number “n” at which the estimated power supply voltage “P” is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a”.

  Even when the slowest designated speed is selected, when the estimated power supply voltage “P” becomes lower than the operation guarantee voltage “a”, the process may be shifted to error processing.

  When it is determined in step S8 that the operation guarantee voltage is “a” or more, the process proceeds to “YES”, and the actual drive speed “M” of the motor is designated corresponding to the currently selected index number “n”. The speed “Mn” is set (step S15).

  Through the above series of processes, the driving speed at the start of fast-forward driving is determined.

  When the actual drive speed “M” is set, the CPU 10 outputs a drive pulse to the motor at a timing corresponding to the drive speed “M” to drive one step (step S16). Then, the remaining number of steps “r” is subtracted by one step (step S17), and the process returns to step S2 in order to select an optimum driving speed again.

  From the second step, it is confirmed that the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end does not fall below the guaranteed operating voltage “a” when the current driving speed is continued by the processing in steps S3 to S5 described above. If it is determined, the designated speed number “n” is increased by the processes in steps S6 to S8 described above to select the designated speed “Mn” that is the optimum driving speed. Then, in the subsequent step S15, the designated speed “Mn” is set to the actual driving speed “M” of the next step.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a” when the current driving speed is continued (“YES” in step S5), the current selection is made. It is determined whether the designated speed number “n” is the number “0” corresponding to the fastest designated speed (step S9). As a result, if the number is “0”, there is no designated speed higher than that, and the current designated speed “Mn” is set to the actual drive speed “M” of the next step by the processing of the subsequent step S15. .

  On the other hand, if the currently selected designated speed number “n” is not “0” in the determination process in step S9, a faster designated speed that satisfies the power supply voltage condition cannot be selected by the processes in steps S10 to S14. If possible, a process of switching the designated speed number “n” is performed.

  That is, first, the designated speed number “n” is decremented to the next highest designated speed number “n−1” (step S10), and the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end is calculated (step S11). It is determined whether this is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a” (step S12). As a result, if the operation speed is lower than the operation guarantee voltage “a”, the power supply voltage condition is not satisfied at the specified speed that is one step higher, and it can be determined that the specified speed that is one step later is the optimum drive speed. The number “n” is incremented by one (step S14). Then, the designated speed “Mn” is set to the actual driving speed “M” of the next step by the process of step S15.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that the operation guarantee voltage is “a” or more, the number “n” of the currently selected designated speed “n” corresponds to the fastest designated speed “M0”. (Step S13). As a result, if it is determined that the number is “0”, it can be determined that the fastest designated speed “M0” is the optimum driving speed, so the process proceeds to step S15 and the designated speed “Mn” is changed to the next. The actual driving speed “M” of the step is set.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the number is not “0”, the process returns to step S10, and the confirmation process is repeated to determine whether a fast designated speed that satisfies the condition of the power supply voltage can be selected. In this repetition, the optimum designated speed satisfying the condition of the power supply voltage is selected, and the optimum designated speed “Mn” is set to the actual driving speed “M” in the next step by the processing in the subsequent step S15. Is done.

  When the drive speed “M” is set to the optimum designated speed “Mn” in step S15, in the subsequent steps S16 and S17, the timing corresponding to this drive speed, that is, the drive speed corresponding to the drive speed from the previous step is corresponded. The motor is driven one step at the timing when the cycle is opened, the remaining number of steps “r” is subtracted by one step, and the process returns to step S2.

  If the remaining number of steps “r” becomes zero, the process branches to “YES” in the determination process of step S2, and the single drive process is terminated.

  The speed determination means is configured by the processes of steps S1, S3 to S15, and the fast-forward control means is configured by processes of steps S16, S17, and S2.

[Multiple simultaneous drive processing]
Next, a description will be given of a plurality of simultaneous driving processes in the case where a plurality of fast-forwarding motors are used.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a plurality of simultaneous driving processes in which a plurality of motors are fast-forward driven at the same speed. In the figure, the same steps as those in the single drive process of FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The multiple simultaneous driving process is a process of fast-forwarding two motors (first and second motors 16 and 17) at the same speed and by the same number of steps. In normal fast-forward drive processing, the first motor 16 may have 20 steps, the second motor 17 may have 25 steps, and the number of different fast-forward drive steps may be specified for each motor. A case will be described in which the same number of steps of fast-forward drive is designated for the motors.

  In the multiple simultaneous drive process, an optimum designated speed is selected for each one-step drive by a process substantially similar to the single drive process of FIG. 3, and fast-forward drive is performed step by step at the selected designated speed. That is, first, in step S1, the designated speed number “n” is initialized to the fastest speed number “0”. And it transfers to the loop process of step S2-S17.

  When the process proceeds to the loop process of steps S2 to S17, first, after confirming whether there is a remaining step (step S2), the process of steps S3 to S5 completes the fast-forward drive at the currently selected designated speed “Mn”. If so, it is checked whether the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end is equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a”.

  In the calculation process of the estimated power supply voltage “P” in step S4a and later-described steps S7a and S11a, the value “b2” corresponding to the multiple simultaneous driving process is used as the voltage drop amount for driving in one step.

  If the power supply voltage condition is satisfied, the processing in steps S9 to S14 confirms whether there is a designated speed that satisfies the power supply voltage condition even if the speed is changed to a higher speed. Process to switch to.

  If it is determined in step S5 that the power supply voltage condition is not satisfied, the power supply voltage is switched while the selection of the designated speed is switched to the slower one step by the loop processing in steps S6, S21, S7a, and S8. Check whether the condition is satisfied and search for the fastest specified speed within the range that satisfies the condition.

  During the loop processing of steps S6, S21, S7a, S8, if the power supply voltage condition is not satisfied even when the slowest designated speed “M3” is selected, the designated speed number “n” is the upper limit in the next loop. If the value is exceeded, “YES” is determined in the step S21.

  When the designated speed number “n” exceeds the upper limit value, it can be determined that the fast-forward drive that satisfies the condition of the power supply voltage cannot be performed by a plurality of simultaneous drives. Therefore, in this case, the setting of the plural simultaneous driving is discarded and the remaining fast-forward driving is reset so as to be executed by the single driving (step S22). More specifically, when the remaining fast-forward drive requires 10 steps for the first motor 16 and 10 steps for the second motor 17, 20-step fast-forward drive is executed by 10 steps + 10 steps by individual drive. Reset as follows. Then, the process proceeds to a single drive process. Subsequent single drive processing finds the optimum designated speed when the number of motors to be driven simultaneously is reduced, and the 10-step fast-forward drive of the first motor 16 and the 10-step fast-forward drive of the second motor 17 Are successively executed in order.

  On the other hand, when the optimum designation process is selected in the plurality of simultaneous drive processes, the designated speed “Mn” is set as the actual drive speed “M” (step S15), and this drive speed “M” is handled. The two motors (first and second motors 16 and 17) are driven almost simultaneously step by step at the timing, that is, the timing corresponding to the drive speed “M” from the previous drive timing (step S16a). Then, the remaining number of steps “r” is subtracted by one step (step S17), and the process returns to step S2 in order to select an optimum driving speed again.

  If the remaining number of steps “r” becomes zero, the process branches to “YES” in the determination process of step S2, and the multiple simultaneous drive process is terminated.

  The speed determining means is configured by the processes of steps S1, S3, S4a, S5 to S7a to S11a to S15, S21, and S22, and the fast-forward control means is configured of processes of steps S16a, S17, and S2.

  When different fast-forward drive steps are designated for the two motors, this can be dealt with by changing the processing steps as follows.

That is, in the step of calculating the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end of fast-forwarding in steps S4a, S7a, and S11a, the number of steps r2 for simultaneously driving two motors and the number of steps r1 for driving only one motor are set. Separately, the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end of the fast-forward drive when these fast-forward drives are continuously performed at the specified speed is calculated as in the following equation (2).
P = A-r2 * b2 * (1-Bn) -r1 * b1 * (1-Bn) (2)

  In the driving process of step S16a, when the number of steps is to drive two motors simultaneously, the two motors are driven almost simultaneously at the timing corresponding to the specified speed, and when the number of steps is to drive only one motor. Only one motor to be driven is driven at a timing corresponding to the specified speed.

  By changing in this way, it is possible to cope with the case where different fast-forward drive steps are designated for the two motors.

  As described above, according to the electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment, when the hands 2 to 4 are fast-forward driven, the voltage change amount of the power source 22 by the fast-forward drive is calculated according to the power supply characteristic data 36b, and the voltage at the end is predetermined. The fast-forward drive speed is determined so as to satisfy the condition. Therefore, for example, if the voltage at the end is not so low, fast-forward drive is performed at a high speed, and if the voltage at the end is low, fast-forward drive is performed at a low speed, an efficient fast-forward drive is performed. Can be realized.

  Specifically, the power supply voltage drops by the voltage drop amounts b1 and b2 of the power supply characteristic data 36b by driving in one step, and then the voltage is restored according to the voltage return rate of the power supply characteristic data 36b immediately before the next drive. As an example, the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end of the fast-forward drive is calculated. Furthermore, since the speed of the fast-forward drive is required so that the voltage at the end becomes equal to or higher than the operation guarantee voltage “a”, the voltage of the power source 22 falls below the operation guarantee voltage by the fast-forward drive, and various functions operate normally. It can be avoided that it is lost, recovered or charged.

  Further, according to the electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment, it is checked whether the power supply voltage condition is satisfied by the remaining fast-forward drive not only at the start of the fast-forward drive but also in the middle thereof, and the optimum drive speed is set. If changed, the drive speed is changed and the remaining fast-forward drive is executed. Therefore, efficient fast-forward driving can be realized in response to changes in the voltage of the power source 22 due to other factors such as power consumption of other functional configurations and power generation of the solar cell 21 during fast-forward driving. it can.

  Furthermore, according to the electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment, an optimum driving speed satisfying a condition is obtained from a plurality of predetermined designated speeds “M0 to M3”. The return rate data shows a plurality of data values “B0 to B3” respectively corresponding to a plurality of designated speeds “M0 to M3”. Therefore, by setting an appropriate designated speed in advance, an optimum driving speed can be selected from the appropriate designated speeds. Further, the estimated power supply voltage “P” at the end of the fast-forward driving at each specified speed can be easily calculated.

  Further, as the optimum driving speed, the fastest designated speed is selected within a range satisfying the condition of the power supply voltage, so that it is possible to select a driving speed that can quickly finish the fast-forward driving. .

  Moreover, according to the electronic timepiece 1 of the above embodiment, when the plurality of hands 2 to 4 are fast-forwarded to a predetermined position, the voltage of the power source 22 at the start is low, or the number of steps to be driven is large. In the multiple simultaneous driving process in which two motors are driven at a rapid speed almost simultaneously, when the optimum driving speed that satisfies the condition of the power supply voltage cannot be obtained, the process shifts to the single driving process and the fast-forward driving is performed. . Accordingly, corresponding to such a case, the two motors can be individually fast-forwarded to drive the plurality of hands 2 to 4 to a predetermined position.

  In the electronic timepiece 1 of the above embodiment, the output voltage is measured as the output level of the power supply 22, and the change in the power supply voltage is calculated as the change in the output level based on the amount of decrease in the power supply voltage and the return rate. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the level of the power source 22 and calculate the level change. In the electronic timepiece 1, it is possible to easily realize speed control of fast-forward driving in which various functions do not normally operate or do not shift to a recovery state or a charge state.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is configured to select a condition that satisfies a condition from a plurality of predetermined specified speeds as an optimum drive speed. For example, in a range that does not exceed the maximum drive speed of the motor, A drive speed that satisfies the condition of the power supply voltage may be calculated from the power supply characteristic data and the measured power supply voltage, and fast-forward drive may be performed at this drive speed.

  In the above embodiment, the drive speed is determined so that the power supply voltage at the end of the fast-forward drive does not fall below the operation guarantee voltage. However, a threshold voltage obtained by adding a marginal voltage to the operation guarantee voltage is set in advance. It may be set and the driving speed may be determined so as not to fall below the threshold voltage.

  In addition, the voltage recovery rate of the power supply characteristic data is described as data having the same value in the case of single driving and in the case of multiple simultaneous driving, but when the voltage recovery rate differs between the two, the power supply characteristic data May include data on the voltage recovery rate in each case of single drive and multiple simultaneous drive. Further, when the voltage drop characteristic and the voltage recovery characteristic are different for each motor, the data of the voltage drop characteristic and the voltage recovery characteristic for each motor may be included in the power supply characteristic data. Then, using the data corresponding to each condition of the fast-forward drive, the power supply voltage at the end of the fast-forward drive may be calculated to obtain the optimum drive speed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the optimum driving speed is reconfirmed for each step of driving. However, the reconfirmation may be performed for every step of driving. In the above embodiment, the power characteristic data 36b is stored in the ROM 36 as individually collected control data. However, for example, the power characteristic data is stored as a constant value in the fast-forward drive processing program. May be. In addition, the details shown in the embodiments can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1 Electronic watch (pointer-type electronic watch)
2-4 Pointer 10 CPU
16 First motor 17 Second motor 18 Train train mechanism 21 Solar cell 22 Power supply 23 Level detector 36 ROM
36b Power supply characteristic data 37 RAM
38 Oscillation circuit 39 Dividing circuit 43 Illumination unit 44 Illumination drive circuit 45 Speaker 46 Buzzer circuit

Claims (7)

Guidelines,
A stepping motor for driving the pointer;
A power supply for supplying power to the stepping motor;
Level detecting means for detecting the level of the power source;
Characteristic data storage means for storing characteristic data representing a level drop characteristic of the power source and a level return characteristic of the power source for driving the stepping motor;
Fast-forward control means for outputting a drive signal to the stepping motor to execute fast-feed driving of the pointer;
Based on the power supply level detected by the level detection means and the characteristic data, a change in the power supply level due to the fast-forward drive is calculated so that the power supply level at the end of the fast-forward drive satisfies a predetermined condition. Speed determining means for determining the speed of the fast-forward drive,
A pointer-type electronic timepiece characterized by comprising: The speed determining means includes
Assuming that the level of the power source drops and returns according to the characteristic data immediately after the stepping motor is driven for one step and immediately before the next driving, the level of the power source when the fast-forward driving for the remaining number of steps is completed is predetermined. 2. The pointer-type electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the fast-forward drive is calculated so as not to fall below a threshold value of the above. The speed determining means includes
The speed for the remaining fast-forward drive is obtained again during the fast-forward drive by the fast-forward control means,
The fast-forward control means includes
3. When the speed determining means obtains a speed different from the previous speed in the middle of fast-forwarding driving, the speed-changing speed is changed to the other speed and the subsequent fast-forwarding driving is executed. The pointer-type electronic watch described in 1. The speed determining means is configured to obtain a speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies a condition from a plurality of preset designated speeds,
The pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the characteristic data includes a plurality of level return characteristics data corresponding to the plurality of designated speeds. The speed determining means includes
The fastest designated speed is determined as the fast-forward drive speed within a range in which the power level when the fast-forward drive is finished is not less than a predetermined threshold among the plurality of designated speeds. Item 4. An electronic timepiece according to item 4. A plurality of the pointers and the stepping motors are provided,
The speed determining means includes
When the speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies the condition when the plurality of stepping motors are fast-forward driven at the same speed cannot be determined, the number of stepping motors that drive the fast-forward together is reduced to determine the speed of the fast-forward drive that satisfies the condition,
The fast-forward control means includes
When the speed determining means reduces the number of stepping motors that are fast-forwarding together and determines the speed of fast-forwarding driving, the fast-forwarding driving of one or more stepping motors reduced at the determined speed is executed. The pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein:   The pointer-type electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the power supply level is a voltage of the power supply.

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