JP2023026020A - mechanical watch - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a mechanical watch 1 that suppresses reduction in rate accuracy.SOLUTION: A mechanical watch 1 has: a power spring 11; a speed control mechanism 30 that includes a balance staff 311, a balance wheel 31 rotating centered on the balance staff 311 with power from the power spring 11, and a balance spring 32 elastically deformed to allow the balance wheel 31 to make forward and reverse rotational motions; rate adjustment means 40 that includes a coil 43 and a permanent magnet 41 making forward and reverse rotational motions coaxially with the balance wheel 31 in association with the forward and reverse rotational motions of the balance wheel 31, and performs rate adjustment on the basis of, a detection voltage generated in the coil 43 in accordance with the forward and reverse rotational motions of the permanent magnet 41 and a reference frequency of a reference signal source; and a bearing structure 330 that supports an end of the balance staff 311 closer to the permanent magnet 41. The bearing structure 330 includes an elastic deformation part 3322 that is elastically deformed according to displacement of the balance staff 311 and formed of a non-magnetic material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 33

Description

The present invention relates to mechanical timepieces.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a mechanical timepiece that generates electricity based on the motion of a magnet attached to a balance shaft and that has the function of adjusting the rate by observing the rotation period of the balance ( For example, paragraphs 0072 and 0073 of Patent Document 1, FIG. 27, etc.). Further, structures disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are known as bearing structures for rotating shafts used in timepieces.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-38206 Japanese Patent Publication No. 36-11942 JP 2014-77788 A

Here, in the mechanical timepiece disclosed in Patent Literature 1, if the magnet is magnetically affected by other members, the rate accuracy will be degraded.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanical timepiece that suppresses deterioration in rate accuracy.

(1) A power source, a rotating shaft, a balance wheel that rotates about the rotating shaft by the power from the power source, and a balance spring that elastically deforms so as to rotate the balance wheel forward and backward. It includes a speed governing mechanism, a coil, and a permanent magnet that performs forward and reverse rotational motion on the same axis as the balance wheel in accordance with the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel, and the forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet causes the coil to rotate. rate adjusting means for performing rate adjustment based on the detected voltage and the reference frequency of the reference signal source; A mechanical timepiece, wherein the bearing structure includes an elastically deformable portion made of a non-magnetic material and elastically deformed according to the displacement of the rotating shaft.

(2) The mechanical timepiece according to (1), wherein the elastically deformable portion has a shape that is elastically deformable in at least one of the radial direction and the axial direction of the rotating shaft according to the displacement of the rotating shaft.

(3) In (1) or (2), the bearing structure includes a hole stone formed with a shaft hole through which the end of the rotating shaft is inserted; and a holding portion made of a non-magnetic material.

(4) In any one of (1) to (3), a housing member for housing the bearing structure is provided, and the housing member includes a first peripheral surface that surrounds the end of the rotating shaft; A second peripheral surface provided closer to the balance wheel than the first peripheral surface and having a smaller diameter than the first peripheral surface; and a stepped portion connecting the first peripheral surface and the second peripheral surface. , the mechanical watch, wherein an outer edge of the elastically deformable portion is fixed to the stepped portion.

(5) In (4), the diameter of the permanent magnet is smaller than the diameter of the second peripheral surface,
A mechanical timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the permanent magnet and the second peripheral surface are provided at least partially at the same position in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

(6) In any one of (1) to (5), the rate adjusting means includes a control circuit driven by being supplied with a back electromotive force generated in the coil by forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet. mechanical watch.

According to aspects (1) to (6) of the present invention, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rate accuracy.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main plate of the embodiment and each member incorporated therein; It is a perspective view showing a mechanism for transmitting power and its surroundings in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the speed governing mechanism and its peripheral members are disassembled from the main plate in the present embodiment; It is a figure which shows the cross section of the support member of this embodiment, a soft-magnetic core, and its periphery. 1 is a plan view showing a soft magnetic core and its surroundings according to the present embodiment, and an enlarged plan view showing a part thereof in an enlarged manner. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a speed governing mechanism and its surroundings according to the present embodiment; 4 is a graph for explaining holding torque of permanent magnets in this embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a mechanical timepiece according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing how the air resistance member is disassembled from the base plate; It is a perspective view which shows the operation|movement of the balance wheel of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an air resistance member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an elastic member in a modified example of the present embodiment; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a balance wheel of another example as viewed from the side where the balance spring is provided; FIG. 11K is a perspective view of the balance wheel shown in FIG. 11K as viewed from the side opposite to the side on which the balance spring is provided; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the balance spring in its neutral elastic deformation position; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the balance spring is elastically deformed from a neutral position in an expanding direction; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the balance spring is elastically deformed in a contraction direction from a neutral position; It is a figure explaining the relationship between the operation|movement of the balance wheel in this embodiment, and the back electromotive force which arises in a coil. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a back electromotive force detected by a coil in the arrangement of permanent magnets in Example 1; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing back electromotive force detected by a coil in the arrangement of permanent magnets in Example 2; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing back electromotive force detected by a coil in the arrangement of permanent magnets in Example 3; It is a circuit diagram showing an example of a circuit in this embodiment. 4 is a circuit diagram showing another example of the circuit in this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating control of motion of a permanent magnet by a control pulse in this embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating control of motion of a permanent magnet by a control pulse in this embodiment; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of rate adjustment control according to the present embodiment; 4 is a timing chart showing an example when a detection signal is detected within an output period of a reference signal; 4 is a timing chart showing an example in which the detection timing of the detection signal is earlier than the output period of the reference signal; 4 is a timing chart showing an example in which the timing at which the detection signal is detected is later than the output period of the reference signal; 9 is a flowchart showing a first modified example of rate adjustment control; 9 is a timing chart showing detection signals and reference signals in a first modified example of rate adjustment control; FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a second modified example of rate adjustment control; FIG. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing detection signals and reference signals in a second modified example of rate adjustment control; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a control pulse; FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control when the power supply circuit starts activation from a halted state; FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control considering the influence of disturbance; 5 is a flowchart showing an example of rate adjustment control considering the influence of disturbance; FIG. 21 is a flow chart showing rate adjustment control in consideration of the influence of disturbance in the first modification of the rate adjustment control shown in FIG. 20; FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control when failures in detection of a detection signal continue; FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control when failures in detection of a detection signal continue; FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of rate adjustment control assuming that failures in detection of a detection signal continue. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of output timing of a reference signal; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the bearing structure of the embodiment and its surroundings; It is a top view which shows an elastic deformation member.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of overall configuration]
First, an overview of the overall configuration of a mechanical timepiece 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the main plate of this embodiment and each member incorporated therein. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a mechanism for transmitting power and its surroundings in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the speed governing mechanism and its peripheral members are disassembled from the main plate in this embodiment. 1 to 3 show the back side of the mechanical timepiece 1. FIG. The back side is the side in the thickness direction of the mechanical timepiece 1 on which the back cover of the outer case is arranged.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a supporting member and a soft magnetic core of this embodiment, and a view showing the periphery thereof. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the soft magnetic core of the present embodiment and its surroundings, and an enlarged plan view showing an enlarged part thereof. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the speed governing mechanism of this embodiment and its surroundings. FIG. 7 is a graph explaining the holding torque of the permanent magnet in this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the mechanical timepiece according to this embodiment. 5 shows the mechanical timepiece 1 as seen from the back side, and FIG. 6 shows the mechanical timepiece 1 as seen from the front side. Note that the front side is the side of the mechanical timepiece 1 in the thickness direction where the user sees the hands and the dial.

In this embodiment, the counterclockwise direction of the balance wheel 31 and the permanent magnet 41 in each figure except FIG. 6 is defined as the forward direction, and the clockwise direction is defined as the reverse direction.

The mechanical timepiece 1 uses a power spring 11 as a power source, controls movement of the power spring 11 by an escapement mechanism 20 and a speed control mechanism 30, and drives hands. A mechanical timepiece 1 is constructed by housing a main plate 10 in which mechanisms for driving hands are incorporated in an exterior case. Note that illustration of the outer case is omitted in the present embodiment. Illustration of the crown arranged on the side surface of the exterior case is also omitted. The crown is attached to the end of the winding stem 2 shown in FIG.

[Outline of Overall Configuration: Configuration of Drive Mechanism]
An overview of the drive mechanism included in the mechanical timepiece 1 will be described. In this embodiment, a mechanism including the power spring 11, the gear train 12, and the pointer shaft 13, which are power sources, is referred to as a "drive mechanism." Note that FIG. 2 shows only the second hand 131 of the hands. The drive mechanism shown in FIG. 2 is just an example, and the present invention is not limited to this, and gears other than the gears shown may be provided.

The power spring 11 is made of a metal strip and housed in a barrel 110 having a plurality of teeth formed on its outer circumference. The barrel 110 is disc-shaped and has a cavity for housing the power spring 11 formed therein. The power spring 11 has its inner end fixed to a barrel stem (not shown), which is a rotating shaft provided at the center of the barrel 110 , and its outer end fixed to the inner surface of the barrel 110 . When the crown is rotated by a user's operation, the winding stem 2 rotates. As the winding stem 2 rotates, the power spring 11 is wound. The wound power mainspring 11 is unwound by its elastic force. At this time, the movement of the mainspring 11 causes the barrel 110 to rotate.

The train wheel 12 includes at least a center wheel & pinion 122 , a third wheel & pinion 123 and a fourth wheel & pinion 124 . The center wheel & pinion 122 includes a pinion meshing with a plurality of teeth formed on the barrel 110 functioning as a first wheel, a rotating shaft, and a plurality of teeth, and transmits the rotation of the barrel 110 to the third wheel & pinion 123 . The rotating shaft of the center wheel & pinion 122 is the pointer shaft of the minute hand (not shown). The third wheel & pinion 123 includes a pinion meshing with a plurality of teeth of the center wheel & pinion 122 , a rotating shaft, and a plurality of teeth, and transmits rotation of the center wheel & pinion 122 to the fourth wheel & pinion 124 . The fourth wheel & pinion 124 includes a pinion meshing with a plurality of teeth of the third wheel & pinion 123 , a rotating shaft, and a plurality of teeth, and transmits rotation of the third wheel & pinion 123 to the escapement mechanism 20 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the rotating shaft of the fourth wheel & pinion 124 is the pointer shaft 13 of the second hand 131 .

[Overview of Overall Configuration: Configurations of Escape Mechanism 20 and Speed Control Mechanism 30, and Overview of Their Operations]
Next, the escapement mechanism 20 and the speed control mechanism 30 will be described. Power from the power spring 11 is transmitted to the escapement mechanism 20 and the speed control mechanism 30 through the wheel train 12 . The escapement mechanism 20 includes an escape wheel & pinion 21 and an anchor 22 . The speed governing mechanism 30 includes a balance wheel 31 and a balance spring 32 . Note that the speed control mechanism 30 is sometimes called a balance.

The escape wheel & pinion 21 is a part that meshes with the pallet 22 to receive the rhythm ticked by the speed control mechanism 30 from the pallet 22 and convert it into regular reciprocating motion. The escape wheel & pinion 21 includes a pinion meshing with a plurality of teeth of the fourth wheel & pinion 124, a rotating shaft, and a plurality of teeth. As shown in FIG. 2 , the plurality of teeth of the escape wheel 21 are formed with wider intervals in the circumferential direction than the teeth of the gears of the wheel train 12 .

The pallet 22 rotates forward and backward with the pallet pallet 221 shown in FIG. 5 as a rotation axis. The pallet 22 extends from the pallet 221 toward the center of the balance wheel 31 (balance stem 311), and has a rod portion 222 that collides with a swinging stone 315 (see FIG. 6) that rotates together with the balance stem 311. As shown in FIG. The swing stone 315 is fixed to a disc-shaped portion of the balance stem 311 having a predetermined width in the radial direction. FIG. 6 shows how the balance wheel 31 is rotated by θ from the position of the rotation angle of 0° and the position of the swing stone 315 in that state.

Also, the pallet 22 extends in the direction opposite to the first arm portion 223 to which the input pawl 223a that collides with the plurality of teeth of the escape wheel 21 and the first arm portion 223 and collides with the plurality of teeth of the escape wheel 21. and a second arm 224 to which the prong 224a is attached. In addition, it is preferable that the in-claw 223a and the out-claw 224a are made of stone such as sapphire, for example.

The balance wheel 31 performs forward and reverse rotational motion around the balance stem 311 as a center of rotation by the power transmitted by the wheel train 12 . Note that, in the following description, among the forward and reverse rotational motions, forward motion may be called "forward rotation", and reverse motion may be called "reverse rotation". Details of the configuration of the balance wheel 31 will be described later. The balance stem 311 is supported by a later-described bearing structure 330 (see FIGS. 3 and 33, not shown in FIG. 4) which is fixed to the support member 33 via the work member 35 shown in FIGS. ing.

The balance spring 32 expands and contracts (elastically deforms) so as to rotate the balance wheel 31 forward and backward. The balance spring 32 has a spiral shape, and its inner end is fixed to the balance stem 311 and its outer end is fixed to the balance holder 34 . The whisker holder 34 is fixed to the main plate 10 together with the support member 33 . 3, the whisker holder 34 is sandwiched between the support member 33 and the work member 35. As shown in FIG.

The escape wheel & pinion 21 rotates as the fourth wheel & pinion 124 rotates. When the escape wheel & pinion 21 rotates, it collides with the inner pawl 223a of the pallet 22, and the pallet 22 rotates around the pallet 221 of the pallet. The rod portion 222 of the rotated pallet 22 collides with the swing stone 315 fixed to the balance stem 311, thereby rotating the balance wheel 31. - 特許庁When the balance wheel 31 rotates, the protruding pawl 224a of the pallet 22 collides with the escape wheel & pinion 21 to stop the escape wheel & pinion 21. - 特許庁When the balance wheel 31 rotates in the opposite direction due to the restoring force of the balance spring 32, the claw 223a of the pallet fork 22 is released and the escape wheel 21 rotates again. As will be described later, since the balance wheel 31 is designed to operate one cycle in two seconds, the escape wheel & pinion 21 operates one step per second.

As described above, the speed control mechanism 30 causes the balance wheel 31 to repetitively rotate forward and reverse (reciprocate) at regular intervals by the expansion and contraction of the balance spring 32 . The escapement mechanism 20 continues to apply force to the balance wheel 31 for reciprocating motion. With such a configuration and operation, the hands such as the second hand 131 are driven.

[Outline of Overall Configuration: Configuration of Rate Adjusting Means 40]
Next, the configuration of the rate adjusting means 40 will be described. The mechanical timepiece 1 according to this embodiment includes a speed adjustment means 40 in addition to the drive mechanism, the escapement mechanism 20 and the speed control mechanism 30 .

The rate adjusting means 40 includes a permanent magnet 41, a soft magnetic core 42 (sometimes called a stator), a coil 43, and various circuits (see FIG. 8). The rate adjusting means 40 adjusts the rate based on the detection signal detected based on the forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet 41 and the reference frequency of the crystal oscillator 70 (see FIG. 8), which is the reference signal source. It is. In the present embodiment, the crystal resonator 70 is used as the reference signal source in order to achieve high frequency accuracy. good.

Although illustration is omitted, the coil 43 may be arranged so as to overlap an intermediate frame provided inside the outer case in a plan view. Alternatively, a notch may be formed in a part of the inner frame in the circumferential direction, and the coil 43 may be arranged in the notch.

The permanent magnet 41 is a disk-shaped rotating body that is magnetized in two poles, and is magnetized in the radial direction to have an N pole and an S pole. That is, the permanent magnet 41 is a magnet including an N pole portion 411 and an S pole portion 412 .

The permanent magnet 41 is attached to a balance stem 311 that is a rotating shaft of the balance wheel 31 (see FIG. 10 described later), and rotates forward and backward in accordance with forward and reverse rotation of the balance wheel 31 (balance stem 311). is provided as follows. That is, the permanent magnet 41 reciprocally rotates together with the balance wheel 31 so that the rotation angle of the permanent magnet 41 is the same as the rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 . In addition, the permanent magnet 41 is preferably fixed to the balance stem 311 by press-fitting, adhesion, or the like.

The permanent magnet 41 is preferably an isotropic magnet whose axis of easy magnetization is oriented in random directions. The permanent magnet 41 may be magnetized by applying a magnetic field from a Helmholtz coil or the like while attached to the balance stem 311 . By adopting such a magnetization method, the magnetization direction of the permanent magnet 41 can be matched accurately.

The soft magnetic core 42 is made of a soft magnetic material, and as shown in FIG. It has a second magnetic portion 422 including a second end portion 422a provided so as to follow, and forms a magnetic circuit together with the coil 43 . The first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a are both shaped to have a semicircular inner peripheral surface, and are arranged to face each other with the permanent magnet 41 interposed therebetween.

In this embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 has the N pole portion 411 arranged on the side of the second magnetic portion 422 and the S pole portion 412 arranged on the side of the first magnetic portion when the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of elastic deformation. It is arranged on the part 421 side (see the enlarged view of FIG. 5). Note that the N pole portion 411 and the S pole portion 412 may be arranged in the opposite direction, but in that case, the winding direction of the coil 43 needs to be opposite to that of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the soft magnetic core 42 is fixed to the support member 33 by pipes 33a and screws 33b, which are fixtures. With such a configuration, the soft magnetic core 42 is assembled to the base plate 10 together with the support member 33 . Further, the support member 33 and the soft magnetic core 42 are positioned by a positioning pin 10 a provided on the base plate 10 and the work member 35 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the workpiece member 35 has an annular projection 35a. The convex portion 35 a is fitted to the inner peripheral surfaces of the first end portion 421 a and the second end portion 422 a of the soft magnetic core 42 . Further, the soft magnetic core 42 is positioned at two points, the work member 35 and the positioning pin 10a. With such a configuration, the soft magnetic core 42 can be assembled to the base plate 10 with high positional accuracy. As a result, the positional accuracy of the soft magnetic core 42 with respect to the permanent magnet 41 can be improved. Here, the soft magnetic core 42 is made of a magnetic material, and there is a possibility that the magnetic properties may be degraded when a strong stress is applied. For example, if the soft magnetic core 42 is directly fastened to the base plate 10 with screws or the like, the magnetic properties may deteriorate. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the fitting between the positioning pin 10a and the work member 35 is determined as a clearance fit, and the soft magnetic core 42 is fixed to the support member 33 by the pipe 33a and the screw 33b. Both positioning and fixing of the soft magnetic core 42 are achieved. By adopting such a configuration, the positional accuracy of the soft magnetic core 42 can be improved without deteriorating the magnetic properties of the soft magnetic core 42 . In the present embodiment, the soft magnetic core 42 is arranged to be fixed to the support member 33, but the permanent magnet 41 corresponding to the soft magnetic core 42 is arranged between the balance wheel 31 and the main plate 10, A configuration may be adopted in which the soft magnetic core 42 is directly fastened to the base plate 10 with screws or the like.

Among the components to be assembled to the main plate 10, components other than the soft magnetic core 42, such as the supporting member 33, the balance holder 34, the wheel member 35, the balance spring 32, and the balance wheel 31, are located near the permanent magnets 41. is desirably made of a non-magnetic material so as not to affect the forward and reverse rotational motion of the speed governing mechanism 30 and the back electromotive force generated by the coil 43, which will be described later.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the soft magnetic core 42 includes a first welding portion 423, which is a first separation portion for separating magnetic coupling between the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a, and a first A second welded portion 424, which is a second separation portion that separates the magnetic coupling between the end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a and is arranged to face the first welded portion 423 with the permanent magnet 41 interposed therebetween. contains. The first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 are preferably formed in a gap that physically separates the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a.

The permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced in a state where the direction of magnetization is perpendicular to the direction in which the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 face each other. In this embodiment, the magnetically balanced position of the permanent magnets 41 is assumed to be a rotation angle of 0°. At this position, the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 is almost zero. The facing direction of first welded portion 423 and second welded portion 424 is the direction in which a straight line connecting first welded portion 423 and second welded portion 424 extends, as shown in FIG.

The magnetization direction of the permanent magnet 41 is the same as the direction in which the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 face each other at a position where the rotation angle shifts from 0° to the positive direction by 90°. At this position, the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 is almost zero. A dashed thick line graph in FIG. 7 indicates the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 due to the formation of the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 .

As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, notches are formed in the inner peripheral surfaces of the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a of the soft magnetic core 42 . Specifically, a notch n11 and a notch n12 are formed in the first end portion 421a. Also, in the second end portion 422a, a notch n21 is formed so as to face the notch n11 through the permanent magnet 41, and a notch n22 is formed so as to face the notch n12 through the permanent magnet 41. As shown in FIG. By forming the notch in this manner, the magnetic influence of the soft magnetic core 42 on the permanent magnet 41 is reduced. Therefore, the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 can be reduced.

One dashed line graph in FIG. 7 shows the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 due to the formation of the notches n11 and n21 arranged opposite to each other, and the other dashed line graph is arranged opposite to each other. It shows the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 due to the formation of the notches n12 and n22.

Also, the solid line graph in FIG. 7 indicates the composite holding torque obtained by synthesizing the three dashed line graphs described above. That is, the solid line graph in FIG. 7 shows the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 due to the formation of the first welded portion 423, the second welded portion 424, and the notches n11, n12, n21, and n22 in the soft magnetic core 42. . As shown in FIG. 7, in the configuration of this embodiment, the holding torques indicated by the broken line graphs cancel each other out at each rotation angle, and the combined holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 is close to 0 at any rotation angle. It has become. Therefore, even when the hairspring 32 made of a material having a low Young's modulus is used, the permanent magnet 41 can be rotated smoothly. Note that the number, arrangement, and shape of the notches shown in FIG. 5 are merely examples, and are not limited to these. The first end 421a and the second end 422a may be formed with at least a pair of mutually opposed notches that reduce the holding torque of the permanent magnet 41 .

[Overview of overall configuration: Overview of rate adjustment]
As shown in FIG. 8, the mechanical timepiece 1 includes a rectifier circuit 50 and a power supply circuit 60 in addition to the above-described power spring 11, train wheel 12, escapement mechanism 20, speed control mechanism 30, and pace adjustment means 40. , and a crystal oscillator 70 . Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the permanent magnet 41, the soft magnetic core 42, and the coil 43, the rate adjusting means 40 includes a control circuit 44, a rotation detection circuit 45, a speed control pulse output circuit 46, a frequency division A circuit 47 and an oscillator circuit 48 are included. Note that the configuration of the rate adjusting means 40 shown in FIG. 8 is an example. The rate adjustment means 40 does not need to have each circuit shown in FIG.

The control circuit 44 is a circuit that controls the operation of each circuit included in the rate adjusting means 40 .

Oscillation circuit 48 outputs a predetermined oscillation signal based on the frequency of crystal oscillator 70 . Note that the frequency of the crystal oscillator 70 is 32768 [Hz]. The frequency dividing circuit 47 frequency-divides the oscillation signal output from the oscillating circuit 48 . The frequency dividing circuit 47 divides the frequency of the oscillation signal based on the crystal oscillator 70 to generate the reference signal OS that is output every approximately 1000 [ms]. However, the reference signal OS is not limited to this, and may be output every 2000 [ms] or every 3000 [ms]. That is, the reference signal OS may be output every second. Moreover, the reference signal OS is not limited to this, as long as it corresponds to the cycle of the speed control mechanism 30 .

A rotation detection circuit 45 detects a detection signal based on a voltage waveform generated in the coil 43 by motion of the permanent magnet 41 . A speed control pulse output circuit 46 outputs a speed control pulse based on the reference signal generated by the frequency dividing circuit 47 and the detection signal detected by the rotation detection circuit 45 . Specifically, the detection timing of the detection signal detected by the rotation detection circuit 45 is compared with the output timing of the reference signal of about 1000 [Hz]. A circuit 46 outputs a control pulse so that the cycle of detection of the detection signal approaches 1000 [ms] (=1 second).

The control pulse is output by energizing the coil 43 . Therefore, when the period of detection of the detection signal is earlier than that of the reference signal, the speed control pulse output circuit 46 energizes the coil 43 so that torque acts in the direction of delaying the movement of the permanent magnet 41, and the detection signal is detected. If the cycle of the pulse is slower than that of the reference signal, the coil 43 should be energized so that the torque acts in the direction of accelerating the movement of the permanent magnet 41 . The details of the rate adjustment control including the output timing of the speed control pulse will be described later.

[Outline of Overall Configuration: Speed Control Mechanism 30 as Generator]
The mechanical timepiece 1 also has a power generation function using the principle of electromagnetic induction. In this embodiment, the speed control mechanism 30 functions as part of the generator. Specifically, the permanent magnet 41 performs forward and reverse rotational motion with the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel 31 , and electric power is generated by the current generated in the coil 43 based on the change in the magnetic field caused by the movement of the permanent magnet 41 . The power supply circuit 60 is activated by using the power extracted according to this operating principle. By activating the power supply circuit 60, the control circuit 44 included in the rate adjusting means 40 can be driven. Since such a configuration is adopted, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 44 can be driven without separately providing a power source such as a battery.

The rectifier circuit 50 rectifies the current generated in the coil 43 by the movement of the permanent magnet 41 associated with the forward and reverse rotations of the balance wheel of the speed control mechanism 30 . The power supply circuit 60 is a circuit including a capacitor, for example, and stores electric power for driving the control circuit 44 based on the current rectified by the rectifier circuit 50 .

[Outline of overall structure: balance bearing structure]
Here, a bearing structure 330 for the balance stem 311 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 and 34. FIG. FIG. 33 is a sectional view showing the bearing structure of this embodiment and its surroundings. FIG. 34 is a plan view showing an elastic deformation member.

The bearing structure 330 supports the end of the balance (rotating shaft) 311 closer to the permanent magnet 41 . As shown in FIG. 33, the balance stem 311 has a tenon portion 311a at its tip. The tenon portion 311a is a portion of the balance stem 311 having a smaller diameter than other portions. The bearing structure 330 supports the tenon portion 311a of the balance stem 311, as shown in FIG.

The bearing structure 330 is a structure including at least a hole stone 331 , an elastic deformation member 332 , a support stone 333 , a holding member 334 that holds the support stone 333 , and a support stone spring 335 . The bearing structure 330 is housed in the work member 35 which is a housing member. As shown in FIG. 33, the holding member 334 is fixed to the workpiece member 35 described above. That is, the bearing structure 330 is fixed to the support member 33 via the work member 35 .

The stone spring 335 is provided so that its inner edge holds the holding member 334 and a part of its outer edge is hooked on the work member 35 . Further, the outer edge of the stone spring 335 is in elastic contact with the work member 35 . The stone spring 335 is one of the members that contributes to the absorption of shock in the axial direction of the balance stem 311 . The holding member 334 and the stone spring 335 are preferably made of a non-magnetic material. For example, retaining member 334 may be made of brass, which is an alloy of barrel and zinc.

The hole stone 331 is fixed to the elastic deformation member 332 by being fitted into an opening 3323 h (described later) formed in the elastic deformation member 332 . A shaft hole 331h is formed in the central portion of the hole stone 331, through which the tenon portion 311a of the balance stem 311 is inserted. The tenon portion 311a is positioned in the radial direction by the hole stone 331 by being inserted into the shaft hole 331h.

The receiving stone 333 is in contact with the tip of the tenon portion 311a. The tenon portion 311 a is positioned in the vertical direction by a support stone 333 .

The hole stone 331 and the receiving stone 333 are preferably precious stones that have good slidability with respect to the tenon portion 311a and are advantageous against rotational movement and wear. Specifically, the hole stone 331 and the receiving stone 333 are preferably ruby, sapphire, or the like. However, it is not limited to this, and the hole stone 331 and the receiving stone 333 may be made of a non-magnetic material.

If the mechanical timepiece 1 is subjected to an external impact or the like, the balance stem 311 may be displaced vertically or radially. Here, the vertical direction is the direction in which the axis ax of the balance stem 311 shown in FIG. 33 extends (hereinafter also referred to as the axial direction), and the radial direction is the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the axis ax extends. If the balance stem 311 is misaligned, the rotation of the balance wheel 31 and the permanent magnet 41 will be disturbed, and there is a risk that the rate accuracy will decrease and the power generation efficiency will decrease. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which the bearing structure 330 has an elastic deformation member 332 is adopted.

As shown in FIG. 34, the elastically deformable member 332 has a spiral shape including an annular outer edge portion 3321 that constitutes its outer shape, an elastically deformable portion 3322, and an annular holding portion 3323 that holds the hole stone 331. .

As shown in FIG. 34, the elastic deformation portion 3322 is connected to the outer edge portion 3321 via a first connection portion 3322a extending radially inwardly from a part of the outer edge portion 3321 in the circumferential direction, and the first connection portion 3322a. and a semi-circular arc portion 3322b extending along the outer edge portion 3321 and extending radially inward at the end of the semi-circular arc portion 3322b opposite to the first connecting portion 3322a, and separating the semi-circular arc portion 3322b and the holding portion 3323. It is a shape including a second connecting portion 3322c to be connected. The outer edge portion 3321 is fixed to the workpiece member 35 by being sandwiched between the workpiece member 35 and the holding member 334 .

Here, as shown in FIG. 33, the wheel member 35 includes a first peripheral surface 351 surrounding the periphery of the end of the balance stem 311, and a first peripheral surface 351 provided closer to the balance wheel 31 than the first peripheral surface 351. The configuration includes a second peripheral surface 352 having a smaller diameter than the first peripheral surface 351 and a stepped portion 353 connecting the first peripheral surface 351 and the second peripheral surface 352 . The first peripheral surface 351 is a peripheral surface with a diameter R1 shown in FIG. 33, and the second peripheral surface 352 is a peripheral surface with a diameter R2 (<R1) shown in FIG. An outer edge portion 3321 of the elastically deformable member 332 is sandwiched and fixed between the stepped portion 353 of the work member 35 and the holding member 334 .

When the balance stem 311 is displaced in the radial direction due to an external impact or the like, the semicircular arc portion 3322b elastically deforms in the radial direction with the first connection portion 3322a as a fulcrum, and the holding portion 3323 moves the second connection portion 3322c. As a fulcrum, it is elastically deformed in the radial direction. Here, "displacement" refers to the movement of the balance stem 311 to a position that deviates from its normal position.

Further, when the balance stem 311 is displaced in the axial direction due to an external impact, the semicircular arc portion 3322b elastically deforms in the axial direction with the first connection portion 3322a as a fulcrum, and the holding portion 3323 is displaced from the second connection portion. It is elastically deformed in the axial direction with 3322c as a fulcrum.

In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the bearing structure 330 includes the elastically deforming portion 3322, the balance stem 311 can be displaced in the radial direction or the axial direction by the elastic force of the elastically deforming portion 3322. to maintain the normal position. As a result, a decrease in rate accuracy and a decrease in power generation efficiency are suppressed.

Furthermore, the elastically deformable portion 3322 is preferably made of a non-magnetic material. A non-magnetic material is a material other than a ferromagnetic material that is not affected by a magnetic field or is less affected by a magnetic field than a ferromagnetic material. Specifically, the elastically deformable portion 3322 is preferably made of a metal material such as NiP (nickel phosphorus), TiCu (titanium copper), copper-nickel alloy, or the like. The elastic deformation portion 3322 is preferably formed through aging treatment (heat treatment). As a result, it is possible to obtain a thin elastic deformation portion 3322 that can secure elastic force. Note that the outer edge portion 3321 and the holding portion 3323 are also preferably made of a non-magnetic material like the elastic deformation portion 3322 . That is, the elastic deformation member 332 is preferably made entirely of a non-magnetic material.

Since the elastic deformation member 332 (elastic deformation portion 3322), which is one of the members arranged in the vicinity of the permanent magnet 41, is made of a non-magnetic material, the permanent magnet 41 is prevented from being magnetically affected. can be suppressed. Thereby, the operation of the permanent magnet 41 is stabilized. As a result, a decrease in rate accuracy and a decrease in power generation efficiency are suppressed.

Further, since the elastically deformable member 332 and the holding member 334 are made of a non-magnetic material, it is possible to dispose the bearing structure 330 of the balance stem 311 close to the permanent magnet 41 . As a result, the mechanical timepiece 1 can be made smaller in the thickness direction. Furthermore, since the elastic deformation member 332 is made of a non-magnetic material, the permanent magnet 41 can be enlarged. As a result, the power obtained by the operation of the permanent magnet 41 can be increased, and the power generation performance can be improved.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, the diameter of the permanent magnet 41 is smaller than the smallest diameter (diameter R2) of the opening diameters of the work member 35 . That is, the work member 35 has an opening that can secure a space large enough to arrange the permanent magnet 41 at a position close to the bearing structure 330 . The permanent magnet 41 is provided at a position passing through an imaginary plane P that is perpendicular to the axial direction ax of the balance stem 311 and passes through the work member 35 . In other words, the permanent magnet 41 and the work member 35 are provided at least partially at the same position in the axial direction ax. FIG. 33 shows an example in which the permanent magnet 41 and the second peripheral surface 352 of the work member 35 are provided at least partially at the same position in the axial direction ax. Conventionally, a balance member having an opening slightly larger than the diameter of the balance stem was used. There is a possibility of doing so. In this embodiment, since the balance member 35 has an opening with a diameter sufficiently larger than the diameter of the balance stem 311, the balance stem 311 does not interfere with the balance member 35 even if an impact is applied from the outside. no.

Note that the shape of the elastically deformable member 332 shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 is an example, and is not limited to this. The elastic deformation member 332 (elastic deformation portion 3322 ) preferably has a shape that can be elastically deformed in at least one of the radial direction and the axial direction of the balance stem 311 according to the displacement of the balance stem 311 .

Although illustration is omitted, the end portion of the balance stem 311 farther from the permanent magnet 41 may also be supported by a structure equivalent to the bearing structure 330 . As a result, a common member can be used to support the one end and the other end of the balance stem 311, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

The permanent magnet 41 may be attached directly to the balance stem 311 as shown in FIG. may be attached.

[Regarding speed reduction of balance wheel 31]
Here, in the mechanical timepiece 1, the faster the movement of the balance wheel 31, that is, the faster the operation cycle of the balance wheel 31, the more wear and tear each mechanism that transmits power (for example, the escape wheel 21 and the pallet 22). It becomes easy to wear, and the durability decreases. On the other hand, since the amount of current generated in the coil 43 is proportional to the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41, when the movement of the balance wheel 31 is slow, the amount of power generation required to drive the control circuit 44 cannot be obtained. .

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the movement of the balance wheel 31 is slowed down and the amount of power generation can be ensured.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the operation of the balance wheel of this embodiment. 10 shows a balance wheel 31, an anchor 22, a permanent magnet 41, and an air resistance member 15, which will be described later. In FIG. 10, the reference numerals are omitted except for the diagram showing the state of the rotation angle of 0°. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the movement of the balance wheel and the back electromotive force generated in the coil in this embodiment. In the upper graph of FIG. 12, the vertical axis is the angular velocity [rad/s] of the balance wheel 31, and the horizontal axis is the measurement time [s]. In the middle graph of FIG. 12, the vertical axis is the rotation angle [deg] of the balance wheel 31, and the horizontal axis is the measurement time [s]. In the lower graph of FIG. 12, the vertical axis is the back electromotive force [V] generated in the coil 43, and the horizontal axis is the measurement time [s]. Each graph shown in FIG. 12 shows an example in which the movement of the balance wheel 31 (permanent magnet 41) was measured for 4 seconds.

In this embodiment, the balance wheel 31 is designed to make one reciprocating motion in two seconds. For this reason, a resin material with a low Young's modulus is adopted as the material of the balance spring 32 . As a result, the balance wheel 31 can be vibrated at a lower speed than when the balance wheel 31 is made of a metal material. If a metal balance spring is to be used to vibrate at a low speed, the cross-sectional area of the balance spring 32 must be reduced to a level that is difficult to process, or the length of the balance spring must be increased to a level that is difficult to handle.

In this embodiment, a resin having a Young's modulus of about 5 [GPa] is used as the material of the balance spring 32 . Specifically, polyester was used as the material for the balance spring 32 . It should be noted that the hairspring 32 made of a resin material may be manufactured by, for example, laser processing. Note that the Young's modulus of a general metal hairspring is about 200 [GPa]. The Young's modulus shown here is an example, and the Young's modulus of the balance spring 32 is preferably 20 [GPa] or less. That is, it is preferable that the Young's modulus of the balance spring 32 is 1/10 or less of the Young's modulus of the metal balance spring. More preferably, the Young's modulus of the balance spring 32 is 10 [GPa] or less. That is, the Young's modulus of the balance spring 32 is preferably 1/20 or less of the Young's modulus of the metal balance spring. The Young's modulus may be 20 [GPa] or less, and the balance spring 3 may be made of a material such as paper or wood. Details of the shape of the balance spring 32 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 11M to 11O.

Further, in the present embodiment, the rotation angle [deg] of the balance wheel 31 and the permanent magnet 41 in the state where the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of elastic deformation is set to 0°. The neutral position of the elastic deformation of the hairspring 32 is, in other words, the position where the hairspring 32 is at its natural length. Further, power is supplied from the power spring 11 to the balance wheel 31 in a state where the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of elastic deformation. That is, the balance wheel 31 and the permanent magnet 41 are in the power supply position where the power from the power spring 11 is supplied at the position where the rotation angle is 0°. Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is at a magnetically balanced position at a rotation angle of 0°.

Further, in this embodiment, the balance wheel 31 is designed to be driven within a rotation angle range of 340° to -340°. Therefore, the permanent magnet 41 is also driven within a rotation angle range of 340° to -340°. However, this is only an example, and the movement range of the balance wheel 31 should preferably be greater than the rotation angle range of 270° to -270°. By enlarging the range of movement of the balance wheel 31 to some extent in this manner, low-speed vibration of the balance wheel 31 can be realized.

Note that FIG. 10 shows how the balance wheel 31 rotates in the forward direction from the position of the rotation angle of 0° at every 45° or 90°. Note that FIG. 10 shows only the state where the balance wheel 31 is at a positive angle (0° to 340°), and the state at a negative angle is omitted.

[Regarding speed reduction of balance wheel 31: air resistance member 15]
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the air resistance member 15, which is a deceleration means, is assembled to the main plate 10, and the affected portion 313, which receives the air resistance from the air resistance member 15, is formed in a part of the balance wheel 31 in the circumferential direction. A configuration was adopted. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing how the air resistance member is disassembled from the main plate.

The balance wheel 31 includes a circular portion 312 that reciprocally rotates around a balance stem 311 and an operated portion 313 that protrudes radially from a portion of the circular portion 312 in the circumferential direction. In the present embodiment, the operated portion 313 is the longest portion of the balance wheel 31 in the radial direction. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the shape of the operated portion 313 is fan-shaped.

The air resistance member 15 has a resistance wall that forms an air resistance area AR that produces air resistance. Specifically, the air resistance member 15 includes a first wall portion 151 facing one surface of the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 and a second wall portion 151 facing the other surface of the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 . It includes a wall portion 152 and a third wall portion 153 connecting the first wall portion 151 and the second wall portion 152, and these walls form an air resistance area AR. The air resistance member 15 also has a base portion 154 that is integral with the first wall portion 151 , the second wall portion 152 , and the third wall portion 153 and fixed to the base plate 10 .

The air resistance member 15 is fixed to the base plate 10 . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, an opening 10b is formed in a part of the base plate 10, the air resistance member 15 is fitted into the opening 10b, and the base 154 is fixed to the base plate 10 by a fastener such as a bolt. fixed. The air resistance member 15 is preferably fitted into the opening 10b from the side of the main plate 10 opposite to the side on which the drive mechanism, the escapement mechanism 20, the speed control mechanism 30, and the like are incorporated. That is, the base portion 154 is preferably fixed to the surface of the main plate 10 opposite to the side on which the drive mechanism, the escapement mechanism 20, the speed control mechanism 30, and the like are incorporated. Although FIG. 9 shows an example in which the opening 10b is formed in a part of the base plate 10, the present invention is not limited to this, as long as it has a hole penetrating from one side of the base plate 10 to the other side. . For example, the base plate 10 may have a notch into which the air resistance member 15 is fitted instead of the opening 10b.

In this embodiment, the air resistance member 15 is provided in a predetermined direction with respect to the balance stem 311, and the rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 is between 135° and 225° ), the affected portion 313 is positioned within the air resistance area AR. That is, the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 receives air resistance when the rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 is between 135° and 225°, and the angular velocity decreases. Also, although illustration is omitted, similarly, the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 is rotated when the rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 is between -135° and -225° (intermediate period between the forward motion and the reverse direction motion). At some point, it receives air resistance and its angular velocity decreases.

The reason why the rotation speed of the balance wheel 31 passing through the air resistance area AR decreases is that the air escape path is blocked by the first wall 151, the second wall 152, and the third wall 153, and the air resistance area AR This is because air stays inside and the staying air prevents the balance wheel 31 from moving.

As shown at the timing before the measurement time reaches 2.0 seconds in the upper and middle graphs of FIG. The peak is reached at the timing of 0.0 seconds. This is because the balance wheel 31 receives power from the power spring 11 when the balance wheel 31 has a rotation angle of 0°.

The balance wheel 31 rotates in the positive direction from a rotation angle of 0°, the angular velocity gradually decreases, and becomes 0 at a rotation angle of 340°, which is the turning point of the forward and reverse rotation motion. After that, the balance wheel 31 rotates in the opposite direction from the position of the rotation angle of 340° along with the elastic deformation of the balance spring 32 .

As described above, the balance wheel 31 receives air resistance from the air resistance member 15 when it is at the rotation angle of 135° to 225°, so the angular velocity during that period decreases. Therefore, as shown in the graph in the middle of FIG. 12, the change in the rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 during the period from the rotation angle of 340° to the rotation angle of 0° is moderated by the reverse rotation.

Then, the balance wheel 31 returns to the position where the rotation angle is 0°, receives power from the power spring 11, and the angular velocity in the opposite direction rises sharply and reaches a peak. The angular velocity when the balance wheel 31 rotates in the opposite direction gradually decreases, and becomes 0 at the rotation angle of −340° (measurement time: 3.0 seconds). After that, the balance wheel 31 rotates in the positive direction from the position of the rotation angle of −340° as the balance spring 32 elastically deforms.

Here, since the balance wheel 31 includes the acted portion 313 projecting in the radial direction, the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 is closer to the acted portion 313 side than the balance stem 311 (rotation center). . In a configuration in which the center of gravity is displaced from the balance stem 311 located at the center of the balance wheel 31, the rotational motion of the balance wheel 31 becomes unstable. Therefore, in this embodiment, an opening 312h is formed in a part of the circular portion 312 so that the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 is aligned with or close to the balance stem 311 (center position). As shown in FIG. 10, the opening 312h is formed adjacent to the operated portion 313 in the circumferential direction. By adopting such a configuration, the rotational motion of the balance wheel 31 is less likely to become unstable. In particular, even if the posture of the mechanical timepiece 1 is displaced, the balance wheel 31 can be rotated stably.

In the present embodiment, the air resistance member 15 is arranged such that the affected portion 313 is positioned within the air resistance area AR when the balance wheel 31 rotates at an angle between 135° and 225°. In addition, the air resistance area AR is arranged so that its center position 15C (see FIG. 6) in the circumferential direction overlaps the positions of 180° and −180° of the balance wheel 31 in the rotation direction of the balance wheel 31 . As a result, the air resistance received by the operated portion 313 is symmetrical between when the balance wheel 31 rotates in the forward direction and when it rotates in the reverse direction. Therefore, as shown in the middle graph of FIG. 12, which will be described later, the angular velocity of the balance wheel 31 is symmetrical between when it rotates in the forward direction and when it rotates in the reverse direction.

[Modification of Structure for Decreasing Angular Velocity of Balance Wheel 31]
Modifications of the structure for reducing the angular velocity of the balance wheel 31 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11J. 11A to 11I are perspective views showing balance wheels and air resistance members in modifications of the present embodiment. FIG. 11J is a perspective view showing a balance wheel and an elastic member in a modified example of this embodiment.

A balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. 11A is obtained by providing three cutouts 313A in the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. 10 so as to form resistance walls intersecting in the circumferential direction. The notch 313A is formed so as to pass through the air resistance area AR as the balance wheel 31 rotates.

The balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. 11B has three grooves 313B extending in the radial direction so as to form resistance walls intersecting in the circumferential direction in the acted portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. be. The groove 313B is formed so as to pass through the air resistance area AR as the balance wheel 31 rotates.

The balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. 11C has three through holes 313C formed in the operated portion 313 of the balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. 10 so as to form resistance walls that intersect in the circumferential direction. The through hole 313C is formed so as to pass through the air resistance area AR as the balance wheel 31 rotates.

By adopting the operated portion 313 shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, when the operated portion 313 passes through the air resistance area AR, the rectification of the air in the air resistance area AR is disturbed, and the operated portion 313 receives Increases air resistance. As a result, the speed of the affected portion 313 passing through the air resistance area AR can be made lower.

The configuration of the balance wheel 31 shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C is merely an example, and the configuration is not limited to these as long as it has a recess in which a resistance wall for increasing air resistance is formed. That is, the positions and the number of cutouts and the like are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

In FIG. 11D, the third wall portion 153 of the air resistance member 15 shown in FIG. 10 is removed, and the first wall portion 151 and the second wall portion 152 are provided radially inward from the track of the operated portion 313. shows an example. That is, the air resistance member 15 forms the air resistance area AR only with the first wall portion 151 and the second wall portion 152 facing each other. In addition, the first wall portion 151 and the second wall portion 152 are preferably assembled to the base plate 10 or the like independently of each other.

In FIG. 11D, the operated portion 313 protrudes radially inward. Therefore, the acted portion 313 passes through the air resistance area AR as the balance wheel 31 rotates. According to the configuration shown in FIG. 11D, it is possible to prevent the balance wheel 31 and the air resistance member 15 from increasing in size in the radial direction.

FIG. 11E shows an example in which the operated portion 313 is provided at a different position from the circular portion 312 in the axial direction of the balance stem 311 . Further, the air resistance member 15 is provided at a position in the axial direction of the balance stem 311 such that the affected portion 313 can pass through the air resistance area AR.

Also in FIG. 11F, similarly to the modification shown in FIG. Further, the air resistance member 15 is provided at a position in the axial direction of the balance stem 311 such that the affected portion 313 can pass through the air resistance area AR. Furthermore, the circular portion 312 of the balance wheel 31 is semicircular. Therefore, the balance wheel 31 is lightened.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 11E and 11F , the position of the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 can be adjusted by providing the operated portion 313 at a position different from that of the circular portion 312 in the axial direction.

FIG. 11G shows an example in which the diameter of the circular portion 312 is made smaller than that of the balance wheel 31 shown in FIG. . That is, the weight of the circular portion 312 is increased at the position facing the operated portion 313 via the balance stem 311 . With such a configuration, the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 can be aligned with the balance stem 311 (center position of the balance wheel 31). 11G, in which the diameter of the balance wheel 31 is reduced, also has the advantage of improving the degree of freedom in layout of the balance support 34 that fixes the outer end of the balance spring 32. FIG.

FIG. 11H shows an example in which the air resistance member 15 does not have the first wall portion 151 and the second wall portion 152, and includes only the structure corresponding to the third wall portion 153. FIG. That is, the air resistance member 15 of FIG. 11H is composed of a base portion 154 and a third wall portion 153 that stands up from the base portion 154 and has a shape along the locus of rotation of the balance wheel 31 .

FIG. 11I shows an example in which grooves 153I, which are recesses forming resistance walls intersecting the circumferential direction of the balance wheel 31, are formed in the air resistance member 15 shown in FIG. 11H. A plurality of grooves 153I are formed along the axial direction of balance stem 311 . With such a configuration, the air resistance acting on the operated portion 313 passing through the air resistance area AR can be increased compared to FIG. 11H.

FIG. 11J shows an example adopting a configuration in which the speed of the balance wheel 31 is reduced by contact resistance (frictional resistance) instead of air resistance. Specifically, the balance wheel 31 has a protrusion 316 formed on the circular portion 312 as an acted portion. Also, an elastic member is employed as the frictional resistance portion.

Specifically, a first elastic member 151J with which the projection 316 contacts when the balance wheel 31 is positioned at a rotation angle of 135°, and a second elastic member 151J with which the projection 316 contacts when the balance wheel 31 is positioned at a rotation angle of 225°. An elastic member 152J is provided. The ends of the first elastic member 151J and the second elastic member 152J are preferably fixed to the base plate 10 .

The first elastic member 151J and the second elastic member 152J are elastically deformed while generating frictional resistance with the protrusion 316 when the protrusion 316 of the balance wheel 31 comes into contact with them. While the balance wheel 31 is in contact with the protrusion 316, its speed is reduced by frictional resistance. In the example shown in FIG. 11J, the resistance area R1 is the area through which the projection 316 passes while being in contact with the first elastic member 151J and the second elastic member 151J.

The configurations shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A to 11J are only examples, and any configuration that acts on the balance wheel 31 in the middle of each of the forward motion and the reverse motion to decelerate the balance wheel 31 may be used. However, it is not limited to the illustrated example.

Further, another example of the balance wheel 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11K and 11L. FIG. 11K is a perspective view showing another example of a balance wheel viewed from the side where the balance spring is provided. FIG. 11L is a perspective view of the balance wheel shown in FIG. 11K as viewed from the side opposite to the side on which the balance spring is provided.

The balance wheel 31 shown in FIGS. 11K and 11L has a circular portion 312 and an operated portion 313, like those shown in FIG. 10 and the like. An opening 312h is formed in the circular portion 312 at a position overlapping the operated portion 313 in the circumferential direction.

Further, in the balance wheel 31 shown in FIGS. 11K and 11L, the edge 312a of the circular portion 312 protrudes in the axial direction of the balance stem 311. As shown in FIG. That is, the edge portion 312a is thicker than the portion of the circular portion 312 inside the edge portion 312a. In addition, the operated portion 313 is formed flush with the edge portion 312a. That is, the thickness of the operated portion 313 is the same as that of the edge portion 312a, and is thicker than the portion of the circular portion 312 inside the edge portion 312a.

In the balance wheel 31 shown in FIGS. 11K and 11L, since the thickness of the operated portion 313 is relatively large, the surface of the operated portion 313 that receives the air resistance is relatively large. Therefore, it is possible to increase the amount of air pushed away by the acted portion 313 in the air resistance area AR shown in FIG. Since the balance spring 32 is arranged on a relatively thin portion of the balance wheel 31 other than the edge portion 312 a and the operated portion 313 , the balance spring 32 and the balance wheel 31 in the axial direction of the balance stem 311 do not move. It is possible to reduce the total thickness of

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11L, the thickness of the circular portion 312 of the balance wheel 31 opposite to the side on which the balance spring 32 is provided is partly thickened. If the thickness of the operated portion 313 is increased, the weight of the operated portion 313 is increased, so that the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 is shifted toward the operated portion 313, but the thickness of the circular portion 312 is partially increased. As a result, the center of gravity of the balance wheel 31 can be aligned with the balance stem 311 (center position of the balance wheel 31).

Further details of the balance spring 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11M-11O. FIG. 11M is a plan view showing the balance spring in its neutral elastic deformation position. FIG. 11N is a plan view showing a state in which the balance spring is elastically deformed from the neutral position in the expansion direction. FIG. 11O is a plan view showing a state in which the balance spring is elastically deformed in the contraction direction from the neutral position.

The balance spring 32 has an outer end 321 connected to the balance holder 34 and an inner end 322 connected to the balance stem 311 . The inner end portion 322 has an annular shape along the peripheral surface of the balance stem 311 . The outer end portion 321 and the inner end portion 322 are thicker than the rest of the hairspring 32 (the elastically deformable portion). Therefore, the connection strength to the whisker holder 34 and the balance stem 311 is maintained.

By lengthening the entire length of the hairspring 32 and lowering the spring force of the hairspring 32, low vibration can be realized. If the total length of the hairspring 32 is increased, the diameter of the hairspring 32 is increased. In order to increase the total length of the balance spring 32 while downsizing it, it is preferable to shorten the distance between the inner portion and the outer portion of the balance spring 32 . That is, it is preferable to narrow the pitch of the balance spring 32 .

The balance spring 32 adopts a shape using a logarithmic spiral. As described above, a logarithmic spiral balance spring can be easily produced by laser processing. By adopting a shape using a logarithmic spiral, the distance between the pitches of the balance spring 32 on the inner end portion 322 side is reduced compared to the uniform pitch Archimedes spiral used as the shape of a general balance spring. This makes it possible to increase the overall length of the hairspring and reduce its diameter. As a result, the diameter of the balance spring 32 can be reduced, the spring force can be reduced, and low vibration can be realized. However, when the hairspring 32 is produced by laser processing as described above, it is difficult to narrow the pitch. This is because the heat of the laser light may deform the shape of the balance spring 32 .

Therefore, in order to maintain the dimensional accuracy of the balance spring 32 while narrowing the pitch, as shown in FIGS. bottom. The fixing portion 322 a is a portion fixed to the balance stem 311 . The pitch expanding portion 322b is a portion narrower than the fixed portion 322a, and is a portion that widens the pitch between the inner end portion 322 and the radially adjacent portion 323 of the balance spring 32. As shown in FIG. A portion 323 of the balance spring 32 that is radially adjacent to the inner end portion 322 is a portion other than the inner end portion 322 and is the innermost portion. W shown in FIGS. 11M to 11O indicates the distance between the inner end 322 and the portion 323 radially adjacent to the inner end 322 .

11M to 11O show an example in which the inner end portion 322 is annular, that is, an example in which the fixing portion 322a and the pitch enlarging portion 322b are connected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the inner end portion 322 may be partially spaced apart in the circumferential direction, and the spaced portion may function as the pitch enlarging portion 322b. However, when the inner end portion 322 is ring-shaped, it is easier to secure the fixing strength to the balance stem 311 . 11M to 11O show an example in which the balance spring 32 has a shape using a logarithmic spiral, but this is not limitative, and the configuration forming the pitch enlarged portion 322b is larger in diameter than outside of the diameter. This is particularly effective for balance springs with a narrow pitch on the inside.

In addition, in the present embodiment and the modified example, an example in which a configuration for reducing the speed of the balance wheel 31 is employed has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. If the number of reciprocating motions of the balance wheel 31 per second is increased by increasing the speed of the balance wheel 31, the error per second, that is, the influence of the rate accuracy is reduced. In this manner, a configuration including the elastic deformation portion 332 described above may be adopted in the configuration in which the balance wheel 31 is comparatively speeded up.

[About the timing of power generation]
The amount of current generated in the coil 43 by the motion of the permanent magnet 41 increases in proportion to the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 . Therefore, in order to efficiently generate power, it is preferable to use the current generated in the coil 43 when the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is high.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, at the timing when the permanent magnet 41 (balance wheel 31) is at the 0° position or at the timing immediately after that, the back electromotive force (detection voltage) detected by the coil 43 due to the motion of the permanent magnet 41 is We decided to generate power based on the current corresponding to That is, as shown in the lower graph of FIG. 12, power generation is performed at the peak timing of the back electromotive force detected by the coil 43 .

The timing of power generation is not limited to the timing at which the balance wheel 31 is at the position of the rotation angle of 0° or the timing immediately after that, but either the forward or reverse direction motion of the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel 31. , before the affected portion 313 (balance wheel 31) reaches the position of the air resistance member 15. That is, during a period before the angular velocity of the balance wheel 31 decreases due to the air resistance of the operated portion 313 from the air resistance member 15, power is generated based on the current corresponding to the back electromotive force detected by the coil 43. may

As shown in the lower graph of FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the same voltage waveform is detected when the balance wheel 31 moves in the forward direction and in the reverse direction. Therefore, in the mechanical timepiece 1, it is not necessary to know whether the balance wheel 31 is moving forward or backward in order to adjust the timing of power generation.

[Relationship Between Magnetization Direction of Permanent Magnet 41 and Power Generation Efficiency]
Here, the relationship between the magnetization direction of the permanent magnet 41 and the power generation efficiency will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 12, and 13A to 13C.

In the mechanical timepiece 1 according to this embodiment, electric power is generated based on the electric power obtained by rectifying the current corresponding to the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 by the rectifier circuit 50 . Here, as the rectification by the rectifier circuit 50, full-wave rectification using a bridge circuit including a plurality of diodes or half-wave rectification using a circuit including one diode can be considered. When a plurality of diodes are used, a voltage drop occurs according to the number of diodes, resulting in a loss in the power obtained accordingly. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a configuration in which half-wave rectification is performed by the rectifier circuit 50 is adopted. In addition, in half-wave rectification, by making a difference in the shape of the positive back electromotive force and the negative back electromotive force, and generating power based on the back electromotive force with the larger absolute value, efficient power generation is achieved. It can be carried out. Therefore, in this embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is arranged so that a back electromotive force suitable for half-wave rectification can be detected.

FIG. 13A shows the back electromotive force detected by the coil 43 in the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 13B shows the back electromotive force detected by the coil 43 in the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 of the second embodiment. FIG. 13C shows the back electromotive force detected by the coil 43 in the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 of Example 3. As shown in FIG.

[Relationship Between Magnetization Direction of Permanent Magnet 41 and Power Generation Efficiency: Example 1]
In the first embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is magnetized so that the direction of magnetization is perpendicular to the facing direction of the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 when the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. are placed.

Here, the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the position where the rotation angle is 0°, rotates in the opposite direction due to the elastic force of the balance spring 32, and further rotates in the positive direction due to the elastic force of the balance spring 32. The back electromotive force detected by the coil 43 until exercise is performed will be described.

Also, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 due to the change in the magnetic field when the N pole portion 411 of the permanent magnet 41 moves toward the first end portion 421a of the soft magnetic core 42 is defined as the "positive" back electromotive force. . On the other hand, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 due to the magnetic field change when the N pole portion 411 moves away from the first end portion 421a of the soft magnetic core 42 is defined as the "negative" back electromotive force.

In Example 1, the permanent magnet 41 is at the position of magnetic balance when the rotation angle is 0°. Therefore, at a rotation angle of 0°, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is 0. The permanent magnet 41 is supplied with power from the power spring 11 at a rotation angle of 0°. That is, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 becomes maximum immediately after the rotation angle of 0°. Further, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the rotation angle of 0° to 180°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. As described above, in the first embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is arranged so that the back electromotive force detected in the coil 43 has the same polarity until it rotates 180 degrees in the positive direction from the power supply position.

Therefore, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from 0° to 180°, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is maximized and the positive back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 reaches its peak.

At a rotational angle of 180° where the permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is zero.

When the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the rotation angle of 180°, the N pole portion 411 moves away from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, a negative back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from 180° to 340°. The angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 at this time is smaller than the angular velocity during the movement from the rotation angle of 0° to 180°. Therefore, the absolute value of the peak of the negative back electromotive force is smaller than the absolute value of the peak of the positive back electromotive voltage.

In addition, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 becomes 0 at a rotation angle of 340°, which is the turning point of the reciprocating motion. Therefore, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is 0 at the rotation angle of 340°.

The permanent magnet 41, which has reached a rotation angle of 340°, begins to rotate in the opposite direction due to the elastic force of the hairspring 32. When the permanent magnet 41 rotates from 340° to 180°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. Therefore, a positive back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from 340° to 180°.

In addition, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is 0 at the rotation angle of 180° where the permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced.

Further, the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of 180° to 0°. When the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of 180° to 0°, the N pole portion 411 moves away from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates from a rotation angle of 180° to 0°, a negative back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 .

In addition, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is 0 at the rotational angle of 0° where the permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced.

Power from the power spring 11 is supplied to the permanent magnet 41 that has reached the rotation angle of 0°. That is, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 becomes maximum immediately after the rotation angle of 0°. Also, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of 0° to −180°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. As described above, in the first embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is arranged so that the back electromotive force detected in the coil 43 has the same polarity until the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the opposite direction from the power supply position by −180°.

Therefore, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from a rotation angle of 0° to −180°, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is maximized and the positive back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 reaches its peak.

At a rotational angle of −180° where the permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is zero.

When the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the reverse direction from the rotation angle of −180°, the N pole portion 411 moves away from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, a negative back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from -180° to -340°. The angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 at this time is lower than the angular velocity during the movement from the rotation angle of 0° to -180°. Therefore, the absolute value of the peak of the negative back electromotive force is smaller than the absolute value of the peak of the positive back electromotive voltage.

Also, the angular velocity of the permanent magnet becomes 0 at the rotation angle of -340°, which is the turn-around position of the reciprocating motion. Therefore, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 becomes 0 at the rotation angle of -340°.

When the permanent magnet 41 reaches the rotation angle of −340°, it starts to rotate in the forward direction due to the elastic force of the balance spring 32 . When the permanent magnet 41 rotates from −340° to −180°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. Therefore, a positive back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 while the permanent magnet 41 rotates from -340° to -180°.

In addition, the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 is 0 at the rotation angle of −180° where the permanent magnet 41 is magnetically balanced.

Furthermore, the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of -180° to 0°. When the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of −180° to 0°, the N pole portion 411 moves away from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, a negative back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 when the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the rotation angle of -180° to 0°.

The operation described above is repeated, and in the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 according to the first embodiment, a back electromotive force having a waveform shown in FIG. 13A is generated in the coil 43 . As shown in FIG. 13A, the peak of the back electromotive voltage differs between the positive back electromotive voltage and the negative back electromotive force. That is, the maximum absolute value of the positive back electromotive force is greater than the maximum absolute value of the negative back electromotive force. Further, the waveform of the back electromotive force detected is the same between the motion of the permanent magnet 41 in the forward direction and the motion of the permanent magnet 41 in the reverse direction.

[Relationship Between Magnetization Direction of Permanent Magnet 41 and Power Generation Efficiency: Example 2]
Next, Example 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 13B. In the second embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 is arranged such that the magnetization direction is inclined by 45° in the direction in which the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 face each other when the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. are placed in That is, in the second embodiment, the position of the rotation angle of 0° is tilted by −45° compared to the second embodiment.

In Example 2, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward direction from the rotation angle of 0°, the N pole portion 411 first moves away from the first end portion 421a. Then, when the permanent magnet 41 passes through a rotation angle of 45°, the N pole portion 411 moves in a direction approaching from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from a rotation angle of 0° to 225°, a negative counter-electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 immediately after the rotation. A positive counter-electromotive force is generated at .

In the second embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the rotation angle of 0° to 340°, rotates in the reverse direction due to the elastic force of the balance spring 32, returns to the rotation angle of 0°, and reaches the rotation angle of 0°. When rotating in the opposite direction from 0°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. That is, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation angle of 0°, a positive back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 .

As described above, in the second embodiment, the waveforms of the positive back electromotive force and the negative back electromotive voltage differ at least around the rotation angle of 0° between forward and reverse rotations. Therefore, the magnitude of the peak of the back electromotive voltage differs between forward rotation and reverse rotation. In addition, since the peak position of the back electromotive force is different between forward and reverse rotation, it is judged that the cycle of the forward and reverse rotation motion of the balance wheel 31 is disturbed, and the rate is erroneously adjusted. It may get lost. Therefore, in the configuration of the second embodiment, the rate adjusting means 40 needs to have a means for grasping in advance in which direction the balance wheel 31 is moving, the forward movement or the reverse movement. end up

[Relationship Between Magnetization Direction of Permanent Magnet 41 and Power Generation Efficiency: Example 3]
Next, Example 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 13C. In the third embodiment, the magnetization direction of the permanent magnet 41 is the same as the facing direction of the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 when the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. are arranged as That is, in Example 3, the position of the rotation angle of 0° is inclined by -90° compared to the present embodiment.

In Example 3, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward direction from the rotation angle of 0°, the N pole portion 411 first moves away from the first end portion 421a. Then, when the permanent magnet 41 passes through the rotation angle of 90°, the N pole portion 411 moves in a direction approaching from the first end portion 421a. Therefore, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from a rotation angle of 0° to 180°, a negative back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 immediately after the rotation. A positive counter-electromotive force is generated at .

In the third embodiment, the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the rotation angle of 0° to 340°, rotates in the reverse direction due to the elastic force of the balance spring 32, returns to the rotation angle of 0°, and reaches the rotation angle of 0°. When rotating in the opposite direction from 0°, the N pole portion 411 moves toward the first end portion 421a. That is, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the opposite direction from the rotation angle of 0°, a positive back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 .

Thus, in Example 3, the waveforms of the positive back electromotive force and the negative back electromotive voltage differ at least around the rotation angle of 0° between forward rotation and reverse rotation. Therefore, the magnitude of the peak of the back electromotive voltage differs between forward rotation and reverse rotation. In the configuration of Example 3, the peak of the back electromotive force is smaller in forward rotation or reverse rotation than in Example 1, and it cannot be said that the back electromotive voltage is suitable for half-wave rectification. Since the peak of the back electromotive voltage differs between direction rotation and reverse direction rotation, it may be necessary to make the threshold value Vth different as well. It would be necessary to have a means for grasping in advance in which direction, directional movement or reverse movement, the movement is occurring.

[Relationship Between Magnetization Direction of Permanent Magnet 41 and Power Generation Efficiency: Summary]
As described above, in the first embodiment, regardless of whether the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the back electromotive force having the same shape and waveform is detected. Therefore, in Example 1, the peak of the positive back electromotive force is detected with the same magnitude and at a constant cycle. Also, in Example 1, the shapes of the positive back electromotive force and the negative back electromotive force are asymmetrical. Specifically, the peak of the positive back electromotive force appears larger than the peak of the negative back electromotive force. Therefore, in the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 in the first embodiment, it can be said that the waveform of the back electromotive force is more suitable for rate adjustment and half-wave rectification than in the second and third embodiments.

The arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and the permanent magnets 41 are magnetized in the first end 421a and the second end 421a when the hairspring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. It is preferable that they are arranged in the same direction as the direction facing the portion 422a. The facing direction of the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a is a direction orthogonal to the facing direction of the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 shown in FIG. However, the magnetization direction of the permanent magnet 41 is directed toward the first end portion 421a or the second end portion 422a at least in the state where the balance spring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. It's good to be

In the permanent magnet 41, the boundary B between the N pole portion 411 and the S pole portion 412 connects the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 when the hairspring 32 is in the neutral position of its elastic deformation. It is preferable that they are arranged so as to overlap the virtual band-shaped area (S shown in FIG. 5). Note that the band-shaped area S is a virtual area defined for convenience to show the arrangement of the permanent magnets 41 and does not physically exist as a component of the mechanical timepiece 1 .

[circuit diagram]
Here, with reference to FIG. 14A, the outline of the rectifier circuit in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14A is a circuit diagram showing an example of a circuit in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, a rectifier circuit 50 including one diode D is used to half-wave rectify the current corresponding to the back electromotive force generated in the coil 43 by the motion of the permanent magnet 41 . The rectifier circuit 50 is a circuit that eliminates the negative voltage portion of the back electromotive voltage generated in the coil 43 and converts it into direct current.

Transistors TP1 and TP2 are connected to the first terminal O1 and the second terminal O2 of the coil 43, respectively. A back electromotive voltage generated in the coil 43 is input to the transistors TP1 and TP2, and the rotation detection circuit 45 detects a detection signal based on this. That is, by turning on the transistors TP1 and TP2 at a predetermined timing, the induced voltage generated at the first terminal O1 and the second terminal O1 corresponding to these transistors can be taken out as a detection signal that is a voltage signal.

Further, the transistors P11 and P12 are connected to the first terminal O1 of the coil 43, and the transistors P21 and P22 are connected to the second terminal O2 of the coil 43. The transistors P 11 , P 12 , P 21 and P 22 are ON/OFF controlled by the speed control pulse from the speed control pulse output circuit 46 . During power generation, the gate terminals of the transistors P11, P12, P21, and P22 are turned off. In this state, the rectifier circuit 50 is configured by the transistors TP1 and TP2 and the diode D. As the permanent magnet 41 rotates forward and backward, current flows through the coil 43 and the capacitor C is charged. When a certain amount of electricity is stored in the capacitor C, the power supply circuit 60 is activated. When the power supply circuit 60 is activated, the control circuit 44 is activated, and each circuit included in the rate adjusting means 40 is controlled by the control circuit 44 .

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14A, a rectifier circuit 50 including one diode D is used to perform half-wave rectification, which simplifies the circuit configuration and makes voltage drop less likely to occur. be able to. Note that the circuit shown in FIG. 14A is an example, and a voltage doubler rectifier circuit capable of rectifying the counter electromotive force in the reverse direction may also be employed as the rectifier circuit 50 as shown in FIG. 14B. FIG. 14B shows an example of a voltage doubler rectifier circuit including two diodes D1 and D2 and two capacitors C1 and C2. In the voltage doubler rectifier circuit, the number of diodes can be reduced as compared with the full wave rectifier circuit. That is, it is possible to make voltage drop less likely to occur.

[Details of rate adjustment control]
The details of the rate adjustment control in this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 and 15A to 19. FIG. 15A and 15B are diagrams for explaining the control of the motion of the permanent magnet by the control pulse in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the speed regulation pulse output circuit 46 outputs a speed regulation pulse to control the movement of the permanent magnet 41, thereby controlling the movement of the balance wheel 31 and adjusting the rate.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15A, when a speed control pulse is output to the first terminal O1 of the coil 43, the first end 421a is the S pole and the second end 422a is the N pole. Define to have. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15B, when a speed control pulse is output to the terminal O2 of the coil 43, it is defined that the first end 421a has the N pole and the second end 422a has the S pole. . When the winding direction of the coil 43 is opposite, the polarities of the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a are reversed.

[Details of rate adjustment control: output timing of speed adjustment pulse]
Here, when the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is high, it is difficult to adjust the rate at desired timing. This is because when the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is high, there is a high possibility that the output timing of the velocity control pulse will deviate.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the forward motion and the reverse motion of the forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet 41, while the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the reverse direction from the rotation angle of 180° to 0°, and the rotation angle - It was decided to output the speed control pulse while rotating in the positive direction from 180° to 0°. That is, the control pulse is output during the period before the balance wheel 31 is supplied with power from the power spring 11 . As a result, the speed control pulse can be output when the angular speed of the permanent magnet 41 is relatively slow. Further, in this embodiment, since the balance wheel 31 receives air resistance from the air resistance member 15 between the rotation angles of 225° and 135°, the angular velocity of the permanent magnets 41 during the period between the rotation angles of 180° and 0° is it's getting late The same is true for the rotation angle between -225° and -135°. In this way, it is preferable to perform rate adjustment during the period after the operated portion 313 reaches the position of the air resistance member 15 in the normal direction motion and the reverse direction motion of the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel 31 .

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the deviation of the output timing of the control pulse. As a result, rate accuracy can be maintained. In addition, in FIG. 12, the timing of rate adjustment is indicated by a belt-shaped area. As shown in the upper graph of FIG. 12, rate adjustment is performed during a period in which the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is slow.

[Details of rate adjustment control: Coil terminals that output control pulses]
In FIG. 15A, the control pulse is applied to the coil at the timing when the permanent magnet 41 rotating in the forward direction is at a rotation angle of −90° and at the timing when the permanent magnet 41 rotating in the reverse direction is at a rotation angle of 90°. An example of outputting to 43 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 15A, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the positive direction from the rotation angle of −90°, when a speed control pulse is output to the first terminal O1 of the coil 43, the permanent magnet 41 rotates from the soft magnetic core 42. Repulsive force will be received. That is, the forward rotation of the permanent magnet 41 is braked. On the other hand, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the reverse direction from the rotation angle of 90°, the permanent magnet 41 receives a repulsive force from the soft magnetic core 42 when a speed control pulse is output to the first terminal O1 of the coil 43 . That is, the rotation of the permanent magnet 41 in the opposite direction is braked.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward direction from the rotation angle of −90°, when a speed controlling pulse is output to the second terminal O2 of the coil 43, the permanent magnet 41 moves toward the soft magnetic core. Attraction force is received from 42. That is, the forward rotation of the permanent magnet 41 is accelerated. On the other hand, when the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the reverse direction from the rotation angle of 90°, the permanent magnet 41 receives an attractive force from the soft magnetic core 42 when a speed control pulse is output to the second terminal O2 of the coil 43 . That is, the rotation of the permanent magnet 41 in the opposite direction is accelerated.

As described above, in the present embodiment, regardless of whether the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the permanent magnet 41 is rotated by outputting the speed control pulse to the first terminal O1. On the other hand, the rotation of the permanent magnet 41 can be strengthened by outputting the control pulse to the second terminal O2.

That is, regardless of whether the permanent magnet 41 rotates in the forward or reverse direction of the forward and reverse rotation, when adjusting the rate in the direction of delaying, the first terminal O1 should be energized to advance the rate. For adjustment, the second terminal O2 should be energized.

[Details of rate adjustment control: operation flow of rate adjustment control]
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of rate adjustment control according to this embodiment. In the following description, a detection signal DE is defined as a signal detected by the rotation detection circuit 45 due to the generation of a back electromotive force equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Vth. The control circuit 44 controls the speed control pulse output circuit 46 based on the detection signal DE detected by the rotation detection circuit 45 and the reference signal OS generated by the frequency dividing circuit 47 .

The timing at which the detection signal DE is detected is when a large back electromotive force is generated in the coil 43 . That is, when the angular velocity of the permanent magnet 41 is high. Therefore, the control circuit 44 causes the motion of the permanent magnet 41 to cause the coil 43 to rotate before the acted portion 313 reaches the position of the air resistance member 15 in the forward and reverse directions of the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel 31 . It is preferable to adjust the rate based on the generated detection voltage and the reference signal OS.

In the present embodiment, after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by power generation by the movement of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1), the rate adjusting means 40 performs rate adjustment control.

If the detection signal DE is detected within the output period of the reference signal OS (Y in ST2), that is, if there is no rate deviation, the rate adjustment control is terminated. FIG. 17 is a timing chart showing an example when the detection signal is detected within the output period of the reference signal. As shown in FIG. 17, in this embodiment, the output period of the reference signal OS is set to an output period ts having a predetermined width.

If the detection signal DE is not detected within the output period of the reference signal OS (N in ST2), that is, if there is a rate deviation, the control circuit 44 sets the detection timing of the detection signal DE to that of the reference signal OS. It is determined whether or not it is earlier than the output period (ST3).

If the detection timing of the detection signal DE is earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS (Y in ST3), the control circuit 44 controls the speed control pulse output circuit 46 to output the speed control pulse to the terminal O1 (ST4). .

FIG. 18 is a timing chart showing an example in which the detection timing of the detection signal is earlier than the output period of the reference signal. FIG. 18 shows an example in which the control pulse p1 is output to the first terminal O1 of the coil 43 at the timing when the time tp1 has elapsed from the detection timing of the detection signal DE. As shown in FIG. 18, the period in which the detection signal DE is detected differs before and after the speed control pulse p1 is output. That is, the detection period of the detection signal DE detected after the speed-regulating pulse p1 is output is longer than the detection period of the detection signal DE detected before the speed-control pulse p1 is output. As a result, the detection signal DE is detected within the output period ts of the reference signal OS after the speed control pulse p1 is output.

When the detection timing of the detection signal DE is later than the reference signal OS (N in ST3), the control circuit 44 controls the speed control pulse output circuit 46 to output a speed control pulse to the terminal O2 (ST5).

FIG. 19 is a timing chart showing an example in which the timing at which the detection signal is detected is later than the output period of the reference signal. FIG. 19 shows an example in which the control pulse p2 is output to the second terminal O2 of the coil 43 at the timing when the time tp2 has elapsed from the detection timing of the detection signal DE. As shown in FIG. 19, the period in which the detection signal DE is detected differs before and after the control pulse p2 is output. That is, the detection period of the detection signal DE detected after the speed-regulating pulse p2 is output is shorter than the detection period of the detection signal DE detected before the speed-regulating pulse p2 is output. As a result, the detection signal DE is detected within the output period ts of the reference signal OS after the speed control pulse p2 is output.

The control pulse p1 output to the first terminal O1 and the control pulse p2 output to the second terminal O2 may be different in output timing and output period. This is because the amount of correction due to the output of the speed control pulse may differ between the direction in which the permanent magnet 41 is advanced and the direction in which the permanent magnet 41 is delayed.

[Details of Rate Adjustment Control: Operation Flow of First Variation of Rate Adjustment Control]
Next, a first modification of rate adjustment control will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. FIG. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a first modified example of rate adjustment control.

In this example, the rate adjusting means 40 includes a first counter that counts the number of detections of the detection signal DE, and a period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS (the detection timing of the detection signal DE with respect to the output timing of the reference signal OS). and a second counter, which is an accumulating unit for accumulating the amount of deviation of .

In the first modified example of the rate adjustment control, the rate adjustment control by the rate adjustment means 40 is performed after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by the power generation by the motion of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1).

The control circuit 44 determines whether or not the balance wheel 31 (permanent magnet 41) has rotated forward and backward for the eighth time. Specifically, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the count number of the first counter is 8 (ST21).

If the count number of the first counter is not 8 (N in ST21), the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS is calculated and accumulated (ST22). After that, 1 is added to the count number of the first counter (ST23).

On the other hand, if the count number of the first counter is 8 (Y in ST21), the first counter is reset to a count number of 0 (ST24).

Then, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the accumulated amount of the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS is 0 or within a predetermined range (ST25). When the accumulated amount of the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS is 0 or within a predetermined range, the count number of the first counter is incremented by 1 without performing rate adjustment (ST23).

When the accumulated amount of the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS is positive (N in ST25, Y in ST26), the control circuit 44 causes the control pulse output circuit to output a control pulse to the first terminal O1. 46 is controlled (ST4).

On the other hand, when the accumulated amount of the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS is negative (N in ST25, N in ST26), the control circuit 44 outputs a control pulse to the second terminal O2. The output circuit 46 is controlled (ST5).

In the upper part of FIG. 21, when the first counter is 2, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is t earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS, and when the first counter is 3, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is the reference. In the case where the output period of the signal OS is 2t earlier and the first counter is 6, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is delayed by t from the output period of the reference signal OS. In this example, by the time the first counter reaches 8, the accumulated period difference is +2t. That is, the timing at which the detection signal DE is detected is earlier than the reference signal OS by a total of 2t. Therefore, the control circuit 44 outputs a speed control pulse to the first terminal O1 so as to delay the speed.

In the lower part of FIG. 21, when the first counter is 2, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is 3t earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS, and when the first counter is 3, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is the reference. In the case where the output period of the signal OS is 2t earlier and the first counter is 6, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is delayed by t from the output period of the reference signal OS. In this example, by the time the first counter reaches 8, the accumulated period difference is +4t. That is, the timing at which the detection signal DE is detected is earlier than the reference signal OS by a total of 4t. Therefore, a speed control pulse is output to the first terminal O1 so as to delay the rate.

In addition, in the example in the lower part of FIG. 21, since the accumulated amount of the period difference is larger than in the example in the upper part of FIG. 21, the output period of the control pulse is lengthened. Specifically, the control pulse output period p112 shown in the lower part of FIG. 22 is made longer than the control pulse output period p111 shown in the upper part of FIG. 22, the control pulse is output at the timing when tp111 has passed since the reference signal OS output when the first counter is 8. In other words, the output timing of the speed control pulse is the same regardless of the output period of the speed control pulse.

In the first modified example of the rate adjustment control described above, the number of times the rate adjustment pulse is output can be reduced by not performing the rate adjustment every second. As a result, power consumption can be reduced.

[Details of Rate Adjustment Control: Operation Flow of Second Variation of Rate Adjustment Control]
Next, a second modification of rate adjustment control will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. FIG. FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing a second modification of rate adjustment control.

In this example, the rate adjusting means 40 includes a first counter that counts the number of detections of the detection signal DE, and a period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS (the detection timing of the detection signal DE with respect to the output timing of the reference signal OS). and a second counter, which is an accumulating unit for accumulating the amount of deviation of . It should be noted that in the second modified example of the rate adjustment control, it is assumed that the count number of the second counter becomes 7 when it is reset.

In the second modified example of the rate adjustment control, the rate adjustment control by the rate adjustment means 40 is performed after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by the power generation by the movement of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1).

The control circuit 44 determines whether or not the balance wheel 31 (permanent magnet 41) has rotated forward and backward for the eighth time. Specifically, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the count number of the first counter is 8 (ST21).

If the count number of the first counter is not 8 (N in ST21), the control circuit 44 calculates the period difference between the detection signal DE and the reference signal OS (ST31).

Then, when the detection timing of the detection signal DE is within the output period of the reference signal OS (Y in ST32), the control circuit 44 adds 1 to the count number of the first counter without adjusting the rate (ST23). .

If the detection timing of the detection signal DE is not within the output period of the reference signal OS (N in ST32), the control circuit 44 determines whether the detection timing of the detection signal DE is earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS ( ST33).

If the detection timing of the detection signal DE is earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS (Y in ST33), the second count is subtracted according to the period difference (ST34). If the detection timing of the detection signal DE is later than the output period of the reference signal OS (N in ST33), a second count is added according to the period difference (ST35). After that, 1 is added to the count number of the first counter (ST23).

When the count number of the first counter is 8 (Y in ST21), the first counter is reset to a count number of 0 (ST24).

Then, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the count number of the second counter is 7 (ST36). When the count number of the second counter is 7 (Y in ST36), the count number of the first counter is incremented by 1 without adjusting the rate (ST23).

If the count number of the second counter is not 7 (N in ST36), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the count number of the second counter is smaller than 7 (ST37). If the count number of the second counter is smaller than 7 (Y in ST37), the control circuit 44 controls the speed control pulse output circuit 46 to output the speed control pulse to the first terminal O1 (ST4). If the count number of the second counter is greater than 7 (N in ST37), the control circuit 44 controls the speed control pulse output circuit 46 to output the speed control pulse to the second terminal O2 (ST5). After that, the count number of the second counter is reset to 7 (ST38).

In the second modification of the rate adjustment control described above, the number of times the rate adjustment pulse is output can be reduced by not performing the rate adjustment every second. As a result, power consumption can be reduced.

In FIG. 23, when the first counter is 2, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is t earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS, and when the first counter is 3, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is t before the reference signal OS. is 2t earlier than the output period of the reference signal OS, and when the first counter is 6, the detection timing of the detection signal DE is delayed by t from the output period of the reference signal OS. In this example, by the time the first counter reaches eight, the second counter has reached five. That is, the timing at which the detection signal DE is detected is earlier than the reference signal OS by a total of 2t. Therefore, the control circuit 44 outputs a speed control pulse to the first terminal O1 so as to delay the speed.

Note that the control pulse is not limited to a single pulse, and may be composed of a pulse group including a plurality of single pulses as shown in FIG. By using a pulse group as the speed control pulse, it is possible to absorb manufacturing variations and driving variations of the speed control mechanism 30 . In this case, the attractive force or repulsive force acting on the permanent magnet 41 may be controlled by changing the duty ratio of the speed-regulating pulse instead of changing the output period of the speed-regulating pulse as shown in FIG. Note that the duty ratio indicates the rate at which pulses are output within a predetermined period. FIG. 24 shows an example of a control pulse with a duty ratio of 3/5.

[Details of rate adjustment control: rate adjustment control when the power supply circuit starts up from a stopped state]
FIG. 25 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control when the power supply circuit starts activation from a stopped state.

As described above, after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by power generation by the movement of the permanent magnet 41, the rate adjustment control by the rate adjustment means 40 is performed. Therefore, it is preferable that the output of the reference signal OS used for rate adjustment control is started after the power supply circuit 60 is activated. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, the output of the reference signal OS may be started with the timing at which the detection signal DE is first detected as a starting point. In FIG. 25, the peak of the back electromotive voltage gradually increases, and the output of the reference signal OS is started from the timing when the threshold value Vth is exceeded for the first time. That is, it shows that the output of the reference signal OS is started at the timing (one second after) the timing when the threshold value Vth is exceeded for the first time. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in consideration of the unstable rotation state immediately after the power supply circuit 60 is started, the output of the reference signal OS is started when the detection signal DE is detected a plurality of times (predetermined number of times) as a starting point. may

[Details of rate adjustment control: rate adjustment control considering the influence of disturbance]
FIG. 26 is a timing chart showing an example of rate adjustment control considering the influence of disturbance. FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an example of rate adjustment control considering the influence of disturbance. FIG. 28 is a flow chart showing rate adjustment control in consideration of the influence of disturbance in the first modification of the rate adjustment control shown in FIG.

When an external magnet approaches or impacts the mechanical timepiece 1, the counter electromotive voltage is disturbed due to the momentary external disturbance, and the detection signal DE may not be detected. In this case, the control circuit 44 erroneously determines that the rate is greatly delayed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 26, if the detection signal DE is not detected in a predetermined period including before and after the output period of the reference signal OS, the rate adjustment may not be performed. The upper part of FIG. 26 shows a state in which the detection signal DE was not detected near the measurement time of 2.0 [s] due to the influence of disturbance. Specifically, it shows that the detection signal is not detected in the output period ts of the reference signal OS, the period dt1 immediately before the output period ts, and the period dt2 immediately after the output period ts. Although FIG. 26 shows an example in which the period dt1 and the period dt2 have the same length, they may have different lengths. Further, it is preferable that the control pulse is output while avoiding the period dt1 and the period dt2. This is because the coil waveform (the waveform of the back electromotive force) may be disturbed when the control pulse is output, and the detection accuracy of the detection signal DE may be lowered.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 27, after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by power generation by the motion of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1), the detection signal DE is detected during a predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2). is output (detected) (Y in step ST11), the rate adjustment is performed. On the other hand, when the detection signal DE is not output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (N in step ST11), the rate adjustment is not performed. Note that each step shown in FIG. 27 is the same as that shown in FIG. 16 except for ST11, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 28, after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by power generation by the movement of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1), the detection signal DE is detected during a predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2). is output (detected) (Y in step ST11), the rate adjustment is performed. On the other hand, when the detection signal DE is not output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (N in step ST11), the rate adjustment is not performed and the first counter is reset. (ST12). Thus, when affected by disturbance or the like, by resetting the first counter, the counting of the number of detections of the detection signal DE is restarted.

Note that each step shown in FIG. 28 is the same as that shown in FIG. 20 except for ST11 and ST12, and the function of the first counter is also the same, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

By adopting the configurations shown in FIGS. 26 to 28, highly accurate rate adjustment is possible even when disturbance is applied. In addition, power consumption can be reduced because it is possible to suppress unnecessary output of the speed control pulse.

[Details of rate adjustment control: Rate adjustment control when detection failure of detection signal continues]
FIG. 29 and FIG. 30 are timing charts showing an example of rate adjustment control when failures in detection of the detection signal continue. FIG. 31 is a flow chart showing an example of rate adjustment control assuming that the detection of the detection signal continues to fail.

When the power spring 11 is unwinded, the rotational force of the rotor 41 weakens, and the back electromotive voltage may not exceed the threshold value Vth. In this case, the amount of power generated is reduced, and the amount of electricity stored in the capacitor C is also reduced. That is, the mechanical timepiece 1 is likely to stop, and the power supply circuit 60 is likely to stop. In such a case, it is preferable not to output the control pulse in order to save power. That is, it is preferable not to perform rate adjustment.

Therefore, in the examples shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, a third counter counts the number of consecutive failures in detection of the detection signal DE, and a fourth counter counts the number of consecutive successes in detection of the detection signal DE. A counter is used to switch between "speed control pulse output setting" for outputting control pulses and "control pulse stop setting" for stopping output of control pulses.

Specifically, when the third counter reaches 10, that is, when the detection of the detection signal DE fails 10 times in succession, the setting is switched to the control pulse stop setting. Further, when the fourth counter reaches 20, that is, when the detection signal DE is successfully detected 20 times in succession, the configuration is switched to the speed control pulse output setting. Note that the count number that triggers setting switching is an example, and is not limited to what is shown here.

FIG. 29 shows an example in which the peak of the back electromotive force is small and the detection of the detection signal DE fails 10 times in succession, thereby switching to the control pulse stop setting.

In FIG. 30, when the detection of the detection signal DE fails 10 times in succession, the setting is switched to the speed-regulating pulse stop setting. It shows an example in which the control pulse p1 is output by switching to the setting. Whether or not the detection signal DE has been successfully detected is determined by outputting (detecting) the detection signal DE during a predetermined detection period (dt1 to ts to dt2), as in the examples shown in FIGS. It is judged by whether or not it has been done.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 31, after the power supply circuit 60 is activated by the power generation by the motion of the permanent magnet 41 (Y in ST1), it is determined whether or not the control pulse stop setting is being performed ( ST41). It should be noted that whether or not the control pulse stop setting is being performed may be determined, for example, based on whether or not the control pulse stop flag is set.

If the control pulse stop setting is not in progress (N in ST41), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the third counter is 10 (ST42). That is, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the detection of the detection signal DE has failed ten times in succession. If the third counter is not 10 (N in ST42), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the first counter is 8 (ST21). That is, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the number of detections of the detection signal DE is eight.

If the first counter is 8 (Y in ST21), the processing after ST24 shown in FIG. 20 is performed. On the other hand, if the first counter is not 8 (N in ST21), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the detection signal DE is output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) ( ST43). When the detection signal DE is not output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (N in ST43), the count number of the third counter is incremented by 1 (ST44), and the first counter is incremented by 1 (ST23). On the other hand, when the detection signal DE is output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (Y in ST43), the third counter is reset (ST45), and the detection signal DE and the reference signal A period difference from the OS is calculated and accumulated (ST22).

Also, if the control pulse stop setting is in progress in ST41 (Y in ST41), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the count number of the fourth counter is 20 (ST51). That is, the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the detection signal DE has been successfully detected 20 times in succession. If the fourth counter is not 20 (N in ST51), the control circuit 44 determines whether or not the detection signal DE is output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (ST52). . If the detection signal DE is not output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (N in ST52), the fourth counter is reset (ST53). When the detection signal DE is output (detected) during the predetermined detection period (dt1-ts-dt2) (Y in ST52), the count number of the fourth counter is incremented by 1 (ST54).

When the count number of the fourth counter is 20 in ST51 (Y in ST51), the fourth counter is reset (ST55) and switched to speed control pulse output setting (ST56).

Also, when the count number of the third counter is 10 in ST42 (Y in ST42), the third count is reset (ST61), and the setting is switched to the control pulse stop setting (ST62). It should be noted that when the power supply circuit 60 starts operating after being stopped, the power supply circuit 60 can be said to be in a state where the power supply circuit 60 is likely to stop again because the amount of electricity stored in the capacitor C is small. Therefore, when the operation of the power supply circuit 60 is started after it has been stopped, it is preferable to increase the number of consecutive successes of the detection signal DE required before the rate adjustment is started. For example, in ST51 of FIG. 31, when the count number of the fourth counter is 60, that is, when the detection signal DE is successfully detected 60 times in succession, the setting may be switched to the speed control pulse output setting.

In the examples of FIGS. 29 to 31 described above, power consumption can be reduced by regulating rate adjustment, and furthermore, when the power spring 11 is wound up, it is easy to shift to rate adjustment immediately. .

In the examples of FIGS. 29 to 31, there is a function to inform the user that the mechanical timepiece 1 is likely to stop when the back electromotive force exceeding the threshold value Vth is not detected continuously for a predetermined number of seconds. may be As a means of notification, for example, a position indicated by a pointer may be used. This can prompt the user to wind up the power spring 11 .

In addition, in the examples of FIGS. 29 to 31, the threshold voltage may be lowered if the back electromotive force exceeding the threshold Vth is not detected continuously for a predetermined number of seconds. Specifically, for example, when the threshold voltage Vth is 0.5V and detection of the detection signal DE fails 10 times in succession, the threshold voltage may be set to 0.25V. As a result, the accuracy of the rate can be maintained although the power supply circuit 60 is likely to stop. Then, after the threshold Vth is lowered, if a back electromotive voltage exceeding the lowered threshold is detected continuously for a predetermined number of seconds, the original threshold Vth may be restored. Further, if the back electromotive force exceeding the threshold Vth is not detected continuously for a predetermined number of seconds, the threshold may be lowered step by step.

[Details of rate adjustment control: Rate adjustment control considering the direction of balance wheel rotation]
FIG. 32 is a timing chart showing an example of output timing of the reference signal. The rotation angle of the balance wheel 31 may differ between the normal direction and the reverse direction due to manufacturing variations during assembly of the mechanical timepiece 1, positional adjustment of the balance wheel 31 by the support member 33 during shipping inspection, and the like. If the rotation angles are different, the timing at which the detection signal DE is detected differs between the forward direction and the reverse direction. As a result, there is a possibility that the speed control pulse will be output unnecessarily even though there is no rate deviation as a whole.

Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 32, a configuration is adopted in which the reference signal OS is set based on two steps (two seconds). The upper part of FIG. 32 shows an example of the waveform of the back electromotive voltage when the detection signal DE detected in the forward direction and the reverse direction is different. The lower part of FIG. 32 shows an example of a timing chart when the reference signal OS is set on the basis of 2 steps (2 seconds). As shown in the lower part of FIG. 32, the output interval of the odd-numbered reference signals OS from the left is tr1, and the output interval of the even-numbered reference signals OS from the left is tr2 (=tr1). This example is preferably realized by the control circuit 44 performing two-system control in units of two steps (units of two seconds). Then, when rate abnormality is detected in any of the control systems, it is preferable to adjust the rate. In order to simplify the circuit configuration, only one control system having an output interval of either tr1 or tr2 may be used.

According to the example shown in FIG. 32, the reference signal OS is provided as a two-step reference (tr1 and tr2), and by adjusting the rate according to each, even if there is a difference in rotation angle between the reciprocating and reciprocating rotations of the balance wheel 31, , it is difficult for the circuit to stop due to disturbance, and high-precision rate adjustment is possible.

Note that the middle part of FIG. 32 shows a timing chart in the case where the reference signal OS is set on a 1-step (1 second) basis, that is, in the example shown in FIG. 17 and the like. In the example shown in the middle of FIG. 32, the peak positions of the back electromotive force are different between the forward direction and the reverse direction. The output timing is always off. In such a case, the speed control pulse is output unnecessarily.

[summary]
In the present embodiment, since the configuration in which the angular velocity of the balance wheel 31 is reduced is adopted, it is possible to suppress wear of each mechanism for transmitting power (for example, the escape wheel 21 and the pallet 22). As a result, the durability of the mechanical timepiece 1 is improved. In addition, by using the air resistance member 15, a configuration is adopted in which the angular velocity of the balance wheel 31 is reduced during the intermediate period between the forward motion and the reverse direction motion of the balance wheel 31. As a result, while the rotation period of the balance wheel 31 is slowed down, power is generated in a period when the balance wheel 31 is not subjected to air resistance by the air resistance member 15, thereby ensuring a sufficient amount of power generation. Further, by performing the rate adjustment during the period during which the balance wheel 31 receives air resistance from the air resistance member 15 or during the period after receiving the air resistance, the accuracy of the rate adjustment can be maintained. In addition, since the permanent magnet 41 is arranged so as to obtain a back electromotive force suitable for half-wave rectification, power can be efficiently extracted using half-wave rectification.

[others]
The rate adjusting means 40 obtains a detection signal based on the operation of the permanent magnet 41 magnetized with two poles. There is a possibility that Therefore, it is preferable to use a material that has little magnetic influence as the material for the member around the permanent magnet 41 .

For example, a resin material may be used as the material for the support member 33 and the whisker holder 34 . Phosphor bronze is preferably used as the material of the fixture 33a for fixing the support member 33 to the base plate 10. As shown in FIG. As the material of the balance wheel 31, it is preferable to use a resin material or aluminum. Moreover, acrylic resin may be used as the air resistance member 15 . It should be noted that the materials listed here are only examples, and the materials are not limited to these.

Further, as described above, the balance spring 32 is made of resin in order to reduce the Young's modulus, so that the magnetic influence on the permanent magnet 41 can be reduced as compared with the case of metal. Moreover, if the balance spring 32 is made of a magnetic metal, the shape and posture of the balance spring 32 may be displaced due to the magnetic influence of the permanent magnet 41 . In this embodiment, since the balance spring 32 is made of resin, the shape and posture of the balance spring 32 itself can be stabilized. Alternatively, the mechanical timepiece 1 may be provided with an antimagnetic plate made of a magnetic material. As a result, even when an external magnet approaches the mechanical timepiece 1, disturbance of the forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet 41 (balance wheel 31) is suppressed, and stable rate adjustment can be performed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a of the soft magnetic core 42 are integrated via the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424. Although an example is shown, it is not limited to this. For example, even if the first welded portion 423 and the second welded portion 424 are not provided and the magnetic coupling is separated between the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a through a gap, good. Moreover, it is not limited to the one that completely separates the magnetic coupling. For example, the first end portion 421a and the second end portion 422a may be physically connected via a constricted portion that is a separation portion.

Although not shown, the mechanical timepiece 1 preferably has an opening or a transparent portion in the dial or back cover to allow the balance wheel 31 to be seen from the outside.

Also, the arrangement angle of the permanent magnets 41 described in this embodiment is an example, and is not limited to that described in this embodiment.

Moreover, in the present embodiment, an example in which the air resistance member 15 is provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the air resistance member 15 may not be provided. Also, if the air resistance member 15 is not provided, the balance wheel 31 may not have the operated portion 313 .

If the air resistance member 15 is used to apply air resistance to the balance wheel 31 as in this embodiment, the duration of the power spring 11 is shortened by the amount of energy consumed by the air resistance. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a resin material with a low Young's modulus is used as the material for the balance spring 32 to slow down the operation of the balance wheel 31, which is compared with conventional 6 to 8 vibration mechanical watches. and the duration becomes longer. In other words, by slowing down the movement of the balance wheel 31, it is possible to compensate for the decrease in duration due to air resistance. Therefore, it is possible to realize a sufficient duration as a mechanical timepiece.

1 mechanical watch, 2 winding stem, 10 main plate, 10a positioning pin, 10b aperture, 11 power spring, 12 train wheel, 122 second wheel, 123 third wheel, 124 fourth wheel, 13 pointer shaft, 131 second hand, 15 Air resistance member 151 first wall 152 second wall 153 third wall 154 base 20 escapement mechanism 21 escape wheel 22 anchor 221 anchor center 222 pole 223 first arm , 224 second arm portion, 30 speed governing mechanism, 31 balance wheel, 311 balance stem, 311a tenon portion, 312 circular portion, 313 acted portion, 315 swing stone, 32 hairspring, 321 outer end portion, 322 inner end Part 322a Fixed Part 322b Pitch Expanding Part 33 Supporting Member 33a Pipe 33b Screw 34 Beard Support 35 Work Member 35a Convex Part 40 Rate Adjusting Means 41 Permanent Magnet 410 Receiving Member 42 Soft Magnetism core, 421 first magnetic portion, 421a first end portion, 422 second magnetic portion, 422a second end portion, 43 coil, 44 control circuit, 45 rotation detection circuit, 46 speed control pulse output circuit, 47 frequency dividing circuit, 48 oscillation circuit 50 rectifier circuit 60 power supply circuit 70 crystal oscillator 331 hole stone 331h shaft hole 332 elastic deformation member 3321 outer edge portion 3322 elastic deformation portion 3322a first connection portion 3322b semicircular arc portion 3322c second connecting portion, 3323 holding portion, 3323h opening, 333 jewel, 334 holding member, n11, n12, n21, n22 notch.

Claims (6)

power source;
a speed control mechanism including a rotating shaft, a balance wheel that rotates around the rotating shaft by power from the power source, and a balance spring that elastically deforms so as to rotate the balance wheel in forward and reverse directions;
a coil; and a permanent magnet that rotates coaxially with the balance wheel in forward and reverse directions along with the forward and reverse rotational motion of the balance wheel. rate adjusting means for performing rate adjustment based on the reference frequency of the signal source;
a bearing structure that supports the end of the rotating shaft on the side closer to the permanent magnet;
has
The bearing structure includes an elastic deformation portion that elastically deforms according to the displacement of the rotating shaft and is made of a non-magnetic material.
mechanical watch. The elastically deformable portion has a shape that can be elastically deformed in at least one of the radial direction and the axial direction of the rotating shaft according to the displacement of the rotating shaft.
A mechanical timepiece according to claim 1. The bearing structure includes a hole stone formed with a shaft hole through which the end of the rotating shaft is inserted, and a holding portion that holds the hole stone, is connected to the elastically deformable portion, and is made of a non-magnetic material. include,
A mechanical timepiece according to claim 1 or 2. Having a housing member that houses the bearing structure,
The housing member includes a first peripheral surface surrounding an end portion of the rotating shaft, and a second peripheral surface provided closer to the balance wheel than the first peripheral surface and having a smaller diameter than the first peripheral surface. including a peripheral surface and a stepped portion connecting the first peripheral surface and the second peripheral surface,
an outer edge of the elastically deformable portion is fixed to the stepped portion;
A mechanical timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The diameter of the permanent magnet is smaller than the diameter of the second peripheral surface,
At least a part of the permanent magnet and the second peripheral surface are provided at the same position in the axial direction of the rotating shaft,
A mechanical timepiece according to claim 4. The rate adjusting means includes a control circuit driven by being supplied with a back electromotive force generated in the coil by forward and reverse rotational motion of the permanent magnet.
A mechanical timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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