JP2648079B2 - Radio-controlled clock - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio-controlled timepiece that corrects time by receiving a radio signal such as an hour signal or a time code signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A radio-controlled timepiece receives an hourly signal or a time code signal of a predetermined frequency emitted from a radio station,
It has a function of performing a so-called zero return based on the received signal, but at the time of the zero return, a hand position detecting device is provided to accurately adjust the position of the hands to the correct hour.

As a conventional pointer position detecting device of this type, for example, a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element of an optical sensor are arranged at predetermined positions on a timepiece dial, a pointer or glass, and light emitted from the light-emitting element is directly transmitted. Alternatively, there has been proposed a type in which light reflected by a reflector is indirectly received by a light receiving element to detect a pointer position, and a type using a magnet and a magnetic sensitive element in place of the light emitting element and the light receiving element ( See, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 51-149672 and JP-A-52-46850. A timepiece equipped with these devices can also manually correct the position of the hands.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-118683, through holes are formed in each gear of the wheel train in the drive system for the second hand and each gear in the wheel train in the drive system for the minute and hour hands. The light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are opposed to each other through the through-hole, and when light emitted from the light-emitting element is directly opposed to each of the through-holes and received by the light-receiving element, for example, the hand position detection is detected as the hour. Devices have also been proposed.

[0005]

However, in the former pointer position detecting device described above, since it is necessary to provide a hole for a sensor or a reflecting plate on a decorative dial or exterior, the appearance of the pointer deteriorates. . In addition, since the number of exterior parts of the timepiece is large, the positioning of the sensor must be performed for each product, so that there is a drawback in that complicated work is required.

On the other hand, the latter pointer position detecting device does not require complicated adjustment and does not impair the external appearance. There is a problem that it is difficult to respond to the time code signal because it can only detect the position of the hand, and in the case of manual correction, the minute hand wheel has a minute hand slip mechanism, so the position of the through hole position and the initial set position There is a problem that a shift occurs, that is, a so-called phase shift occurs, and a highly accurate position detection cannot be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to reduce the time not only by the time signal but also by the time code signal without any troublesome work and without affecting the appearance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a radio-controlled timepiece that can cope with the correction and that can correct the time with high accuracy.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a drive system for rotating a minute hand wheel at a predetermined speed, and a method for rotating the hour hand wheel by reducing the rotation speed of the minute hand wheel to a predetermined speed. An intermediate wheel to be driven, a first light transmitting portion provided at a predetermined position of the hour wheel, and a predetermined position of the minute wheel so as to face an arrangement area of the first light transmitting portion. A second light transmitting unit, the first light transmitting unit, and the second light transmitting unit.
And an optical sensor unit for obtaining an output signal when the optical transmission unit faces the optical transmission unit, and detecting an hour signal indicating the hour generated by the station.
The positive signal detection circuit and the positive signal detection circuit
A control circuit that controls the drive system according to the input timing of the hour signal and the output signal of the optical sensor unit, and corrects the pointer position to a position corresponding to the hour indicated by the hour signal. .

According to the present invention, a drive system for rotating the minute hand at a predetermined speed, an intermediate wheel for reducing the rotational speed of the minute hand to a predetermined speed and rotating the hour wheel, A first light transmission unit provided; a second light transmission unit provided at a predetermined position of the minute hand wheel so as to face an area where the first light transmission unit is provided; An optical sensor unit for obtaining an output signal when the optical transmission unit and the second optical transmission unit face each other, and a time code indicating the time generated by the station
A time code signal detection circuit for detecting a signal; and controlling the drive system in accordance with the input timing of the output signal of the optical sensor unit to perform initial setting of the pointer position, and detecting the time code signal from the initial position. The time code detected by the circuit
And a control circuit for correcting the position according to the time indicated by the load signal .

According to the present invention, a drive system for rotating the minute hand at a predetermined speed, an intermediate wheel for reducing the rotation speed of the minute hand to a predetermined speed and rotating the hour wheel, A first light transmission unit provided; a second light transmission unit provided at a predetermined position of the minute hand wheel so as to face an area where the first light transmission unit is provided; An optical sensor unit that obtains an output signal when the optical transmission unit and the second optical transmission unit face each other; and an hour signal indicating an hour generated by the station.
Hour signal detection circuit to detect, and the time generated by the station
Time code signal detection circuit for detecting the indicated time code signal
Means for switching between the hour signal mode and the time code signal mode, and the hour signal detection in the hour signal mode.
Controlling the drive system according to the input timing of the hour signal detected by the output circuit and the output signal of the optical sensor unit,
The pointer position is corrected to a position corresponding to the hour indicated by the hour signal, the time code signal mode Initialize the pointer position by controlling the drive system in accordance with the input timing of the output signal of the optical sensor unit , above the pointer position from the initial position
Time code signal detected by the time code signal detection circuit
And a control circuit for correcting the position according to the time indicated by.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the minute hand wheel is rotated at a predetermined speed by the drive system, and the hour hand wheel is accordingly rotated at a speed lower than the rotation speed of the minute hand wheel via the intermediate wheel. With the rotation of the minute wheel and the hour wheel, the first light transmission unit and the second light transmission unit face each other, and a signal is output from the optical sensor unit to the control circuit. In the control circuit, the drive system is controlled in accordance with the output signal of the optical sensor unit and the input timing of the hour signal from, for example, a radio station, whereby the pointer position is corrected to a time position corresponding to the input hour signal. .

According to the present invention, the minute hand wheel is rotated at a predetermined speed by the drive system, and accordingly, the hour hand wheel is also rotated via the intermediate wheel at a speed reduced from the rotation speed of the minute hand wheel.
With the rotation of the minute wheel and the hour wheel, the first light transmission unit and the second light transmission unit face each other, and a signal is output from the optical sensor unit to the control circuit. In the control circuit, the drive system is controlled in accordance with the input timing of the output signal of the optical sensor unit, and the initial setting of the pointer position is performed. Then, the pointer position is corrected to a time position corresponding to, for example, an input time code signal from a radio station.

Further, according to the present invention, the correction control of the pointer position described above is performed according to the switching mode by the mode switching means, that is, the hour signal mode and the time code signal mode.

[0014]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an entire configuration of an embodiment of a pointer position detecting device of a radio-controlled timepiece according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the pointer position detecting device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a pointer position correcting device which is a signal processing system of the radio-controlled timepiece according to the present invention.

In the drawing, reference numeral 10 denotes a timepiece main body, 20 denotes a second hand drive system, 30 denotes a first reflection type optical sensor, 40 denotes a minute hand drive system, 50 denotes an hour hand wheel, 60 denotes a minute wheel as an intermediate wheel, 7 denotes a minute wheel.
0 is a manual correction axis, 80 is a rotation detection plate, 90 is a second reflection type optical sensor, 100 is an hour signal reception system, 110 is a time code signal reception system, 120 is a reset switch, 130 is a start switch, and 140 is Positive / code signal switch, 150 is an oscillation circuit, 160 is a control circuit, 170 is a buffer circuit, 180 is a drive circuit, V _CC is a power supply voltage, C _{1 to} C ₃ are capacitors, and R _{1 to} R ₆ are resistance elements. Are respectively shown.

The timepiece body 10 is provided with a middle plate 12 connected to the lower plate 11 at a substantially central portion in a space formed by the lower plate 11 and the upper plate 13. Middle plate 1
2. With respect to a predetermined position of the upper plate 13, the second hand drive system 20,
First reflective optical sensor 30, minute hand drive system 40, hour hand wheel 5
0, the minute wheel 60, the manual correction shaft 70, and the second reflection type optical sensor 90 are fixed or pivotally supported.

The second hand drive system 20 comprises a first stepping motor 21, a first fifth wheel & pinion 22, and a second hand wheel. The first stepping motor 21 has a stator 21 a mounted on the lower plate 11, a rotor 21 b supported by the lower plate 11 and the upper plate 13, and a buffer circuit 17.
0, the output control signal C of the control circuit 160 input through
Rotation direction based on TL _1, the rotational angle and the rotational speed is controlled.

The first fifth wheel & pinion 22 is rotatably supported by the lower plate 11 and the upper plate 13, and the wheel teeth are meshed with the rotor 21 b of the first stepping motor 21 to reduce the rotation speed of the rotor 21 b to a predetermined speed. Slow down. This first fifth car 22
Is rotated, for example, once every 15 seconds, and a slit-shaped through-hole 22 a is formed in a part of the overlapping region with the second hand wheel 23.

The second hand wheel 23 has one end of its shaft portion at the upper plate 13.
The other end penetrates the middle plate 12 to the lower plate 11 side,
The second hand shaft 23a is press-fitted to the other end. The second hand shaft 23a is inserted through a through hole 44b of a minute hand pipe 44a which penetrates a lower plate 11 to be described later and protrudes to the surface side on which a timepiece dial and the like are formed. Can be The second hand wheel 23 is meshed with the first fifth wheel 22 pinion so that the second hand wheel 23 makes one revolution every 60 seconds. A light reflecting surface 23b is formed in a part of the overlapping region of the second hand wheel 23 with the first fifth wheel & pinion 22 so as to face the through hole 22a formed in the first fifth wheel & pinion 22. I have. The second hand drive system 20 is configured such that the second hand points to the hour when the light reflecting surface 23b is overlapped with the through hole 22a, that is, when the light reflecting surface 23b faces the through hole 22a.

The first reflection type optical sensor 30 has a light emitting element 31 composed of a light emitting diode and a light receiving element 32 composed of an npn transistor arranged side by side, and the light emitting portion of the light emitting element 31 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 32 are arranged. Through the through-hole 13a formed in the upper plate 13, and further through the through-hole 22a of the first fifth wheel & pinion 22, the upper plate 13 faces the surface on which the light reflecting surface 23b of the second hand wheel 23 is formed. It is arranged in.

Light emitting element 31 of first reflection type optical sensor 30
One end of the anode is the power supply voltage V_CCDrive connected to
Resistor R in circuit 180_ThreeConnected to the other end of the
The sword is a drive provided in the drive circuit 180.
It is connected to the collector of the transistor 181. This
Of the driver transistor 181 is grounded,
Base is resistance element R _FourOf the control circuit 160 through the
Signal DR₁Connected to the output line. Sand
That is, the light emitting element 31 outputs a high level signal from the control circuit 160.
Drive signal DR₁To emit light when is output
It is connected to the drive circuit 180.

Light receiving element 32 of first reflection type optical sensor 30
Is connected to the power supply voltage V _cc via the resistance element R ₁ , is connected to the control circuit 160, and the emitter is grounded. That is, the light receiving element 32 allows the light emitted from the light emitting element 31 to reach the second hand wheel 23 through the through holes 13a and 22a, and passes the light reflected by the light reflecting surface 23b through the through holes 13a and 22a. Through the light receiving element 32
In only when received, is input to the control circuit 160 a detection signal DT ₁ at a low level.

The minute hand drive system 40 includes a second stepping motor 41, a second fifth wheel 42, a third wheel 43, and a minute hand wheel 44. The second stepping motor 41 includes a control circuit 160 having a stator 41 a mounted on the lower plate 11, a rotor 41 b pivotally supported by the lower plate 11 and the upper plate 13, and a control circuit 160 input via a buffer circuit 170. rotational direction based on the output control signal CTL _2, the rotation angle and rotation speed is controlled.

The second fifth wheel & pinion 42 is rotatably supported by the lower plate 11 and the upper plate 13, and its wheel teeth are meshed with the rotor 41 b of the second stepping motor 41 to reduce the rotation speed of the rotor 41 b to a predetermined speed. Slow down.

The third wheel & pinion 43 is disposed such that one end of a shaft portion is pivotally supported by the upper plate 13 and the other end of the third wheel & pinion penetrates the middle plate 12. Is engaged with the Kana part of

The minute hand wheel 44 has a substantially T-shape having a through hole 44b formed in the center thereof. One end of a minute hand pipe 44a is pivotally supported by the middle plate 12, and the other end of the minute hand pipe 44a is connected to the lower plate 11. The hour hand wheel 50 is inserted through a through-hole 50b of an hour hand pipe 50a of the hour wheel 50, and a minute hand (not shown) is attached to a tip end of the hour hand wheel 50. The minute hand wheel 44 is configured to make one revolution every 60 minutes, and as described above, the second hand shaft 23
a is inserted, and its ring tooth portion is meshed with the pinion portion of the third wheel & pinion 43. Such a minute hand wheel 44 has a so-called slip mechanism.

The hour wheel 50 has a substantially T-shape having a through hole 50b formed at the center thereof, and its ring teeth are disposed in the body 10 of the watch. The hour hand (not shown) is attached to the end of the dial. Hour hand wheel 50 is 30 ° in one hour
It is configured to rotate and rotate once in 12 hours,
Further, as described above, the minute hand pipe 44 is provided in the through-hole 50b.
a is inserted. A through hole 50d as a first light transmitting portion is formed on a surface 50c of the hour wheel 50 facing the minute wheel 44. As shown in FIG. 4, the through-holes 50d of the hour wheel 50 are formed at eleven positions except for one of the positions equally divided into 12 at 30 ° in the circumferential direction of the hour wheel 50. That is, it is configured such that position detection for one hour out of twelve hours is not performed.

The minute wheel 60 is rotatably supported by a projection 11a formed on the lower plate 11, and has a ring-tooth portion formed by a minute hand 4
4 is engaged with the minute hand pipe 44a, and
The rotation speed of the minute hand wheel 44 is reduced to a predetermined speed and transmitted to the hour wheel 50. In addition, the minute wheel 60 is configured to make one rotation at N (N is a positive integer) time, and its ring tooth portion meshes with the correction pinion 70a of the manual correction shaft 70, and partially. Are disposed so as to face a part of the rotation detection plate 80.

The manual correction shaft 70 has a substantially T-shape, and the correction pin 70a at the tip thereof has an opening 1 formed in the upper plate 13.
Projection 11b formed on lower plate 11 with 3b inserted
, And the head 70 b is disposed in a state of protruding from the upper plate 13 to the outside of the timepiece body 10. The manual correction shaft 70 is configured to rotate once every 60 minutes in the same phase as the minute hand wheel 44, and as described above, the correction
a is meshed with the ring tooth portion of the minute wheel 60 and the minute hand drive system 4
When the minute hand 44 is driven by 0, it rotates in the same phase as the minute hand 44 via the minute wheel 60, and when the minute hand drive system 40 is not operated, the hand position is manually adjusted by rotating the head 70b. It is configured to be modifiable.

The rotation detecting plate 80 is formed in a disk shape, and its center portion is provided on the shaft portion of the minute hand wheel 44 between the minute hand wheel 44 and the hour hand wheel 50 so as to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the minute hand wheel 44. On the other hand, they are fixed with their axes substantially aligned. Also, the rotation detection plate 80
The part of the area facing the surface 50c of the hour wheel 50 of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a light reflection surface 80a as a second light transmission portion is formed so as to face the through hole 50d.

In the second reflection type optical sensor 90, a light emitting element 91 composed of a light emitting diode and a light receiving element 92 composed of an npn transistor are arranged in parallel, and the light emitting portion of the light emitting element 91 and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 92 are arranged. , Through a through hole 11c formed in the lower plate 11, and further through a through hole 50d formed in the hour wheel 50, a light reflecting surface 80a of the rotation detecting plate 80.
Is disposed on the lower plate 11 so as to face the surface 80b on which is formed.

Light emitting element 91 of second reflection type optical sensor 90
The anode is connected to the other end of the resistance element R ₅ in the drive circuit 180 having one end connected to the power source voltage V _CC, the cathode is also connected to the collector of the driver transistor 182 which is disposed in the drive circuit 180. The emitter of driver transistor 182 is grounded,
The base is connected to the output line of the drive signal DR ₂ of the control circuit 160 via the resistance element R _6. That is, the light emitting element 91 is connected to the drive circuit 180 so as to emit light when the drive signal DR ₂ of a high level is output from the control circuit 160.

Light receiving element 92 of second reflection type optical sensor 90
Is connected to the power supply voltage V _cc via the resistance element R ₂ , is connected to the control circuit 160, and the emitter is grounded. That is, the light receiving element 92 is configured such that the light emitted from the light emitting element 91 reaches the surface 80b of the rotation detecting plate 80 through the through hole 50d and the light reflecting surface 80
The light reflected by a only when received by the light receiving element 92 through the hole 50d, is inputted to the control circuit 160 a detection signal DT ₂ in the low level.

The relationship between the light reflecting surface 80a of the rotation detecting plate 80 and the through hole 50d of the hour wheel 50 is such that when the light reflecting surface 80a is directly opposed to the through hole 50d, the minute hand and the hour hand (not shown) are moved. It is set to indicate the hour.

The hour signal receiving system 100 includes a receiving antenna 1
01, a medium wave receiving circuit 102 which receives a medium wave (for example, 300 Hz to several thousands kHz) which is a frequency band of an AM radio broadcast transmitted from a radio station, and performs predetermined signal processing; And an hour signal detection circuit 103 for detecting the hour signal ES from the controller and outputting the detected signal to the control circuit 160.

The time code receiving system 110 includes a receiving antenna 111 and a medium wave receiving circuit 112 for receiving a long wave (for example, 30 Hz to several hundred kHz) including a time code signal transmitted from a radio station and performing predetermined signal processing. And a code signal detection circuit 113 that performs waveform shaping or the like on the signal from the medium wave reception circuit 112 to detect the time code signal CS and outputs it to the control circuit 160.

The reset switch 120 is connected to the control circuit 16
Turned on when various states of 0 are returned to the initial state. The start switch 130 is turned on when starting time adjustment in the hour signal mode. The hour / code signal switch 140 is turned on when time correction is performed in the hour signal mode.

The oscillation circuit 150 includes a crystal oscillator 151 and capacitors C ₂ and C ₃ , and supplies a basic clock having a predetermined frequency to the control circuit 160.

The control circuit 160 has a minute hand counter, a second hand counter, and a standard minute / second counter (not shown), and reads an hour signal ES or a code signal CS input according to the hour signal mode and the time code signal mode. Then, the stepping motor 21 for the second hand is controlled in accordance with the count control of various counters based on the basic clock by the oscillation circuit 150 and the input levels of the detection signals DT ₁ and DT ₂ by the first and second reflective optical sensors 30 and 90. The time correction control is performed by controlling the rotation of the stepping motor 41 for the hour and minute hands.

Next, the time correction control operation by the control circuit 160 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10 by dividing into the hour signal mode and the code signal mode. Here, the operation of the minute hand system will be described as an example.

First, the time correction control operation in the case of the hour signal mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the hour / code signal switch 140 is turned on. Initial hand setting in the hour signal mode is shown in FIG.
Is performed as shown in FIG. That is, a battery (not shown) is inserted and set at a predetermined position of the timepiece (S1). At this time, the drive signals DR ₁ and DR ₂ are output at a high level from the control circuit 160 to the drive circuit 180, and the light emitting elements 31 and 9 of the first and second reflective optical sensors 30 and 90 are output.
1 is in a light emitting state.

Next, the time is adjusted within ± 30 minutes by manual correction (S2). Specifically, the head 70b of the manual correction shaft 70 is manually rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. The rotation of the manual correction shaft 70 is transmitted to the minute hand pipe 44a of the minute hand wheel 44 via the minute wheel 60 and transmitted to the hour wheel 50 via the shaft of the minute wheel 60. At this time, since the minute hand pipe 44a of the minute hand wheel 44 has the same phase as the manual correction shaft 70, the minute hand pipe 44a rotates at the same speed as the manual correction shaft 70, and the hour hand wheel 50 rotates at a predetermined reduced speed.

With the manual rotation of the manual correction shaft 70,
The rotation detection plate 80 also rotates at the same speed as the minute hand pipe 44a. With the rotation of the rotation detection plate 80 and the hour wheel 50, the through hole 50 d of the hour wheel 50 and the light reflection surface 80 a of the rotation detection plate 80 eventually face each other and face each other. At this time, the light emitted from the light emitting element 91 of the second reflection type optical sensor 90 reaches the light reflection surface 80a of the rotation detection plate 80 via the through hole 50d, and is reflected there. This reflected light is received by the light receiving element 92 through the through hole 50d. As a result, the detection signal DT ₂ in the low level is inputted to the control circuit 160.

Next, the start switch 130 is turned on to start the time correction in the hour signal mode (S3). At this time, the position detection information for manual correction input to the control circuit 160 is reset. Thereby, the process is shifted to the normal hand operation control (S4). At this time, the control signal from the control circuit 160 is CTL ₁ , CTL ₂
Is output to the first and second stepping motors 21 and 41 via the buffer circuit 170 to perform rotation control. After the shift to the normal hand operation, the first time correction as shown in FIG. 7 is performed based on whether or not the hour signal has been received.

[0045] After the usual transition to hand motion (S4), whether partial position detection is performed, i.e., the detection signal DT ₂ by the second optical sensor 90 is judged whether or not switched from the high level to the low level This is performed (S5). Step S5
When it is determined that the minute position has been detected, it is determined whether or not the hour signal has been received from the input state of the output ES of the hour signal detection circuit 103 of the hour signal receiving system 100. (S6).

[0046] In step S6, if it is determined that the hour signal has been received, taken time difference from the frequency of the position detection until it is input to the hour signal, error is whether is within 30 minutes discrimination Is performed (S7). If the error is other than 30 minutes, the flow returns to the operation of step S5. If the error is within 30 minutes, it corresponds to the error because the correct time has been detected first on the radio-controlled timepiece side (the clock is in the advanced state). the via the control signal CTL ₂ is the buffer circuit 170 to stop the rotation of the second stepping motor 41 for a predetermined time period 2
Is output to the stepping motor 41 (S8). Second
When the predetermined time has elapsed to stop the rotation of the stepping motor 41, the control signal CTL _2, which is controlled to perform the normal hand is output to the second stepping motor 41 via a buffer circuit 170. As a result, the operation is shifted to the normal hand operation (S9).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that the position of the minute has not been detected, the time signal is not received from the input state of the output ES of the time signal detection circuit 103 of the time signal receiving system 100. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (S10). If it is determined in step S10 that the hour signal has been received, whether the minute position has been detected, that is, the detection signal DT from the second optical sensor 90 has been detected.
_It is determined whether ₂ has been switched from high level to low level (S11).

If it is determined in step S11 that the position of the minute has been detected, the difference from the time at which the position of the minute was detected after the reception of the hour signal was calculated, and the error was 3
It is determined whether it is within 0 minutes (S12). If the error is other than 30 minutes, the operation returns to step S5,
If the time is within 30 minutes, the correct time is detected later on the radio-controlled timepiece side (the timepiece is in a delayed state), and the rotation of the second stepping motor 41 is accelerated to detect the minute position. The control signal CTL ₂ is output to the second stepping motor 41 via the buffer circuit 170 so as to perform fast forward until the detection signal DT ₂ from the second optical sensor 90 switches from the high level to the low level. (S13). Next, the delay caused by the rapid traverse is corrected for the minute, and the operation is shifted to the normal hand operation (S9).

The second and subsequent corrections after the first correction described above are performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is, when an hour signal is received during normal hand operation (S9) (S1)
5) In the control circuit 160, it is determined whether or not there is a difference between the input hour signal and the minute hand counter (S16). If it is determined in step S16 that there is a difference,
Since the error of the quartz clock is less than one second per day, the counter is corrected according to the difference (S17). In addition,
The example, when the difference is greater, the the control signal CTL ₂ 2
The rotation of the stepping motor 41 is controlled to correct the pointer position. After the correction of the counter and the like are performed, the operation is shifted to the normal hand operation (S18).

Next, a time correction control operation in the time code signal mode will be described with reference to FIGS. In this case, the hour / code signal switch 140
Is turned off. In this state, a battery (not shown) is inserted and set at a predetermined position of the timepiece (ST1). As a result, the drive signals DR ₁ and DR ₂ are output at a high level from the control circuit 160 to the drive circuit 180, and the light emitting elements 31 and 9 of the first and second reflective optical sensors 30 and 90 are output.
1 is a light emitting state, and control signals CTL ₁ , CT
L ₂ is output to the first and second stepping motors 21 and 41 via a buffer circuit 170.

As the initial hand adjustment in the time code signal mode, the return-to-zero operation shown in steps ST2 to ST8 is performed within a predetermined time. That is, first, the control by the signal CTL ₂ Once done fast forward control of the second stepping motor 41, the minute hand (not shown) is fast-forward in the predetermined direction, for example clockwise (ST2). Next, whether the minute position has been detected, that is, the second optical sensor 9
0 by the detection signal DT ₂ is judged whether or not switching to the low level is performed from the high level (ST3).

If it is determined in step ST3 that the minute position has been detected, the minute hand is further fast-forwarded (ST4), and then whether the minute position has not been detected after 60 minutes ± 10 seconds. Is determined (ST
5). If it is determined in step ST5 that the minute position has not been detected after 60 minutes ± 10 seconds, the minute hand is further fast-forwarded (ST6), and then whether the minute position has been detected again is determined. That is, it is determined whether the detection signal DT2 from the _second optical sensor 90 has been switched from the high level to the low level (ST7). If it is determined in step ST7 that the minute position has been detected, it is determined that the pointer is located at the 0 o'clock position,
Control signal CTL ₂ is output to stop the rotation of the second stepping motor 41 (ST8). Thus, the zero-return operation is completed.

When the zero-return operation is completed, the output signal CS of the code signal detecting circuit 113 of the time code signal receiving system 110 is output.
It is determined whether or not the time code signal has been received from the input state of (1) (ST9). In step ST9,
When it is determined that the time code signal has been received, the control signal CT is so controlled that the second stepping motor 41 is fast-forwarded for a predetermined time corresponding to the time indicated by the time code signal.
L ₂ is output (ST10). As a result, the time adjustment is completed, and the operation shifts to the normal hand operation (ST11).

The second and subsequent corrections after the above-described first correction are performed according to the procedure shown in FIG. That is,
When a time code signal is received during normal hand operation (ST12) (ST13), the control circuit 160 determines whether there is a difference between the input time code signal and the minute hand counter (ST14). If it is determined in step ST14 that there is a difference, the error in the quartz clock is less than one second per day, so that the counter is corrected according to the difference (ST15). Note that like is large difference, control signals the CTL ₂ by the rotation control of the second stepping motor 41 is performed, correction of the hand position is performed. After the correction of the counter and the like are performed, the operation is shifted to the normal hand operation (ST16).

As described above, according to this embodiment,
The rotation detecting plate 80 having the light reflecting surface 80a is attached to the minute hand pipe 44a, and the time when the through hole 50d and the light reflecting surface 80a face each other is set as the correct time. The time when the light reflected from the light reflecting surface 80a is received through the hole 50d is set as the hour position, and the detection signal DT of the second reflection type optical sensor 90 is set corresponding to the hour signal mode and the time code signal mode. ₂ and the control circuit 160 for performing initial setting and position correction of the pointer position according to the input timing of the hour signal or the time code signal, it is not necessary to form a sensor hole in the dial or exterior, It does not impair the appearance of the external appearance, does not require complicated work such as adjusting the position of each exterior, and has high accuracy in both the normal signal mode and the time code signal mode. It can realize the time correction by radio waves. The through hole 50d of the hour wheel 50 is
Are formed at 11 locations except for one of the 12 equally spaced locations at 30 ° in the circumferential direction, and the position is not detected for one hour out of twelve hours. It is possible to accurately detect a predetermined position during operation. Further, the minute hand pipe 44a of the minute hand wheel 44 and the manual correction shaft 70
Since the hour hand wheel 50 and the hour hand wheel 50 have the same phase, even if the minute hand slip mechanism is provided, the facing positions of the light reflecting surface 80a of the rotation detecting plate 80 and the through hole 50d of the hour hand wheel 50 do not shift. Therefore, even if the pointer position is manually corrected, no phase shift occurs, and highly accurate position detection can be realized.

In this embodiment, the hour wheel 50 has a through hole and the rotation detecting plate 80 has a light reflecting surface. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The same effect as described above can also be obtained by a configuration in which a light reflection surface is formed on the rotation detection plate 80, a through hole is formed in the rotation detection plate 80, and the second reflection type optical sensor 90 is disposed on the minute hand wheel 44 side. . Further, in this embodiment, the example using the reflection type optical sensor 90 has been described, but the hour wheel 50 and the rotation detecting plate 8 are used.
By forming through-holes in both of them, it is possible to use a transmissive optical sensor, and in this case, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0057]

As described above, according to the present invention,
There is no need to form a sensor hole in the dial or exterior, no need for cumbersome work, no loss of appearance, and not only the time signal but also the time code signal. , And highly accurate time correction can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an entire configuration of an embodiment of a hand position detecting device of a radio-controlled timepiece according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of the pointer position detecting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a hand position correcting device for a radio-controlled timepiece according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a formation pattern of a through hole of the hour wheel according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a formation pattern of a light reflection surface of a rotation detection plate according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an initial hand setting operation in an hour signal mode.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an initial correction operation in an hour signal mode.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the second and subsequent correction operations in the hour signal mode.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an initial correction operation in the time code signal mode.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the second and subsequent correction operations in the time code signal mode.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Watch main body 11 ... Lower plate 12 ... Middle plate 13 ... Upper plate 20 ... Second hand drive system 21 ... 1st stepping motor 22 ... Second 5th wheel 22a ... Through hole 23 ... Second hand wheel 23b ... Light reflection surface 30 ... First reflection type optical sensor 40... Minute hand drive system 41. Second stepping motor 42... Second fifth wheel 43... Third wheel 44... Minute hand wheel 44 a. ········································································································································ 103: Hour signal detection circuit 110: Time code signal reception system 111: Receiving antenna 122: Long wave reception circuit 103: Code signal detection circuit 120: Reset switch 130: Start switch 140: Hour / Code signal changeover switch 150 ... oscillation circuit 151. Crystal oscillator 160 ... control circuit 170 ... buffer circuit 180 ... drive circuit V _CC ... supply voltage C ₁ -C ₃ ... capacitor R ₁ to R ₆ ... resistance element

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A drive system for rotating a minute hand at a predetermined speed, an intermediate wheel for reducing the rotational speed of the minute hand to a predetermined speed and rotating an hour wheel, and provided at a predetermined position of the hour wheel. A first light transmitting unit, a second light transmitting unit provided at a predetermined position of the minute hand wheel so as to face an arrangement area of the first light transmitting unit, and the first light transmitting unit. An optical sensor unit for obtaining an output signal when the unit and the second light transmitting unit face each other, and an hour signal for detecting an hour signal indicating an hour generated by a station
And No. detection circuit, in accordance with the input timing of the hour signal hour signal detected by the detection circuit and the output signal of the optical sensor unit and controls the drive system, the pointer position on the hour indicated by the hour signal A radio-controlled timepiece having a control circuit for correcting the position to a corresponding position. 2. A drive system for rotating the minute hand at a predetermined speed, an intermediate wheel for reducing the rotation speed of the minute hand to a predetermined speed and rotating the hour wheel, and provided at a predetermined position of the hour wheel. A first light transmitting unit, a second light transmitting unit provided at a predetermined position of the minute hand wheel so as to face an arrangement area of the first light transmitting unit, and the first light transmitting unit. A light sensor unit for obtaining an output signal when the unit and the second light transmitting unit face each other, and detecting a time code signal indicating a time generated by the station.
The time code signal detection circuit and the drive system are controlled in accordance with the input timing of the output signal of the optical sensor unit to initialize the pointer position, and the pointer position is detected from the initial position by the time code signal detection circuit.
And a control circuit for correcting the position to a position corresponding to the time indicated by the time code signal . 3. A drive system for rotating the minute hand at a predetermined speed, an intermediate wheel for reducing the rotational speed of the minute hand to a predetermined speed and rotating the hour wheel, and provided at a predetermined position of the hour wheel. A first light transmitting unit, a second light transmitting unit provided at a predetermined position of the minute hand wheel so as to face an arrangement area of the first light transmitting unit, and the first light transmitting unit. An optical sensor unit for obtaining an output signal when the unit and the second light transmitting unit face each other, and an hour signal for detecting an hour signal indicating an hour generated by a station
Signal detection circuit and a time code signal indicating the time generated by the station.
A time code signal detection circuit, means for switching between an hour signal mode and a time code signal mode, and the hour signal detection circuit detects the hour signal mode in the hour signal mode.
And controlling the drive system in accordance with the input timing of the hour and output signals of the optical sensor unit, the pointer position is corrected to a position corresponding to the hour indicated by the hour signal, the light to the time code signal mode The drive system is controlled in accordance with the input timing of the output signal of the sensor unit to initialize the pointer position, and the pointer position is changed from the initial position to the time code signal.
A control circuit for correcting a position according to the time indicated by the time code signal detected by the detection circuit .