JP6296831B2 - Electronic clock and pedometer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an analog electronic timepiece.

  In an electronic timepiece, as a method of measuring the rate, a magnetic field generated from a current flowing in the coil by applying a pulse to the coil is generally detected by an external rate measuring device.

  However, since a typical rate measuring instrument is created in accordance with a three-hand clock that moves with a 1-second cycle, in the case of a two-hand clock with a long hand-operating cycle, the drive for driving the measurement gate time and pointer of the rate measuring instrument The pulse period does not match and the rate cannot be measured or cannot be measured stably.

  Therefore, in rate measurement, it is often performed by generating a minute current with a pulse dedicated to rate measurement (hereinafter referred to as a rate pulse) that does not move the pointer and detecting the generated magnetic field with a rate measuring device. .

  An example of a two-hand timepiece will be described below and a conventional method will be described.

  A two-hand analog electronic timepiece having an hour hand and a minute hand drives a motor by supplying a hand movement pulse shaped by a hand movement pulse waveform shaping circuit inside the IC to a drive circuit. The needle movement pulse is supplied to the drive circuit at a cycle of 10 seconds or 20 seconds to drive the motor, and is a 1-second cycle rate pulse that does not drive the motor shaped by a rate pulse waveform shaping circuit different from the hand movement pulse waveform shaping circuit. Current is passed through the coil and the rate is measured. (See Patent Document 1)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-121758 (paragraphs 0002 to 0004, FIG. 2)

  In the prior art, the shape of the rate pulse shaped by the rate pulse waveform shaping circuit is fixed. This is to simplify the specifications of the watch IC. However, there are various models of analog electronic timepieces, and the position and orientation of the motor, the thickness of the exterior, etc. are different, so if you do not set the rate pulse corresponding to the model, you may not be able to measure the rate stably. Arise.

  On the other hand, a rate pulse that matches the conditions of the most disadvantageous model for the rate measurement, that is, a rate pulse that can obtain a large magnetic field generated in the motor coil, is shaped by the rate pulse waveform shaping circuit, and stable in various models Thus, a method for measuring the rate can be considered.

  However, this method causes a current to flow excessively in order to increase the magnetic field generated in the motor coil for a model that is advantageous for measurement, and wastes power.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic timepiece capable of performing stable rate measurement by selectively controlling optimal rate pulses in various models.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, an electronic timepiece having a coil, a driving unit that drives the coil to generate a magnetic field, and a rate pulse waveform shaping unit that outputs a rate pulse for driving the coil by the driving unit, The rate pulse waveform shaping means is configured to be able to output a plurality of types of rate pulses having different magnitudes of the magnetic field generated in the coil, and back electromotive force generated in the coil by an external signal is converted into a signal. And a rate pulse control unit that receives an output from the back electromotive force detection unit and instructs the rate pulse waveform shaping unit to select one of the rate pulses from the plurality of types of rate pulses. Features.

  As described above, according to the present invention, by selecting and controlling the rate pulse based on the response signal from the rate measuring device, even if there is a difference in the structure such as the coil arrangement or the thickness of the exterior for each model. Since the rate pulse suitable for the rate measurement is selected, stable rate measurement can be guaranteed.

  In addition, since the rate pulse with the minimum power that enables measurement is selected, it is possible to achieve lower power consumption than when the rate pulse shape is fixed as in the prior art.

It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a wave form diagram of the rate pulse which the circuit of the electronic timepiece of the 1st Embodiment of this invention generate | occur | produces. It is a timing chart figure which shows the circuit operation | movement of the electronic timepiece of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a wave form diagram which shows the reply signal which the rate measuring device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention generate | occur | produces. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the rate pulse control means of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure of the electronic timepiece of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart figure showing circuit operation of an electronic timepiece of a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the rate pulse control means of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure of the electronic timepiece of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an optimal rate measuring pulse with high efficiency is selected and controlled in accordance with a response signal from a rate measuring device. DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a waveform diagram of a rate measurement pulse generated by the circuit of the electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit of the electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the following embodiments, only components relating to the rate pulse output according to the present invention are described, and other components (such as drive pulse generating means) are not described.

  In FIG. 1, components other than the rate measuring device 6 constitute the electronic timepiece of the present invention.

  Reference numeral 1 denotes an oscillating means for generating a reference clock by oscillation of a crystal resonator (not shown), and 2 denotes a frequency dividing circuit for dividing a reference signal from the oscillation circuit 1.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a rate pulse waveform shaping means for shaping the rate pulse. The rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 is based on a signal from a rate pulse rank control means 800, which will be described later, and a rate pulse A having a pulse width of 30.5 μs, a rate pulse B having a pulse width of 61 μs, and a pulse width as shown in FIG. Either the rate pulse C of 122 μs or the rate pulse D having a pulse width of 244 μs is waveform-shaped. Further, the output period of the rate pulse as shown in FIG. 3 is determined by the reference signal from the frequency dividing circuit 2.

  Denoted at 4 is driving means for supplying the rate pulse output from the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 to a coil 5 of a motor (not shown) for driving a pointer or the like. Thereby, a current flows through the coil 5 and a magnetic field is generated. The magnitude of the current flowing through the coil 5 increases as the pulse width increases, and the generated magnetic field also increases.

  The rate measuring device 6 as an external device measures the rate by detecting the magnetic field generated in the coil 5 with the built-in coil 6a. Since the principle of rate measurement in the rate measuring device 6 is a known technique, further detailed description is omitted. Furthermore, the rate measuring device 6 outputs a response signal indicating whether or not the magnetic field generated by the rate pulse has been detected from the built-in coil 6a. The coil 5 serves as a detection coil for detecting a response signal from the rate measuring device 6 and generates a counter electromotive current when the response signal is detected. The back electromotive force detection means 7 converts the back electromotive current into a voltage and transmits a response signal to the communication success / failure determination means 810 described later.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a rate pulse control unit including a communication success / failure determination unit 810 and a rate pulse rank control unit 800. The communication success / failure determination unit 810 analyzes the signal transmitted from the back electromotive force detection unit 7 to determine whether the rate measurement is successful or not, and determines whether the rate measurement is performed. The determination result signal is used as the rate pulse rank control unit 800. To communicate.

  The rate pulse rank control unit 800 manages the rank of the rate pulse based on the determination result of the communication success / failure determination unit 810. If the rank value is “0”, the above-described rate pulse A is “1”. If the rate pulse B is “2”, the above-described rate pulse C is “3”, and if the rate pulse B is “3”, a reference signal for pulse-shaping the above-described rate pulse D by the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 is divided by a frequency dividing circuit. 2 is selected from the two reference signals and transmitted to the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rate is measured by the rate measuring device 6 by outputting a rate pulse at a certain fixed period such as 1 Hz. Further, a communication success / failure determination period is provided after a predetermined time from the timing at which the rate pulse is output, and the response signal from the rate measuring device 6 is received within the period to determine success / failure of the rate measurement.

  FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram of a response signal that is returned according to the measurement state of the rate measuring device according to the first embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4A shows a response signal when the rate measurement is successful, and is a signal having a clock pulse number of “1”.

FIG. 4B is a response signal when the rate measurement fails, and is a signal with the number of clock pulses “2”.
When the rate is not measured, there is no response signal as shown in FIG. 4C, and the number of clock pulses is “0”.

FIG. 5 shows a circuit configuration of the rate pulse control means 8 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The rate pulse control unit 8 includes a communication success / failure determination unit 810 and a rate pulse rank control unit 800.

  Further, the communication success / failure determination means 810 is a response signal monitoring means 811 for determining whether the rate measurement has succeeded / failed or has not been measured, and a rate for controlling the operation of the rate pulse rank selection means 801 described later based on the determination result. It comprises pulse rank selection control means 812.

  The rate pulse rank control unit 800 includes a rate pulse rank selection unit 801 and a reference signal selection unit 802 that selectively outputs a reference signal to be transmitted to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 according to the rank value of the rate pulse. The reference signal selection means 802 is a selector that selects and outputs from a plurality of reference signals transmitted from the frequency dividing means 2 in accordance with the rank value, and is constituted by a multiplexer or the like. If the values held by the response signal monitoring unit 811 and the rate pulse rank selecting unit 801 are set to binary numbers “00”, “01”, “10”, and “11”, a 2-bit binary counter can be configured. Further, the value held by the rate pulse rank selection means 801 corresponds to the rank value of the rate pulse. If it is “00”, the rank value is “0”, and if it is “01”, the rank value is “1” or “10”. If there is, the rank value is “2”, and if it is “11”, the rank value is “3”.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described.

  The response signal monitoring means 811 in FIG. 5 counts the number of clock pulses of the communication success / failure signal transmitted from the back electromotive detection means 7 based on the signal returned from the rate measuring device 6 during the communication success / failure determination period shown in FIG. As a result, the success or failure of communication is determined. Note that the value of the response signal monitoring unit 811 immediately before the start of the communication success / failure determination is “00”.

  Here, if a response signal with the number of clock pulses “1” is sent from the rate measuring instrument as shown in FIG. 4A within the communication success / failure determination period after outputting the rate pulse as shown in FIG. The value of the means 811 is incremented from “00” to “01”. On the other hand, when a response signal with the clock pulse number “2” is sent within the communication success / failure period, the value of the response signal monitoring means 811 is incremented from “00” to “10”. . When measurement is not performed, the value of the response signal monitoring unit 811 remains “00” because the number of clock pulses is “0” as shown in FIG. 4C.

  The rate pulse rank selection control unit 812 controls the operation of the rate pulse rank selection unit 801 in accordance with the value held in the response signal monitoring unit 811.

  First, it is assumed that the initial value of the rate pulse rank selection unit 801 is set to “00” indicating the rate pulse A having the narrowest width.

  If the value of the response signal monitoring means 811 is “01”, the rate measuring device 6 has succeeded in detecting the rate pulse, so there is no need to increase the width of the current rate pulse. Accordingly, the rate pulse rank selection control unit 812 controls to keep the value of the rate pulse rank selection unit 801 at “00”.

  If the value of the response signal monitoring means 811 is “10”, the rate measuring device 6 has failed to detect the rate pulse, so it is necessary to widen the rate pulse and generate a magnetic field stronger than the current state from the coil 5. There is. Accordingly, the rate pulse rank selection control circuit 812 controls to increment the value of the rate pulse rank selection means 801 from “00” to “01”.

If the value of the response signal monitoring means 811 is “00”, the signal is not transmitted from the rate measuring device 6 or the signal from the rate measuring device 6 cannot be received. In such a case, it is considered that the rate measurement is not performed. Therefore, the rate pulse rank selection control circuit 8
12 controls to reset the value of the rate pulse rank selecting means 801 to “00” indicating the rate pulse A having the narrowest width, thereby preventing an increase in useless current consumption due to the rate pulse.

  Similarly, when the value of the response signal monitoring unit 811 is “11”, the value of the rate pulse rank selecting unit 801 is controlled to be reset to “00”. Although “11” is not possible, it is set for error defense.

  The reference signal selection unit 802 selects the reference signal of the frequency dividing circuit unit 2 based on the rank value of the rate pulse rank selection unit 801 and transmits it to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3.

  When the rank value is “0”, the reference signal selection unit 802 selects and outputs the reference signal A necessary for the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 to perform pulse shaping of the rate pulse A. If the rank value is “1”, the reference signal B required for pulse shaping of the rate pulse B is used. If the rank value is “2”, the reference signal C required for the pulse shaping of the rate pulse C, the rank If the value is “3”, the reference signal D necessary for pulse shaping of the rate pulse D is selectively output.

  The rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 performs pulse shaping with a reference signal corresponding to the rank value transmitted from the rate pulse rank control unit 800, and measures the rate using the shaped rate pulse in the next step. Each time it is output, the success / failure determination of the rate measurement and the rank value determination of the rate pulse are performed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic timepiece according to the first embodiment of this invention. As shown in FIG. 6, this operation flow is started at the timing of outputting the rate pulse (START).
First, a rate pulse is output (step ST1). The rate pulse output at this time is a rate pulse A having a rank value “0” as shown in FIG.

  Next, during the communication success / failure determination period shown in FIG. 3, the communication success / failure determination means 810 determines whether or not the rate measurement has been performed based on the response signal shown in FIG. 4 sent from the rate measuring device 6 (step ST2). . If it is determined that the measurement has been performed, it is determined whether the measurement has succeeded or failed (step ST3). If it is determined to be successful, the value of the pulse rank selection unit 801, that is, the rank value of the rate pulse is maintained (step ST4), and the operation flow is completed (END). When the flow is started again at the rate pulse output timing, since the rank value of the rate pulse is maintained, the rate pulse A having the same rank value “0” as the previous time is output in step ST1, and the rate pulse is We will measure the rate.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as failure, the value of the pulse rank selection unit 801 is incremented by +1, the rank value is increased from “0” to “1” (step ST5), and the operation flow is completed (END). Also, here, when the output timing of the rate pulse comes again and the flow is started, the rank value is increased to “1” in the previous flow, so the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 uses the rate pulse B having the rank value “1”. In step ST1, the rate measurement is performed using the rate pulse B.

  Further, as a result of the determination of the success or failure of the measurement after outputting the rate pulse B, the rank value is maintained at “1” when the success is determined, and the rank value is further changed from “1” to “2” when the failure is determined. The rank is increased, and the rate pulse C is output at the timing of the next rate pulse.

Similarly, after outputting the rate pulse C, if the measurement success / failure is determined and determined successful, the rank value is maintained at “2”. If the failure is determined, the rank value is changed from “2” to the maximum rank “3”. The rate pulse D is output at the next timing.

  Further, as a result of determining the success or failure of measurement after the output of the rate pulse D, the rank value is maintained at “3” when determining success, but when determining failure, the rank value is changed from the maximum rank “3” to the minimum rank. The rate pulse A is output at the next rate pulse timing. The operation after the rate pulse A is output is performed according to the flow described above. If the communication success / failure determination unit 810 determines that the rate measurement has not been performed in step ST2, the rank value of the rate pulse is forcibly set to “0” (step ST6), and the operation flow is completed.

  As described above, it is possible to determine the success or failure of the rate measurement after outputting the rate pulse, and to determine the rank value of the rate pulse based on the determination result. Even if there is a difference in thickness, the optimum rate pulse in the model is selected and the rate measurement can be performed stably. Further, by setting the minimum rank value to “0” when it is determined that the rate measurement is not performed, the power consumption of the rate pulse is reduced as much as possible, and the power consumption of the electronic timepiece can be kept small.

[Modification of First Embodiment]
The above description shows an example of the present embodiment, and the following modifications may be made, for example.

(1) The rate pulse rank selecting means 801 is composed of a 2-bit binary counter, and the selection control of four kinds of rate pulses as shown in FIG. 3 has been discussed. However, the number of bits of the rate pulse rank selecting means 801 can be increased and selected. It is also possible to adopt a method for improving the measurement accuracy by adopting a configuration that can increase the kinds of rate pulses. Further, the pulse width of the rate pulse as shown in FIG. 3 is not limited to the above numerical value.

(2) Although the response signal monitoring means 811 is constituted by a 2-bit binary counter and the measurement success / failure determination is performed by counting the number of clock pulses of the response signal, in order to further improve the accuracy of the success / failure determination, A method in which the same signal as the response signal at the time of success and failure sent from the rate measuring device is prepared in advance as a determination signal in the IC, and the success / failure determination is performed by comparing with the response signal from the rate measuring device 6. It doesn't matter.

(3) When the value of the response signal monitoring unit 811 is “11”, control is performed so that the value of the rate pulse rank selection unit 801 is reset to “00” for error defense. When the value of the means 811 is “11”, the rate pulse rank control means 801 may be controlled to be invalid.

(4) The measurement success / failure after the rate pulse D is output is determined. If the failure is determined, the rank value is changed from “3” to “0”, but the rank value is not set to “0” but “3”. The rate pulse D having the maximum rank that is most effective for measuring the rate may be output. Further, in the above state, when the success rate pulse D is output a predetermined number of times and no success determination is made, the rank value may be set to “0” to reduce power consumption.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment is an example of a method in which means for controlling output of a rate pulse according to an external operation is added to the first embodiment.
Hereinafter, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic timepiece according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the circuit configuration of the rate pulse control means 8 and the components other than the external operation means 9 are the same as those in FIG.

  The waveform diagram of the rate measurement pulse generated by the electronic timepiece circuit according to the second embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and the response signal returned by the rate measuring device according to the communication state is the same as that shown in FIG. It will be explained with assistance.

  In FIG. 7, the rate pulse control unit 8 includes a rate pulse output stop unit 820 and a mode control unit 830 in addition to the rate pulse rank selection unit 800 and the communication success / failure determination unit 810 shown in FIG. 1.

Similar to the first embodiment, the rate pulse rank selecting unit 800 determines the success or failure of the rate value of the rate pulse by the communication success / failure determining unit 810 with respect to the response signal from the rate measuring device 6 as shown in FIG. Manage based on.
The rate pulse output control unit 820 is also controlled based on the determination result of the communication success / failure determination unit 810 and transmits a rate pulse stop signal to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3. When the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 receives the stop signal, the rate pulse is controlled so as not to be waveform shaped, and as a result, the rate pulse is not output.

  The rate pulse output control means 820 is also controlled by a transmission signal from a mode control means 830 described later. Based on the input signal from the external operation means 9, the mode control means 830 selects a state in which a rate pulse is output at a constant period or a state in which no rate pulse is output, and shifts to the selected state. Hereinafter, a state in which the rate is output at a constant cycle is referred to as a rate pulse output mode. The external operation means 9 is a means for transmitting an electric signal to the inside of the IC by operating an external member provided in an electronic timepiece such as a crown or a push button. In FIG. 7, illustration of the crown and the push button is omitted.

Here, the specification which outputs a rate pulse with a fixed period in the state which pulled the crown as an example is described.
When the crown is pulled, the external operation means 9 transmits a signal indicating the state to the mode control means 830, and shifts to the rate pulse output mode. When the crown is pulled back to the state where it is not pulled, the rate pulse output mode is canceled and the mode shifts to a state where no rate pulse is output. When the state is shifted to a state in which the rate pulse is not output, the rate pulse output control unit 820 transmits a rate pulse stop signal to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 so as to prevent the rate pulse from being waveform-shaped. On the other hand, when the rate pulse output mode is entered, unless the rate pulse stop signal is transmitted from the rate pulse output control unit 820 controlled by the communication success / failure determination unit 810, the rank value of the rate pulse rank control unit 800 is set. The corresponding rate pulse is controlled so as to be shaped by the rate pulse waveform shaping means 3. By controlling as described above, a rate pulse is output while pulling the crown.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit of the electronic timepiece according to the second embodiment of the invention.
In FIG. 8, when the mode is shifted to the rate pulse output mode by the operation of the external operation means 9, the rate pulse is output at a specific constant period, and the rate measuring unit 6 measures the rate. In the rate pulse output mode, a communication success / failure determination period for receiving a response signal from the rate measuring device 6 after a predetermined time from the output of the rate pulse and determining success / failure of communication is provided. Thereafter, when the rate pulse output mode is canceled by the operation of the external operation means 9, control is performed so that the rate pulse is not output and the communication success / failure determination period is also eliminated.

FIG. 9 shows a circuit configuration of the rate pulse control means 8 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 9, the rate pulse control unit 8 includes a communication success / failure determination unit 810, a rate pulse rank selection unit 800, a rate pulse output control unit 820, and a mode control unit 830. Similar to the first embodiment, the communication success / failure determination means 810 is a response signal monitoring means 811 for determining whether or not the rate measurement is successful or not, and a rate pulse rank selection described later based on the determination result. A rate pulse rank selection control unit 812 that controls the operation of the unit 801 is configured. The rate measurement success / failure determination method and the rate pulse rank value determination method are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are omitted.

  The rate pulse output control unit 820 in FIG. 9 includes a count unit 821 and a rate pulse stop unit 822. The counting operation of the counting unit 821 is controlled by a communication signal from the communication success / failure determining unit 810 and the mode control unit 830. The rate pulse stop unit 822 outputs a rate pulse stop signal to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 based on the count value of the count unit 821 and the determination signal of the mode control unit 830.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. In FIG. 9, the counting means 821 is constituted by a decimal counter as an example, and the initial value is “0”. If the communication success / failure determination unit 810 receives the response signal as shown in FIG. 4C after outputting the rate pulse and determines that the rate is not measured, the count unit 821 changes the value of the count unit 821 from “0” to “1”. Increment to. Here, the rank value of the rate pulse is “0”.

  Next, when it is determined that the measurement is not performed even after the rate pulse is output in the next step, the value of the counting means 821 is incremented from “1” to “2”. When the above-described operation is repeatedly performed and the value of the counting unit 821 becomes a predetermined value, for example, “10”, a rate pulse stop signal is output from the rate pulse stop unit 822 to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3. The rate pulse waveform shaping means 3 is controlled not to shape the rate pulse when receiving the stop signal.

  Next, an operation when the communication success / failure determination unit 810 determines success or failure will be described. When the communication success / failure determination unit 810 determines success or failure, the value of the counter unit 821 is reset to “0”. As for the rank value of the rate pulse, as discussed in the first embodiment, the rate pulse rank value is determined by controlling the rate pulse rank selection unit 800 based on the determination result of the communication success / failure determination unit 810.

  In FIG. 9, the mode control means 830 receives the signal from the external operation means 9 and controls the shift to the rate pulse output mode and the mode release. When the mode control unit 830 enters the mode release state, the value of the count unit 821 is held at “0”, and a rate pulse stop signal is output from the rate pulse output stop unit 822 to the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3. As a result, the rate pulse generation means 3 controls the rate pulse so that it is not shaped, and the rate pulse is not output.

  On the other hand, when the mode control unit 830 shifts to the rate pulse output mode, the count operation control of the count unit 821 by the rate pulse rank selection control unit 812 is permitted.

  FIG. 10 collectively shows the operation of the electronic timepiece according to the second embodiment of the present invention in a flowchart. In FIG. 10, x is the value of the counting means 821 (initial value “0”), and this operation flow is started at the rate pulse output timing (START).

First, the mode control means 830 receives an electrical signal from the external operation means 9, and determines whether or not the mode has shifted to the rate pulse output mode (step ST1). If it is the rate pulse output mode, the process proceeds to the following step, and it is determined whether x is a predetermined value. (Step ST2). It is assumed that the predetermined value is set in advance, for example, “10”. Here, since x is still “0” and not a predetermined value, a rate pulse is output in the following step (step ST3). The rate pulse output at this time is a rate pulse A having a rank value “0” as shown in FIG.

Next, during the communication success / failure determination period shown in FIG. 8, the communication success / failure determination means 810 determines whether or not the rate measurement with the rate measurement device 6 has been performed based on the response signal shown in FIG. 4 sent from the rate measurement device 6. (Step ST4).
If it is determined that the rate has been measured, x is set to “0” (step ST5), and then it is determined whether the measurement has succeeded or failed. (Step ST6).
Furthermore, when it determines with success, it controls to hold | maintain the rank value of a rate pulse. (Step ST7) Here, the pulse rank value, that is, the value “0” of the pulse rank selection means 801 is maintained and the operation flow is completed (END).

  Then, when the output timing of the rate pulse comes again and follows the same flow up to step ST3, the rank value of the rate pulse is maintained. Therefore, the rate pulse A having the same rank value “0” as the previous time is output and the rate measuring device is output. Step 6 measures the rate.

  On the other hand, if it is determined as failure, the value of the pulse rank selection unit 801 is incremented by +1, the rank value is increased from “0” to “1” (step ST8), and the operation flow is completed (END). Here, when the output timing of the rate pulse comes again and the same flow is followed until step ST3, the rank value of the rate pulse is increased to “1” in the previous flow, so the rate pulse output in step ST3 is the rank pulse. The rate pulse B having the value “1” is output.

  In addition, as a result of the success / failure determination of the rate measurement after outputting the rate pulse B, the rank value is maintained at “1” if successful, and the rank value is increased from “1” to “2” if unsuccessful When the rate measurement success / failure determination is made after outputting the rate pulse C having the rank value “2” and the success is determined, the rank value is maintained at “2”, and when the failure is determined, the rank value is changed from “2” to “ Rank up to 3 ”. As a result of the success / failure determination of the rate measurement after outputting the rate pulse D of the rank value “3”, the rank value is maintained at “3” if successful, and the rank value is changed from “3” if unsuccessful. Set to “0”.

  If it is determined in step ST4 that there is no response signal and the measurement has not been performed, the value of the pulse rank selection unit 801 is set to “0”, and the value of the count unit 821 is incremented from “0” to “1” ( Step ST9) and the operation flow is completed (END). Therefore, when the rate pulse output timing comes again and the operation flow is started, the operation flow is started with the value of x being “1” and the rank value of the rate pulse being “0”. Further, after following the same flow again, the value of x becomes “2”, and the rank value of the rate pulse becomes “0”.

  When the flow following step ST9 is repeated a total of 10 times, that is, when the eleventh flow is started with the value of x being “10”, the value of x becomes equal to the predetermined value in step ST2, and at this point in time. The operation flow is completed (END). Therefore, it means that the rate pulse is stopped when it is determined that there is no response signal continuously from the rate measuring device by a predetermined value even if the rate pulse is output, that is, no measurement is made.

  If it is determined in step ST1 that the mode is not the rate pulse output mode, the value of x is reset to “0” (step ST10), and the operation flow is completed (END).

As described above, also in the second embodiment in which the output control of the rate pulse is enabled according to the external operation, the means for selecting and determining the rank value of the rate pulse based on the determination result of the measurement success / failure with the rate measuring device 6 By taking the above, it becomes possible to select the optimum rate pulse for performing the rate measurement, and the same effect as the first embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, after measuring the rate pulse output for a predetermined time, it is not measured by measuring the number of unmeasured states and stopping the rate pulse when the measured value reaches a predetermined value set in advance. Sometimes, no rate pulse is output, and wasteful power consumption can be reduced.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]
The above description shows an example of the present embodiment, and the following modifications may be made, for example.

(1) As in the modification of the first embodiment, the rate pulse rank selection means 801 is composed of a 2-bit binary counter, and the selection control of four types of rate pulses as shown in FIG. 3 has been discussed. A system may be adopted in which the communication accuracy is further improved by increasing the number of bits of the pulse rank selection unit 801 and increasing the types of selectable rate pulses. Further, the pulse width of the rate pulse as shown in FIG. 3 is not limited to the above numerical value. Further, although the response signal monitoring means 811 is composed of a 2-bit binary counter and the communication signal is judged by counting the number of clock pulses of the response signal, the response signal sent upon success and the response signal sent upon failure are discussed. The same determination signal as the response signal to be sent may be prepared in advance in the IC, and a method of checking the success or failure of the communication by checking the response signal from the rate measuring device 6 may be adopted.

(2) When the communication success / failure determination unit 810 determines that the rate is not measured, the count unit 821 measures the number of times, and when the predetermined value is reached, the control method for stopping the rate pulse has been described. The number of times that the determination unit 810 determines that the failure has occurred may be measured, and when the measured value reaches a predetermined value, the rate pulse may be stopped.

(3) The method of controlling the external operation means 9 as a crown so that a rate pulse is output in a state in which the crown is pulled has been discussed. However, other external members provided in the electronic timepiece, for example, push buttons are used. The output and stoppage of the rate pulse may be controlled. Further, in place of the external control means, the communication success / failure determination means 810 transmits a control signal for outputting or stopping the rate pulse from the rate measuring device 6 to the IC in addition to the determination of the success / failure of the measurement, and determines the transmission signal. Then, the output control of the rate pulse may be performed.

Further, as a modification common to the first and second embodiments, the following may be adopted.
(1) Discussing a method of selecting and determining the pulse width of the rate pulse generated by the rate pulse waveform shaping unit 3 according to the rank value of the rate pulse rank control unit 800 and adjusting the strength of the magnetic field generated in the coil 5. However, as another method for adjusting the strength of the magnetic field generated in the coil 5, a method for setting the voltage level of the rate pulse and the switching setting of the resistance value of the coil 6 according to the rank value of the rate pulse rank control means 800. You can take it.

(2) Although the coil 5 has been described as a coil of a step motor, it is not limited to this. A buzzer coil may be used as long as it has a buzzer function. In addition to the coil, an appropriate electromagnetic conversion element may be used.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with drawing, each embodiment is only the illustration of this invention, and this invention is not limited only to the structure of embodiment. Therefore, it is a matter of course that the present invention includes changes in design and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention.

For example, the block diagrams shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 are examples, and other configurations may be provided as long as the above-described operations are performed. The rate pulse control means 8 may be constituted by a microcomputer, and other circuits may be constituted by random logic. In this way, it can be applied to many models relatively easily.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oscillation means 2 Frequency division means 3 Rate pulse waveform shaping means 4 Drive means 5 Coil 6 Rate measurer 7 Back electromotive detection means 8 Rate pulse control means 800 Rate pulse rank control means 801 Step pulse rank selection means 802 Reference signal selection means 810 Communication success / failure determination means 811 Response signal monitoring means 812 Rate pulse rank selection control means 820 Rate pulse output control means 821 Count means 823 Rate pulse stop means 830 Mode control means 9 External operation means 100 IC

Claims (7)

A coil and driving means for driving the coil to generate a magnetic field;
A rate pulse waveform shaping means for outputting a rate pulse for driving the coil by the drive means;
An electronic timepiece having
The rate pulse waveform shaping means is configured to be able to output a plurality of types of rate pulses having different magnitudes of the magnetic field generated in the coil, and back electromotive force generated in the coil by an external signal is converted into a signal. Detection means;
In response to the output from the back electromotive force detection means, the rate pulse waveform shaping means,
A rate pulse control means for selecting and instructing one of the rate pulses from the plurality of types of rate pulses;
An electronic timepiece characterized by comprising: 2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of types of rate pulses are configured to have different pulse widths. The external signal is a signal indicating success or failure of the rate measurement,
The rate pulse control means includes:
If it is determined that the rate measurement is successful, the width of the rate pulse is maintained,
3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2, wherein when it is determined that the rate measurement has failed, the width of the rate pulse is widened. The external signal is configured to be detected within a predetermined period;
The rate pulse control means includes:
4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2, wherein when the external signal cannot be detected within the predetermined period, a rate pulse having a minimum width is selected. The rate pulse control means, when the failure determination of the rate measurement reaches a predetermined number of times,
The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 , wherein output of the rate pulse is stopped. A rate pulse output mode for outputting the rate pulse;
A rate pulse stop mode for stopping the output of the rate pulse, and
6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising mode control means for switching between the rate pulse output mode and the rate pulse stop mode according to a predetermined input from the outside. The rate is measured by receiving a magnetic field from an electronic timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A rate measuring device that outputs a signal indicating success or failure of the rate measurement as the external signal.

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