US3846972A - Crystal controlled watch - Google Patents

Crystal controlled watch Download PDF

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Publication number
US3846972A
US3846972A US00427910A US42791073A US3846972A US 3846972 A US3846972 A US 3846972A US 00427910 A US00427910 A US 00427910A US 42791073 A US42791073 A US 42791073A US 3846972 A US3846972 A US 3846972A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
watch
bottom wall
watch case
oscillator circuit
adjustment means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00427910A
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English (en)
Inventor
D Doss
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Textron Inc
Original Assignee
Textron Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Textron Inc filed Critical Textron Inc
Priority to US00427910A priority Critical patent/US3846972A/en
Priority to JP49109638A priority patent/JPS5099176A/ja
Priority to CH1329074A priority patent/CH609191B/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3846972A publication Critical patent/US3846972A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G17/00—Structural details; Housings
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04F—TIME-INTERVAL MEASURING
    • G04F5/00—Apparatus for producing preselected time intervals for use as timing standards
    • G04F5/04—Apparatus for producing preselected time intervals for use as timing standards using oscillators with electromechanical resonators producing electric oscillations or timing pulses
    • G04F5/06—Apparatus for producing preselected time intervals for use as timing standards using oscillators with electromechanical resonators producing electric oscillations or timing pulses using piezoelectric resonators
    • G04F5/063—Constructional details

Definitions

  • the bottom wall of the watch case is provided withexternal manually operated means connected to the internal display adjustment means for changing the time displayed by the display means, and is also provided with removable access means for providing access to the internal oscillator circuit adjustment means for fine tuning the --frequency of oscillation of said oscillator circuit.
  • a typical timepiece comprises a crystal controlled oscillator circuit for generating a high frequency oscillating signal, a divider circuit for dividing the high frequency signal into a lower frequency oscillating signal, visual time display means (for example, an array of seven-segment I light emitting diodes or liquid crystal'displays), and a replaceable battery for powering the electronic components.
  • Manually operative oscillator circuit adjustment means are provided'for fine tuning'the frequency of osdecorative watch case.
  • the watch case normally has a generally tubular side wall, a transparent top wall secured to the upper peripheral edge of the side wall, and
  • the watch movement is placed within the case with the time display means adjacent the transparent top wall.
  • the case is then closed, usually by screwing the back wall into the side wall.
  • the side wall is formed with a number of openings through which various knobs and/or push buttons extend which connect with the manually operative time display and other adjustment means of thewatch movement so as to permit the time displayed by the display means to be correctly set and regulated.
  • some watch movements are designed so that the visual time display means will be illuminated only when the wearer wishes to known the time.
  • the side wall of the case must be provided with an additional manually operated push button in order to illuminate the time display means.
  • the need to align the manually operative display adjustment means and other internal components of the watch movement with the various knobs and/or push buttons in the side wall of the watch case adds considerably to the difficulty and expense of assembling the watch.
  • the general type of electronic watch to which the invention relates comprises a crystal controlled watch movement mounted in a watch case.
  • the watch movement has a crystal controlled oscillator circuit, manu ally operative oscillator circuit adjustment means for fine tuning the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit, visual time display means, and manually operative internal display adjustment means for changing the time displayed by said display means.
  • the watch case has a generally'tubular side wall, a generally transparent top wall, a generally circular bottom wall, and exterior manually operated means mounted on the case and connected to the said internal display adjustment means.
  • the internal visual display adjustment means and the oscillator circuit adjustment means are located on the underside of the watch movement adjacent the bottomwall of the watch case.
  • the watch case has a bottom wall that is provided with exterior manuallyoperated means connected to the internal display adjustment means and it is also provided with access means for providing access to the'internal oscillator circuit adjustment means for fine tuning the frequency of oscillation of said oscillator circuit.
  • the top wall and side wall of the watch case are advantageously permanently secured together, the bottom wall being adapted to be releasably secured to the side wall adjacent to the lower peripherial thereof.
  • the watch movement is preferably secured to the inner surface of the ,bottom wall to form a unitary subassembly that can be readily inserted in and secured to the open bottom of the side wall of the watch case.
  • the positioning of the internal time display and oscillator frequency adjustment means on the underside of the watch movement permits ready alignment of the internal adjustment means with the exterior manually operated adjustment means mounted on the bottom wall of the watch case.
  • the unitary subassembly of bottom wall and watch movement can'readily be inserted in and secured to the side wall of the watch case without the need for troublesome alignment of the internal watch movement adjustment means with the various knobs and push buttons that extend through the side wall of conventional electronic watch cases.
  • Other advantages of my improved watch configuration will become apparent from the following description thereof.
  • DESCRIPTION OFPREFERRED EMBODIMENT able battery for providing electrical energy for the electronic components.
  • Means are provided for manually adjusting the time displayed by the time display means, and means are advantageously provided for fine tuning the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit.
  • the crystal controlled oscillator circuit typically employs a quartz crystal that generates an 8,640 kHz signal.
  • the divider circuit divides or reduces the high frequency signalto, usually, 1 'Hz.
  • the visual time display means may comprise, for example, an array of sevensegment light emitting diodes or liquid crystal displays.
  • Integrated circuits of. the 'complementary-symetrical rnetal-oxide-semiconductor (COSMOS) type are advantageously employed.
  • the internal-manually operative oscillator circuit adjustment means 15 for fine turning the frequency of oscillation of the crystal oscillator'and the internalmanually-operative visual display adjustment means 16 for adjusting the time of day displayed by the visual display means 14- are located on the underside of the watch movement 11 adjacent the bottom wall 20 of the watch case 12.
  • the manually operative oscillator circuit adjustment means 15 is provided with a rotatable adjustment screw 26 by means of which the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit may be tuned
  • the internal manually operative visual display adjustment means 16' is provided with pressure actuated momentary contact switches'which control the operation of'the time display adjustment means in the manner hereinafter described.
  • the bottom wall 20 of the watch case is provided with exterior manually operated means 28 and 29 which cooperate with the'internal manually operative-visual time display adjustment means 16 for'adjusting the time of day displayed by thevisual display means l4.
  • the exterior manually operated means 28 and 29 comprise. a pair of push buttons (labeled S1 and S2in FIG. 2)'which are aligned and in contact with the pressure actuated contact switches of the time display adjustment means 16.
  • Other types of exterior manually operated means can, ofcourse, be employed provided they are adapted to be mounted on the bottom wall of the watch case.
  • the present invention comprises-a novel configuration or arrangement of the aforementioned components which greatly facilitates the assembly of the watch movement in the watch case and which provides for convenient adjustment of both the time display means and the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit without removing the movement from the watch case.
  • the watch assembly comprises a crystal controlled electronic watch movement 11 mounted in a decorative and protective watch case 12.
  • the electronic watch movement 11 is of essentially conventional design in that it includes a crystal oscillator circuit and a divider circuit (indicated generally by reference -numeral 13), a visual time display means 14, manually operative oscillator circuit adjustment means 15 and manually operative visual display adjustment means 16.
  • the watch case 12 comprises a transparent (or partially transparent) top wall 18, a generally tubular side wall 19 and a bottom wall 20.
  • a replaceable battery 21 provides electrical energy for the electronic components of the watch movement.
  • the battery 21 is placed in position through the battery hatch opening 22 formed in thebottom wall, the opening 22 being closed by the battery hatch closure plug 23 as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings.
  • the bottom wall 20 is also provided with access means 30 for providing access to the internal manually operative means 15 for adjusting the frequency of oscillation of the crystal oscillator.
  • the access means 30 comprises a screw plug (labeled fAlfin FIG. 2) which when removed from the bottom wall 20 of the watch case provides ac-' cess to the adjustment screw 26 of the oscillator circuit adjustment means 15. r
  • the top wall 18 of the watch case 12 isfirmly secured to the upper peripheral edge of the side wall 19 of the watch case.
  • the top wall 18 may be completely transparent as in the case of a conventional watch crystal.
  • the top wall is provided with a transparent window 32 disposed directly over the visual display means 14 of the watch movement 11, the remainder of the top wall 18 being decorated with an opaque or partially opaque design which masks the other portions of the watch movement from view.
  • the bottom wall20 of the watch case is designed to be removably secured (for example, by a snap fit or by screen threads) to the lower peripheral edge of the side wall 19,0f the watch case.
  • the bottom wall is provided with avertically extending inner flange portion 34 which is designed to fit snugly within and in contact with the inner surface of the side wall 19 of the watch case.
  • the bottom wall 20 is secured to the side wall'l9 inner flange portion 34 and the inner-surface of the side wall 19.
  • a gasket 35 is advantageously disposed be-- tween facing surfaces of the side wall 19 and the bottom wall 20 to provide a water resistant seal therebetween.
  • the watch movement 11 is firmly secured to the inner surface of the bottom wall 20 of the watch case before the bottom wall is secured to the side wall 19 of the watch case.
  • the watch movement 11 is secured to the bottom wall 20 by means of the screws 37 which are recceived in the threaded boss portions 38 on the inner surface of the bottom wall 20.
  • Other means for securing the watch movement 11 to the inner surface of the bottom I wall 20 may obviously beemployed.
  • the watch is then assembled by inserting the watch movement into the open bottom of the side wall 19 of the watch case and by securing the bottom wall 20 to the side wall as hereinbefore described.
  • This arrangement eliminates the difficulty previously encountered with aligning the internal adjustment means of the watch movement with the various push buttons and knobs extending through the side wall of conventional watch cases and thereby greatly facilitates the assembly of the watch.
  • the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit is adjusted by removing the screw plug access means 30 to make accessible the adjustment screw 26 of the oscillator circuit adjustment means 15. Clockwise rotation of the screw 26 increases the frequency of oscillation while counterclockwise rotation of the screw decreases the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit.
  • lncident radiation from the quartz crystal oscillator can be interrogated by an electronic frequency counter with sufficient resolution to permit adjustment of the watch to an accuracy of 0.00 seconds per day, and this can be accomplished by a jeweler in less than one minute without removing the watch movement from the watch case. This is in marked contrast to conventional watch configurations wherein the watch movement must be removed from the case in order to adjust the accuracy of the watch.
  • the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit invariably changes when the movement is reinstalled in the watch case. This necessitates repeated removal, adjustment, reinstallation and testing for accuracy of the watch movement to obtain a required high degree of accuracy.
  • the improved watch configuration of the present invention eliminates this tedious and time consuming procedure.
  • an electronic watch comprising a crystal controlled watch movement mounted in a watch case; said watch movement having a crystal controlled oscillator circuit, manually operative internal oscillator circuit adjustment means for fine tuning the frequency of oscillation of the oscillator circuit, visual time display means, and manually operative internal display adjustment means for changing the time displayed by said display means; said watch case having a generally tubular side wall, a generally transparent top wall, a generally circular bottom wall, and exterior manually operated means mounted on the case and connected to said internal display adjustment means; the improvement which comprises:
  • internal display adjustment means located on the underside of the watch movement adjacent the bottom wall of the watch case, exterior manually operated means mounted on the bottom wall of the watch case and connected to the internal display adjustment means for changing the time displayed by said display means.
  • internal oscillator circuit adjustment means located on the underside of the watch movement adjacent the bottom wall of the watch case, and
  • access means mounted on the bottom wall of the watch case for providing access to the internal oscillator circuit adjustment means for fine tuning the frequency of oscillation of said oscillator circuit.
  • top wall is permanently secured to the side wall of the watch case adjacent the upper peripherial edge thereof, in which the bottom wall is adapted to be releasably secured to the side wall adjacent the lower peripheral edge thereof, and in which the watch movement is secured to the inner surface of the bottom wall of the watch case prior to securing the bottom wall to the side wall of the watch case.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Saccharide Compounds (AREA)
US00427910A 1973-12-26 1973-12-26 Crystal controlled watch Expired - Lifetime US3846972A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00427910A US3846972A (en) 1973-12-26 1973-12-26 Crystal controlled watch
JP49109638A JPS5099176A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-12-26 1974-09-25
CH1329074A CH609191B (fr) 1973-12-26 1974-10-02 Montre electronique.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00427910A US3846972A (en) 1973-12-26 1973-12-26 Crystal controlled watch

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3846972A true US3846972A (en) 1974-11-12

Family

ID=23696816

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00427910A Expired - Lifetime US3846972A (en) 1973-12-26 1973-12-26 Crystal controlled watch

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US3846972A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5099176A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH609191B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3978322A (en) * 1974-09-30 1976-08-31 National Semiconductor Corporation Measurement system for timer
US4068464A (en) * 1976-02-17 1978-01-17 Fairchild Camera And Instrument Corporation Shock resistant wristwatch module
US5923622A (en) * 1998-02-09 1999-07-13 Leader International Watch Co., Ltd. Watch case back cover assembly

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3733803A (en) * 1971-06-23 1973-05-22 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Device for correcting time displayed on electronic timepiece
US3759031A (en) * 1972-01-26 1973-09-18 Hmw Industries Modular solid state wristwatch
US3800523A (en) * 1970-07-27 1974-04-02 Suwa Seikosha Kk Quartz crystal wrist watch

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3800523A (en) * 1970-07-27 1974-04-02 Suwa Seikosha Kk Quartz crystal wrist watch
US3733803A (en) * 1971-06-23 1973-05-22 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Device for correcting time displayed on electronic timepiece
US3759031A (en) * 1972-01-26 1973-09-18 Hmw Industries Modular solid state wristwatch

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3978322A (en) * 1974-09-30 1976-08-31 National Semiconductor Corporation Measurement system for timer
US4068464A (en) * 1976-02-17 1978-01-17 Fairchild Camera And Instrument Corporation Shock resistant wristwatch module
US5923622A (en) * 1998-02-09 1999-07-13 Leader International Watch Co., Ltd. Watch case back cover assembly

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS5099176A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1975-08-06
CH609191B (fr)
CH609191GA3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1979-02-28

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