US3925978A - Time correcting arrangement for electronic wrist watches - Google Patents

Time correcting arrangement for electronic wrist watches Download PDF

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Publication number
US3925978A
US3925978A US384339A US38433973A US3925978A US 3925978 A US3925978 A US 3925978A US 384339 A US384339 A US 384339A US 38433973 A US38433973 A US 38433973A US 3925978 A US3925978 A US 3925978A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
correction
control circuit
signal
time
switch
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
US384339A
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English (en)
Inventor
Okito Naito
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.)
Suwa Seikosha KK
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Suwa Seikosha KK
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Suwa Seikosha KK filed Critical Suwa Seikosha KK
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Publication of US3925978A publication Critical patent/US3925978A/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G5/00—Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication
    • G04G5/04—Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication by setting each of the displayed values, e.g. date, hour, independently
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C17/00—Indicating the time optically by electric means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G19/00—Electric power supply circuits specially adapted for use in electronic time-pieces
    • G04G19/02—Conversion or regulation of current or voltage
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G5/00—Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication
    • G04G5/02—Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication by temporarily changing the number of pulses per unit time, e.g. quick-feed method
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G9/00—Visual time or date indication means
    • G04G9/08—Visual time or date indication means by building-up characters using a combination of indicating elements, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques
    • G04G9/12—Visual time or date indication means by building-up characters using a combination of indicating elements, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques using light valves, e.g. liquid crystals

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an electronic wrist watch having a, digital display device, for example, of the liquid crystal type, and more particularly, to the time correcting arrangement for such wrist watches.
  • Such wrist watches may be provided with manually operated switches for correcting the digital display of time.
  • Such switches are subject to accidental actuation, causing errors in the displayed time, and further, where a time correcting switch is partially actuated so as to bring the contacts close together, noise may be produced in the electronic circuitry driving the digital display, interfering with the proper operation thereof.
  • an electronic wrist watch including a high frequency time standard oscillator, multi-stage driving circuit means for producing low frequency timing signals from said high frequency time standard signal, a digital display device driven by said timing signals, at least one time correcting switch, a safety switch, and control electronic circuit means interconnecting said time correcting switch and said frequency divider means and adapted so as to be disposed, in response to said safety switch, in either a first mode in which the correcting switch is isolated from said frequency divider means or a second mode in which the count in said frequency divider means may be selectively corrected by operation of said correcting switch.
  • an object of the invention is to provide a safety device for preventing erroneous operation of time correcting switches for digital electronic wrist watches having liquid crystal displays.
  • Still another object of the invention is to provide a digital electronic wrist watch having time correcting switches wherein the normal operation of the digital display is unaffected by said time correcting switches.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional digital electronic wrist watch
  • FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the exterior of a digital electronic wrist watch in accordance with FIG. 1;
  • FIGS. 3 and 4 are circuit diagrams depicting prior art connection arrangements for time correcting switches
  • FIG. 5 is a partial block diagram of still another embodiment of a digital electronic wrist watch incorporating a safety switch and time correcting switches;
  • FIG. 6 is a partial block diagram of a digital electronic wrist watch incorporating a time correcting arrangement in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the control circuit of FIG. 6 in accordance with the invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of the control circuit of FIG. 7.
  • the watch includes a quartz crystal oscillator X for providing a high frequency time standard signal.
  • This high frequency time standard signal is divided by a multi-stage divider circuit 1 which divides the high frequency time standard signal into a 64 Hz signal.
  • Power for divider circuit 1 is obtained from a silver battery 2 of 1.5 volts.
  • the 64 Hz signal is further divided in hour, minute and second divider circuit stages 3 which produces time keeping signals for driving a digital display 5, which may be of the liquid crystal type.
  • Divider circuits 1 and 3 are preferably formed from C-MOS elements as depicted in US. Pat. No. 3,717,990, issued on Feb.
  • Time correcting switches 6 are connected to the hour, minute and sec ond driving circuit stages respectively for the selective correction of each of said stages. Such correction, for example, can take the form of the indexing of each of the divider stages by one count for each manual operation of a time correcting switch 6.
  • a safety switch 7 is connected between time correcting switches 6 and ground so as to prevent the unintended actuation of one of time correcting switches 6 when the watch is worn on the wrist of a user.
  • FIG. 2 depicts the outer case of a digital electronic watch incorporating the circuit of FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display 5, the three-time correcting switches 6 for the respective correction of hour, minute and second, and the safety switch 7 being depicted.
  • the interconnection between time correcting switches and the divider stages has taken a number of forms, two of which are depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4.
  • the time correcting switch 8 is an on and off-type switch, the circuit being adapted so that time is not corrected when the switch is off or open. When it is desired to correct the switch, the switch is closed and a signal is applied to the circuit to produce an output for correcting the associated divider stage.
  • switch 11 is a safety switch.
  • an electric signal is applied to the corresponding divider stage for time correction by operating the corresponding time correcting switch 10.
  • control circuit 12 is positioned intermediate the time correcting switches 10 and the hour, minute and sec- ,ond driver circuit stages.
  • the safety switch 11 is connected so as to control the operation of control circuit 12 through the selective connection to either a negative voltage or ground.
  • the control circuit 12 is depicted in block diagram form in FIG. 7 and in circuit diagram form in FIG. 8, wherein a control circuit being formed of C-MOS components is depicted.
  • safety switch llis connected to ground, representing an off state of the control signal of control circuit 12
  • the outputs of said control circuit are maintained at zero electric potential regardless of the state of the input signal.
  • the hour, minute and second driver circuits are isolated from the noise-generating potential of the correcting switch 10 so that said switches cannot affect the reliability of the circuit.
  • the only potential for noise generation is in the safety switch, which is a substantial reduction in potential as compared with the prior art arrangements where all of the switches were potential sources of noise.
  • the safety switch is connected to the negative potential, the outputs of the control circuit correspond to the inputs, and therefore to the state of the correcting switches.
  • the safety switch differs in construction from the correcting switches, and generally causes little difficulty in operation.
  • the safety switch is designed so that it is pulled out only at the time of correction and pushed into its initial position after time correction. This structure generally insures that the safety switch is never in the extended position when the watch is being worn. While the number of connections between mechanical switches and the electronic circuit is increased during time correction, this has a negligible effect on the operation of the watch due to the short period of time occupied by such time correction.
  • the arrangement in accordance with the invention serves both to provide a safety switch for preventing erroneous operation of the time correcting switches, and further, to increase the reliability of the entire watch through avoiding mis-operation due to noise caused by the switches.
  • An electronic timepiece comprising oscillator circuit means for producing a high frequency time standard signal; frequency divider means for dividing said high frequency time standard signal to produce a plurality of low frequency timekeeping signals; display means for the digital display of time including a display element associated with each said timekeeping signal to be displayed; electronic control circuit means coupled to said divider means; means for providing a correction signal directly coupled to said control circuit means; at least one manually operable time correction switch, each said correction switch being associated with a displayed timekeeping signal to be corrected, each time correction switch being directly coupled to said control circuit means for the selective application of said correction signal through said control circuit means to the divider means for the selective correction of the count of the associated displayed timekeeping signal to be corrected upon the manual actuation of said correction switch; and a manually operable multi-position safety switch directly coupled to said control circuit means, said control circuit means isolating each correction switch from said divider means to prevent selective application of a correction signal by actuation of any of said correction switches when said safety switch is in a first position, and said control circuit means effecting
  • timekeeping signals to be displayed are seconds, minutes, and hours timekeeping signals, and three manually operable time correction switches are provided, one of said time correction switches being associated with each of said seconds, minutes and hours timekeeping signals for the selective correction thereof.
  • control circuit means is a gate circuit formed from C-MOS components.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
US384339A 1972-07-31 1973-07-31 Time correcting arrangement for electronic wrist watches Expired - Lifetime US3925978A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP47076697A JPS4934869A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-07-31 1972-07-31

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3925978A true US3925978A (en) 1975-12-16

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ID=13612668

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US384339A Expired - Lifetime US3925978A (en) 1972-07-31 1973-07-31 Time correcting arrangement for electronic wrist watches

Country Status (5)

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US (1) US3925978A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS4934869A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1406366A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
HK (1) HK3678A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
MY (1) MY7800067A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4043111A (en) * 1974-10-18 1977-08-23 Hitachi, Ltd. Indicated time-correcting device of digital display timepiece
US4044544A (en) * 1975-02-05 1977-08-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha Electronic timepiece
US4105902A (en) * 1975-10-08 1978-08-08 Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha Touch sensitive input for electronic wristwatch and/or electronic calculator
US4424460A (en) 1981-07-14 1984-01-03 Rockwell International Corporation Apparatus and method for providing a logical exclusive OR/exclusive NOR function

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2495349B1 (fr) * 1980-12-02 1985-07-12 Dodane Precia Gete Montres Systeme de commande d'une montre multi-fonctions, telle qu'une montre de bord d'un vehicule notamment d'un avion, et procede de maniement d'un tel systeme
JPS5968288U (ja) * 1982-10-28 1984-05-09 ジエコ−株式会社 自動車用電子時計
JPH0231189A (ja) * 1988-07-20 1990-02-01 Rhythm Watch Co Ltd スヌーズ付音声時計

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3664118A (en) * 1970-09-09 1972-05-23 Hamilton Watch Co Electronically controlled timepiece using low power mos transistor circuitry
US3733810A (en) * 1970-03-06 1973-05-22 Rolex Montres Timepiece with electronically designed digital read-out
US3762152A (en) * 1971-12-08 1973-10-02 Bunker Ramo Reset system for digital electronic timepiece
US3768247A (en) * 1971-02-06 1973-10-30 Suwa Seikosha Kk Control switches to watch having a digital display
US3810356A (en) * 1972-04-17 1974-05-14 Suwa Seikosha Kk Time correcting apparatus for an electronic timepiece
US3823545A (en) * 1970-10-20 1974-07-16 Centre Electron Horloger Electronic watch

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5219788B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1971-12-07 1977-05-30

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3733810A (en) * 1970-03-06 1973-05-22 Rolex Montres Timepiece with electronically designed digital read-out
US3664118A (en) * 1970-09-09 1972-05-23 Hamilton Watch Co Electronically controlled timepiece using low power mos transistor circuitry
US3823545A (en) * 1970-10-20 1974-07-16 Centre Electron Horloger Electronic watch
US3768247A (en) * 1971-02-06 1973-10-30 Suwa Seikosha Kk Control switches to watch having a digital display
US3762152A (en) * 1971-12-08 1973-10-02 Bunker Ramo Reset system for digital electronic timepiece
US3810356A (en) * 1972-04-17 1974-05-14 Suwa Seikosha Kk Time correcting apparatus for an electronic timepiece

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4043111A (en) * 1974-10-18 1977-08-23 Hitachi, Ltd. Indicated time-correcting device of digital display timepiece
US4044544A (en) * 1975-02-05 1977-08-30 Kabushiki Kaisha Daini Seikosha Electronic timepiece
US4105902A (en) * 1975-10-08 1978-08-08 Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha Touch sensitive input for electronic wristwatch and/or electronic calculator
US4424460A (en) 1981-07-14 1984-01-03 Rockwell International Corporation Apparatus and method for providing a logical exclusive OR/exclusive NOR function

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS4934869A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-03-30
HK3678A (en) 1978-01-27
GB1406366A (en) 1975-09-17
MY7800067A (en) 1978-12-31

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