Motor Drive Control Circuit, Semiconductor Device, Electronic Timepiece, and Electronic Timepiece with a Power Generating Device

• US 20080253236A1
• Filed: 04/03/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakamiya, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 7,944,778 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/204
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00

Abstract

A motor drive control circuit that operates using a primary power supply and controls driving a motor has a drive circuit that drives the motor, a power supply circuit that is disposed between the primary power supply and the drive circuit, and uses electrical energy supplied from the primary power supply to supply a drive voltage to the drive circuit, and a power supply control circuit that controls operation of the power supply circuit. The power supply control circuit monitors the drive voltage, stops the power supply circuit and stops supplying the drive voltage when the drive voltage is greater than or equal to a prescribed constant voltage, and activates the power supply circuit and supplies the drive voltage when the drive voltage is less than the prescribed constant voltage.

Claims

1. A motor drive control circuit that operates using a primary power supply and controls driving a motor, comprising:

a drive circuit that drives the motor;

a power supply circuit that is disposed between the primary power supply and the drive circuit, and uses electrical energy supplied from the primary power supply to supply a drive voltage to the drive circuit; and

a power supply control circuit that controls operation of the power supply circuit;

wherein the power supply control circuit monitors the drive voltage,

stops the power supply circuit and stops supplying the drive voltage when the drive voltage is greater than or equal to a prescribed constant voltage, and

activates the power supply circuit and supplies the drive voltage when the drive voltage is less than the prescribed constant voltage.

2. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 1, further comprising:

a discharge unit for discharging electrical energy stored in a storage device that stores electrical energy supplied from the power supply circuit;

wherein the power supply control circuit activates the discharge unit to lower the storage device voltage to the prescribed constant voltage when the storage device voltage is greater than or equal to the prescribed constant voltage.

3. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 2, wherein:

the discharge unit discharges electrical energy in the storage device using the motor drive circuit.

4. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 1, wherein:

the power supply control circuit can select a primary power supply drive mode that drives the drive circuit at the primary power supply voltage, and a constant voltage drive mode that drives the drive circuit at the prescribed constant voltage,

activates the power supply circuit to supply electrical energy from the primary power supply to drive the drive circuit when the primary power supply drive mode is selected, and

when the constant voltage drive mode is selected

monitors the drive voltage,

stops the power supply circuit and stops supplying the drive voltage when the drive voltage is greater than or equal to a prescribed constant voltage, and

activates the power supply circuit and supplies the drive voltage when the drive voltage is less than the prescribed constant voltage.

5. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 1, wherein:

the power supply circuit has a field effect transistor of which the drain or the source is connected directly or indirectly to the primary power supply, and the other of the drain and the source is connected to the power supply line of the drive circuit; and

the power supply control circuit monitors the drive voltage,

stops supplying electrical energy from the primary power supply to the drive circuit by controlling signal input to the gate of the field effect transistor to turn the field effect transistor off when the drive voltage is greater than or equal to the prescribed constant voltage, and

supplies electrical energy from the primary power supply to the drive circuit by controlling signal input to the gate of the field effect transistor to turn the field effect transistor on when the drive voltage is less than the prescribed constant voltage.

6. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 5, wherein:

the field effect transistor has a parasitic diode, and

the parasitic diode is disposed with the anode connected to the power supply line of the drive circuit, and the cathode connected to the primary power supply.

7. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 5, wherein:

the off leakage current of the field effect transistor is set to be less than the load current of the power supply circuit when the motor is not driven.

8. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 7, wherein:

the threshold voltage of the field effect transistor is set low in the range satisfying the condition that the off leakage current of the field effect transistor is less than the load current of the power supply circuit when the motor is not driven.

9. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 7, wherein:

a load other than the motor is connected to the output line of the power supply circuit so that the off leakage current of the field effect transistor is less than the load current of the power supply circuit when the motor is not driven.

10. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 1, wherein:

the power supply control circuit includes a comparator that compares a prescribed reference voltage with power supply circuit output; and

the comparator constantly compares power supply circuit output with the reference voltage, and based on the result of the comparison controls activating and deactivating the power supply circuit.

11. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 10, wherein:

the comparator includes a voltage divider that voltage divides the power supply circuit output in one or multiple levels.

12. The motor drive control circuit described in claim 11, wherein:

a load other than the motor is connected to the output line of the power supply circuit so that the off leakage current of the field effect transistor is less than the load current of the power supply circuit when the motor is not driven; and

the load is the voltage divider of the comparator.

13. A semiconductor device comprising the motor drive control circuit described in claim 1.

14. The semiconductor device described in claim 13, wherein:

the semiconductor device is a microprocessor having a central processing unit.

15. An electronic timepiece comprising:

the motor drive control circuit described in claim 1; and

a motor that the motor drive control circuit controls driving.

16. An electronic timepiece with a power generating device, comprising:

a generating device;

a primary power supply having a secondary power supply that is charged by power produced by the generating device;

the motor drive control circuit described in claim 1; and

a motor that the motor drive control circuit controls driving.

17. The electronic timepiece with a power generating device described in claim 16, wherein:

the motor drive control circuit controls the motor drive voltage to a prescribed constant voltage parallel to electrical energy produced by the generating device being charged to the secondary power supply.