ELECTRONIC TIMEPIECE

• US 20130194897A1
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KATO, Kazuo, TAKAKURA, Akira, IHASHI, Tomohiro, HASEGAWA, Takanori, FUKUSHIMA, Toshitaka
• Application Number:
  US13/738,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/66
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 19/00 Electric power supply circuits specially adapted for use in electronic time-pieces

Abstract

There is provided an electronic timepiece of the invention that includes a solar panel which receives light to generate electric power, is operated with the electric power supplied from a secondary battery charged with an electromotive voltage of the solar panel, and stops a display operation of a display unit with transition to a power saving mode under predetermined conditions, the electronic timepiece including a control unit (mode control unit) which avoids transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode, when a voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than a predetermined voltage value.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece that includes a solar panel which receives light to generate electric power, is operated with the electric power supplied from a secondary battery charged with an electromotive voltage of the solar panel, and includes a normal mode in which time point display is performed on a display unit, and a power saving mode in which a state where light incident to the solar panel is not obtained is detected to stop time point display of the display unit, the electronic timepiece comprising:

a control unit which avoids transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode, when a voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than a predetermined first voltage value.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

an overcharge protection circuit which reduces an output voltage of the solar panel when the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to the predetermined first voltage value or equal to or more than a predetermined second voltage value which exceeds the first voltage value,

wherein, in a state where the output voltage of the solar panel is reduced due to the operation of the overcharge protection circuit, the control unit avoids the transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illuminance detection circuit which outputs an illuminance signal which shows whether or not the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, by detecting the output voltage of the solar panel;

a battery voltage detection circuit which detects a voltage of the secondary battery and outputs the voltage as a battery voltage signal;

a non-illuminance time detection unit which measures a non-illuminance duration time in which the light incident to the solar panel is not obtained based on the illuminance signal; and

the control unit which compares the non-illuminance duration time to predetermined transition time, and transitions to the power saving mode to stop the time point display of the display unit when the non-illuminance duration time surpasses the transition time,

wherein, when the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the predetermined second voltage value and the overcharge protection circuit is operated, the control unit avoids transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode by stopping the measurement operation in the non-illuminance duration time of the non-illuminance time detection unit.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2, further comprising:

an illuminance detection circuit which outputs an illuminance signal which shows whether or not the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, by detecting the output voltage of the solar panel;

a battery voltage detection circuit which detects a voltage of the secondary battery and outputs the voltage as a battery voltage signal;

a non-illuminance time detection unit which measures a non-illuminance duration time in which the light incident to the solar panel is not obtained based on the illuminance signal; and

the control unit which compares the non-illuminance duration time to predetermined transition time, and transitions to the power saving mode to stop the time point display of the display unit when the non-illuminance duration time surpasses the transition time,

wherein, when the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the predetermined second voltage value and the overcharge protection circuit is operated, the control unit avoids transition from the normal mode to the power saving mode by stopping the measurement operation in the non-illuminance duration time of the non-illuminance time detection unit.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1,

wherein, in a state of being transitioned to the power saving mode, when any of a state where the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the first voltage value, a state where the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, and a state where a manipulation unit for manipulating the electronic timepiece is manipulated, are detected, the control unit transitions from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2,

wherein, in a state of being transitioned to the power saving mode, when any of a state where the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the first voltage value, a state where the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, and a state where a manipulation unit for manipulating the electronic timepiece is manipulated, are detected, the control unit transitions from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3,

wherein, in a state of being transitioned to the power saving mode, when any of a state where the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the first voltage value, a state where the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, and a state where a manipulation unit for manipulating the electronic timepiece is manipulated, are detected, the control unit transitions from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

8. The electronic timepiece according to claim 4,

wherein, in a state of being transitioned to the power saving mode, when any of a state where the voltage of the secondary battery is equal to or more than the first voltage value, a state where the light incident to the solar panel is obtained, and a state where a manipulation unit for manipulating the electronic timepiece is manipulated, are detected, the control unit transitions from the power saving mode to the normal mode.

9. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

10. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

11. The electronic timepiece according to claim 4,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

12. The electronic timepiece according to claim 5,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

13. The electronic timepiece according to claim 6,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

14. The electronic timepiece according to claim 7,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.

15. The electronic timepiece according to claim 8,

wherein the overcharge protection circuit reduces the output voltage of the solar panel by short-circuiting an output terminal of the solar panel.