Electronic Timepiece and Movement

• US 20150253740A1
• Filed: 02/26/2015
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Nobuhiko, Nishijima, Hirokazu, Mitani, Toshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,519,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 27/02 by making use of the winding means winding by hand or mechanically G04B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 3/04 Rigidly-mounted keys, knobs or crowns jointed winding-stem G04B37/06
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 9/08 by electric drive, i.e. for mechanical clocks; see provisionally G04C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 5/00 Setting, i.e. correcting or changing, the time-indication radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 5/04 by setting each of the displayed values, e.g. date, hour, independently
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/00 Visual time or date indication means
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0076 in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/02 the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS

Abstract

An electronic timepiece has a display device that displays display information, a drive mechanism that drives the display device, a crown that can perform a rotary operation, and a control device that corrects the display information displayed on the display device by the rotary operation of the crown. The control device has a single correction mode and a continuous correction mode which are selected by the rotary operation of the crown. In the single correction mode, a single correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the display device is corrected as much as a single correction quantity. In the continuous correction mode, a continuous correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the display device is corrected as much as a continuous correction quantity. The continuous correction quantity is set depending on types of the display information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:

a display unit that displays measurement information;

a drive mechanism that drives the display unit;

an operation member that is rotarily operated; and

a control unit that corrects the measurement information displayed on the display unit in accordance with the rotary operation of the operation member;

wherein the control unit has a single-measurement correction mode and a continuous-measurement correction mode that are selectable by the rotary operation of the operation member;

wherein in the single-measurement correction mode, a single correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the measurement information on the display unit is corrected by a single measurement unit;

wherein in the continuous-measurement correction mode, a continuous correction signal is output to the drive mechanism so that the measurement information on the display unit is corrected by continuously altering the measurement information in continuous measurement units up to a maximum of a continuous correction quantity, and

wherein the continuous correction quantity is set depending on the type of the measurement information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein:

rotary operation is detected if the operation member is rotated by a predetermined angle in a first direction or in a second direction opposite the first direction;

the control unit selects the single-measurement correction mode if rotary operation is detected once within a predetermined time period; and

the control unit selects the continuous-measurement correction mode if multiple rotary operations are consecutively detected in a single one of said first or second direction within the predetermined time period.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein:

the display unit has a predefined, maximum displayable range for each type of measurement information; and

the control unit sets the continuous correction quantity to the maximum displayable range of the type of measurement information that is to be corrected in the continuous correction mode.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein:

a first type of measurement information can be corrected by incrementing and decrementing its displayed measurement information;

a second type of measurement information can be corrected only by incrementing its displayed measurement information;

a third type of measurement information can be corrected only by decrementing its displayed measurement information;

the control unit sets the continuous correction quantity equal to a value of one if the type of measurement information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode is of the second type or third type.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein:

the display unit has a predefined, maximum displayable range for each type of measurement information; and

the control unit sets the continuous correction quantity to a value of one if the type of measurement information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode has a maximum displayable range that is equal to or smaller than a preset setting value.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein:

the display unit has a predefined, maximum displayable range for each type of measurement information; and

the control unit sets the continuous correction quantity to a value of one if a preset time period for correcting the measurement information from its lowest value to its maximum displayable value is equal to or shorter than a preset setting time period.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit sets the continuous correction quantity to a value of one if the type of measurement information to be corrected in the continuous correction mode is any one of a type of measurement information dependent upon receiving a satellite signal, a type of measurement information whose consecutive unit changes are not constant, and a type of measurement information has no continuity.

8. A movement comprising:

a winding stem that is rotatable at least at a zero stage position and a first stage position;

a switch wheel that engages with the winding stem so as to rotate integrally with the winding stem; and

a switch contact point spring body that comes into contact with the switch wheel in response to the rotation of the switch wheel when the winding stem is located at the first stage position, and that does not come into contact with the switch wheel, even if the switch wheel is rotated when the winding stem is located at the zero stage position.

9. The movement according to claim 8, further comprising:

a setting lever that engages with the winding stem and is moved in response to a movement of the winding stem; and

a yoke that engages with the setting lever and is moved in response to a movement of the setting lever;

wherein the switch wheel is disposed so as to be movable in an axial direction of the winding stem, and in response to a movement of the yoke, the switch wheel is moved to any of a position in contact with the switch contact point spring body and a position not in contact with the switch contact point spring body.

10. The movement according to claim 9, wherein:

the setting lever includes a protruding portion; and

the yoke is positioned by the protruding portion.

11. The movement according to claim 10, wherein:

the yoke is disposed so as to be movable in a first direction that is a direction for causing the switch wheel to move closer to the switch contact point spring body, and in a second direction that is a direction for causing the switch wheel to move away from the switch contact point spring body; and

the protruding portion is disposed at a position where the movement of the yoke is regulated in the first direction and is not regulated in the second direction.

12. The movement according to claim 9, further comprising:

a setting lever spring that holds the setting lever,

wherein the setting lever spring includes a return spring portion that returns a position of the switch contact point spring body that is moved by coming into contact with the switch wheel to an original position.

13. The movement according to claim 8, further comprising:

a switch lever for detecting a position of the winding stem, wherein;

the winding stem is further rotatable to a second stage position in addition to the zero stage position and the first stage position; and

the switch contact point spring body comes into contact with the switch wheel in response to the rotation of the switch wheel, when the winding stem is located at the second stage position.

14. An electronic timepiece comprising the movement according to claim 8.

15. An electronic timepiece comprising the movement according to claim 9.

16. An electronic timepiece comprising:

a crown;

a time zone display;

a function by which a time zone of the current location is automatically set based on position information of a current location that is calculated using a satellite signal; and

a function by which an arbitrary time zone selected from the time zone display is manually set;

wherein the arbitrary time zone is selected by operating the crown.

17. The electronic timepiece according to claim 16, wherein:

the crown includes an operation position of multiple stages; and

the arbitrary time zone is selected at an operation position where the crown is pulled to a first stage.

18. The electronic timepiece according to claim 16, wherein:

the crown includes an operation position of multiple stages; and

the arbitrary time zone is selected at an operation position where the crown is pulled to a second stages.

19. The electronic timepiece according to claim 16, wherein:

the crown is configured to be capable of performing a rotary operation; and

the arbitrary time zone is selected by the rotary operation of the crown.

20. The electronic timepiece according to claim 16, wherein:

the crown is configured to be capable of performing a button operation for pressing the crown; and

the arbitrary time zone is selected by the button operation of the crown.