DRIVING DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC TIMEPIECE

• US 20190332065A1
• Filed: 07/09/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: SAITO, Yuta
• Granted Patent: US 11,619,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/143 Means to reduce power consumption by reducing pulse width or amplitude and related problems, e.g. detection of unwanted or missing step
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 8/02 specially adapted for single-phase or bi-pole stepper motors, e.g. watch-motors, clock-motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 8/38 the fault being step-out

Abstract

An electronic timepiece, including: a motor having a rotor and at least two coils, the rotor being configured to rotate to a plurality of prescribed positions; and a driving processor for driving the motor, the driving processor being configured to: generate a detection pulse for detecting whether or not the rotor has rotated; cause the generated detection pulse to be applied to at least one of the at least two coils; receive a signal indicating a detected value of current flowing in the at least one of the at least two coils that is generated in response to the detection pulse outputted to the at least one of the at least two coils; and determine whether or not the rotor has rotated to one of the plurality of prescribed positions on the basis of the detected value of current.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece, comprising:

a motor having a rotor and at least two coils, the rotor being configured to rotate to a plurality of prescribed positions; and

a driving processor for driving the motor, the driving processor being configured to;

generate a detection pulse for detecting whether or not the rotor has rotated;

cause the generated detection pulse to be applied to at least one of said at least two coils;

receive a signal indicating a detected value of current flowing in the at least one of said at least two coils that is generated in response to the detection pulse outputted to the at least one of said at least two coils; and

determine whether or not the rotor has rotated to one of the plurality of prescribed positions on the basis of the detected value of current.

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

causes the detection pulse to be applied to the at least one of said at least two coils for a prescribed period; and

receives the signal that indicates the detected value of current flowing in the at least one of said at least two coils after the prescribed period has ended.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1,

wherein the detection pulse has a waveform in which a high-level period is 0.01 milliseconds to 1 millisecond.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2,

wherein the detection pulse has a waveform in which a high-level period is 0.01 milliseconds to 1 millisecond.