Reduction of energy consumption of electronic timepiece
First Claim
1. A method for reducing the consumption of electrical energy in an electronic time piece wherein a motor is supplied by electrical energy for driving a time data displaying means in accordance with a time data signal, comprising the steps of:
- periodically providing a reference signal in response to said data signal;
reducing said energy in response to said reference signal;
detecting a possible error in position of said displaying means on the basis of said time data signal;
correcting said possible error; and
subsequently adjusting said energy in dependance of said detecting.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Reduces the consumption of an electronic time piece equipped with a motor 4 driving a display unit 5. A quartz oscillator 1 feeds a supply circuit 3 through a frequency divider 2. The supply circuit 3 of the motor and its control circuit 9 periodically decrease the pulse energy supplied to the motor in response to a reference signal 8.2 provided by a reference counter say every 60 seconds. The energy then supplied to the motor is regulated as a function of the presence or absence of a signal delivered by a detection switch 7 operated by the display unit. If the detection switch does not close, compensating pulses are fed to the motor to catch up the lost seconds and the pulse energy is stepped up.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for reducing the consumption of electrical energy in an electronic time piece wherein a motor is supplied by electrical energy for driving a time data displaying means in accordance with a time data signal, comprising the steps of:
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periodically providing a reference signal in response to said data signal; reducing said energy in response to said reference signal; detecting a possible error in position of said displaying means on the basis of said time data signal; correcting said possible error; and subsequently adjusting said energy in dependance of said detecting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An electronic time piece comprising:
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means for providing a time data signal; means responsive to said time data signal for producing driving pulses; means responsive to said driving pulses for displaying time data; means responsive to said time data signal for producing a reference signal; means responsive to said reference signal for causing the driving pulses producing means to reduce the energy of said driving pulses; means coupled to the time data displaying means and responsive to said reference signal for detecting a possible error in position of said displaying means; means for causing the driving pulses producing means to correct said possible error; and
means for causing the driving pulses producing means to subsequently adjust the energy of said driving pulses in dependance of said possible error. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification