Power supply unit for electronic appliances

• US 5,701,278 A
• Filed: 11/28/1995
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Higuchi, Haruhiko, Miyasaka, Kenji, Miyauchi, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US08/553,424
• Time in Patent Office: 756 Days
• Field of Search: 368/203-205, 320/1, 320/6-8, 320/14, 320/17, 320/27
• 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 power supply unit having a power generation portion 1 and a power storage portion 4 to supply power to an electronic watch 3. The power storage portion is formed by a plurality of cells 41, 42, each having the same capacity and having switches 51, 52 connected in series, a switch 53 is connected in series between the plurality of cells 41, 42, and these switches 51, 52, and 53 are switched by signals from a voltage detector circuit 6. This arrangement reduces initial actuation time and expands the time for which the electronic appliance continues to operate.

Claims

1. A power supply unit for an electronic appliance, comprising:

a power generator for generating electricity;

a power storage portion connected to the power generator and an electronic appliance, said power storage portion being formed of a plurality of cells having same capacities and arranged parallel to each other;

switches connected to the cells, one switch being connected to one cell in series, respectively, and one switch being arranged between the cells for connecting the cells in series;

a voltage detector circuit for detecting voltage supplied to the electronic appliance and providing signals to the switches so that arrangement of the cells is switched between a parallel connection and a series connection; and

an additional cell having a capacity smaller than that of the cells, said additional cell being arranged parallel to the cells so that a switching between the parallel connection and the series connection is smoothly made while a sudden voltage change in switching is absorbed.

2. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 1, wherein said power storage portion is formed of two cells, said two cells being arranged parallel to the additional cell.

3. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 1, wherein said voltage detector circuit includes a delay circuit which delays the signals outputted from the voltage detector to the switches to provide off conditions momentarily for all the switches.

4. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 3, wherein said voltage detector circuit is provided with a timing circuit which gives output signals for switching said switches when the voltage detector circuit detects a voltage higher than a standard voltage for a specified number of times.

5. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claims 1, wherein said electronic appliance is an electronic wrist watch.

6. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of cells are placed in a same plane with a same height in the wrist watch.

7. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of cells are placed in an opposite side of a power generating coil block of the power generator.

8. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of cells are two condensers with a same shape as a button-type battery and said condensers are arranged so that negative sides of the cells are located in a rotation weight side of the power generator.

9. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 8, wherein a plus side of one of the plurality of condensers is held directly by a ground plate and the plus side of the other condenser is held by the ground plate via an insulating material.

10. The power supply unit for an electronic appliance according to claim 5, wherein said power generator has a power generating coil block, a power generating rotor, a power generating stator, a power transmission wheel, a weight holder, and a rotation weight, and wherein the power transmission wheel, which transfers a rotational force of the rotation weight to the power generating rotor, has an elastic arm which joins a boss and an outer peripheral wheel.