Timing device with power winder

• US 7,626,892 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2006
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tai-Her Yang
• Original Assignee: Tai-Her Yang
• Inventors: Yang, Tai-Her
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US11/414,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 368/50, 368/51, 368/74, 368/142, 368/148, 368/150
• US Class Current: 368/74
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 1/00 Winding mechanical clocks electrically winding mechanically G04B3/00 ; electrical winding of spring driven arrangements for grammophones G11B19/20
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 1/06 winding-up springs
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A timing device utilizes hybrid power to drive a movement of the timing device, the hybrid power supply functioning as an auxiliary unit to deliver power to an electro-magnetically driving unit through an automatic control unit manipulated by a mechanical energy storage status detection unit to produce mechanical energy in time to prevent the movement from stopping; a main spring barrel or a potential difference weight of the kinetic energy storage unit being driven to further drive a wheel chain of the timing device and automatically suspend driving upon the completion of winding the wheel train.

Claims

1. A timing device including a power winder that winds a wheel train of a mechanical timer movement, said mechanical timer movement being supplied with energy by a mechanical storage unit that includes one of a main spring barrel and a potential different weight driven mechanism to be wound by the power winder, said power winder utilizing power stored from a power source selected from a battery or capacitor, city power, power converted from oscillation potentials created when the timing device is moved;

and power converted from ambient temperature or optical energy incident on the timing device and accumulated by means of an energy storage device, wherein winding of the wheel train is controlled through a mechanical kinetic energy storage status detection unit and an automatic control unit so as to deliver power to enable driving of an electric winding motor or an electro-magnetic winding drive unit for winding said main spring barrel and potential difference weight of said mechanical storage unit and to automatically stop driving of the winding motor and winding drive unit upon the completion of the winding operation, comprising;

a power supply unit including a DC electric storage device comprised of at least one of a disposable battery, a rechargeable battery, a capacitor, an ultra capacitor, a solar cell that converts optical power into electric power;

a device that converts thermal energy into electric power;

a dynamo-electric device that converts oscillation potential into electric power adapted to a matching electric storage device; and

an AC source;

the power supply unit supplying power to execute power winding, and in addition being capable of supplying power to another power-driven load;

at least one of a manual control unit and an automatic control unit, the a manual control unit including at least one of a dynamo-electric switch and a solid-state electronic switch, the dynamo-electric switch being operated by at least one of pressing, pulling, dialing, and turning; and

the electronic switch including a circuit device responsive to a sensor for sensing at least one of a touch, light, pulsation, capacitance; and

signal from a remote control to drive through one of a direct drive and a transmission unit, a mechanical energy storage unit providing power storage for executing and stopping a power winding drive function, and the automatic control unit including one of a dynamo-electric or solid-state electronic device subject to control by a mechanical kinetics storage status detection unit to control the operation of the power supply unit on the electro-magnetically driving unit so to drive the mechanical energy storage unit to increase the storage level once the power level drops under a present value and to stop the operation of the electro-magnetic driving unit for stopping the winding;

an electro-magnetic driving unit including at least one of a rotating motor and a linear motor that respectively converts electric power into rotational and linear motion, a step motor that converts electric power into step motion, a reciprocal drive that converts electric power into reciprocal motion, and a solenoid, the driving unit driving a main spring barrel or a weight from the mechanical energy storage unit;

at least one of a direct drive and a drive with a transmission unit, the transmission unit including at least one of a gear, connection rod, one-way transmission, clutch, torque control device, transmission direction control device, a power switch that allows torque setup;

a clutch that allows torque setup; and

any other transmission or mechanism that is capable of increasing power storage for the mechanical energy storage unit provided by the mechanical potential energy generated by the electro-magnetic driving unit by respectively varying the revolution speed ratio or direction, executing clutch control of the transmission, limiting the torque, and limiting the direction of transmission to increase the mechanical potential energy of the electro-magnetically driving unit;

a mechanical kinetic energy storage unit including one of said main spring barrel and potential difference weight and its related winding mechanism to release energy to drive a movement while receiving and converting electric power supplied by the electro-magnetic driving unit to mechanical potential energy by winding the wheel train of the movement;

for automatic control by said automatic control unit and to facilitate manual control by the manual control unit, one of a mechanical storage status detection unit and a electrical storage status detection unit, the mechanical storage status detection unit made up of a detection unit that includes at least one of a mechanical, electro-mechanical, solid-state electronic device, any other device that is capable of directly detecting the storage level of the mechanical energy storage unit;

a detection unit that measures angular displacement or linear displacement indicative of the storage status of the mechanical energy storage unit; and

a device that executes location detection or spring load pressure detection to indirectly detect the storage status of the mechanical energy storage unit before converting the detection results into a message to be fed back to the automatic control unit in case of automatic control and supplied to a display unit at least in case of manual control, the electrical storage status detection unit measuring the driving amperage of the electro-magnetically driving unit in the winding drive process in relation to that of the mechanical energy storage unit to enable the detection results to be fed back to the automatic control unit in case of automatic control and supplied to the display unit at least in case of manual control;

a mechanical energy storage level indicator; and

a timer movement operating on one of said main spring barrel and potential difference weight and arranged to tell, display and set the time.

2. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a local auxiliary unit including one of a beeping device relying upon mechanical force or electric power as its energy source, a movable performance device, any other movable device driven by a mechanical force, electric motor, or electro-magnetic force;

and a display device controlled by an electronic circuit to emit at least one of sound, light, information, communication and multi-media subject to control by the movement.

3. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in order to actuate a power winding operation, the manual control unit is operated by manipulating a dynamo-electric switch by pressing, pulling, dialing or turning;

by operating an electronic switch circuit by a touch, optics, electro-magnetic or capacitance sensor;

or by remote control utilizing a voice control, optical control or electro-magnetic wave control circuit device to provide remote control at random for driving the electro-magnetically driving unit before directly driving or indirectly driving through the transmission unit the mechanical kinetics energy unit to increase the stored energy by winding the wheel chain of the timing device.

4. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in order to actuate a power winding operation, the mechanical energy storage status detection unit comprised of a mechanical, electro-mechanical, or solid-state electronic device allowing location detection to confirm the displacement or pressure value produced by the mechanical energy storage unit when its storage level drops below a preset value, is used to thereby control the automatic control unit and further to control the electric power from the power supply unit for driving the electro-magnetic driving unit increase energy storage by winding the wheel train.

5. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in order to actuate a power winding operation, a combination of the following procedures is carried out:

a. the manual control unit is operated by manipulating a dynamo-electric switch by pressing, pulling, dialing or turning;

by operating an electronic switch circuit by a touch, optics, electro-magnetic or capacitance sensor;

or by remote control utilizing a voice control, optical control or electro-magnetic wave control circuit device to provide remote control at random for driving the electro-magnetically driving unit before directly driving or indirectly driving through the transmission unit the mechanical kinetics energy unit to increase the stored energy by winding the wheel chain of the timing device; and

b. the mechanical energy storage status detection unit comprised of a mechanical, electro-mechanical, or solid-state electronic device allowing location detection to confirm the displacement or pressure value produced by the mechanical energy storage unit when its storage level drops below a preset value, is used to thereby control the automatic control unit and further to control the electric power from the power supply unit for driving the electro-magnetic driving unit 104 to increase energy storage by winding the wheel train.

6. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, the electro-magnetic driving unit comprised of a motor that allows torque setup is provided to drive the mechanical energy storage unit to execute a winding drive for increasing energy storage so that once the drive torque required gradually increases when more energy is supplied from the mechanical energy storage unit to the electro-magnetic driving unit to reach a preset torque, the electro-magnetic driving unit stops driving the mechanical kinetics storage unit to avoid excessive winding of the wheel train.

7. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, the electro-magnetic driving unit comprised of a motor with its torque and driving current indicating relative variation operates by setting and detecting the drive current when the mechanical kinetics storage unit is driving the wheel train to indirectly detect its torque and stop its drive for preventing excessive winding of the wheel train.

8. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, the manual control unit manually controls the dynamo-electric switch, or operates by contacting the contact of an electronic switch device, or by executing remote control by means of a sound, optical or electro-magnetic wave control related circuit to stop the electro-magnetically driving unit and prevent excessive winding of the wheel train.

9. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, said transmission unit functions as a clutch that allows torque to set up the clutch to automatically disengage or slide when the torque increases up to the preset value upon completing the winding so to prevent excessive winding of the wheel train.

10. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, the mechanical energy storage status detection unit comprised of a mechanical or dynamo-electric or solid-state electronic location detection device cuts off the power supply to stop the drive by the electro-magnetically driving unit when the storage unit moves to where the completion of the winding as detected by the location detection device or the pressure value of the storage device reaches a preset value for the completion of the winding to prevent excessive winding of the wheel train.

11. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein to achieve a stopping operation upon completion of winding, the electro-magnetically driving unit executes an open loop, semi-open loop, or closed loop scaling and cuts off the power supplied to the electro-magnetically driving unit 104 when the scaling value reaches the preset value.

12. A timing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electric energy storage unit is arranged to supply power to another power-driven load.