Wrist watch oscillating step motor with sweep motion

• US 9,529,330 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citizen Watch Co Limited (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Maeda, Toshinari, Fukushima, Toshiaki, Shiota, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, NAISHADH N
• Application Number:
  US13/821,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20130162060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 310 37- 39, 310 4901- 4955, 310/49.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 3/14 incorporating a stepping motor G04C3/02 - G04C3/12 take precedence generating timing pulses G04F5/00, G04G3/00; setting G04G5/00; synchronisation G04G7/00; generating commutating pulses in masterclocks G04C13/0463, G04C13/02; slave clocks actuated intermittently by electromechanical step advancing mechanisms G04C13/10; control circuits for stepping motors in general H02P8/00
• 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: H02K 7/116 with gears

Abstract

An oscillating stepping motor can reduce a required rotational angle of a rotor to drive a star wheel, reduce idle driving, cut the loss of energy required for the driving, reduce power consumption even in high-frequency driving, and stably operate. Two star wheels are located so that the tooth tips thereof are not engaged with each other. A rotor shaft includes a rotor pinion having two feed teeth at a certain aperture angle. One of the feed teeth feeds one of the driving wheels by oscillation of the rotor in one direction and the other of the feed teeth feeds the other of the driving wheels by the oscillation of the rotor in the other. The rotor then oscillates within a certain angle range, thereby sequentially rotating output gears in a certain direction by a certain angle.

Claims

1. An oscillating stepping motor, comprising:

an output gear, a rotor and two driving wheels;

wherein;

the output gear is rotated by a certain angle in a certain direction by oscillating the rotor in a certain angle range to feed the two driving wheels in sequence;

the rotor includes two feed teeth;

one of the two feed teeth feeds one of the two driving wheels by oscillation of the rotor in one direction and the other of the two feed teeth feeds the other of the two driving wheels by the oscillation of the rotor in the other direction;

the two driving wheels are comprised of two star wheels contacting and being driven by the two feed teeth in a certain direction and two gears coupled with the two star wheels, respectively, so as to be associated with each other;

the two star wheels are positioned so that tooth tips thereof are not engaged with each other; and

the two gears are positioned so that tooth tips thereof are engaged with each other.

2. An oscillating stepping motor according to either claim 1, wherein:

the two feed teeth are provided at a certain aperture angle relative to a rotational shaft of the rotor; and

the certain aperture angle is an angle at which, in a state in which the rotor is free from drive force and remains at a neutral position only by a retaining force of a stator, one of the two feed teeth closely approaches one tooth of one of the two star wheels in a first distance, and the other of the two feed teeth closely approaches one tooth of the other of the two star wheels in a second distance larger than the first distance.

3. An oscillating stepping motor according to claim 1, wherein

each of the two feed teeth is configured to be located outside a triangular area formed by a center of the two star wheels and a center of a rotational shaft of the rotor.

4. An oscillating stepping motor according to claim 1, wherein

when one of the two feed teeth and one tooth of one of the two star wheels ahead approach each other most at a neutral position only by a retaining force of a stator, at a next driving, the one of the two feed teeth drives the one of the two star wheels, and at completion of the driving, when the rotor returns to the neutral position, the other of the two feed teeth and the other of the two star wheels ahead approach each other most, and at another next driving, the other of the two feed teeth drives one tooth of the other of the two star wheels.

5. An oscillating stepping motor according to claim 1, wherein the two gears are coaxially fixed onto the two star wheels, respectively.

6. An oscillating stepping motor according to claim 5, wherein:

an angular relation of the two star wheels and two gears is set such that a direction in which shafts and teeth of the two star wheels are connected is shifted by a half pitch from a direction in which the shafts of the two star wheels and a rotational shaft of the rotor are connected; and

the two star wheels are driven alternatively by a half pitch by the oscillation of the rotor.

7. An oscillating stepping motor according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation restricting element to restrict an oscillation angle of the rotor.

8. An oscillating stepping motor in which an output gear is rotated by a certain angle in a certain direction by oscillating a rotor in a certain angle range to feed two driving wheels in sequence, wherein:

the rotor includes two and only two feed teeth; and

one of the two feed teeth feeds one of the two driving wheels by oscillation of the rotor in one direction and the other of the two feed teeth feeds the other of the two driving wheels by the oscillation of the rotor in the other direction.