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US 4,050,234 AGranted
Electronic timepiece hand-return mechanism
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
InventorMori Toshio
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AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
InventorMori Toshio
Estimating the term…
A hand-return mechanism for an electronic timepiece wherein at least one hand is returned to a predetermined position and the motor rotating same is correspondingly adjusted. The timepiece includes a display hand mechanically coupled to a positionable gear, the rotational position of the gear determining the rotary position of the hand. An oscillator circuit produces a high frequency time standard signal and a divider circuit produces an alternating polarity pulse of a predetermined low frequency in response to the high frequency time standard signal. An electro-mechanical converter is adapted to rotate the gear by means of a rotor in response to the period of the alternating polarity pulse applied thereto. A manually operated reset mechanism is adapted to be displaced from a rest position to a reset position, the reset mechanism being mechanically coupled to the gear and electrically coupled to the divider circuit, the resetting mechanism effecting a mechanical positioning of said gear and rotor to a predetermined position and a resetting of the divider circuit to stop and then restart the electro-mechanical converter in coordination with the position of said rotor upon the return of the manually operated reset mechanism to a rest position which releases the gear.
In a hand display electronic timepiece having a gear mechanically coupled to at least one of said hands, the rotational position of the gear determining the time indication position of said hand, an oscillator circuit for producing a high frequency time standard signal, divider circuit means for supplying an alternating polarity pulse signal of a predetermined low frequency in response to said high frequency time standard signal, said divider means being adapted to supply a pulse signal including first and second predetermined pulses in sequence immediately after resetting thereof, electro-mechanical converter means coupled to said divider circuit means to receive said pulse signal and including a rotor mechanically coupled to said gear to rotate said gear in response to said pulse signal, the improvement comprising manually operable resetting means mechanically coupled to said gear and electrically coupled to said divider means, said resetting means effecting a positioning of said gear and rotor to predetermined respective positions corresponding to 10n second positions of said hand, where n = 1, 2, 3, and resetting of said divider means so that the first pulse applied to said electro-mechanical converter means after release of said gear and rotor is adapted to retain said rotor at its predetermined position, the second pulse advancing said gear and said rotor.
In a hand display electronic timepiece including at least one hand and having a gear mechanically coupled to said hand, the rotational position of the gear determining the rotary position of said hand, an oscillator circuit producing a high frequency time standard signal, divider circuit means for supplying an alternating polarity pulse of a predetermined low frequency in response to said high frequency time standard signal, electro-mechanical converter means adapted to intermittently rotate said gear through a specific increment in response to the period of said alternate polarity pulse supplied thereto, the improvement comprising camming means concentrically mounted to said gear and having at least one predetermined orientation, the camming means being adapted to rotatably position said gear at predetermined positions corresponding to 10n second positions of said hand, where n = 1, 2, 3, and manually displaceable reset means for engaging said camming means to effect a rotation of said gear to one of said predetermined positions in response to the displacement of said reset means from a rest to a reset position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.