Method, integrated circuit, mechanical analog clock movement and completed assembly for a talking analog clock
AssigneeESS Technology, Inc.
InventorShiu L. Chan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A talking analog clock comprises an analog mechanical clock movement in which the minutes mechanism has attached to it a switch that opens and closes for each minute elapsed. A digital synchronizing circuit is included that senses the closing and opening of the switch and uses these events to increment a digital time-keeping circuit. A directional switch attached to a winding stem and connected to the digital synchronizing circuit allows the digital time-keeping circuit to be incremented or decremented with the winding stem. The time in the current time memory is thereafter locked in synchronization with the analog time shown on the display dial. A user can therefore set the time or an alarm time in a simple way.
Claims21
A method of synchronizing a digital timekeeping circuit to an analog clock movement with a digital synchronizing circuit wherein once a time reference in a current time memory is set within the digital timekeeping circuit, the time reference will automatically follow the analog clock movement in synchronization thereafter, the method comprising the steps of:
- setting a reference time in said analog clock movement by turning a winding stem included in said movement;
- setting said time reference in said current time memory with digital inputs to a controller included in said digital timekeeping circuit;
- detecting a minute movement with a minute gear connected to a timing pulse generating circuit;
- detecting a turning direction of winding stem with a digital circuit;
- and
- incrementing or decrementing according to said turning direction a value representing time in said current memory.
A talking analog clock, comprising:
- a mechanical analog clock movement that includes a minutes mechanism and an hour mechanism;
- a minutes switch mechanically coupled to said minutes mechanism for providing a switch contact closure in response to a turning motion of said minutes mechanism;
- a digital time-keeping circuit having a memory means for storing digital values respectively a time-of-day;
- a digital synchronizing circuit electrically connected to the minutes switch and the digital time-keeping circuit and having means for incrementing and decrementing said minutes value for each closure of the minutes switch;
- and
- a speech synthesis unit coupled to the digital time-keeping circuit for speaking a phrase responsive to said digital values representing a time-of-day.
An integrated circuit (IC), comprising:
- electrical input means for connection to a minutes switch that is mechanically coupled to a minutes mechanism in an analog clock movement wherein said minutes switch provides a switch contact closure in response to a turning motion of said minutes mechanism;
- a digital time-keeping circuit having a storage means for memorizing digital values representing a time-of-day;
- a digital synchronizing circuit electrically connected to the minutes switch and the digital time-keeping circuit and having means for advancing said minutes value for each closure of the minutes switch;
- and
- a speech synthesis unit coupled to the digital time-keeping circuit for speaking a phrase responsive to said digital values representing said time-of-day.
An analog clock movement, comprising:
- a mechanical analog clock movement with at least a minutes mechanism and an hour mechanism;
- and
- a minutes switch means mechanically coupled to said minutes mechanism for providing a minutes signal output in response to a turning motion of said minutes mechanism to a digital time-keeping circuit having a storage means for memorizing digital values representing a time-of-day and a digital synchronizing circuit electrically connected to the minutes switch means and said digital time-keeping circuit that has time setting means for changing a minutes value and a speech synthesis unit coupled to said digital time-keeping circuit for speaking a phrase responsive to said digital values representing said time-of-day.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.