Method and apparatus for controlling a solar-powered radio-controlled timepiece when a storage element is inadequately charged
AssigneeJunghans Uhren GmbH
InventorsHolger Rudolph, Thomas Lechner, Johannes Neudecker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a solar-powered, radio-controlled timepiece an incorrect display can occur before the operating voltage definitively falls below the switch-off level if each pulse for the electromechanical transducer is no longer sufficient for advancing the display. A step monitor senses such an insufficient pulse and triggers a reset command in order to switch on the radio signal receiver for automatically correcting the hands position to the absolute time which is decoded from the current time telegram.
Claims7
A solar-powered, radio controlled timepiece comprising:
- a time display;
- an electromechanical transducer for stepwise driving the time display in response to a drive pulse;
- a solar energy storage element for supplying power to generate the drive pulse;
- a receiver for receiving radio signals representing correct time and operably connected to the transducer for correcting the time display;
- and
- a step monitor for triggering a partial restart of the timepiece. including a command for a restart of a time display correcting function in response to the absence of a drive pulse of sufficient power to properly advance the time display when the storage element is in an inadequately charged state, and for deactivating the timepiece if the inadequately charged state remains following the triggering of the restart command.
A method of operating a solar-powered, radio-controlled timepiece comprising a time display, an electromechanical step transducer for driving the time display in response to a drive pulse, and a receiver for receiving radio signals representing correct time for correcting the time display a solar energy storage element for supplying power to generate the drive pulse, the method comprising the steps of:
- A) sensing an absence of a drive pulse of sufficient power to properly advance the time display;
- B) triggering a partial restart of the timepiece including a command for a restart of the in response to the sensing of the absence of a drive pulse of sufficient power in step A;
- and
- C) deactivating the timepiece if the inadequately charged state remains following the triggering step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.