Timing device with power winder for driving a mechanical energy storage unit to store mechanical energy in response to detection of a mechanical energy storage status

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 a main spring barrel and/or 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 energy storage status detection unit and an automatic control unit so as to deliver power to enable driving of an electro-magnetic driving unit including an electric winding motor or an electro-magnetic winding drive unit for winding said main spring barrel and/or potential difference weight of said mechanical storage unit and to automatically stop driving of the winding motor and/or 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/or 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 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 energy storage status detection unit to control the operation of the power supply unit on the electro-magnetic 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;
• the 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 and/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-magnetic driving unit;
• the mechanical kinetic energy storage unit including one of said main spring barrel and/or 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;
• and
• a timer movement operating on one of said main spring barrel and/or potential difference weight and arranged to tell, display and/or set the time.