Stepping motor control circuit, semiconductor device, and analog electronic timepiece

A stepping motor control circuit that controls a stepping motor driven stepwise in a forward rotation direction or a reverse rotation direction based on a drive pulse, the control circuit comprising:

• a drive pulse generation section that generates, as the drive pulse, a forward-rotation drive pulse that drives the stepping motor stepwise in the forward rotation direction and a reverse-rotation drive pulse that drives the stepping motor stepwise in the reverse rotation direction;
• and
• a forward/reverse rotation switching control section that switches the drive pulse outputted to the stepping motor from one of the forward-rotation drive pulse and the reverse-rotation drive pulse to the other one of the forward-rotation drive pulse and the reverse-rotation drive pulse in response to a control input to reverse a rotation direction of the stepping motor, and
• outputs the other one of the forward-rotation drive pulse and the reverse-rotation drive pulse to the stepping motor subsequent to the control input after a predetermined period has elapsed from the one of the forward-rotation drive pulse and the reverse-rotation drive pulse is outputted to the stepping motor prior to the control input.