Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Epson Corporatioin

Akihiro Sawada

Osamu Miyazawa

Makoto Furuhata

Takashi Kawaguchi

Koichi Kamijo

Makoto Okeya

Yutaka Yamazaki

Hidehiro Akahane

Reiko Nagahama

Akihiko Maruyama

Joji Kitahara

Shuichi Tamura

Shigeaki Seki

Susumu Kayamori

Yosuke Sasaki

A balance includes a balance staff rotatably supported by a main plate, a collet fixed to the balance staff, and a hairspring fixed to the collet, the hairspring including a Grossmann curve disposed at a side of the collet and an Archimedes curve coupled to the Grossmann curve, and an impact-resistant member configured to suppress displacement of a shape of the Grossmann curve at least at the side of the collet.

Balance, timepiece, and method for manufacturing balance

A balance with hairspring of the present disclosure includes a balance shaft rotatably supported by a support member, a collet fixed to the balance shaft, and a metal hairspring fixed to the collet, and the hairspring includes an inner end portion fixed to the collet, a first winding portion continuously formed from the inner end portion and formed along a Grossmann curve, and a second winding portion continuously formed from the first winding portion and formed along an Archimedes' spiral, and the collet includes a fixing portion to which the inner end portion of the hairspring is fixed, and an outer peripheral shape portion arranged at a position facing an inner surface of the first winding portion and configured to form the first winding portion into a shape of the Grossmann curve.

Balance with hairspring, movement, mechanical watch, and method for manufacturing balance with hairspring

An electronic timepiece suppresses loss of power generating performance of a solar panel, and suppresses drop loss of antenna performance. The electronic timepiece has a pivot; a dial that transmits a light through which the pivot passes; an antenna having a radiating electrode through which the pivot passes; and a solar panel through which the pivot passes and which is disposed between the dial and the radiating electrode. The solar panel has a power generating part that converts light to electrical energy, and is disposed, in a plan view through the thickness direction of the dial, superimposed with the radiating electrode. Part or all of the outside circumference of the radiating electrode is disposed outside the power generating part in plan view.

Electronic timepiece

Provided is technology that suppresses increasing the thickness of the electronic timepiece when a member is provided to obscure the area where the solar battery is not located above the antenna. An electronic timepiece has: an optically transmissive dial; a solar battery having a photovoltaic solar cell; an antenna disposed relative to the dial in the direction in which the external light is emitted, and configured to receive radio signals; and a cover member having a first part disposed between the dial and the antenna. In plan view, the antenna has a part that does not overlap the solar cell; the first part has a part that does overlaps the part of the antenna that does not overlap the solar cell; and in section view perpendicular, has an overlap between the first part and the solar battery.

A timepiece has a solar panel including a plurality of solar cells; a dial disposed on the face side of the solar panel and configured to transmit a light; a molding member disposed to the face side of the dial overlapping the outside edge of the dial when seen from the face side of the timepiece; and an opaque light shield disposed on the face side of the dial on the inside side of the molding member; the solar panel having connectors that connect adjacent solar cells in series, and at least part of each connector is covered by the light shield when seen from the face.

Timepiece

A motor includes a vibrating plate having a projection part to be pressed against a driven member and a piezoelectric material provided on the vibrating plate, wherein a Young's modulus Ein the pressing direction of the vibrating plate and a Young's modulus Ein a direction crossing the pressing direction are different.

Piezoelectric actuator, motor, robot hand, and robot

An electronic device comprising a power source, a piezoelectric actuator A, and a drive control apparatusfor controlling the driving of the piezoelectric actuator, wherein the drive control apparatusis provided with a drive circuitfor supplying a drive signal SDR to the piezoelectric element of the vibrating body, a phase difference detection meansfor detecting the phase difference indicating the vibration state of the vibrating body, a comparison voltage setting circuitfor correcting the target phase difference to be the target for the vibration state, and a drive frequency setting meansfor comparing the phase difference with the target phase difference; and the piezoelectric actuator A can be driven with high efficiency independent of the drive voltage by modifying the drive frequency of the drive signal SDR so that the phase difference approaches the target phase difference based on the results of the above comparison.

Drive apparatus of piezoelectric actuator, electronic apparatus, drive method of electronic apparatus, drive control program of electronic apparatus, and medium

Piezoelectric vibrators provided with an electrode that includes a drive electrode and adjustment electrodes formed in advance on part of the electrode; the drive electrode and adjustment electrodes that are initially electrically connected to each other are electrically cutoff and insulated from each other by cutting conductive parts between the drive electrode and adjustment electrodes, or the mutually insulated drive electrode and adjustment electrodes are electrically connected using solder, a wire, or another electrically conductive member, whereby the characteristic frequencies are adjusted.

Piezoelectric vibrator, method for adjusting piezoelectric vibrator, piezoelectric actuator, timepiece, and electronic device

To provide a piezoelectric actuator whereby impact resistance can be greatly improved without complicating the design or causing a reduction in drive efficiency. When a piezoelectric actuatoris incorporated into a main plate, an arm partof a vibratoris disposed across from a protrusionvia spaces SP, SPhaving specific dimensions. With the presence of these spaces SP, SP, a free end FR moves freely within the spaces SP, SPduring driving, but a vibrating partis captured at the free end FR by the protrusionwhen external impact is applied, and the vibrating partcan therefore be prevented from moving beyond the dimensions of the spaces. Resistance against impact from falling can thereby be easily and greatly improved without reducing the drive efficiency, and the usual difficulty of reconciling both drive efficiency and impact resistance can be resolved.

Piezoelectric actuator and electronic equipment with piezoelectric actuator

A piezoactuator has a diaphragm, and the diaphragm has flat piezoelectric elements that oscillate in a longitudinal oscillation mode and a sinusoidal oscillation mode. A first electrode for detecting oscillation in the longitudinal oscillation mode, and a second electrode for detecting the amplitude of oscillation in the sinusoidal oscillation mode, are disposed on the surface of the diaphragm. When the piezoactuator is driven with a drive signal, the phase difference of a first detection signal output from the first electrode and a second detection signal output from the second electrode is detected. The frequency at which the detected phase difference becomes the maximum phase difference is then obtained, and a drive signal of a matching frequency is applied to the piezoelectric elements.

Piezoactuator and drive circuit therefor

To provide a drive detection means for a piezoelectric actuator that can detect an amount driven without requiring adding an encoder or other component while also preventing increasing the load. A rotor is disposed eccentrically to the axis of rotation to change the pressure applied from the rotor to a contact part as the rotor is driven. When the pressure changes, the amplitude of the detection signal output from the detection electrodeof the piezoelectric element changes in conjunction with rotor rotation, and how much the rotor has been driven can be detected by detecting the amplitude change. Size and thickness can therefore be reduced because providing an encoder, switch, or other component is unnecessary, and current consumption can also be reduced.

Piezoactuator drive detection device and electronic device

A drive apparatus for a piezoelectric actuator prevents locking drive frequency in a state of resonance due to harmonics. There is no need to provide external components to filter, and circuitry can easily be reduced in size. The drive apparatus has a phase difference-DC conversion circuit to detect vibrating state of the vibrating body, a comparison circuit, a harmonics detection circuit to detect that the vibrating body is resonating due to harmonics and outputting a harmonics detection signal, an integration circuit to control the frequency of the drive signal supplied to the piezoelectric element of the vibrating body, a variable frequency oscillation circuit, and a drive circuit. The integration circuit, the variable frequency oscillation circuit, and the drive circuit control the frequency of the drive signal on the basis of the output of the comparison circuit when a harmonics detection signal is not outputted and continue to vary the frequency of the drive signal without controlling the frequency of the drive signal on the basis of the output of the comparison circuit when a harmonics detection signal is being outputted.

Drive apparatus for piezoelectric actuator, drive method for piezoelectric actuator, electronic device, control program for drive apparatus for piezoelectric actuator, and recording medium

An electronic timepiece without system failure at the time of transfer from the power-saving mode to the display mode is provided. A power-saving control circuitcontrols drive of a date dial displaying a date when updating a date display, which has been stopped in a power-saving mode, to a current date at the time of transfer from the power-saving mode to the display mode. The power-saving control circuitoutputs a date dial drive inhibiting signal, which prohibits drive of the date dial, to a date-updating control circuit, if a voltage VDD of a power source unit B is less than or equal to a low threshold voltage V1. It outputs a date dial deceleration driving signal, which drives a date dialwith a predetermined speed slower than a normal update speed when transferring to the display mode, to a date-updating control circuit, if a source voltage VDD is equal to or less than a high threshold voltage V2.

Electronic timepiece with controlled date display updating

A diaphragmis fixed to a base plateby a screw. A leverhas a spring member, a rotor-fixing member, and an insertion holeformed therein. By passing a shaftthrough the insertion hole, the leveris turnably supported so as to turn about its own axis. In a state in which the spring memberabuts against an eccentric pressure-adjusting cam, a pressing force for urging the diaphragmvia the rotoris adjusted by turning the pressure-adjusting camso as to change an elastic force of the spring member

Growing community of inventors

Matsumoto, Japan

Akihiro Sawada