The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Asulab S.a.

Eta Sa Manufacture Horlogere Suisse

Asuiab S.a.

Christophe Germiquet

Jean-Jacques Born

Michel Willemin

Laurent Nagy

Vincent Berseth

Jean-Claude Martin

Yvan Ferri

Michael Stalder

Lionel Paratte

Matthias Imboden

Alexandre Haemmerli

Beat Gilomen

François Gueissaz

Guy Raeber

Stéphane Claude

David Hoover

Frank Kräuchi

Giuseppe Saporito

Michael Bourquin

Nicolas Moser

Jean-Jaques Born

Guy Räber

A power management method for a solar watch or a solar automatic watch. The power management method including at least one providing a primary power supply from at least one energy supplier. The primary power supply is converted to a secondary power supply when the primary power supply reaches at least one primary threshold and/or at least one secondary threshold. A motor is supplied with the secondary power supply such as to wind a mainspring via the motor.

Power management method for a solar watch

A control device () for controlling power supply to a continuous-rotation motor, of the horological, DC type, is arranged to generate electrical pulses with a lower supply voltage to drive the rotor. The number of pulses per time interval is a function of the load applied to the motor. A voltage divider is arranged to supply the lower supply voltage with a plurality of different values and thus the electrical pulses with a variable voltage. A logic circuit counts the numbers of electrical pulses in successive time periods; to periodically select a voltage value, from among a plurality of different values, as a function of a counted number of electrical pulses or of a succession of counted numbers of electrical pulses; and to control the voltage divider so that the latter supplies the lower supply voltage with the selected voltage value after the selection of this voltage value.

Device for controlling a continuous-rotation motor

The present invention concerns a method of controlling a rotational speed of a rotor () of a direct current electric motor () comprising an inductor circuit (A, B) for rotating the rotor, which is configured to rotate continuously and is equipped with permanent magnets. The method comprises: measuring the rotational speed of the rotor; determining a time drift in the rotor rotation compared to a reference signal; defining N speed thresholds with at least one being a variable speed threshold depending on the determined time drift, the N speed thresholds defining N+1 rotational speed ranges for the rotor; determining in which one of the N+1 rotational speed ranges the determined rotational speed of the rotor is; and finally selecting an action relative to the control of the inductor circuit, based on the determined rotational speed range, for controlling the rotational speed of the rotor.

Control method of a direct current electric motor

A motor drive unit for driving a direct current electric motor including a moving part equipped with permanent magnets. The motor drive unit, which is powered by a voltage supply source, includes a switch circuit, an inductor circuit and a capacitor circuit including a set of capacitors. By selectively opening and closing the switches of the switch circuit, a series of consecutive low energy pulses can be generated such that the power consumption of the motor drive circuit is minimized.

Motor drive unit of a DC electric motor

A continuously rotating electric motor includes a rotor provided with permanent magnets and a stator formed by two coils in which, when the rotor is rotating, two induced voltage signals (Uand U) are respectively generated, which signals have an electric phase shift &#x3c6; where 5&#xb0;&#x2264;&#x3c6;&#x2264;90&#xb0;, preferably 30&#xb0;&#x3c;&#x3c6;&#x3c;65&#xb0;. The control device includes a circuit for detecting intersection times (T) at which values of the two induced voltage signals are substantially equal. The control device is arranged to generate electric driving pulses to rotate the rotor, which are respectively initiated at initiation times determined by respective intersection times, and such that the electric driving pulses can be applied to the two coils arranged in series. Preferably, the control device is arranged such that the initiation times of the electric driving pulses occur directly after detections of corresponding intersection times.

Continuously rotating electric motor having a permanent magnet rotor

A DC motor including a continuous rotation rotor; a first inductor characterized by first parameters; a second inductor characterized by second parameters; a voltage supply unit; a measurement unit for detecting time instants when a first induced voltage in the first inductor equals a second induced voltage in the second inductor; and a control unit for controlling the application of drive voltage pulses to the inductors. The rotor faces first the second inductor before facing the first inductor when being rotated. At least one of the second parameters is selected different from a corresponding parameter of the first parameters such that a maximum induced voltage in the first inductor is greater than a maximum induced voltage in the second inductor. The control unit is arranged to trigger each of the drive voltage pulses after a detection of an equal induced voltage in the first and second inductors.

DC electric motor with asymmetrical stator inductors

A method of detecting and calculating height of a jump performed by an individual including detection of a reception subsequent to the jump is described. The detection includes a sub-step of detecting a pressure spike of amplitude greater than a first threshold amplitude, within pressure measurements provided by a pressure sensor embedded aboard a watch worn on the wrist of the individual. Also described is calculation of a height of the jump by differencing a starting altitude corresponding to a last stable pressure measured before the pressure spike and a finishing altitude corresponding to a first stable pressure measured after the pressure spike via the pressure sensor, a stable pressure being defined as a pressure whose variations do not exceed 0.1 hectopascals for at least 2 seconds.

Method of detecting and calculating height of a jump

The wearable device incorporates a device for measuring the ambient temperature, which comprises an infrared sensor. In an ambient temperature measurement mode a control circuit activates the infrared sensor several times so that it can supply a plurality of measurement signals over a certain period of time. A circuit for processing measurement signals is then arranged in order to supply temperature values corresponding to at least a portion of the measurement signals and to take a mean for at least a portion of these temperature values to obtain an average temperature value that is considered to be representative of the ambient temperature. The invention also relates to a method for measuring the ambient temperature that can be implemented by means of this wearable device.

Wearable device incorporating a device for measuring ambient temperature

A portable object includes a case forming a housing inside which is arranged a device that requires air to operate, and a closure device including at least one permeable element. The closure device is arranged to provide impermeability to liquids while allowing the atmosphere inside the housing to communicate with the external atmosphere. The case comprises a recess in which a through opening is made, the recess being closed by the closure device. The closure device includes a permeable module mounted to move such that, in a gaseous environment, the permeable module is in a rest position allowing gases to penetrate the case opening through the permeable module, and in a liquid environment, the permeable module is in an operating position in which gases and liquids are blocked. The permeable module comprises a tubular support at the end of which is fixed a membrane.

Semi-impermeable closure device

The invention relates to a method for detecting and calculating the duration of a jump effected by an individual, comprising the following steps:

Method for detecting and calculating the duration of a jump

A portable object includes a case forming a housing in which is arranged a device requiring air to operate. The case includes at least a first opening. The portable object further includes a closure device provided with a valve system arranged to have a first stable, open position in which the orifice is open and allows air to pass through, and a second stable, closed position, in which the orifice is closed so that the portable object is impermeable to gases and to liquids. Switching from the open position to the closed position is automatic in case of immersion.

The electronic device is provided with an automatic leak detection means, notably for a gas leak, in the case of the device. The automatic leak detection means includes a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and a calculation unit connected to the pressure sensor and to the temperature sensor. The calculation unit, which is a microcontroller, the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are arranged inside the case. In operation, the microcontroller checks, based on measurements performed by the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor over time, whether the variation in pressure in the case is within a defined margin proportional to the variation in temperature to determine whether or not the case has a sufficient degree of sealing.

Electronic device provided with automatic leak detection means

The electronic device () is provided with an automatic leak detection means, notably for a gas leak, in the case () of the device. The automatic leak detection means includes an internal pressure sensor (), an external pressure sensor () and a calculation unit () connected to the internal pressure sensor and to the external pressure sensor. The calculation unit, which is a microcontroller, and the internal pressure sensor are arranged inside the case, whereas the external pressure sensor is arranged on an external surface of the case. The microcontroller () checks, based on measurements performed by the pressure sensors over time, whether the pressure variation inside the case is different from the pressure variation outside the case to determine whether or not the case has a sufficient degree of sealing.

There is disclosed a portable electronic device (), particularly of the wristwatch type, comprising at least first and second analogue display members, a sensor () powered to take measurements of a surrounding physical magnitude and a memory zone () for storing the measured physical magnitude values. The electronic circuits of the device are capable of operating the analogue display members, in an operating mode called the historic mode, such that at least one of them indicates the change in the stored value as a function of time opposite suitable graduations () of the device.

Electronic device with analogue display of the history of at least one quantity measured by a sensor

The present invention proposes a portable barometric altimeter () including a pressure sensor (), a calculation unit () which determines an altitude value (H) as a function of the pressure (P) measured by the sensor () and as a function of a reference temperature (T) corresponding to an estimate of the temperature of the air mass at sea level, and a time measuring unit () that supplies calendar data (D), characterized in that it includes a correction circuit (), which selects the reference temperature value (T) from among a series of values (T) contained in a database stored in the altimeter (), as a function of the date (D) and as a function of a predefined climate value (C). The invention also proposes a method of determining altitude (H).

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Preles, Switzerland

Christophe Germiquet