Rhythm Watch Co., Ltd.

Katsuhiko Takebe

Masao Fukuda

Minosaku Aso

Shunichi Makuta

Hiroshi Miyasaka

Minoru Shiratori

A timepiece of the type including a time indicating circuit and an electronic alarm sound generating means. The alarm sound generating means including a counter outputting a sound switching signal at every predetermined time by counting the pulse signal of the time indicating circuit, a switch-over circuit consisting of a flipflop group for supplying the sounding number switch-over signal to preset the sounding numbers which are performed at a fixed period by the sound switching signal, a preset counter counting for a fixed pulse signal of the time indicating circuit and a value which is determined by the sounding number switch-over signal, a waveform convertor for outputting a preset control signal which presets the preset counter at every fixed period by utilizing the pulse signal from the time indicating circuit, a gate means for outputting the fixed pulse signal together with an audible frequency signal by the time the preset counter is counted up by the fixed pulse signal after the preset counter is preset, and an electronic sounding circuit performing the sounding action of the signal from the gate means, whereby an electronic alarm sound generating means for a timepiece can change its sounding numbers and intervals repeatedly at a fixed period and at a determined time.

Means for generating an intermittent alarm sound for a timepiece

A time signalling device for a timepiece in which the time signalling sound can be obtained in the same signalling sound with the mechanical time signalling means in which the previously produced sound remains to mix with the next sound, and the time signalling sounds in accordance with the more mechanical time signalling means can be electronically produced with good quality by having musical scale signal outputting means which simultaneously provides two musical scale analog signals of the melody sounds with the basis of two kinds of musical data read out of the ROM, by composing in such a way that each of these two musical scale analog signals can be alternatively output from these musical scale signal outputting means, by attenuating each of the output musical note signals for longer while than the time when the next musical note is produced, and, for the time striking sounds, by simultaneously outputting these two musical scale signals to be mixed.

Device for timepiece electronically signalling a time by melody sounds

A device for generating musical time signalling signals for a timepiece in which combination of the data in ROM installed in the time signalling sound selecting circuit and the controlling action of the time signalling control circuit can simplify the circuit composition performing the complicated and multi-functional time signalling action, and can perform the necessary time signalling action by optional selection to produce a musical sound.

Time signalling device for a timepiece which produces musical sounds

A sound generating circuit for a timepiece including a sound base signal generator, a program divider, a dividing ratio selecting counter a sound interval base signal generator and a sound producer, whereby the sounding action of frequencies which repeatedly changes at the sound intervals and cycles is performed and can produce the onomatopoetic sounds of bird chirp, insect churr and the like which feels soft and soothing for the users.

Sound generating circuit for timepiece

An electronic bell sound generating circuit for a timepiece for generating a sound simulating a bell sound produced by a motor driven bell-striking system. The circuit includes an audio frequency signal generating circuit, an optional number of attenuation-modulation circuits, an alarm trigger circuit, an attenuation control circuit and a sound generating circuit. The audio frequency generating circuit includes a reference signal generator and a frequency dividing circuit. The attenuation-modulation circuit includes MOS transistors connected in parallel and gate circuits connected to gates of the MOS transistors. The attenuation control circuit includes shift registers comprising flip-flops connected in series. The circuit works to stepwisely increase the combined on-operation resistance of the MOS transistors to thereby decrease the value of the current of audio frequency signals to the sound generating circuit in order to obtain an attenuated sound. When two or more attenuation-modulation circuits are provided, different audio frequencies are supplied to each respectively and the output signals from the respective attenuation-modulation circuits are superposed in the sound generating circuit. The time cycle for stepwise decrease of the current value of the audio frequency signals is set at 0.0625 seconds.

Attenuation-modulation circuit for generating electronic bell sounds for

A time striking device for an electronic timepiece including a time striking signal detecting means coordinately arranged and installed in a time indicating gear train of an electronic timepiece and supplying a time striking signal prior to a striking time at every striking time, a reference zero second detecting means counting timepiece driving pulses and supplying a reference zero second signal, a coincidence circuit supplying a primary time striking direction signal by the coincidence of the outputs from these two detecting means, a frequency dividing circuit counting the timepiece driving pulses and sending out the secondary time striking direction signal at a desired time interval, a selecting circuit selectively supplying the primary time striking direction from the coincidence circuit and the secondary time striking direction signal from the frequency dividing circuit to a time striking section.

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Machida, Japan

Katsuhiko Takebe