Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha

Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Epson Kabushiki Kaisha

Minoru Hosokawa

Yoshikazu Kawamura

Sakiho Okazaki

Hiroshi Ishii

Satoru Yazawa

Koichi Oguchi

Masayuki Ikeda

Kanemitsu Kubota

Mitsuo Nagata

Masao Akahane

Katsumi Yamamura

Kouji Kakizawa

A step motor driving control mechanism for use in an electronic timepiece for reducing the current consumption thereof is provided. Load detection circuitry detects the load condition of the step motor and selectively produces a load condition signal representative of a predetermined load condition thereof. Driving and control circuitry is provided for receiving a low frequency timekeeping signal produced by a divider circuit and a load detection signal when same is selectively produced by the load detection circuitry. In response to the presence or absence of a load detection signal applied thereto, the drive and control circuitry is adapted to vary the duration of the pulse width of a drive signal applied to the step motor to effect a driving of same.

Step motor control mechanism for electronic timepiece

The magnetic recording medium includes a soft magnetic thin film layer of high magnetic permeability formed on a substrate, a non-magnetic thin film layer formed on the soft magnetic layer and a magnetic thin film for recording information thereon formed on the non-magnetic thin film layer. The film thickness of the non-magnetic thin film layer is equal to or less than that of the magnetic thin film layer for recording. And the non-magnetic thin film layer is an amorphous or macromolecular substance upon which the crystalline structure of the recording thin film layer forms with a perpendicular orientation favorable for magnetization.

Magnetic recording medium

A liquid crystal display device wherein display elements are arranged in a matrix display on a substrate and the display is driven in response to external display signals is provided. The display device includes a thin film layer having a rugged diffusing surface and an opposed transparent electrode plate spaced apart from the thin film layer. A guest-host liquid crystal material including a pleochroic dye is utilized. The thin film layer may be a metal film such as, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, silver or a silver alloy having a rugged surface for providing a diffused white surface formed by vaccum evaporation, sputtering, heat-treatment, recrystallization or etching.

Liquid crystal display device having diffusely reflective picture

A magnetic recording and reproducing head which operates in a perpendicular magnetization mode which records and reproduces information on a magnetic recording medium. The head includes first and second members spaced apart so as to define a gap therebetween through which said medium can travel. The first member includes a magnetic pole of high permeable magnetic thin film having a tip which faces the medium. A first coil is wound around the thin film and the second member includes a second coil. The tip of the thin film faces the second coil. The second member and its second coil and thin film are used for recording whereas the thin film and first coil are used for reproducing.

Magnetic recording and reproducing head

A matrix liquid crystal display circuit includes a selecting transistor connected to the picture element and a capacitor for each picture element of the matrix. The other picture element and capacitor terminals connect to common electrodes and the transistor gates in each row connect to a common electrode. In each column a common source line connects to the sources of the transistors and a signal sampling circuit periodically applies an image signal to the source line of each column in sequence. No amplification is used between the sampling circuit and the transistor sources. Metallic leads serve as the source lines, but other circuits and components are integrated on a common substrate.

Liquid crystal display system

The display matrix includes a non-linear element with two terminals connected in series with each liquid crystal element in the matrix panel. The matrix uses generalized AC amplitude selective multiplexing driving voltages. Scanning electrode voltage amplitudes and the data electrode voltage amplitudes are both set up as n:1 where n is a simple integer.

Driving system for matrix liquid crystal display with nonlinear-switches

A matrix liquid crystal display circuit operates on a level of AC voltage equal to the voltage required for DC drive. The circuit includes a selecting transistor connected to the picture element and a capacitor for each picture element of the matrix. The capacitor in each row connects to a common electrode and the transistor gates in each row connect to a common electrode. The voltage level of the common capacitor electrode is shifted periodically relative to a reference voltage in order to invert the image signal polarity across the picture element and produce an AC drive. Inverted image signals of similar voltage level are alternately sampled.

Liquid crystal display systems

A step motor driving control mechanism for use in an electronic timepiece for reducing the current consumption thereof is provided. Load detection circuitry detects the load condition of the step motor and selectively produces a load condition signal representative of a predetermined load condition thereof. Driving and control circuitry is provided for receiving a low-frequency timekeeping signal produced by a divider circuit and a load detection signal when same is selectively produced by the load detection circuitry. In response to the presence or absence of a load detection signal applied thereto, the drive and control circuitry is adapted to vary the duration of the pulse width of a drive signal applied to the step motor to effect a driving of same.

A step motor driving and control mechanism for use in an electronic timepiece for reducing the current consumption thereof is provided. Load detection circuitry detects the load condition of the step motor by detecting the signals induced in the drive coil of the step motor after each stepping of the rotor. The load detection circuitry selectively produces a load condition signal in response to detecting current peaks representative of a predetermined load condition of the step motor. The load detection circuitry is characterized by the use of MOS transistors therein for accurately detecting the occurrence of the current peaks. Driving and control circuitry is provided for receiving a low frequency timekeeping signal produced by a divider circuit and a load detection signal, when same is selectively produced by the load detection circuitry. In response to the presence or absence of a load detection signal applied thereto, the drive and control circuitry is adapted to vary the duration of the pulse width of a drive signal applied to the step motor to effect a driving of same.

A multifigured or matrix-type liquid crystal display is driven by an applied voltage selected so that the effective value of the voltage applied to a display segment identified visually may have the maximum ratio to the effective value of the voltage applied to a display segment not identified visually. The multi-figured display can be driven as an X-Y matrix by coupling together the corresponding segment electrodes of each figure and sequentially actuating the common electrode of each figure. In a matrix-type liquid crystal display, the respective row electrodes of each digit would be coupled together, and the column electrodes sequentially actuated, to likewise define an X-Y matrix. In such an X-Y matrix-type liquid crystal display having N electrodes sequentially actuated, the applied voltage may be predetermined so that the voltage applied across a region of the liquid crystal material between said electrodes to be rendered visually identifiable may be (.sqroot.N + 1) times as high as the voltage applied to a region of the liquid crystal material between said electrodes which is not rendered visually identifiable.

Driving method for liquid crystal display

A compact electronic calculator having an input circuit defined by a plurality of lead switches mounted beneath an operative surface for selective actuation by a manually manipulatable permanent magnet. The calculator further includes a calculating circuit coupled to said input circuit and formed from LSI elements, display means formed from liquid crystal display elements and a battery power source.

Growing community of inventors

Suwa, Japan

Minoru Hosokawa