Seiko Epson Corporation

Nobuhiro Koike

Akihiko Maruyama

Hidehiro Akahane

Kenichi Okuhara

Shigeru Aoki

Hiroshi Suzuki

Kuniharu Natori

Toyoshige Honzawa

Osamu Takahashi

Joji Kitahara

Eiichi Hiraya

Mamoru Miyasaka

Tsuneaki Furukawa

A timepiece movement includes second, minute, and hour hand wheels with second, minute, and hour hand arbors; a 24-hour hand wheel with a 24-hour hand arbor; and a first to third guides that guide an arbor to which a hand attaches. The minute, hour, and 24-hour hand arbors have tubular configurations and are disposed coaxially to the second hand arbor. The minute hand arbor has a diameter greater than the second hand arbor, the hour hand arbor has a diameter greater than the minute hand arbor, and the 24-hour hand arbor has a diameter greater than the hour hand arbor. The first guide is between the second hand arbor and the minute hand arbor, the second guide is between the minute hand arbor and the hour hand arbor, and the third guide is between the hour hand arbor and the 24-hour hand arbor.

Timepiece movement and timepiece

A timepiece movement includes: an hour wheel and pinion; a minute wheel and pinion; a winding stem; a time difference correction train; a date indicator; and a date change mechanism. The hour wheel and pinion includes an hour wheel that rotates with the minute wheel and pinion, an hour jumper, an hour jumper pinion, and an hour wheel body that turns with the hour wheel via the hour jumper and hour jumper pinion, and turns with the time difference correction train. The date change mechanism includes a date change wheel that turns with the hour wheel body, a date change lever, a date change cam that flexes the date change lever by rotating with the date change wheel, and turns in response to the flexed date change lever spring force, and a date change pawl that rotates with the date change cam, and advances the date indicator.

A timepiece movement includes a date indicator for date display, a date indicator driving wheel for advancing the date indicator, a lunar age indicator for lunar age display, and a lunar age indicator driving wheel for rotating the lunar age indicator. The date indicator and the lunar age indicator are coaxially disposed, and the date indicator driving wheel and the lunar age indicator driving wheel are coaxially disposed.

Timepiece movement

The solar battery includes a plurality of cells having a same electromotive force with each other. The display device further includes a display means to display time, and a control means to control operation of the display means. The electromotive force of the solar battery is lower than a deterioration-start voltage of the rechargeable battery. The electromotive force of the cells is higher than a lower-limit driving voltage of the display device, in which a number of such cells equals a total number of cells include in the solar battery minus one. A driving voltage of the display means is lower than the aforementioned lower-limit driving voltage, and an operational voltage of the control means is lower than the aforementioned lower-limit driving voltage.

Solar-powered electronic timepiece

A mechanism having at least a function of measuring an arbitrary elapsed time is provided, which disables the function from being reset after the function is started, and enables the function to be reset after the function is stopped. The function is continuously held in an electrical ON state after being started, except when being normally stopped. This provides a time measurement device and method in which an electrical operating state and a mechanical operating state can coincide.

Time measurement device and method

A timing device includes a time display section and a drive unit. The time display section has a dial with a measurement indicator from a zero time position to a maximum measurable time position, and pointers capable of rotating above the dial in a fan-shaped trajectory. The drive unit drives the pointers above the dial from the zero time position to the maximum measurable time position, and stops the pointers above an extra display section in a position past the maximum measurable time after the maximum measurable time has passed.

Clocking apparatus

In a generatorin an electronic-controlled mechanical timepiece, the winding coreof a coilarranged nearer to the perimeter of a base plateis made shorter than the winding coreof a coilarranged more inside. Accordingly, it is possible to make the area of an openingcan be made smaller in comparison with the prior art, and make the timepiece more small-sized by making smaller the outer diameter of the base plateas keeping the distance Dbetween the corner part of the openingand the perimeter of the base plateto the same degree as the prior art and thereby securing the strength of the base plate

Timepiece device

A timepiece has an ordinary time measuring section including an ordinary time display unit for measuring an ordinary time and time information (i.e., chronograph) measuring sections including chronograph displays for measuring time information other than the ordinary time (i.e., chronograph information). The timepiece is configured such that the ordinary time display unit and the chronograph display units, are disposed on a display surface of the timepiece without overlapping each other.

Clocking device

A time measurement device includes a first motor ( ) for indicating standard time, a second motor ( ) for indicating a chronograph, a generator ( ) which generates driving power for driving the first and second motors by converting mechanical energy into electrical energy, and a zero reset mechanism ( ) for mechanically resetting the chronograph to zero. A compact time measurement device, operable from a low power, is thus provided.

Time measurement device

In a time measurement device ( ) having, at least, both a function of measuring standard time and a function of measuring any elapsed time, when a predetermined amount of time passes from a temporary suspension of a watch hand in position in the middle of the measurement of the elapsed time, the suspension of the watch hand is automatically released and the watch hand is driven to a watch hand position indicating the elapsed time. Provided thereby is the time measurement device which automatically releases the temporary suspension state in time measurement after the predetermined amount of time, thereby shortening the temporary suspension time and reducing power consumed to drive the watch hand to an originally expected watch hand position at the release of the temporary suspension.

Time measurement device and time measurement method

Display device and watch with same

A gear train structure of an electronic watch which is high in hand indication accuracy and which eliminates the occurrence of stopping of the watch due to dust, nap or the like. The electronic watch gear train structure includes a second wheel 13 having a minute hand attached thereto, and a braking wheel 15 for applying to the second wheel 13 a rotary torque of a reverse direction to a direction of rotation of the second wheel 13. The braking Wheel 15 includes a gear adapted to mesh with the second wheel 13, a spring 21 having one end thereof fastened to a shaft of the gear, and a balance spring frame 23 having a circumferential wall surface for contacting with the free end side of the spring 21. By vircute of this gear train structure, a rotary torque of a reverse direction to the direction of rotation of the second wheel is always applied to it from the braking wheel 15 and therefore the backlash between the two gears is always closed up in the reverse direction to the direction of rotation of the second wheel.

Gear train structure of an electronic watch

A multifunction analog electronic watch includes a battery, a circuitry block and a base plate made from a polymeric other electrically non-conductive material. A switching device for controlling application of the voltage from the power source to the circuitry block includes a switching member and two electrode patterns. The first electrode pattern is electrically coupled to the power source and the second electrode pattern is electrically coupled to the circuitry block. The switching member, which is normally biased away from the first electrode pattern and second electrode pattern is operable in response to external pressure for contacting the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern so as to provide an electrical path between the first electrode pattern and the second electrode pattern.

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Chino, Japan

Nobuhiro Koike