Seiko Instruments Inc

Asics Corporation

Seiko Watch Kabushiki Kaisha (trading As Seiko Watch Corporation)

Tomohiro Ihashi

Akira Takakura

Kenji Ogasawara

Kazuo Kato

Takanori Hasegawa

Kazumi Sakumoto

Kosuke Yamamoto

Eriko Noguchi

Hiroshi Shimizu

Keisuke Tsubata

Saburo Manaka

Keishi Honmura

Satoshi Sakai

Katsuya Mugishima

Hisao Nakamura

Tamotsu Maesawa

Kazuhiro Koyama

Yoshinori Sugai

Toshitaka Fukushima

Ayumi Matsumoto

Takehiro Tagawa

Akihito Okumura

Ryota Shinayama

Takayuki Nomura

Shotaro Kamiyama

Youzou Kajita

A stepping motor control device configured to drive a stepping motor having a rotor and a coil includes: a train wheel including a load gear which has a load tooth whose rotation load is different from that of another tooth and in which the rotor has an odd number of rotation steps when the load gear rotates once, and transmitting a rotation force from the rotor to the hand; a voltage detection unit that detects an induced voltage generated at one end portion of a first end portion and a second end portion of the coil when the rotor vibrates; and a determination unit which, based on a result detected by the voltage detection unit, determines a mechanical load received by the rotor due to contact of the load tooth of the load gear with a tooth meshing with the load gear.

Stepping motor control device, movement, timepiece, and stepping motor control method

A timepiece movement includes a control unit that determines a position of an indicating hand by detecting a rotation state of a rotor, and a train wheel that transmits a drive force of a stepping motor to the indicating hand, and that has a first gear, and a second gear and a third gear which mesh with the first gear. The first gear has a reference load unit that causes fluctuations in a load applied to the rotor in each case of meshing with the second gear and the third gear. A first line segment which connects a center of the first gear and a center of the second gear to each other forms an angle smaller than 180&#xb0; with a second line segment which connects the center of the first gear and a center of the third gear.

Timepiece movement and timepiece

Provided is a communication system that includes an electronic timepiece and a communication apparatus, in which, when the electronic-timepiece communication unit demands a communication connection to the communication apparatus, the communication-apparatus control unit inquires whether or not the electronic timepiece is included in the connection approval list that is stored in the communication-apparatus storage unit, in which, in a case where the electronic timepiece is included in the connection approval list, the communication-apparatus communication unit establishes a communication connection to the electronic timepiece and performs data communication through which at least clock time data is sent to the electronic timepiece, and in which, in a case where the electronic timepiece is not included in the connection approval list, the communication-apparatus communication unit does not establish the communication connection to the electronic timepiece.

Communication system, communication method, electronic timepiece, and communication apparatus

A stepping motor control device is configured to drive a stepping motor by applying a normal drive pulse or a fixed pulse having an energy larger than that of the normal drive pulse. The stepping motor control device includes a determination unit configured to, based on whether or not a pulse applied to the stepping motor before the normal drive pulse is the fixed pulse, determine whether or not to add a degaussing pulse is applied to the normal drive pulse, the degaussing pulse being a pulse for canceling a residual magnetic flux generated in a stator of the stepping motor when the fixed pulse; and a drive control unit configured to, based on a determination result of the determination unit, drive the stepping motor with the normal drive pulse to which the degaussing pulse is added.

Stepping motor control device, timepiece and method for controlling stepping motor

A timepiece capable of selecting a timepiece mode and a chronograph mode includes an hour hand and a minute hand which indicate current time in a case where the timepiece mode is, selected. A main control unit performs control so as to start measuring time by simultaneously starting hand operations of the hour hand and the minute hand in a case where the chronograph mode is selected. When the hand operation of one of the hands is stopped, the control unit performs control so as to indicate the time when the hand operation of the one hand is stopped, and to continue to measure the time by continuing the hand operation of the other hand.

Timepiece

A wristwatch includes a storing unit that stores relational data for predetermined user classifications, such as gender and body height, indicating a relationship between a traveling pitch, which is the number of steps taken by a user per predetermined amount of time, and a traveling speed which is a running speed or a walking speed. A correcting unit corrects the stored relational data based on a set of a measured traveling pitch and a measured traveling speed. A speed calculating unit calculates a traveling speed of the user from a measured traveling pitch of the user based on the stored relational data that correspond to a user classification input by the user and that has been corrected.

Electronic apparatus and program

An electronic timepiece includes a first display unit and a second display unit that display time. A receiving unit receives a time modification command including time information for modifying a first time displayed by the first display unit. A control unit outputs a first change command for automatically changing the first time displayed by the first display unit into a modified time different from a second time displayed by the second display unit based on the received time information, and outputs a second change command for changing the second time displayed by the second display unit into the first time displayed by the first display unit before the first time is changed into the modified time. A display drive unit changes the first time and the second time based on the first change command and the second change command, respectively, from the control unit.

Electronic timepiece and program

An electronic device has a storage unit that stores unit information relating to movement with respect to each of an elevating state and a horizontal movement state and an altitude measurement unit that measures a series of altitudes. An altitude change determination unit determines whether the movement is the elevating state or not using a first determination section having a first altitude range based on a first set of altitudes within the measured series of altitudes, and determines whether the movement is the horizontal movement state or not using a second determination section having a second altitude range smaller than the first altitude range and based on a second set of altitudes within the measured series of altitudes. A movement distance calculator reads from the storage unit the unit information corresponding to the state determined by the determination unit and calculates a movement distance based on the read unit information.

Electronic device, measurement data processing method, and measurement data processing program

An electronic device includes at least an acquisition unit, an input unit, a time correction amount calculation unit, and a transmitting unit. A timepiece includes at least a receiving unit, a power storage unit, a drive unit, and a control unit. The input unit receives an input of the time displayed by the display unit of the timepiece. The time correction amount calculation unit calculates a time correction amount for correcting the time of the timepiece from a difference between the time, the input of which is received by the input unit and the current time acquired by the acquisition unit. The transmitting unit transmits the time correction amount to the timepiece by using light. The receiving unit receives the time correction amount. The power storage unit stores electricity by using power converted from the light. The drive unit drives the indicating hand. The control unit corrects the time displayed by the indicating hand, based on the time correction amount received by the receiving unit. The control unit controls a power storage period in the power storage unit and a receiving period in the receiving unit so as to receive the time correction amount in the receiving period.

Time correction system, electronic device, timepiece, and program

A power saving movement includes a center wheel and pinion driving a minute hand and minute detection wheel. A gear ratio of the center wheel/pinion with respect to the minute detection wheel is 1/M. The minute detection wheel has N minute detection portions which are disposed on the same rotation trajectory as the center wheel & pinion. N and M are integers. The minute detection wheel transmittable portions are disposed at an interval of 360&#xb0;/N. A pair of the center wheel transmittable portions are disposed in parallel at an unequal angular interval of a center axle of the center wheel & pinion. An angular interval of the center wheel transmittable portions adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the center axle of the center wheel & pinion is set to magnification of 360&#xb0;/(M&#xd7;N).

Movement and electronic timepiece

A timepiece movement includes a second light emitting element, a second light receiving element, and a second wheel & pinion that drives a second hand and that has a first second wheel transmittable portion and a second second wheel transmittable portion through which light is transmittable, A control unit detects a position of the second wheel & pinion by causing the second light receiving element to receive the transmitted light emitted from the second light emitting element and transmitted through the first second wheel transmittable portion or the second second wheel transmittable portion, and a second detection wheel has a second detection wheel transmittable portion through which the transmitted light is transmittable. The control unit detects a transmitting time point at which the transmitted light is transmitted through the first second wheel transmittable portion or concurrently through the second second wheel transmittable portion and the second detection wheel transmittable portion. After the transmitting time point, when the second detection wheel transmittable portion is located at other positions except for a second detection position where the second detection wheel transmittable portion is located at the transmitting time point, the control unit causes the second light emitting element to stop light emitting.

A timepiece movement includes a center wheel & pinion that drives a minute hand, a second wheel & pinion arranged coaxially with a center axle of the center wheel & pinion, a first light emitting element arranged on one side in an axial direction of the center axle with respect to the center wheel & pinion and the second wheel & pinion, and a first light receiving element arranged on the other side in the axial direction of the center axle across the second wheel & pinion, and that detects light emitted from the first light emitting element. The center wheel & pinion has a first center wheel transmittable portion through which the light emitted from the first light emitting element is transmittable, and a second center wheel transmittable portion which is disposed on a rotation trajectory of the first center wheel transmittable portion and through which the light emitted from the first light emitting element is transmittable. The second wheel & pinion has a first second wheel transmittable portion which is disposed on the rotation trajectory of the first center wheel transmittable portion and the second center wheel transmittable portion when viewed in the axial direction of the center axle and through which the light emitted from the first light emitting element is transmittable.

An electronic device includes a display part having a light source which transmits an optical signal, a direction detection part for detecting a direction of orientation of a display screen of the display part, and a controller for transmitting data by the optical signal from the display part to an electronic timepiece when the direction of orientation of the display screen detected by the detection part faces a predetermined direction.

Electronic device, communication method and recording medium

An electronic apparatus includes a sensor, a body that is provided separately from and is not incorporated to a shoe worn by a user, and a processing circuit provided on the body. The processing circuit obtains, based on a detection result of the sensor, a number of steps taken by the user during traveling while wearing the shoe, and calculates a wear degree, indicating a degree to which the shoe of the user is worn out, based on the number of steps.

An electronic timepiece includes a solar power source, a voltage stabilizer circuit that generates a constant voltage by using power supplied from the solar power source, and a control circuit that clocks the time by driving a rotating body at first hand operation speed and at second hand operation speed which is faster than the first hand operation speed. The control circuit selects a voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the first hand operation speed, and selects at least any one voltage of the constant voltage and the voltage of the solar power source so as to drive the rotating body in a case of the second hand operation speed.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Tomohiro Ihashi