Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Yukio Hashimoto

Shigeru Morokawa

Fukuo Sekiya

Yasushi Nomura

Keiichiro Koga

Yasuhiko Nishikubo

An electronic timepiece contains a supply voltage source which provides a supply voltage controlled in accordance with temperature, whereby power consumption is reduced by supplying the timepiece circuit with only the amplitude of supply voltage required at any particular operating temperature. Voltage control is performed in accordance with variations in propagation times of circuit elements with temperature, as determined by variations in the frequency of a ring oscillator circuit.

Voltage control circuit responsive to FET propagation time

An electronic timepiece includes a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency time base signal, a circuit including a frequency converter responsive to the time base signal to provide a relatively low frequency time unit signal, and a time-keeping register responsive to the time unit signal to produce a time information signal. An input means includes an external control to provide an actuation signal when actuated, and an input signal is generated in response to the actuation signal, provision being made for selectively rendering the input signal generating means inoperative. An enabling signal is generated in response to the input signal and the time information signal, and a control responsive to the enabling signal controls the circuit means to correct the time information signal.

Electronic timepiece

An electronic timepiece includes a primary timepiece circuit unit including a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency signal, a frequency converter responsive to the relatively high frequency signal to provide a relatively low frequency time unit signal, timing signals, and a plurality of word pulses indicative of a plurality of data words representing time data concerning the current time, and a set of additional data other than the time data, a timekeeping register arranged to store the time data and the additional data, and display elements for displaying the time data and the additional data. A secondary timepiece circuit unit includes a register arranged to store the additional data to be transferred to the timekeeping register.

An electronic timepiece includes a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency time base signal, a frequency converter responsive to the time base signal to provide a relatively low frequency time unit signal, and timekeeping means responsive to the time unit signal to provide current time information. The current time information is corrected and displayed. A calculation command signal is generated and enables a circuit means to produce, in response to the time unit signal, a frequency error signal indicative of an error in the frequency of the time unit signal. A gain/loss adjustment signal is generated in response to the frequency error signal, and a frequency adjusting circuit is provided for adjusting the frequency of the time unit signal in response to the gain/loss adjustment signal.

An electronic timepiece includes a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency time base signal, a frequency converter responsive to the time base signal to provide a relatively low frequency time unit signal, timing signals, and a plurality of word pulses indicative of a plurality of data words representing time data concerning the current time and additional data concerning alarm time. A timekeeping register stores the time data and the additional data and provision is made for generating a carry signal in dependence on the time data. The information in the register is altered in response to the time unit signal and the carry signal to update the time data and provision is made to write in the additional data into the register. The coincidence between the current time and the alarm time is detected by an alarm unit which generates a coincidence signal indicative thereof. Display elements responsive to an output of the timekeeping register are operable to display the time data and the additional data.

Electronic alarm timepiece

An electronic timepiece includes a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency time base signal, a frequency converter responsive to the time base signal to provide a relatively low frequency time unit signal, timing signals, and a plurality of word pulses indicative of plurality of data words representing time data concerning the current time, and a set of additional data other than the time data. A primary register is arranged to store the time data and the additional data, and display means displays the time data and the additional data. An external control member is adapted to provide an input signal when actuated, and an indexing signal is generated in response to the input signal. A secondary register is arranged to store a plurality of sets of additional data and is operable to transfer each set of additional data to the primary register in a sequential manner as the first mentioned set of additional data in response to the indexing signal, whereupon each of the sets of additional data is sequentially displayed by the display means.

An electronic timepiece includes a frequency supply for providing a relatively high frequency time base signal, a frequency converter responsive to the relatively high frequency time base signal to provide a timing signal, a clock signal, and a time unit signal. A timekeeping circuit is responsive to the time unit signal to provide a time information signal, and at least one of the timing signal, clock signal, and time information signal is chopped into periodic bursts to effect transfer of the at least one of the timing signal, clock signal, and time information signal from one part to another part in the timepiece. The time in response to the time information signal is displayed.

An electronic time piece system is comprised of storing means for storing keeping time data and including counter means responsive to timing signals supplied from a synthesizer, circuit means for setting keeping time data in the storing means, and display means for displaying the keeping time data. The electronic time piece system may be coupled with an option system by which the storing means is supplied with additional data.

An odd number of inverting memory blocks are connected in series in a closed ring circuit. Each inverting elememt comprises a P channel field effect transistor and an N channel field effect transistor which are connected in parallel opposition. Control signals of the same phase are applied to the gate electrodes of the P and N channel field effect transistors. An inverter circuit comprising a pair of field effect transistors having gate electrodes is connected to one of two parallel connected, conductive electrodes of a temporary memory switching circuit. Control gate electrodes of the inverting memory block are controlled by control signals having the same phase and at a frequency to be divided for producing a frequency divided output from the output of one of the inverting memory blocks.

Frequency division circuit

To facilitate acceleration or deceleration of the stepping rate of a time-keeping counter responding to driving pulses from a frequency divider connected to a crystal-controlled oscillator, a succession of such driving pulses is taken from an OR gate with inputs receiving a basic pulse train .phi..sub..gamma. a normally present first ancillary pulse train .phi..sub..beta. spacedly interleaved with pulse train .phi..sub..gamma. and a normally absent second ancillary pulse train .phi..sub..alpha. with pulse positions offset from those of the other two pulse trains. To retard the timepiece, the pulses of train .phi..sub..beta. are blocked for a desired period; to advance it, pulses of train .phi..sub..alpha. are interpolated at a rate depending on the cadence of a series of control pulses selectively synthesized from a combination of low-frequency stage outputs of the frequency divider. Externally set selection signals are temporarily stored in a memory circuit including NOR gates with positive-feedback connections to inverting inputs thereof, the memory circuit being periodically tested by a resetting pulse recurring at a frequency lower than that of the driving pulses.

An electronic timepiece which includes a time reference signal generator, which generates a signal which is used to count time, and is compensated in its frequency in order to have the predetermined frequency value regardless of variations in ambient temperature.

Electric timepiece

A temperature compensated electronic timepiece comprises a time reference signal generator for generating a time reference signal and a temperature compensating device for compensating a change of the oscillating frequency of the time reference signal generator caused by any external temperature change. The temperature compensating device comprises a temperature detector having an element composed of two semiconductors of different respective conductivities (such as a transistor composed of P and N type semiconductors) which are joined to form a junction, or an element composed of a conductor and a semiconductor joined to form a junction. The voltage-current characteristics of the junction are changed when the external temperature exceeds a given temperature to deliver a digital signal whose state is reversed from an initial condition. The output signal from the temperature detector compensates any temperature change of the oscillating frequency of the time reference signal generator.

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Ishigami-Niiza, Japan

Yukio Hashimoto