Timepiece including a mechanical movement whose operation is controlled by an electronic device

    公开(公告)号:US11619910B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-04-04

    申请号:US16572996

    申请日:2019-09-17

    IPC分类号: G04B17/06 G04B17/22 G04C3/04

    摘要: A timepiece includes a mechanical oscillator, formed by a balance and a piezoelectric balance spring, and a control device for controlling the frequency of the mechanical oscillator. This control device is arranged to be capable of generating time-separated control pulses, each including a momentary decrease in an electrical resistance applied by the control device between two electrodes of the piezoelectric balance spring relative to a nominal electrical resistance. The control device is arranged to be capable of applying a plurality of control pulses during each time of a series of distinct correction times or without interruption in a continuous time window, in order to respectively synchronize the mechanical oscillator at a correction frequency whose value depends on a detected positive or negative temporal drift or at a desired frequency for the mechanical oscillator.

    Watch with mechanical or electronic movement provided with a striking mechanism

    公开(公告)号:US11703808B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-07-18

    申请号:US17169633

    申请日:2021-02-08

    IPC分类号: G04C21/06

    CPC分类号: G04C21/06

    摘要: A watch includes a striking mechanism, including an attached gong (4) and a hammer (15), as well as a battery (6) and an integrated circuit (7) powered by the battery and configured to produce current pulses, and an electrodynamic actuator (17) which is connected to the integrated circuit and configured to receive said pulses, the actuator being integral with the hammer or connected to the hammer to generate in response to the pulses a movement of the hammer from a rest position thereof, the movement being able to actuate an impact of the hammer on the gong. The mechanism also includes a spring (27) connected to the hammer so as to return the hammer to its rest position after the impact. Depending on particular embodiments, the hammer undergoes one or more pre-oscillations before reaching the impact. The hammer and the gong may be provided with attracting magnets.

    WATCH WITH MECHANICAL OR ELECTRONIC MOVEMENT PROVIDED WITH A STRIKING MECHANISM

    公开(公告)号:US20210311437A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-10-07

    申请号:US17169633

    申请日:2021-02-08

    IPC分类号: G04C21/06

    摘要: A watch includes a striking mechanism, including an attached gong (4) and a hammer (15), as well as a battery (6) and an integrated circuit (7) powered by the battery and configured to produce current pulses, and an electrodynamic actuator (17) which is connected to the integrated circuit and configured to receive said pulses, the actuator being integral with the hammer or connected to the hammer to generate in response to the pulses a movement of the hammer from a rest position thereof, the movement being able to actuate an impact of the hammer on the gong. The mechanism also includes a spring (27) connected to the hammer so as to return the hammer to its rest position after the impact. Depending on particular embodiments, the hammer undergoes one or more pre-oscillations before reaching the impact. The hammer and the gong may be provided with attracting magnets.

    Motor drive unit of a DC electric motor

    公开(公告)号:US11012014B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-05-18

    申请号:US16671408

    申请日:2019-11-01

    IPC分类号: H02P7/291 G04C3/16

    摘要: A motor drive unit for driving a direct current electric motor including a moving part equipped with permanent magnets. The motor drive unit, which is powered by a voltage supply source, includes a switch circuit, an inductor circuit and a capacitor circuit including a set of capacitors. By selectively opening and closing the switches of the switch circuit, a series of consecutive low energy pulses can be generated such that the power consumption of the motor drive circuit is minimized.

    Timepiece comprising a mechanical movement whose rate is regulated by an electronic device

    公开(公告)号:US11415946B2

    公开(公告)日:2022-08-16

    申请号:US16354217

    申请日:2019-03-15

    IPC分类号: G04C3/04 G04B17/06 G04B17/28

    摘要: A timepiece includes a mechanical oscillator, formed by a balance and a piezoelectric balance spring, and a regulating device for regulating the frequency of the mechanical oscillator which is arranged to be able to produce time-separated regulating pulses, each consisting of a momentary decrease in an electrical resistance applied by the regulating device between two electrodes of the balance spring relative to a nominal electrical resistance. Each regulating pulse produces a variation of rate which varies as a function of its moment of starting in a half-period of the mechanical oscillator, the characteristic function of this variation of rate relative to the moment of starting of at least one regulating pulse respectively in at least one half-period of the mechanical oscillator being negative in a first temporal zone of at least one half-period and positive in a second temporal zone of at least one half-period.

    Control method of a direct current electric motor

    公开(公告)号:US11063537B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-07-13

    申请号:US16656848

    申请日:2019-10-18

    IPC分类号: H02P6/14 H02K21/24 H02P6/06

    摘要: The present invention concerns a method of controlling a rotational speed of a rotor (3) of a direct current electric motor (1) comprising an inductor circuit (A, B) for rotating the rotor, which is configured to rotate continuously and is equipped with permanent magnets. The method comprises: measuring the rotational speed of the rotor; determining a time drift in the rotor rotation compared to a reference signal; defining N speed thresholds with at least one being a variable speed threshold depending on the determined time drift, the N speed thresholds defining N+1 rotational speed ranges for the rotor; determining in which one of the N+1 rotational speed ranges the determined rotational speed of the rotor is; and finally selecting an action relative to the control of the inductor circuit, based on the determined rotational speed range, for controlling the rotational speed of the rotor.