Time Setting Device For An Electronic Clock

Abstract

The invention relates to a time setting device for an electronic watch comprising an oscillator, a frequency divider and counting and display devices for the minutes and for the hours connected in series. This device comprises further at least one commutator to switch the input of the counter of the watch onto a capacitor, a resistor charging said capacitor, the forward or backward stepping of this counter of one unit being controlled by the discharge of said capacitor.

Description

The present invention has for its object a time setting device for an electronic time indicator and more particularly for an electronic watch.

The known electronic clocks or table clocks comprise time setting circuits of two different types. The ones are used to reset once for every 24 hours the time indicator in a well determined position for example at 12 o'clock. Thus once a day at 12 o'clock the time setting is automatically made what enables to cancel the working errors from one day on the other. These time setting devices are however not adapted for the portable electronic watches which have to be able to be set at any time of the day and if possible at one or several time setting speeds.

There exist electronic watches the time setting circuit of which comprises two control switches and causing, when they are actuated, the feeding either of the hours counter, or of the minutes counter with a signal of a frequency higher than the one corresponding to the normal working of the watch. It is thus possible to advance the time indicator at two different speeds, both greater than the normal working speed by injection of a frequency for example of one cps at the input of the minutes counter or at the input of the hours counter.

The drawback of such devices resides on the one hand in the fact that to effect the time setting of the watch it is necessary to operate several switches and on the other hand in the fact to have only one or several definite speeds for the time setting.

The present invention tends to remedy to these drawbacks by the fact that the time setting device of an electronic watch comprises at least one commutator enabling to switch the input of the counter of the watch on a capacitor, which is charged through a resistor, the discharge of which causes the forward or rearward counting of one unit of this counter.

The attached drawing shows schematically and by way of example two embodiments of the device according to the invention.

FIG. 1 is a first embodiment thereof.

FIG. 2 is a second embodiment thereof.

The electronic watch shown very schematically at FIG. 1 comprises a main oscillator 1 feeding a frequency divider 2 controlling a counting and display device for the minutes 3, which feeds in its turn a counting and display device of the hours 4.

The time setting device comprises two push button switches 5 and 6 which are normally maintained in the position shown by a spring, and the electronic watch is working normally.

When it is desired to change manually the indication of the minutes for example, one has to make a short pressure on the switch 5. This operation disconnects temporarily through the contact 5a the minutes counting circuit 3 of the oscillator 1 and applies an electric pulse obtained through the discharge of a capacitor 7 which has been charged by a resistor 8. This pulse makes the minutes counting and display device 3 to go forward by one unit.

By actuating several times the push button 5, the pulse is produced each time, and the minutes indication goes forward step by step, enabling thus the setting at any wanted value of the display of the minutes. A second contact 5b of the commutator 5 interrupts the normal connection between the minutes counter 3 and the hours counter 4 during the production of the pulse which makes the minutes counter 3 to go forward step by step. This is done in order to avoid that during the setting of the minutes, the indication of the hours be changed.

If one desires to modify the hours indicator, one proceeds in the same way as for the minutes setting, in actuating this time the push button 6, the working of which is the same as the push button 5 but for that it has no second contact since the hours counter 4 is not followed by other counters. The forward setting pulse is given by the discharge of the condenser 9 charged by a resistor 10. This arrangement permits to effectuate a setting of the hour step by step of an electronic watch by commencing either with the minutes or with the hours at will.

In variant the two commutators 5 and 6 could be replaced by a deviator or throw-over-switch.

This time setting system may be modified by the introduction of four push buttons or two throw-over-switches.

The introduction of supplementary push buttons (FIG. 2) enables to have the minutes or the hours come backwards step by step.

One could in this manner choose either to advance or to step backward the hours or minutes indicator, according to the shorter way to reach the desired time from a given initial position.

It is evident that to reach this aim, the condensers 7', 9' respectively charged by the resistors 8', 10' give rise to a discharge pulse which is delivered at a second input of the counters 3 and 4.

The very simplicity of the time setting device has to be noted which does not necessitate any auxiliary oscillator. Furthermore the user may effect the time setting at a speed he wants through successive pushes on the commutators.

Claims

We claim:

1. A time setting device for an electronic watch comprising an oscillator, a frequency divider and counting and display devices for the minutes and for the hours connected in series and which comprises further at least one commutator to switch the input of the counter of the watch onto a capacitor, a resistor charging said capacitor, the stepping of this counter of one unit being controlled by the discharge of said capacitor.

2. A device according to claim 1 which comprises two commutators, the one for the setting of the minutes and the other for the setting of the hours.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said commutators, each associated with one of the counters of the watch, cause by the discharge of a capacitor, the forward stepping of one unit of the considered counter; and which comprises further two other commutators, each associated with one of the counters of the watch, causing by the discharge of a capacitor, the backward stepping of one unit of the considered counter.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the stepping of said counter is forward.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the stepping of said counter is backward.