U.S. patent number 3,800,523 [Application Number 05/166,501] was granted by the patent office on 1974-04-02 for quartz crystal wrist watch.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha. Invention is credited to Satoshi Yamazaki.
United States Patent |
3,800,523 |
Yamazaki |
April 2, 1974 |
QUARTZ CRYSTAL WRIST WATCH
Abstract
A quartz crystal wrist watch wherein means are provided for
removably mounting along the periphery of the watch the battery
power source, the oscillator and associated circuitry and an
electro-mechanical converter. The electro-mechanical converter is
provided with a rotor coupled to the gear train of the watch
positioned in the central portion thereof. The oscillator and
associated circuitry are removably mounted in said watch by means
of a resin case adapted to carry said oscillator and associated
circuitry.
Inventors: |
Yamazaki; Satoshi (Suwa,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Kabushiki Kaisha Suwa Seikosha
(Tokyo, JA)
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Family
ID: |
26406176 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/166,501 |
Filed: |
July 27, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Jul 27, 1970 [JA] |
|
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45-65035 |
Sep 10, 1970 [JA] |
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45-78803 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
368/159;
331/116R; 968/823; 331/158; 368/202; 968/452; 968/878 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04F
5/063 (20130101); G04F 5/06 (20130101); G04C
3/008 (20130101); G04F 5/00 (20130101); G04G
17/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G04F
5/06 (20060101); G04G 17/02 (20060101); G04F
5/00 (20060101); G04C 3/00 (20060101); G04G
17/00 (20060101); G04c 003/00 (); G04b
037/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;58/23R,23A,23AO,23TF,23V,53,55,88 ;331/177,179 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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3693343 |
September 1972 |
Assmus et al. |
3469389 |
September 1969 |
Nakai et al. |
3553957 |
January 1971 |
Dome et al. |
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Primary Examiner: Tomsky; Stephen J.
Assistant Examiner: Jackmon; Edith Simmons
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman &
Kaplan
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a quartz crystal wrist watch, the improvement which comprises
time standard crystal oscillator means; circuit means for producing
a driving signal for said wrist watch in conjunction with said time
standard oscillator means, said circuit means including fine
adjustment means for adjusting the frequency of said oscillator
means, a temperature compensating element, an electrical
oscillation circuit means, an electrical divider circuit means
coupled to the output of oscillation circuit for reducing the
output frequency of said oscillation circuit and an electrical
driving circuit means for producing said driving signal; and case
means for receiving and carrying said time standard oscillator
means and said circuit means and adapted for removable mounting in
said watch, said case means being formed with a first channel in
one side thereof dimensioned for receipt of said time standard
oscillator means, a second channel in said one side thereof for
receiving said fine adjustment means and a third channel in the
opposed side of said case means for receiving said oscillation
circuit means, said divider circuit means and said driving circuit
means.
2. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 1, including a
fourth channel in said one side of said case means for receiving
said temperature compensating element.
3. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said
second and third channels are in essentially overlapping relation
on opposed sides of said case means.
4. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said
time standard oscillator means is mounted in a substantially
cylindrical housing means, said first channel being dimensioned to
receive said housing means.
5. In a quartz crystal watch, the improvment which comprises time
standard oscillator means of the tuning fork type of crystal
oscillator having a frequency of more than 16 kHz; and circuit
means for producing a driving signal for said wrist watch in
conjunction with said time standard oscillator means, said circuit
means including an electrical oscillation circuit means coupled to
said time standard oscillator means for maintaining the frequency
of said oscillator, an electrical divider circuit means for
receiving the high frequency signal produced by said time standard
oscillator means and electrical oscillation circuit means for
producing an output signal of reduced frequency, and an electrical
driving circuit means for producing said driving signal in response
to said output signal, said electrical oscillation circuit means
and said divider circuit means including MOS component means, said
driving circuit means including integrated circuits and case means
for receiving and carrying said time standard oscillator means and
said circuit means and adapted for removable mounting in said watch
case.
6. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 5, including
battery power source means adapted for removable mounting in said
watch and for releasable electrical connection to said circuit
means for energizing said circuit means; electro-mechanical
converter means releasably electrically connected to said circuit
means for receiving said driving signal therefrom; drive train
means mechanically coupled to said electro-mechanical converter
means for being driven thereby, said drive train means,
electro-mechanical converter means, battery power source means, and
said case means carrying said time standard oscillator means and
circuit means being positioned in side-by-side relation in said
watch.
7. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 1, wherein said
case means is formed from an elastic resin.
8. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 4, wherein said
case means includes a holder means removably mounted to said
first-mentioned side of said case means for retaining said housing
means and said fine adjustment means in said case means.
9. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 8, wherein at
least a portion of said holder means is formed of a metal for
providing capacitive shielding.
10. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 2, including
screw-operated terminal means cooperating with said case means for
providing releasable interconnection between said time standard
oscillator means, said fine adjustment means, said temperature
compensating element, and the combination of said electrical
oscillation circuit means, said electrical divider circuit means,
and said electrical driving circuit means.
11. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 10, wherein
said combination of said electrical oscillation circuit means,
electrical divider circuit means, and electrical driving circuit
means is provided with output and input leads, positioned adjacent
opposed ends of said case means and formed to permit releasable
electrical connection therewith.
12. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 6, including a
substantially round plate, said electro-mechanical converter being
a step motor having a driving coil and a rotor; said step motor
driving coil, said battery power source, and said case means
incorporating said time standard oscillator means and said circuit
means being positioned on the peripheral region of said plate, said
step motor rotor and said drive train means being positioned in the
central portion of said plate.
13. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 12, including
a stem operatively coupled to said drive train and positioned at
the 3 o'clock position on said plate, said battery power source
means being positioned at the 12 o'clock position on said plate;
said case means carrying said time standard oscillator means and
said circuit means being positioned adjacent said battery power
source means; and said step motor driving coil being positioned
intermediate said stem and said case means.
14. A quartz crystal wrist watch as recited in claim 6, wherein
said circuit means includes input and output terminal means
positioned respectively on opposed ends of said case means, said
input terminal means being adjacent said battery power source
means, and including screw-operated terminal means for releasably
connecting said battery means to said circuit means input terminal
means and said step motor driving coil to said circuit means output
terminal means.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to quartz crystal wrist watches and to the
physical structure thereof. Quartz crystal wrist watches are
generally provided with a battery power source, a crystal
oscillator which serves as a time standard and associated circuitry
for converting the output of the oscillator to the desired driving
signal, an electro-mechanical converter responsive to said driving
signal such as a pulse motor and indexing mechanism, and the drive
train of the watch.
These components must be mounted in a watch so as to provide a
compact thin structure. Further, while it be most convenient to
mount these components in a square watch, there is a larger demand
for round wrist watches, thereby complicating the mounting of these
structures into a watch case. Thus, the battery power source
requires a substantial portion of the space of the wrist watch, and
being generally round in shape, occupies a greater space than its
volume would otherwise indicate. Further, if other components are
mounted above or below the battery, the thickness of the watch
would be substantially increased.
The oscillator and associated circuitry includes the crystal
oscillator generally mounted in a vacuum in a hermetic sealed case
provided with a shield cap and external lead terminal, an
oscillation circuit, a fine adjusted mechanism for adjusting the
frequency of the oscillator, a temperature compensating element, a
divider circuit for dividing the frequency of the output of the
crystal oscillator, and a driving circuit for the electromechanical
converter. If these components are separately mounted, assembly and
repair of the watch becomes difficult and expensive. Further, the
method of mounting these components must avoid frequency change
caused by stray capacitance and by external shock.
By the compact assembly approach of the invention, the foregoing
difficulties are solved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, the
components of a quartz crystal wrist watch are mounted so that the
battery power source, the oscillator and associated circuitry and
the electro-mechanical converter are mounted on the periphery of
the watch, with the rotor of said electro-mechanical converter
being positioned centrally of said watch for cooperative engagement
with the drive train of said watch, also located in the central
portion thereof. The oscillator and associated circuitry are
removably mounted on said watch by means of a resin case provided
with grooves therein for receiving the various components.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide a compact
electronic crystal wrist watch having a round configuration.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic quartz
crystal wrist watch incorporating a tuning fork crystal oscillator
as the time standard having a frequency of more than 16 kHz,
oscillation and divider circuits including MOS transistors, a
driving circuit including integrated circuits, and a pulse motor
serving as an electro-mechanical converter.
A further object of the invention is to provide a quartz crystal
wrist watch wherein the various components thereof are readily
connected together for ease in after-sale service and assembly, and
wherein the crystal oscillator and the associated circuitry thereof
are removably mounted as a unit.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a quartz
crystal wrist watch having a time standard oscillator not affected
by the environment, such as external disturbances due to shock or
ambient stray capacitance.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be
obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction,
combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be
exemplified in the constructions hereinafter set forth, and the
scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a quartz crystal wrist watch
according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the quartz crystal wrist watch
according to the invention showing in particular the crystal
oscillator and circuitry associated therewith according to the
invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a resin case for receiving said
time standard oscillator and association circuitry;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the resin case of FIG. 3 having
said time standard oscillator and associated circuitry mounted
therein; and
FIG. 5 is a full plan view of the quartz crystal wrist watch
according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, wherein an equivalent circuit diagram of
the time standard oscillator and associated circuitry of the watch
according to the invention is depicted, crystal oscillator 1 is
shown coupled to an oscillation circuit 2, in part through a
stepped variable condenser 3 for adjusting the frequency of the
oscillator and a temperature compensating element 4. A resin case
for receiving the oscillator and its associated circuitry is shown
schematically by dashed line 5, said associated circuitry including
a divider circuit 6 for reducing the frequency of the output signal
of the oscillator and a driving circuit 7 for driving the motor or
other electro-mechanical converter.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the time standard oscillator and
associated circuitry is shown mounted on a resin case 8 which may
be formed, for example, from an elastic resin having thermo-setting
properties, which resin case is in turn mounted in the quartz
crystal wrist watch according to the invention. The time standard
crystal oscillator is mounted within a cylindrical crystal
oscillator casing 9a. The crystal oscillator is mounted within said
casing on a stem, and is provided with three external lead
terminals 10. Casing 9a is evacuated, and is sealed
hermetically.
The Crystal oscillator utilized as time standard may be a tuning
fork crystal oscillator having a frequency of more than 16 kHz. An
alternate type of oscillator is a leaf spring oscillator, which is
advantageous for mass production, but requires 23 mm in length
where a frequency of 16 kHz is required, and where resistance to
outside shocks is required. A leaf spring oscillator of less than
23 mm in length is substantially affected by the suspension wire
and may not be used as a time standard source in a wrist watch. The
length of the leaf spring oscillator is even further increased to
about 28 mm when it is suspended within a hermetically sealed case
by a shock resistant mounting. For the foregoing reaons, the left
spring oscillator is not particularly adapted for use in compact
and round wrist watch movements, and accordingly, the turning fork
oscillator is preferred. Said tuning fork oscillator may be only 13
mm in length, and may be specially mounted and sealed hermetically
within a cylindrical metal case of only 16 mm in length. A tuning
fork crystal oscillator takes the general shape of a tuning fork,
as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,081,405 and 3,131,320.
The crystal oscillator casing 9a is provided with a cap 9b on the
external lead terminal portion thereof in order to minimize the
effect of stray capacitance between said external lead terminals
and other portions of the circuitry. The lead wires pass through
windows in portions of said cap, but the crystal oscillator is
shielded. The temperature compensating element 11 is formed of
BaTi0.sub.3 and is wired to other lead elements by a terminal plate
12.
Also mounted on resin case 8 is a stepped variable condenser for
fine adjustment of frequency of said oscillator. Said condenser
consists of a group of condensers formed on a glass substrate 13 by
vacuum evaporation. A contact spring 14 is mounted on said resin
plate by means of a screw 15 above said glass substrate. The
separate condensers deposited on substrate 13 can be selectively
added to or removed from the circuit to determine the total
capacitance thereof by means of a group of pins 16 which
selectively engage one of the fingers of contact spring 14 to bring
said finger into engagement with the corresponding capacitor on the
substrate. In other words, the fingers of contact spring 14 may be
selectively brought into and out of engagement with the capacitors
on substrate 13 by inserting or removing pin 16.
The oscillation circuit, divider circuit and driving circuit,
formed from MOS components and integrated circuits, are mounted on
the opposed side of resin case 8 opposite substrate 13. Said
components are retained within the resin case by means of an epoxy
resin which protects said components from outside influences such
as moisture. Said electronic circuits include a 15-stage flip-flop
divider circuit for dividing the frequency of the output of the
oscillator circuit and a reset circuit. Both the oscillation and
divider circuits may be formed of hybrid integrated circuits, but
if MOS circuits are utilized, both the oscillation and divider
circuits can be incorporated in about a 2 mm square space. Even
with the use of epoxy resins, by using MOS circuits, the space
required for the oscillation and divider circuitry can be reduced
by from 1/2 to 1/3, as compared with the space required by
conventional type of circuits using only integrated circuits. The
lead terminals of the electric circuits mounted below the resin
case 8 are electrically connected to the components above said
resin case by means of screws and pin connectors, as well as a
group of lead terminals 18 preferably formed as thin plates. The
top surface of the resin case may be enclosed by a metal holder 19
which serves as a shield plate for the capacitors on substrate 13,
and as a retention device for contact spring 15, pin 16 and crystal
oscillator 9a.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, we see that the top surface of
resin case 8 is formed with a channel 20 for receiving the crystal
oscillator 9, a channel 21 for receiving the stepped variable
condenser substrate 13, and a channel 23 for receiving the
temperature compensating element 11. The back of resin case 8 is
provided with a channel 22 for receiving the oscillation and
divider circuits 17a, the driving circuit 17b which is coupled to
an electro-mechanical converter, silicon 17c for protecting the
circuits, and an epoxy resin 17d for retaining said components
together. The channel 21 for receiving the stepped variable
condenser substrate and channel 22 for receiving the electric
circuits are positioned in overlapping relation on opposed sides of
the resin case.
Accordingly, it is seen that the components of the crystal
oscillator and its associated circuitry are all mounted on resin
case 8 for removal from and mounting in the quartz crystal watch
case according to the invention as a unit. The structure is
extremely compact, occupying from about 1/3 to about 1/5 of the
volume of the available space in the watch. The foregoing
arrangement greatly enhances both the initial manufacture and the
aftersaid maintenance of the watch, since the entire time standard
oscillator assembly can be replaced as a unit, and can be worked on
outside of the watch. The structure is particularly shielded to
prevent the adverse affect of stray capacitance on the oscillator.
Further, the crystal oscillator is firmly mounted within the resin
case which is elastic, and therefore assists in shock
resistance.
Referring now to FIG. 5, the quartz crystal watch depicted therein
is provided with a stem 31 disposed at the position of three
o'clock, on a round plate 32. A battery 33 is mounted on said plate
at about twelve o'clock. As noted above, the battery is round but
is positioned at the periphery of the watch. A negative pulse
terminal plate 34 connects the battery 33 to the oscillator
circuitry which is mounted on resin case 35. Said resin case is
similar to the resin case 8 described above, in that it supports
all of the components of the oscillator and associated circuitry
for removable mounting on plate 32. The crystal oscillator casing
36 containing the crystal oscillator is disposed in a channel on
the top surface of resin case 35. Fine adjustment of the frequency
of the oscillator is provided by stepped condenser 37 similar in
structure to the condenser 13, 14, 15 and 16 of FIGS. 2 and 4. Also
mounted on the resin case is the temperature compensating device
38. The electronic circuitry 39 is fixed on the opposed side of
resin case 35 opposite the stepped condenser. The input and output
terminals of said electronic circuitry include electrical signal
terminal 40a for applying the driving signal to the pulse motor
which serves as the electro-mechanical converter. These terminals
all extend from one of the electronic circuitry, namely the side on
which said pulse motor is positioned. The remaining terminals all
extend from the opposed side of the electronic circuitry.
Specifically, terminals 40c are connected to the crystal
oscillator, terminal 40d is connected to the negative pulse
terminal 34 of the battery, and terminal 40e is a reset terminal.
The latter terminals are all positioned on the side of the
electronic circuitry adjacent the battery. The output and input
terminals of the tuning fork crystal oscillator 41 are also
disposed on the battery side of the oscillator case 36, in order to
simplify the terminal connection with the circuitry. Leads 42 are
provided for connecting the stepped condenser and temperature
compensating device. Coupled to the electrical circuitry 39 by
leads 40a is the electro-mechanical converter 43a which converts
the electrical output signal from said circuit into rotary movement
of the gear train of the watch. Said electro-mechanical converter
includes a coil 13a formed from copper wire having 2.5/100 .phi.mm,
which wire is wound in about 15,000 turns on a coil core formed of
magnetic material. Coil 43a defines the driving coil of the pulse
motor and is substantially cylindrical in shape. The output signal
from said circuit consists of an alternating pulse train, one pulse
of which is applied to said driving coil each second. The
magnetomotive force generated in the coil is applied to stators 43b
and 43c to rotate a rotor 44 in predetermined angular increments.
The rotor 44 may be made of Pt CO material and is provided with six
poles formed alternately as north and south poles.
The above described pulse motor is utilized in place of the
conventional pallet-fork escapement as an electro-mechanical
converter, since said pallet-fork escapement occupies too large an
area, and would preclude the provision of a round compact wrist
watch. Thus, the pallet-fork escapement has an outer diameter of
about 5.about.7.phi.mm, while the outside diameter of the pulse
motor is only about 3.phi.mm. However, the cylindrical shape of the
driving coil 43a precludes the mouting of any components above or
below said coil, where a thin wrist watch is desired. Accordingly,
said driving coil is positioned on the periphery of the watch
according to the invention.
Rotor 44 is rotated by the magnetomotive force and its rotating
energy is transmitted to a fourth wheel 45 of the watch gear train,
which in turn in operatively coupled to the gear train third wheel
and center wheel for driving same. A second hand jumper 46 is
coupled to fourth wheel 45 for indexing the position of the second
hand. A regulating lever 17 for the operation of said second hand
is also positioned in the central region of the watch, one end of
said regulating lever being engaged with stem 31, the other end of
said regulating lever being engaged with the end of jumper 46 for
manipulating said jumper. Not shown in FIG. 5 is a reset mechanism
disposed near the stem which is provided with a switch mechanism
cooperatively operated with the crown and regulating lever. Said
reset switch cuts off a portion of the divider circuit so that the
output signal of the divider is cut off.
The quartz crystal wrist watch according to the invention consists
of a plurality of components arranged on a round plate in such
manner that the stem is favorably disposed near the 3 o'clock
position, the battery is disposed near the 12 o'clock position, the
time standard oscillator and associated circuitry are formed as a
unit and positioned adjacent the battery, and the driving coil of
the pulse motor is disposed between the time standard oscillator
and the stem. Said battery, time standard oscillator and associated
circuitry and pulse motor driving coil are all positioned along the
periphery of said round plate. The regulating and reset mechanism,
along with the drive train of the watch are positioned in the
central region of the watch, whereby overlapping relation between
the larger components is avoided.
The foregoing arrangement provides for simplified terminal
connections and for a round, particularly flat watch movement.
Further, three major components of the watch, specifically the
battery power source, the oscillator and associated circuitry, and
the mechanical components of the watch, may be readily separated,
with the function of each block being separately adjustable. This
feature, which permits the removal of components by merely removing
selected screws, is particularly advantageous to after-sales
service. Further, this arrangement is also particularly adapted for
mass production.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, and those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended
to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention
herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention
which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall
therebetween.
* * * * *