IP Library Granted Patent US 11,016,446
Granted Patent B2
US 11,016,446 · App. 16/752,897 · Granted May 25, 2021

Timepiece and motor control method

Inventors: Satoshi Sakai (Chiba, JP); Tetsuya Nobe (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
G04C3/14H02P8/02H02P8/18
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,016,446
App. No.
16/752,897
Granted
May 25, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

A timepiece includes a stepping motor having a rotor and a coil, and a drive circuit that applies a first drive pulse having a stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or less from a reference position and a second drive pulse having the stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or more from the reference position, as a pulse for driving the rotor, to the coil. When a period during which the pulse is not applied to the coil is assumed as a waiting period, the drive circuit generates the waiting period after a first application of the second drive pulse after an application of the pulse to the coil is started and rotates the rotor by one or more turns without passing through the waiting period at at least one predetermined timing after the waiting period.

Claims (13)

1. A timepiece comprising:

a stepping motor in which a rotor magnetized in two poles is rotationally driven in a stator connected to a driving coil;

a drive circuit that applies a first drive pulse having a stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or less from a reference position and a second drive pulse having the stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or more from the reference position, as a drive pulse that is a pulse for driving the rotor, to the driving coil; and

a control circuit that controls application of the drive pulse by the drive circuit, wherein

when a period during which the drive pulse is not applied to the driving coil is assumed as a waiting period, the drive circuit generates the waiting period after a first application of the second drive pulse after an application of the drive pulse to the driving coil is started, and rotates the rotor by one or more turns without passing through the waiting period at at least one predetermined timing that is determined in advance after the waiting period.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein

when a process in which the drive circuit continuously applies the second drive pulse to the driving coil after the drive circuit applies the first drive pulse to the driving coil is assumed as one unit process, the drive circuit applies the drive pulse to the driving coil so as to generate the waiting period every N (N is an integer of 2 or more) unit processes.

3. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein

the drive circuit applies the drive pulse to the driving coil so as to rotate the rotor by one or more turns without passing through the waiting period at at least one application timing and applies the drive pulse to the driving coil so that the waiting period is randomly generated in a period other than the application timing.

4. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein

the waiting period is 0.5 ms or more and 2 ms or less.

5. A motor control method performed by a motor drive device, which includes a stepping motor in which a rotor magnetized in two poles is rotationally driven in a stator connected to a driving coil, a drive circuit that applies a first drive pulse having a stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or less from a reference position and a second drive pulse having the stable stationary position at a rotor rotation angle of 90 degrees or more from the reference position, as a drive pulse that is a pulse for driving the rotor, to the driving coil, and a control circuit that controls application of the drive pulse by the drive circuit, the motor control method comprising:

a control step of, when a period during which the drive pulse is not applied to the driving coil is assumed as a waiting period, controlling the drive circuit to generate the waiting period after a first application of the second drive pulse after an application of the drive pulse to the driving coil is started and rotate the rotor by one or more turns without passing through the waiting period at at least one predetermined timing that is determined in advance after the waiting period.

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Oct 17, 2024
From: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
To: SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 069183/0051 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 28, 2020
From: SAKAI, SATOSHI; NOBE, TETSUYA
To: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
Reel/Frame 051645/0825 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2019-019982 · Feb 6, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200249630A1 · Aug 6, 2020