JPS5945954B2 - electronic clock - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece, and more particularly to an electronic timepiece comprised only of electronic switches.

When a mechanical switch such as a push button switch is used as a switch for adjusting the time in an electronic watch, there are problems such as the switch cannot be made more compact than a certain extent and is subject to mechanical wear and tear.

In order to overcome this drawback, it has been proposed to use a touch switch that can be switched purely electronically.

However, the above-mentioned touch type switch has a drawback that it may switch if it is touched by mistake even when switching is not intended.

To deal with this, a method has been proposed in which a mechanical safety switch is provided in addition to the touch switch, and the touch switch is not operated unless the safety switch is used to release the lock.

However, if this method is adopted, the effect of providing an electronic switch in order to eliminate the mechanical switch will be lost.

The present invention was made with the aim of providing an electronic timepiece that is composed of purely electronic switches and is equipped with a touch switch that does not switch at undesired times.

The present invention will be explained below using examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external plan view of an electronic wristwatch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This embodiment is an example of an electronic wristwatch that displays hours and minutes, in which a touch switch is used to correct the display.

An hour correction touch electrode 4 is provided near the hour display section 2 on the windshield 1, a minute correction touch electrode 5 is provided near the minute display section 3,
Further, a reset touch electrode 6 is provided at a position that can be distinguished from the hour and minute correction touch electrodes 4 and 5.

The touch electrodes 4, 5 and 6 are made of a transparent conductive thin film and are deposited on the window glass 1.

Indium oxide is usually used as the thin film material, but tin oxide or the like may also be used.

These thin films easily bond with glass and are difficult to peel off simply by rubbing with fingers, making them sufficiently practical.

These touch electrodes 4, 5.6 made of conductive thin films are insulated by an insulating film 8 sandwiched between the windshield 1 and the front frame 10 and guided into the inside of the watch.

The insulating film 8 also serves as a backing. 9 is a band.

Although the electronic timepiece of this embodiment is not provided with a mechanical safety switch, even if the time adjustment touch electrode 4 is accidentally touched, for example, the time will not be adjusted.

To correct the time, a certain circuit (for example, 5
If the user touches the time correction touch electrode 4 (5 times within seconds) and continues to touch the hindlimb electrode 4, the time display will be fast-forwarded while the touch is being made.

The display of minutes can be corrected in the same way.

Even if you touch the time correction touch electrode 4, there will be 4 more times within 5 seconds.
If you do not touch it twice, you will automatically lose the memory of being touched.

Note that once the time has been corrected, the state in which the time can be corrected is canceled by touching the reset touch electrode 6.

Next, a configuration example of a circuit for realizing the above operation will be explained using FIGS. 2 and 3.

Signals C4, C5, and C6 in FIG. 2 are applied to the touch electrodes 4 and 5, respectively.
When touching ゜6, it is "1" (logical value 1 is written as "1", the same applies hereafter), and at other times it is "0".

For example, a circuit as shown in FIG. 3 is used to set the output to 1'' when the touch electrodes 4, 5, and 6 are touched.

The terminal ■ in FIG. 3 is connected to the back cover (not shown) and the front frame 7 of the electronic wristwatch, and is always in contact with a part of the body (usually the left wrist).

Terminal ■ is connected to touch electrode 4゜5 or 6, both terminals ■
, ■ as the input of the CMOS inverter In, the CMO
When the terminal ■ is connected to the touch electrodes 4, 5, or 6, the signals outputted to the output terminal ○ of the S inverter In are taken out as signals C4, C5, and C6, respectively.

A gate input of the CMOS inverter In is connected to a negative power supply voltage -■ via a high resistance R.

Now terminal ■. When the terminal 0 is in an open state, the gate input of the CMO8 inverter In is at a low potential, so the terminal 0 becomes a high potential ("0"), but if the touch electrode 4, 5, or 6 is touched, both terminals When ■ is connected via human body resistance Z, C
Since the gate input of the MOS inverter In becomes a high potential, it is inverted and the terminal [F] becomes a low potential (1'').

In this circuit, the high resistance R is a load resistance for determining the inversion potential of the CMOS inverter In, and the capacitor C and the high resistance R constitute a low-pass filter, which functions to prevent induced noise from the outside.

Returning to FIG. 2, the circuit configuration will be explained.

The fast forward signal 10 is, for example, a signal for fast forwarding the time at IHz.

The signal C4 is input to the time correction counter 11.

There are two outputs of the hour correction counter 11.The output 11a is ``1'' when the content of the hour correction counter is ``1'', and 0'' otherwise, and the output 11b is ``1'' when the content of the hour correction counter 11 is 1.
5'', it is 1'', and other times it is 0''.

The output 11a is input to the S terminal of the SR flip-flop FFI, and the Q output of the flip-flop FF1 and the above output 11b are ANDed by an AND gate G4, and the SR
It is input to the S terminal of flip-flop FF3.

The Q output of the flip-flop FF3, the signal C4, and the fast-forward signal 10 are ANDed by an AND gate G6, and this output becomes the fast-forward output G6a.

The Q output of the above flip-flop FF1 also becomes one input of the AND gate G2 via the OR gate G1.

A fast forward signal 10 is applied to the other input of the gate G2, and the output of the gate G2 is counted by a time counter 12.

The output 12a of the time counter 12 is ``1'' when the content of the time counter 12 is ``5'', and is 0'' otherwise.

The output 12a is connected to the R terminal of the flip-flop FF1 via an OR gate G3.

This is the circuit related to time correction.

The circuit for the correction includes gates Gl, G2 . G3 and the time counter 12 are common, and in addition, the terminal C
5. Minute correction counter 13. SR flip-flop FF2
, Antogame-1-G5. It consists of an SR flip-flop FF4 and an AND gate G7, and its configuration is similar to the circuit related to time correction.

Then, the reset signal C6 is applied to the time correction counter 11. Time counter 12, minute correction counter 13, flip-flop F
F3゜Connected to the R terminal of FF4, and also the OR gate G3
It is connected to the R4 children of flip-flops FFI and FF2 via.

Next, the operation of this circuit will be explained.

The case where the hour adjustment is performed will be explained as an example, but the minute adjustment is also done in exactly the same way.

When the time correction touch electrode 4 is touched, the signal C4 becomes "1", and the content of the time correction counter 11 becomes "1", resulting in an output 11aIJ'-1", and the flip-flop FFI
is set and the Q output becomes 1''.

Therefore, one input of AND gate G4 becomes 1",
Since the content of the correction counter 11 is now "1", the other input 11b of the gate G4 remains "0", so the AND gate G4 is turned off.

On the other hand, the Q output of flip-flop FF1 is OR gate G1
The AND gate G2 is turned on via the gate G2, and a fast forward signal (for example, IHz) 10 is input to the time counter 12 through the gate G2.

In this embodiment, when the content of the time counter 12 is "5", the output 12a becomes "■", and when the content of the hour counter 11 is "15", the output 11b becomes 1", so the current time is Five seconds have passed since the first touch of the modified touch electrode 4.
That is, the explanation will be divided into cases depending on whether it is faster for the output 12a to become ``1'' or whether it is faster to touch the time-correcting touch electrode 4 four times after the first touch.

(a) When the touch electrode 4 is touched four more times before 4 or 5 seconds have passed since the first touch.

When the touch electrode 4 is touched for the first time, the content of the correction counter 11 becomes "1", so the output 11a becomes 1", and the Q output of the SR flip-flop FFI becomes 1", so the Q
The output causes one input of the AND gate G4 to become 1'', and the other input to the AND gate G2 via the OR gate G1.
is turned on, the fast forward signal 10 is input to the clock counter 12 through the AND gate G2, and the clock counter 12
starts counting fast-forward signals 10 (for example, IHz).

At this time, if the content of the time counter 11 becomes "5" (that is, after 4 to 5 seconds have passed), the output 12a becomes 1", and the flip-flop FF1 is reset via G3 (or game). 4G4 is turned off, but in this case, before the flip-flop FF1 is reset as described above, that is, while one input of the AND gate G4 is 1", the hour correction counter 11 is set to "5".
Then, the output 11b becomes 1", so the output of the ant game) G4 becomes 1" and the SR flip-flop FF3 is set.

Thereafter, even if flip-flop FF1 is reset 5 seconds after the first touch input, flip-flop FF5 remains set regardless of this.

If the touch electrode 4 is continued to be touched in this state, the AND gate G6 is turned on by the Q output of the Frisopflotz 7''FF3 and the touch signal C4, and passes the fast forward signal 10, thereby fast forwarding the hour display.

If you stop touching the touch electrode 4, fast forwarding will also be interrupted.

(b) On the contrary, after touching the touch electrode 4 for the first time,
If there are no 4 more touch inputs within 5 seconds, the output 12a of the time counter 12 becomes ``1'' before the output 11b of the time correction counter 11 becomes 1'', and the Noritsu flop FF1 is activated. Since it will be reset, even if output 11b is
Even if it becomes "0", the Q output of the control flop FF1 has already become "0", so the AND gate G4 is not conductive and the flip-flop 3 is not set.

As can be seen from the above explanation, flip-flop FF3 functions as a safety lock, and in order to release this lock, it must be done a certain number of times (for example, 5 seconds) within a certain period of time (for example, 5 seconds).
), all you have to do is tap the touch electrode 4.

Although the touch electrode 4 may be touched at an undesired time,
Since it is unlikely that the touch screen will be touched five times in five seconds by mistake, there is no possibility that the safety lock will be released at an undesired time.

When you touch the reset touch electrode 6, the reset signal C6 is
1'' and the circuit of FIG. 2 is reset and returns to its initial state.

In this embodiment, when the reset touch electrode 6 is touched, the circuit shown in FIG. 2 is only reset, but with the electrode 6,
It may also be used as a signal instructing restart of clock operation after fast-forwarding.

In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a touch-type switch, which does not require a mechanical safety switch, is used as the time adjustment switch.

However, as can be seen from the explanation of the above embodiment, the configuration in which the flip-flop FF 3 (or FF 4 ) is set by touching the touch electrode 4 (or 5) five times within 5 seconds can be used as is. For example, it can be used as a mode changeover switch in a watch that can display hours, minutes, date, and seconds by changing the mode, or as a switch to turn on or off the display in a watch that uses light emitting diodes. Can be applied.

However, in the electronic clock that can switch the display mode mentioned above,
For example, when changing the mode from hours and minutes to date and seconds, the hour correction touch electrode will automatically switch to the date correction touch electrode, and the minute correction touch electrode will automatically switch to the second correction touch electrode. It is even more convenient to do so.

Further, in the above embodiment, the output of the OR gate G3 is only connected to the reset terminal of the flip-flop FF'l, but the output of the OR gate G3 is further led to the reset terminal of the time correction counter 11, touch electrode 4 to 5
If there are no more than four touch inputs within seconds, the time correction counter 11 may be reset together with the flip-flop FFI.

When actually using the electronic timepiece of the embodiment shown in FIG. It is preferable to reset the hour correction counter 11 and then start touching the hour correction touch electrode 4. However, if the configuration is as in this modified embodiment, even if the hour correction touch electrode 4 is accidentally touched, the time correction counter will be reset after 5 seconds. 11 is reset, the effect is that it is not necessary to first touch the reset touch electrode 6 when correcting the display.

Incidentally, all of the above explanations have been made regarding an example in which the touch electrode serves both as a command to release the safety lock and as a touch electrode to command display correction after the safety lock is released.

Of course, the touch electrode for releasing the safety lock and the touch electrode for modifying the display, switching modes, etc. may be separate.

That is, by setting the safety lock flip-flop FF3 by touching the safety lock touch electrode 5 times within 5 seconds and setting the output of the flip-flop FF3 to '1', input to the other touch electrodes is set. The configuration may be such that a gate is turned on so that the signal can be introduced into each display correction circuit, mode switching circuit, etc.

At this time, for example, if you touch the safety lock touch electrode again and the content of the counter for that touch electrode becomes "6", the output of the counter (when the content is "6", it becomes 1")
By configuring the safety lock flip-flop to be reset by , the safety lock can be configured such that touching the safety lock touch electrode 5 times within 5 seconds releases the safety lock, and touching it again locks it again. .

As described in detail above, the present invention provides a convenient and simple electronic timepiece that has a novel mechanism that can be constructed only with an electronic switch instead of a mechanical safety switch.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an external plan view of the embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are circuit diagrams of essential parts of the embodiment. 1 window glass, 4: hour correction touch electrode, C4: hour correction signal, 5: minute correction touch electrode, C5: minute correction signal,
6: Reset touch electrode, C6: Reset signal, 11:
Hour correction counter, 12: Time counter, 13: Minute correction counter, FF1 to FF4: SR type rough flip-flop Gl, G3 near gate, G2. G4 to C7: And gate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device having a plurality of touch-type switch means each having a locking function, comprising: means for measuring the number of touch inputs from the touch-type switch means; and means for measuring the number of touch inputs from the touch-type switch means; a means for measuring a predetermined number of touch inputs within a predetermined time period based on the measurement content of the number of touch inputs and a predetermined time period; 1. An electronic timepiece, comprising means for reversing and storing a state only when an input is made, and the touch switch means being unlocked by reversing the state of the storage means.