Abstract: The invention provides a very thin electronic watch having a casing with a front wall provided with a glass, a rear wall and a side wall connecting the front and rear walls. In the casing there is a spindle substantially perpendicular to the front and rear walls and mounted pivotally with respect to the casing, a toothed transmission wheel secured to the spindle, a "minutes" disc perpendicularly secured to the spindle and provided with a tooth arrangement on its periphery, and an "hours" disc pivotally mounted on the spindle, substantially parallel to the "minutes" disc and provided with a tooth arrangement on its periphery, the "minutes" and "hours" discs being disposed between the glass and the toothed transmission wheel. The casing further has an electric motor, a supply source, a first gear train engaging the rotor of the electric motor and the "minutes" disc and a second gear train engaging the "hours" disc and the transmission wheel.

Abstract: The watch, as exemplified by FIG. 6, comprises a motor 9 which drives the hands of a timepiece mechanism and a motor 15 which advances those of a chronographic mechanism. When the timepiece mechanism is in operation, a counter 98 receives every six seconds a pulse which opens a gate 85 which passes a pulse of 32 Hz and causes the shaft of the motor 9 to advance one step. When the stopwatch mechanism is in operation, a counter 78 receives ten pulses per second; every ten pulses it sends a pulse to the motor 15 and drives the chronographic second hand. When the chronographic mechanism is stopped, this second hand shows the seconds of chronometric time, the supplementary tenths of seconds being stored in the counter 78. The state of this counter 78 is compared with the state of an UP-DOWN counter 86 which determines the position of the second hand of the timepiece mechanism.

Abstract: The invention relates to an encapsulated piezoelectric resonator device comprising an oscillating member having a quartz member and a frame integral with and surrounding the quartz member, the frame having two connecting faces, electrodes on the quartz member, and two cover members, each having a central depression defining a frame provided with a connecting face, each connecting face of the oscillating member being bonded with the connecting face of the cover member for sandwiching the oscillating member between the cover members.The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such an encapsulated piezoelectric resonator device comprising the steps of machining a quartz plate by photolithography for making at least one oscillating member, forming electrodes on the quartz member, making at least two cover members having central depressions defining their peripheral frames and bonding the oscillating member with two cover members by their frames.

Abstract: An electromagnetic stepping motor has a stator with an armature having the shape of an isosceles trapezoid the base of which is interrupted by a central gap and which is provided with three pole faces. The rotor comprises a permanent magnet. The stator comprises two coils one of which is located between a pole face opposite said gap and one of the other two pole faces. The other coil is located between the pole face opposite said gap and the other of said other two pole faces. When a current passes through the coils, the rotor is subjected to magnetic fields having directions which are oblique to each other and which are symmetrical with respect to a diameter of the rotor. The sense of the coil currents determines the sense of the fields. The arrangement is such that one can create in the zone of the rotor a resultant magnetic field which can extend in any one of four different directions dependent on the sense of the currents passing through the coils.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece with hands 1, 2 has a plurality of auxiliary digital displays 5, 6 and 7 for indicating the same parameter, e.g., the day of the month. Only the digital display not interfering, at a given moment, with the analog time display is activated by a control circuit which decodes which of three sectors a, b and c are occupied by the hands. The display in the unoccupied sector, or one of the two unoccupied sectors, is always selected.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a miniature stepping motor 10 for a watch movement comprising a rotor 12 and a stator 11 pierced with a circular opening in which the rotor is located. A reinforcing band 18 surrounds the rotor concentrically and is pressed into the circular opening of the stator. This band 18 consists of a hollow cylindrical part 19 and an annular part 20 which closes at least partially the tubular piece constituting the band 18. A central opening in the annular part 20 provides a housing for the bearing 16 of the rotor axle.This band ensures a double function: that of making the stator rigid and that of centering the rotor.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece comprising means to appreciably increase the number of distinctive information which can be introduced and, if necessary memorized, for a given number of terminals intended for that purpose, information needed for the adjustment of the frequency. The integrated circuit of the timepiece is provided with a first group of m terminals and it comprises an introduction circuit having inputs reserved to introduce the desired information, these inputs being connected to a second group of n terminals of the integrated circuit. The introduction circuit has also control inputs and each of the n terminals of the second group is capable to be connected, by a connection external to the integrated circuit, with one of the m terminals of the first group. The introduction circuit is arranged in such a way as to deliver to its outputs, at least periodically, one distinctive information for each of the m.sup.n possible combinations of the mentioned connections.

Abstract: The invention, which may be used in particular as a frequency standard, seeks to avoid disturbance in the control action in respect of the cavity 10 by a powerful parasite signal due to the line of stimulated emission. Control of the cavity and control of the oscillator 1 on the line of stimulated emission control in a shared-time mode. A control circuit 40 acts on the carrier by way of a programmable synthesizer 43, the carrier than assuming the successive values .omega..sub.+, .omega..sub.H, .omega..sub.-, .omega..sub.H, .omega..sub.+, etc. in stages. .omega..sub.H is centered on the line of stimulated emission; .omega..sub.+ and .omega..sub.- which are symmetrically shifted interrogate the flanks of the emission line. By means of a signal INH, the control circuit 40 periodically suppresses the output of an active filter 42 and thus interrupts the detection action used for controlling the cavity, during the periods in which .omega..sub.Q is equal to .omega..sub.+ or .omega..sub.-.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of manufacturing the substrate of an electrochromic display cell as a result of which the ionic conductor of the cell cannot come into contact with the transparent conductive elements which form part of this substrate. A transparent conductive layer, a layer of an electrochromic material and a layer of photosensitive material having a positive action are deposited in turn on a transparent plate. A network of conductive elements is formed by etching away the electrochromic layer and the conductive layer through a mask constituted by the photosensitive material which is selectively exposed and developed. The electrochromic material is then etched away through a second mask formed by the same photosensitive material selectively exposed and developed a second time. This second mask is also used for the deposition of a layer of dielectric material. The conductive elements are thus covered with a continuous layer of dielectric material and of electrochromic material.

Abstract: A system for fastening the coil of a step-by-step motor in an electric or an electronic watch.It is characterized by the fact that one or both pole pieces 4 and 4' of the coil 2 have extrusions 10 and 11 of cylindrical shape which extend perpendicular to the plane of the pole piece 4 and are intended to be introduced into corresponding boreholes in the substrate of the printed circuit 1.This arrangement is advantageous since the extrusions can be produced by stamping before the heat treatment of the pole pieces, which eliminates the stresses which might, upon the mounting of the coil, destroy the magnetic qualities of the materials.

Abstract: The maser of the invention is particularly suitable for forming a frequency standard, by virtue of its excellent degree of frequency stability. The stimulating signal injected into a hydrogen maser cavity 10 is phase modulated at a single modulating frequency from a source 34 by a modulator 2. Nevertheless, the envelope detected signal picked off from the cavity and detected by a detector 13 includes two error signal components which respectively represent the difference between the carrier frequency of the injected signal and the frequency of the stimulated emission and the difference between the resonance frequency of the cavity and the said carrier frequency. These components are distinguished by their phases and phase shifters 42 and 44 and bring them respectively into phase with the modulating signal for detection in detectors 23 and 33 whose integrated outputs are used to control the oscillator 1 (and hence the said carrier frequency) and the cavity tuning respectively.

Abstract: The shift register has a very low power consumption. Each cell of the shift register has two stages, each comprising an MOS structure (T.sub.1 -T'.sub.1) which has two principal electrodes (Z.sub.00, Z.sub.1) respectively forming the input (Z.sub.oo) and the output (Z.sub.1) of the stage, and two control electrodes (k.sub.1, k'.sub.1) one of which (k.sub.1) can be connected to a bias source (P) and the other of which (k'.sub.1) is connected to the output electrode (Z.sub.1), and a capacitor (C.sub.1), one plate (Z.sub.1) of which is connected to the said output electrode (Z.sub.1) and the other plate (C.sub.1) of which receives one of two periodic signals .phi..sub.1 (t) and .phi..sub.2 (t) in phase opposition. The register is especially useful in a frequency divider circuit.

Abstract: This invention relates to a polymeric electrolyte for an electro-optical device including an electrode provided with an electrochromic layer and a counter electrode which comprises a mixture of a protonic polymer and water in which the product of the water content and the gram equivalent weight of polymer is equal to or less than the product of the molecular weight of water and the number n of water molecules bonded per anion group of each monomer of the polymer, the number n being 6 in the case of a sulphonic polymer.The electrolyte, which may be used, e.g. in a display cell including an electrode provided with an electrochromic layer, for example WO.sub.3, and a counter electrode, is inert relative to the electrochromic layer.

Abstract: An electro-optic passive display cell including two glass plates positioned spaced from each other with the edges thereof sealed and having an active constituent disposed between said plates. The plates are maintained in spaced and sealed relationship by a frame-shaped distance-piece adhered to the plates by a layer of glass paste solidified by sintering. The cell is formed by applying a high frequency induction current to fuse the frame-shaped piece to at least one plate.

Abstract: To prepare a masking agent resistant to temperature, one adds silica powder to a photoresist. The mixture thus obtained is used to produce selective deposition of a layer of material on a substrate. The mixture of photoresist and silica powder serves as a photo-sensitive protective material which is then eliminated partially by selective exposure to light and use of a photographic developer. The temperatures involved in the deposition of the layer of desired material, for instance tin oxide, are about 500.degree. C. (deposition in the vapor phase), and the photo-sensitive material would be liable to destruction if it did not contain silica powder. It is then necessary, once the deposition of the desired material has been effected, to increase the temperature of the workpiece up to about 540.degree. C. to destroy and, hence, to eliminate the protective material.

Abstract: A fabrication procedure for crystal resonators in which belted component holders are used, each accomodating the constituent elements of a resonator. When the above-mentioned elements are assembled, the component holders serve the purpose of assembly fixtures. The assembled resonators are retained in the component holders which thus also provide a packaging function for the final products. The component holders have elastically deformable clamps which accomodate the constituent elements of the resonators to be assembled and have support sections which receive the crystal element of each resonator.

Abstract: In preparing an electrolyte comprising a mixture of poly[2-acrylamido-2-methyl-propanesulfphonic acid] and water in which a pigment is distributed substantially homogeneously, monomer of the formula CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH--CO--NH--C(CH.sub.3).sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --SO.sub.3 H is first dissolved in water with a pigment suspended in it. A polymerization initiator, such as 2,2'-azo-bisisobutyronitrile, is added to the mixture and the polymerization reaction is carried out with agitation, at a temperature in the range from room temperature to 60.degree. C. Finally, part of the water is evaporated from the viscous mass obtained, to give the desired mix. The pigmented electrolyte may be used in electro-optical devices such as electrochromic display cells.

Abstract: The frequency divider allows division of the frequency of two signals in phase opposition .phi..sub.1 (t) and .phi..sub.2 (t). A shift register 10 comprises an assembly of transistors and capacitors which form a plurality of cells connected one after the other, each cell being comprised of two identical stages which are connected in series and are supplied respectively by the periodic signals. Means for detecting particular stages of the register comprise the MOS transistors T.sub.8, T.sub.9, and T.sub.10. Means for producing a signal with a frequency which is a sub-multiple of that of the said periodic signals comprise the transistors T.sub.11 and T.sub.12, the transistor T.sub.13, the capacitor C.sub.7 and the capacitor C.sub.9. The divider is especially suitable for use in quartz oscillator watches.

Abstract: An electronic measuring apparatus for measuring the rate of an analog-display electronic watch which comprises a quartz oscillator, a frequency divider with an adjustable division factor, a stepping motor and a circuit which, when the stem of the watch is pulled, produces a measuring signal emitted by the stray field of the coil of the stepping motor and comprising trains of pulses whose period and content are respectively representative of the frequency of the oscillator and the division factor. The measuring apparatus comprises a pick-up means for detecting said measuring signal, circuits for computing the rate of the watch and means for displaying said rate.