Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detection circuit that detects an induced signal and detects whether or not the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a detection segment having a plurality of detection areas, and a control unit that determines the state of rotation of a stepping motor on the basis of a pattern indicating whether or not the induced signals exceed the reference threshold voltage and, on the basis of the result of detection, controls the driving of the stepping motor with anyone of a plurality of main drive pulses different from each other in energy or a correction drive pulse having larger energy than the main drive pulse. An ineffective area is provided between at least the two detection areas, and the control unit determines the state of rotation of the stepping motor without considering the induced signal.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece whose chronograph hands are electrically drive-controlled and mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, wherein it possible to perform a normal operation at the time of start operation and reset operation. After a mechanical control unit releases the setting of chronograph hands in response to the start operation of a start/stop button, a contact portion is placed in a start state, and an electrical control unit starts a time measurement operation to electrically hand-movement-drive the chronograph hands, and, after a contact portion is placed in a reset state in response to a reset operation of a reset button and the electrical control unit electrically resets the time measurement operation, the mechanical control unit mechanically zero-restores and sets the chronograph hands.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detection portion that detects a rotation condition of a stepping motor, and a control portion that drives and controls the stepping motor by a correction drive pulse P2 having larger drive energy than one of any one of a plurality of main drive pulses P1 each having different drive energy and the respective main drive pulses P1 depending on a detection result of the rotation detection portion. The control portion drives the stepping motor by switching to a fixed drive pulse having drive energy not smaller than drive energy of a main drive pulse P1nmax having maximum drive energy in a case where there is no drive allowance when the stepping motor is driven by the main drive pulse P1nmax having the maximum drive energy. The stepping motor is thus rotary driven normally even in a DC magnetic field.

Abstract: The invention is intended to detect whether or not a stepping motor is rotated when being driven immediately after a pulse-down control accurately. A control unit drives the stepping motor with a first main drive pulse after the pulse-down control, and then drives the same with a correction drive pulse. A second detection circuit detects a state of rotation on the basis of a current flowing through the stepping motor when being driven with the correction drive pulse. The control circuit controls a drive pulse selection circuit so as to select the main drive pulse to be used for the next time on the basis of a result of detection of the second detection circuit. The drive pulse selection circuit rotates the stepping motor with the main drive pulse corresponding to a control signal.

Abstract: When a stepping motor is driven to rotate by a main driving pulse, if an induced signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is detected only in a third segment, a pulse down operation is performed, and the main driving pulse is not changed when the same is detected in at least a first and the third segments. When it is detected only in a second and the third segments, a rank-up is performed without performing the driving by a correction drive pulse and, when it is not detected in at least the third segment, the rank up operation is performed after the driving by the correction driving pulse.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent the chronograph drive timing and the magnetic field detection timing from overlapping each other to unnecessarily effect driving with correction drive pulses. A processing unit controls drive circuits so as to drive a time indication motor and a chronograph indication motor with a predetermined timing based respectively on timekeeping information obtained and chronograph measurement information obtained, and effects control such that a magnetic field detecting unit detects a magnetic field with a predetermined timing; when the drive timing for the chronograph indication motor and the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit overlap each other, the processing unit changes the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit so that the drive timing for the chronograph indication motor and the magnetic field detection timing for the magnetic field detecting unit may not overlap each other.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent the battery reliability service life time from being exceeded even when the period of time that the chronograph function is used is short, making it possible to prevent failure generation in the chronograph timepiece due to liquid leakage. A 24-hour counter down-counts a period of time that has elapsed starting from 24 hours, and a chronograph counter down-counts the period of time that chronograph measurement operation is performed from a predetermined time; when the count values of the 24-hour counter and the chronograph counter become equal to each other, a processing unit consumes a battery for the residual period of time of the two counters by a battery power consuming unit.

Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece in which it is possible to prevent a non-rotation state at the time of first driving when chronograph measuring operation is reset during motor drive and restarting is effected. When a resetting operation is performed on a reset button during the driving of a motor and a rotation detection circuit detects non-rotation, a drive control unit controls a drive pulse generation circuit such that the control is completed without reversing the polarity of a motor drive pulse output from the drive pulse generation circuit, and that the motor is driven by a drive pulse of the same polarity as that at the time of the previous resetting in response to a starting operation performed on a start/stop button, driving the motor by the drive pulse of the same polarity at the time of restarting after the resetting.

Abstract: A chronograph timepiece makes it possible to make sure that it normally operates at the time of an initial starting operation such as system resetting without having to perform a difficult operation or the like. When a system reset signal is input to a system reset terminal and it is detected that initial starting has been effected, a processing unit enables a time hand and a chronograph hand to move after permitting the time hand to perform a predetermined demonstration hand movement when both a start/stop switch and a reset switch have not been simultaneously operated; when these switches have been simultaneously operated, the processing unit enables the time hand and the chronograph hand to move without permitting demonstration hand movement.

Abstract: When it is judged that a chronograph second counter and a chronograph minute counter have measured a maximum measurement time, a maximum measurement control unit controls a drive pulse generation circuit so as to drive and stop a motor such that chronograph hand stops at predetermined positions. When, in this state, a restarting operation is performed on a start/stop button, a normal chronograph measurement operation is restarted. At this time, a mechanical structure has been restored to a reset state, so that even at the time of restarting after the measurement of the maximum measurement time, the load at the starting operation is the same as that of the normal operation, thus generating no sense of incongruity.

Abstract: In response to an instruction to start time measurement given by a start/stop button, an in-phase drive control unit outputs an in-phase control signal of a predetermined time width to a drive pulse generation circuit such that a stepping motor is driven, instead of by a first drive pulse, by an initial drive pulse of a longer drive time than the drive pulse. The drive pulse generation circuit rotates the stepping motor by a motor drive signal including a plurality of in-phase main drive pulses. The stepping motor is rotated by one of the main drive pulses included by the motor drive signal to rotate the chronograph hands.

Abstract: In a chronograph timepiece in which the chronograph hands are electrically rotated by a motor drive pulse and are mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, a basic drive control unit controls a motor so as to drive the chronograph hands when it is detected by a contact portion and a setting releasing detection portion that the setting of the chronograph hands by a setting mechanism has been released.

Abstract: In response to a system reset signal inputted into a system reset port, a control circuit sets a general-purpose port to a high level first. Then, when a mode A is set in an integrated circuit for electronic timepiece, the control circuit sets the general-purpose output port to a low level after an elapse of a first time and when a mode B is set, it sets the general-purpose output port to a low level after an elapse of a second time. In this manner, a mode information signal having a pulse width corresponding to the mode is outputted from the general-purpose output port. It thus becomes possible to reduce the size without adding a special configuration for mode confirmation and to perform a confirmation in a short time.

Abstract: When a reset operation or the driving by a correction drive pulse P2 is performed, a stepping motor is driven by a plurality of main drive pulses P0 for initial setting stored in a storage circuit and the stepping motor is rotary driven by a correction drive pulse P2 following the respective main drive pulses P0, so that the main drive pulses P0 with energy as large as or larger than energy by which it is determined to maintain the pulse rank are used as main drive pulses P1 during normal correction drive. It thus becomes possible to perform driving by a main drive pulse suitable for the stepping motor in consideration of a characteristic variation of the stepping motor.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detecting means for detecting an induced signal generated by rotation of a rotor of a stepping motor, and detecting a rotation state of the stepping motor according to whether the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a predetermined detection section, and a control means for controlling driving of the stepping motor by using any one of a plurality of main driving pulses having energy different from each other or a correction driving pulse having energy higher than energy of each main driving pulse according to a detection result of the rotation detecting means.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detecting means for detecting an induced signal generated by rotation of a rotor of a stepping motor, and detecting a rotation state of the stepping motor according to whether the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a predetermined detection section, and a control means for controlling driving of the stepping motor by using any one of a plurality of main driving pulses having energy different from each other or a correction driving pulse having energy higher than energy of each main driving pulse according to a detection result of the rotation detecting means.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detecting means which detects an induced signal generated by rotation of a rotor of a stepping motor, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor according to whether the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a predetermined detection section, and a control means which controls driving of the stepping motor by using any one of a plurality of main driving pulses having energies different from each other or a correction driving pulse with energy higher than energy of each main driving pulse according to a detection result of the rotation detecting means. The detection section is divided into a first section immediately after driving by the main driving pulse, a second section after the first section and a third section after the second section.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit and an analogue electronic timepiece can optimize a rank change operation of a main drive pulse by properly determining an available driving force thus realizing the reduction of the power consumption. A detection interval in which a rotation state of a stepping motor is detected is divided into a first interval immediately after driving with a main drive pulse, a second interval which comes after the first interval, and a third interval which comes after the second interval, and a rotation state is detected. A control circuit looks up an interval table which makes respective main drive pulses stored in the control circuit and a length of the second interval, sets the second interval which corresponds to energy of the present main drive pulse. A detection interval determination circuit determines the interval or the intervals in which an induction signal which exceeds a reference threshold voltage is generated.

Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes a rotation detecting means which detects an induced signal generated by rotation of a rotor of a stepping motor, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor according to whether the induced signal exceeds a predetermined reference threshold voltage in a predetermined detection section, and a control means which controls driving of the stepping motor by using any one of a plurality of main driving pulses having energies different from each other or a correction driving pulse having energy higher than energy of each main driving pulse according to a detection result of the rotation detecting means.

Abstract: The present invention aims to prevent a main drive pulse from being moved to a rank having a potential to cause a non-rotating state. A detection segment for detecting a rotating state of a stepping motor is divided into a first segment immediately after the drive with a main drive pulse, a second segment, and a third segment and, when the stepping motor is rotated by the main drive pulse, the main drive pulse is not changed when a detection signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is detected at least in the first and second segments. When it is detected only in the first and third segments, or detected only in the third segment, the rank is moved upward and, when it is not detected in any segment, or detected only in the first segment, the rank is moved upward after the drive with a corrective drive pulse. When it is detected only in the second segment or detected only in the second and third segments, the rank is moved downward.