Patents by Inventor Saburo Manaka

Saburo Manaka has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9190941
    Abstract: A rotation detection circuit detects an induced current flowing through a drive coil of a stepping motor in a detection section divided into a plurality of sections, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor on the basis of a pattern indicating whether or not the induced current exceeds a predetermined reference value in each of the sections. A control unit selects a drive pulse corresponding to the rotation state detected by the rotation detection unit, and supplies a drive current to a drive coil to rotatably drive the stepping motor. The rotation detection unit carries out detection by selecting a detection direction of the induced current in the sections after the first section on the basis of whether or not the induced current exceeding each of a plurality of reference values is detected plural times in the first section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Saburo Manaka, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura, Kosuke Yamamoto, Satoshi Sakai
  • Patent number: 9182746
    Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes: a rotation detection unit that detects a induced signal exceeding a predetermined reference threshold voltage which is generated by a stepping motor in a detection section divided into at least three sections, and detects a rotation state on the basis of a pattern indicating whether the induced signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is detected in each of the sections; and a control unit that selects a main drive pulse depending on the rotation state detected by the rotation detection unit from a plurality of main drive pulses which are different from each other in energy, and drives the stepping motor. When the induced signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is not detected in an initial section, the rotation detection unit detects the induced signal by shifting an end position of at least one section other than the initial section to a rear side by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke Yamamoto, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Kenji Ogasawara, Keishi Honmura, Satoshi Sakai
  • Patent number: 9086685
    Abstract: A control circuit selects a drive pulse group corresponding to the detected voltage of a power cell from among plural drive pulse groups each including plural types of main drive pulses, and selects a drive pulse according to the detected condition of rotation of a stepping motor from among main drive pulses included in the selected drive pulse group or a correction drive pulse having larger energy than the main drive pulses. When the control circuit selects a main drive pulse initially by selecting the drive pulse group, the control circuit selects the main drive pulse having the largest energy in the selected drive pulse group. A drive pulse group selection circuit drives the stepping motor by the main drive pulse in the drive pulse group selected by the control circuit or the correction drive pulse via a main drive pulse output circuit and a correction drive pulse output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke Yamamoto, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura
  • Patent number: 8873344
    Abstract: A power consumption control device includes a power consumption control unit that receives the output potential of a photovoltaic cell generating an electromotive force, receives the output potential of a secondary battery charged by the electromotive force of the photovoltaic cell, causes a timepiece device to transition to a power saving state where a clock operation of measuring time is stopped when the output potential difference of the secondary battery is not greater than a predetermined threshold value, and the secondary battery is in a non-charging state indicating a state where the output potential difference of the photovoltaic cell is not greater than the output potential difference of the secondary battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Kazumi Sakumoto, Kenji Ogasawara, Kosuke Yamamoto, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Akira Takakura
  • Patent number: 8810186
    Abstract: A motor drive device includes a charging detection and reverse current prevention portion and a pulse selection control portion. The charging detection and reverse current prevention portion detects a charging state of a secondary battery that is charged by an electromotive force of a solar battery, the charging state indicating whether the secondary battery is being charged. The pulse selection control portion causes a first drive pulse for driving a motor to be generated and, in a case where the charging state that is detected by the charging detection and reverse current prevention portion is different after the first drive pulse has been output from what it was before the first drive pulse was output, causes a second drive pulse for driving the motor to be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Shotaro Kamiyama, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Keishi Honmura, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8721170
    Abstract: A rotation detection unit configured to detect the condition of rotation of a stepping motor on the basis of an induced signal generated in a drive coil of the stepping motor in a detection period in which the condition of rotation of the stepping motor is detected and a control unit configured to rotationally drive the stepping motor by supplying a drive signal to the drive coil of the stepping motor within the driving period in which the stepping motor is rotationally driven are provided. The driving period and part of the detection period are configured to overlap with each other in a first time interval, and the control unit stops supply of the drive signal to the drive coil of the stepping motor in the first time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Saburo Manaka, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8699304
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a primary power supply portion generating power by converting a first energy into electric energy as a second energy; a secondary power supply portion storing the electric energy obtained by the power generation; a charge detection portion detecting a state where the secondary power supply portion is not charged with the electric energy; a clocking portion clocking time and stopping display of clocked time when an operation input is detected; and a low power consumption state control portion which measures a time of a state where the operation input is detected and the charging is not performed, and stops the operation of the clocking portion when the measured time exceeds a preset time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto, Kenji Ogasawara, Hiroshi Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20140071794
    Abstract: A stepping motor control circuit includes: a rotation detection unit that detects a induced signal exceeding a predetermined reference threshold voltage which is generated by a stepping motor in a detection section divided into at least three sections, and detects a rotation state on the basis of a pattern indicating whether the induced signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is detected in each of the sections; and a control unit that selects a main drive pulse depending on the rotation state detected by the rotation detection unit from a plurality of main drive pulses which are different from each other in energy, and drives the stepping motor. When the induced signal exceeding a reference threshold voltage is not detected in an initial section, the rotation detection unit detects the induced signal by shifting an end position of at least one section other than the initial section to a rear side by a predetermined amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Kosuke YAMAMOTO, Saburo MANAKA, Kazumi SAKUMOTO, Kenji OGASAWARA, Keishi HONMURA, Satoshi SAKAI
  • Publication number: 20140071795
    Abstract: A rotation detection circuit detects an induced current flowing through a drive coil of a stepping motor in a detection section divided into a plurality of sections, and detects a rotation state of the stepping motor on the basis of a pattern indicating whether or not the induced current exceeds a predetermined reference value in each of the sections. A control unit selects a drive pulse corresponding to the rotation state detected by the rotation detection unit, and supplies a drive current to a drive coil to rotatably drive the stepping motor. The rotation detection unit carries out detection by selecting a detection direction of the induced current in the sections after the first section on the basis of whether or not the induced current exceeding each of a plurality of reference values is detected plural times in the first section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
    Inventors: Saburo MANAKA, Kenji OGASAWARA, Kazumi SAKUMOTO, Keishi HONMURA, Kosuke YAMAMOTO, Satoshi SAKAI
  • Patent number: 8569991
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Saburo Manaka, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Shotaro Kamiyama, Keishi Honmura, Kosuke Yamamoto, Hiroshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8406086
    Abstract: An electronic timepiece can reduce a burden imposed on a user who performs a manipulation for correcting the positional displacement of a pointer when a position of the pointer is displaced due to the demonstration of the pointer movement. The electronic timepiece includes: a pointer which is rotated in a first direction based on a manipulation signal corresponding to a manipulation from the outside; and a control part which performs the demonstration of the pointer movement in which the pointer is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction and the first direction, wherein the pointer is positioned at a position where a rotational angle in the first direction from a preset reference position is smaller than a rotational angle in a second direction from the reference position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto, Akira Takakura, Eriko Noguchi, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8351303
    Abstract: An invention allows a stepping motor to be reliably driven to rotate when initializing the driving and allows power consumption of the stepping motor to be reduced. The controller, when initializing the driving (for example, replacing a battery), controls a main drive pulse generator to drive a stepping motor using a main drive pulse having a maximum energy and sets the generation cycle of a pulse down control signal of a pulse down counter for pulsing down the main drive pulse to a first cycle to drive the stepping motor, and when pulsing down the main drive pulse to that having a predetermined energy, changes the generation cycle of the pulse down control signal of the pulse down counter to a second cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Ogasawara, Akira Takakura, Saburo Manaka, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Kazumi Sakumoto, Kazuo Kato
  • Patent number: 8335135
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Saburo Manaka, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Kazuo Kato, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Hiroshi Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20120306428
    Abstract: A control unit is provided which drives a stepping motor in a first mode in which a driving pulse is selected between one kind of main driving pulse and a correction driving pulse with energy greater than the one kind of main driving pulse in accordance with a rotation state of the stepping motor and the stepping motor is driven or a second mode in which the driving pulse is selected among plural kinds of main driving pulses and a correction driving pulse with energy greater than the plural kinds of main driving pulses in accordance with the rotation state of the stepping motor and the stepping motor is driven. The control unit switches a mode between the first and second modes depending on whether the voltage of a secondary cell serving as a power supply exceeds a switch voltage and drives the stepping motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventors: Saburo MANAKA, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120300595
    Abstract: A secondary cell supplies drive power to a motor of an analogue electronic timepiece, and a state detection circuit detects whether or not a state at the time of driving the motor is a predetermined state. A cell voltage detection circuit detects a voltage of the secondary cell at intervals corresponding to a detection result by the state detection circuit. A control unit drives the motor by selecting a drive pulse of energy corresponding to a detection result of the cell voltage detection circuit out of drive pulses of different energies. When the state detection circuit detects that a state at the time of driving the motor is the predetermined state, the cell voltage detection circuit detects the voltage of the secondary cell at intervals shorter than intervals when the state detection circuit detects that the state at the time of driving the motors is not the predetermined state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Inventors: Shotaro KAMIYAMA, Akira Takakura, Saburo Manaka, Hiroshi Shimizu, Keishi Honmura, Kosuke Yamamoto, Kazumi Sakumoto, Kenji Ogasawara
  • Patent number: 8319468
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Saburo Manaka, Takanori Hasegawa, Keishi Honmura, Kasuke Yamamoto, Kenji Ogasawara, Hiroyuki Masaki, Akira Takakura, Kazuo Kato, Kazumi Sakumoto
  • Publication number: 20120287759
    Abstract: A reverse rotation drive pulse includes a first pulse and a second pulse continuing from the first drive pulse and having a polarity opposite from that of the first drive pulse, a rotor is driven in the normal direction by the first pulse so that an axis of magnetic pole of the rotor rotates in the normal direction to a position beyond a notched potion nearest in the same direction, and then in the reverse direction by the second pulse to a position at which the same moves beyond the stable static position, and in the first segment and the second segment, a braking force with respect to the rotor is inhibited by connecting the detecting resistance of the coil in series and also the detection of rotation is performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventor: Saburo MANAKA
  • Publication number: 20120287760
    Abstract: A voltage detection circuit detects a voltage of a secondary cell that powers a stepping motor. A rotation detection circuit detects a rotation state of the stepping motor, and a control unit selects a main driving pulse for driving the stepping motor based on the detected rotation state from plural kinds of driving pulses having different energies. An analog display unit announces that the voltage of the secondary cell becomes a predetermined reference voltage when the voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary cell becomes the predetermined reference voltage. When the control unit selects a predetermined main driving pulse before the voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage of the secondary cell becomes a current reference voltage, the control unit sets the reference voltage to the predetermined reference voltage higher than the current reference voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Inventors: Kenji OGASAWARA, Toshitaka Fukushim, Saburo Manaka, Akira Takakura, Hiroshi Shimizu, Kazumi Sakumoto, Keishi Honmura, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120275276
    Abstract: A power generation unit generates electric power depending on light to be irradiated to a light receiving surface. An electricity storage unit stores the electric power generated by the power generation unit and outputs the stored electric power. A voltage detection unit detects a voltage of the electric power that is output from the electricity storage unit. A processing unit performs time measurement. A chronograph indicator points a time counted by the processing unit and is fixed by a mechanism while the time measurement is stopped. A second driving circuit drives the chronograph indicator by the use of the electric power that is output from the electricity storage unit. The processing unit drives the second driving circuit when the voltage of the electric power which is output from the electricity storage unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Inventors: Hiroshi SHIMIZU, Kenji Ogasawara, Kazumi Sakumoto, Akira Takakura, Keishi Honmura, Saburo Manaka, Kosuke Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8295131
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Instruments Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuo Kato, Akira Takakura, Kenji Ogasawara, Saburo Manaka, Kazumi Sakumoto, Hiroshi Shimizu, Tomohiro Ihashi, Keishi Honmura, Takanori Hasegawa, Kosuke Yamamoto, Eriko Noguchi