Abstract: An electronic timepiece having an acoustic hour information function in which a photosensitive switch mechanism essentially comprising a photosensitive element is provided to detect a quantity of light below a predetermined value in the surrounding environment where the timepiece is placed and control the acoustic hour information function of the timepiece depending upon the detected result.

Abstract: Timepiece comprising means for attaining the function of measuring the time, a time display means, at least part of which is mechanically formed, a means for changing the displayed content of the time display means in response to the operation of an external actuating member and a means for setting information for setting the condition of a timepiece function in accordance with the operation of the external actuating member, the time display means serving as the display of the information to be set upon the setting of the information whereby there may be easily effected the setting of functions except the time setting without increase of the complication of the display means.

Abstract: A voltage conversion system for an electronic timepiece having a power source, which system generates power at lower voltage level than that of the power source for operating at least one of a frequency standard, a frequency converter, a time counter circuit and a display system. The voltage conversion system comprises an oscillator circuit coupled to the power source to generate output signals, a plurality of capacitors, and a plurality of switching elements responsive to the output signals for alternately setting the capacitors in a parallel connected condition and a series connected condition, whereby an output voltage lower than that of the power source is generated at an output terminal of the system.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece including a battery, a drive motor, a drive, a display, and electronic circuits for driving said motor. The motor is a pulse motor and comprises a core, coil, yoke and rotor. The rotor includes a worm gear having worm teeth which engage with a gear wheel. The teeth on the worm gear are arranged and configured such that the initial and final portions of each tooth which engage with the gear wheel are parallel to the plane of rotation of the rotor thereby preventing torque applied to the gear wheel from being transmitted to the rotor.

Abstract: A booster circuit for an electronic timepiece having a power supply and a display device adapted to be driven in a matrix driving mode, which comprises a Cockcroft circuit connected to one terminal of the power supply to provide a plurality of boosted output voltages to the display device and voltage compensating means connected to the other terminal of the power supply to compensate for voltage drops caused by said Cockcroft circuit.

Abstract: An electronic time piece system is comprised of storing means for storing keeping time data and including counter means responsive to timing signals supplied from a synthesizer, circuit means for setting keeping time data in the storing means, and display means for displaying the keeping time data. The electronic time piece system may be coupled with an option system by which the storing means is supplied with additional data.

Abstract: An odd number of inverting memory blocks are connected in series in a closed ring circuit. Each inverting elememt comprises a P channel field effect transistor and an N channel field effect transistor which are connected in parallel opposition. Control signals of the same phase are applied to the gate electrodes of the P and N channel field effect transistors. An inverter circuit comprising a pair of field effect transistors having gate electrodes is connected to one of two parallel connected, conductive electrodes of a temporary memory switching circuit. Control gate electrodes of the inverting memory block are controlled by control signals having the same phase and at a frequency to be divided for producing a frequency divided output from the output of one of the inverting memory blocks.

Abstract: A set of digital indicators in an electronic display unit of a timepiece are actuated by driving pulses transmitted thereto through respective stages of a multistage frequency divider. A switching mchanism is manually operable to advance certain of these stages, independently of the driving pulses and at a faster rate, to adjust the display. A timer discriminates between short-term and long-term switch reversals to differentiate between a gating signal, giving passage to a train of high-rate stepping pulses, and (a) selection signals identifying an indicator to be stepped or (b) manually produced pulses for adjustment at a slower rate.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece including an optical display for both the time and the alarm time setting, an audible alarm, an alarm circuit, an optical display to indicate the state of operation of the alarm circuit, and a means for determining in advance whether the alarm circuit will be operated only once or every time the alarm time setting coincides with the time. Furthermore, the single optical time display is shared to indicate the time and to indicate the alarm time setting while the alarm time is being set. Also, the optical display to indicate the state of operation of the alarm circuit indicates if an alarm setting has been made and whether the alarm setting will occur only once or repetitively.

Abstract: A method of driving a liquid crystal display matrix, in which digit drive signals are applied to digit electrodes and segment drive signals are applied to segment electrodes. Each of the digit drive signals has first pulse components of a first pulse width varying at a plurality of voltage potentials in a first predetermined sequence during each cycle, and a second pulse component of a second pulse width having a selected one of the voltage potentials during each half cycle. Each of the segment drive signals has first pulse components of the first pulse width varying at at least two of the voltage potentials in a second predetermined sequence, and a second pulse component of the second pulse width having a voltage potential equal to that of the second pulse component of the digit drive signal.

Abstract: A voltage conversion system for an electronic timepiece having a power source, which system generates power at lower voltage level than that of the power source for operating at least one of a frequency standard, a frequency converter, a time counter circuit and a display system. The voltage conversion system comprises an oscillator circuit coupled to the power source to generate output signals, a plurality of capacitors, and a plurality of switching elements responsive to the output signals for alternately setting the capacitors in a parallel connected condition and a series connected condition, whereby an output voltage lower than that of the power source is generated at an output terminal of the system.

Abstract: A switch control unit for an electronic timepiece comprises a plurality of control switches and a sequence decoding circuit which detects sequences of actuations of the control switches to provide a plurality of output signals in dependence on varying combinations of sequences of actuations of the control switches. In modified form, the switch control unit comprises a plurality of control switches, a detecting circuit to detect numbers of actuations of each of the control switches thereby to provide outputs in dependence on varying combinations of numbers of actuations of the control switches, and a decoding circuit to decode the outputs from the detecting circuit to provide a plurality of output signals.

Abstract: A set of digital indicators in an electronic display unit of a timepiece are actuated by driving pulses transmitted thereto through respective stages of a multistage frequency divider. A switching mechanism is manually operable to advance certain of these stages, independently of the driving pulses and at a faster rate, to adjust the display. A timer discriminates between short-term and long-term switch reversals to differentiate between a gating signal, giving passage to a train of high-rate stepping pulses, and (a) selection signals identifying an indicator to be stepped or (b) manually produced pulses for adjustment at a slower rate.

Abstract: In a battery operated an electric timepiece operated by a battery of the type a time display, such as a second hand, when the voltage of the battery decreases below a predetermined value, the movement of the second hand is modified to give an alarm that the life of the battery has terminated.

Abstract: An inverting amplifier is provided with a high impedance input resistor connected at one end to an input terminal of the amplifier and connected at the other end to a first voltage source constituting a first binary logic level. The input terminal is also connected through a switch to a second voltage source constituting a second and opposite binary level. An MOS-FET has source and drain electrodes connected to the input terminal and the first voltage source respectively and a gate electrode connected to an output terminal of the amplifier. When the switch is closed, the second voltage is applied to the input terminal and the inverted output of the amplifier turns off the MOS-FET. When the switch is open, the first voltage is applied to the input terminal through the resistor and the inverted output of the amplifier turns on the MOS-FET. The low impedance of the MOS-FET in the turned on condition increases the stability of the amplifier under high humidity conditions.

Abstract: A frequency standard for an electronic timepiece comprising a low frequency oscillator and a high frequency oscillator of which the frequency is an integral multiple of a predetermined frequency of the lower frequency oscillator. A phase difference detector is coupled to the lower and higher frequency oscillators to produce a signal occurring at intervals depending on the phase difference between the two oscillators. A frequency divider is provided to divide down the frequency of the signal by the integral multiple to produce a phase difference signal. The phase difference signal is algebraically added to the lower frequency oscillator signal to generate an output signal of which frequency is equal to that of the high or frequency oscillation signal divided by the integral multiple.

Abstract: To facilitate acceleration or deceleration of the stepping rate of a time-keeping counter responding to driving pulses from a frequency divider connected to a crystal-controlled oscillator, a succession of such driving pulses is taken from an OR gate with inputs receiving a basic pulse train .phi..sub..gamma. a normally present first ancillary pulse train .phi..sub..beta. spacedly interleaved with pulse train .phi..sub..gamma. and a normally absent second ancillary pulse train .phi..sub..alpha. with pulse positions offset from those of the other two pulse trains. To retard the timepiece, the pulses of train .phi..sub..beta. are blocked for a desired period; to advance it, pulses of train .phi..sub..alpha. are interpolated at a rate depending on the cadence of a series of control pulses selectively synthesized from a combination of low-frequency stage outputs of the frequency divider.

Abstract: An input line carrying a square-wave voltage is connected through a capacitor to the drain and via an inverter to the gate of a MOSFET acting as a diode, the relative magnitudes of the drain and gate pulses being so chosen that the FET conducts during alternate half-cycles of the square wave whereby the capacitor is charged during nonconductive half-cycles and is fully discharged to the potential of the source of the FET during conductive half-cycles. If the source is biased by a constant voltage, a square wave in a higher voltage range is available at the drain. If the source is connected to potential through another capacitance, a d-c voltage is available at that electrode. Complementary MOSFET/diodes can be connected in push-pull or in cascade to amplify the input voltage; they may also be combined with supplementary voltage boosters including cascaded stages composed of ordinary diodes and capacitors. The MOSFET/diode may be part of an electronic clock drive.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece comprising a connecting system for connecting a plurality of electronic cells in parallel without undesirable mutual influences such as mutual charging and discharging.

Abstract: An electronic timepiece has an oscillator whose frequency varies with temperature and whose output is fed through an adder to a time-count unit-signal former that divides this output and feeds it through a counter to a time display. A plurality of transistors are biased so as to switch between conductive and nonconductive states at different respective temperatures, this biasing being effected by means of one resistor or a string of series-connected resistors connected across a constant-voltage source. The transistors are connected to a converter which translates their changes of state into a coded digital signal which is combined with signals from the unit-signal former and fed to the adder to vary the oscillator output frequency in such a manner as to compensate for frequency variations caused by temperature change.