An electric timepiece indicates time by numerals which appear in openings provided on a casing surface of the timepiece. A time indicator mechanism includes time indication elements operable every unit of time such as a minute, a 10 minute interval, an hour and so forth. The driving force of a motor operates according to pulse signals applied at given intervals of time is transmitted selectively to the time indicator mechanism through a driving force transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism selectively actuates the time indicator mechanism to advance the minute time indication element at each operation of the motor. An advance mechanism responds to movement of each time indication element to its highest numeral, and constrains the transmission mechanism to selectively actuate the time indicator mechanism so as to advance the next higher order time indication element one step. The present invention relates to electric timepieces, particularly for indicating time by numerals which appear in openings provided on a casing surface of the timepiece. The invention relates particularly to such timepieces wherein a time indicator mechanism includes time indication elements operable every unit of time such as a minute, a 10-minute interval, an hour and so forth, and wherein the driving force of a motor which operates according to a pulse signal to be applied at a given interval of time is transmitted selectively to the time indicator mechanism through a force transmission mechanism. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein operation of the time indicator mechanism is precisely effected by a motor operating according to a pulse signal which is applied at a given interval of time by a synchronous motor and so forth, so that the electric timepiece can operate precisely even in places subject to vibration, for example in an automobile. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein a time is indicated with numerals appearing in openings provided on a casing surface of the timepiece, and said numerals are individually advanced intermittently and instantaneously upon specific lapses of time and advance of a lower figure to a higher is effected intermittently and instantaneously, so that figures each representing a unit of time appear regularly in the openings, whereby which any one can read a time clearly. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein endless tapes impressed with a series of numerals representing a corresponding unit of time are transferred by tape feed rolls, said plural endless tapes being accommodated within spaces inevitably formed among respective elements, so that the entire size of the electric timepiece is greatly minimized. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein an indication of respective unit of time is effected by endless tapes with a series of numerals representing each unit of time impressed thereon, and illumination is applied to said endless tapes on the reverse side thereof so as to show each of said numerals clearly. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein clutch relays are connected in a row in relation to each of unit time elements of the time indicator mechanism, said clutch relays being actuated individually or in plurality through a figure advance mechanism according to rotation of the motor and serving to transmit the driving force of the motor selectively to respective unit time elements of the indicator mechanism. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein the indicator mechanism is operated intermittently by opening or closing a main circuit to the potential source, in synchronism with rotation of the motor which operates according to the pulse signal, so that power consumption can be extremely reduced. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece constructed so, at the time when one operation of the indicator mechanism is finished, the motor is stopped at a given position, irrespective of the residual pulse signal, so as to assure the intermittent operation of the indicator mechanism within a period of pulse signal application, as well as to constantly ensure the exact start position thereof. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein clutch relays serving as a transmission mechanism of a driving force to the time indication mechanism are connected in parallel in relation to the main electric circuit, figure advance switches are connected in series in relation to the relays, said switches being closed only when the numeral N-1 (9 for minute units, 5 for 10 -minute units, 11 or 23 for hour units) preceding the highest numeral N (10 for minute units, 6 for 10-minute units, and 12 or 24 for hour units) of the lower unit of time is advanced, thereby actuating the relays intermittently, and control switches are connected to the electric circuit including relays for actuating elements of three advanced units of time (an hour, if a minute is regarded as a prime or lowest unit of time), the control switches being closed only when the relay for actuating elements of the lower unit of time (the relay for 10 -minute elements in this case) is in actuation, thereby eliminating an unnecessary or erroneous advance of the figure. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein the main electric circuit to the potential source is energized or deenergized under control of a cam switch in association with rotation of the motor, and the figure advance from the lower unit of time to the higher is effected by switches which close or open the relay circuit of the higher unit of time, in association with pawl wheels actuating according to an intermittent motion of respective unit time elements of the time indicator section, each of which corresponds to each of clutch relays connected to the main electric circuit. At the same time when the cam switch is opened, the highest numeral of the lower unit of time is advanced to shift the higher figure, and immediately after that, the switches for figure advance are also opened, so that contacts of said switches are prevented from burning loss which may often occur at the time of closing or opening. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein the highest numeral of hour indication is 12, a relay for shifting a morning or afternoon indication is connected in parallel with a relay for day elements, said relay for shifting indication of a morning or afternoon operating through the switch for advancing the hour representing figure to that of a day, and a switch is connected in series with the relay for day indication elements, said switch alternately holding its on or off position according to operation of the relay for shifting a morning or afternoon indication, whereby an indication of morning or afternoon is shifted every 12 hours, while at the same time, the highest numeral representing an hour is advanced to shift the day indication figure. A further object of the present invention is to provide an electric timepiece wherein correction switches tuned into the on or off position with one touch are provided, for example, if indication of a primal unit of time, a minute in this case, is wrong, the correction switch connected to the main electric circuit is closed to correct the erroneous indication, if the higher unit of time is erroneously indicated, another correction switch operates to open the circuit including the relay for the primal unit of time, and close the electric circuits including the relay for said unit of time and the motor, thereby correcting individually the erroneous time indication.
An AM-PM indicator for a digital clock wherein the indicator is positioned to the left of an hours drum and a geneva driver is integrally formed with the hours drum for moving a shutter to indicate AM or PM. A geneva gear having a cam integrally formed therewith is positioned between the geneva driver and the shutter for moving the shutter to an AM or PM position.
A clock with coaxial digit wheels for one-minute, ten-minute and hour indications has a drive motor intermittently energized by an electronic switch constituting the final stage of a 20-stage binary frequency divider which is stepped, at a frequency of 2.sup.20 /60 Hz, by a crystal-controlled oscillator. The latter consists essentially of a dual-FET inverter of MOS type connected across a quartz crystal, similar inverters being used for the several stages of the frequency divider. A holding button or key may be manually operated to apply a zero-setting potential to all the stages for arresting the clock until the actual time matches its reading. The motor, with associated homing contacts, and its battery-operated driving circuit may be mounted as a detachable unit on the clock housing.
A digital indicating machine such as a digital clock comprises a number of endless indicating belts carrying letters, numerals or the like thereon and provided with a number of perforations along one of the lengthwise edges thereof, sprocket wheels are engaged with the perforations of said belts for travelling the belts to pass behind indicating windows, and driving wheels which drive pinions combined with or connected to the sprocket wheels intermittently. Because of the endless indicating belts and the intermittent driving mechanism for the belts, relatively large letters, numerals or the like for representing time etc. can be indicated at the indicating windows.
Disclosed is a solid state electronic wristwatch with no moving parts and incorporating a calendar display. The same electro-optical elements are used for the calendar display as are used to display time.
A horological instrument comprising at least two time drums, means rotatably supporting said drums, motor means associated with said drums so that each is rotatably driven and so that one drum controls the rotation of the other drum, said other drum having means associated therewith which divides each revolution thereof into segments of rotation and revolving one segment of rotation for each revolution of said one drum, means constituting an alarm system for said instrument including electrical alarm means for giving off an alarm, a rotatably supported alarm drum corresponding to each time drum, normally open electrical switch means including a moveable contact arm thereof carried on each alarm drum, each alarm drum manually rotatable to a pre-set alarm position corresponding to an advance rotational position of the respective time drum, a laterally projecting trip arm associated with each time drum, each alarm drum disposed adjacent its corresponding trip arm so that the respective contact arm thereon is actuated by the trip arm once upon each revolution of the time drum to close the respective electrical switch means, the alarm means being energized upon simultaneous closing of all said electrical switch means.
