Electronic watch

Abstract

In an electronic watch having an electrical generation means, an electrical power storage means which stores electrical energy generated by the electrical generation means, an oscillator circuit, a control section which operates in response to a clock of the oscillator circuit, and a display section which is controlled by the control section, and which displays the time and also selectively displays a function other than the time, a voltage detection means which detects the voltage of the electrical power storage means and a control section management means which, in response to a detection signal from the voltage detection means controls the operation of the control section are provided, and hysteresis is provided between the operation starting point and operation ending point of the control section, which control such operations as storage of hand positions.

1. In an electronic watch having an electrical power generator means for generating electrical power, an electrical power storage means for storing electrical power generated by said electrical power generating means, an oscillator circuit for producing an output signal, a time-signal generating means for generating a time-signal output in response to the output signal from said oscillator circuit, and a time display which displays time information, responsive to said time-signal output from said time-signal generating means, with a plurality of time indicating hands, an improvement further comprising:
 a control section for switching a display of a condition about said electronic watch on said time display;  
 a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of said electrical power storage means and for producing an output detection signal; and  
 a control section management means for controlling the operation of said control section in response to the detection signal of the voltage detection means, wherein said control section causes at least one time hand of the plurality of time indicating hands in said time display to move to and to stop at a pre-established position without performing any mechanical operation when the value of said detected voltage drops below a predetermined reference value, during said time display displaying time information, so as to indicate such voltage drop;  
   wherein when said electronic watch assumes a first status, said control section causes at least one time hand of the plurality of time indicating hands in said time display to move and to stop at a first pre - established stopping position which indicates a charge warning state of said electrical power generator means, and when said electronic watch assumes a second status, said control section causes said at least one time hand to move and to stop at a second pre - established stopping position which indicates that the timekeeping function of said electronic watch is stopped.    
 
     
     
       2. An electronic watch according to  claim 1 , wherein said control section causes at least one time hand of the plurality of time indicating hands in said time display to move and to stop at a plurality of pre-established positions. 
     
     
       3. An electronic watch according to  claim 2 , wherein when said electric watch assumes a first status, said at least one time hand stops at a first stopping position, and when said electric watch assumes a second status, said at least one time hand stops at a second stopping position. 
     
     
       4. An electronic watch according to  claim 3 , wherein said first stopping position is a position which indicates a charge warning state of said electrical power generator means, and wherein said second stopping position is a position which indicates that the timekeeping function of said electronic watch is stopped. 
     
     
       5. An electronic watch according to claim  4    1 , wherein said control section causes at least one time hand of the plurality of time indicating hands in said time display to also move and to stop at a third stopping position which indicates that the minute and hour hands and the time of the timekeeping circuit differ from each other. 
     
     
       6. An electronic watch according to  claim 1 , wherein said electrical power generator means and said electrical power storage means form an electrical generation means, and wherein said voltage detection means detects an output voltage of said electrical generation means. 
     
     
       7. In an  An electronic watch comprising:
 having  an electrical generator means for generating electrical power,; 
 an electrical power storage means for storing electrical power generated by said electrical power generating means, ; 
 an oscillator circuit including a clock for producing an output signal, a control section which operates in response to the clock of said oscillator circuit, and a time display which is controlled by said control section and which displays time and also selectively displays a function other than time, an improvement further comprising a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of said electrical power storage means, said electronic watch having a first mode in which the function other than time is displayed, based upon a detected voltage value of said voltage detection means, and a second mode in which the function other than time is not displayed, based upon a detected voltage value of said voltage detection means, and a hysteresis is provided between the occurrence of a transition from the first mode to the second mode and the occurrence of a transition from the second mode to the first mode 
 a control means; and  
   a time display which is controlled by said control means and which displays time information and also selectively displays a function other than said time information,    
   an improvement further comprising a voltage detection means for detecting the voltage of said electrical power storage means and for generating an output signal corresponding to said detected voltage,    
   wherein said electronic watch having a first mode in which said time information and said function other than said time information is displayed, based upon a first voltage value detected by said voltage detection means, and a second mode in which only said time information is displayed, based upon said first voltage value detected by said voltage detection means,    
   and further wherein said electronic watch being configured so that said control means switches the electronic watch from said first mode to said second mode in response to the output signal corresponding to said first voltage value of said voltage detection means, and switches the electronic watch from said second mode to said first mode in a case when said output signal corresponding to said first voltage value of said voltage detection means is outputted continuously for a predetermined period of time.    
 
     
     
       8. An electronic watch according to  claim 7 , wherein said electrical power generator means and said electrical power storage means form an electrical generation means, and wherein said voltage detection means detects an output voltage of said electrical generation means. 
     
     
       9. An electronic watch according to  claim 7 , wherein said electronic watch further provided with a third mode, and
   wherein, a transition from said second mode to said third mode is performed at a second voltage being lower than said first voltage, further wherein, a transition from said third mode to another mode other than said third mode is performed at a third voltage which is lower than said first voltage but higher than said second voltage.     
     
     
       10. An electronic watch according to  claim 7 , wherein said electronic watch is further provided with a chronological function as a function other than a current time information display function. 
     
     
       11. An electronic watch according to  claim 9 , wherein said electronic watch is further configured so that in said third mode, said control means performs to display information on a time information display indicating said user a fact that the time display function has been stopped. 
     
     
       12. An electronic watch according to  claim 9 , wherein said electronic watch is further configured so that in response to said third voltage, said control means performs a transition from said third mode to a fourth mode which urges said user of the electronic watch to correct said time information utilizing said time display. 
     
     
       13. An electronic watch comprising:
   a. an electrical power generator for generating electrical power;        b. an electrical power storage for storing electrical power generated by said electrical power generator;        c. an oscillator circuit for producing an output signal;        d. a time signal generator for generating a time signal output in response to the output signal from said oscillator circuit;        e. a display, responsive to said time signal output from said time signal generator, for displaying time information with a plurality of time indicating hands;        f. voltage detector for detecting a voltage of the electronic watch and for producing an output detection signal based upon said detected voltage value;        g. a control section, responsive to the output detection signal of the voltage detector, for causing at least one of the time indicating hands in said time display to stop at a pre - established position in said time display, and which show a condition related to the voltage charge of the electronic watch, when the value of said detected voltage drops below a predetermined reference voltage value;        h. wherein when said electronic watch assumes a first status, said control section causes the at least one time indicating hand in said time display to stop at a first stopping position which indicates a charge warning state of said power storage means, and when said electronic watch assumes a second status, said control section causes said at least one time indicating hand to stop at a second stopping position which indicates that the timekeeping function of the electronic watch is in a stopped state.     
     
     
       14. An electronic watch according to  claim 13 , wherein said control section causes said at least one time indicating hand to stop at a third stopping position which indicates that the timekeeping function of the electronic watch has been stopped and that the plurality of time indicating hands can now be reset. 
     
     
       15. An electronic watch according to  claim 13 , wherein said electrical power generator and said electrical power storage form an electrical generation means, and wherein said voltage detector detects an output voltage of said electrical generation means.