Timepiece including a mechanical movement whose operation is controlled by an electronic device
US11619910B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 2019 |
| Grant date | Apr 4, 2023 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 2, 2042 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG04C3/04
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A timepiece includes a mechanical oscillator, formed by a balance and a piezoelectric balance spring, and a control device for controlling the frequency of the mechanical oscillator. This control device is arranged to be capable of generating time-separated control pulses, each including a momentary decrease in an electrical resistance applied by the control device between two electrodes of the piezoelectric balance spring relative to a nominal electrical resistance. The control device is arranged to be capable of applying a plurality of control pulses during each time of a series of distinct correction times or without interruption in a continuous time window, in order to respectively synchronize the mechanical oscillator at a correction frequency whose value depends on a detected positive or negative temporal drift or at a desired frequency for the mechanical oscillator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.