Electronic watch

Abstract

Abstract AN ELECTRONIC WATCH WITH A TIMEBASE PRODUCING HIGH FREQUENCY ELECTRICAL PULSES, AN ELECTRONIC SCALER FOR THIS FREQUENCY, AND A TIME-INDICATING DEVICE CONTROLLED BY THE ELECTRICAL PULSES OF SCALED FREQUENCY PRODUCED BY THE SCALER. THE SCALER IS AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT AND COMPRISES SEVERAL SCALER STAGES ARRANGED IN CASCADE. THOSE STAGES INTENDED FOR SCALING LOW FREQUENCY PULSES EACH COMPRISE, ON THE ONE HAND, A FIRST ELEMENTARY VOLTAGE AMPLIFIER HAVING AN INSULATED GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR AND ADAPTED EITHER TO ALLOW THE PULSES RECEIVED FROM THE PRECEDING STAGE TO PASS TO THE FOLLOWING STAGE WHEN THE TRANSISTOR IS BLOCKED, OR TO BLOCK SAID PULSES WHEN THE SAID TRANSISTOR IS CONDUCTIVE. THE CONTROL VOLTAGE OF SAID TRANSISTOR IS THE VOLTAGE ACROSS ITS INPUT CAPACITANCE. THE STAGES FOR SEALING THE LOW FREQUENCY PULSES COMPRISE, ON THE OTHER HAND, MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY CHARGING AND DISCHARGING SAID INPUT CAPACITANCE WITH FREQUENCY OF THE PULSES TO BE SCALED. THE WATCH FURTHER COMPRISES, FOR EACH SCALER STAGE INTENDED FOR THE SCALING OF LOW FREQUENCY PULSES, A DEVICE ADAPTED TO PERIODICALLY RECHARGE THE INPUT CAPACITANCE OF THE TRANSISTOR OF SAID AMPLIFIER, AT A FREQUENCY HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE PULSES BEING SCALED, TO MAINTAIN THE VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CAPACITANCE AT A LEVEL CORRESPONDING AT LEAST TO THE THRESHOLD VOLTAGE OF SAID TRANSISTOR DESPITE THE ENERGY LOSSES OF SAID CAPACITANCE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LEAKAGE CURRENTS. THE AFORESAID DEVICE COMPRISES A PERIODIC VOLTAGE SOURCE WHICH DELIVERS SIGNALS OF FREQUENCY HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE PULSES BEING SCALED. THERE IS, FURTHER, A SECOND ELEMENTARY VOLTAGE AMPLIFIER HAVING AN INSULATED GATE FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR, SUPPLIED FROM SAID SOURCE AND CONNECTED WITH ITS INPUT TO THE GATE OF THE TRANSISTOR OF SAID FIRST AMPLIFIER. ALSO PROVIDED ARE AN ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE AND AN ELECTORNIC SWITCHING CIRCUIT FOR PERIODICALLY CONNECTING SAID ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE TO THE GATE OF THE TRANSISTOR OF SAID FIRST AMPLIFER WHICH CIRCUIT IS CONNECTED BY ITS INPUT TO THE OUTPUT OF SAID SECOND AMPLIFIER. THE ARRANGEMENT IS SUCH AS TO PROVIDE RECHARGING OF SAID INPUT CAPACITANCE BY SAID ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE AS LONG AS THE VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CAPACITANCE IS HIGHER THAN THE THRESHOLD VOLTAGE OF THE TRANSISTOR OF SAID SECOND AMPLIFIER, AT A FREQUENCY CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF THE SIGNALS DELIVERED BY SAID PERIODIC VOLTAGE SOURCE.

Inventors

• 👤 Jakob Luscher

Bibliographic Details