JP2595375B2 - Electrochromic display clock and time display method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an electrochromic display timepiece in which a timekeeping display is performed by appropriately switching the color of a display segment using an electrochromic display material, and a timepiece therefor. Time display method.

(Prior Art) In general, a liquid crystal display is widely used as a time display of an electronic timepiece. However, this liquid crystal display timepiece has a problem that it is difficult to see because the contrast is low and the viewing angle is dependent. Therefore, in recent years, an electrochromic display clock using an electrochromic display material for a time display unit has been developed.

In this electrochromic display timepiece, a display segment made of an electrochromic display substance is arranged in a time display section, and the display segment includes:
Coloring voltages of different levels are applied from the display drive circuit while being switched at regular intervals, and the color change of the display segment is changed according to the time by the change of the applied voltage. According to such an electrochromic display timepiece, the viewing angle can be widened, good colorability can be obtained, and the advantage that the time display portion is easy to see is obtained.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, it is generally known that the electrochromic display material used in the display segment of the electrochromic display clock has a short repetitive operation life and cannot withstand long-term use. Conventionally, it has been impossible to perform the second display for performing color switching many times using an electrochromic display clock.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrochromic display timepiece and a time display method thereof, which are capable of favorably displaying seconds using display segments made of an electrochromic display material.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a display segment using an electrochromic display substance arranged in a time display section, and an electrochromic display of the display segment. In the electrochromic display clock in which a plurality of different coloring voltages are applied to the chromic display material while switching them from the display driving circuit at a constant period, the coloring of the display segments is switched, and the clock display is performed. Is provided with a second display section in which 60 display segments are arranged in a ring, and the display drive circuit applies a plurality of different coloring voltages to the display segments while switching them every 60 seconds. A write / erase circuit for maintaining this until the next color change after 60 seconds; ,
There is provided a display selection circuit for sequentially designating switching of the coloring voltage in a display segment arrangement direction every second in one second.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a time display method for an electrochromic display clock in which a time display is performed by switching colors of display segments using an electrochromic display substance. Each of the display segments of the body is sequentially switched in color in the arrangement direction of the display segment every second, and the color after the switching is performed as it is until the next color change in 60 seconds. It is configured to be maintained.

(Operation) In the means having such a configuration, the seconds display is performed by changing the color of each of the 6.0 display segments in the second display section every second in the arrangement order of the display segments. At this time, one display segment is maintained in a constant color development state for 60 seconds after the color switching operation, and the next color switching operation is performed 60 seconds later. Therefore, a repetition operation life of 60 times can be obtained as compared with a case where one display segment is switched once per second.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an hour / minute display section 2 is disposed substantially at the center of the time display panel 1, and a second display section 3 is provided at a peripheral portion of the time display panel 1. Have been. These hour and minute display section 2 and second display section 3
Is one in which display segments made of an electrochromic display material are appropriately arranged.

First, the hour and minute display section 2 includes a display segment 2a made of, for example, a Prussian blue-type electrochromic display material.
Are arranged in seven segments representing hours and minutes, respectively, and are switched between blue and colorless by switching the coloring voltage applied from a display driving circuit (not shown) in a cycle of hours and minutes. Changes the color and displays the hour and minute.

The second display section 3 is formed by arranging minute display segments 3a made of, for example, a Prussian blue-type electrochromic display material in a ring shape, and a total of 60 bodies are provided. Each of these display segments 3a is arranged in a straight line with 15 bodies along each side of the time display plate 1, and is provided in four small blocks on each of the four sides of the time display plate 1. ing.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is provided with a display drive circuit for switching the coloring of the display segment 3a. This display drive circuit has a circuit configuration for applying a different level of coloring voltage to the display segment 3a while switching the voltage at a constant period. The circuit configuration will be described in detail below.

First, the display drive circuit includes an oscillator 11 having a circuit configuration for generating a time reference signal, a frequency divider 12 having a circuit configuration for dividing a signal from the oscillator 11 to a required frequency,
A timer circuit 13 for receiving the output signal from the frequency divider 12 and counting the time, and a drive circuit 14 for the second display unit 3 are provided, and a write / erase circuit 20 sharing these 11, 12, 13, and 14 is provided. And a display selection circuit 21.

First, the decoder 211 provided in the display selection circuit 21
Has a function of converting a time signal clocked by the clock circuit 13 in a one-second cycle into a display signal of the display segment 3a. The display signal output from the decoder 211 is It is input to the drive circuit 14 of the unit 3 at a cycle of one second. The display signal input to the drive circuit 14 is set to a signal that sequentially designates one of the sixty display segments 3a to be subjected to color switching in order of arrangement of the display segments 3a every second. Have been.

From the timing circuit 13, the H level and the L level are output every 60 seconds.
The signal which is emitted by switching to the level is output. This output signal is input to the write signal circuit 201 of the write / erase circuit 20 and also to the erase signal circuit 203 via the inverter 202. The writing signal circuit 201 and the erasing signal circuit 203 have a circuit configuration for causing the driving circuit 14 to output a coloring voltage signal and a erasing voltage signal to the second display unit 3, respectively. These coloring voltage signal and decoloring voltage signal have voltage levels different in inversion relationship, and these two signals are switched and selected every 60 seconds and are maintained until the next switching after 60 seconds. While being applied to the display segment 3a of the second display unit 3.

In this embodiment, the color display of each of the 60 display segments 3a arranged in a ring is switched in a clockwise direction in the arrangement order every second by a signal from the write / erase circuit 20. After the color change is performed, the color after the change is maintained as it is until the next color change after 60 seconds.

In this manner, the second is displayed by changing the color every other second, and the progress of the second is confirmed. Then, at this time, one display segment 3a is maintained in a constant coloring state for 60 seconds after the color switching operation, and then the color switching operation is performed 60 seconds later. Therefore, a repetitive operation life of 60 times as long as one switching operation of one display segment 3a per second can be obtained.

On the other hand, returning to FIG. 1, a fixed display unit 4 is provided in the time display plate 1 slightly above the hour / minute display unit 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed display unit 4 is formed by laminating a PET film 4a having characters printed on the back side with silk-screened characters on the uppermost part of the display segment 4b. The fixed display unit 4 can change the display pattern at every noon, for example, by using an electrochromic material instead of the fixed picture. At this time, if cobalt phthalocyanine is used in addition to Prussian blue, the pattern can be changed to blue, green, and brown.

In addition, all electrochromic display substances can be adopted for each display segment in the present invention,
It is also possible to change the color of each display segment in a plurality of stages by switching and applying the coloring voltage in a plurality of stages such as two stages and three stages to each display segment.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the display segment is maintained in a constant coloring state for 60 seconds after the color switching operation of the display segment, and the next color switching drive is performed after 60 seconds. Even when a display segment made of an electrochromic display material is used for the second display portion, the repetitive operation life can be greatly extended, and the second display can be performed satisfactorily for a long period of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory front view showing the configuration of a display panel of an electrochromic display timepiece according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a display drive circuit of a second display section, and FIG.
The figure is a vertical sectional explanatory view showing the structure of the fixed display section. 3. Second display section, 3a Display segment, 20 Write / erase circuit, 21 Display selection circuit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-58-80592 (JP, A) JP-A-57-7584 (JP, A) JP-A-57-50682 (JP, A) 8593 (JP, U)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A display segment comprising an electrochromic display material is arranged on a time display section, and different levels of coloring voltages are applied to the display segment from a display drive circuit while switching the colors at a constant period. In the electrochromic display clock configured to perform time display by switching colors, the time display unit includes a second display unit in which 60 display segments are arranged in a ring shape, and the display drive circuit. Is a write / erase circuit that switches and applies a different level of coloring voltage to the display segment every 60 seconds and maintains this voltage until the next color change after 60 seconds, and A display selection in which colors to be switched are sequentially designated every one second in the arrangement order of the display segments. And a constant circuit. 2. A time display method for an electrochromic display clock in which time display is performed by appropriately switching a color of a display segment made of an electrochromic display material, wherein 60 display segments of a ring are arranged. The colors are sequentially switched every second in the arrangement order of the display segments, and the color after the switching is maintained until the next color switching after 60 seconds. Time display method of the electrochromic display clock.