Solid state timepiece having electro-optical time display

Claim 2

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising means for generating periodic timekeeping signals, code generator means responsive to said timekeeping signals to establish a multielement code having a unique code word for each unit time interval in a period, a digital display comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said code words to provide a unique visual display for each time interval in said time period, and a manually operable interrogator switch coupled to said code generator means whereby said digital display is energized by said code generator means only upon operation of said switch.

Claim 3

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 1 wherein said digital display includes indicators for minutes between zero and 59, and for hours in a time period of at least 12 hours.

Claim 4

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 2 wherein said digital display includes additional indicators for seconds between zero and 59.

Claim 5

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 1 wherein each indicator in said digital display comprises a plurality of individually actuatable electro-optical devices disposed in such a configuration that actuation of selective ones of said devices in response to said code words produces said unique visual displays.

Claim 6

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said display indicators comprises a 13-element array of electro-optical devices.

Claim 7

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 4 wherein each of said display indicators comprises a 7-element array of electro-optical devices.

Claim 8

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 1 wherein said display indicators are formed of a plurality of semiconductor elements including a layer of P-type and a layer of N-type materials, said elements being characterized by a light emission spectrum under current excitation between about 4500 Angstroms and 6500 Angstroms and a band gap energy between about 1.9 electron volts and about 2.75 electron volts.

Claim 9

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 7 wherein said light-emitting semiconductor elements provide a surface brightness of at least 30 foot Lamberts.

Claim 10

A timekeeping device as defined in clAim 7 wherein said semiconductor elements provide a surface brightness of about 38 foot Lamberts.

Claim 11

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 7 wherein the semiconductor material for said P-N junction devices is selected from the group consisting of gallium phosphide, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide phosphide, and gallium phosphide-aluminum arsenide.

Claim 12

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising means for generating periodic timekeeping signals, code generator means responsive to said timekeeping signals to establish a multielement code having a unique code word for each unit time interval in a period, a digital display comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said code words to provide a unique visual display for each time interval in said time period, and means coupled to said code generator means for periodically interrupting the energization of said display from said code generator means.

Claim 13

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising means for generating periodic timekeeping signals, code generator means responsive to said timekeeping signals to establish a multielement code having a unique code word for each unit time interval in a period, a digital display comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said code words to provide a unique visual display for each time interval in said time period, and means coupled to said code generator means for periodically interrupting the energization of said display from said code generator means.

Claim 14

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 11 wherein said interruption means comprises scanning means for interrupting the energization of said display at a frequency of at least about 30 Hz.

Claim 15

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 11 wherein said generating means includes means for generating a first signal having a lower frequency and a second signal of higher frequency, means coupling said first signal to said code generator means, and means coupling said second higher frequency signal to said interrupting means.

Claim 16

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 10 wherein the frequencies of said first and second signals are binarily related.

Claim 17

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 14 wherein said first signal has a frequency of 1 Hz. and said second signal has a frequency of at least 32 Hz.

Claim 18

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising means for generating periodic timekeeping signals including a primary timing signal generator and a frequency divider, code generator means coupled to the output of said divider and including at least hours and minutes display drive channels, a digital display coupled to said drive channels and comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said drive channels to provide a visual time display in the form of digital numbers to the base 10, first switch means for coupling a signal from said divider having a frequency of at least 2 Hz. to one of said drive channels for coarse time setting, and second switch means coupling said signal to another of said drive channels for fine time setting.

Claim 19

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising means for generating periodic timekeeping signals including a primary timing signal generator and a frequency divider, code generator means coupled to the output of said divider and including at least hours and minutes display drive channels, a digital display coupled to said drive channels and comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said drive channels to provide a visual time display in the form of digital numbers to the base 10, first switch means for coupling a signal from said divider having a frequency of at least 2 Hz. to one of said drive channels for coarse time setting, and second switch means coupling said signal to another of said drive channels for fine time setting.

Claim 20

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 16 including third switch means for disconnecting said code generator from the output of said divider during fine time setting.

Claim 21

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising a primary timing signal generator, a frequency divider coupled to the output of said generator, a code generator coupled to the output of said divider and including at least hours and minutes display drive channels, a digital display coupled to said drive channels and comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said drive channels to provide a visual time display in the form of digital numbers to the base 10, a manually operable interrogator switch coupled to said code generator whereby said digital display is energized by said code generator only upon operation of said switch, and interrupting means coupling said divider to said code generator for periodically interrupting the energization of said display from said code generator at a rate determined by an interrupting signal from said divider.

Claim 22

A solid-state timekeeping device having sufficiently small power consumption for use as a wristwatch comprising a primary timing signal generator, a frequency divider coupled to the output of said generator, a code generator coupled to the output of said divider and including at least hours and minutes display drive channels, a digital display coupled to said drive channels and comprised of a plurality of multistate electro-optical indicators responsive to said drive channels to provide a visual time display in the form of digital numbers to the base 10, a manually operable interrogator switch coupled to said code generator whereby said digital display is energized by said code generator only upon operation of said switch, and interrupting means coupling said divider to said code generator for periodically interrupting the energization of said display from said code generator at a rate determined by an interrupting signal from said divider.

Claim 23

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 18 wherein said signal from said divider is at a frequency of at least 32 Hz.

Claim 24

A timekeeping device according to claim 18 wherein said display includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes.

Claim 25

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 18 including means coupling a setting signal from said divider to one of said drive channels.

Claim 26

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 21 including a first switch for coupling the output of said divider to said code generator, a second switch for coupling said setting signal from said divider to said code generator, and a third switch for coupling said interrupting signal from said divider to said interrupter.

Claim 27

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 22 wherein said switches are ganged multiposition switches.

Claim 28

A timekeeping device as defined in claim 23 including means for coupling said setting signal through said second switch to different ones of said drive channels for both coarse and fine setting, said first switch being in the open position during fine setting.