Patent ID: 8111590

Claim:
An electronic timepiece comprising: a drive module configured to drive a hand; an electricity generation module; first and second capacitor modules configured to store electricity supplied from the electricity generation module, the second capacitor module having a smaller capacitance than the first capacitor module; a normal drive control module configured to be capable of causing the drive module to perform a time display driving by using electricity from the first and second capacitor modules; and an auxiliary drive control module configured to be capable of causing the drive module to perform an auxiliary driving that is different from the time display driving by using electricity from the second capacitor module; a first switch between the electricity generation module and the second capacitor module; a second switch between the electricity generation module and the first capacitor module; and a switching control module configured to control the first switch and the second switch by performing one of a first control, a second control, and a third control, based on a charge level of the first capacitor module and a charge level of the second capacitor module; wherein in the first control, the switching control module causes the normal drive control module to perform the time display driving by turning on the first switch and the second switch, and wherein the switching control module performs the first control when the charge level of the first capacitor module is at a normal level or when the charge level of the first capacitor module has increased from a first level to a second level that is higher than the first level after decreasing from the normal level to the first level; wherein in the second control, the switching control module causes the auxiliary drive control module to stop the auxiliary driving by turning on the first switch and turning off the second switch, and wherein the switching control module performs the second control when at least one of (i) the charge level of the first capacitor module has decreased to the first level and (ii) the charge level of the second capacitor module has decreased to the first level; and wherein in the third control, the switching control module causes the auxiliary drive control module to perform the auxiliary driving by turning off the first switch and turning on the second switch, and wherein the switching control module performs the third control when the charge level of the second capacitor module has increased from the first level to a third level that is higher than the first level and enables the auxiliary driving.