CH693599A5 - Analogue clock with global time display includes fixed calibrated hour ring, with rotating dial bearing image of hemisphere - Google Patents

Abstract

The analogue clock includes a fixed time ring around the outside of the display, and a rotating dial showing the earth's hemisphere. As the dial rotates, the time at different locations on the globe can be identified. The analogue watch or clock includes a fixed ring (1) indicating the twenty four hour time units. Within this there is a dial (2), representing a hemisphere centered on the earth's pole, which turns through a period of twenty four hours. This carries a number of different markers. Further markers show the date (12,13) on either side of the date line, and the times (18) at which sunrise and sunset occur. A further indicator shows the phases of the moon, and links are shown to connect certain cities in order to visualize their relationship in space and time.

Description

       

  



   The present invention relates to a timepiece whose dial has a hemisphere centered on the pole rotating in 24 hours in the direction of rotation of the earth inside a fixed crown carrying in the same direction the units of time.



  Different approaching devices gathered here in a set are known in the watchmaking field.



  Existing devices include: the astrolabe; the clock of Paolo Uccolo of Florence; simultaneous indication of the time for all time zones (CH patent N <o> 19 899 of 20.06.1899); the double-sided watch with independent time settings (CH N <o> 211 of 3.07.1889); the disc carrying the different points of the globe or a geographic map, attached to the hour hand which moves one revolution per 24 hours in a fixed ring carrying two divisions from 1 to 12 (CH N DEG 33 938 of 17.06 .1905);

   the geographic hourly dial comprising a projection of the terrestrial globe centered on the north pole, a 24-hour and another 12-hour time circle, these elements being mechanically connected together and with a set of hands so that at 2 turns of the hour hand corresponds to a relative movement of one clockwise rotation of the 24-hour circle with respect to the projection of the globe (CH N <o> 270 584 of 12.01.1948).



  The object of the present invention is to render spatiality over time by representing the earth and its movement on the dial of a timepiece.



  The first object of the present invention is to represent a hemisphere centered on the pole, and comprising different geographical and time indications, such as continents, countries, cities, latitudes, polar circle, tropic, equator, longitudes, Greenwich meridian, time zones , legal hours, date change line, 24-hour-0 hour line, coordinate crown, etc., the time at any point, fixed or mobile, in the hemisphere can be read on a fixed concentric crown, surrounding the dial and with the indication in the direction of rotation of the earth of the time units (hours, minutes and seconds).



  This object can be achieved with the timepiece defined in claim 1.



  The second object of the present invention is to associate the movement of the dial with the duration of the outgoing and incoming days displayed at the counters located on either side of the date change line.



  The third object of the present invention is to represent on the hemisphere, but independent of it, the curves of the hours of sunrise and sunset.



  The fourth object of the present invention is to represent, independently of the movement of the hemisphere, the position of the earth around the sun. This position can be linked to the sunrise and sunset time line.



  The fifth object of the present invention is to represent between the rotary dial and the fixed crown, the phase of the moon and its position at the zenith during the entire lunation.



  The sixth object of the present invention is to represent on the hemisphere connections, between cities of the different continents, which can serve as sea or air routes either in a fixed manner or mobile depending on the means of transport.



  The seventh object of the present invention is to create a universal timepiece, comprising on the obverse, and, on the reverse, a dial, representing respectively the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere according to the various devices mentioned above. A system allows the timepiece to be turned over.



  The present invention systematizes for the traveler, the curious of nature, and the modern man different existing contributions to create a real interface of simple and sufficient reading of space - time.



  The invention will be better understood thanks to the description of an embodiment and to the figures which illustrate it, in which:
 
   Fig. 1 represents the indication, on the fixed crown, of the hours of any place in the boreal hemisphere represented on the dial;
   fig. 2 represents the southern hemisphere with indication of the date change line, the materialization of the new day, and on the fixed crown, days and dates below and beyond the axis 24 hours-0 hours;
   fig. 3 is a fixed representation of the sunrise and sunset time lines;
   fig. 4 is a representation of the movable line of the hours of sunrise and sunset, connected to the earth in its course around the sun;
   fig. 5 is a representation of the position of the moon at the zenith on a day of lunation;

   
   fig. 6 is a representation of connections between cities of a hemisphere which can serve as air and sea routes;
   fig. 7 is a representation of the various devices of the present invention.
 



  Fig. 1 constituting an embodiment of the present invention, represents a watch seen from above comprising a fixed concentric crown (1) indicating, in the direction of rotation of the earth seen from the pole of the hemisphere represented, the 24 hours of a day, in which a moving dial (2) representing a hemisphere rotates in the same direction in 24 hours. On the dial (2) is represented geographically, for example, the boreal hemisphere centered on the pole (3), the equator (4), the tropic of cancer (5), the polar circle (6), the time zones (7), the Greenwich meridian and the anti-meridian date change line (8).



  The time of any place in the hemisphere can, without risk of error, be read on the fixed crown (1).



  The position of the dial (2) is adjustable, like the hands, in order to be able to align a place with its time, either universal or legal.



  Fig. 2 shows on the rotary dial the southern hemisphere, on which is indicated the date change line (8) associated with a new day materialization device consisting of a spiral crown (9) integral with the dial rotating under a spiral crown fixed reverse (10). The mobile spiral crown materializes the incoming day located between the date change line (8) and the fixed radius (11) connecting the pole, center of the dial, to the 0/24 hour indication of the fixed crown. Two counters, located on either side of this fixed radius, display, after 0 am the day and the incoming date (12), and, before 24 hours the day and the outgoing date (13). These data are changed automatically when passing the date change line on the fixed radius 24 hours-0 hours.



  Fig. 3 is a fixed representation, independent of the moving dial, of the three lines representing the extreme and average values of the hours of sunset and sunrise in the southern hemisphere: at the winter solstice (14), at the equinox ( 15) and the summer solstice (16).



  The equinox, the date on which day is equal to night, is represented by the fixed diameter connecting 6 o'clock to 6 o'clock (15). The winter solstice is represented by the curve (14) tangent to the polar circle on the 12 o'clock radius and passing through the fixed points of the equator located at 6 and 6 o'clock. The summer solstice is represented by the curve (16) tangent to the polar circle on the radius 24 hours-0 hours and passing through the same fixed points of the equator located at 6 and 18 hours. The quarter circles defined by the diameters 6-18 hours and 12-0 / 24 hours represent the seasons.



  The arc, or crescent, of a circle formed, as a function of the date, by one of the aforementioned lines passing through the points 6-18 o'clock delimits the nocturnal part of the earth when it is oriented towards 0/24 o'clock, and the diurnal part of the earth around 12 noon.



  The time of sunrise, or sunset at a given place is read on the fixed crown on the longitude of the place, at the time of the intersection by this place of the line of the sunrise, located between 6 hours and the diameter 12 hours-0 hours, or sunset between 6 p.m. and the diameter 12 p.m.-12 a.m.



  Similar lines can be drawn for the dawn and the civil twilight that begins or ends when the sun crosses the threshold of 6 DEG below the horizon.



  Fig. 4 is a representation, in the boreal hemisphere, above the polar circle and independently of the dial, of the earth (17) with its axis of the poles, whose direction and direction remain constant, in its rotation theoretical around the sun symbolically placed at the pole and not shown. The earth goes around the circle in one year, in the direction of rotation of the earth. Its position above the circle and the orientation of its axis determine a day of the year and the quarter circles formed by the diameters 12 hours-0/24 hours and 6-18 hours delimit the seasons: the quarter circle located between the 12 o'clock and 18 o'clock departments represents winter, that between 6 and 6 pm in the spring, from 0 to 6 hours in the summer, and from 6 to 12 hours in the fall.

   The earth is connected to the mobile line (18) of the hours of sunrise and sunset. This line passing through the fixed points 6 and 18 hours of the equator is tangent to the polar circle during the solstices when the earth is on the diameter 12 hours / 0/24 hours (11), and divides the dial into two equal parts at the equinoxes when it is on the diameter from 6 am to 6 pm (15). The position of the earth and the line of sunrise and sunset represented in the figure, correspond to those existing in winter around February 15.



  This device can be manually adjusted to place the earth connected to the sunrise and sunset hour line, at the position that corresponds to the chosen date.



  The sun, in its apparent course around the earth, can be substituted for the earth.



  These devices are independent of the dial.



  Fig. 5 is a representation, in the boreal hemisphere, of the moon at the zenith (19) around 8 p.m., that is to say the 9th day of lunation. The moon appears between the fixed crown of time units (1) and the dial carrying the hemisphere (2). The moon will independently perform one revolution of the dial per lunation in the direction of rotation of the earth. During this rotation, it will vary continuously in its appearance, so that at 12 o'clock the new moon appears, at 6 p.m. the first quarter, at 24/0 o'clock the full moon, and at 6 o'clock the last quarter.



  This device can be manually adjusted to set the phase of the moon and its position at its time.



  Fig. 6 represents, on a dial carrying the southern hemisphere in Spring around November 4, different fixed links connecting continents which can represent maritime (20) and air (21) routes. The sea route (20) corresponds to one of the possible Vendée Globe routes, and the air routes (21) connect Auckland to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, and, Melbourne to Johannesburg, with passage of the date change line (8 ) and the 0 hour / 24 hour radius (11), display of the new day (9), the days and dates below (13) and beyond (12) the 0 hour / 24 hour radius, as well as the hour line of sunrise and sunset (18) connected to the position of the sun (17) moving inside the polar circle and independently of it, on the vertical diameter 12 hours-0 hours / 24 hours.



  Sea, air or other movements can also be viewed as they progress.



  Fig. 7 is the representation of a timepiece carrying different devices of the present invention, namely: a fixed concentric crown (1) comprising in the direction of rotation of the earth the 24 time divisions and a centesimal division, a dial ( 2) bearing the representation of the southern hemisphere up to 15 DEG north latitude, and various indications in particular the latitudes and longitudes separated by 15 DEG, as well as a crown of longitudes (22), turning in the same direction in 24 hours; and different devices:



  The days and dates below (12) and beyond (13) the 0 hour-24 hour radius (11) are indicated on the fixed crown, and the incoming day (9) is materialized on the rotating dial, between the date change line (8) and the 0 hour-24 hour department (11);



  the earth (17) with its axis of the poles is represented above the polar circle (6) which it traverses in one year, at the position it occupies in winter around July 26, causing the moving line of sunrise and from sunset (18), these devices are independent of the dial;



   the moon (19) is represented at its highest point between the movable dial and the fixed crown at 6.30 pm, ie around the 8th day of the lunation;



  the Rio de Janeiro-Johannesburg link (21) is shown on the dial.



  Of course, the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described above, which are given only by way of nonlimiting example with respect to the subject of the invention.


    

Claims (9)

  1. Analog timepiece, comprising a representation of a terrestrial hemisphere centered on a pole, characterized in that it comprises:    - a fixed concentric crown (1) bearing, in the direction of rotation of the earth seen from said pole, the hour digits;    - a dial (2) on which is represented the hemisphere centered on the pole rotating in the same direction in 24 hours inside the fixed crown. 2. Timepiece according to claim 1 characterized in that the display is either days of the week, or dates, or both, is located on one side (12) and the other (13) of the indication 0/24 hours, and in that it is modified each time the date change line is changed to 0 hours (11). 3.  Timepiece according to claims 1 and 2 characterized in that it comprises a new day display system (9) relative to the day going out between the 24/0 hour indication (11) and the date change line (8). 4. Timepiece according to claim 1 comprising fixed lines making it possible to know the times of sunrise and sunset at the equinoxes (15) and the summer solstices (16) and winter (14) of any place of the hemisphere represented on the dial. 5. Timepiece according to claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it comprises a representation, above the polar circle, of the course of the earth around the sun centered on the pole (17), or a representation of the apparent course of the sun around the earth. 6.  Timepiece according to claims 1 to 3 and 5, comprising a movable line (18) indicating the hours of sunrise and sunset for any place in the hemisphere and the diurnal and nocturnal parts thereof. 7. Timepiece according to claims 1 to 6, comprising between the dial and the crown, an indicator of the phase of the moon located at the time of its position at the zenith (19) each day of the lunation. 8. Timepiece according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the dial comprises lines embodying connections (20 and 21) between cities and continents. 9. Timepiece according to the preceding claims characterized by two dials located on the obverse and the reverse respectively representing the southern and boreal hemispheres.