EP1431846B1 - Electronic appliance provided with a device for the analog displaying of any point on a dial - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device comprising an analog display device, that is to say a display by means of needles to indicate a determined position on the dial, said position being representative of any information, time, or not.

This device will be more particularly illustrated in the following description by a wristwatch which corresponds to the definition of a "portable electronic device" with analog display.

There are already known electronic wristwatches whose hour, minute and second hands are driven by at least one stepper motor driven by a time base and a microprocessor to display on the hour turn. , either the current time, or other hourly or non-hourly information when performing appropriate manipulation on an external controller. The US Patent 4,266,288 describes, in the most elaborate embodiment, a timepiece comprising a single motor, a time base, a set of switches and a control circuit for displaying either the current time or, acting on at least one external control member, to separate the two needles separately, the minute hand indicating, for example, the value of this hourly or non-hourly information on the hour circle and the hour hand the nature of the information written on a ring near the hour circle. This is for example an alarm time and its engaged state, or not. The US Patent 5,299,177 proposes a refinement in which the needles are driven separately by two motors and, in a first step cooperate in superimposing to indicate as before the nature of the information, then will be positioned to indicate on the hour turn the value of said information.

The freedom afforded by the use of independent motors has inspired other modes of cooperation between needles to display information different from the current time.

In a non-limiting way, mention may be made of US Patent 5,500,835 describing a watch that can be set in a "weather" mode completely independent of the time base. In this "weather" mode, the hour hand indicates on a graduation inside the hour circle a variation of atmospheric pressure and the minute hand points to pictograms drawn on the telescope and representative of a forecast. according to said variation.

These documents therefore make it possible to display hourly or non-hourly information at best on two scales, or even on three scales if the second hand is also provided with an independent motor, but does not suggest under any circumstances that it can designate information located at any point on the dial.

We can also mention the US Patent 5,596,551 which concerns a compass watch having the cardinal points on the telescope and allowing with the hour hand to indicate the geographic north with respect to a selected direction with the minute hand. This document describes a second embodiment in which the time indications are reported on the telescope and the dial comprises on three concentric rings place names, for example city names provided with landmarks. One could even imagine that the entire dial is covered with places and landmarks. These marks are selectable by the minute hand whose position is interpreted by a microprocessor to select in a correspondence table the magnetic variation of said location, to combine said declination with the signals provided by magnetic sensors of the permanent magnet of the compass and to control the hour hand motor to orient said needle in the direction of the geographical north, or in another predetermined direction such as the direction of Mecca. If one imagined using such a watch in "reverse engineering", it would be very difficult to know by means of the minute hand in what place one would be, given that even very distant places from each other may have magnetic declensions close or identical, that is to say having landmarks aligned on the same radius, for example Rome and Denver. This document therefore does not suggest in any way to unambiguously designate any point on the dial.

The invention therefore aims to overcome the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior art by providing a portable electronic device with an analog display provided with an indicating device to show unequivocally any position on virtually the entire surface of the dial, this position being representative any information, such as time information different from or complementary to the current time, or non-hourly information, or even a game using this possibility of analog display "any dial".

• au moins une unité de stockage des informations,
• une unité de traitement desdites informations,
• une unité de gestion et de commande recevant des signaux de consigne de l'unité de traitement,
• une unité d'alimentation pilotée par l'unité de gestion, et commandant l'avance des deux moteurs pas à pas,
• un organe de commande extérieur permettant au moins d'activer l'affichage de la deuxième information.

To this end, the invention relates to a portable electronic device for an analog display, by means of two needles driven separately by two stepper motors, information represented on the dial by a plurality of pins R _i . This portable electronic device includes:

• at least one information storage unit,
• a unit for processing said information,
• a management and control unit receiving setpoint signals from the processing unit,
• a power unit controlled by the management unit, and controlling the advance of the two stepper motors,
• an external control member allowing at least to activate the display of the second information.

Such an apparatus is disclosed, for example, in the document CH 684 044 .

The processing unit is provided with an algorithm or a correspondence table between a reference R _i located at any point of the dial and angles α _i , β _i respectively formed by each hand from a hand. measurement reference, the needles having a shape such that they can form, having the angular orientations α _i , β _i , a single point of intersection of their arms above the reference R _i , in addition to the center of the switching, their respective ends can be superimposed above said mark R _i when they point in the same direction ..

The elementary shape of the needles may be a straight classic needle for a needle and a broken contour for the second needle whose elbow will delimit a neutral zone having no reference R _i . The needles may also both have a different broken outline. For aesthetic reasons, in particular in a wristwatch, the second needle may have a symmetrical shape, for example in the heart having only one indexed branch in position β.

In a preferred embodiment, the angular values α _i , β _i are converted into the number of engine pitches, in the correspondence table or by the algorithm of the processing unit.

The information that can be displayed with this device can be very varied and their number depends only on the dimensions of the dial and the limits of visual perception. For example, in the case of a wristwatch, the apparatus includes a time base that may include a calendar constituting the storage unit for displaying a game. a second time information by distributing on the dial the dates and the months.

The device according to the invention therefore makes it possible to display a large number of information in a simpler and more economical way than with a digital display.

• la figure 1 illustre le moyen de repérage selon l'invention sur le cadran d'une montre-bracelet;
• la figure 2 correspond au schéma général de fonctionnement de la montre-bracelet représentée à la figure 1;
• les figures 3 et 4 correspondent à un premier exemple d'application à une montre-calendrier, et
• la figure 5 correspond à un deuxième exemple d'application dans lequel les repères sont constitués par les lettres de l'alphabet.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear in the following description of examples given by way of non-limiting illustration, in reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• the figure 1 illustrates the locating means according to the invention on the dial of a wristwatch;
• the figure 2 corresponds to the general scheme of operation of the wristwatch shown in figure 1 ;
• the Figures 3 and 4 correspond to a first example of application to a calendar watch, and
• the figure 5 corresponds to a second example of application in which the marks are constituted by the letters of the alphabet.

In the following description, an electronic portable device according to the invention is illustrated by a wristwatch designated by the general reference 1 ( Figures 1 and 2 ), by the general reference 2 ( figure 3 and 4 ), and by the general reference 3 ( figure 5 ).

The figure 1 , which makes it possible to explain the principle of the invention, represents a wristwatch 1 comprising a box 6 containing an electronic circuit having as external control means a ring 8 on which traction manipulations can be exerted in a known manner and / or rotate to select a mode of operation. It also comprises a dial 10, having at its periphery hour indices 12, above which two needles 14, 16 are rotated by two independent motors 24, 26 (FIG. figure 2 ).

It will be observed immediately that the needles have an "abnormal" shape for a technical purpose, even if this may be an aesthetic concern. Indeed the minute hand 14 is straight, but the hour hand 16 is formed of two segments, a small segment 15, one end of which is integral with the axis at the driving center 9 of the needle and the the other end forms a bend 15a with a large segment 17. This particular configuration allows the large segment 17 of the needle 16 to have with the minute hand 14, whatever its angular position on the dial, a point d intersection 7 along the entire length of the segment 17, with the exception of an inactive zone located inside the circle 11 described by the bend 15a.

To reduce the area of the inactive zone 11, the broken shape can advantageously be replaced by a curved shape having a radius of curvature decreasing when approaching the center. For aesthetic reasons, it is also possible to give the two needles the same form, bent or curved, symmetrical.

To obtain a maximum scan of the dial 10 by the point of intersection 7, it is obvious that the base of the triangle formed by the bent needle 16 must have a length close to that of the minute hand 14. It will also be observed that than this "abnormal" configuration does not interfere with an accurate reading of the current time, since the minute hand 14 has a usual configuration which always makes it possible to read a fine graduation on the hour circle, and that the deviation of the the tip of the hour hand 16 still allows to locate its position between two hour markers 12. As for the readability of the intersection of the needles above a reference R _i can advantageously be made of materials translucent of two different colors to produce a third color at their intersection. On the figure 1 two angles measured from a reference which is, in this example, the time reference 13 at 12 o'clock are also shown. The angle α gives, relative to the time reference 13, the position of the minute hand 14 with respect to a radius passing through the axis of rotation 9 of the needles and the tip of said needle 14. angle β gives the position of the hour hand 16, it being observed that the angle formed by the small segment of the hour hand 16 with the temporal reference 13 could have been taken equally.

This device thus corresponds in a way to a "bipolar" parameterization by means of the angles α and β of almost the entire dial, each reference R _i carried by the dial corresponding to a pair of values α _i , β _i . For hourly or even non-hourly indications carried on the hour turn, their designation results from the conjunction of the needle points corresponding to α _i = β _i . Advantageously, the values α _i , β _i are expressed, not by angular values, but in number of steps to be made to reach one of said angular values. For example, if a complete turn of the dial is 180 engine pitch, with a dial of 3 cm in diameter, needles bent at 90 ° leaving a neutral circle of 1 cm in diameter, this would theoretically give about 6000 pairs α _i β _i different. In practice, the number of marks R _i is much more limited because of the visual perception of the user. By way of example, for a watch having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is possible to have around fifty markers R _i with a surface area of 12 mm ² .

In other words, by making modifications of the electronic circuit adapted to the nature of the information to be displayed by means of the marks R _i , it will be possible to control the movement of the needles 14, 16 to bring them in intersection or in conjunction above the reference R _i representative of the precise information to be displayed, as briefly explained with reference to the block diagram represented in FIG. figure 2 .

The electronic circuit comprises a central management and control unit 20, whose mode of operation depends on the manipulations performed on the ring 8, and which conventionally receives time signals from a base station. time 21. The electronic circuit further comprises a storage unit 23 of the second piece of information, and a processing unit 25 comprising a correspondence table containing for each value α (respectively β) the mark or marks R _{i to} which said value α is associated, so as to deliver the useful control signal to the central management and control unit 20 which then controls the power supply unit 27 to drive the motors 24 and 26 by a number not corresponding to the values α and β and bringing the needles 14 and 16 in intersection or in conjunction above said mark R _i . Equivalently, the lookup table could be set by an appropriate algorithm.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 , hereinafter described a calendar watch 2 whose dial includes, in addition to the numbers from 1 to 12 corresponding to the hourly indexes 12, the numbers of 13 to 31 referenced 22 and the months of the year referenced 32. The base of time 21, containing registers for the dates and months, and the storage unit 23 are therefore merged. By exerting a pressure on the crown 8, the needles 14 and 16 will first cross on a reference R _i indicating the date, namely the number "25" on the figure 3 , then on another reference mark R _i indicating the month, ie "December" on the figure 4 . In this example the needle 16 has a heart shape, which provides a more aesthetic appearance and reduces the inactive area 11 in the center. Of course, the central management and control unit 20 is programmed to recognize only one branch of the heart shape of the needle 16. It will also be observed that the rectilinear needle 14 thus passes over the month of August and points to the number 10, which corresponds to 150 engine pitch from the time reference at 12 o'clock when a dial turn corresponds to 180 steps. This means that, in the correspondence table α, the "value 150" corresponds to both 10, August and 25. If the date to display had been 10, that is to say with the tips of the needles 14,16 in conjunction, the "value 150" would also have been mapped to the number 10 in the correspondence table β.

If one considers that a dial as charged lacks aesthetics, it is possible to add to it an optical valve of the type of that described in the US Patent 5,740,130 to hide the entire dial, with the exception of the hour markers 12 under normal operating conditions.

To the figure 5 , there is shown by way of illustration a game-watch 3 which allows, by successive presses on the crown 8, to randomly select, repetitive or otherwise, a letter of the alphabet, for example as is the case in the game of the "longest word". In the example shown, the letter Z that has been selected corresponds to the 26th rank in the storage unit 23 and has the value 45 in the table. correspondence α and 30 in the correspondence table β of the processing unit 25.

The storage unit 23 may also comprise subsets, for example a subset 23a for the vowels and a subset 23b for the consonants, these subsets being for example selectable by rotating the crown 8 in a meaning or in the other. In this example, it is also possible to supplement the electronics of the device with a searchable dictionary to control which longer word could be formed with the letters drawn.

Without departing from the scope of the invention the skilled person can design many other applications of the hour or non-hour type, such as a lotto game allowing a non-repetitive random selection of a sequence of numbers written on the dial, or a game of roulette which would correspond to 49 possibilities of different games excluding the combinations however.

Claims (15)

1. Portable electronic apparatus for displaying a piece of information in an analogue manner, by means of two hands (14, 16) driven independently by two stepping motors (24, 26), said piece of information being represented on the dial via a plurality of markings R_i, said apparatus including:

   - at least one information storing unit (23);

   - a unit (25) for processing said information;

   - a management and control unit (20) receiving control signals from the processing unit (25),

   - a supply unit (27) controlled by said management unit, and controlling the movement of said two stepping motors (24;26);

   - an external control member (8) enabling at least said piece of information to be displayed,

   characterized in that said processing unit (25) is provided with an algorithm or a correspondence table between a marking R_i, located in any position on the dial (10) and angles α_i, β_i formed respectively by each hand (14, 16) from a measurement reference (13) and in that the shape of said hands (14, 16) is such that, being oriented with angles α_i, β_i, they can only display a sole point with their elongated parts above said marking R_i apart their common pivoting point or, with same angles, their tips can be aligned one below the other above said marking R_i.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one hand (14, 16) is bent and delimits in rotation a small central circle (11) comprising no markings R_i.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one hand (14, 16) has a curved shape with a radius of curvature decreasing towards the centre of rotation of said hand.
4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that one hand (14) is rectilinear and the other hand (16) is heart-shaped, one branch of said other hand being active.
5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that both hands (14, 16) are made of translucent material in two different colours displaying a third colour by stacking.
6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that a given value of an angle α or β corresponds to a determined number of steps of a stepping motor (24, 26)
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the alignment of the tips of both hands (14, 16) corresponds to markings R_i borne by the dial (10) at its periphery.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes a time base (21) supplying control signals to said management and control unit (20) for displaying a first time related piece of information via said hands (14, 16) by means of symbols (12) provided at the periphery of the dial (10).
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said measurement reference (13) for angles α and β is the time reference at 12 o'clock, said angles α and β being measured between the time reference and a radius passing through the rotational axis (9) of said hands (14, 16) and through their tip.
10. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that said time keeping circuit (21) includes a calendar for the months and the dates, said calendar forming said storing unit (23) for a second time related piece of information, and in that the markings R_i, are formed of the twelve months of the year and by the numbers from 1 to 31, the first twelve numbers corresponding to the hour-symbols (12).
11. Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that an optical valve is placed above the dial (10) for masking the markings R_i with the exception of the hour-symbols (12) when the apparatus is in current time reading mode.
12. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that said storing unit (23) contains the letters of the alphabet, corresponding to 26 marks distributed randomly on the dial (10) and in that said management and control unit (20) is arranged so as to make a random selection of said letters from the storing unit (23).
13. Portable apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that it includes two storing units (23a, 23b), one for the vowels and one for the consonants, each storing unit (23a, 23b) being able to be selected by an appropriate manipulation of the external control member (8).
14. Apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that it further includes an electronic dictionary that can be consulted on the basis of the letters selected from the storing unit (23).
15. Apparatus according to claim 8 or 12, characterized in that it is a wristwatch able to permanently give a first time related piece of information and, upon actuation of the external control member (8), a second time related or non time related piece of information.

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