CH718119B1 - Timepiece with a permanently lighted or luminous display element and a darkening arrangement. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a timepiece, in particular a wristwatch, with at least one permanently illuminated or luminous display element, for example a dial or pointer, at least one transparent cover for at least one of the display elements, at least one darkening arrangement (6, 6a) for at least one of the display elements, and at least one actuating element for manual activation or actuation for the at least one dimming arrangement.

Description

The invention relates to a timepiece, in particular a wristwatch.

There are various ways to be able to display or read the time or other functions in various embodiments of timepieces in the dark. The most common solution is a digital watch or an electromechanical watch with a quartz movement, which has luminous displays, some of which can also be adjusted in terms of their brightness and often can be dimmed almost completely. In the case of timepieces in the form of wristwatches, lighting, for example by means of LEDs, can often be switched on at the push of a button. However, the use of electric lighting reduces battery life.

High-quality electromechanical watches as well as purely mechanical watches, in which no external energy source is installed, use other technologies for the purpose of lighting in the dark, such as permanent lighting technology using tritium gas light sources, also known as GTLS, which are sold, for example, under the brand name trigalight ® are distributed. The use of afterglow colors, such as those sold under the Superluminova® brand, is also possible. These permanent or long-lasting afterglow technologies are preferably installed on outdoor watches and tactical watches, where, for example, according to MIL-PRF-46374 G, the time must be readable without any further action on the part of the user after 8 hours of storage in complete darkness.

The lighting technologies shown are independent of an external power supply from voltage sources such as batteries. However, they also have the disadvantage that they light up permanently and cannot be switched off at the push of a button, like the solutions explained at the beginning. In absolute darkness you can attract attention with such a watch and even become an unintentional target. In the civil sector, too, it can be undesirable for the timepiece to be permanently lit in the dark.

The object of the present invention was to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to create a timepiece that has the advantages of permanently illuminated mechanical or electromechanical watches and, if necessary, allows the brightness to be reduced to the point of complete darkness.

[0006] This object is achieved by a device according to the claims.

For this purpose, a timepiece according to the invention is equipped with at least one permanently illuminated, afterglow or luminous display element, for example a dial, pointer or the like, at least one transparent cover for at least one of the display elements, at least one darkening arrangement for at least one display element, and at least one Actuating element for manual activation or actuation of at least one dimming arrangement.

This ensures that the display is recognized in the dark even with clocks without an integrated voltage source, and any existing power sources are not burdened by the power requirement for the display. Nevertheless, if required, a reduction in luminosity up to complete darkening can also be made possible for these permanent lighting technologies in a simple manner, which can be switched on or off by the user.

The use of at least one active light source is preferably provided as permanent lighting technology, which is arranged on or in at least one display element. In particular, the use of GTLS, i.e. light sources that glow visibly for a long time without external energy supply, is intended. A tritium gas light source typically consists of a glass container, such as borosilicate glass, the inside of which is coated with a layer of a fluorescent substance, the phosphor. In the tube, a beta emitter, preferably tritium, emits relatively constant beta radiation, under the influence of which the phosphor emits light in a light color typical of the material.

In order to be able to darken independently of external power sources or without loading existing power sources of the timepiece, at least one darkening arrangement with mechanically movable elements is provided, which is arranged between at least one display element and at least one transparent cover. In this case, the movable elements can preferably be actuated purely mechanically, without any electromotive, magnetic or other drive arrangement dependent on a power supply.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides for the use of an iris diaphragm as a darkening element of the darkening arrangement, which enables a continuous change in the visible area of the display element or display elements in a simple and proven manner. In addition, the surface of the slats can be used to attach graphic designs.

Another embodiment provides for the arrangement of at least one optical dimming arrangement on the timepiece to solve the problem. This has the advantage that the darkening can take place uniformly and steplessly over the entire area covered by the optical elements of the arrangement.

An advantageous variant of such an optical dimming arrangement are two polarization filters that can be rotated relative to one another as dimming elements. The twisting can take place via a purely mechanical arrangement without the need for a power supply, but could also take place via electromotive, magnetic or other drive arrangements dependent on a power supply. The typical angle of rotation between maximum and minimum transmission is preferably about 90°. In addition, the use of polarization filters allows the transmission to be continuously adjusted.

A very simple and stable embodiment provides that a relation to the timer fixed first polarization filter is present, and that a second polarization filter is rotatably mounted with respect to the timer and the first polarization filter.

One of the polarization filters is preferably at the same time the cover for at least one of the display elements. In particular, a cover glass of a wristwatch can be in the form of a polarization filter. For this purpose, a polarizing coating is usually applied to the cover glass or watch glass.

Other inventive embodiments for an electrical dimming arrangement include electrochromic elements, preferably an electrochromic coating on the cover glass, or an additional optical component or at least one liquid crystal element, preferably applied to the cover glass or an additional optical component.

[0017] Embodiments of the invention with an actuating element for the darkening arrangement, which can be rotated relative to the timepiece or can be displaced along its circumference, are particularly advantageous. An advantageous and preferred embodiment of this provides a rotatable bezel or crown, i.e. the use of components that are often already present in watches or can be easily integrated. In such solutions, maximum angles of rotation for the bezel between 5 and 180° are preferred, preferably angles of rotation between 30 and 120°. The crown typically rotates more than 360°.

In order to be able to choose the angle of rotation at will or the possibilities on the timepiece, regardless of the requirements of the darkening arrangement, an advantageous embodiment of the invention provides a mechanical transmission for the connection between the actuating element and mechanically movable elements. An arrangement with a toothed wheel and a toothed rack or a toothed wheel also counts as a mechanical transmission within the meaning of the invention. As an alternative or in addition to this, the actuating force can be set with it. Advantageously, an electrical or electronic control arrangement can be present for the darkening arrangement, which can be activated or deactivated by the actuating element.

These and other features of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing figures.

1 shows a wristwatch as an example of a timepiece according to the invention with a completely closed iris diaphragm as an example of a mechanical darkening arrangement; Figure 2 shows the wristwatch of Figure 1 with the iris fully open; Fig. 3 is a view, partially in section, of an embodiment of an iris diaphragm of the wristwatch of Fig. 1; 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of an iris diaphragm with actuation via the bezel of a wristwatch; 5 shows a variant for driving the movable ring of an iris via an additional crown and a toothed wheel; 6 shows a wristwatch as an example of a timepiece according to the invention with a completely closed iris diaphragm, which is provided with a graphic design element; 7 shows a wristwatch as an example of a timepiece according to the invention with an open polarization filter; and FIG. 8 shows the wristwatch of FIG. 7 with the polarization filter in the closed state; 9 shows an exemplary embodiment for the use of polarization filters in a wristwatch; 10 shows an embodiment for the application of an LCD element in a wristwatch; and FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment for the use of an electrochromic coating in a wristwatch.

First of all, it should be noted that in the differently described embodiments, the same parts are provided with the same reference numbers or the same component designations, and the disclosures contained throughout the description can be transferred analogously to the same parts with the same reference numbers or the same component designations. The position information selected in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., is related to the figure directly described and shown and these position information are to be transferred to the new position in the event of a change of position. All information on value ranges in the present description are to be understood in such a way that they also include any and all sub-ranges thereof. Finally, for the sake of clarity, it should be pointed out that some elements are shown not to scale and/or enlarged and/or reduced in order to better understand the structure.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows the case 1 of a wristwatch as an example of a timepiece according to the invention. A crown 2 serves as a control element for setting various functions, in particular the time. The timepiece according to the invention has several permanently illuminated display elements, specifically a dial 3 and at least one pointer 4. A cover glass 5 - better visible in FIG . It is typically made of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal or similar materials.

At least some of the display elements 3, 4 or parts thereof, for example sections of the hands 4 and/or the hour markers 3a on the dial 3, can be made permanently luminous by active light sources. Afterglow areas or active light sources can also be used. Tritium gas light sources are preferably used for this purpose, the glass containers coated on the inside with the phosphor and containing the tritium gas being provided directly or with an outer casing made of transparent plastic, preferably embedded in the display elements 3, 4 or attached thereto.

After actuation or activation by the user, at least one dimming arrangement can cover these illuminated display elements 3, 3a, 4 and thus at least reduce visibility or brightness. Complete darkening is preferably possible. In the example in FIG. 1, an iris diaphragm 6 is shown as an example of a darkening element of a darkening arrangement according to the invention in a completely closed state and in FIG. 2 in a completely open state. The individual slats 6a of the iris diaphragm 6, which--as can be seen clearly in FIG. 4--is positioned between the display elements 3, 3a, 4 and the cover glass 5, form the effective darkening elements for an ideally completely opaque and light-tight cover .

With a sufficiently large number of lamellae 6a or an asymmetrical arrangement of the lamellae 6a, the iris diaphragm 6 can be made sufficiently small in the closed state and the outer surface in which the lamellae 6a are accommodated in the open state can also be made sufficiently small.

3 and 4 show an exemplary implementation with an iris diaphragm 6 with an outer diameter of 42 mm, which fits very well into a housing 1 with a diameter of 45 mm, with an open inner diameter (corresponding to the size of the dial 3 ) of 30mm can be achieved. In this exemplary implementation, the lamellae 6a are placed directly under the sealing cover glass 5 in the bezel 1a.

The individual lamellae 6a of the iris diaphragm 6 can be actuated purely mechanically via an arrangement of two rings 7, 8, without any electromotive, magnetic or otherwise dependent on power supply drive arrangement. A solution of this type is particularly suitable for electromechanical clocks in which the life of the voltage source should not be reduced by connecting an electrical solution, or for mechanical clocks in which no electrical voltage sources are integrated. A lower fixed ring 7 is provided with radial grooves in which pins connected to the laminations 6a are slidably received. Pins are also arranged on the opposite side of the lamellae 6a and are connected to a rotatable ring 8 . The operation of the iris diaphragm 6 in the watch, i.e. the relative rotation of ring 8 with respect to ring 7, is carried out either using typical operating elements of the watch or separate operating elements specially provided for the darkening arrangement.

Since the iris diaphragm 6 is advantageously fitted below the bezel 1a and/or the cover glass 5, an advantageous embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 provides that the darkening arrangement is actuated directly via the bezel 1a. The rotating movement of the bezel 1a, which is also used as a rotatable ring 8 of the iris diaphragm 6, moves the corresponding pins 11, 12 of the iris diaphragm 6 and the opening and closing of the iris diaphragm 6 is realized directly via the bezel 1a. The lamellae 6a are fixed on one side by means of a pin 11 each in the rotatable bezel. By turning the bezel, the second pin 12 slides radially outwards or inwards on the opposite side of the lamella 6a in the groove of the fixed ring 7. This displacement of the second pin 12 moves the lamellae 6a towards or away from the center and the iris diaphragm 6 can thus be closed or opened. In this case, the bezel 1a preferably has two fixed stops in the rotary movement, so that the iris diaphragm 6 can only be operated in a precisely defined rotary range and there is no risk of the lamellae 6a being deformed. Typical values of the angle of rotation of the bezel 1a for designing such an iris diaphragm 6 are mostly between 30 and 120°.

Another typical operating element is the additionally attached crown 9 shown in FIG. 5 or a crown that is already present, which is used, for example, to set a world time clock or a compass ring, and which are also available in a special position for the darkening arrangement can. However, a crown 9 alone is preferably used only for actuating the darkening arrangement. A toothed wheel 9a fastened to the shaft of this crown 9 can engage in a rack 8a of the movable ring 8 of the iris diaphragm 6 and can drive the movable ring 8 when the crown 9 rotates. Depending on the design of the iris diaphragm 6, a relative rotation of the two rings 7, 8 by a few degrees is again sufficient for complete opening and closing. The crown 9 as an actuating element, on the other hand, typically rotates significantly more than 360°, so that a translation by an arrangement of gear wheel 9a and toothed rail 8a or ring gear is advantageous as the simplest embodiment of a gear. Of course, other types of gear arrangements and/or other transmission ratios are also possible. In such an embodiment, the bezel 1a may be fixed to the case 1 or it may be movable independently of the shading arrangement, for example in the form of slide rule bezels to mark times as in diving watches, etc.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lamellae 6a of the iris diaphragm 6 can be used as a design surface for graphic design, e.g.

While the use of iris diaphragms 6 as a darkening element is advisable for watches with circular dials, for angular, in particular rectangular, housings, the implementation can be carried out with slats that can be displaced parallel to one another at right angles to their longitudinal extent, i.e. in the manner of a blind or a roller shutter , be advantageous. Such a darkening element is preferably operated via a lever.

Another embodiment of the invention provides for the arrangement of at least one optical darkening arrangement on the timepiece in order to solve the problem. In electromechanical watches, the movement is powered by a power source, typically a removable one, i.e. a battery or a rechargeable battery. The energy thus available can thus also be used for electrically operated dimming arrangements. Electrochromism and liquid crystal technology (LCD) can be used as electrically operated darkening methods.

An electrochromic application is understood as meaning the application of thin layers (e.g. tungsten dioxide) which change their optical properties, such as the light transmission, when a DC voltage is applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a thin electrochromic layer 16 can be applied to the inside of the protective glass 5 and electrically contacted.

Another dimming technology that is widely used in other areas, for example in protective gear for welders, is LCD technology. Switching on an electric current affects the polarization properties of liquid crystals, which leads to darkening. For use on a clock, as shown in FIG. 10, a thin LCD element 15 can preferably be glued to the inside of the cover glass 5 and electrically contacted.

Both solutions, but above all the darkening with the LCD, affect the optical properties (transmission) in the open state, so that a loss of light in the open state must be expected in comparison to an uncoated cover glass.

[0036] A dimming arrangement using two polarization filters can also be provided as a current-free solution in analogous implementation to the electrically operated LCD approach. In this case, as shown by way of example in FIG. 9, two superimposed polarization filters 14 are used, which change the transmission from maximum to minimum permeability when they are rotated relative to one another by an angle of rotation of typically 90°. FIG. 7 shows a wristwatch with the polarization filter open, while FIG. 8 shows the state after the polarization filter has been rotated by 90°. Preferably, one of the two polarizing filters is mounted on the cover glass 5 of the watch, which is preferably connected to the bezel 1a, and the second polarizing filter is mounted on an additional thin intermediate glass 13, preferably applied as a coating thereon, typically in the micrometer range, or these glasses are designed as polarizing filters.

If one of the two polarization filters 14 is permanently connected to the case 1 of the watch, for example the intermediate glass 13 can be connected to one of the polarization filters 14 with the case 1, the rotation of the second polarization filter 14 can be realized very easily, preferably again by rotating the bezel 1a, the cover glass 5 connected to it and the second polarization filter 14 located on it. The adjustment of the darkening takes place steplessly in the adjustment range shown. There is also a loss of transmission in the open state with this solution. In addition, these solutions can also only achieve relatively strong, but not absolute (100 percent) shielding.

The exemplary embodiments show possible variants, it being noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated variants of the same, but rather that various combinations of the individual variants with one another are possible and these possible variations are based on the teaching of technical action the present invention is within the skill of a person skilled in the art working in this technical field.

The scope of protection is determined by the claims. However, the description and drawings should be used to interpret the claims.

Reference List

1 case 1a bezel 2 crown 3 dial 3a hour marker 4 pointer 5 cover glass 6 iris diaphragm 6a lamella 7 fixed ring 8 movable ring 8a toothed rail 9 additional crown 9a gear wheel 10 motif 11 fixed pin 12 movable pin 13 intermediate glass 14 polarization filter 15 LCD element 16 electrochromic layer

Claims (12)

1. Timepieces, in particular wristwatches, with at least one permanently illuminated or luminous display element, for example a dial (3) or a pointer (4), at least one transparent cover (5) for at least one of the display elements, at least one dimming arrangement (6, 6a, 14, 15, 16) for at least one of the display elements, and at least one actuating element (1a, 9) for manual activation or actuation for the at least one dimming arrangement. 2. Timepiece according to claim 1, with at least one active light source, preferably a tritium gas light source, which is arranged on or in at least one display element (3, 3a, 4). 3. Timepiece according to claim 1, with at least one darkening arrangement (6, 6a) with mechanically movable elements (6a) which is arranged between at least one display element (3, 3a, 4) and at least one transparent cover (5). 4. Timepiece according to claim 3, with an iris diaphragm (6, 6a) as a darkening element of the darkening arrangement. 5. Timepiece according to claim 1, with at least one optical darkening arrangement (14, 15, 16) with mechanically movable elements (6a), which is arranged between at least one display element (3, 3a, 4) and at least one transparent cover (5). 6. Timepiece according to claim 5, with two polarization filters (14) that can be rotated relative to one another as darkening effective elements of the darkening arrangement, preferably with a rotation angle of 90° from maximum to minimum transmission. 7. Timepiece according to claim 6, with a relation to the timepiece fixed first polarization filter (14), and a second polarization filter (14) which is rotatably mounted with respect to the timepiece and the first polarization filter (14). 8. Timepiece according to claim 6, with a cover (5) designed as a polarization filter for at least one of the display elements (3, 4). 9. Timepiece according to claim 1, with an electrical dimming arrangement comprising electrochromic elements, preferably an electrochromic coating (16) on the cover (5) or an additional optical component, or liquid crystal elements (15), preferably on the cover (5) or a additional optical component applied. 10. Timepiece according to claim 1, with an actuating element for the darkening arrangement, which can be rotated relative to the timepiece or displaced along its circumference, preferably a rotatable bezel (1a) or crown (9), with a maximum angle of rotation of the bezel (1a) between 5 and 180°, preferably an angle of rotation between 30 and 120°. 11. Timepiece according to claim 10, with a mechanical gear (8a, 9a) for the connection between the actuating element (9) and mechanically movable elements of the darkening arrangement (6, 6a, 14) 12. Timepiece according to claim 10, with an electrical or electronic control arrangement for the darkening arrangement (6, 6a, 14, 15, 16), which control arrangement can be activated or deactivated by the actuating element.