CH718769A2 - Timepiece combining display hands and a digital display screen. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a timepiece (1), comprising: – a case (2); – display hands (61, 62, 63) pivotally mounted; – a movement for driving the display hands by defining a scanning surface (41); – a display screen (42), a first part (411) of the scanning surface being superimposed on said screen (42) and a second part (412) of the scanning surface not being superimposed on said screen; – a control circuit configured to switch sequentially between first and second modes of operation, with: – a first mode of operation in which the display hands (61, 62, 63) are driven in the first and second parts of the scanning surface; – a second mode of operation in which the display hands (61, 62, 63) are driven only in the second part of the scanning surface with display of information by the display screen.

Description

Technical field of the invention

The invention relates to timepieces combining an analog needle display and a digital display.

Technology background

[0002] For some years now, watches have combined an analog display based on hands and a digital display, typically based on a liquid crystal screen. Hands are typically used to tell the time to the user by their position relative to the face of the watch. Such a configuration makes it possible both to retain the clarity and the traditional side of an analog display, and the richness of the information that can be displayed with a liquid crystal screen.

[0003] However, one of the major drawbacks of such a combination is to offer an information display configuration which is not suitable for daily and frequent reading of the latter by the wearer of the watch at the risk of 'quickly cause visual fatigue and even vision problems.

Summary of the invention

[0004] For this purpose, the invention relates to a timepiece, comprising: - a housing in which a reception volume is provided; – display hands mounted pivoting in the reception volume; – a movement, configured to drive the display hands in rotation, a complete revolution of the display hands defining a scanning surface; – a display screen positioned in the reception volume below the level of the display hands, a first part of the scanning surface overlapping said display screen and a second part of the scanning surface not overlapping not said display screen; – a control circuit configured to switch sequentially between first and second operating modes, with: o a first operating mode in which the control circuit controls the drive of the display hands in the first and second parts of the surface scanning in order to display chronometric information; o a second mode of operation in which the control circuit controls the driving of the display hands only in the second part of the scanning surface in order to display chronometric information and in which the control circuit controls the display of information via the display screen.

[0005] In other embodiments: the part comprises a switch capable of being acted upon from outside the casing and associated with the control circuit so as to trigger switching between the first and second operating modes; the control circuit is configured to automatically switch from the first to the second display mode as soon as it controls a display on said display screen; the first and second parts of the scanning surface are half-discs; the control circuit superimposes the display hands and causes them to rotate so as to display chronometric information in said second operating mode; the chronometric information displayed is of the hour, countdown or chronograph type; the part further comprises a dial separating the display hands from the control circuit, the dial being provided with time display indexes; the dial comprises a first series of indexes and a second series of indexes corresponding to respective chronometric information for the first and second modes of operation; the screen comprises a peripheral part encircling the scanning surface, the control circuit being configured to display different indexes on the peripheral part according to the first or the second mode of operation.

Brief description of figures

The aims, advantages and characteristics of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description, with reference to the figures in which: FIG. 1 is a top view of an example of a watch for which the invention is implemented; Figure 2 is a top view of the watch of Figure 1 in a first display mode; Figure 3 is a top view of the watch of Figure 1 in a second display mode; Figure 4 is a top view of the watch of Figure 1 in a variant of the second display mode; FIG. 5 is a top view of the watch of FIG. 1 in another variant of the second display mode; FIG. 6 is a top view of a variant of the watch of FIG. 5 in a variant of the second display mode; FIGS. 7 to 9 are top views of another variant of the watch with different display modes.

Detailed description of the invention

In the rest of the description, the terms "top", "bottom", "upper", "lower", "above", "below" are to be considered taking into account a horizontal median plane parallel to the horizontal bearing plane of the watch case on a surface.

[0008] The terms "exterior", "external", "interior" and "internal" are to be understood taking into account a median axis oriented perpendicular to a median plane. The median plane is generally defined by a dial of the watch, the median axis being generally defined by the axis of rotation of the display hands of the watch.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a watch 1 in top view, for which the invention is likely to be implemented, The watch 1 comprises a case 2 provided with a middle part. The watch 1 here comprises a bracelet 3 fixed to the case 2. To this end, the watch 1 comprises on either side of its caseband, two lugs 21 each arranged to fix a separate strand of the bracelet 3. The watch 1 here comprises a control element 5 which can be used as a switch as will be seen later. Such a control element 5 can also be called a "switching element" and can preferably comprise a single mobile element, and for example be formed by any component suitable for this purpose, such as a rotating bezel, a push button, a tactile surface of the case or of the crystal, etc. Again preferably, this control element 5 corresponds to a crown, for example with a pusher, forming a time-setting crown.

The case 2 of the watch 1 comprises a reception volume 4 defined by the middle part (generally made of metallic material) and delimited between a dial 7 and a transparent crystal (not referenced). The reception volume 4 of the watch 1 is thus closed at the top by the crystal (for example in sapphire crystal). The glass can be supported in a manner known per se by the middle part and fixed in a leaktight manner thereto by a suitable method. The dial 7 can advantageously comprise numerical or graphic indexes 71, not represented in FIG. 1 with a view to clarifying the illustration.

[0011] The watch 1 further comprises display hands 61 to 63 housed in the reception volume 4. The hands 61 to 63 are driven in rotation by a clockwork movement not shown, in particular to display time. The clock movement is here separated from the hands 61 to 63 by the dial 7. One can here distinguish a hand 61 intended to indicate the hours, a hand 62 intended to indicate the minutes, and a hand 63 intended to indicate the seconds. It is of course possible to provide a different number of display hands. The needles 61 to 63 are here mounted for rotation around the same central axis. This dial 7 comprises a surface 41 corresponding to a surface swept by the hands 61 and 63 over one revolution. Hand 63 being the longest, swept surface 41 is here defined by the length of this hand 63. In other words, the end of this hand 63 defines the outline/delimitation of this surface 41 on dial 7.

The dial 7 includes a digital display screen 42, here in its lower part. The display screen 42 is thus present in the reception volume 4 and positioned below the level of the hands 61 to 63. The scanning surface 41 can be broken down into a first part 411 which is superimposed on the screen. display 42, and a second part 412 which is not superimposed on the display screen 42. The superposition of the scanning surface 41 with the screen 42 is determined by its projection along the axis of rotation of the hands 61 at 63. The first and second parts 411 and 412 are here not of equal size. It will be noted in a variant of the invention, these first and second parts 411 and 412 could be of substantially equal or equal size.

The watch 1 comprises a control circuit. The control circuit is advantageously housed in the casing 2, typically under the dial 7. According to the invention, the control circuit is configured to present first and second modes of operation and to switch between them sequentially.

Figure 2 illustrates the watch 1 of Figure 1 in the first mode of operation of the control circuit. In this first mode of operation, the control circuit controls/controls the watch movement to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 in the first and second parts 411 and 412 of the scanning surface 41 in order to display information chronometer. Thus, in the configuration illustrated, the hands 61 and 62 are in the first part 411 and therefore overlap with the display screen 42. The hand 63 is in the part 412. The indexes 71 of the dial 7 favor the identification of the chronometric indication by the hands 61 to 63. The chronometric indication here is the time indication in a manner known per se. The chronometric indication can also be of the countdown or chronograph type in a manner known per se. In the example illustrated here, the control circuit does not control the display of any information on the display screen 42. In this first mode of operation, the display of chronometric information by the hands 61 to 63 uses the entire scanning surface 41 and therefore optimizes the analog display for maximum visibility for the user.

Figure 3 illustrates the watch of Figure 1 in an example of the second mode of operation of the control circuit. In this second operating mode, the control circuit controls/controls the display of information by the display screen 42. The information displayed by the screen 42 can be of any type: for example information coming from from the outside in the case of a connected watch, chronological information, or instantaneous speed, distance traveled or position information for a watch having geolocation functionalities. The watch 1 can comprise a wireless communication circuit, in order to be able to connect said watch with the outside and thus have information coming from the outside with a view to displaying it on the screen 42.

In the example illustrated in Figure 3, the screen 42 includes a main display area 421 and a secondary display area 422. In this example, the screen 42 displays speed information in its area main 421 and indicates in the secondary display zone 422 the category of information displayed in the main zone. The secondary display zone 422 can also indicate the nature of the chronometric information displayed by the hands 61 to 63 (time indication, countdown, chronograph, etc.).

In the example illustrated in Figure 4, the main display area 421 displays a message and the secondary display area 422 specifies the category of information displayed in the main display area 421.

As we have previously mentioned, the control element 5 can be used as a switch to sequentially display different categories of information in the main display area 421 of the screen 42. Switching between the two operating modes can also be based on the detection of movements of the user's wrist, for example if the watch 1 includes sensors of the gyroscope/accelerometer type.

In this second mode of operation, the watch movement is configured to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 only in the second part 412 of the scanning surface 41 in order to display chronometric information. Thus, the hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display chronometric information, without altering the view of the display screen 42 since the hands 61 to 63 are not arranged in the first part 411. In this example , the chronometric information can be a time indication, a countdown or a chronograph. A 12-hour scale is here defined by the upper part of dial 7. The rightmost index, located here in FIG. 4 close to crown 5, corresponds to a zero value. Such an index corresponds where appropriate to 12 hours, 60 minutes or 60 seconds depending on the display hand 61 to 63 considered. Thus, only the upper indexes of dial 7 define the time display here. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, hands 61 to 63 indicate that it is two hours, zero minutes and 41 seconds (or that this time remains for a countdown mode, or that this time has elapsed for a chronograph mode).

[0020] The control element 5 can be used as a switch to switch between the first and second display modes. It is also possible to envisage switching between the first and second display modes being controlled by communication with the outside, for example in the case of a connected watch. Switching to the second operating mode can for example occur upon receipt of a new message for a connected watch. Provision may also be made for the control circuit to switch to the second mode of operation as soon as it displays information on the display screen 42. Provision may also be made for switching between the first and second modes of operation to occur after a time delay, for example after the user has ordered an initial changeover (for example by requesting the first operating mode to view the time precisely) via button 5.

Figure 5 illustrates the watch 1 of Figure 1 in another example of the second mode of operation of the control circuit. The control circuit also controls the watch movement to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 only in the second part 412 of the scanning surface 41 in order to display chronometric information. Thus, the hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display chronometric information, without however altering the view of the display screen 42 since the hands 61 to 63 are not arranged in the first part 411. The hands 61 to 63 are here superimposed, in order to promote rapid reading of the chronometric information limited to the part 412. In this display mode, the control circuit therefore causes the hands 61 to 63 to be superimposed. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, the chronometric information displayed by hands 61 to 63 is six hours, thirty-six minutes and thirty-six seconds.

[0022] Figure 6 illustrates a variant of the watch 1 of Figure 1 in the example of a second mode of operation of the control circuit corresponding to Figure 5. The control circuit also controls the watch movement to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 only in the second part 412 of the scanning surface 41 in order to display chronometric information. Thus, the hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display chronometric information, without however altering the view of the display screen 42 since the hands 61 to 63 are not arranged in the first part 411. The hands 61 to 63 are here superimposed, in order to promote rapid reading of the chronometric information limited to the part 412. In this display mode, the control circuit also drives the hands 61 to 63 in superposition. In order to facilitate the reading of the time in this second mode of operation, the dial 7 comprises a first series of indexes 71 for reading chronometric information in the first mode of operation, and a second series of indexes 72 for reading chronometric information in the second mode of operation.

In order to allow the hands 61 to 63 to return to their initial position after having reached the end of the second display part 412 in the second mode of operation (for example when a hand reaches the index 71 identified by '3' in FIG. 6), watch 1 has a retrograde display. This retrograde display makes it possible to prevent the hands 61 to 63 from being superimposed on the first display part 411 during the second mode of operation. In other words, the control circuit can control a rapid rotation of the hands 61 to 63 until the start of the second display part 412 (for example until the index 71 identified by '9' in FIG. 6), in the retrograde direction, with a view to avoiding the superimposition of this first part 411 by the hands 61 to 63. Such a retrograde display can be implemented by means of a movement comprising one or more bidirectional motors. According to the other alternative, when the hands 61 to 63 reach the end of the second display part 412 in the second mode of operation, the control circuit can command rapid rotation of the hands 61 to 63 clockwise until beginning of the second display part 412 (for example up to the index 71 identified by '9' in FIG. 6). Thus, the hands 61 to 63 are superimposed only furtively on the first part 411 in this second mode of operation.

[0024] Figure 7 illustrates a variant of a watch 1 according to the invention. In this example, the screen 42 comprises a peripheral part 423, which surrounds the second part 412 as well as the main display zone 421. This peripheral part 423 can also belong to the first part 411, the hands 61 to 63 being able to be overlay it. The peripheral part 423 can be driven by the control circuit to allow the display of dynamic indexes, different depending on the first or the second mode of operation. Screen 42 can be implemented as a matrix display.

In the example of Figure 8, the watch 1 is in its first mode of operation. The peripheral part 423 thus displays indexes 427 surrounding the scanning surface 41 of the hands 61 to 63. The indexes 427 displayed here promote the reading of the time in this first operating mode, since they are displayed as a replacement and juxtaposition with indexes of the second operating mode.

In the example of Figure 9, the watch 1 is in its second operating mode. The peripheral part 423 thus displays indexes 427 surrounding only the part 412. The indexes 427 displayed here promote the reading of the time in this second operating mode, since they are displayed in replacement and not in juxtaposition with indexes of the first operating mode. Moreover, the indexes 427 correspond precisely to the mode of reading the chronometric information of the second mode of operation.

One can also envisage that the first and second parts 411 and 412 form half-discs, so that the display in the second mode of operation can be considered as a half-moon display. The invention can of course be applied to other types of timepieces than a watch as illustrated.

Claims (9)

1. Timepiece (1), characterized in that it comprises: – a housing (2) in which a reception volume (4) is formed; – display hands (61, 62, 63) pivotally mounted in the reception volume (4); – a movement, configured to drive the display hands in rotation, a complete revolution of the display hands defining a scanning surface (41); – a display screen (42) positioned in the reception volume (4) below the level of the display hands, a first part (411) of the scanning surface being superimposed on said display screen (42) and a second portion (412) of the scanning surface not overlapping said display screen; – a control circuit configured to switch sequentially between first and second operating modes, with: o a first mode of operation in which the control circuit controls the drive of the display hands (61, 62, 63) in the first and second parts of the scanning surface in order to display chronometric information; o a second mode of operation in which the control circuit controls the driving of the display hands (61, 62, 63) only in the second part of the scanning surface in order to display chronometric information and in which the circuit command commands the display of information by the display screen. 2. Timepiece (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a switch (5) capable of being acted on from outside the case (2) and associated with the control circuit in such a way triggering a switch between the first and second modes of operation. 3. Timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control circuit is configured to automatically switch from the first to the second display mode as soon as it controls a display on said screen of display (42). 4. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first and second parts (411, 412) of the scanning surface are half-discs. 5. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control circuit superimposes the display hands and causes them to rotate so as to display chronometric information in said second mode of operation . 6. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the chronometric information displayed is of the hour, countdown or chronograph type. 7. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a dial (7) separating the display hands (61, 62, 63) from the control circuit, the dial (7 ) being provided with hour display indexes (71). 8. Timepiece (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the dial (7) comprises a first series of indexes (71) and a second series of indexes (72) corresponding to respective chronometric information for the first and second modes of operation. 9. Timepiece (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the screen (42) comprises a peripheral part (423) surrounding the scanning surface (41), the control circuit being configured to display different indexes (427) on the peripheral part (423) according to the first or the second mode of operation.