CN109416522B

CN109416522B - Device comprising a light-emitting element

Info

Publication number: CN109416522B
Application number: CN201680087169.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·伯恩海姆
Original assignee: MONDAINE WATCH Ltd
Current assignee: MONDAINE WATCH Ltd
Priority date: 2016-06-27
Filing date: 2016-06-27
Publication date: 2021-09-07
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-27
Also published as: CN109416522A; WO2018002686A1; EP3475766A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device, such as a watch or a timepiece, comprising: one or more hands having a back surface facing the dial, wherein the back surface has a luminescent material.

Description

Device comprising a light-emitting element

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device comprising a light emitting element which is not directly visible to a user. In particular, the device is a watch or a timepiece, and the light-emitting element is arranged on a hidden face of the hands.

Background

Watches with luminous hands are known. The lighted pointer allows sunlight to be captured and provides the remaining light when the ambient light is insufficient to read the time. Thus, at least for some period of time, the user is able to determine the position of the pointer even in the dark. It must be provided with a phosphorescent or fluorescent coating or any phosphorescent or fluorescent element on the top face of the pointer. Thus, the visual aspect of the pointer is limited to the necessary phosphorescent or fluorescent coating. In particular, it is not possible to design a pointer in black, or a pointer with a specific color or aesthetic characteristics.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to address the above limitations. In particular, the invention provides a watch or any similar device comprising one or more moving elements, such as hands or disks, or any other position-changing element. These movable elements have a top surface visible to the user and a hidden surface facing the dial. Such a hidden or rear surface is provided with elements capable of emitting light, so that it can illuminate the dial. Since the top surface of the moving element is not provided with any luminescent substance, it remains dark in the absence of an external light source. Thus, the user can see a shadow of the mobile element surrounded by light emitted by the hidden surface of the mobile element.

The light is provided by any luminescent substance or material, such as a coating, paint, solid resin, polymer rod or plate, or flexible layer comprising at least one luminescent component, or a mixture of luminescent components. The rear surface of the mobile element can be directly coated or painted or provided with an additional element having luminous properties, which can be fixed by any known means, such as glue, snaps, clips or similar fastening means. Alternatively, the rear surface of the moving element may be provided with one or more sealed tubes containing a luminescent gas such as tritium or its equivalent. Such sealed tubes, also called gaseous tritium light sources GTLS, are known and are usually made of borosilicate and filled with a substance such as a luminescent material or tritium or the like. They may be clipped or glued onto the rear surface of the moving element or inserted into recesses in the rear surface.

According to the invention, the visible face of the mobile element does not contain any light-emitting elements.

The dial may be provided with graduations or other areas, which may or may not also have luminescent material. Each graduation may be a mark made on the dial with a paint or coating having luminescent properties. Alternatively, it can be made of a polymer sheet glued to the dial. It may also be made from tubes containing a luminescent gas (such as GTLS or others).

The dial of the claimed device preferably comprises a reflective area, located on a portion of the surface of the dial or on the dial as a whole. Reflective area refers to any surface that reflects light emitted by an external light source.

The present invention is described in detail below.

Drawings

FIG. 1: examples of devices comprising luminescent materials;

FIG. 2: a side view of an apparatus showing a luminescent material;

FIG. 3: a rear view of the moving element.

Detailed Description

The inventive device (1) comprises a dial (3) and at least one moving element (2). The dial (3) may include one or more visual references, such as graduations (4), distributed over the top surface of the dial (3) so as to be visible to a user. The moving element (2) moves relative to the dial (3). In the case of the setting of the graduation, said graduation is distributed over the path of the moving element (2) such that the user sees the position of the moving element (2) relative to the graduation (4).

The moving element (2) can be any element or pointer or disc comprising a top surface (2a) visible to the user and a rear surface (2b) facing the dial. The rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2) is provided with a luminescent material (2 c). Luminescent materials are to be understood as materials that are capable of emitting some light. The luminescent material includes both temporary and permanent luminescent materials. The temporary luminescent material may be any fluorescent or phosphorescent material, or any similar material that will emit light upon exposure to a light source or that will exhibit some visible light when exposed to certain wavelengths.

A permanent luminescent material means a material that itself emits some light. The permanent luminescent material is also called a self-luminescent material, and includes a radioactive (radio) luminescent material such as tritium. Thus, luminescent material also includes any rear luminescent material. The luminescent material may for example comprise a phosphor, or a rare earth material, or a combination thereof.

The rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2) is provided with such a luminescent material (2c) over its entire surface or only over a part of its surface or over parts of its surface.

In one embodiment, the luminescent material (2c) is a paint or coating comprising some luminescent components. Any kind of coating and paint can be used regardless of its application process. The coating may for example comprise a chemical material that polymerizes under UV or high temperature.

In another embodiment, the luminescent material (2c) is a solid element, which is fastened to the rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2). Any fastening means may be used, such as glue, clips, snaps or equivalent. Such a solid element may be a flat element, such as a resin rod, or a polymer material containing a luminescent component. Alternatively, the solid element may be a tube filled with a luminescent material. In this case it is preferably a sealed tube comprising a luminescent gas such as tritium or any other gas capable of providing some light. In case the luminescent material is a tube, said tube may be inserted into a recess provided in the rear surface (2c) of the moving element (2). It is also envisaged to combine more than one tube onto the mobile element (2).

The above configuration allows designing a moving element (2) having light emitting characteristics in a state where the top surface (2a) remains free of any light emitting material. The top surface (2a) may be, for example, black and does not have any light emitting characteristics.

By having luminescent material, the rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2) provides some light in the direction of the dial (3). Without an external light source, the user can thus determine the position of the mobile element (2) with respect to the dial (3), said position corresponding to the non-luminous portion surrounded by the light emitted by the luminous material and reflected by the dial (3).

Preferably, though not compulsorily, the dial (3) is a reflective surface. In this way, the light emitted by the rear surface (2b) of the mobile element (2) can be better reflected towards the user. Therefore, the surface of the dial (3) is preferably smooth and not rough. The dial (3) is also preferably non-black or dark.

On the other hand, the dial (3) reflects ambient light toward the light-emitting surface (2b) of the moving element (2). In case the luminescent material provides light after being activated by an external light source, it is advantageous that the dial (3) reflects the light in an efficient way to better illuminate the hidden face (2b) of the mobile element (2). The dial (3) is therefore preferably a well reflective material or even a mirror. The reflective dial is preferred for the temporary luminescent material and optional for the gas tube or any other self luminescent material.

The graduation (4) can also be provided by a luminescent material, which is a permanent luminescent material or a temporary luminescent material. The graduation (4) can be made of the same luminescent material as the rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2), or of another luminescent material.

The device (1) of the invention is preferably a watch or a timepiece or any other instrument, comprising: one or two hands, each hand rotating around a central axis; and a dial (3), wherein, as mentioned above, the rear surfaces (2b) of the two hands are each provided with a luminescent material, so that the relative position of the hands can be determined without an external light source. In a preferred embodiment, the dial (3) is provided with one or more divisions (4) with luminescent material, so that the position of the pointer relative to the division (4) can be determined without an external light source.

Claims

1. Timepiece device (1) comprising a dial (3) and one or more mobile elements (2), wherein each of said one or more mobile elements (2) comprises a top surface (2a) and a rear surface (2b) facing said dial (3),

characterized in that the top surface (2a) of the moving element (2) does not contain any luminescent material and the rear surface (2b) of the moving element (2) is provided with luminescent material, the top surface (2a) remains dark without an external light source and a user can see the shadow of the moving element (2) surrounded by the light emitted by the rear surface (2 b).

2. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent material is a paint containing one or more luminescent components.

3. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent material is a coating comprising one or more luminescent components.

4. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent material is a polymer rod containing one or more luminescent components.

5. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the luminescent material is a solid body containing one or more luminescent components and fixed on the rear surface (2b) of the mobile element (2).

6. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the solid is selected from a polymer or a sealed tube containing a luminous gas.

7. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the polymer is a resin.

8. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 6, wherein the sealing tube is a borosilicate tube and the luminous gas comprises tritium.

9. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the sealing tube is inserted in a recess provided on the rear surface (2b) of the mobile element (2).

10. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that each moving element (2) is selected from a hand or a disc.

11. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the dial (3) is provided with one or more graduations (4).

12. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 11, wherein the index (4) is made of a paint containing a luminescent component, or of a solid polymer containing at least one luminescent component, or of a sealed tube containing a luminescent gas.

13. Timepiece device (1) according to claim 11, wherein the indices (4) are made of a coating containing a luminescent component.

14. Timepiece device (1) according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the dial (3) comprises a reflective area.