DE29903950U1 - Non-linear clock with cycloidal gear - Google Patents

Description

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Non-linggf^pSeigende Vhi s»i< Cycloid sepsis

Non-linear clock with cycloidal gear

Clock with non-linear time display

Description

The motivation and background of the invention is, on the one hand, the aim of depicting the daily routine, which people experience as not being uniform, in its ups and downs, its dynamics, in the clock display, and, on the other hand, to create completely new possibilities for the movement path of the pointer on the dial surface.

In contrast to known clocks, in which centrally uniformly driven display elements (hands) are generally used, the tips of which point to digits or digit replacement symbols that are arranged on circular or circular orbits or orbits derived from circles (e.g. ellipses), the inventive idea of the clock described here is that a display element (3) moves on a non-constantly curved path (1a), e.g. triangular, quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal or polygonal with rounded or pointed corners, and thereby enables a non-linear time display even though the drive is derived from a conventional clock motor (5) with a constant angular velocity.

In purely functional terms, this means that the display element, the pointer tip, moves along a geometrically defined path (see above), which may be purely aesthetically pleasing, even if the inevitably changing speed of the display element is of secondary importance. The clock motor can be designed as a quartz movement, synchronous movement, radio-controlled movement or mechanical movement (with pendulum or balance escapement and spring or weight drive).

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Nonlinear clockworks with cycloidal drives

&diams; »I · I ! . ? Ti ·

The inventive idea is based on coupling the clock drive with a non-linear gear known in technology - here a cycloid gear - in which any point of the rolling circle can be used to represent cyclic curves. Cyclic paths of a pointer element can then be realized in this way.

If the rolling circle rolls on the outside of the base circle, epicycloids with contours curved outwards and a more or less pointed curve shape pointing inwards are created (Figure 1a) . If the rolling circle rolls in the base circle, cyclic curves are created with a pointed shape on the outside and rounded on the inside (Figure 1b). With a suitable choice of the base circle (G) and rolling circle diameters (R) or the corresponding number of teeth, pointer paths corresponding to the dial division can be developed:

e.g. with 4-symmetry (i = G/R = 4 => Va hour arrangement) Figure 1c, 1d , with 12-symmetry (i = G/R = 12 => 5-minute or hour arrangement) Figure 1e, 1f.

Likewise, the 2, 3 and 6 symmetry can be realized as a representation in relation to the divisibility of the dial.

The position of the representing point on the rolling circle plane determines the shape of the curve: if the point is on the edge of the rolling circle, the path forms a peak; if it is located anywhere on the rolling circle surface, the peaks are rounded; if it is located outside the rolling circle surface, drop-shaped loops are formed instead of peaks (Figure 1g, 1h). A variety of different pointer movement paths can therefore be produced using the same gears.

The overall arrangement consists of:

&diams; the stationary cover plate (1 ) with the curved track ( 1a ) preferably

designed as a dial;

&diams; the pin ( 2 ), with or without an attached element ( 3 );

the pin (2) can be omitted if the time display is only to be shown below the curved path by a corresponding element;

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Non-fiction.a&show!ftf My Cyclones

&diams; the rolling wheel ( 4 ) which holds the pin ( 2 ) or the time display on a

defined point of the surface in order to realize a certain cyclic curve shape;

&diams; the base circle wheel ( 5 ) which is fixed relative to the dial ( 1 );

&diams; the rolling wheel drive swing arm ( 6 ), which is the center of the rolling wheel

stored;

&diams; the motor ( 7 ) which drives the roller wheel drive swing ( 6 ) uniformly

drives;

&diams; the carrier plate ( 8 ) for motor ( 7 ), cam disc ( 1 ) and

Base circle gear ( 5 ), which can also take over the housing function for the gearbox;

&diams; the spacers ( 9 ) between the carrier plate ( 8 ) and

Cam disc (1 ), if this distance is not achieved by other manufacturing measures, such as bent sheet metal parts.

The application of this principle is independent of the size of the "clock", so it can be used for wristwatches, pocket clocks, table clocks and large clocks.

Part numbers Stationary cover plate / dial 1 Curved track 1a Pen 2 storage 2a attached element / pointer 3 Roller wheel 4 Base circle wheel 5 Roller wheel drive swing arm 6 Bearing journal 6a engine 7 Engine drive shaft 7b Carrier plate 8th Spacers 9

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Non-ling3t*4n^eigend^clock with gyklod gear

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the figures
Figures 1 to 4 are described.

Fig. 1 shows cyclic curves in the sub-figures a - h .

Fig. 2 shows the front view of the nonlinear clock, while in

Fig. 3 the dial - the cover plate (1) - was removed to

to show the mechanism behind it.
Fig. 4 shows the layered structure of the watch in side view.

The motor (7), preferably a mechanical spring-driven mechanism with a pendulum (6a), is mounted on the carrier plate (8). The dial - i.e. the stationary cover plate (1) - is also rigidly connected to the carrier plate (8) with the geometrically regular curved track (1a) - here a 4-way hypocycloid - using several spacer bolts (9).

In the space between the carrier plate (8) and the cam disk (1), the roller wheel drive rocker (6) is mounted on the drive shaft (7b) of the motor (7), which carries the roller wheel on the bearing pin (6a), which rolls in the base circle wheel (5). The pin (2) used here as an example carries the mounted element (3) as a pointer on the outside.

In this example, the rolling wheel (4) rolls in the base wheel (5) to create - as shown - a hypocycloidal curved path that is pointed outwards; a slight variation, namely rolling on the outside of the base wheel, would create the epicycloidal - outwardly rounded shape. In the example, the drive shaft of the motor is mentioned; you are still free to choose: hour shaft or minute shaft or both shafts - whereby two cyclical curved paths can then be described accordingly - depending on the effect to be achieved.

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Non-linear analysis,

When the motor (7) rotates, the roller wheel drive swing (6) rotates, the roller wheel (4) rolls in the base circle wheel and the pin or the correspondingly marked point below the dial describes the desired path. It is not necessary for the cyclic curve to be incorporated into the dial; for aesthetic or design reasons it may be sensible to simply freely display the path described by the pin or the marked point.

Claims (8)

Dr. Horst Langer, 33 178 Borchen: Non-linear awasigeni protection claims: *4 * *·'*.*' *** .«· 1. Mechanism - hereinafter referred to as "clock" - which serves primarily to display the daily passage of time, characterized in that the passage of time is represented non-linearly. 2. "Clock" according to claim 1, characterized in that the passage of time occurs through the movement of a display element (3) on a geometrically regular path - two-, three-, four-, six- or multi-cornered - (1a). 3. "Clock" according to claim 1, characterized in that a cycloidal gear (2; 4; 5; 6; 7) with a base circle wheel and a rolling wheel designed as gear wheels is used to realize the path contour; 4. "Clock" according to claims 1-3, characterized in that the externally toothed rolling wheel rolls in (ring gear) or on (outer gear) the base circle wheel; 5. "Clock" according to claims 1 - 4, characterized in that between the diameters or the number of teeth of the base circle wheel (G) and the rolling wheel (R) there are fixed transmission ratios G/R = 2, 3, 4, 6 or 12. 6. "Clock" according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a mechanically or electrically driven clockwork - preferably a mechanical pendulum spring-driven clockwork - is used as the uniform drive (7) for the rolling wheel drive swing arm (6). 7. "Clock" according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that in order to achieve greater display comfort, two cycloid gears are used, one each for the hour shaft and one for the minute shaft. 8. "Clock" according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the display element (3) is rotatably mounted on the pin (2) and maintains its fixed "downward" orientation during the rotation of the rolling wheel by means of an eccentric weight.