EP0195596A2 - Affichage analogique électronique - Google Patents

Affichage analogique électronique Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0195596A2
EP0195596A2 EP86301802A EP86301802A EP0195596A2 EP 0195596 A2 EP0195596 A2 EP 0195596A2 EP 86301802 A EP86301802 A EP 86301802A EP 86301802 A EP86301802 A EP 86301802A EP 0195596 A2 EP0195596 A2 EP 0195596A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
elements
setting member
display
wheel
display according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP86301802A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0195596A3 (fr
Inventor
Thomas Ralph Heeks
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Smiths Group PLC
Original Assignee
Smiths Group PLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from GB858507417A external-priority patent/GB8507417D0/en
Priority claimed from GB858511924A external-priority patent/GB8511924D0/en
Application filed by Smiths Group PLC filed Critical Smiths Group PLC
Publication of EP0195596A2 publication Critical patent/EP0195596A2/fr
Publication of EP0195596A3 publication Critical patent/EP0195596A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
    • G04G9/00—Visual time or date indication means
    • G04G9/02—Visual time or date indication means by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the position of which represent the time, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques
    • G04G9/06—Visual time or date indication means by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the position of which represent the time, e.g. by using multiplexing techniques using light valves, e.g. liquid crystals
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C3/00—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means
    • G04C3/001—Electromechanical switches for setting or display
    • G04C3/007—Electromechanical contact-making and breaking devices acting as pulse generators for setting

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electronic anafogue displays of the kind having an arcuate row of electricaJly-energisable elements and a setting member for addressing different ones of the elements.
  • Electronic time switches, clocks and watches may be provided with a digital display in which time is represented by a number, or with an analogue display in which time is represented by sefectively energising radial elements arranged around a circular scale.
  • the display may, for example, have a keyboard in which each key is associated with a different number. By appropriately actuating a combination of keys, a time setting may be entered. Although this may be satisfactory for digital displays where actuation of a key causes display of the number associated with that key, it is less suitable for analogue displays where the time is represented by the position of an element and is therefore less directly associated with the keys on the keyboard.
  • the keyboard also requires a large amount of space.
  • An alternative arrangement involves the use of only one or two keys. While a key is depressed, the time displayed is advanced in steps, the user releasing the key when the desired time setting is reached.
  • the second key may be used to change the display. in the opposite sense.
  • an electronic analogue display of the above- specified kind characterised in that the setting member is displaceable in opposite senses, that the display includes a sensor responsive to the displacement of the setting member, and an addressing unit that addresses the elements in accordance with the amount of displacement of the setting member and the sense in which the setting member is displaced.
  • the setting member is preferably rotatable in either direction, the sensor being responsive to rotation and direction of rotation of the setting member, the addressing unit addressing different ones of the elements as the setting member is rotated, each element in turn in one direction along the row being addressed as the member is rotated in one direction and each element in turn in the other direction along the row being addressed as the member is rotated in the other direction, and the rate at which different elements are addressed being dependant- on the rate of rotation of the setting member.
  • the setting member may be continuously rotable and the elements may be arranged in a circle.
  • the setting member may be a rotatable wheel, an edge of the wheel projecting from the casing of the display towards one side of the row of elements.
  • the elements may extend radially and the addressing unit may address the elements to represent time. Each element may be divided into separate sub elements along its radial length, the addressing unit addressing different ones of the sub elements to vary the length of element that is energised in accordance with a temperature value.
  • the setting member may have a knurled surface and the sensor may engage the knurled surface.
  • the sensor preferably includes a spring in engagement with the knurled surface, and a piezoelectric device in contact with the spring, the piezoelectric device producing a first output in response to flexing of the spring in one sense, caused by displacement of the setting member in one sense, and a second output, different from the first output in response to flexing of the spring in the opposite sense, caused by displacement of the setting member in the opposite sense.
  • a greater number of elements may be addressed when the setting member is displaced rapidly than when the setting member is displaced slowly.
  • the time switch has a generally rectangular casing 1 from the rear face of which project three metal pins 3 that are arranged for insertion into a mains electricity socket
  • the front of the housing is divided into a vertical lower face 4 and an inclined upper face 5.
  • the lower face 4 is provided with a socket 6 for receiving the mains plug (not shown) of the appliance that is to be controlled by the time switch.
  • the upper, inclined face 5 carries a circular, electronic analogue display 7 on which is indicated the present time and the switching period or periods, as explained in more detail below. From the right edge 9 of the inclined face 5 there projects a segment of a setting member or wheel 10 by which the switching periods and time setting can be altered.
  • the top 11 of the casing 1 supports slider 12 which can be slid between three positions: OFF, RUN and PROGRAMME and which can also been pushed down to control programming of the time switch.
  • the earth (E) and neutral (N) sockets are connected directly to the earth and neutral pins 3.
  • the live (L) socket 6 is connected to the live pin 3 via a relay 20 that is controlled by signals on line 21 from a processing unit 22.
  • the processing unit 22 opens and closes the relay 20 according to the programmed switching periods in a store 23.
  • the processing unit 22 also receives signals from a clock 24, from a sensing unit 25 responsive to rotation of the setting wheel 10, and from the slider 12.
  • Power for the processing unit is derived from the mains connection via the pins 3, when the time switch is plugged into a mains socket, or from a lithium battery 26 when the time switch is disconnected, such as, during the programming operation.
  • the processing unit 22 supplies output signals along line 30 to a display drive/addressing unit 31 which controls energisation of the display 7.
  • the display 7 comprises ninety-six elements 70 which are arranged side-by- side in a circle, and which take the form of radially-extending bars.
  • the elements 70 are equally spaced around the circle and are located inwardly of a circular scale 71 which carries numbers 0 to 23 corresponding to a twenty-four hour clock. Each element 70 is thereby equivalent to a fifteen minute period.
  • the elements 70 are preferably liquid- crystal display elements although other electrically-energisable elements could be used.
  • the wheel 10 is mounted so that it can be continuously rotated, that is, through more than 360 degrees, having a knurled edge 26 so that it can be readily rotated by hand.
  • the wheel sensing unit 25 may take several different forms which are responsive to rotation, and the direction of rotation of the wheel 10.
  • the wheel 10 is engaged by a click mechanism, such as a leaf spring 28 which engages the knurled edge 26 or another toothed or serrated region of the wheel.
  • a bi-morph piezo- electric element 29 is mounted on the leaf spring. As the leaf spring 28 flexes, it distorts the piezo-eiectric element 29 producing an output pulse.
  • Rotation of the wheel 10 in one direction causes flexure of the spring 28 in one sense, giving rise to a positive voltage peak followed by a negative peak from the piezo-electric element 29.
  • Rotation of the wheel 10 in the other direction causes flexure of the spring 28 in the opposite sense, giving rise to a negative voltage peak followed by a positive peak.
  • a a microswitch may be actuated periodically by a click mechanism as the wheel is rotated, and a separate direction sensing switch may be used to direct the direction of the rotation of the wheel 10.
  • the time switch is programmed in the way outlined below.
  • the slider 22 is first moved to the right, to the PROGRAMME position which causes the display 7 to energise the element 70 against the 0' hours setting on the scale 71.
  • the wheel 10 is then rotated clockwise, causing a train of pulses to be supplied by the sensing unit 25 to the processing unit 22 representative of the direction and the extent of rotation of the wheel.
  • This causes the processing unit 22 and the display drive unit 31 to energise successive adjacent elements 70 around the display 7, only one element being energised at a time to give the appearance of a rotating dark bar.
  • the user presses down the slider 22 into its ON position.
  • the user holds the slider 22 while rotating the wheel 10 further until the end of the first switching-on period is reached, as depicted by further rotation of the dark bar against the scale 71.
  • intermediate elements 70 around the display are darkened, producing an arc of dark elements corresponding to the first period in which the appliance is to be switched on.
  • the slider 22 is then released and the wheel 10 rotated further to cause the dark bar to be rotated, without permanently darkening intermediate elements, until the start of the next period.
  • the slider 22 is then pressed down again while the wheel 10 is rotated to cause rotation of the dark bar through the next period when the appliance is to be switched on, thereby darkening intermediate elements and producing a second arc of dark elements.
  • the slider 22 is released again. This procedure is repeated until all the switching times are programmed. Large intervals of time can be passed by rotating the wheel 10 quickly. Accurate setting is achieved by rotating the wheel 10 slowly, and by rotating the wheel 10 backwards if the time setting is accidentally overshot.
  • the slider 22 is set to the RUN position which causes the element 70 addressed at the time to be intermittently energised, giving a flashing appearance.
  • the wheel 10 is then rotated clockwise or anticlockwise until the flashing bar is set to the present time, following which it will be rotated around the scale with time, under control of the clock unit 24.
  • the programming of the time switch can be carried out when the unit is not plugged into the mains socket, power for this being derived from the battery 26. This enables the time switch to be set in the user's hand rather than in an inconvenient position in a wall socket. As soon as the unit is plugged back into the mains socket, power to drive the processing unit 22, display 7, and relay 20 etc. is derived from the mains source, although, in other embodiments, the battery could provide the power permanently.
  • the arrangement of the present invention has several advantages.
  • the setting arrangement takes up very little space on the exterior of the unit, thereby enabling the overall size of the unit to be kept to a minimum. Because rotation of the bar around the display is achieved by rotating a wheel it is easy to use even by inexperienced users, since movement of the setting wheel produces an equivalent displacement on the display. Accurate and rapid setting can be achieved because the display can be advanced or reversed at the desired rate, slowly or quickly, as necessary.
  • One complete revolution of the wheel may be arranged to produce one revolution around the display, or it may be scaled to produce more or less than one revolution.
  • the processing unit could be arranged to be responsive to the speed of rotation of the wheel 10, in such a way that the display is advanced at a faster rate, for a predetermined rotation of the wheel, when the wheel is rotated quickly. For example, at a slow speed the display 7 could be advanced by one element 70 for every click of the wheel 10, whereas, when the wheel is rotated quickly, the display could be advanced by more than one element for every click of the wheel. This may be particularly useful where the time switch can be programmed with different time periods for different days, since programming might require the setting wheel 10 to be spun through a complete rotation for each day.
  • the setting wheel need not be edge mounted but could be mounted at other locations, such as shown in Figure 4.
  • the setting wheel 10' is mounted on the inclined upper face 5' of the time switch whilst the display 7' is provided on the lower front face 4' and the socket 6' is provided on a side face 9'.
  • a separate button 13' is used for programming the time switch.
  • the setting wheel could be a knob located in the centre of the display itself.
  • a display according to the present invention could, for example, be incorporated in a heating programmer or a programmable thermostat.
  • Such devices may include means for setting temperature so that a heater controlled by the device produces different temperatures at different times of the day.
  • the display of such devices may be arranged to represent the temperature programmed at different times of the day, as shown in Figure 5.
  • each of the radially-extending elements 570 is formed from a row of smaller sub-elements 5 80. All of the elements 570 are energised, their apparent length being varied by energising selected ones of these sub-elements 580. Low temperatures are represented by making the element 570 short, high temperatures being represented by energising more of the sub-elements so that the element is longer.
  • the display 57 may be marked with a scale formed of several concentric rings 18 labelled with temperature so that the length of the elements 570 in terms of temperature can be determined.
  • Liquid crystal display matrices having large numbers of pixels are now commonly available and these can also be employed to produce a display of radial bars of varying length resembling the display shown in Figure 5.
  • Various other ways of representing temperature could be employed.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
  • Measuring Pulse, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure Or Blood Flow (AREA)
EP86301802A 1985-03-21 1986-03-13 Affichage analogique électronique Withdrawn EP0195596A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB858507417A GB8507417D0 (en) 1985-03-21 1985-03-21 Electronic analogue display
GB8507417 1985-03-21
GB8511924 1985-05-10
GB858511924A GB8511924D0 (en) 1985-05-10 1985-05-10 Electronic analogue display

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0195596A2 true EP0195596A2 (fr) 1986-09-24
EP0195596A3 EP0195596A3 (fr) 1988-03-30

Family

ID=26289012

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP86301802A Withdrawn EP0195596A3 (fr) 1985-03-21 1986-03-13 Affichage analogique électronique

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0195596A3 (fr)
GB (1) GB2174232B (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0897140A2 (fr) * 1997-08-14 1999-02-17 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil électrique
EP1229408A1 (fr) * 2001-02-05 2002-08-07 All-Time Inc. Structure pour ajuster une période de temps
WO2009043855A1 (fr) * 2007-10-01 2009-04-09 De' Longhi Spa Dispositif de chronométrage

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE7528749U (de) * 1975-09-11 1977-06-08 Fa. Diehl, 8500 Nuernberg Elektronische Uhr
DE2752269A1 (de) * 1977-11-23 1979-06-07 Philips Patentverwaltung Manuelle stellvorrichtung fuer elektronische speicher
GB2037026A (en) * 1978-12-06 1980-07-02 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Setting arrangement for electronic devices with electro-optical digital display
GB2054908A (en) * 1979-07-18 1981-02-18 Vedette Horlogerie Time switch with microcomputer or microprocessor
EP0119312A2 (fr) * 1983-03-22 1984-09-26 Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co Montre-commutateur digitale

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2108746B (en) * 1981-10-07 1985-04-17 Merryweather & Sons Indicating apparatus for elevatable and extendible structures
GB2116297B (en) * 1982-03-09 1986-01-02 Bowthorpe Holdings Plc Data input and display arrangement
US4454762A (en) * 1982-06-21 1984-06-19 Federal Products Corporation Measurement system with remote display
US4626851A (en) * 1983-11-09 1986-12-02 Gec Avionics Limited Aircraft display devices

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE7528749U (de) * 1975-09-11 1977-06-08 Fa. Diehl, 8500 Nuernberg Elektronische Uhr
DE2752269A1 (de) * 1977-11-23 1979-06-07 Philips Patentverwaltung Manuelle stellvorrichtung fuer elektronische speicher
GB2037026A (en) * 1978-12-06 1980-07-02 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Setting arrangement for electronic devices with electro-optical digital display
GB2054908A (en) * 1979-07-18 1981-02-18 Vedette Horlogerie Time switch with microcomputer or microprocessor
EP0119312A2 (fr) * 1983-03-22 1984-09-26 Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co Montre-commutateur digitale

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0897140A2 (fr) * 1997-08-14 1999-02-17 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil électrique
EP0897140A3 (fr) * 1997-08-14 1999-06-02 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil électrique
EP1136895A2 (fr) * 1997-08-14 2001-09-26 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil électrique
EP1136895A3 (fr) * 1997-08-14 2002-06-19 Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil électrique
EP1229408A1 (fr) * 2001-02-05 2002-08-07 All-Time Inc. Structure pour ajuster une période de temps
WO2009043855A1 (fr) * 2007-10-01 2009-04-09 De' Longhi Spa Dispositif de chronométrage

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0195596A3 (fr) 1988-03-30
GB8606891D0 (en) 1986-04-23
GB2174232B (en) 1988-09-14
GB2174232A (en) 1986-10-29

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Inventor name: HEEKS, THOMAS RALPH