EP1393135B1 - Chronograph comprising a digital display - Google Patents

Description

Chronographs of both analog and digital types are known in the art. This invention relates to a chronograph with an hour hand and a minute hand as well as a digital display according to the preamble of claim 1.

In known analog clocks and chronographs, for example, the date display is digital. It is also known to separate the loose digits of the days and the one-digits.

For chronographs, the percentage of seconds to be stopped is usually indicated by a centrally rotating second hand. Minute and possibly hour displays are represented by small dials.

The CH 119 761 shows a clock in which the hour is displayed digitally in a window that moves with a movable disc that displays the minutes in an extension of the window via a display.

From the EP 389 732 Another clock is known in which a write is provided with numbers, so that a corresponding display can be seen in a window. Here, the numbered disc is designed in the size of the rotating disc, so that the numbers can be as large as possible.

A clock having the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known from US-A-3,675,413 known.

Prior art chronographs have pointer displays. A disadvantage of known chronographs with pointer displays is the poor readability of minutes and hours. this concerns in particular, the readability of an activity in which the wearer of the clock can not spend several seconds looking at his watch with focus on accurately reading graduations. This concerns, for example, motorists and airmen. Therefore, the preferred in particular of aviators watches are usually designed with a relatively large dial to increase the distance of graduations from each other and to increase the readability.

Based on this prior art, the invention has the object, a chronograph of the type mentioned in such a way that the stopped time is easy to read.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a chronograph of the type mentioned with the features of claim 1.

With such a digital display of the minutes, the advantage for the user is that he can read the minutes or hours directly digitally without using a partial line display. This allows a safe reading of a time recorded by the chronograph, even with vibration and the ability to throw only a moment on the dial.

In a preferred embodiment, the tens of minutes are separated from the entities. In particular, it is possible with a return function, the hour, Zehnerminuten- and minutes display back to the starting position, representation of the number zero.

In a preferred embodiment, it is possible to design the display as a total station. The display is designed as a speed indicator, which counts down by an inverse gear ratio of a maximum adjustable speed. Alternatively, a mechanism may be provided which does not act similar to a fly-back chronograph until the stuffing function is triggered, i. is stopped. At this time, a gear train is set in motion, which stops at the stopped time on the stop second. The display discs are thus not moved during the actual stop process, but tracked. The energy for this tracking, similar to the repetition, may come from an additional source of energy charged by a switching mechanism or the like, such as a pusher.

For a display of digital digits in the dark, a predetermined amount of fluorescent material may be deposited on the framing of the display windows which provides sufficient light to illuminate the numerals of substantially highly reflective material disposed on the display slices indirectly against the background to let the panes shine.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines Zifferblattes eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Chronographen gemäss der Erfindung, und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines Zifferblattes eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels eines Chronographen gemäss der Erfindung.

The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of a dial of a first embodiment of a chronograph according to the invention, and

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a dial of a second embodiment of a chronograph according to the invention.

The Fig. 1 shows in a schematic manner the dial of a chronograph according to the invention according to a first embodiment. The hands of the hours and minutes of the clock are indicated by the reference numerals 2 and 3. The second hand of the watch is laterally arranged as a retrograde second hand 4 and pivots over a range of 120 °. This range can correspond to a time lapse of 20 seconds, so that the resulting angular velocity is identical to the angular velocity of a rotating second hand. The second hand 5 of the chronograph is arranged coaxially with the hour and minute hands 2, 3 of the watch. Also coaxial to these hands, discs 6, 7 and 8 are provided for minutes, ten minutes and hours of the chronograph. The minute display on the disc may, for example, be arranged in two sequences from 0 to 9. The ten-minute display can carry the numbers from 0 to 5 twice, or the numbers 0 to 6 or 0 to 9 for a tachymeter display. For example, the hour display goes from 0 to 9 and carries another symbol between 9 and 0. This is in particular an aviation standard symbol for the designation of the state of a device as "out of order", for example, a suitably trained flag. Thus, after reaching the time measurement of 10 hours beyond 9, a flag or other symbol indicates that the displayable time range has been exceeded and thus invalidates the display. It is displayed to the user in such a way that the chronograph has been running for more than 10 hours and does not provide any clear information for the elapsed time. The hour display 8 can carry the numbers 0 to X instead of the numbers 0 to 9, and the said symbol is provided between X and 0, which then appears permanently as hours 8 after the expiration of X hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds in order to determine the expiry of the hour display the regular measuring range. In particular, X may be greater than the single digit number be nine.

The display is done through the windows 9 in the immobile dial 1. The windows 9 for hours and minutes can be contiguous or as separated in the figures by a bridge. The numbers 6, 7, 8 can be the same size or the hour 8 can be chosen in particular slightly smaller than the number of minutes 6 or 7.

In a preferred embodiment, the chronograph is also designed as a tachymeter. The display is controlled as a speed display, which counts down by an inverse gear ratio of a maximum adjustable speed. In such a function as a speedometer, for example, in the first 4 seconds after the start of the chronograph, the number 900 (for 900 km / h) set to then be counted down accordingly in speed. In this case, a changeover to a different pitch on a toothed disk can be provided on the stop second pipe.

Alternatively, a mechanism may be provided that does not act until the stuff function is triggered. At this time, a gear train is set in motion, which stops at the stopped time on the stop second. The display discs are thus not moved during the actual stop process, but tracked.

The Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention, in which it has been emphasized that the hour and minute hands 2 and 3 of the clock do not cover the display of the chronograph. The same features are each provided with the same reference numerals. This means, for example, that the axis 10 of the hour hand 2 and the minute hand 3 of the clock is arranged on the left inner edge within the inner circle of the hour (hour) 8 of the chronograph. By contrast, the retrograde seconds display 4 of the clock is arranged outside the one-minute disk 6. The second hand 5 of the chronograph is now arranged on a separate axle 11, which is located on the right inner edge within the hour hand (hour) 8 of the chronograph. Thus, the axes 10 and 11 are disposed on opposite sides within the hourglass 8. For example, the axis 11 also forms the main axis of the movement.

With this embodiment it is ensured that only the second hand 5 of the chronograph passes over the hour and minute display in digits of the chronograph and thus does not significantly affect the readability of this hour and minute.

Of course, it is also possible for the two hands 2 and 3 to consist only of a thin strand of material, such as e.g. Form carbon fiber that has been soaked to display in the dark with a matrix of epoxy resin and phosphor mixture. With such thin hands 2 and 3 for hours and minutes, only small portions of the numbers are covered, so that the number can still be easily recognized directly when reading.

In both embodiments, a device for displaying the digital digits in the dark may be provided. One possibility is to cover the pane material underneath the window or windows 9 with a fluorescent substance. For example, the digits stand out against this reason. Also, a garland of fluorescent material may be placed around the frame of the window 9 so that light from it will fall on the window surface. If then the numbers are essentially Made of a highly reflective material, they shine against the dark background of the discs. Of course, a battery-based or accumulator-based light indicator can be provided.

Claims (5)

1. A chronograph comprising an hour hand (2) and a minute hand (3) as well as a digital display of counted time, wherein the digital display displays hours (8) and/or minutes (6, 7) by numbers which are arranged on individual circular tracks arranged in planes parallel to the dial, wherein window (9) is provided within the dial and the numbers under said viewing window (9) configure the hour indicator and/or the minute indicator in digital form, characterized in that in addition to the numbers 0 to X, X preferably being 9, the hour indicator (8) bears an additional symbol which is arranged between X and 0, which is arranged, once X hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds have elapsed, to appear permanently as an hour indicator (8), in order to indicate that the regular measuring range has elapsed.
2. The chronograph as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned symbol is a symbol characterizing the condition of a device and, in particular, is a correspondingly designed flag.
3. The chronograph as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axis (10) of the hour hand (2) and of the minute hand (3) is arranged within the inner periphery of the hour indicator (8), in that a second hand (5) is provided, and in that the axis of the second hand (5) is arranged within the inner periphery of the hour indicator (8) on the side (11) of the inner periphery of the hour indicator (8), said side being located opposite the axis (10), with the result that it is only the second hand (5) which passes over the digital displays (6, 7, 8).
4. The chronograph as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the tens digits (7) of the minute indicator are arranged separately from the units digits (6) of the minute indicator on two different tracks.
5. The chronograph as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the periphery of the window or windows (9) is coated with a fluorescent material, and in that the numerals (6, 7, 8) are made essentially of a highly reflective material.

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