Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
  • G04G9/00—Visual time or date indication means
  • G04G9/0076—Visual time or date indication means in which the time in another time-zone or in another city can be displayed at will

Definitions

• Time zone change method and adapted timepiece
• the present invention relates to the field of watches for displaying multiple time zones, and a method of changing time zone.
• Watches allowing the display of several time zones are known per se. Some known watches have several indicators, for example several needles, to simultaneously display the time of several streams. Other watches have means for moving faster from one time zone to another on the same display, without requiring a new time setting. The number of time zones used in different countries or regions of the globe is however too important to allow simultaneous display of all the zones on a wristwatch. It is therefore necessary to allow the user to comfortably change the time zone indicated by the display, or by one of the displays, of the watch.
• An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a wristwatch, or another timepiece, which makes it possible to solve these problems of the prior art.
• an object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of changing the time zone, as well as a timepiece that allows to quickly check the time of another time zone.
• these aims are achieved in particular by means of a timepiece allowing the temporary display of another time zone and the automatic return to the initial time zone, for example after a predetermined time or following a time action. the user.
• the timepiece with these features allows you to quickly check the time of a different time zone, instinctively and automatically returning to the time zone initial after a predetermined time or following a new manipulation of the user, without requiring a new time setting.
• the user can maintain the time of the modified time zone by introducing a command for that purpose for a period of predetermined duration after the change of mode.
• Figure 1 a front view of a watch according to the invention.
• Figure 2 (split on two sheets in Figures 2a and 2b) is a flowchart of the time zone changing method of the invention.
• timepiece designates, for example, a wristwatch, a wristwatch movement, or another timepiece for a portable watch on the body.
• the description refers in particular to a wristwatch
• the watch 1 illustrated front in Figure 1 comprises a box 10 housing a movement not shown, preferably an electronic quartz movement, possibly a mechanical movement.
• the dial is provided with two wickets 230, 231 for a large date display 23.
• the hour is displayed in a conventional manner by means of an hour hand 20, a minute hand 21 and a second hand 22.
• the three hour handpieces are arranged in the center and operated by a stepper motor, or preferably by several independent and preferably bidirectional stepper motors At least the second hand can preferably be moved independently of the other two hour and minute hands, preferably bi-directionally , so that it can be assigned to another function when changing the time zone, as will be seen later.
• the disks or rings bearing in particular the date indications displayed in the counters 230, 231 can be driven through a transmission chain by the stepping motor actuating the hour hand.
• these disks are driven independently of each other by means of additional independent and preferably bidirectional stepper motors.
• the different motors driving the needles and other indicators are controlled by a microcontroller not shown.
• the watch also has a time setting crown and a mode change key 102.
• the crown preferably returns from itself from the depressed position -1 to the intermediate position 0 when it is released.
• Other positional changes require action by the wearer of the watch.
• Two pushers A and B are further provided, which can be pressed by the user to move from a rest position O to a depressed position -1. The pushers return themselves to the 0 position when they are released
• the dial, a telescope or a fixed flange 11 carries 24 indications 110 of time zones, each time zone being indicated by a name of the city with the exception of the Greenwich time zone marked GMT.
• the city names are arranged on one or possibly two concentric circular arcs
• the names of the cities above the 9 o'clock-3 o'clock axis are written with the top of the letters pointing towards the inside of the watch, while the vi Islands above this axis are written with the top of the letters facing outward.
• the bottom of the letters is thus always oriented, at 90 °, around 6 hours, which allows the wearer a reading facilitated.
• Figure 2 illustrates the operation of the watch.
• the microcontroller is reset, the date and time are set to arbitrary values (for example 01.01.2001, at 00:00 GMT), the alarm time is set to, for example, 07: 00: 00 and the alarm is disabled.
• the watch then switches to the normal time display mode 202 and the indicators 20-23 begin to turn. Since this mode, if the alarm has been activated, an alarm tone is emitted at the scheduled time (step 204) which can be stopped by pressing on the crown or on any pushbutton (step 206) to interrupt the alarm (208) and return to the time display mode. In the absence of intervention by the user, the alarm is also automatically interrupted after a predetermined duration, for example 60 seconds.
• Differentactions on the crown or the pushbuttons make it possible to leave the normal display mode of the time 202.
• the movement switches to the indexing mode of the hands.
• the hands return at noon and the user can enter different commands to move them step-by-step or to center the indicators 230, 231 in the boxes (step 212).
• the watch then returns to the time display mode by pressing the crown during step 214.
• the watch returns to the time display mode by pushing the crown back to the intermediate position 0.
• the hour, minute and second hands 20 through 22 move during step 224 to indicate the alarm time, while one of the indicators 230 and / or 231 can move to display an icon of alarm ON or OFF, for example in the form of a symbol O crossed out or not.
• the alarm can be triggered respectively triggered by pressing one of the pushbuttons A or B (step 228), which changes during step 240 the state of the alarm and preferably the corresponding indication displayed in the wicket 23.
• the user From the state 224 for viewing the alarm time, the user returns to the normal time display mode 202 by briefly pressing the crown or simply waiting for a predetermined time, for example five seconds (step 226).
• the user can still enter consultation mode and time zone change by briefly pressing the ring 102 during step 268.
• Other commands can be provided for this purpose, including actions on the pushbuttons or a rotation of glasses for example.
• An internal variable [time zone in progress] of a program executed by the motion microcontroller then takes during step 272 the value of the time zone currently displayed by the watch.
• This information is displayed in step 274 by means of the seconds hand 22 which is automatically moved under the control of the microprocessor, in the direction of rotation allowing the shortest path, to point to the representative city of the timezone. ⁇ urs. Other hour and minute hands show the time of the current time zone.
• the watch's internal time counter continues to count the elapsed time during this step and subsequent steps, so that the exact time can be resumed at the second when the seconds hand resumes its function and the watch returns to normal time display mode.
• the user can increment the time zone by brief presses on the pushbutton A, or decrement this time zone by briefly pressing the pushbutton B.
• the hour hand 20 is immediately moved during each action on one of these buttons, while the second hand is indexed in the direction corresponding to the selected pusher so as to point to the city representing the previous or next time zone.
• the value of the current time zone is incremented respectively decremented in steps 284 and 286 respectively. It is thus possible to consult very quickly the time of any time zone, by a pressure on the ring 102 and a corresponding number of pressure. the time zone offset selected on one of the pushers A or B.
• Other ways of changing the time zone from the mode 274 can be imagined, for example by turning the ring 102 or a rotating bezel in one direction or the other.
• the watch automatically returns to step 280 to the time display mode 202.
• the watch returns to the display of the time of the initial time zone following an explicit command from the user.
• the current time zone possibly modified during steps 284 or 286 respectively is not maintained, and the initial time zone of the watch continues to be displayed.
• the seconds hand 22 resumes its function and indicate the time while keeping the duration of the consultation and steps 268 to 280.
• step 286 In order to record the time of the time zone possibly modified in the steps 284 or 286, the user presses the 102one 102 (step 282) from step 274. The modified time zone is then validated in step 288, so that the time zone of the watch takes the value of the variable [time zone in Windows]. The watch then returns to the normal time display mode 202, the second hand returns to its normal second display function, and the guides 23 return to the date display mode as appropriate.
• the mode of consultation and of time zone change may be indicated by a particular icon or symbol displayed in one of the counters23 during steps 272 to 288.
• an indication in one of these two windows or in an additional window indicates to the user whether the time in the current time zone displayed in step 274, and / or the current time displayed in step 202, corresponds to the morning or the afternoon.
• This indication may be made by means of alphanumeric indications, for example AM / PM, in one of the boxes 230, 231, with the aid of an indication provided in an additional counter not shown, or preferably by means of a color , a typographic choice or a symbol displayed in the window in combination with the date indication.
• the watch could memorize several time zones, for example the last two time zones selected or temporarily displayed, and allow a passage from one to the other by means of a simplified command on one of the control organs.
• the method described also applies to the transition from daylight saving time to winter time.
• a change from summer time to winter time is introduced in the same way as a change of time zone. hourly; the user then considers that he lives at the time of the previous or next time zone.
• This variant has the disadvantage of forcing the user to select a distant city, corresponding to another time zone, as the time zone displayed during a large part of the year.
• the time of each time zone takes into account each day of time zone changes.
• This variant requires a larger memory to take into account the date of change of time of each time zone; moreover, different countries in the same time zone often provide different rules for switching to summer time.
• the user himself introduces a changeover to summer time or winter time, his original time zone or another consulted time zone, by means of an appropriate command. organs A, B and / or 102.
• the movements of the hour hands 20, seconds 22, and disks or ring displayed in the wickets can be carried out independently of each other, and bidirectionally.
• theindicators concerned move in the direction of rotation which minimizes the rotation time or power consumption for this rotation.
• the watch described above therefore uses the seconds hand 22 to designate the time zone when changing the time zone.
• This feature can also be used with watches that would not allow the temporary display of a time zone nor the automatic return to the original time zone.
• the time zone selected during the change of time zone, or during the temporary consultation may be indicated by other indicators within the scope of the invention, for example by a needle or an additional disk assigned to this function.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)
• Oscillators With Electromechanical Resonators (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=37496477

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (8)

Family Cites Families (16)

• 2006
  • 2006-05-29 AT AT06763339T patent/ATE484775T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-05-29 WO PCT/EP2006/062682 patent/WO2007137620A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2006-05-29 EP EP06763339A patent/EP2021880B1/de active Active
  • 2006-05-29 DE DE602006017598T patent/DE602006017598D1/de active Active
  • 2006-05-29 JP JP2009512422A patent/JP2009539073A/ja active Pending
  • 2006-05-29 CN CNA2006800547727A patent/CN101449217A/zh active Pending
• 2007
  • 2007-05-25 TW TW096118641A patent/TW200809443A/zh unknown
• 2008
  • 2008-10-31 US US12/262,421 patent/US7742361B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events