Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B1/00—Driving mechanisms
  • G04B1/26—Driving mechanisms driven by liquids or gases; Liquid or gaseous drives for mechanically-controlled secondary clocks
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B39/00—Watch crystals; Fastening or sealing of crystals; Clock glasses
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B45/00—Time pieces of which the indicating means or cases provoke special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T29/00—Metal working
  • Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
  • Y10T29/49229—Prime mover or fluid pump making
  • Y10T29/49236—Fluid pump or compressor making

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a wristwatch, in particular a wristwatch in which at least some indications are displayed by means of a fluid.
• WO 2005/069087 relates to a watch with an hourglass. It includes a transparent inner case with two containers
• the inner case is connected to an outer casing with respect to which it can rotate.
• the watch may include two analog or digital time displays, one for each sand container, so that at least one display is visible as the sand passes from one container to another. There are no fluids or fluid pumps in this document. The use of sand imposes a minimum dimension to all containers and channels in which the sand circulates, due to the granularity of the material. [0008] A certain number of documents also describe watch mechanisms based on liquids and adapted to wristwatches.
• EP1947530 (Audemars Piguet Renaud and Papi SA) describes a mechanical wristwatch movement whose reassembly is provided by the movement of a liquid mass.
• the liquid here serves a very specific function (winding), but not to display temporal indications.
• EP1862873 and EP1862874 disclose a display device for a watch comprising a transparent plate provided with a cavity connected by a channel to a colored fluid reservoir.
• the cavity can be filled or emptied with a micropump to display information.
• These plates define the watch dial which can thus display variable information according to the filling state of the cavities.
• the liquid circulates in recessed pipes or cavities behind the ice and the dial. Reflections on the ice or stones that cover the dial diminish the contrast and prevent the sight of the liquid. It is therefore necessary to use liquids of bright color, which harms the aesthetic freedom of the designer.
• the cavities filled with liquid are very recessed, it is also necessary to fill cavities of relatively large size so that the liquid can be seen. These cavities occupy an important place on or behind the dial, and also require a powerful pump to fill them in a given time.
• WO2009010568 discloses a wristwatch in which a hydraulic system is used to transmit forces or torques from one point of the movement to the other, for example to replace the gear train.
• the fluid is colored and used for animations on the dial, in the movement or through the box or dial.
• a fluid this time transparent flows between two windows in order to transmit movements invisibly between two points.
• GB2125991 relates to a watch comprising two transparent windows, one lower and the other upper, forming a sealed space in which a liquid and objects can move, to produce a decorative effect.
• the liquid may be opaque. It is not used for displaying a time indication.
• WO 2006/065976 relates to a time display system, in which the passage of time is represented by the level of a fluid column.
• the visualization of the time indication is performed with a conductive fluid which is pumped from a reservoir to a space between two tubes, of which one comprises a conductive layer.
• the capacity between this layer and the liquid, which can be controlled, is proportional to the height of the fluid.
• Scales are planned to read the time through the height of the liquid. This system is not intended for a wristwatch and requires additional external means to drive the pump.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch for displaying indications in a new and unexpected way.
• a wristwatch comprising:
• a fluid pump driven by said movement for pumping a fluid
• At least one channel through said ice arranged so that the fluid set in motion by said pump reaches said channel, so as to successively color different portions of said ice to display time indications.
• This solution allows to display temporal indications directly in the watch window, instead of displaying them in or over the dial as in the prior art.
• the vision of the colored fluid is thus not hindered or diminished by reflections under the watch glass or by needles or other elements likely to move over the dial.
• the surface of the ice larger than that of the dial (at least in the case of a curved glass) makes it possible to display more information, or the same number of information in larger and closer to the the eye of the user.
• the colored portions may correspond to large areas, finer details, or advantageously to one or more drops whose position along a circuit corresponds to a time indication.
• a wristwatch comprising:
• a fluid pump driven by said movement for pumping a fluid
• This other aspect of the invention is preferably combined with the first aspect, and in this case the channel is arranged at least partly through the ice.
• This other aspect of the invention may however also be independent of the first aspect, and it is possible to make a channel which is not arranged through the ice, for example a channel in the dial, between the ice and the dial, and / or in motion, filled with two fluids of different color, one of which indicates a time indication.
• the first fluid may for example be transparent and the second fluid colored to distinguish them very clearly. In one embodiment, only one drop of the second fluid is present, whose position along the channel makes it possible to indicate a temporal indication.
• the watch movement is a mechanical movement.
• the pump may advantageously be constituted by a gear pump driven by the mechanical movement.
• the use of a mechanical gear pump makes it possible to miniaturize the pump while ensuring sufficient efficiency.
• the casing of the pump is advantageously transparent; it is thus possible to see the mechanism and the gears of the pump.
• the watch movement may be constituted by a conventional basic module and an auxiliary module superimposed and / or juxtaposed over the base movement, and driven / regulated by the latter.
• the entire hydraulic circuit is mounted in or controlled by this auxiliary module, including the part of the channels that leaves this module to cross the ice.
• the minimum diameter of the channels is limited only by the
• machining possibilities even very fine channels, for example having a diameter in places less than a millimeter, or of the order of a few tenths of a millimeter, will be visible when they are filled with colored fluid.
• the diameter of the canal can vary on its course.
• the circulation of the fluid (which may be a mixture of two fluids, for example two liquids or a liquid and a gas) in one or more channels through the ice may be used to indicate the seconds; this allows a particularly interesting animation, by animating the watch ice which is usually passive with a fast movement of colored fluid. This also makes it possible to represent in a particularly direct way the flow of time.
• the displacement of the drop or colored portion displaying the seconds may be continuous.
• the fluid moves in a pulsed manner in one or more channels through the ice; the frequency of pulsations is for example one second.
• the use of pulsed or jerky movements makes the movement of the fluid more visible than if it flows continuously. Even in the case of pulsed or discontinuous circulation, however, a predominantly laminar flow will be preferred to reduce energy losses.
• the pump that drives the fluid is advantageously driven by the seconds wheel of the watch movement.
• the device can thus be adapted or developed from an existing movement.
• the wristwatch may comprise a flexible membrane in the ice, on the dial or in the movement; this membrane can be moved or vibrated by the fluid.
• the fluid (for example the drop of second fluid) can successively occupy several positions or predefined cavities in the ice, in order to display consecutive time indications. For example, it is possible to simulate the movement of a pointer or pointer in the ice, for example by moving a colored drop continuously or jerky in a channel.
• Surprising animations can also be obtained by modifying the shape and / or the visible surface of the second fluid drop according to the location it occupies in the channel. It is for example possible to have a drop which is reduced in some places to a barely visible surface, and which widens in other places where the channel is less deep. The speed of movement of the drop may also vary along its course.
• Channels and cavities can be machined in a monolithic ice, for example Pyrex.
• the ice has several superimposed layers, and the fluid flows at least in part in grooves provided on the surface of two windows in contact.
• an internal ice is made of a less hard material than the outer ice which is for example sapphire; in this case, the channels are advantageously provided in the least hard ice.
• the different parts of the ice can be sealed together, by gluing or heat sealing for example.
• An antireflection treatment may be applied inside a cavity through said ice, for example on the surface of one of the windows bearing against another ice.
• the coating of the channel may also be chosen to make the surface less wetting, that is to say to modify the surface tension of the liquid so as to prevent it from adhering to the walls of the channels or separates into droplets.
• a sufficient capillarity so that the liquid remains in the channels even when the watch is shaken is however necessary. It is therefore preferable to apply a surface treatment or a coating to the inner surface of the channels adapted to these two contradictory requirements. It is also necessary that the inner surface remains perfectly transparent, and devoid of glare as indicated.
• the channels can be produced for example by chemical treatment of ice (for example by photochemical treatment), electrochemical treatment, etc.
• At least one fluid flowing in the channels is
• the coefficient of Expansion is preferably small in order to limit the risk of erroneous indications in case of large temperature variations.
• the fluid may also be two-phase and comprise two or more immiscible components, for example two immiscible liquids or immiscible liquid and gas.
• the different components have
• a different color For example, one can have two colored liquids, or a colored liquid and a transparent liquid, or an emulsion. In a variant, a void is created in the part of the channels not filled with liquids.
• Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a watch case according to one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 2 is a block diagram of a wristwatch according to one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 3 is a sectional view of a detail of the watch glass according to the invention.
• Figure 4 is a block diagram of a wristwatch according to another embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 5 is a sectional view of a display member having a flexible membrane actuated by a fluid.
• Figure 6 is a top view of a watch comprising a micropump and a second hydraulic.
• FIG. 1 is a simplified sectional view of a wristwatch according to the invention. Another embodiment of a wristwatch according to the invention is also illustrated in plan view in FIG. 6.
• the watch advantageously comprises in a box 1 a fluid distributor 2 with a reservoir 4 and a pump 5.
• the pump 5 is advantageously a gear pump provided with two wheels 50 with external toothing, or an internal gear pump that requires less space.
• the gear pump is driven by the watch movement 8-9-10 which also determines its rotational speed.
• the casing 52 of the pump 5 is preferably transparent, and may be made of synthetic material or glass, in order to show the rotation of the gears and the entrainment of the liquid.
• the housing is made from several plates of glass or transparent material
• the plates are preferably welded to one another and to the channels by high temperature melting.
• the gears 50 are held in this housing 52 by pins 500 passing through the housing and / or held in pivots or blind holes.
• One of the axes 500 can be driven directly by a pinion or a wheel of a conventional watch movement.
• a gear pump allows the use of gears which are usual components in watchmaking, and easier to integrate visually into a movement and to manufacture industrially.
• the pump and the dispenser can be visible from above or below the watch, or from the sides, thus making it possible to visualize the operation and the path of the circulation of liquid in the watch.
• the pump, the reservoir and the entire hydraulic circuit are mounted in an auxiliary module intended to be superimposed or juxtaposed with a conventional clockwork base movement, which drives and regulates it; it is thus possible to add a hydraulic or pneumatic display function to a conventional watch movement, by superimposing the new hydraulic display module on the basic movement.
• the pump is constituted by a transparent glass module superimposed over an existing watch movement, and meshing with one of the axes 500 of this movement, for example by the axis of the seconds wheel. which drives directly or via a reference one of the two gears of the pump.
• the pump 5 is then between the movement and the ice; it is driven from below by an axis 500, and connected on top to the channels 60 to carry one or more drops of liquid in the channels.
• the watch movement comprises a power source 8, for example a cylinder or a battery, a regulating member 10, for example a pendulum / balance assembly or a quartz oscillator, as well as transmission members 9, for example a train of wheels and gears. Other elements, including complications etc can be provided.
• the energy source 8 also makes it possible to actuate the pump 5.
• the pump 5 causes the liquid from the tank 4 in one or channels 60 through the watch window 6, so as to display time indications or other indications directly in the ice.
• the channels typically have display portions parallel to the surface of the ice, as well as holes 64 perpendicular to this surface and to connect them to the pump and the distributor in the movement.
• the geometry and dimensions of the channels in the ice and in the rest of the watch are chosen so as to allow filling without bubbles when the bubbles are undesirable.
• the minimum sections of the channels are of the order of one square millimeter, for example between 0.1 and 10 square millimeters, which makes it possible to evacuate the bubbles with overpressures acceptable by the system, for example overpressures of a few millibars. only. Steep changes in direction, for example right angles, and complex or too small geometries which can cause bubble blockages in the narrow passages and block the flow of fluid, are also preferably avoided.
• channels that do not cross the ice and are filled with two immiscible fluids one of which indicates by its position a temporal information.
• the liquid (or other fluid) is preferably colored to better see it in the channels; however, transparent liquids can also be used if they modify the refraction on the inner surface of the channels so as to make them visible when they are full.
• the circulation of the liquid through these channels thus makes it possible to modify the opacity and / or the color of the ice at the places where the channels pass, depending on the position of the liquid in these channels.
• phosphorescent liquids visible in the night, for example fluids containing phosphorescent or luminescent particles.
• the path traveled by the channels in the ice may comprise bifurcations to selectively fill different channels or cavities in the ice.
• the displayed indications then depend on the channels / cavities that are filled at every moment.
• the circuit comprises a single closed loop channel 60 in which one or more drops or fluid bubbles circulates, the position of which provides a temporal indication.
• the position of the drop 65 corresponds to a second slider and is incremented by 6 ° every second; the displacement of the drop can be done regularly and continuously, or by jerks every second.
• the watch may include microvalves to control the path chosen in each moment by the liquid. These microvalves can also be mounted in the ice. They are, however, difficult to conceal, and also have the disadvantage of easily blocking for example because of bubbles or impurities.
• one channel may carry a first drop of liquid displaying the current second, while a second channel may carry another drop displaying another indication, for example the second
• Each channel or liquid circuit may have its own pump; according to the indications, a single pump can also cause drops in several circuits.
• Passive microvalves that is to say without moving parts, and / or microdiodes, can also be used, for example Tesla-type microdiodes, convergent-divergent or type-type microdiodes. Vortex, which regulate and control the flow of a fluid in a reliable and repetitive manner over time.
• the path taken by the fluid depends on the viscosity of the fluid, the internal walls of the channel and the pressure applied by the pump. It is thus possible to control the path traveled by and / or the flow rate of a bubble or a drop in the channel by working on the choice of the surface tensions of the liquids and on the properties of wettability and on the characteristics hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces of the channels, and on their shape and surface state.
• no active microvalve is used in the liquid circuit.
• a drop 65 of a second fluid travels an annular path at the periphery of the ice, so as to simulate the movement of a second pointer. colored in the ice.
• the drop of liquid preferably has a high viscosity so as not to split even when the watch is shaken; it is pushed into the annular channel by a first differently colored fluid, for example a gas or a second transparent liquid immiscible with the liquid of the drop, and put into
• Cavities 61 may be provided in this annular path, for example 60 successive cavities spaced apart by 6 ° from each other; the drop passes from one cavity to another every second, under the impulse of the pump which can be actuated in a pulsed manner.
• the diameter and the shape of the cavity may be respectively different from the diameter and / or the shape of the channel between the cavities, so as to force the drop to stop in these cavities. It is also possible to apply on the internal surface of the cavities a microstructuration or other surface treatment different from that applied to the channels, in order to help the drop to progress discreetly and indexed from one cavity to another.
• this second drop display can also be used with a channel that does not pass through the ice.
• the representation of the flow of time can also be achieved by a swirling movement of the fluid in the watch glass, or by a laminar movement in a path whose shape evokes a whirlpool or other figurative or abstract decorative form. Cavities of different shapes and volumes follow each other until a return of the fluid to the distributor. It is also possible to use a circular channel that wraps around itself with a speed of flow that accelerates towards the center of the representation until reaching an evacuation channel near the center of the ice. The acceleration and slowing of the fluid can be made visible by bubbles, drops or non-homogeneous mixtures of fluids.
• animations including the simulation of rotating needles inside the ice. It is for example also possible to move drops continuously and gradually, or to advance several drops simultaneously or at different speeds in different channels. Moreover, it is possible to use channels of varying diameter and section along the channel, in order to change the flow rate and / or the surface of the visible drop by the user. For example, it is possible to transform a very concentrated drop by spreading it over a large area, then to make it take a more compact form to create surprising animations in the ice.
• Microdosers can be used to separate a volume of liquid in smaller amounts.
• Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view of a portion of the ice 6 having an outer ice 63 in a hard material, and an inner ice 67 in a material easier to machine or to engrave.
• a channel or a cavity 61 is etched in this lower layer, and selectively filled with colored liquid by the pumping action of the pump 5.
• the different parts or layers of the ice can be sealed together, for example by thermal bonding or chemical. Micro-bores in the lower part 67 allow the passage of the liquid to feed the channels.
• the distributor 2 ensures the connection between the channels of the ice and the other elements in the movement where the liquid flows.
• the dispenser can also be made of several elements assembled hermetically, and include channels and orifices for the
• micro-machining of hard and transparent materials can be achieved by methods: - Mechanical: diamond tool, sandblasting, water jet with abrasive, ultrasound with or without abrasive
• Electrochemical etching machining assisted by etching
• the method used for machining hard, fragile and transparent parts is selected to ensure a good surface condition, that is to say with a low roughness to preserve the transparency of the materials after machining.
• the chemical machining will advantageously be chosen while for the micro-bores one will focus for example on electrochemistry which makes it possible to obtain a depth / diameter ratio greater than 10, and thus obtain better quality in the shape and repeatability of micro-holes.
• the transparency of the materials is not a necessary condition, as for the dispenser or for other hidden elements, laser machining and postprocessing of the "grinding" or "polishing" type can be used.
• the channels, cavities and grooves may furthermore benefit from a surface treatment (microstructuring) or a surface coating in order, in particular, to reduce the reflections, to control their wettability with the fluid, to reduce the friction of the fluid on the walls, and / or guarantee a non-turbulent flow.
• a surface treatment microstructuring
• a surface coating in order, in particular, to reduce the reflections, to control their wettability with the fluid, to reduce the friction of the fluid on the walls, and / or guarantee a non-turbulent flow.
• the casing of the pump 5 is also advantageously manufactured by chemical or electrochemical machining.
• the liquid reservoir 4 (optional) can be integrated in the dispenser and / or be housed in the crown, in the bezel or in the case of the watch.
• connections between the various channels and feed holes are preferably made without connections to facilitate assembly and to avoid sealing problems.
• connection between the ice channels and the tubes or channels of the movement can be achieved by carefully aligning the ice with the box - preferably by means of a mechanical stop, a pin etc. so as to make
• the seal is then obtained by gluing, for example ultraviolet bonding, or by thermal fusion ("fusion bonding") of the two juxtaposed channels.
• FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment in which a cavity in the watch glass or in the movement is filled or emptied with a liquid in a pulsed manner, so as to beat the second.
• This cavity may be covered with a membrane 10 shown in section in FIG. 5; the pulsation of the liquid in the channel behind the membrane 10 vibrates or draw it in a particularly visible manner.
• the membrane may be colored and / or be provided with a shape and a decorative pattern, for example a heart in FIG. 5. Several membranes vibrating synchronously or out of phase in the same watch may be used.
• the liquid can also be used for other representations, for example to display in the ice complications of the second dead type, second lightning, second chronograph and so on.
• the second display is advantageous because the problem of setting the time and placement of the drop of colored liquid at the right place along its path is less.
• this hydraulic solution it is also possible to use this hydraulic solution to display other indications corresponding to longer durations, for example minutes, hours, calendars of date etc.
• Time setting means manually moving the drop by manual pumping must then advantageously be implemented; these manual pumping means can simply use the conventional time setting circuit, which operates the pump to move the drop.
• liquid is also advantageously suitable for displaying countdown type indications, for example regatta countdown, or for displaying tides, etc.
• the watch can display by means of a drop of liquid a timed duration, for example a chronograph second. It is also possible to make an ink chronograph in which a timed duration is displayed by deposition of a drop of liquid at the beginning of the duration, and a second drop at the end of the timed duration. It is also possible to have several superimposed or intersecting channels at different levels in the ice, in order to display complex indications or to modify the color in the superposition zones.
• the circulating liquid can change the direction of polarization in the channel, in order to obtain significant changes in color or opacity.
• the present invention also relates to additional modules intended to be superposed or combined over a conventional watch movement and to collaborate with such a watch movement.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Illuminated Signs And Luminous Advertising (AREA)
• Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)
• Measurement Of Unknown Time Intervals (AREA)

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• 2009
  • 2009-09-18 CH CH01446/09A patent/CH701885B1/fr unknown
• 2010
  • 2010-09-15 WO PCT/EP2010/063567 patent/WO2011057837A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2010-09-15 EP EP13005609.6A patent/EP2706417B1/de active Active
  • 2010-09-15 EP EP10752595.8A patent/EP2478419B1/de active Active
• 2012
  • 2012-03-16 US US13/422,438 patent/US8593911B2/en active Active
• 2013
  • 2013-11-19 US US14/083,538 patent/US9494920B2/en active Active

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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