FR2614446A1 - Indicator device for the analog display of a cyclic phenomenon - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indicator device for the analog display of a cyclic phenomenon. This device includes a casing 10 joined to a strap 11 and containing a dial 12 provided with two reference marks 14 and 15 between which moves a hand 16 driven in rotation by a drive mechanism. The two reference marks 14 and 15 correspond to high tide and low tide respectively. A unit 13 for displaying the time, of the digital type, is housed in an aperture made in the dial 12. This device can be used for any cyclic phenomenon such as tides, biorhythms, etc.

Description

INDICATOR DEVICE FOR THE ANALOGUE VISUALIZATION OF A
CYCLIC PHENOMENON
The present invention relates to an indicator device for the analog visualization of a cyclic phenomenon such as for example the phenomenon of the tides, that of the biorhythm, etc.

Watches of the wristwatch type or the like are known which comprise both digital display organs and analog time display organs. The indications provided by these two organs are in fact the same in two different presentations.

The visualization by analog display of a cyclic phenomenon, object of the present invention, has the advantage of making clear and easily accessible all the information relating to the progress of this phenomenon. For example, if this phenomenon presents maxima and minima, the analog display makes it possible to locate the phenomenon in real time and to position its current state, or the consequences which ensue from it, compared to the maxima and minima past or future.

For this purpose, the device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a frame carrying at least one fixed mark corresponding to a state of the cyclic phenomenon, at least one mobile indicator for positioning at regular time intervals on said mark , and a clock mechanism arranged to drive said mobile indicator.

According to a preferred embodiment, the dial has two fixed marks corresponding to two states of the cyclic phenomenon and the clock mechanism is arranged to bring the mobile indicator from one of the marks to the other during corresponding time intervals at half the duration of the cycle of said phenomenon.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the two fixed marks correspond respectively to high tide and to low tide, the mobile indicator is a hand and the clock mechanism is arranged to pass the hand from one of the marks on the other during successive intervals of the order of six hours twelve minutes thirty seconds, the tide cycle being substantially equal to twelve hours twenty-five minutes.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, the device further comprises a time display member which is of the type with digital display.

According to a preferred embodiment, the various components are housed in a case of the wristwatch box type.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the device is in the form of a watch combined with a tide indicator. According to another variant, the fixed marks on the dial can correspond to the biorhythms of an individual. In this case, it can be extremely interesting to present the device in the form of a watch, for example a watch with digital display, combined with an indicator of the biorhythm of an individual.

The present invention will be better understood with reference to the description of various embodiments illustrated by the appended drawing in which FIG. I represents a plan view of a watch with digital display combined with a tide indicator, FIG. 2 represents a view of a tide indicator presented in the form of a wristwatch, FIG. 3 represents a biorhythm indicator presented in the form of a wristwatch, and FIG. 4 schematically represents the drive and adjustment members of the device according to the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the device consists essentially of a housing 10 carried by a bracelet 11 and containing a dial 12 in which is formed an opening for the establishment of a member 13 for the digital display of time . Furthermore, two marks 14 and 15 are represented on the dial 12 above which a mobile indicator can rotate, in this case constituted by a hand 16. These two marks correspond in the example shown, respectively to high tide and low tide .

One or more adjustment members 17 which may consist of pushers or any other similar element makes it possible to carry out a choice of time setting the watch, correcting the digital display, or adjusting the position of the hand 16 as a function of the time of high and low tides at the place where the user of the watch is located.

In the case where the display member 13 is more sophisticated and allows for example the display of the date or a use as a stopwatch, the adjustment member 17 may have to be arranged to fulfill several other functions or will have to be supplemented by various other regulating members.

Figure 2 shows another somewhat simplified embodiment compared to the previous one. This device comprises, as previously, a housing 10, a bracelet II, a screen or display 12 comprising two marks 14 and 15 corresponding respectively to the high tide and to the low tide. An indicator 16 in the form of a needle makes it possible to visualize the present state of the phenomenon of the tides at a given place, and in particular to provide an analog indication of the time intervals separating the present moment from the high tide or the low tide. past or future.

This embodiment could for example be supplemented by at least one of the two digital display members 18 indicating for example the time interval separating the present instant from the next low tide, namely four hours twenty minutes and the next high tide, namely ten thirty-two minutes. This information, provided in the form of time intervals, could also be replaced by the display of the exact times at which the next low tide and the next high tide will occur. One or more regulating members 17 are arranged to allow updates. the time, positioning, adjustments or corrections of the moving or time-varying components of the device.

FIG. 3 represents another embodiment of the device according to the invention. As before, this device comprises a housing 10, a bracelet II and a dial 12. In this case, the dial comprises a set of marks 20 corresponding to the biorhythms of an individual. A maximum 21 is positioned at the traditional location of the number 12 on a let brace watch and a crown of markers in the form of circles of decreasing radius lead to mark 22 occupying the traditional position of the number 6 on a watch dial. A needle 16 constitutes the indicator of the biorhythm by moving between the mark 21 corresponding to a maximum and the mark 22 corresponding to a minimum. As before, the device is equipped with an adjustment member 17 in the form of a pusher or the like.

FIG. 4 schematically represents the mechanism housed inside the housing 10. This mechanism essentially comprises a stepping motor 30 arranged to drive the mobile indicator 16. The control pulses of the motor 30 are supplied by an electronic circuit 31. The adjusting member 17 acts on the circuit 31. The digital display members 13 or 18 are also connected to the electronic circuit 31.

It is understood that the present device could undergo different modifications and come in various variants obvious to those skilled in the art. Similarly, the cyclical phenomena whose evolution can be followed on the dial of the device, could be different from those described above. However, any device allowing analog visualization of a cyclical phenomenon, combined or not with another device indicating real time or a time interval separating the present moment from an instant when the cyclic phenomenon passes through a maximum or a minimum, is within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

Claims  1. Indicating device for the analog visualization of a cyclic phenomenon, characterized in that it comprises a dial (12) carrying at least one fixed reference (14, 15; 21, 22) corresponding to a state of the cyclic phenomenon, at at least one mobile indicator (16) for positioning itself at regular time intervals on said marker, and a clock mechanism arranged to drive said mobile indicator. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dial (12) comprises two fixed marks (14, 15; 21, 22) corresponding to two states of the cyclic phenomenon, and in that the clock mechanism is arranged for bringing the mobile indicator (16) from one of the benchmarks to the other during time intervals corresponding to half the duration of the cycle of said phenomenon. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that the two fixed marks (14, 15) correspond respectively to the high tide and to the low tide, in that the mobile indicator (16) is a needle and in that the clock mechanism is arranged to pass the hand from one of the markers to the other during successive time intervals of the order of six hours twelve minutes thirty seconds, the tide cycle being substantially equal at twelve twenty-five minutes. 4. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises at least one time display member (13). 5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one display member (18) separating the present instant from a maximum or a minimum of said cyclic phenomenon. 6. Device according to any one of claims 4 or 5, characterized in that the time display or time interval display members are of the digital display type. 7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the various components are housed in a housing (10) of the wristwatch box type. 8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixed marks (20) of the dial (12) correspond to the biorhythms of an individual.