JP2002148364A - Decorative clock - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a decorative clock capable of indicating a current time zone by a display of a large pattern and hue. SOLUTION: Plural patterns respectively corresponding to the plural time zones (morning, noon and night) are formed on the side surfaces of four indicating parts 3, 4, 5, 6 having the shape of a triangle pole, and the indicating parts 3, 4, 5, 6 are rotated to plural preset times to display the pattern corresponding to the current time zone by a control circuit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a decorative timepiece that expresses a current time zone or season zone by displaying a picture, a hue, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A decorative clock that displays a current time zone with a picture has been known. As shown in FIG. 11, this decorative timepiece has a dial 12 having a through hole 12a and a picture 13
a day and night display board 13 which makes one rotation in 24 hours with a. Picture 13a formed on this day / night display board
Is composed of three pictures: a picture depicting a morning scene, a picture depicting a day scene, and a picture depicting a night scene. Then, by slowly rotating the display board day and night, a picture corresponding to the time zone can be displayed facing the through-hole 12a (see, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 60-189881).

[0003]

In the conventional decorative timepiece, the current time zone is displayed with a picture corresponding to the time zone, so that the picture facing through the through hole is changed as time elapses. It can entertain the viewer. But,
As shown in FIG. 11, the through-hole had to be designed to be considerably smaller than the size of the day / night display board in order to show only a part of the day / night display board, so that a large display could not be shown. If the through hole is designed to be large in order to show a large display, the day and night display board must also be designed to be large, which causes a problem that the entire watch becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to provide a decorative timepiece in which the current time zone and seasonal zone can be represented by a large display and the entire timepiece can be reduced in size. .

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a column-shaped display body having a display corresponding to a plurality of time zones on a side surface, and a frame body rotatably supporting the display body. A motor arranged on the frame to rotate the display, and a control circuit for driving the motor at a plurality of times set in advance so that a display corresponding to the current time zone appears.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a column-shaped display body having a plurality of displays corresponding to a plurality of seasonal zones on a side surface, a frame body rotatably supporting the display body,
A motor is provided on the frame for rotating the display, and a control circuit for driving the motor for each of a plurality of days set in advance so that a display corresponding to the current seasonal zone appears.

As described above, the motor is driven by the control circuit so that the display corresponding to the current time zone formed on the side surface of the display having the column shape appears from the display window or the like, thereby keeping the timepiece small. As it is, the current time zone can be represented by a large display. In addition, by displaying a display corresponding to the current seasonal zone formed on the side surface of the display body from the display window or the like, the current seasonal zone can be represented by a large display while keeping the timepiece small.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The first specific example is a timekeeping unit 20 that measures the time and displays the current time, and four display units 3, 4, 5, each having a plurality of pictures formed on each side surface.
6, a pulse motor 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as a motor 10) rotatable in one direction, and a plurality of times set in advance.
A control circuit 30 that rotates 0 by a predetermined angle to sequentially display the pictures formed on the four display units 3, 4, 5, and 6, and houses the clock unit 20, the display 1, the motor 10, and the control circuit 30. And a frame 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the timer 20 measures the time and displays the current time in an analog display and a digital display. The clock unit 20 inputs a time signal to a control circuit 30 described later.

The display 1 is, as shown in FIGS.
It is composed of four display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 having a triangular prism shape. In each display part 3,4,5,6,
The rotating shaft 3d is protruded from the upper surface and a bottom surface (not shown).
4d, 5d, and 6d are provided. The rotating shafts 3d, 4d, 5d, 6d are rotatably supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the frame 2. Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, four display units 3, 4, 5,
6 are supported so as to be aligned.

As shown in FIG. 3, each rotating shaft 3d, 4
gears 3e, 4e, 5e,
6e is attached. These four gears 3e, 4
The numbers of teeth of e, 5e and 6e are set equal. The gear 3e meshes with the pinion 10a of the motor 10, the gear 3e meshes with the gear 4e, and the gear 4e
The gear 5e meshes with the gear 6e.
Therefore, when the control circuit 30 described later drives the motor 10 at a predetermined rotation speed, the display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 can rotate around the rotation axis at the same speed.

As shown in FIG. 2, three display surfaces are respectively formed on the side surfaces of the display portions 3, 4, 5, and 6 formed by triangular prisms. That is, the three display surfaces 3a, 3b, 3
c is formed, and three display surfaces 4a, 4b, and 4c are formed on the side surface of the display unit 4 by changing the phase by 120 degrees from each other.
Similarly, three display surfaces 5a, 5b, and 5c are formed on the side surface of the display unit 5 with a phase difference of 120 degrees from each other.
Are formed with three display surfaces 6a, 6b and 6c with a phase difference of 120 degrees from each other.

[0013] On these display screens, pictures as display corresponding to three time zones (morning, noon, night) are drawn. That is, on the display surfaces 3a, 4a, 5a, and 6a, as shown in FIG. 4, patterns each showing a part of the morning scene are formed. These four display surfaces 3a, 4a, 5
By arranging a and 6a in a line, a picture of a morning scene can be completed. Also,
On the display surfaces 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b, as shown in FIG. 5, a pattern showing a part of a daytime scene is formed. By arranging these four display surfaces 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b in a line, a picture of a daytime scene can be completed. Furthermore, display surface 3
As shown in FIG. 6, patterns c, 4c, 5c, and 6c each have a pattern showing a part of the night scene. Similarly, by arranging these four display surfaces 3c, 4c, 5c, and 6c in a line, a picture of a night scene can be completed.

In the decoration device of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the output terminal of the timer unit 20 is connected to the input terminal of the control circuit 30, and the output terminal of the control circuit 30 is connected to the terminal of the motor 10. ing. The timer unit 20 counts time, inputs a time signal to the control circuit 30, and displays the current time in analog and digital form. The control circuit 30 has a memory (not shown) for storing a plurality of set times in advance, and outputs a drive signal to the motor 10 when the set time stored in the memory matches the time signal from the timer 20. Is what you do. For example, set the time to 6 am
It is possible to set the hour, 11 am and 7 pm. The motor 10 is controlled by a drive signal from the control circuit 30.
When the pinion 10a rotates, this power is transmitted to the four gears 3e, 4e, 5e, and 6e, and the display units 3, 4, and
5, 6 rotate around the rotation axis at the same speed. And
A picture can be completed by arranging each display surface on the same plane in front of the timepiece.

Next, the operation of the decorative timepiece having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIGS. The time set in the memory provided inside the control circuit 30 is set to, for example, 6
Hour (6:00 am), 12:00 (0:00 pm), 19:00 (7 pm)
) Will be described. When the motor 10 receives the drive signal, the display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 are set to 1
The train wheel is configured to be rotated by 20 degrees.

First, as shown in FIG.
The pattern formed by a, 4a, 5a, and 6a can be seen from the front side of the timepiece. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a picture corresponding to the morning is displayed on the front side of the clock.

At 12:00 (0:00 pm), the control circuit 3
Since the drive signal is output from 0 to the motor 10, FIG.
As shown in (b), the pinion 10a of the motor rotates, and the four display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 rotate around the rotation axes 3d, 4d, 5d, and 6d in the directions of the arrows in the figure. And
The display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 rotate by 120 degrees and stop,
As shown in FIG. 2C, the display surfaces 3b, 4b, 5b, 6
The picture formed by b can be seen from the front side of the watch. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, a picture corresponding to daytime is displayed on the front side of the clock. Therefore, at 12:00, the display 1 changes from the display of the morning time zone shown in FIG.
The display changes to the daytime display shown in.

At 19:00 (7:00 pm), the motor 10 is driven to change the state of the display unit 3 from the state shown in FIG.
4, 5, and 6 rotate 120 degrees around the rotation axis and stop,
The picture formed by the display surfaces 3c, 4c, 5c, 6c can be seen from the front side of the timepiece. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, a picture corresponding to night is displayed on the front side of the watch. Therefore, at 19:00, the display 1 changes from the display of the day time zone shown in FIG. 5 to the display of the night time zone shown in FIG.

Similarly, at 6:00 (6:00 am), the motor 10 is driven to change the state of the display unit 3 from the state shown in FIG.
4, 5, and 6 rotate 120 degrees around the rotation axis and stop,
The picture formed by the display surfaces 3c, 4c, 5c, 6c can be seen from the front side of the timepiece. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, a picture corresponding to the morning is displayed on the front side of the watch. Therefore, at 6:00, the display 1 changes from the display of the night time zone shown in FIG. 6 to the display of the morning time zone shown in FIG.

Therefore, during the time period from 6:00 to 12:00, a display corresponding to the morning time period is performed, and
In the time zone from 19:00 to 19:00, a display corresponding to the daytime zone is performed, and in the time zone from 19:00 to the next day at 6:00, a display corresponding to the nighttime zone is performed. By driving the motor at a plurality of times set in advance and displaying a picture corresponding to the current time zone formed on the side of the display body having a columnar shape, the current time is maintained while keeping the clock small. The band can be displayed with a large picture.

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same components as those in the first specific example are denoted by the same reference numerals. The configuration different from the first example is
As shown in FIG. 9, the four display units 3, 4, 5, and 6 have a quadrangular prism shape. Then, the display surfaces 3A, 4
A, 5A, and 6A have a pattern showing a winter scene formed thereon, display surfaces 3B, 4B, 5B, and 6B have a pattern showing a spring scene formed thereon, and display surfaces 3C, 4C, 5C, and 6C have summer patterns. A picture showing the scene is formed, and the display surfaces 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D
Has a pattern showing the autumn scene.

The timer 20 has a calendar function and can calculate the current date. A memory provided inside the control circuit 30 can store the date. . For example, in this memory, September 2
A changing day of the season, such as 3rd (autumn equinox day) or March 21 (spring equinox day), is input, and each time this changing day comes, the four display units 3, 4, 5, 6 are displayed. By rotating the image by 90 degrees around the rotation axis, a picture corresponding to the current season can be displayed.

Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. In the third specific example, as shown in FIG. 10, the frame body 40 is formed by imitating a home window frame, and the display body can be seen from the window imitated by the window frame. I have. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the display body includes a plurality of display units having a triangular prism shape. The difference from the first and second specific examples is that a hue is formed instead of the picture displayed on the display surface of the display units 3, 4, 5, and 6. That is, the display surfaces 3a, 4a, 5a, 6 shown in FIG.
For example, cream paint that makes the image of the morning is applied to a, respectively. These four display surfaces 3a, 4
By arranging a, 5a, and 6a in a line, it is possible for a viewer to imagine the morning in a large display. The display surfaces 3b, 4b, 5b, and 6b are each coated with, for example, a light blue paint that makes the image of daytime. By arranging these four display surfaces 3b, 4b, 5b, 6b in a line, it is possible for a viewer to imagine daytime in a large display. Further, the display surfaces 3c, 4c, 5
Each of c and 6c is coated with, for example, a black paint that makes the image of night appear. These four display surfaces 3c, 4
By arranging c, 5c, and 6c in a line, the viewer can image a night with a large display. As described above, the frame body 40 is formed by imitating a home window frame, and the current time zone can be indicated by a large display by the hue seen from the window.

On the other hand, when the season is displayed in hue, the display body is formed by a plurality of display portions 3, 4, 5, 6 having a quadrangular prism shape as shown in FIG. 9 similarly to the second specific example. . That is, the display surfaces 3a, 4a, 5a, 6 shown in FIG.
Each of a is coated with, for example, a cream paint that makes the image of spring appear. Also, the display surfaces 3b, 4b,
Each of 5b and 6b is coated with, for example, a blue paint and a white paint in a stripe shape, which makes the image of summer appear. The display surfaces 3c, 4c, 5c, 6c are each coated with, for example, a light orange paint which makes the image of autumn fall. Further, the display surfaces 3d, 4d, 5d, 6
d is coated with, for example, a white paint that makes it image winter. As described above, the frame body 40 is formed by imitating a home window frame, and the current seasonal zone can be indicated by a large display by the hue seen from the window.

In the first specific example, a triangular prism-shaped display unit is used, and in the second specific example, a quadrangular prism-shaped display unit is used. Sometimes used. Alternatively, a columnar display unit can be used.

[0026]

According to the present invention, the present time zone and season zone are represented by a large picture, hue, and the like while the watch is kept small, so that a decorative watch that is easy to see and rich in interest can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a decorative timepiece according to a first specific example of the present invention.

2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of the structure and operation of the decorative timepiece shown in FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 2A shows a state before operation, FIG. 2B shows a state during operation, and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of the decorative timepiece shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the main part when the display unit of the decorative clock shown in FIG. 1 displays a morning time zone.

FIG. 5 is an essential part front view when the display unit of the decorative clock shown in FIG. 1 displays a daytime zone;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part when the display unit of the decorative timepiece shown in FIG. 1 displays a night time zone.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of this specific example.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a main part of a decorative timepiece according to a second specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing the structure of the decorative watch shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a main part of a decorative timepiece according to a third specific example of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a conventional decorative timepiece.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display body 3 Display part 3a Display surface (morning) 3b Display surface (day) 3c Display surface (night) 3d Rotary shaft 3e Gear 3A Display surface (winter) 3B Display surface (spring) 3C Display surface (summer) 3D display surface (Autumn) 4 Display part 4a Display surface (morning) 4b Display surface (day) 4c Display surface (night) 4d Rotary shaft 4e Gear 4A Display surface (winter) 4B Display surface (spring) 4C Display surface (summer) 4D display surface (Autumn) 5 Display part 5a Display surface (morning) 5b Display surface (day) 5c Display surface (night) 5d Rotary shaft 5e Gear 5A Display surface (winter) 5B Display surface (spring) 5C Display surface (summer) 5D display surface (Autumn) 6 Display section 6a Display surface (morning) 6b Display surface (day) 6c Display surface (night) 6d Rotating shaft 6e Gear 6A Display surface (winter) 6B Display surface (spring) 6C Display surface (summer) 6D display surface (Autumn) 10 Motor 10a Pinion 20 Clock section 30 Control circuit 0 frame

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A decorative timepiece in which a display corresponding to a current time zone appears, a column-shaped display body having a plurality of displays corresponding to a plurality of time zones on a side surface, and the display body rotatably supported. A frame, a motor arranged on the frame and rotating the display, and a control circuit for driving the motor at a plurality of preset times so that a display corresponding to a current time zone appears. Decorative clock with,. 2. A decorative timepiece in which a display corresponding to a current seasonal zone appears, wherein a column-shaped display body having a plurality of side displays respectively corresponding to a plurality of seasonal zones, and the display body is rotatably supported. A frame, a motor arranged on the frame to rotate the display, and a control circuit for driving the motor for each of a plurality of months set in advance so that a display corresponding to the current seasonal zone appears. Decorative clock with,.