The invention relates to an on-demand horological display mechanism, including a plurality of primary mechanisms each capable of determining the value of a variable, and at least one actuator that can be maneuvered by a user for the selection of the display of the instantaneous value of a specific variable determined by one of the primary mechanisms, each display being performed by the cooperation of a moveable display, including a hand or a disc, with a complementary display including at least one graduated index.
The invention also relates to a timepiece, in particular a watch, including at least one such display mechanism.
The invention relates to the field of horological display mechanisms.
Timepieces with complications are sought after by users, but the displays quickly become difficult to read when same relate to a wide variety of variables to be displayed. The small size of the markings makes the difficulty of reading worse. In addition, there is a risk of confusion by the user if each display is not unequivocal.
Document EP1959317A1 in the name of MAURICE LACROIX describes a gear shifting or transmission switching mechanism intended to be integrated into a horological movement and including a gear pinion rotated by a first wheel of the movement so as to represent a first piece of information to be displayed. An element holding a first fly-back heart-piece is freely mounted on the gear pinion, and is rotated by the first or by a second wheel of the movement so as to represent a second piece of information to be displayed, a second fly-back heart-piece being attached to the gear pinion, a gear wheel being freely mounted about the gear pinion and holding a first, respectively a second, hammer pretensioned by a first, respectively second, pretensioned spring against the first, respectively second, heart-piece, a shift wheel being rotatably mounted on the periphery of the gear wheel and holding a first, respectively a second, cam acting on the first, respectively second hammer so as to remove alternately the contact between the first hammer and the first heart-piece, respectively the second hammer and the second heart-piece, in order to shift the position of the gear wheel according to the first, respectively the second, piece of information to be displayed, an intermediate control wheel being freely mounted about the gear pinion, and engaging with the shift wheel, the intermediate control wheel being attached to a control wheel that can be rotated in a controlled manner via a control mechanism of the gear mechanism.
Document JP H08 220257 in the name of RHYTHM WATCH describes a multi-functional display timepiece capable of clearly showing the time and other information. The first dial has the first time index for displaying a portion of time, and the first information index for displaying information other than the time. Similarly, a second dial has the second time index hiding the first information index of the first dial and complementing the first time index. In this case, a time indicated with the first time index and the second time index, and the information indicated with the first information index may be clearly selected in order to be displayed by moving the second dial.
Document EP2887158A1 in the name of ETA SA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse describes a device for setting watches arranged to be pressed onto the crystal of a watch including a plurality of display means. Said device is arranged to enable a user to see said display means of said watch during the setting thereof, said device including at least one indexing mark for the angular indexing thereof in relation to a reference of said watch, and said device includes, for at least one specific display of said watch, at least one complementary piece of information in relation to said specific display of said watch to facilitate the setting of said specific display considered.
In a known manner, watches may display indications by means of hands or apertures. It is also known that memory systems make it possible to display two indications on demand on the same display, for the same variable.
The invention proposes to make it possible to display two indications of different variables, or having different units, on the same display support, and particularly but not limited to, to produce the combination of the display of the months and of the date on the same display.
Thus, the invention proposes to provide the user of a watch reliable information relative to the variable of which they observe the position, with a simplified display, and advantageously of larger size than in the known mechanisms.
To this end, the invention relates to an on-demand horological display mechanism, according to claim 1.
The invention also relates to a timepiece, in particular a watch, including at least one such display mechanism.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, with reference to the appended drawings, where:
The invention relates to an on-demand horological display mechanism 100, including a plurality of primary mechanisms 10 each capable of determining the value of a variable, and at least one actuator 20 that can be maneuvered by a user for the selection of the display of the instantaneous value of a specific variable determined by one of the primary mechanisms 10. Each display is performed by the cooperation of a moveable display 1, including an hand or a disc, with a complementary display 2 including at least one graduated index 3.
The display 1 and/or the complementary display 2 is common to all of the displays that the display mechanism 100 may produce.
More particularly, both the display 1 and the complementary display 2 are common to all of the displays that the display mechanism 100 may produce.
More particularly, the complementary display 2 includes a plurality of graduated indexes 3 each corresponding to the display of the value of a specific variable.
According to the invention:
More particularly, the display mechanism 100 includes a single disc, which holds all of the graduated indexes 3.
More particularly, the display mechanism 100 includes a variable indicator 5 associated with each graduated index 3 for displaying for the user to view the name of the variable of which the value is displayed at a given moment, or of a symbol representing said variable.
In one variant, such a variable indicator 5 is moveable in relation to an aperture 6, so as to show, at a given moment, only one variable name or symbol for the user to view.
In another variant, the display mechanism 100 includes an aperture 6 that is moveable above the variable indicator 5, so as to show, at a given moment, only one variable name or symbol for the user to view.
More particularly, the display mechanism 100 includes a single disc, which holds all of the variable indicators 5.
Even more particularly, the display mechanism 100 includes the same single disc that holds all of the graduated indexes 3 and all of the variable indicators 5.
More particularly, each of the primary mechanisms 10 is a mechanical memory mechanism. Even more particularly, when the display mechanism 100 includes an aperture 6, said mechanical memory mechanism is arranged to control the relative position between the variable indicator 5 and the aperture 6. In one specific embodiment, at least one mechanical memory mechanism is a mechanism including at least one memory wheel, in particular such as described in document EP2362276B1 in the name of MONTRES BREGUET SA.
More particularly, the actuator 20 is arranged to be actuated by a simple press by the user, in order to control the change of display from the value of one variable to the value of another variable, according to a fixed sequence of various variables.
In one variant, the actuator 20 is arranged to take, upon action by the user, various positions each corresponding to the display of the value of a different variable.
More particularly, the moveable display 1 is a retrograde display.
More particularly, the display mechanism 100 relates to variables that all have different units.
More particularly, one of the primary mechanisms 10 is a month display.
The invention lends itself well to a wide variety of primary mechanisms 10, in particular and not limited to:
The invention also relates to a timepiece 1000 including at least one such display mechanism 100.
The invention is illustrated for a specific, non-limiting, case where the mechanism according to the invention makes it possible to perform the function of displaying two distinct horological values by the same display, here the same hand. In said example illustrated in
This specific embodiment makes it possible to obtain the configuration visible in
In a particular manner, the actuator 20 is arranged to control the position of a column wheel 12 determining the position of an operating lever 14 arranged for the control of a lifting-lever 15, which is arranged to uncouple one of the primary mechanisms 10 from the display 1 in an inactive state of the actuator 20, and to couple same to the display 1 when the actuator 20 is activated, and so as to then exert on the display 1 a torque greater than same that another primary mechanism 10 that the display mechanism 100 includes exerts on display 1.
Preferably, but not limited to, the lifting-lever 15 is coaxial with three other mobile components, the superimposition thereof includes four levels, a first level including a display mobile component including the display 1 that is integral with a display heart-piece 18, which also extends over a second level and a third level, the second level including a first wheel 16 of a first primary mechanism 10 holding a first lever 161 returned on the display heart-piece 18 by a first spring 162, the third level including a second wheel 17 of a second primary mechanism 10 holding a second lever 171 returned on the display heart-piece 18 by a second spring 172, and a fourth level including the lifting-lever 15 that holds a locking element or a pin 150, extending in the third level so as to interact with the second lever 171 in order to keep same away from the display heart-piece 18 in the absence of action by the user on the actuator 20.
Thus, the display mechanism 100 includes here:
The date wheel 16 holds a day lever 161, pivoting about the axis D1, and that is activated by a day spring 162 that provides the connection thereof with the display heart-piece 18 by default.
The month wheel 17 in a similar manner holds a month lever 171, pivoting about the axis D2, and that is activated by a month spring 172, and that is controlled by the memory lifting-lever wheel 15. The month spring 172 thereof is dimensioned to be capable of controlling the display heart-piece 18 when the memory lifting-lever 15 is deactivated despite the day lever 161 of the date wheel 16.
It is understood that four mobile components are mounted coaxial about the axis D0, and superimposed:
The second operating lever 14 is advantageously used to hold or control the indication of the display mode in progress, by holding a variable indicator 5 such as a moveable indicator pallet-stone or a moveable aperture, or by controlling via a train or similar the rotation of such a moveable indicator pallet-stone or such a moveable aperture, in order to perform the display of a date/month indication as in
The starting state is positioned as being a display of the date. Said state corresponds to the solid-line representations in
The display is connected by the control heart-piece 18 and the day lever 161 of the date wheel 16 to same, therefore the display indicates the angular position of the date wheel 16.
When the user presses the actuator 20, in particular a button, of the watch 1000, the operating lever 11 that controls the column wheel 12 makes same rotate by one pitch. In a known manner of the operation of column wheels, a pitch replaces a column 123 by a recess 122, the second operating lever 14 for controlling the memory lifting-lever, which was resting on a column 123 therefore falls in active position in a hollow 122 (dotted-line position). The date/month display that is controlled by the second operating lever 14 for controlling the lifting-lever changes and then displays “month” instead of “date”.
The second operating lever 14 for controlling the memory lifting-lever drives the memory lifting-lever 15, the pin 150 of which releases the month lever 171 of the month wheel 17. As the torque imparted by the month spring 172 of said month lever 171 is higher than same imparted by the day spring 162 of the date lever 161, the control heart-piece 18 aligns on the angular position of the current month, by driving the hand 19 towards the corresponding position.
A new press on the button 20 brings the parts back into initial position.
Said variant illustrated in
One variant of the invention consists in directly controlling by a button 20 the second control 14; in this case, two stable states do not exist, but the display is permanently on the date, except during the press on the actuator 20 which changes to the display of the month, and reverts back to the date when the button is released.
In short, a watch according to the invention uses known memory mechanisms to display by a hand and on demand, alternatively the date and the month. The memory mechanism uses here a combination of heart-piece and springs, other mechanisms are possible.
The mechanism also includes a display by aperture of the units, which is controlled by the memory mechanism so as to coordinate the units with the value of the hand.
Other displays having different units may be coupled, for example, date and power reserve, temperature, striking-work, etc.
The invention makes it possible to simplify the display of the watch, to provide an interesting animation for the user, to enable a discrete display of the variables the least used, such as here the month display, and to make possible memory displays with values having different units.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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19216415.0 | Dec 2019 | EP | regional |