1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a time display device and a time display method for the device.
2. Description of Related Art
Many analog clock faces include hour, minute, and second hands and markings. The typical arrangement of those hands may not be so interesting to people anymore.
There are pluralities of markers 14 set on the dial plate 11 to indicate time, including markers for hours, minutes.
The light source 12 is set in center of the dial plate 11, and is configured to emit visible light to an hour marker. In the exemplary embodiment, the light source 12 is a laser.
The reflectors 13 each aligned with one of the twelve hour markers and the light source, and configured to reflect light from the light source 12. Please note that in this embodiment a 12 hour clock face is represented may be otherwise in alternative embodiments. There are twelve reflectors 13 set evenly on a virtual circle 15 coaxial to the dial plate 11.
The light source 12 emits light to a reflector 13 corresponding to hour of current time. Light is reflected by the reflector 13 to a marker 14 corresponding to minute of current time. As shown in
The clock unit 20 is configured to send a first time information to the processing unit 50 when an hour has elapsed, and a second time information to the same when a minute has elapsed. The first time information is an hour value of the current time. The second time information includes both the hour and minute value of the current time.
The first stepper motor 30 is configured to drive the light source 12 to rotate under the control of the processing unit 50 to change an emitting direction at the same time. The second stepper motor group 40 is configured to drive the reflectors 13 to rotate under the control of the processing unit 50 to change the reflection direction simultaneously. The first stepper motor 30 and the second motor unit 40 are both set behind the dial plate 11 (unshown). The first stepper motor 30 includes only one stepper motor to drive the light source 12 to rotate; the second stepper motor group 40 includes twelve stepper motors, each of which drives the corresponding reflector 13 to rotate.
The processing unit 50 includes a light source controller module 51 and a reflectors controller module 52. The light source controller module 51 is configured to acquire the hour value in the first time information from the clock unit 20, and drive the first stepper motor 30 to rotate, the reflectors 13 are set at the direction of emitted light, the emitted light being incident on a corresponding reflector 13 represents as an hour hand. For example, when an hour has elapsed, the light source 20 rotates 30-degree angle under driving of the light source controller module 51, then the emitting direction also rotates 30-degree angle and the emitted light being incident on another reflector 13 corresponding to the new hour value.
The reflector controller module 52 is configured to determine the corresponding reflector 13 according to the hour value in the second time information, and drive the corresponding reflector 13 to rotate correspondingly direction according to the hour and minute value in the second time information, such that the reflector 13 reflects light points a correspondingly minute marker. For example, when a minute has elapsed, the reflector 13 rotates correspondingly direction under the driving of the second stepper motor group 40, and the reflector 13 reflects light points the correspondingly minute marker.
In another exemplary embodiment, the second time information only includes the minute value. The reflector controller module 52 acquires the hour value from the light source controller module 51, and determines the current emitted reflector 13.
In step S40, at initial state, the reflectors controller module 52 determines twelve rotation angles Δ according to twelve hour values, then the second stepper motor group 40 drives the corresponding reflector 13 to rotate a rotation angle Δ in turn, that way, each reflector 13 points the whole time in the initial state.
In step S41, the clock unit 20 sends a first time information to the processing unit 50 when an hour has elapsed, and send a second time information to the processing unit 50 when a minute has elapsed.
In step S42, the light source controller module 51 controls the first stepper motor 30 to drive the light source to rotate an angle α in clockwise direction, then the emitted light emit to a corresponding reflector 13.
In step S43, the reflector controller module 52 determines the emitted reflector 13 according to the hour value in the second time information, and determines the rotation angle Δ which is between the emitted light and the reflector 13.
In step S44, the reflector controller module 52 sends value of rotation angle Δ to corresponding second stepper motor group 40, then the second stepper motor group 40 drives the corresponding reflector 13 to rotate a rotation angle Δ, thus the emitted light reflected by the reflector 13 points the corresponding minute marker.
Although the present disclosure has been specifically described on the basis of the exemplary embodiment thereof, the disclosure is not to be construed as being limited thereto. Various changes or modifications may be made to the embodiment without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009 1 0307455 | Sep 2009 | CN | national |
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