• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A wearable device comprising a display arrangement for displaying moon phases. The image of the one or more moons is displayed on the dial and a rotatable element is provided above the dial to display pictures of a full moon, waning moon, new moon or increasing moon. The device provides for rotation of the rotatable element in both directions as well as in one direction. The device may display phases of the moon simultaneously or alternatively, which coincide with the view from the northern hemisphere and / or from the southern hemisphere.
    公开号:CH709602B1
    申请号:CH01545/15
    申请日:2014-02-07
    公开日:2020-04-30
    发明作者:Grau Siegfried；Sembritzki Boris
    申请人:Timex Group Usa Inc；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    The present invention relates generally to wearable devices that display moon phases, and more particularly to an improved methodology and arrangement of the displays of moon phases, which among other things provide increased display options and increased functionality. Such a device is specified in claim 1. In a particularly desirable embodiment, the wearable device is a timepiece, but it will be appreciated from the disclosure in this document that the invention is not so limiting.
    Displays of lunar or moon phases (both terms in this document are intended to have the same meaning) have been built into wearable devices, particularly timepieces, for many years. Examples of such third party devices are found in references such as US Pat. 6,928,032 and 7,609,587, US Publication No. 2011/0292768 and 2011/0310707 as well as in JP 60-060580 and EP 1 445 672. However, it is believed that each of the foregoing designs have alleged defects. For example, many prior art examples require additional gear drives and / or have only limited display options that they can provide.
    Another known commercial product incorporating a moon phase display is supplied under the Jaquet-Droz brand and is provided in the timepiece sold under the name "The Eclipse Ivory Enamel". However, this structure also has several supposed shortcomings. For example, this design has limited options for rotating the display; therefore, it must move backward (i.e., counterclockwise or counterclockwise) after the full moon phase display ends. In addition, this known structure is still limited by its inability to display the view from the northern hemisphere and from the southern hemisphere at the same time.
    For this reason, an improved display of the moon phase is desirable. For example, it is desirable to provide a moon phase display in which the moon is printed or otherwise attached to a stationary dial and where a rotatable member is provided over the dial so that it is not necessary to turn the display back to return to a home position , and that the rotation of the same provides images of the phases of the moon as seen in the northern hemisphere and / or the southern hemisphere, and may also offer additional display benefits.
    [0005] There are also other objectives and functions as disclosed in this document that overcome the shortcomings of the current state of the art.
    It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the supposed shortcomings of the prior art.
    More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wearable device with a moon phase display in which the number of rotating parts is kept to a minimum. For example, it would be advantageous to provide such a wearable device in which the image (s) of the moon is / are stationary and the rotatable portion is located over the dial to provide the visible phases of the moon.
    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wearable device in which the phases of the moon for the northern hemisphere and / or the southern hemisphere can be displayed simultaneously or alternatively.
    Another object of the present invention is to provide a wearable device in which a controller and other components for such displays of the moon phases are easy to change, especially without additional or complicated arrangements of gear transmissions.
    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement for displaying moon phases, in which it is possible to provide a rotatable element which rotates at a constant speed and does not have to move back to a previous starting position.
    It is also a goal to be able to use a unidirectional motor for such moon phase displays if desired and not to be limited to a bidirectional motor.
    Therefore, and generally speaking, the present invention is directed to a wearable device comprising a display assembly for displaying moon phases, the display assembly having a dial having a front and a back; at least a first image of a moon on the front of the dial, a rotatable element attached above the dial, the rotatable element comprising at least a first pointer, the first pointer being at least substantially rounded and at least substantially non-transparent; wherein rotation of the rotatable member from a first home position in a first direction and at a first rate of rotation causes the first moon image to appear decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image by the first pointer, and subsequently due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image appears as increasing by the first pointer; wherein in the first home position of the rotatable member, the first lunar image is fully released by the first pointer, and wherein the wearable device comprises a controller that effectively causes the rotatable member to rotate in a first direction to cause the first moon image (i) appears to be decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image by the first pointer, (ii) next is essentially completely covered by the first pointer and thereby shows a moon phase which is representative of a new moon, and ( iii) then appears increasing due to the release of the first moon image by the first pointer, the rotatable element continuing to rotate in the first direction until the first moon image is substantially completely released from the first pointer; and when the rotatable member has rotated in the first direction so that the first moon image is substantially fully released from the first pointer, the controller causes the rotatable member to continue rotating in the first direction or in a direction opposite to the first direction until the rotatable element is in the first starting position.
    Further objects and advantages of this invention will become more fully apparent from a consideration of the drawings and the description below.
    The invention therefore includes the features of structure, combination of elements, arrangement of parts and sequence of steps, which are exemplified in the structure and in the following illustration and description; the scope of the invention is also indicated in the claims.
    According to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wearable device comprises a display arrangement for displaying moon phases, the display arrangement comprising a dial which has a front side and a back side; at least a first image of a moon on the front of the dial, a rotatable element attached above the dial, the rotatable element comprising at least a first pointer and a second pointer, the first pointer and the second pointer being at least substantially rounded and at least substantially not -are transparent; wherein, from a first home position, rotation of the rotatable member in a first direction causes the image of the moon to appear decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the moon image by the first pointer and subsequently due to the subsequent progressive release of the moon image by the first pointer appears, and after the rotatable member has rotated in the first direction so that the moon image is substantially fully released by the first pointer, the second pointer is positioned substantially at the position where the first pointer was positioned when that rotatable element has been in the first starting position.
    According to a second preferred embodiment, the wearable device of the present invention comprises a display arrangement for displaying moon phases, the display arrangement comprising a dial having a front and a back, at least a first image of a moon on the front of the Clock face and a second image of a moon on the front of the dial, the image of the second moon being arranged at a distance from the image of the first moon; a rotatable element arranged above the dial, the rotatable element comprising at least one pointer, the first pointer being substantially rounded and essentially non-transparent, selection means for selecting whether the first moon image or the second moon image is used for displaying the moon phases wherein the controller, in response to the selection, causes the rotatable member to be positioned in one of a plurality of home positions, wherein rotation of the rotatable member from a first home position in a first direction causes the moon image to be used of the first moon image or the second moon image is selected for display, appears to be decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the selected first or second moon image by the pointer, and then by the subsequent progressive release of the selected moon image by the first n pointer appears as increasing; wherein selecting the display of moon phases using the first moon image will display images of the moon phases that match the view from the northern hemisphere, and selecting the display of moon phases using the second moon image will display images of the moon phases that are associated with the view from the southern hemisphere.
    According to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the wearable device comprises a display arrangement for displaying moon phases, the display arrangement comprising a dial which has a front side and a back side, at least a first image of a moon on the front side of the Clock face and a second image of a moon on the front of the clock face; a rotatable member disposed above the dial, the rotatable member comprising at least a first and a second pointer, the first and second hands each being substantially rounded and substantially non-transparent; wherein rotation of the rotatable member from a first home position in a first direction causes the first moon image to appear decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image by the first pointer, and at the same time causes the second moon image to occur due to the identical progressive coverage of the second Moon image appears to be waning through the second pointer, and then causes the first moon image to appear increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image from the first pointer, and at the same time causes the second moon image to appear due to the identical progressive release of the second moon image through the second pointer appears to be increasing; the first lunar images representing the moon phases seen from the northern hemisphere, and the second moon images representing the lunar phases seen from the southern hemisphere.
    In a preferred embodiment, the wearable device is a timepiece in the form of a wristwatch.
    [0019] The features described above and other features of the invention will become more apparent in the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:<tb> Fig. 1 <SEP> is a side view of a wearable device in the form of a timepiece constructed in accordance with the present invention;<tb> Fig. 2 <SEP> collectively refers to a set of sub-figures, Figs. 2A to 2I, each of which shows a moon phase display on a display order for displaying moon phases according to a first embodiment of the present invention;<tb> Fig. 3 <SEP> collectively refers to a set of sub-figures, namely FIGS. 3A to 3J, each of which shows a moon phase display on a display arrangement for displaying moon phases according to a second embodiment of the present invention;<tb> Fig. 4 <SEP> collectively refers to a set of sub-figures, namely FIGS. 4A to 4I, each of which shows a moon phase display on a display arrangement for displaying moon phases according to a third embodiment of the present invention;<tb> Fig. 5 <SEP> collectively refers to a set of sub-figures, Figs. 5A through 5I, each of which shows a moon phase display on a display device for displaying moon phases in accordance with the present invention;<tb> Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a controller constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment for carrying out the objects and advantages of the present invention, and<tb> Fig. 7 <SEP> u. 8 collectively and each refer to sets of sub-figures, FIGS. 7A to 7I and 8A to 8I, respectively, each of which shows a moon phase display on a display device for displaying moon phases according to alternative embodiments of the aforementioned second embodiment of the present invention.
    The same reference numbers in the figures are intended to refer to the same parts, although not every function in each figure has to be provided with a reference number.
    First, reference is made to Fig. 1 which discloses a wearable device generally indicated at 10, constructed in accordance with the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the wearable device 10 is a timepiece, and in particular a pocket watch; however, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not so limiting, since the present invention can be incorporated into a wide range of products, some of which are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,113,450, the content of which is for all purposes hereby becomes an integral part of this document as if it were listed in full.
    [0022] In all preferred embodiments of the present invention, the wearable device comprises a display arrangement for displaying the phases of the moon. The display arrangement shown in FIG. 1 and generally identified by reference number 20 only illustrates one of many possible positions (and constructions) of the display arrangement 20 around a dial generally indicated at 30. Of course, the position of the display arrangement 20 around the dial 30 is a design decision of a person skilled in the art. In addition, the display arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is intended as an example only and represents the many other display arrangements constructed in accordance with the present invention and disclosed in this document. Therefore, it goes without saying that any of the display arrangements disclosed in this document can be incorporated into the wearable device of the present invention.
    Next, reference is therefore made to the display arrangement of Fig. 2, generally indicated at 20A, in which a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the display assembly 20A includes a dial generally indicated at 30A that has a front and a back. Display arrangement 20A further includes at least a first moon image, indicated by reference number 35, on the front of dial 30. A rotatable element, generally indicated at 40, is also provided and is mounted over dial 30, preferably on a bracket 45 (FIG. 1). . Bracket 45 is coupled to an arrangement of a gear transmission comprising one or more gears, which is itself preferably coupled to a motor, for example to a stepper motor. Examples of rotatable elements and other indicators and the way in which they are coupled by one or more gearwheels with a stepper motor are documented in numerous examples in the aforementioned US Pat. No. 7,113,450 and are generally known in the art. An example motor M1 for rotating the rotatable elements of the embodiments disclosed in this document is shown in FIG. 6. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the rotatable element 40 comprises at least a first pointer 50 and at least a second pointer 52, wherein preferably both the first and the second pointer 50, 52 are at least substantially rounded and at least substantially non-transparent. The use of the expression "at least substantially" indicates that, of course, completely round or completely opaque [ointers] are not necessary for the practice of the invention and for its objectives. In fact, “at least essentially” is intended to indicate that the shape of the moon is most accurately imaged when the shape of the part covering the moon image (eg pointer 50 or pointer 52) is round or at least approximately round. Similarly, for accurate imaging of a moon that is difficult to see (e.g., a new moon), it is preferred that pointer 50 and / or pointer 52 hide the moon image when pointer 50 or pointer 52 obscures the moon image. While a completely opaque and sufficiently large surface area is desired to completely cover the moon, a certain degree of transparency would not conflict with the objectives of the present invention.
    In addition, it can also be seen that the rotatable element of FIG. 2, like the similarly shaped rotatable elements of FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, has 2 (two) windows, exemplified as windows 90, 95 (see Fig. 2A); however, not every window is labeled this way in all figures.
    As generally further illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 2A illustrates the rotatable member 40 in a first preferred home position, with pointer 50 positioned a little to the right of and below the moon image 35, while pointer 52 a little to the left of and below the moon image 35 is positioned. Here, and with reference to pointer 50 for example purposes, rotation of the rotatable member 40 in a first (e.g. counterclockwise) direction causes the moon image 35 due to progressive overlap (see, e.g., FIGS. 2B, 2C, 2D) of the moon image 35 by the pointer 50 appears to be decreasing and because of the subsequent progressive release (see for example FIGS. 2F, 2G, 2H) the moon image 35 appears to be increasing by the pointer 50.
    2E shows a preferably completely covered moon image by pointer 50. However, if, as noted above, pointer 50 is not completely round or not 100% opaque or not perfectly aligned or not perfectly centered, the invention provides that the moon image 35 is at least substantially covered by pointer 50. This Fig. 2E corresponds to a new moon. 2I shows the following full moon.
    As disclosed in more detail below, the wearable device includes at least one controller for rotating the rotatable member 40 in the counterclockwise direction to cause the moon image 35 (i) to progressively overlap the moon image 35 appears as decreasing by the pointer 50 (see, for example, FIGS. 2B, 2C, 2D), (ii) is next at least substantially completely covered by the pointer 50 (for example FIG. 2E) and thus shows a moon phase which is a moon phase representing a new moon, and (iii) appears to be increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the moon image 35 by the pointer 50 (for example, FIGS. 2F, 2G, 2H). Here, too, the rotatable element 40 rotates in a counterclockwise direction until the moon image 35 is a full moon and is at least substantially completely released by the pointer 50 (e.g. FIG. 2I).
    Advantageously, the second pointer 52 is after the rotation of the rotatable element 40 in a counterclockwise direction, for example, in such a way that the moon image is at least essentially fully released by the first pointer (e.g. FIG. 2I), at least at least substantially in the position in which pointer 50 was positioned when the rotatable member was in the first home position (eg, FIG. 2A). Therefore, the embodiment of FIG. 2 has the advantage that the rotatable element 40 does not have to rotate forward or backward after the full moon of FIG. 2I in order to be ready for the next moon phase cycle, which is therefore at least one significant advantage over the one mentioned Represents state of the art.
    For a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference is now made to FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the display arrangement generally indicated at 20B also includes a dial generally indicated at 30B, which has a front and a back. Display arrangement 20B also includes at least a first image of a moon, identified by reference number 35B, as well as an image of a second moon, identified by reference number 36B, on the front of dial 30B. In this embodiment, the rotatable member is generally indicated at 40B and also attached over the dial 30B and preferably on bracket 45, also similar to the aforementioned embodiment. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the rotatable element 40B comprises a first pointer 50B, which for the same reasons as the ones mentioned above is also at least substantially rounded and at least substantially non-transparent.
    This embodiment of Fig. 3 functions similarly to the embodiment discussed above and shown in Figs. 2A-2I, but has the additional feature that it is capable of displaying the phases of the moon both in the northern hemisphere and on the deliver southern hemisphere. For example, the moon phases, as seen in the northern hemisphere, would be imaged with the movement of the first pointer 50B over the moon image 35B, as discussed above with reference to FIG. 2, while the moon phases, as seen in the southern hemisphere, with the movement of the first pointer 50B over the moon image 36B. In the latter case of imaging the moon images on the southern hemisphere, the starting position of the rotatable element 40B is shown in Fig. 3J; the subsequent rotation of pointer 50B is conveniently discussed below with respect to Figure 4, pointer 52C and moon image 36C.
    In yet another feature of this embodiment of Fig. 3, the choice is made whether the moon phases are made using the first moon image 35B (e.g. for the northern hemisphere) or the second moon image 36B (e.g. for the southern earth hemisphere) ) are to be displayed, optionally selection means in the form of a pusher and other associated software and hardware are provided, as discussed in FIG. 6 below. That is, in response to the selection, the controller may cause the rotatable member 40B to be positioned in one of a variety of home positions. For example, when the display of the moon phases is selected using the first moon image 35B, moon phase images corresponding to the view in the northern hemisphere are displayed, and when the display of the moon phases is selected using the second moon image 36B, moon phase images are displayed that the Correspond view to the southern hemisphere.
    When the rotatable element in the display of the northern hemisphere has rotated such that the moon image 35B is at least substantially fully released from the first pointer 50B (e.g., Fig. 3I), a controller fully disclosed below causes the rotatable Element, itself (preferably at a speed greater than the rotational speed of the first pointer 50B as it travels through its natural courses from its position in FIG. 3A to its position in FIG. 3I) in the clockwise direction back to the first starting position ( Fig. 3A) or in the continued direction counterclockwise until the rotatable element is again in its starting position 3A. A corresponding and similarly fast rotation occurs during the display of the moon images of the southern hemisphere.
    As also shown in the figures of FIG. 3, the first moon image 35B is located around an upper half of the dial 30B; it also contains the second moon image 36B around a lower half of the dial 30B.
    For an alternative preferred embodiment of the construction of the two-moon image of FIG. 3, reference is now made to FIG. 7. First of all, it can be seen that in this construction of FIG. 7 the dial, the first moon image and the second moon image are constructed in the same way as in the embodiment of FIG. 3. The difference in this embodiment of FIG. 7 is that the rotatable member generally indicated at 140B has a substantially opaque "window" (e.g. window 95, see FIG. 2A) and thus only an "open window", i.e. H. Has window 90. In this manner, the pointer 50B in FIG. 7 is larger and includes a general coverage, generally represented by reference number 160 (also indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 7B). Therefore, for the purpose of understanding the claims, the reference to the feature of a "pointer" in this claimed embodiment is to be taken to include the cover 160 as discussed and illustrated in FIG. 7.
    Although the embodiment of Fig. 7 functions in a similar manner to the embodiment of Fig. 3, the embodiment of Fig. 7 ensures that the wearer of the device does not undesirably (if he does not see the image of the moon in that hemisphere) wishes) that the carrier has not selected.
    For example, and similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3, when the user selects the display of moon phases using the first moon image 35B (for example, for the northern hemisphere), the pointer 50B, which is now the general "cover" 160 7A-7I, with a possible short-term exception, namely that in this embodiment of FIG. 7, a rapid rotation ( within a few seconds) from the new moon position of Fig. 7E to the position of the rotatable member of Fig. 7F, to be ready in time for the beginning of the display of the images of the waxing moon. This rapid rotation can be done either clockwise or counterclockwise. In this example, the rotatable element constructed as in Fig. 7 will display images of moon phases corresponding to the views in the northern hemisphere; the second moon image is covered and does not cause any confusion or unwanted display of another moon image.
    Fig. 8 is an illustration of an embodiment very similar to the structure in Fig. 7, except that it is applicable to the display of moon images in the southern hemisphere, which in the embodiment of Fig. 8 assumes that it is the visible moon image in the figures is moon image 36B. Apart from this, this embodiment of FIG. 8 is very similar to the embodiment of FIG. 7.
    Reference is now made to FIG. 4, which represents yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the display arrangement generally shown at 20C also includes a dial generally shown at 30C, which has a front and a back. Display arrangement 20C also includes at least a first image of a moon, identified by reference number 35C, as well as an image of a second moon, identified by reference number 36C, on the front of dial 30C. In this embodiment, the rotatable element is generally displayed at 40C and also attached above the dial 30C and preferably on holder 45, likewise similar to the previously mentioned embodiments. The rotatable element 40C comprises at least a first pointer 50C and at least a second pointer 52C, wherein preferably both the first and the second pointer 50C, 52C are at least substantially rounded and at least substantially non-transparent for the same reasons as the above .
    The embodiment of Fig. 4 functions similarly to the embodiments discussed above and actually combines many features of the same, but has the additional feature that it is capable of a simultaneous appearance of the phases of the moon in the northern hemisphere and in the southern Deliver hemisphere. For example, the moon phases as seen in the northern hemisphere would be imaged with the movement of the first pointer 50C over the moon image 35C as discussed above, while the moon phases as seen in the southern hemisphere would be mapped with the movement of the second pointer 52C would be imaged over the moon image 36C.
    In this latter example of the pictorial representation of the moon images on the southern hemisphere, the starting position of the rotatable element 40C is also shown in Fig. 4A.
    In particular, pointer 52C begins by being positioned somewhat to the left and above (e.g., clockwise from) moon image 36C. Here, rotation of the rotatable member 40C in a first (e.g., counterclockwise) direction causes the moon image 36C due to the progressive overlap (see, for example, FIGS. 4B, 4C, 4D) of the moon image 36C by the second pointer 52C appears to be decreasing and because of the subsequent progressive release (see, for example, FIGS. 4F, 4G, 4H) of the moon image 36C by the second pointer 52C appears to be increasing. The lunar images on the southern hemisphere are fully applicable to the embodiment disclosed above with reference to FIG. 3.
    4E also shows a preferably completely covered moon image 36C as well as the new moon on both the northern and southern hemisphere. Of course, the first pointer 50C for the northern hemisphere functions as described above in the previously disclosed embodiments. Figure 41 is an illustration of the subsequent full moon for both the northern and southern hemisphere.
    The control set forth above and explained below controls the rotation of all rotatable elements disclosed in this document. In this manner, the controller acts in all embodiments such that each of the disclosed rotatable elements rotates so that the respective moon image (s) due to the progressive coverage of the moon image (s) by one of the first and / or the second pointers appears to be decreasing, in the next step it is / are at least essentially completely covered by the pointer (s) in question and thus supply a moon phase that represents a new moon, and then on the basis of the release of the respective moon image (s) by the / the respective first and / or second pointer appears as increasing. Here, too, the respective rotatable element in each embodiment rotates until the moon image in question is a full moon and is at least essentially fully released by the corresponding pointer (e.g. FIGS. 2I, 3I and 4I).
    An advantageous feature of the embodiment of Fig. 4 is that the respective pointers 50C, 52C do not have to rotate after the full moon, since each pointer would already be in the correct starting position for the next cycle of the moon phases.
    In this way, with respect to this embodiment of Fig. 4, rotation of the rotatable member 40C from a first home position in a first (e.g. counterclockwise) direction causes the first moon image 35C due to the progressive overlap of the first moon image 35C by the first pointer 50C (e.g., FIGS. 4B, 4C, 4D) appears to be decreasing, and at the same time causes the second moon image 36C to appear decreasing due to the identical progressive overlap of the second moon image 36C by the second pointer 52C appears (for example, also shown in FIGS. 4B, 4C, 4D), and then further causes the first moon image 35C due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image 35C by the first pointer 50C (e.g., FIGS. 4F, 4G , 5H) appears to be increasing, and at the same time causes the second moon image 36C due to the identical progressive release the second moon image 36C appears to be increasing by the second pointer 52C (for example also shown in FIGS. 4F, 4G, 5H). In this way, the first lunar images 35C represent the moon phases seen in the northern hemisphere and the second moon images 36C represent the lunar phases seen in the southern hemisphere.
    Here too, the first moon image 35C is located around an upper half of the dial 30C, the second moon image 36C being located around a lower half of the dial 30C.
    In the next step, reference is made to the display arrangement of the present invention (corresponding to the main and broadest embodiment) of Fig. 5, which is generally displayed at 20D. 5, the display assembly 20D of the present invention also includes a dial 30D having a front and a back and only a first moon image indicated by reference number 35D. Likewise, as in the aforementioned preferred embodiments, a rotatable member generally indicated at 40D is provided and attached and is driven by a motor. Here, the rotatable element 40D comprises only a single pointer 50D, which is also at least substantially rounded and at least substantially non-transparent, as defined above.
    As in the aforementioned preferred embodiments, Fig. 5A illustrates the rotatable member 40D in a first preferred home position with pointer 50D positioned slightly to the right of and below the first moon image 35D. Here, rotation of rotatable member 40D in a first (e.g., counterclockwise) direction causes first moon image 35 to progressively overlap (see, for example, FIGS. 5B, 5C, 5D) first moon image 35D by the first Pointer 50D appears to be decreasing and, due to the subsequent progressive release (see, for example, FIGS. 5F, 5G, 5H), of first moon image 35D by first pointer 50D appears to be increasing.
    FIG. 5E shows a preferably completely covered moon image by pointer 50, which corresponds to a new moon, while FIG. 5I shows the subsequent full moon.
    The controller controls the rotation of the rotatable member 40D in the same manner as described above with respect to the aforementioned preferred embodiments.
    According to the invention, with reference to Fig. 5, after the rotatable member 40D has rotated in the counterclockwise direction, so that the first moon image 35D is at least substantially fully released from the first pointer 50D (ie, Fig. 5I) , the controller is configured to (i) cause the rotatable member 40 to rotate in a direction opposite to the first direction (e.g., clockwise) and back to the first home position (ie, FIG. 5A) and / or (ii) causes rotation of rotatable member 40 to continue in the first (e.g., counterclockwise) direction until the rotatable member is again in the first home position (ie, FIG. 5A). A rapid rotation (e.g., within a few seconds at most) from the position of FIG. 5I back to FIG. 5A is preferred.
    That is, according to the invention, that the rotatable element rotates from a first starting position in the first direction and at a first rotational speed and thus causes the moon image to appear decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the moon image by the first pointer and then due to the subsequent progressive release of the moon image by the first pointer appears as increasing; After the rotatable member rotates in the first direction so that the moon image from the first pointer is at least substantially fully released, the controller may cause the rotatable member to move at a higher speed than the first rotational speed (i) that of the first Direction opposite direction and back to the first starting point or (ii) rotating in the first direction until the rotatable element is in the first starting position. This option can be set at the factory or, if necessary, can be selected by the user. If the invention is such that the rotatable element is to rotate in the opposite direction to the first direction, the body-portable device comprises a bidirectional motor to carry out said rotation.
    It can be seen that the rotation of the rotatable member 40 for rotation in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction from the position in Fig. 5I to the position in Fig. 5A is approximately 180 °. That is, after the full moon, the rotatable member 40D is highly likely to either rotate 180 ° or slightly less clockwise, or 180 ° or slightly more counterclockwise to return to the home position.
    The wearable device of the present invention is provided with sufficient software routines and data to maintain information about the phases of the moon in both the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere, and thereby independent of the hour and minute hands / cogs to maintain the proper moon phase display. It provides a very flexible, user-friendly and relatively easy to manufacture structure of a moon phase display for a device that can be worn on the body. As also indicated above, the wearable device 10 further includes at least one controller for performing all of the and / or intended functionality described and intended in this document, along with at least one actuation mechanism, preferably in the form of a stepper motor, and one or more rotatable therein Actuating mechanism engaging gears, the actuation of the actuating mechanism causing the rotation of the one or more gears, which in turn rotates the rotatable elements disclosed in this document properly, precisely and gradually. Reference to a more detailed illustration and description of a stepper motor that can be used to rotate each of the rotatable elements disclosed in this document may be made from the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 7,113,450, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated into this document. As would be known in the prior art, the specific installation location of the stepper motor depends on design decisions and is determined by restrictions such as space requirements, power and torque requirements and the desired positioning of the moon phase display. The construction of a corresponding gear transmission lies in the competence of an ordinary specialist.
    Details of a suitable controller for performing the present invention are shown in FIG. 6 and are generally indicated at 100. Fig. 6 also provides the interface connections to an engine, e.g. B. M1, which can be used for rotating the rotatable member (s) of the present invention. One or more of the switches S1-S5, in combination with other hardware and software required and disclosed in this document, can be used as a suitable means, for example, to cause the rotatable element to return to its starting position by rotating it in an opposite (e.g. clockwise) direction. Direction or to proceed in the clockwise direction, all as disclosed above in connection with the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 5. In addition, such pushers and other hardware and software can be used in this document as needed and / or expedient, for example, in the embodiment of Figure 3, to select whether pointer 50B should be used to indicate the moon phase of the northern hemisphere or the southern hemisphere . The switches are intended to generically display both side and top mounted pushers, rotatable crowns or the like and thus react to the actuation action (i.e. pulling and / or pressing).
    For example, the motor control circuit 109 may receive a "next number of pulses" command from the CPU core 101 and generate those pulsed and phased signals required to drive a desired motor (e.g., M1) by a desired amount and to move in a desired direction to rotate each of the rotatable members disclosed in this document. Pulse outputs from the motor control circuit 109 can be buffered by one or more motor drivers MD1-MD4 and applied to the relevant motors (e.g. M1). Other motors are omitted here for brevity, but they can be used if multiple display indicators (e.g., date and time) are used with the invention, since only one is actually used to perform the functionality of the present invention of a moon phase display arrangement Engine is required. An input / output control circuit 110 can control pressure switches S1-S5 and provides such signaling data to CPU 101. The use of pushers and / or the crown can also cause a change in the modes or display options disclosed above and would be understood by those skilled in the art. Here, however, a suitable controller for the present invention can of course also be found in the aforementioned '450 patent, in which such controller assumes the proper and precise control, positioning and rotation of the first and / or second pointers disclosed in this document; the related subject matter therefore becomes part of this document by reference.
    [0057] That is, it is not necessary for the controller 100 to be “known” about the specific positioning of the respective rotatable element (s) in the respective embodiments via coding and software programming. This means that the controller only needs to be programmed to move the display precisely at the right speed and according to the moon phases in the sky. Such programming would be known to the person skilled in the art. In those cases where the rotatable member comes out of a correct position, the user only needs to move the display, for example by using a pusher or similar device to move the rotatable member to the correct position (i.e. reposition).
    Of course, and as would be known to those skilled in the art, the stepper motor M1 itself comprises a rotor and is coupled to the controller in operation, the stepper motor taking steps in at least one clockwise and counterclockwise direction in response to control commands in a predetermined direction Executes sizes, wherein the stepper motor rotor is operatively coupled to the rotatable members disclosed in this document, and wherein the rotation of the rotor causes the rotatable member to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise and in predefined step sizes. In the preferred embodiments, the motor (s) are bidirectional stepper motors as appropriate and are therefore capable of rotating in either direction, the construction of acceptable stepper motors for functional operation in this manner being widely available and well known to those skilled in the art .
    Last but not least, although the preferred embodiments provide that the controller 100 is highly integrated with all timing and display functionalities controlled in the controller 100, alternative embodiments for performing the present invention could perform the functions of timing such Separate processes as would be known to those skilled in the art.
    Likewise, it should be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the installation location, position and / or size of the rotatable element and the display arrangement are determined exclusively, for example, by the position of the drive pinion and the position of the respective subassemblies; therefore, the illustrations contained in this document are to be understood only as examples, but not as a limitation. Also, the gear ratio with which the desired display rotation or movement of the rotatable elements in this invention is achieved is a design decision that depends on the requirements of the wearable device 10. Therefore, the number of wheels in a particular transmission design is a design decision for the intended function and is based on a number of criteria known to those of ordinary skill in the art.The functionality of the controller can also be adapted so that it can manage the various embodiments disclosed in this document by methods of software programming or different controllers, both of which are definitely within the range of the manual skills of experts.
    It can therefore be seen that the present invention provides a wearable device with an indication of the phases of the moon, in which the proportion of rotating parts is reduced to a minimum. In addition, the present invention provides a wearable device in which the moon phases for the northern hemisphere and / or the southern hemisphere can be displayed simultaneously or optionally. In addition, the present invention provides an arrangement for displaying moon phases, in which it is possible to provide a rotatable element that rotates at a constant speed and does not have to move back to a previous starting position. In addition, an unidirectional motor can also be used with this invention and nevertheless the objectives disclosed in this document can be achieved.
    It will be seen that the objectives described above, including those disclosed in the foregoing description, are effectively achieved; and since certain changes may be made to the above structure without departing from the invention as defined in the claims, all of the items included in the above descriptions or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are intended for illustration only and are not to be construed in a limiting sense. For example, the moon images can be painted on, glued on, screen printed, or otherwise applied to the clock face. In addition, all of the foregoing can be done if the respective rotatable members rotate clockwise if such images are desirable. In addition, the present invention also provides that only a unidirectional motor is required, which contributes to the higher adaptability of the implementation of the present invention. In addition, the examples above, in which the sequence of displays begins with a full moon, are only exemplary and not restrictive, since the person skilled in the art will recognize that any starting position of the rotatable element is possible. In addition, the position of the moon images shown in the illustrations is only an example; The moon images on the dial can be positioned differently, which makes it possible to display the moon phases from the perspective of different hemispheres.
    权利要求:
    Claims (17)
    [1]
    A wearable device (10) comprising a display assembly (20A) for displaying moon phases, the display assembly comprising:a dial (30A) having a front and a back; at least a first image of a moon (35) on the front of the dial (30A), a rotatable element (40) attached above the dial (30A), the rotatable element (40) comprising at least a first pointer (50), the first Pointer (50) is substantially rounded and substantially non-transparent;wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40) from a first home position in a first direction and at a first rate of rotation causes the first moon image (35) to be due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image (35) by the first pointer (50) appears decreasing and then appears as increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image (35) by the first pointer (50);wherein in the first home position of the rotatable member (40), the first moon image (35) is fully released by the first pointer (50), and wherein the wearable device (10) comprises a controller (100) which effectively causes that the rotatable member (40) rotates in the first direction to cause the first moon image (35) to appear diminishing due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image (35) by the first pointer (50), essentially next the first pointer (50) is completely covered and thereby shows a moon phase, which is representative of a new moon, and then appears as increasing because of the release of the first moon image (35) by the first pointer (50);wherein the rotatable member (40) continues to rotate in the first direction until the first moon image (35) is substantially fully released from the first pointer (50) and when the rotatable member (40) has rotated in the first direction that the first moon image (35) is essentially completely released by the first pointer (50), the controller (100) causes the rotatable element (40) to continue rotating in the first direction or in a direction opposite to the first direction, until the rotatable element (40) is in the first starting position.
    [2]
    2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotatable member (40) comprises a second pointer (52), the second pointer (52) being substantially rounded and substantially opaque; and after the rotatable member (40) has rotated in the first direction so that the first moon image (35) is substantially fully released from the first pointer (50), the second pointer (52) is positioned substantially where the first pointer (50) was positioned when the rotatable member (40) was in the first home position.
    [3]
    3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first direction is a counterclockwise direction.
    [4]
    4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40, 40D) from a second home position in a direction opposite to the first direction results in the first moon image (35, 35D) due to the progressive overlap of the first moon image (35, 35D) appears as decreasing by the first pointer (50, 50D) and then appears as increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image (35, 35D) by the first pointer (50, 50D).
    [5]
    5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first direction is the counterclockwise direction and the second direction is the clockwise direction.
    [6]
    The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a second image of a moon (36B) on the front of the dial (30B), the second moon image (36B) spaced from the first moon image (35B); Selection means for selecting whether to display the first moon image (35B) or the second moon image (36B) for displaying the moon phases, and in response to the selection, the controller causes the rotatable member (40B) to be one of a plurality from home positions, wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40B) from a first home position in the first direction causes the moon image selected for display using the first moon image (35B) or the second moon image (36B) , appears to be decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the selected first or second moon image (35B, 36B) by the first pointer (50B) and then due to the progressive subsequent release of the selected moon image (35B, 36B) by the first pointer (50B) as increasingly appears; wherein when the display of the moon phases is selected using the first moon image (35B), moon phase images corresponding to the views in the northern hemisphere are displayed, and when the display of the moon phases is selected using the second moon image (36B), moon phase images are displayed that correspond to the views in the southern hemisphere.
    [7]
    The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first pointer (50B) includes a cover (160) for covering the moon image, which is not selected while the rotatable member rotates in the first direction.
    [8]
    The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the rotatable member rotates in the first direction and at the first rate of rotation until the selected lunar image (35B, 36B) appears to be a new moon and then, before the rotatable member rotates cause the selected moon image (35B, 36B) to appear increasing, rotate in a first or second direction at a speed higher than the first rotational speed, around the rotatable member (40B) for progressively releasing the selected moon image ( 35B, 36B) by the first pointer (50B).
    [9]
    The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first moon image (35B) is in an upper half of the dial (30B) and the second moon image (36B) is in a lower half of the dial (30B).
    [10]
    The apparatus of claim 6, wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40B) from a second home position in the direction opposite to the first direction results in the selected moon image (35B, 36B) due to the progressive coverage of the selected moon image by the first Pointer (50B) appears as decreasing and then appears as increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the selected moon image (35B, 36B) by the first pointer (50B).
    [11]
    11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the first direction is the counterclockwise direction and the second direction is the clockwise direction.
    [12]
    12. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a second image of a moon (36C) on the front of the dial (30C); the rotatable member (40C) comprising a second pointer (52C), the second pointer (52C) being substantially rounded and substantially non-transparent; wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40C) from the first home position in the first direction causes the first moon image (35C) to appear decreasing due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image (35C) by the first pointer (50C), and simultaneously causes the second moon image (36C) to appear increasing due to the identical progressive coverage of the second moon image (36C) by the second pointer (52C), and then further causes the first moon image (35C) to appear due to the subsequent progressive release the first moon image (35C) appears to be increasing by the first pointer (50C) and at the same time causes the second moon image (36C) to appear increasing due to the identical progressive release of the second moon image (36C) by the second pointer (52C); wherein the first moon image (35C) is representative of the moon phases seen in the northern hemisphere and the second moon image (36C) is representative of the moon phases seen in the southern hemisphere.
    [13]
    13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first moon image (35C) is in an upper half of the dial (30C) and wherein the second moon image (36C) is in a lower half of the dial (30C).
    [14]
    14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein rotation of the rotatable member (40C) from a second home position in a direction opposite to the first direction results in the first moon image (35C) due to the progressive coverage of the first moon image (35C) by the first Pointer (50C) appears to be decreasing and then appears as increasing due to the subsequent progressive release of the first moon image (35C) by the first pointer (50C).
    [15]
    15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first direction is the counterclockwise direction and the second direction is the clockwise direction.
    [16]
    16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller (100) causes the rotatable member (40) to continue rotating in the first direction at a speed higher than the first rotational speed until the rotatable member (40) is in the first starting position.
    [17]
    17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation of the rotatable member (40) for rotation in the direction opposite to the first direction from the position in which the first moon image (35) is at least substantially fully released from the first pointer (50) for first starting position is approximately 180 °.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    WO2014133727A1|2014-09-04|
    US20140247699A1|2014-09-04|
    JP2016508614A|2016-03-22|
    EP2962160A1|2016-01-06|
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    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US13/782,047|US20140247699A1|2013-03-01|2013-03-01|Wearable Device with Moon Phase Display|
    PCT/US2014/015188|WO2014133727A1|2013-03-01|2014-02-07|Wearable device with moon phase display|
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