A timepiece that combines analog and digital display screens

Abstract

A timepiece combining a display pointer and a digital display screen is disclosed. One aspect of the invention relates to a timepiece (1) comprising: - a housing (2); - a pivotally mounted display pointer (61, 62, 63); - a movement that drives the display pointer while defining a sweeping surface (41); - a display screen (42), a first portion (411) of the sweeping surface overlapping the screen (42) and a second portion (412) of the sweeping surface not overlapping the screen; - a control circuit configured to sequentially switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein: - in the first operating mode, the display pointer (61, 62, 63) is driven in both the first and second portions of the sweeping surface; - in the second operating mode, the display pointer (61, 62, 63) is driven only in the second portion of the sweeping surface, wherein information is displayed via the display screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a timepiece that combines an analog display with pointers with a digital display. Technical Background

[0002] In recent years, watches have combined analog, pointer-based displays with digital displays, typically based on liquid crystal displays. The pointers are typically used to indicate the time to the user by their position relative to the watch face. This configuration allows for the preservation of both the clarity and traditional feel of analog displays and the richness of information that can be displayed using liquid crystal displays.

[0003] However, one of the main drawbacks of such a combination is that it provides a configuration for displaying information that is not suitable for the wearer to read the information daily and frequently, and carries the risk of quickly causing visual fatigue or even visual problems in the wearer. Summary of the Invention

[0004] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a timepiece comprising:

[0005] - A shell, in which a containing space is formed;

[0006] - Display pointer, which is pivotally mounted in the receiving space;

[0007] - The movement is configured to drive the display pointer to rotate, with a complete rotation of the display pointer defining a swept surface;

[0008] - A display screen is located in the receiving space, below the horizontal level of the display pointer, with a first portion of the sweeping surface overlapping the display screen and a second portion of the sweeping surface not overlapping the display screen;

[0009] - A control circuit configured to sequentially switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein:

[0010] In the first operating mode, the control circuit controls the driving of the display pointer in the first and second parts of the swept surface so as to display a timing message;

[0011] In the second operating mode, the control circuit controls the driving of the display pointer only in the second part of the swept surface so as to display a timing message, and the control circuit controls the display screen to display the message.

[0012] In other embodiments:

[0013] - The timepiece includes a switch that can be used from outside the housing and is associated with control circuitry to trigger switching between a first operating mode and a second operating mode;

[0014] - The control circuit is configured to automatically switch from a first display mode to a second display mode once it controls the display on the display screen;

[0015] -The first and second parts of the swept surface are semi-discs;

[0016] - The control circuit causes the display pointers to overlap and drives them to rotate so as to display a timing message in the second operating mode;

[0017] - The displayed timing information is of the hour, countdown, or timer type;

[0018] - The timepiece further includes a dial that separates the display pointer from the control circuitry, and the dial is provided with a scale for displaying the time;

[0019] - The dial includes a first series of scales and a second series of scales, which correspond to the corresponding timing information for the first and second operating modes.

[0020] - The screen includes an outer periphery surrounding the sweeping surface, and the control circuitry is configured to display different scales on the outer periphery depending on a first operating mode or a second operating mode. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention will become clearer when the following description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] - Figure 1 This is a top view of an example of a watch that implements the invention;

[0023] - Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The watch in top view in the first display mode;

[0024] - Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The watch in top view in the second display mode;

[0025] - Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The watch's top view in the second display mode replacement;

[0026] - Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The watch is shown in a top view in another alternative of the second display mode;

[0027] - Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The watch's top view in the replacement mode of the second display mode;

[0028] - Figures 7 to 9 This is another alternative top view of the watch with various display modes. Detailed Implementation

[0029] In the remainder of the description, the terms “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” and “below” are taken into consideration while considering the horizontal intermediate plane on the surface that is parallel to the horizontal bearing plane of the watch case.

[0030] The terms "outer side," "external side," "inner side," and "internal side" are considered in conjunction with the intermediate axis, which is oriented perpendicular to the intermediate plane. The intermediate plane is generally defined by the dial of the watch, and the intermediate axis is generally defined by the axis of rotation of the watch's display hands.

[0031] Figure 1 A top view is shown of a watch 1 in which the invention is implemented. The watch 1 includes a case 2 provided with a central portion. The watch 1 includes a strap 3 fixed to the case 2. For this purpose, the watch 1 includes two lugs 21 on either side of its central portion, each lug being arranged to secure a different edge of the strap 3. The watch 1 includes a control element 5, which can be used as a switch as will be shown below. Such a control element 5 can also be referred to as a "switch element" and can preferably comprise a single moving element, and is formed, for example, by any component adapted for this purpose (such as a rotating bezel, a button, a touch surface of the case or glass, etc.). Also preferably, the control element 5 corresponds, for example, to a crown having a pusher, which forms a crown for setting the time.

[0032] The case 2 of watch 1 includes a receiving space 4 defined by a central portion (generally made of metal) and defined between the dial 7 and a transparent glass (not marked). Thus, the receiving space 4 of watch 1 is closed by the top of the glass (e.g., made of sapphire crystal). The glass may be supported by the central portion in a manner known per se and is secured to the central portion in a sealing manner by an adaptive method. The dial 7 may advantageously include numerals or graphic markers 71, for clarity of illustration. Figure 1 The number or graphic scale 71 is not shown.

[0033] The watch 1 further includes display hands 61 to 63 housed in the housing space 4. Hands 61 to 63 are rotated by a watch movement (not shown), specifically for the purpose of displaying time. The watch movement is separated from the hands 61 to 63 by the dial 7. Here, it is possible to distinguish hand 61, intended to indicate the hour; hand 62, intended to indicate the minute; and hand 63, intended to indicate the second. Different numbers of display hands can, of course, be provided. Hands 61 to 63 are mounted to rotate about the same central axis. The dial 7 includes a surface 41 corresponding to the surface swept by hands 61 and 63 in one rotation. Since hand 63 is the longest, the swept surface 41 is defined here by the length of hand 63. In other words, the end of hand 63 defines the outline / boundary of surface 41 on the dial 7.

[0034] The dial 7 includes a digital display screen 42, located in its lower portion. The display screen 42 is thus situated within the receiving space 4 and below the level of the hands 61 to 63. The sweeping surface 41 can be divided into a first portion 411 overlapping the display screen 42 and a second portion 412 not overlapping the display screen 42. The overlap between the sweeping surface 41 and the screen 42 is determined by its projection along the axis of rotation of the hands 61 to 63. The first portion 411 and the second portion 412 do not have equal dimensions. Note that in alternatives to the invention, these first portions 411 and second portions 412 may have substantially equal or identical dimensions.

[0035] The watch 1 includes a control circuit. The control circuit is advantageously housed in the housing 2, typically below the dial 7. According to the invention, the control circuit is configured to have a first operating mode and a second operating mode, and to switch sequentially between them.

[0036] Figure 2 The diagram shows the first operating mode of the control circuit. Figure 1 The watch 1. In this first operating mode, the control circuit controls the watch movement to drive display hands 61, 62, 63 in the first portion 411 and the second portion 412 of the swept surface 41 to display a timing message. Therefore, in the illustrated configuration, hands 61 and 62 are in the first portion 411 and thus overlap the display screen 42. Hand 63 is in portion 412. The scale 71 of the dial 7 facilitates the identification of timing indications by hands 61 to 63. The timing indications here indicate time in a manner known per se. The timing indications could also be countdown or timer types in a manner known per se. In the illustrated example, the control circuit does not control the display of any information on the display screen 42. In this first operating mode, the display of a timing message by hands 61 to 63 utilizes the entire swept surface 41 and is therefore optimized for maximum visibility for the user in an analog display.

[0037] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates an example of the second operating mode of the control circuit. Figure 1 The watch 1. In this second operating mode, the control circuit controls the display of information by the display screen 42. The information displayed by the screen 42 can be of any type: for example, in the case of a smartwatch, information from an external source; information in chronological order; or, for a watch with geolocation capabilities, information about instantaneous speed, coverage distance, or location. The watch 1 may include wireless communication circuitry to enable connection to an external source and thus have available information from the external source for display on the screen 42.

[0038] exist Figure 3 In the example shown in the diagram, screen 42 includes a main display area 421 and a secondary display area 422. In this example, screen 42 displays information about speed in its main area 421, and indicates the category of information displayed in the main area in the secondary display area 422. The secondary display area 422 may also indicate the nature of timing information (indication of time, countdown, timer, etc.) displayed by pointers 61 to 63.

[0039] exist Figure 4 In the example shown in the diagram, the main display area 421 displays the message and the secondary display area 422 specifies the category of information displayed in the main display area 421.

[0040] As mentioned above, the control element 5 can be used as a switch to sequentially display various categories of information in the main display area 421 of the screen 42. For example, if the watch 1 includes a gyroscope / accelerometer type sensor, the switching between the two operating modes can also be based on the detection of the user's wrist movement.

[0041] In this second operating mode, the watch movement is configured to drive the display hands 61, 62, and 63 only in the second portion 412 of the swept surface 41 to display timing information. Therefore, hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display timing information without altering the visual appearance of the display screen 42, since hands 61 to 63 are not deployed in the first portion 411. In this example, the timing information could be an indication of time, a countdown, or a timer. Here, a 12-hour scale is defined by the upper part of the dial 7. Figure 4 The furthest mark to the right near crown 5 corresponds to zero. Depending on the display hands 61 to 63, such a mark could correspond to 12 hours, 60 minutes, or 60 seconds, if desired. Therefore, only the upper scale of dial 7 defines the time display here. Figure 4In the example shown in the diagram, pointers 61 to 63 indicate two hours, zero minutes, and 41 seconds (either the time remains for countdown mode, or the time has elapsed for timer mode).

[0042] Control element 5 can be used as a switch to switch between a first display mode and a second display mode. For example, in the case of a smartwatch, switching between the first and second display modes may also be controlled by communication with an external source. For a smartwatch, switching to the second operating mode may occur, for example, upon receiving a new message. For the control circuit, it is also possible to switch to the second operating mode as soon as a message is displayed on the display screen 42. Switching between the first and second operating modes may also occur after a certain delay, for example, after the user has initiated the switch via button 5 (e.g., by requesting the first operating mode to accurately view the time).

[0043] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates another example of the second operating mode of the control circuit. Figure 1 The watch 1. The control circuit also controls the watch movement to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 only in the second portion 412 of the swept surface 41 to display a timing message. Therefore, hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display a timing message without altering the visual appearance of the display screen 42, since hands 61 to 63 are not deployed in the first portion 411. Hands 61 to 63 are overlapped here to facilitate quick reading of a timing message confined to portion 412. In this display mode, the control circuit therefore drives hands 61 to 63 in an overlapping manner. Figure 5 In the example shown in the diagram, the timing information displayed by pointers 61 to 63 is six hours, thirty-six minutes, and thirty-six seconds.

[0044] Figure 6 The diagram shows the corresponding control circuit. Figure 5 Example of the second operating mode Figure 1The watch 1 is replaced. The control circuit also controls the watch movement to drive the display hands 61, 62, 63 only in the second portion 412 of the swept surface 41 to display a timing message. Therefore, hands 61 to 63 can still be used to display a timing message without changing the visual appearance of the display screen 42, since hands 61 to 63 are not deployed in the first portion 411. Hands 61 to 63 are overlapped here to facilitate quick reading of a timing message confined to portion 412. In this display mode, the control circuit also drives hands 61 to 63 to overlap. To facilitate reading the time in this second operating mode, the dial 7 includes a first series of scales 71 for reading a timing message in the first operating mode and a second series of scales 72 for reading a timing message in the second operating mode.

[0045] In order to allow pointers 61 to 63 to remain in the second operating mode after they have reached the end of the second display portion 412 (e.g., when the pointer reaches...), Figure 6 The hands 61 to 63 return to their initial positions (marked by "3" at 71 o'clock), and watch 1 includes a retrograde display. This retrograde display allows the hands 61 to 63 to avoid overlapping on the first display portion 411 during the second operating mode. In other words, the control circuit can control the hands 61 to 63 to rotate rapidly in the retrograde direction until the beginning of the second display portion 412 (e.g., until...). Figure 6 The scale 71, marked with "9", is designed to prevent pointers 61 to 63 from overlapping the first portion 411. Such a back-jump display can be achieved via a movement comprising one or more bidirectional motors. Alternatively, when pointers 61 to 63 reach the end of the second display portion 412 in a second operating mode, the control circuit can control pointers 61 to 63 to rotate rapidly clockwise until the beginning of the second display portion 412 (e.g., until...). Figure 6 The scale marked with "9" (71). Therefore, in this second operating mode, pointers 61 to 63 are only subtly superimposed on the first part 411.

[0046] Figure 7 The illustration shows an alternative to the watch 1 according to the present invention. In this example, the screen 42 includes an outer peripheral portion 423 surrounding the second portion 412 and the main display area 421. This outer peripheral portion 423 may also be part of the first portion 411, where the hands 61 to 63 can be overlaid. The outer peripheral portion 423 may be controlled by control circuitry to allow the display of dynamic scales that differ according to a first operating mode or a second operating mode. The screen 42 may be implemented in the form of a matrix display.

[0047] exist Figure 8In the example, watch 1 is in its first operating mode. The outer peripheral portion 423 thus displays scale 427 around the sweeping surface 41 of hands 61 to 63. The scale 427 displayed here is advantageous for reading the time in this first operating mode because it is an alternative to the scale display of the second operating mode, rather than being displayed juxtaposed with the scale of the second operating mode.

[0048] exist Figure 9 In the example, watch 1 is in its second operating mode. The outer perimeter portion 423 therefore displays scale 427 only around portion 412. The scale 427 displayed here is advantageous for reading the time in this second operating mode because it is an alternative to the scale display of the first operating mode, rather than being displayed juxtaposed with the scale of the first operating mode. Furthermore, the scale 427 precisely corresponds to the pattern for reading a timing message in the second operating mode.

[0049] For the first portion 411 and the second portion 412, it is also possible to form a semi-circular disc, so that the display in the second operating mode can be considered a crescent-shaped display. This invention is, of course, applicable to timepieces of types other than the wristwatches illustrated.

Claims

1. A timepiece (1), characterized in that, include: -Shell (2), in which a receiving space (4) is formed; - Display pointers (61, 62, 63), which are pivotally mounted in the receiving space (4); - The movement is configured to drive the display pointer to rotate, and a complete rotation of the display pointer defines the swept surface (41); - A display screen (42) is located in the receiving space (4), below the horizontal level of the display pointer, with a first portion (411) of the sweeping surface overlapping the display screen (42) and a second portion (412) of the sweeping surface not overlapping the display screen; - A control circuit configured to sequentially switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein: In the first operating mode, the control circuit controls the driving of the display pointers (61, 62, 63) in the first and second parts of the swept surface so as to display a timing message; In the second operating mode, the control circuit controls the driving of the display pointers (61, 62, 63) only in the second part of the swept surface to display a timing message, and the control circuit controls the display screen to display the message.

2. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The timepiece further includes a switch (5) that can be used from outside the housing (2) and associated with a control circuit to trigger a switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode.

3. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control circuit is configured to automatically switch from a first display mode to a second display mode once it controls the display on the display screen (42).

4. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first part (411) and the second part (412) of the swept surface are semi-discs.

5. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The control circuit overlaps the display pointers and drives them to rotate so as to display a timing message in the second operating mode.

6. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The displayed timing information is in the form of hours, countdown, or timer.

7. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The dial (7) separates the display pointers (61, 62, 63) from the control circuit, and the dial (7) is provided with a scale (71) for displaying the time.

8. The timepiece (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The dial (7) includes a first series of scales (71) and a second series of scales (72) corresponding to the corresponding timing information for the first and second operating modes.

9. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The display screen (42) includes an outer peripheral portion (423) surrounding the sweeping surface (41), and the control circuit is configured to display different scales (427) on the outer peripheral portion (423) according to a first operating mode or a second operating mode.

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