Speedometer device and wristwatch

Abstract

The invention relates to a chronograph device for indicating the average speed of a moving object, said chronograph device being mountable to the housing of a wristwatch (1) and comprising a chronograph and a starter (2) for manually starting the chronograph when the object passes a starting mark and stopping the chronograph when the object passes a prescribed distance from the starting mark, a scale (4) for indicating the average speed of the moving object, and a hand (5) for indicating the measured average speed on the scale (4), wherein the measured average speed is derived from the prescribed distance and the time required to travel the prescribed distance as measured by the chronograph, and wherein the hand (5) is configured to rotate a full turn around the dial of the wristwatch in less than sixty seconds, advantageously in exactly thirty seconds or exactly ten seconds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a speed measuring device comprising a speed scale and a pointer movable along the speed scale to indicate the speed of a moving object such as a motor vehicle or a ship, as described in the preamble of claim 1. Specifically, this invention relates to a high-speed speed measuring device. The invention also relates to a wristwatch including the speed measuring device according to this application. Background Technology

[0002] A stopwatch, or timing device with a speedometer function, is used to measure and indicate the average speed of a moving object, such as a car, motorcycle, or boat, based on the distance it travels over a period of time. These devices include scales to indicate units of speed, such as kilometers per hour, miles per hour, or knots per hour. The stopwatch starts when the moving object passes a starting mark and stops when the object has traveled a known distance and passed a second mark. A pointer indicates the resulting average speed on the scale. It is often difficult to accurately determine when a moving object (e.g., a car) has passed the distance specified from the starting mark. Therefore, the timing of stopping the stopwatch may be inaccurate, leading to errors in speed indication, especially when the moving object (e.g., a race car) is traveling at high speeds, even those approaching world speed records.

[0003] Tachymeter devices are known in the prior art for wristwatches. These devices typically include a circular speed scale on the bezel and a hand configured to rotate exactly once around the watch's central axis in sixty seconds. When measuring the time required for a moving object to travel one kilometer, such a tachymeter can accurately indicate an average speed below 120 km / h. However, for higher speeds, speed readings are very difficult and inaccurate. For example, the angular difference between 400 km / h and 410 km / h is only 1.3 degrees. In contrast, the angular difference between 90 km / h and 100 km / h is 24 degrees. Therefore, tachymeters known in the prior art cannot measure the average speed of high-speed moving objects with high precision, i.e., cannot measure speeds above 200 km / h with high precision. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a tachometer device that can reliably measure the average speed of a high-speed moving object.

[0005] The above-mentioned and other objectives are achieved by the tachymeter device of independent claim 1 and the wristwatch of independent claim 7. Advantageous features and preferred embodiments of the tachymeter device and wristwatch according to the invention are described in dependent claims 2 to 6.

[0006] More specifically, the object of the present invention is achieved by a tachymeter device for indicating the average speed of a moving object, the tachymeter device being mountable to the case of a wristwatch and comprising: a timer; a starter for manually activating the timer when the object passes a starting mark and stopping the timer when the object has traveled a predetermined distance from the starting mark; a scale for indicating the average speed of the moving object; and a pointer for indicating the measured average speed on the scale, wherein the measured average speed is obtained based on the predetermined distance and the time required to travel the predetermined distance as measured by the timer, and wherein the pointer is configured to rotate once around the dial of the wristwatch in less than sixty seconds, advantageously, once in exactly thirty seconds, exactly ten seconds, or exactly one second.

[0007] This tachymeter device can accurately indicate the average speed of a moving object, even at high speeds. For example, if the tachymeter's pointer is configured to complete a full rotation in ten seconds (360 degrees around the central axis of the watch), and the tachymeter is used to measure the time required for a moving object to travel one kilometer, the angular difference between 400 km / h and 410 km / h is approximately 8 degrees. In contrast, for a conventional tachymeter, where the pointer completes one rotation in sixty seconds, this angular difference is only 1.3 degrees.

[0008] In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the pointer is configured to rotate one revolution around the dial in exactly ten seconds.

[0009] In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the pointer is configured to rotate one revolution around the dial in exactly one second.

[0010] In another preferred embodiment, the pointer is the second hand of a wristwatch. Obviously, those skilled in the art can provide such a pointer in mechanical or quartz watches. For example, the pointer can be mounted on a mechanism wheel of a mechanical or quartz watch so that when the second hand is used as a pointer of a tachymeter, it can rotate once around the central axis of the watch in less than sixty seconds. With this embodiment, the tachymeter of the present invention can be easily integrated into existing wristwatches without the need for a dedicated pointer to indicate the measured average speed. Alternatively, the pointer can take the form of a digital second hand. In this case, the wristwatch advantageously includes a display for displaying the second hand and a microprocessor configured to cause the digital second hand to rotate once around the central axis of the display in less than sixty seconds, preferably in exactly ten seconds or exactly one second.

[0011] Advantageously, the scale forms part of the circular bezel of the watch or is configured as a digital bezel. Alternatively, the scale is designed as a scale component detachably mounted on the watch case, and selected from a set of scale components comprising multiple distinct scale components, each having graduations with speed indication units for indicating speed ranges corresponding to different predetermined distances and / or different predetermined speed ranges. With this embodiment, the scale component can be selected based on the expected average speed and / or based on the distance used to measure the average speed.

[0012] In a second aspect, the object of the present invention is also achieved by a wristwatch including the tachymeter device according to the present invention.

[0013] Brief description of the attached figures

[0014] Several exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the invention. Features of the invention that are readily apparent from the drawings, whether individually or in any combination, should be considered part of the disclosure of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0015] Figure 1 A front view of a speedometer device according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A front view of a speedometer device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0017] Figure 3 A front view of a tachometer device according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

[0019] Figure 1 A wristwatch 1, commonly known in the prior art, is shown. Therefore, descriptions of wristwatch components obviously known to those skilled in the art are omitted here. The wristwatch 1 includes a tachymeter device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The tachymeter device includes a timer, a start button 2 for manually starting and stopping the timer, and a reset button 3 for resetting the timer. The timer may be a component of the wristwatch or may be used solely for determining the average speed by the tachymeter device. Furthermore, the tachymeter device includes a scale 4 with speed indication markings for indicating the average speed of a moving object. A pointer 5 is provided for indicating the measured average speed on the scale 4. Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, pointer 5 is the second hand of wristwatch 1.

[0020] The scale 4 advantageously forms part of the bezel of the wristwatch 1, or can be mounted to the bezel so that the scale component can be changed according to the average speed to be measured or the distance used to measure the average speed. According to the invention, the hand 5 is configured to rotate once around the dial in less than sixty seconds, advantageously, once in exactly thirty seconds, exactly ten seconds, or exactly one second. It should be noted that the hand 5 is advantageously configured to rotate continuously about the axis of the dial.

[0021] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, pointer 5 is configured to rotate one revolution around central axis 6 in exactly ten seconds. When using Figure 1 The speedometer shown measures the average speed of a moving object over a distance of 1 km. After the pointer completes one full rotation around axis 6, the pointer indicates 240 km / h at the "6 o'clock" position on the scale. In fact, this position corresponds to 15 seconds as measured by the timer. Figure 1 At the location shown, the average speed is approximately 228 km / h.

[0022] Similarly, Figure 1 The speedometer shown can also be used to measure the average speed of a moving object over a distance of 1 mile. In this case, after the pointer completes one full rotation around axis 6, the pointer indicates 240 mph at the "6 o'clock" position on the scale; while... Figure 1 At the location shown, the average speed is approximately 228 miles per hour.

[0023] Figure 2 A wristwatch 1 is shown, comprising a tachymeter device according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention, the tachymeter device being used to measure average speed in the range of 750–900 km / h or mph. In this embodiment, the pointer is configured to rotate one revolution around axis 6 in exactly one second. Therefore, after exactly four revolutions around axis 6, the pointer indicates an average speed of 900 km / h or 900 mph at the “12 o’clock position” of scale 4. Figure 2 The pointer indicates an average speed of approximately 783 km / h, or 783 miles per hour.

[0024] Figure 3 Another tachometer device according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown for indicating the average speed of a moving object. Figure 3The main difference in the illustrated tachometer device lies in the scale 4 and the pointer 5: the scale corresponds to a predetermined speed range of 200 mph to 500 mph, and the pointer is configured to rotate once around axis 6 in ten seconds. Therefore, if the pointer rotates once every ten seconds, and the specified distance for measuring the average speed of a moving object is one kilometer, then after the pointer completes one full rotation, i.e., after ten seconds, the pointer will indicate an average speed of 360 km / h at the "12 o'clock" position, or correspondingly, an average speed of approximately 224 mph for the moving object. Similarly, after five seconds, i.e., at the "6 o'clock" position, the measured average speed is 447 mph.

[0025] In the following claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" does not exclude a plurality. A single unit or step can perform the function of multiple features recited in the claim. The fact that certain measures are recited separately in different dependent claims does not in itself mean that a combination of these measures cannot be advantageously adopted. Terms such as "substantially," "about," and "approximately" associated with attributes or values ​​also specifically cover the precise nature of the attribute or the precise value of the value.

[0026] No reference numerals in the claims shall be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A tachymeter device for indicating the average speed of a moving object, the tachymeter device being attachable to the housing of a wristwatch (1), and comprising: A timer and a starter (2), the starter (2) being used to manually start the timer when the object passes the starting mark and to stop the timer when the object passes a predetermined distance from the starting mark; Scale (4) is used to indicate the average velocity of the moving object; and Pointer (5) is used to indicate the measured average velocity on the scale (4). The measured average speed is determined based on the specified distance and the time required to travel the specified distance, as measured by the timer. The pointer (5) is configured to rotate once around the dial of the watch in less than sixty seconds, advantageously, in exactly thirty seconds or exactly ten seconds.

2. The tachometer device according to claim 1, wherein, The pointer (5) is configured to rotate around the dial exactly once in ten seconds.

3. The tachometer device according to claim 1, wherein, The pointer (5) is configured to rotate one revolution around the dial in exactly one second.

4. The tachometer device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The pointer (5) is the second hand of the wristwatch.

5. The tachometer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The scale (6) forms part of the circular bezel of the watch.

6. The tachometer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The scale (4) is designed to be detachably mounted on the case of the watch (1), and the scale component is selected from a set of scale components that includes multiple scale components that are different from each other, each scale component having a scale (4) with a speed indication unit for indicating a speed range corresponding to different predetermined distances and / or different predetermined speed ranges.

7. A wristwatch (1) comprising the device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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