Chongshan frame star sundial

Abstract

The utility model provides a frame star sundial, which comprises a positioning disc, a time disc, a solar term disc and a time pointer, and is characterized in that the positioning disc, the time disc and the solar term disc are coaxially mounted on a middle shaft and can be fixed mutually; the center shaft is installed on the base stand column and can be fixed to any direction and angle. A gap penetrating through the upper surface and the lower surface is formed in the positioning disc, and an observer observes a star from the lower surface of the positioning disc through the gap; a sharp corner is carved on the positioning disc and is used for aligning to the geographical longitude of an observation place; four layers of scale rings are arranged on the upper surface of the solar term disc, and the outermost layer is December 365 throughout the year; the second outer layer is an identifier of 24 solar terms in a corresponding month in the whole year; the inner layer is corresponding identification of twelve star times; the innermost layer is geographic longitude; the upper surface of the hour disc is provided with three layers of scale rings which are 24 hours, 12 hours and a triangular indicator in sequence. The Beijing time can be directly read through on-site star position observation across the country.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a star dial, which can determine the night time by observing and measuring the movement of celestial bodies (Alpha Centauri and Alpha Centauri of Ursa Minor). Background Art

[0002] The practice of observing the positions of stars to determine time dates dates back to ancient my country. At the turn of the Han Dynasty, the renowned scholar Huan Tan, discussing the clepsydra, wrote, "By comparing the sundial's shadow during the day and the stars at night, one can obtain the correct time." However, for a long time, there has been no detailed description of this practice, nor any mention of the instruments used for observation. Whether people used the corresponding rings on the armillary sphere to observe the positions of stars and determine time remains undetermined.

[0003] The Chongzhen star dial is an astronomical timekeeping instrument that extant documentation clearly demonstrates that our ancestors used the position of the line connecting the star Gouchen at the north celestial pole and the star Di to determine time at night. Dr. Joseph Needham, in his book Science and Civilization in China, describes it as "a device for determining time at night using the stars. It consists of a dial or face with a hole in the center and a rotatable handle. The dial is adjusted according to the season, with its center positioned on the line between the observer's eye and the North Star. The handle is then rotated until it aligns with the stars Alpha and Beta Ursa Major. The time can then be read on the dial," and he states that it was invented around 1620.

[0004] Xu Guangqi, a great Ming Dynasty scientist, described the Chongzhen star dial as "using a double-plate star dial with the time inscribed on the top and the solar terms on the bottom. This is known as night stargazing." The Ming History's Astronomical Records provides a more detailed account: "The star dial is made of a smelted copper pillar, with a double plate mounted on top. The inner plate is inscribed with the degrees of the celestial sphere and the twelve zodiac signs representing the solar terms, while the outer plate is inscribed with the time. A horizontal slit is carved in the center for observing the stars. The method is to move the outer plate's initial mark to align with the inner plate's solar term. Then, by shifting the copper plate northward to look towards the Emperor Star and the Great Star Gou Chen, both stars visible through the slit, the correct time is determined by the sharp mark on the dial."

[0005] These descriptions of the Chongzhen star dial's appearance, features, and functions lack detailed explanations of its structure, and no drawings or actual objects have survived. Over the past century, numerous scientists have hypothesized various structural variations, adding numerous possibilities. However, these theories all suffer from various shortcomings and fail to fully address the issues of ease of observation and practical application.

[0006] To prevent this pearl, which once radiated brilliant light among ancient Chinese timekeeping instruments, from fading into oblivion, the present invention, while reproducing the Chongzhen star dial, adds a longitude adjustment function to the star dial, allowing it to be used throughout the country (previous star dials could only be used in one location). Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a Chongzhen star dial, which can combine the longitude and latitude of various parts of my country and the actual current positions of the two stars "Gou Chen" (North Star) and "Di Xing" (North Star), and directly read Beijing time by observing the star positions on site.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is: a Chongzhen star dial, comprising a positioning plate, a time plate, a solar term plate and a time pointer.

[0009] The positioning plate, hour plate and solar term plate are coaxially mounted on the central axis and can fix their positions relative to each other; the central axis is mounted on the base column and can be fixed in any direction and angle;

[0010] The positioning disk has a slit extending through the upper and lower surfaces, and the observer observes the celestial bodies through the slit from the lower surface of the positioning disk; the positioning disk has a sharp corner engraved thereon for aligning with the geographical longitude of the observation site;

[0011] The solar term disc has four scale rings on its upper surface. The outermost layer is a scale ring for the 365 days of the year; the second outermost layer is the mark of the corresponding month of the 24 solar terms in the year; the innermost layer is the corresponding mark of the twelve zodiac signs; the innermost layer is the scale of 70 to 140 degrees of geographical longitude;

[0012] The upper surface of the hour disk is provided with three scale rings, which are respectively 24 hours, 12 hours, initial and final, and a triangle pointer.

[0013] The positioning plate and the throttle plate are fixed together by the positioning plate tightening screws; the hour plate is fixed to the positioning plate by the hour plate fixing bolts; the positioning plate is fixed to the central axis by the positioning plate fixing bolts; the central axis is fixed to the base column by the central axis bolts and central axis nuts.

[0014] The positioning disk is engraved with constellation lines of stars to be observed.

[0015] The positioning plate is provided with an arc groove running through the upper and lower surfaces, which is used to cooperate with the positioning plate tightening screw on the throttle plate to fix it in the circumferential direction; the lower surface of the positioning plate has double bosses, the large boss is used for positioning cooperation with the throttle plate, and the small boss is used for circumferential orientation with the central axis.

[0016] The corresponding symbols of the twelve stars on the solar term disk are: "Xuanxiao" corresponds to "Minor Cold, Major Cold", "Zhuzi" corresponds to "Beginning of Spring, Rain Water", "Jianglou" corresponds to "Qingzhe, Spring Equinox", "Daliang" corresponds to "Qingming, Grain Rain", "Shishen" corresponds to "Beginning of Summer, Grain Full", "Queshou" corresponds to "Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice", "Quehuo" corresponds to "Beginning of Autumn, End of Heat", "Shouxing" corresponds to "White Dew, Autumn Equinox", "Dahuo" corresponds to "Cold Dew, Frost Descent", "Ximu" corresponds to "Beginning of Winter, Light Snow", and "Xingji" corresponds to "Daxue, Winter Solstice".

[0017] The center of the hour plate is provided with a countersunk hole for cooperating with the solar term plate, and the back of the hour plate is provided with a circular boss for cooperating with the positioning plate.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: on the basis of faithfully reproducing the description of the "Chongzhen Star Dial" in historical documents, the geographical longitude adjustment function is added, so that observers in other parts of the country can also read Beijing time when observing, without being affected by the longitude time difference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the Chongzhen star dial provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembled positioning plate and hour plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the assembled positioning plate, hour plate, and solar term plate provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 4 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the method for aligning the date between the solar term disk and the hour disk provided in an embodiment of the present application

[0023] Among them, 1-base column, 2-central axis bolt, 3-central axis nut, 4-central axis, 5-positioning plate, 6-hour plate, 7-hour plate fixing bolt, 8-solar temperature plate, 9-positioning plate tightening screw, 10-pointer bolt, 11-time pointer, 12-positioning plate fixing bolt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention is further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The present invention includes but is not limited to the following examples.

[0025] See also Figure 1-Figure 4 The present invention provides a Chongzhen star dial, comprising a base column, a central axis bolt, a central axis nut, a central axis, a positioning plate, an hour plate, an hour plate fixing bolt, a solar term plate, a positioning plate clamping screw, a pointer screw, a time pointer and a positioning plate fixing screw; the positioning plate, hour plate and solar term plate are fixed to the central axis by the positioning plate clamping screw, the hour plate fixing bolt and the positioning plate fixing bolt; the positioning plate and the solar term plate are fixed together by the positioning plate clamping screw; the hour plate is fixed to the positioning plate by the hour plate fixing bolt; the central axis is fixed to the base column by the central axis bolt and the central axis nut.

[0026] Furthermore, the positioning disk is a circular disk with a double-boss structure, with a hole in the middle of the disk and a slit on one side of the hole, which is used to observe the target star. There is a constellation line connecting the star to be observed on one side of the slit, which is convenient for finding the star in the sky; a sharp corner is also engraved on one side of the slit, which is used to align with the geographical longitude of the observation site; there is an arc groove at the bottom of the slit, which is used to cooperate with the circumferential fixation of the positioning disk tightening screw on the solar panel; there are double bosses on the back of the disk, the large boss is used for positioning cooperation with the solar panel, and the small boss is used for circumferential orientation with the central axis.

[0027] Furthermore, the solar term dial has four layers of graduated rings. The outermost layer is a circle with 365 days of the year (12 months). The second outermost layer is the markings of the corresponding months of the 24 solar terms throughout the year. The innermost layer is the corresponding markings of the twelve Chinese zodiac constellations. Among them, "Xuanxiao" corresponds to "Minor Cold and Major Cold", "Zhuzi" corresponds to "Beginning of Spring and Rain Water", "Jianglou" corresponds to "Awakening of Insects and Spring Equinox", "Daliang" corresponds to "Qingming and Grain Rain", "Shishen" corresponds to "Beginning of Summer and Grain Full", "Queshou" corresponds to "Grain in Ear and Summer Solstice", "Quehuo" corresponds to "Beginning of Autumn and End of Heat", and "Shouxing" corresponds to "White Dew and Autumn Equinox". "Dahuo" corresponds to "Cold Dew and Frost Descent", "Ximu" corresponds to "Beginning of Winter and Light Snow", and "Xingji" corresponds to "Daxue and Winter Solstice". The innermost layer is a scale of 70-140, indicating that this sundial can be used within the geographical longitude range of 70-140 degrees.

[0028] Furthermore, the hour disk is a circular boss structure, and the front of the ring is engraved with three layers of scales for 24 hours, 12 hours and a triangular pointer. There is a countersunk hole in the middle for cooperating with the solar term disk, and there is a circular boss on the back of the hour disk for cooperating with the positioning disk.

[0029] The present invention Figure 1 Installation instructions, install each part as follows Figure 1 Before using the structure shown, you must first determine the local geographic orientation and place the instrument facing north. Next, adjust the relative installation positions of the various components. First, rotate the positioning disk 5 so that the sharp corner on the positioning disk is roughly aligned with the 70-140 scale on the solar term disk 8. Align the sharp corner with the local geographic longitude value (for example, if the local geographic longitude is 109, align the sharp corner with 109). Tighten the positioning disk's dynamic compression screw 9 so that the solar term disk 8 and positioning disk 5 become a relatively fixed whole. Next, rotate the hour disk 6 so that the sharp corner on the hour disk's inner ring aligns with the month and date value on the outermost edge of the solar term disk 8 (i.e., the month and date of the day). Tighten the hour disk fixing bolt 7 so that the positioning disk 5, hour disk 6, and solar term disk 8 become a whole that can rotate around the central axis 4. Hold the disk by hand and gently loosen the central axis nut 3. After the inclination angle of the central axis is close to the local geographic latitude, tighten the central axis nut to complete the preparations before observation.

[0030] Stand behind the instrument and observe the two stars "Gou Chen" (North Star) and "Di Xing" (North Star) through the slit in the middle of the astrolabe so that both stars appear in the slit and can be seen. Tighten the fixing screw 12 of the fixing plate, turn to the front of the instrument, and observe the direction of the time needle 11 on the hour plate 6 to get the current time.

[0031] The Chongzhen star dial in this application faithfully reproduces the description of the "Chongzhen star dial" in historical documents, and adds the adjustment function of geographical longitude, so that observers in other parts of the country can also read "Beijing time" when observing, without being affected by the longitude time difference.

[0032] The reason why the present application does not add the geographical latitude adjustment function to the Chongzhen star dial is out of respect for the description of the Chongzhen star dial in the Ming History: "The pillars are made of smelted copper and a heavy plate is placed on top."

[0033] Since the Chongzhen star dial of the present application is mainly used in China, the geographical longitude scale lines on the solar term plate 8 can be set according to the longitude of China, ranging from 70 to 140, corresponding to 70° to 140° east longitude respectively.

[0034] The above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that are not conceived through creative work should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

[0035] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "connected," "connect," "fixed," and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integration; electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components or interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on specific circumstances.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, systems, and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0037] In the description of this specification, the reference terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" mean that the specific features, systems, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, systems, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and features of different embodiments or examples without contradiction.

Claims

1. A Chongzhen star dial, comprising a positioning plate, a time plate, a solar term plate and a time pointer, characterized in that: The positioning plate, hour plate and solar term plate are coaxially mounted on the central axis and can fix their positions relative to each other; the central axis is mounted on the base column and can be fixed at any orientation and angle; a gap is provided on the positioning plate that passes through the upper and lower surfaces, and the observer observes the celestial bodies through the gap from the lower surface of the positioning plate; a sharp corner is engraved on the positioning plate for aligning with the geographical longitude of the observation site; the upper surface of the solar term plate has four layers of scale rings, the outermost layer is the scale ring for 12 months and 365 days of the year; the next outermost layer is the mark of the 24 solar terms in the corresponding month of the year; the innermost layer is the corresponding mark of the twelve zodiac signs; the innermost layer is the scale of 70 to 140 degrees of geographical longitude; the upper surface of the hour plate has three layers of scale rings, which are 24 hours, 12 hours and a triangle pointer.

2. The Chongzhen star dial according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning plate and the throttle plate are fixed together by the positioning plate tightening screws; the hour plate is fixed to the positioning plate by the hour plate fixing bolts; the positioning plate is fixed to the central axis by the positioning plate fixing bolts; the central axis is fixed to the base column by the central axis bolts and central axis nuts.

3. The Chongzhen star dial according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning disk is engraved with constellation lines of stars to be observed.

4. The Chongzhen star dial according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning plate is provided with an arc groove running through the upper and lower surfaces, which is used to cooperate with the positioning plate tightening screw on the throttle plate to fix it in the circumferential direction; the lower surface of the positioning plate has double bosses, the large boss is used for positioning cooperation with the throttle plate, and the small boss is used for circumferential orientation with the central axis.

5. The Chongzhen star dial according to claim 1, characterized in that: The corresponding symbols of the twelve stars on the solar term disk are: "Xuanxiao" corresponds to "Minor Cold and Major Cold", "Zhuzi" corresponds to "Beginning of Spring and Rain Water", "Jianglou" corresponds to "Qingzhe and Spring Equinox", "Daliang" corresponds to "Qingming and Grain Rain", "Shishen" corresponds to "Beginning of Summer and Grain Full", "Queshou" corresponds to "Mangzhong and Summer Solstice", "Quehuo" corresponds to "Beginning of Autumn and End of Heat", "Shouxing" corresponds to "Bailu and Autumn Equinox", "Dahuo" corresponds to "Cold Dew and Frost Descent", "Ximu" corresponds to "Beginning of Winter and Light Snow", and "Xingji" corresponds to "Daxue and Winter Solstice".

6. The Chongzhen star dial according to claim 1, characterized in that: The center of the hour plate is provided with a countersunk hole for cooperating with the solar term plate, and the back of the hour plate is provided with a circular boss for cooperating with the positioning plate.

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