Analogue electronic timepiece with two needles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a two-hand electronic timepiece with an analog display (1). The timepiece comprises an hour hand (9) and a minute hand (11), the hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) being arranged to operate independently of each other. The hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) are arranged to operate according to a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, which is arranged to be activated by the timepiece (1) upon detecting an event. According to the second mode of operation, the hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) are arranged to operate differently compared to their operation according to the first mode of operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a timepiece with two hands and an analog display. More specifically, the invention relates to a timepiece comprising only two hands, which allow functions to be displayed that are different from those for which they are initially intended or allow information to be displayed in a different manner from the manner in which they are initially displayed. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] The most significant problem encountered with an electronic timepiece, such as a wristwatch, operated by battery, is the end of battery life. As the end of battery life approaches, the battery voltage decreases, causing the timepiece to malfunction, and when the end of battery life is reached, the timepiece stops working. According to several known solutions, to announce the end of battery life, the timepiece can be equipped with a luminous element, which has a predetermined operating voltage, and the luminous element produces intermittent light signals. According to this arrangement, several days before the end of battery life, the battery voltage drops below the operating voltage of the luminous element, which is no longer capable of functioning.According to another method, the luminous element is normally kept in an inactive state, but it may produce intermittent light signals when the battery voltage drops below a predetermined value. According to the first method, since the luminous element constantly produces light signals, the power consumed is significant so that it is necessary to use a battery with a larger capacity. According to the second method, the power consumption increases as the end of battery life approaches, which accelerates battery depletion.

[0003] It should also be noted that for a timepiece with only two hands, it is not known to indicate the end of battery life by a light signal as described above. Generally, with such a timepiece with two indicator hands, no additional means are provided to be able to indicate the end of battery life in a simple manner, which is a disadvantage.

[0004] Another problem with a timepiece, especially a two-hand timepiece, is that it is not possible to easily manipulate the hands, or change the way they normally operate. Currently, a two-hand timepiece has an hour hand to indicate the hours, and a minute hand to indicate the minutes. However, it would be desirable to be able to operate or move the hands more flexibly.

[0005] Patent application EP 0 589 353 A1 describes an analog timepiece for displaying information other than time information. It comprises an hour hand and a minute hand driven independently of each other, each by a respective motor. A first operating mode for normal time display is provided, and a second operating mode is provided by activating control means so that the hands indicate other information. In the second mode, the hands overlap to indicate information other than time information. There is no way to easily switch from a second mode to a first mode automatically, which is a disadvantage.

[0006] Patent application EP 1 748 331 A1 describes an electronic diving watch, which comprises two hands driven independently of each other, each by a respective motor. In a first operating mode, the hands each indicate a separate piece of data, such as the time, and in a second operating mode, which is a diving mode, at least one of the hands indicates an instantaneous depth. There is no way to easily switch from a second mode to a first mode automatically, which is a disadvantage.

[0007] US Patent 4,028,880 A describes a battery end-of-life display device in an electronic watch. The electronic watch includes two hands to indicate the current time. When the battery voltage level becomes very low, the watch is designed to indicate the end of battery life by means of the second hand, which moves in an irregular motion. There is no easy way to switch from a second mode to a first mode automatically, which is a disadvantage.

[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome the problems identified above relating to electronic timepieces with analog display. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention therefore provides an electronic timepiece with two hands and analog display, as explained in more detail below.

[0010] To this end, the invention relates, according to a first aspect, to an electronic timepiece with two hands and an analog display according to independent claim 1.

[0011] Advantageously, by the present solution, it is possible to produce a timepiece having the possibility of displaying several functions with a two-hand movement. Said movement is of low thickness with a reduced movement price. The movement is composed of few mechanical components compared to a three-hand movement. The proposed timepiece allows to have a display of the seconds on demand by a simple two-hand movement. The proposed timepiece allows to display the time in a first normal two-hand operating mode. In a second operating mode, arranged to be activated by the timepiece by detecting the end of life of the power source, the proposed timepiece thus allows to display the end of life of the battery with a two-hand movement.Unlike state-of-the-art movements, in which each display function has its own hand or indicator disc, the present invention aims to display on demand, in particular, the hour and minute, the date and the second with only two hands.

[0012] Other aspects of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0013] The invention will be clearly understood upon reading the description below given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawing, which schematically represents: there figure 1 represents a simplified schematic view illustrating a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Referring to the figure 1 , an embodiment according to the present invention is now explained in more detail. This embodiment is described in the context of an electronic wristwatch with an analog display. However, the present invention is not limited to wristwatches only. With respect to the number of hands, the watch of the present invention comprises only two hands, namely a first hand as illustrated is an hour hand, and a second hand as illustrated is a minute hand.

[0015] In reference to the figure 1 , the watch 1, which is shown schematically, comprises an electrical power source 3 consisting of a battery, which powers an electronic circuit and, through this circuit, a first electric motor 7, which operates the hour hand 9, and a second electric motor 8, which operates the minute hand 11. In this way, the operation of these two hands can be controlled independently. The two electric motors can be stepper type motors, for example. The dial 13 of the watch is visible behind the hands 9, 11.

[0016] The electronic circuit mainly comprises a quartz oscillator (not shown) associated with a microprocessor 5 of the clock type, which directly controls the motors 7, 8, as well as a control circuit 15 for the battery voltage. This control circuit 15 essentially comprises a comparator 17, a special circuit 19 arranged to memorize for example a reference voltage threshold, or an internal resistance threshold, and two resistors 21 and 23 called respectively resistors of the divider bridge. The special circuit 19 is known in particular from Swiss patent CH 651 999. A connection node 25 of the two resistors 21 and 23 is connected to a positive input of the comparator 17. The other terminal of the resistor 23 is connected to ground T. The other terminal of the resistor 21 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery. The negative input of comparator 17 is connected to one terminal of special circuit 19, the other terminal of which is connected to ground T.The output of comparator 17 is connected to microprocessor 5.

[0017] The control circuit 15 is arranged to detect the battery voltage or its internal resistance and to compare it with a predetermined threshold value. When the actual value of the voltage or internal resistance reaches the respective threshold value, the control circuit 15 transmits appropriate information to the microprocessor 5, which controls the motors 7, 8.

[0018] With regard to hands 9 and 11, and given that the watch 1 of the present invention comprises only two hands, at least two operating modes or operational modes are proposed for the hands to be able to indicate more information compared to a two-hand watch according to the state of the art. A first operating mode can be considered as a normal operating mode, while a second operating mode is an alternating operating mode. The second operating mode is activated by an event detected by the watch. This event can be an event, which does not require intervention by the wearer of the watch 1. After the second operating mode, the watch can return to the first operating mode, after having detected a determined event or after a determined time.

[0019] According to this embodiment of the present invention with the normal operating mode, the hour hand 9 operates in a defined jumping manner. In other words, the time is indicated in a jumping manner by the hour hand 9. For example, from 1:00 p.m. to 1:59 p.m., the hour hand 9 is positioned on the dial 13 at the position "1" as shown in figure 1 , then from 2:00 p.m. to 2:59 p.m. at position "2", and so on. We can therefore see that, in the normal operating mode, in this example, the hour hand 9 makes a jump every hour, that is, one jump per hour. Depending on the normal operating mode, the minute hand 11 indicates the minutes in a jumping or sliding manner. In this normal operating mode, the watch displays the hour and minute.

[0020] After a set time in a second operating mode, the hands again indicate the hour and minute. It can therefore be provided that after a set time, the operating mode automatically changes to the first operating mode, which is the normal operating mode.

[0021] According to a variant of the present invention, the activation of the second operating mode is not linked to an action performed by the user. In this variant, the moment of changing the operating mode to the second operating mode is linked to the detection of the end of life of the battery 3. Once the end of life of the battery 3 is detected, the normal operation of the hands can be changed to provide the user with additional information, which he can interpret as the indication of the end of life of the battery 3. In other words, the state of the watch 1 changes from the first operating mode to the second operating mode. Here too, the first operating mode corresponds to a normal operating mode, while the second operating mode corresponds to an alternating operating mode, that is to say, in this case, it is an end of battery life operating mode.

[0022] For example, more specifically, depending on the battery end-of-life operating mode, the hour hand 9 operates in a sliding manner, while the minute hand 11 becomes the second hand, making jumps at each predetermined interval. This interval is typically more than one second, for example two, three, four or five seconds, or even more. It is also possible to increase this interval as the end of life of the battery 3 approaches. For example, several thresholds can be defined and saved in the control circuit 15. If a first threshold has been exceeded, the interval becomes equal to two seconds, while if a third threshold has been exceeded, the interval becomes equal to three seconds, and so on.

[0023] According to a third variant, when the end of battery life 3 approaches, the hour hand 9 and the minute hand 11 become superimposed, displaying the sliding time. According to a fourth variant, it may be provided in the end of battery life operating mode that the minute hand 11 advances in 5-minute jumps.

[0024] As described above, when a crown without mechanical connections, called electronic, drives hands independently, this offers numerous possibilities for manipulating and displaying functions on demand. Some possible manipulations in an hour / minute movement, whose hands are independent of each other, have been described above. Other variations can also be imagined. For example, it is possible to also indicate the date. More specifically, one of the hands, for example the minute hand 11, can indicate the day, while the other hand, for example the hour hand, can indicate the month. It is also possible for the minute hand 11 to indicate the day, while the hour hand 9 operates in a sliding manner.

[0025] Several other variations in the configurations explained above can also be considered without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, according to the first mode of operation, the hands can operate differently from their operation explained above.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece with two analogue display hands (1), the timepiece comprising a power source (3), an hour hand (9) and a minute hand (11), the hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) being designed to operate independently of each other, the hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) being designed to operate in a first operating mode and in a second operating mode to display the end of the power source (3) life, which is designed to be activated by the timepiece when it detects the end of life of a power source (3) in which in the second operating mode, the hour hand (9) and the minute hand (11) are designed to operate differently from their operation in the first operating mode, in the first operating mode, the hour hand (9) jumps to indicate the hour, while the minute hand (11) slides or jumps to indicate the minutes, after the second operating mode, the timepiece (1) is designed to return to the first operating mode, after having detecting another event or after a set time, and in the second operating mode, the hour hand (9) slides to indicate the hour, while the minute hand (11) acts as the second hand, jumping at each preset interval, in which the set interval is between 2 seconds and 5 seconds.

2. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1, in which the length of the interval depends on the status of the charge of the power source (3) of the timepiece (1).

3. The timepiece (1) according to claim 2, in which the interval is set to become longer as the status of the charge decreases.

4. The timepiece (1) according to claim 1, in which in the second operating mode, the minute hand (11) advances in 5-minute jumps to indicate the end of battery life.

5. The timepiece (1) according any of the preceding claims, in which the timepiece (1) is a wristwatch.

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