Analog clock, time display method, and time display program

Abstract

To provide a time display method with new feelings in an analog clock.SOLUTION: A direction of rotation of a second hand 20 is inverted every time the second hand makes one revolution. Alternatively, the direction of rotation of a second display part 32, which displays the seconds of time while rotating according to the lapse of time, is inverted every time the second display part makes one revolution. Alternatively, a direction of rotation of hands is inverted when a.m. changes to p.m. and p.m. changes to a.m. By periodically inverting the direction of rotation of the second hand 20, second display part 32, or hands for displaying time in this way, a time display method with new feelings different from a conventional monotonous display method can be provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an analog clock, a time display method, and a time display program. [Background technology]

[0002] The methods of displaying time on a clock can be broadly divided into "digital" and "analog". Digital clocks display the time elements such as hours, minutes, and seconds as numbers. Analog clocks display the time by rotating hands (hour, minute, and second hands) that correspond to each time element as time passes.

[0003] In a typical analog clock, the hour, minute, and second hands all rotate in a right-handed (clockwise) direction. Patent Document 1 discloses a clock in which the second hand rotates in a left-handed (counterclockwise) direction, opposite to the hour and minute hands. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 02-81490 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a time display method with a new feel in an analog clock. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, an analog timepiece and a time display method according to the present invention are characterized in that the direction of rotation of the second hand reverses every time it makes one rotation.

[0007] Furthermore, the analog timepiece and time display method according to the present invention are characterized in that the direction of rotation of the second display section, which displays the seconds of the time while rotating in accordance with the passage of time, is reversed each time it completes one revolution.

[0008] Furthermore, the analog timepiece and time display method according to the present invention are characterized in that the rotation direction of the second hand or all of the hands is reversed between AM and PM.

[0009] In addition, the analog timepiece and time display method according to the present invention are characterized in that the direction in which the second display section, which displays the seconds of the time by rotating as time passes, rotates is reversed between AM and PM.

[0010] The present invention also provides a time display program for displaying time on a computer display, the program causing the computer to execute the time display method having any of the above-described configurations. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, by periodically reversing the direction in which the second hand, second display section or pointer, which are the elements for displaying the time, rotate in an analog clock, it is possible to provide a time display method that has a new feel that is different from the monotonous display method of the past. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an analog timepiece according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an analog timepiece according to a second embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a dial face of an analog timepiece according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an analog clock, a time display method, and a time display program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment An analogue watch 10 according to a first embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as "watch 10") is displayed on a display provided on a smartphone, which is a type of computer.

[0015] The smartphone used in this embodiment may be any of a variety of commercially available devices that are widely used in the industry. This smartphone includes basic components such as a CPU, a memory unit such as a memory or storage, a communication module for communicating with external devices, a battery, a display, and a touch panel.

[0016] Smartphones are usually equipped with a clock function as standard. When a mobile phone communication line is available, this clock function automatically corrects the time information to be accurate based on a standard called NITZ (Network Identity and Time Zone). Even in an environment where a mobile phone communication line is not available, the time information can be automatically corrected accurately using NTP (Network Time Protocol) in a communication environment such as an Internet line. Therefore, in this embodiment, the display mode of the time information based on this clock function is devised.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, watch 10 has a time display surface 12 that displays the time. In this embodiment, the display of a smartphone on which watch 10 is displayed constitutes time display surface 12. Note that in this example, the page of Fig. 1 is likened to a smartphone display to display time display surface 12, but the display may also display elements other than the time element (for example, date elements such as a calendar or app icons) on time display surface 12.

[0018] The time display face 12 of the watch 10 has the same basic structure as a known analog watch. That is, the numbers 1 to 12 are arranged in order at equal intervals along the periphery of a circular dial 14, and the time is displayed by an hour hand 16, a minute hand 18, and a second hand 20 that rotate as time passes. The hour hand 16, the minute hand 18, and the second hand 20 are pointers that correspond to the time elements corresponding to the hours, minutes, and seconds, respectively.

[0019] Marking lines indicating 5-minute intervals on a general watch are displayed on imaginary radial lines extending radially from the center point of the circle at equal intervals of 30° on the inside of the circular dial 14. Furthermore, marking lines indicating 1-minute intervals on a general watch are displayed short from the periphery of the dial 14 toward the center point on imaginary radial lines extending radially from the center point of the circle at equal intervals of 6°.

[0020] The hour hand 16 rotates once in a clockwise direction in 12 hours, just like a typical clock. The minute hand 18 also rotates once in a clockwise direction in 60 minutes, just like a typical clock.

[0021] Meanwhile, the second hand 20 rotates once every 60 seconds, but the direction of rotation is reversed after each rotation. That is, the second hand 20 rotates right (clockwise) from even minutes to odd minutes, and rotates left (counterclockwise) from odd minutes to even minutes, starting from 0 minutes.

[0022] As described above, in this embodiment, the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20 function as a display unit that displays the time while rotating as time passes. More specifically, among the time elements of hours, minutes, and seconds, the hour hand 16 configures an hour display unit that displays the "hour" of the time, the minute hand 18 configures a minute display unit that displays the "minute" of the time, and the second hand 20 configures a second display unit that displays the "second" of the time.

[0023] The operation of the clock 10 having the above configuration, that is, the time display method according to the first embodiment, is realized by the CPU of the smartphone executing a time display program stored in memory. Specifically, the elements of the above configuration, mainly the dial 14, excluding the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20, are displayed on the display of the smartphone as a basic screen. In addition, time information is acquired using a clock function built into the smartphone. Then, based on the acquired time information, the hour hand 16 and minute hand 18 are displayed at a rotation angle corresponding to the passage of time. In addition, for the second hand 20, an initial rotation direction is set based on the acquired time information, and the rotation direction is reversed every rotation (every 60 seconds) from the 0 minute position as the base point, and the time display method according to this embodiment is executed. In this way, the smartphone is made to function as a time display means that displays the time display surface 12 of the clock 10, thereby executing the time display method according to this embodiment.

[0024] Thus, according to the time display method of this embodiment, the direction in which the second hand 20 rotates is reversed every time the analog clock 10 rotates, providing a new time display method that is different from the conventional monotonous display method. In addition, only the second hand 20 reverses its direction of rotation every time it rotates, while the hour hand 16 and minute hand 18 move in the same way as conventional clocks, so there is no particular problem in terms of accurately displaying the time. Furthermore, depending on the direction of rotation of the second hand 20, it is easy to know whether the current time elapsed is "between even minutes and odd minutes" or "between odd minutes and even minutes," so it is also possible to recognize the sense of time of one minute.

[0025] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment described above, only the second hand 20 reverses its direction of rotation every time it makes one rotation, but in a timepiece 30 according to a second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the direction of rotation of the hands other than the second hand 20, that is, the hour hand 16 and the minute hand 18, also reverses. The timepiece 30 has the same basic configuration as the timepiece 10 according to the first embodiment, except that the movement of the hands and the timing at which the rotation direction reverses are different. Therefore, in Fig. 2, the same components as the timepiece 10 shown in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted, and the following explanation will focus on the differences.

[0026] In the clock 30, the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20, which are the hands corresponding to the time elements of hours, minutes, and seconds, are configured so that the rotation direction of each of them reverses between the morning and afternoon. Specifically, with 0:00:00 as the base point, the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20 each rotate rightward (clockwise) to display the time in the morning (between midnight and noon), as shown in FIG. 2(a). And, the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20 each rotate leftward (counterclockwise) to display the time in the afternoon (between noon and midnight), as shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0027] In addition, the clock 30 is configured so that when the direction of rotation of the hands (hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20) reverses, the numbers 1 to 12 arranged along the periphery of the dial 14 also reverse, i.e., the arrangement of the numbers 12 and 6 remains unchanged, while the arrangement of the other numbers is swapped from left to right.

[0028] In the clock 30 having the above configuration, Fig. 2(a) shows 10:08:37 AM, and Fig. 2(b) shows 10:08:37 PM. In this manner, in this embodiment, the time display is symmetrical between AM and PM.

[0029] The operation of the clock 30, that is, the time display method according to the second embodiment, is realized by the CPU of the smartphone executing a time display program stored in memory, similar to the clock 10 described above. Specifically, time information is acquired using a clock function built into the smartphone. Next, based on the acquired time information, it is determined whether the current time is morning or afternoon, and the initial positions of the numbers 1 to 12 on the dial 14 and the initial rotation direction of the hands (hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20) are set, respectively. Then, based on the acquired time information and the initial settings, the dial 14 and other elements, as well as the hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20 are displayed on the smartphone display at a rotation angle corresponding to the passage of time. After that, a series of operations is repeated in which the arrangement of the numbers 1 to 12 on the dial 14 and the rotation direction of the hands are reversed at the timing to switch between morning and afternoon according to the passage of time. In this way, the smartphone is made to function as a time display means that displays the time display surface 12 of the clock 30, thereby executing the time display method according to this embodiment.

[0030] The timepiece 30 according to the second embodiment makes it possible to distinguish between am and pm by switching the direction of rotation of the hands (hour hand 16, minute hand 18, and second hand 20). This allows the user to intuitively grasp the difference between "am" and "pm."

[0031] Although the clock 30 is configured so that all the hands rotate in the opposite direction between AM and PM, it is also possible to have only one of the hands, the second hand 20, rotate in the opposite direction between AM and PM. This allows the time to be displayed without any sense of incongruity compared to conventional analog clocks, and also makes it easy to distinguish between AM and PM just by checking the direction of rotation of the second hand 20.

[0032] Furthermore, in the clock 30, the arrangement of the numbers 1 to 12 displayed on the dial 14 is changed between AM and PM, but the clock may be embodied in a form in which these numbers themselves are not displayed (for example, see FIG. 3). Alternatively, the arrangement of the numbers 1 to 12 displayed on the dial 14 may be changed between AM and PM, and the second hand 20 may be omitted.

[0033] The above describes the analog clock, time display method, and time display program of the present invention based on an embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described form, and may be embodied in, for example, the following modified form.

[0034] <Modification> (1) In the above embodiment, the center of rotation of second hand 20 is the same as that of hour hand 16 and minute hand 18, but the position where the second hand is displayed is not particularly limited as long as it is within the range of dial 14. For example, a second hand with a small radius of rotation may be provided independently in the area below the centers of rotation of hour hand 16 and minute hand 18.

[0035] (2) In the above embodiment and modified example, the second of the time is displayed by a pointer (second hand), but the second display unit may have a form other than a pointer as long as it rotates as time passes and displays the second of the time. For example, instead of the second hand 20, a second display unit 32 may be provided below the rotation center O of the hour hand and minute hand as shown in FIG. 3. An appropriate image such as a photograph or logo is displayed on this second display unit 32, and the displayed image is rotated as time passes. Note that in FIG. 3, a circular display area is illustrated as an example of the second display unit 32, but the position, shape, size, etc. of the second display unit 32 can be changed according to the user's preference within the range of the dial 14 (or the time display surface 12). In addition, for example, a second display unit in a form that displays a contour locus of a circle, ellipse, polygon, or any other shape as time passes may be adopted. In this case, the contour shape displayed is reset once every 60 seconds of one revolution, and the direction in which the locus is displayed is reversed.

[0036] (3) In the above embodiment, a clock displayed on a smartphone display was exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to clocks displayed on electronic devices such as smart watches, tablets, and laptops, or desktop computers, televisions, digital signage, etc. Naturally, the present invention can also be applied to various types of clocks such as wristwatches, wall clocks, and table clocks.

[0037] (4) The above embodiment has been described on the assumption that the time display program is incorporated as standard into portable information terminals, various electronic devices, clocks, etc., but it goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even if the program is implemented as an application program provided to users via the Internet.

[0038] (5) Although the above embodiment and modified examples illustrate a clock displayed on the display screen of an electronic device, the invention may of course be applied to mechanical or quartz clocks.

[0039] The present invention can be implemented in various forms that include improvements, modifications, or variations based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be implemented in a form in which any of the invention-specific features are replaced with other technologies within the scope of the same action or effect. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 10. Clock 16 hour hand (pointer) 18 minute hand (pointer) 20 second hand (pointer) 30 Clock 32 seconds display

Claims

1. An analog clock characterized in that the direction of rotation of the second hand reverses with each revolution.

2. This analog clock is characterized in that the direction of rotation of a second display section, which displays the seconds of the time while rotating according to the passage of time, is reversed every time the second display section makes one revolution.

3. An analog clock characterized by the rotation direction of the second hand or all hands reversing between am and pm.

4. This analog clock is characterized in that the direction in which a second display part, which displays the seconds of the time while rotating according to the passage of time, rotates is reversed between morning and afternoon.

5. A method of displaying time, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the second hand is reversed every time the second hand makes one revolution.

6. This time display method is characterized in that the direction of rotation of a second display section which displays seconds of the time while rotating according to the passage of time is reversed every time the second display section makes one revolution.

7. A method of displaying time, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the second hand or all of the hands is reversed between AM and PM.

8. This time display method is characterized in that the direction of rotation of a second display section, which displays seconds of the time while rotating according to the passage of time, is reversed between AM and PM.

9. A time display program for displaying time on a computer display, comprising: A time display program causing the computer to execute the time display method according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

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