Analog Electronic Timepiece Rotatable Dial Plate for Multi-Value Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic timepieces face readability issues when displaying numerical values other than time due to differences in value ranges and significant digits, leading to crowded and confusing dial plates or bezels, as existing technologies use the same scales for varying physical quantities like temperature and barometric pressure.
Innovation Solution
An analog electronic timepiece with a configuration where the hour, minute, and second hands, along with a function hand, are driven to point to specific numbers on the dial plate to represent numerical values, allowing for efficient use of scales and clear display of measured values like altitude, temperature, and barometric pressure, using a CPU-controlled gear train mechanism and sensors for accurate positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If various types of scales are provided on a dial plate or a bezel for various purposes, then different numerical values can be displayed, but the display becomes crowded and readability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by enabling the same set of hands (hour, minute, second, and function hands) to display multiple different numerical values from different physical quantities (time, temperature, barometric pressure, altitude) by rotating the dial plate to different angular positions. This eliminates the need for separate scales for each quantity, thereby avoiding display crowding while maintaining versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the dial plate rotatable relative to the hands. The dial plate can be rotated to different angular positions depending on which physical quantity is being displayed. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the same physical display structure to adapt to different measurement ranges and scales without requiring multiple fixed scales, thus improving readability while maintaining display capability.
2Device complexity
If the same scales are used to display different types of numerical values with different ranges, then the number of scales is reduced, but readability of numerical values deteriorates since scales are too rough or too fine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the dial plate rotatable to different angular positions. When displaying different physical quantities with different value ranges (e.g., temperature with decimal values vs. barometric pressure with integer values), the dial plate is rotated to reposition the scales relative to the hands. This allows a single set of scales to serve multiple purposes with different precision requirements, eliminating the need for multiple specialized scales while maintaining appropriate readability for each quantity type.
3Measurement precision
If different types of scales are provided for different types of numerical values, then readability is improved, but a dial plate or bezel is filled with scales
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a single set of hands that can display multiple different numerical values from different physical quantities through the rotatable dial plate mechanism. This universal display approach eliminates the need for separate specialized scales for each quantity type, thereby avoiding the dial plate becoming filled with multiple scales while maintaining good readability for all displayed values.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamics through the rotatable dial plate that can be positioned at different angular orientations. This dynamic repositioning allows the same physical scale markings to serve different measurement purposes with appropriate precision levels, eliminating the need for multiple fixed specialized scales and preventing the dial plate from becoming cluttered while maintaining readability.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
An analog electronic timepiece includes a plurality of hands; a dial plate having scales for time display; a driving unit that drives the hands so that the hands are driven independently of each other; and a control unit that transmits a drive signal to the driving unit and moves the hands to allow the hands to point to positions set for the respective hands. The control unit (i) allows each hand to point to one of positions of one o'clock to nine o'clock and twelve o'clock among the scales to indicate that a digit in a predetermined place represented by each hand is one of "1" to "9" and "0"; and (ii) expresses a numerical value by a combination of digits corresponding to the respective positions pointed by the respective hands.