Coaxial Date and Lunar Age Display Wheels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing timepiece movements face challenges in adding new display functions without increasing axial thickness and layout complexity, as each new display indicator requires additional correction train wheels, leading to space and layout restrictions.

Innovation Solution

The timepiece movement incorporates coaxially disposed display wheels and driving wheels, with a dowel and dowel receiving hole mechanism for rotary force transmission, allowing for independent pivoting and phase adjustment, and includes elastic sections to prevent wheel breakage during correction, enabling space-saving and flexible function addition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple display indicators are added to improve timepiece functionality, then the added value and display functions are enhanced, but the device complexity and layout restrictions increase due to requiring additional correction train wheels for each indicator

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay functionsVSAvoidlayout restrictions

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple display wheels (date display wheel and lunar age display wheel) and their corresponding driving wheels onto shared axial positions. The first display wheel and second display wheel are coaxially disposed, as are the first driving wheel and second driving wheel, allowing multiple display functions to share common mechanical axes rather than requiring separate correction train wheels for each indicator.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The shared axial configuration allows the same mechanical space to serve multiple display functions simultaneously. The coaxial arrangement enables both date and lunar age displays to operate from common mechanical supports, making the movement structure universally support multiple display indicators without proportional increases in complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If multiple correction train wheels are provided for each display indicator, then independent correction is enabled, but the axial thickness and space consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveindependent correctionVSAvoidaxial thickness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLength of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from a planar layout to a three-dimensional coaxial arrangement. By stacking display wheels and driving wheels on shared axes along the axial dimension, the design accommodates multiple independent correction mechanisms without increasing the planar footprint, effectively using the axial dimension to resolve space constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The coaxial configuration creates a nested arrangement where multiple display wheels and driving wheels are concentrically positioned around shared axes. The first display wheel and second display wheel are nested on the same axis, as are their corresponding driving wheels, allowing independent correction functions to be compactly integrated.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS10809665B2Timepiece movement

Publication Date: 2020.10.20 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A timepiece movement includes a date indicator for date display, a date indicator driving wheel for advancing the date indicator, a lunar age indicator for lunar age display, and a lunar age indicator driving wheel for rotating the lunar age indicator. The date indicator and the lunar age indicator are coaxially disposed, and the date indicator driving wheel and the lunar age indicator driving wheel are coaxially disposed.