Horizontally Oriented Globe Timepiece for Sunrise Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing timepieces that indicate sunrise and sunset, such as watches, face challenges in accommodating seasonal variations and space constraints, particularly in a compact form suitable for portable use, where visibility and robustness are compromised.
Innovation Solution
A timepiece design featuring a terrestrial globe in a lying position with its polar axis parallel to the dial plane, allowing the globe to be housed below the dial and providing a shell that pivots vertically to distinguish day and night, with a mechanism to simulate the Earth's axial inclination, enabling clear indication of sunrise and sunset locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the globe is made large enough for easy location of any place on the planet, then visibility and ease of operation are improved, but the device size and volume increase, making it unsuitable for portable use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional vertical globe arrangement to a horizontal arrangement where the globe's axis is parallel to the dial plane. This dimensional reorientation allows the globe to be viewed from the side rather than from above, enabling the entire globe surface to be visible within a compact lateral space, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and device size.
2Volume of moving object
If the globe is housed in a well to reduce height, then device size is reduced, but visibility is limited to only the top hemisphere
Solution Approach 1:
By reorienting the globe horizontally with its axis parallel to the dial plane, the patent enables the entire globe surface to be visible from the side view. This dimensional change allows the globe to be contained in a compact well structure while eliminating the limitation of only seeing the top hemisphere, thus resolving the contradiction between compact size and complete globe visibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the shell is made articulated to pivot and reproduce seasonal variations, then functionality and accuracy are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the seasonal variation mechanism by reorienting the shell's pivot axis to be perpendicular to the dial plane rather than parallel. This dimensional reorientation allows the shell to pivot in a single arc that naturally reproduces the terminator's seasonal movement, eliminating the need for complex dual-axis articulation and rack-pinion mechanisms while maintaining full functionality.
4Ease of manufacture
If the globe is arranged vertically in conventional position, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the regions of the poles are partially masked and visibility is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reorients the globe horizontally with its axis parallel to the dial plane, changing the viewing dimension from top-down to side-view. This dimensional change eliminates the masking of pole regions that occurs in vertical arrangements, allowing all regions including the poles to be clearly visible while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through adapted mounting structures.
Data Source
AI summary
The timepiece includes means for indicating sunrise and sunset, taking into account seasonal variations (17, 23). These means comprise a sphere (17) reproducing the Earth, and a shell (23) arranged concentrically to the sphere and configured to delineate a part of the Earth where it is night from another part where it is day, indicating the position of the Earth's terminator. The sphere is arranged to be driven by the movement so as to rotate at a rate of one revolution every 24 hours around a first axis of rotation (XX) oriented parallel to the plane of the dial (1), and the shell is mounted to pivot about a second axis (YY) perpendicular to the plane of the dial.The means for indicating sunrise and sunset further include an annual cam (35) arranged to be driven in rotation by the movement at a rate of one revolution per year, the cam having a profile representative of the inclination of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane.