Hybrid Analog Digital Watch Dial Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-display watches are complex to read due to simultaneous display of multiple information types, limited functionality, and inability to display hierarchical information, leading to user confusion and limited surface area constraints.
Innovation Solution
A watch with a control system that uses both analogue and digital display elements, allowing users to select functions via a control means, with digital display sectors arranged on the dial to display selected information and analogue hands pointing to functions or values, enabling intuitive and hierarchical information visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple information types are displayed simultaneously on LCD screens, then the quantity of information displayed increases, but the complexity of reading and user confusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display is segmented into multiple independent digital display sectors arranged on the dial, each capable of displaying different information types. This segmentation allows information to be organized spatially rather than temporally, enabling simultaneous display of multiple parameters without overwhelming the user, as each sector can be independently controlled and positioned logically around the dial perimeter.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional linear or centralized digital displays to a two-dimensional circular arrangement of display sectors on the dial. This dimensional change allows multiple information types to be displayed simultaneously in different spatial locations, improving readability by distributing information across the dial surface rather than concentrating it in one location.
2Area of stationary object
If the list of functions is set out on the dial, flange or bezel, then the number of functions is limited by the available surface area
Solution Approach 1:
The digital display sectors serve multiple functions: they can display function selections, parameter values, and hierarchical information structures. The same physical display area can dynamically adapt to show different types of information depending on the selected function, eliminating the need for separate physical indicators for each function while maximizing the use of available surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The display system is dynamic rather than static. The digital display sectors can change their content, position, and configuration based on the selected function and displayed parameter. This dynamic adaptability allows the limited physical surface area to accommodate a much larger number of functions by reconfiguring the display layout as needed.
3Device complexity
If a single LCD screen displays all information, then the device structure is simple, but hierarchical information and multiple parameters cannot be displayed simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The single LCD screen is segmented into multiple independent display sectors that can simultaneously display different information types. Each sector can show different parameters, function selections, or hierarchical levels of information, allowing comprehensive data presentation while maintaining the simplicity of a single screen structure rather than requiring multiple separate displays.
Data Source
AI summary
A watch including a case in which there is arranged a control system, which includes a time base and is arranged to be able to perform several functions, the watch further including at least two analog display elements and a digital display controlled independently by the control system, the watch further including a control acting on the control system. The watch is arranged in a first, normal operating mode to provide the user with a time indication by the analog display elements driven by the control system fitted with the time base, and the watch is arranged in a second, special operating mode to allow the user to select a function via the control, to display on the digital display a value associated with the selected function, and to move an analog display element opposite the value associated with the selected function.