Photochromic UV Sensor for Timepiece Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultraviolet sensors in watches are either expensive and energy-intensive or provide imprecise UV light indication, making them unsuitable for mechanical watches, and photochromic bracelets only offer a single-color variation that is difficult to associate with specific UV levels.
Innovation Solution
A portable timepiece element with a frame incorporating a light sensor featuring a light guide with photochromic sections that change color in response to specific UV radiation intensities, allowing for a readable and reliable UV light indication without the need for electronic systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If semiconductor ultraviolet sensors are used, then UV detection capability is achieved, but cost increases and energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive semiconductor sensors with photochromic pigments embedded in plastic materials. These pigments are inexpensive, consume no energy, and provide sufficient UV detection capability through color change, eliminating the need for costly electronic components while maintaining functional effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes electronic sensor systems with a chemical/optical system based on photochromic pigments. The pigments undergo chemical changes in response to UV radiation, producing visible color changes that directly indicate UV levels without requiring electronic processing, power sources, or complex circuitry.
2Ease of manufacture
If photochromic pigments are used in a single color, then implementation is simple, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the photochromic indicator into multiple sections, each containing pigments with different concentration levels. This segmentation allows each section to respond to different UV intensity thresholds, creating a graduated scale that provides precise UV level measurement while maintaining the simplicity of photochromic material implementation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies photochromic pigments with varying local concentrations across different sections of the indicator. Each local region has a specific pigment concentration tailored to detect particular UV intensity ranges, enabling precise multi-level UV detection while keeping the overall system simple and manufacturable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a simple, energy-efficient way to visually indicate UV radiation levels with a color-changing scale, allowing users to easily recognize UV intensity thresholds, enhancing usability and precision compared to existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
the light sensor consists of a light guide comprising an input section orienting a light towards a multitude of chromic sections, the chromic sections incorporating a photochromic pigment sensitive to a specific wavelength, each section being arranged so that said photochromic pigment reacts to a specific radiation intensity of the specific wavelength so that said pigment changes from a first colour to a second colour
Data Source
AI summary
An external element of a timepiece including a frame made of a first material, the external element further including at least one light sensor.