Portable Watch Crown Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable watch designs face poor operability in preventing erroneous crown operation while being carried, often requiring cumbersome rotations or detaching the watch to access the crown, leading to obstructed finger movement and reduced usability.
Innovation Solution
A portable watch design featuring a crown mounting hole with a radial extension and a crown lock member that can be moved between lock and cancel positions via a one-touch operation, using an urging member to secure the crown in place, allowing for easy operation and prevention of accidental crown activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the crown is locked by rotating the crown head portion or the protector, then the crown can be prevented from erroneous operation, but the operability becomes poor due to cumbersome rotation operations
Solution Approach 1:
The crown assembly is segmented into multiple functional components: the crown head portion for time setting, the protector for protection, the crown lock member for locking, and the urging member for automatic engagement. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, enabling simple one-touch locking without requiring rotation of the crown head or protector.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown lock member acts as an intermediary component between the crown and the case band. It mediates the locking function by engaging with the lock groove on the crown shaft, providing a dedicated locking mechanism that does not interfere with the crown head portion or protector, thus simplifying the locking operation to a single linear movement.
2Ease of operation
If the watch is detached from the arm to secure operation space for rotating the crown, then the crown can be operated, but the operability deteriorates due to the need to detach the watch
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is segmented from the crown head portion and protector, with the crown lock member providing a dedicated locking mechanism that can be operated independently. This allows the crown to be locked and unlocked without rotating the crown head, requiring minimal finger movement space and enabling operation while the watch remains on the wrist.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of rotating the crown head portion or protector to engage the locking mechanism (as in prior art), the invention inverts the approach by using a linear pressing motion of the crown lock member that pushes against the urging member to disengage the lock. This inversion of the locking mechanism's operation method enables simple one-touch unlocking without requiring rotational movement or detachment of the watch.
3Reliability
If a protector surrounds the crown head portion to prevent inadvertent operation, then the crown is protected, but the operability of rotating the crown head portion becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The protector and crown lock member are segmented as separate components with distinct functions. The protector provides passive protection by surrounding the crown head portion, while the crown lock member provides active locking by engaging the lock groove on the crown shaft. This segmentation allows the crown head portion to rotate freely for time setting without being constrained by the protector, maintaining both protection and operability.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown lock member serves as an intermediary that provides the locking function without requiring the protector to engage in rotation. It mediates between the crown shaft and the case band, engaging the lock groove to prevent inadvertent operation while leaving the crown head portion and protector unchanged, thus preserving their rotatability for normal time setting operations.
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
This design enhances operability by enabling one-touch locking and unlocking of the crown, preventing erroneous operations and allowing for seamless time correction without obstructing the crown's movement, thus improving user experience and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
an urging member accommodated in the member mounting portion and urging the crown lock member so as to arrange it at the lock position
Data Source
AI summary
A portable watch is equipped with a watch exterior member, a crown, a crown lock button, and an urging member. In a case band with which the exterior member is equipped, there are formed a crown mounting hole and a member mounting portion communicating with this hole and vertically perpendicular thereto. The crown is arranged in the hole. The crown has a crown shaft portion passed through the hole and a crown head portion continuous therewith. The crown shaft is provided with a lock groove continuous in the peripheral direction. The lock button accommodated in the mounting portion has a button head portion (operation end portion) protruding from the mounting portion. The button is movable between a lock position where it is engaged with the groove to constrain the crown and a lock canceling position where it is detached from the groove to cancel the constraint of the crown, and is arranged at the lock canceling position through a one-touch operation of the button head portion. The watch is characterized in that the button is arranged at the lock position by an urging member accommodated in the mounting portion.