Geometric Time Display with Spiral Curve for Legibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing time displays, both digital and analog, face difficulties in being legible for inattentive users and those with vision impairments, particularly myopia, due to misinterpretation of numeral pairs and confusion between hour and minute hands, especially under atmospheric conditions or at a distance.
Innovation Solution
A time display using a central processing unit, memory, and graphical display presents time with a bold, elegant, and intuitive geometrical shape bounded by two line segments connected by a monotonically-increasing radial function, such as a logarithmic spiral, which represents both hour and minute without requiring radical interpretation changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If digital representations are used to display time, then time can be displayed clearly with specific numbers, but users with vision impairments may misinterpret the digits due to commonly confused numeral pairs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes by using different colors for hour and minute segments in the pie chart display. Hours are represented by one color while minutes are represented by another color, allowing users to distinguish between the two even when vision is impaired. This color-coding system prevents misinterpretation of time values.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the time display into distinct hour segments and minute segments within a pie chart structure. Each hour is divided into 60 minute segments, creating visually distinct regions that can be easily differentiated. This segmentation allows users to read time by identifying which segment the indicator points to, eliminating confusion between digits.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional analog clock hands are used, then time can be displayed continuously, but users may confuse between hour and minute hands or misinterpret their positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color changes to differentiate between hour and minute indicators in the pie chart display. The hour indicator and minute indicator are displayed in different colors, making it immediately clear which is which. This eliminates the confusion that plagues traditional analog clocks where users must remember which hand represents which time unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from the traditional two-dimensional plane of analog clock hands to a pie chart that divides the circle into radial segments. Time is represented by the angular position and radial distance within the pie chart, creating a new dimensional framework for time display that is more intuitive and less prone to misinterpretation.
3Loss of information
If pie chart representation is used for minutes, then time can be displayed visually, but a misleading and meaningless edge is left at the twelve o'clock position and hours are not consistently presented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal pie chart structure that simultaneously represents both hours and minutes in a consistent manner. The same pie chart framework is used for both time units, with hours represented by the broader segment divisions and minutes by the finer segment divisions. This multi-functional display eliminates the need for separate hour markers and provides consistent visual representation throughout the entire dial.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of leaving the twelve o'clock position as a meaningless edge in traditional pie chart displays, the patent inverts the approach by making the twelve o'clock position (and all other positions) meaningful through consistent segment labeling and indicator placement. The display is designed so that every position on the pie chart has a clear, consistent meaning for both hour and minute reading.
Data Source
AI summary
A visual display and device and method for producing the display may indicate the time or other data in a bold, elegant, intuitive, and stylistic manner that is easily legible despite obscured vision, viewing distances, or the user's inattentiveness. A minimalistic display may include a shape such as a geometric shape that presents the time by connecting the distal ends of the hour and minute indicators with a possibly time-varying curve. This curve aids in the interpretation of the time. Another embodiment of the invention displays, using a polar coordinate system, two physical parameters on single similar display in an aesthetically-pleasing, elegant, and intuitive method.