Electronic Timepiece Crown Stop Position Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic timepieces require users to operate the crown and button differently for adjusting local time, leading to poor operability and increased chances of errors, especially for untrained users.
Innovation Solution
An electronic timepiece with a rotatable crown that can be pulled out to multiple stop positions, featuring a stop position detector and operation detector to adjust time differences uniformly based on the stop position, allowing for intuitive time setting without the need for button operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different operations are required for different adjustment amounts, then time setting flexibility is improved, but operability deteriorates and error rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different adjustment amounts (1 hour vs. 15 minutes) to different crown stop positions. Each position has a specialized function: the first stop position provides 1-hour adjustments for coarse time setting, while the second stop position provides 15-minute adjustments for finer tuning. This localized differentiation maintains flexibility while simplifying user operation within each position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the adjustment amount parameter based on the crown's stop position. When the crown is at the first stop position, the adjustment amount is set to 1 hour per operation. When at the second stop position, the adjustment amount changes to 15 minutes per operation. This parameter change allows the system to provide different levels of precision without requiring multiple operation modes.
2Measurement precision
If multiple operation modes are used for time adjustment, then adjustment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the time adjustment function into two distinct phases based on crown position: coarse adjustment (1-hour increments at first stop position) and fine adjustment (15-minute increments at second stop position). This segmentation allows users to first set the approximate time using larger increments, then refine the setting with smaller increments, achieving high precision without complex operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment amounts that automatically change based on the crown's stop position. The system transitions from 1-hour adjustments to 15-minute adjustments as the user moves from the first to the second stop position. This dynamic behavior provides adaptive precision control without requiring the user to manually select different operation modes.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic timepiece improves operability when manually adjusting the time. The electronic timepiece includes: a time display configured to indicate the time; a rotatable crown that can be pulled out to multiple stop positions, including a first position and a second position; a stop position detector configured to detect the stop position of the crown; an operation detector configured to detect an operation rotating the crown; and a time setter configured to change the time displayed by the time display according to an adjustment amount that differs according to the stop position at each detected operation when the stop position is the first position or the second position and the operating detector detects the operation.