Electronic Timepiece Single Hand Calendar Display
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic timepieces require excessive time and power to display calendar information, particularly when switching between years elapsed since a leap year and other calendar details, due to the need for separate indicating hands.
Innovation Solution
An electronic timepiece design where a single indicating hand, such as a second hand, is used to display both years elapsed since a leap year and secondary calendar information like months or days, utilizing a dial divided into areas that allow simultaneous and quick indication of these details, reducing the need for multiple hands and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If separate indicating hands are used to display years elapsed since a leap year and other calendar information, then the calendar information can be displayed, but the time required to display the calendar information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single indicating hand is designed to perform multiple functions: displaying time (seconds, minutes, hours) and displaying calendar information (years elapsed since leap year and other calendar details). By making the indicating hand universal, the patent eliminates the need for separate hands for different calendar displays, thereby reducing the time required to switch between different calendar information displays while maintaining complete calendar information display capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the function of displaying years elapsed since a leap year and displaying other calendar information into a single indicating hand system. The dial is divided into multiple areas with different markings, and the same indicating hand points to different markings to display different calendar information, combining multiple display functions into one unified mechanism.
2Loss of information
If separate indicating hands are used to display years elapsed since a leap year and other calendar information, then the calendar information can be displayed, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicating hand is designed as a multi-functional component that displays both time information and calendar information (years elapsed since leap year and other calendar details). This universality reduces the total number of moving components that need to be powered, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining complete calendar information display capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple display functions into a single indicating hand system, reducing the number of separate motors or power sources needed to drive multiple hands. This merging of functions directly reduces power consumption by eliminating redundant power requirements for separate indicating hands.
3Loss of information
If multiple indicating hands are used to display different calendar information, then each piece of information can be displayed separately, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The indicating hand is designed to serve multiple purposes: displaying time and displaying different calendar information by pointing to different areas or markings on the dial. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, thereby simplifying the device structure while maintaining comprehensive calendar information display capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple indicating hands into a single indicating hand system. The dial is designed with multiple divided areas and markings that can be indicated by the same hand at different times or positions, combining what would traditionally require multiple hands into one unified indicating mechanism, thus reducing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic timepiece includes a second hand, a dial having a display area provided with a plurality of markings corresponding to the second hand, and a display controller that controls driving operation of the second hand to cause the second hand to display calendar information. The display area, when viewed from a timepiece front side, is divided by two straight lines that pass through a rotating shaft of the second hand and are perpendicular to each other into four divided areas. Each of the divided areas is related to years elapsed since a leap year, and each of the markings is related to the month. The display controller, when causing the second hand to display the calendar information, causes the second hand to point at one of the markings in one of the four divided areas to display the elapsed years and the month.