Timepiece comprising a day/night display that takes account of seasonal variations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10775745-B2
Application number	US-201715835518-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2017
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A timepiece movement, a calendar mechanism and device for indicating the sunrise and sunset that takes account of seasonal variations. The simple calendar mechanism includes a display mechanism for displaying the date and a display mechanism for displaying the month. The sunrise and sunset indicating device also includes an annual cam having a profile representative of the tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane and arranged to be driven in rotation via the hour wheel set through a kinematic chain that passes through the month display device and has a transmission ratio of 1:744.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising:
a timepiece movement;
a calendar mechanism; and
means for indicating the sunrise and sunset that take account of seasonal variations,
the timepiece movement comprising a minute wheel set, a motion-work, an hour indicator member, and an hour wheel set integral in rotation with the hour indicator member and arranged to be driven by the minute wheel set via the motion-work either at a speed of one revolution in 12 hours, or at a speed of one revolution in 24 hours,
the calendar mechanism being arranged to be driven via the hour wheel set and comprising a date display and a month display,
the sunrise and sunset indicating means comprising a sphere that replicates the terrestrial globe and a ring mounted concentrically to the sphere and arranged to indicate the position of the earth's terminator, the sphere being arranged to be driven in order to rotate, at a rate of one revolution in 24 hours, about a first axis corresponding to the polar axis of the terrestrial globe, and the ring being mounted in order also to be able to pivot relative to the sphere about a second axis intersecting the first axis perpendicularly at the centre of the sphere, the sunset and sunrise indicating means further comprising an annual cam having a profile representative of the tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane, and arranged to be driven in rotation at a rate of one revolution per year, the plane subtended by the ring forming with the first axis an angle equal to the angle of tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane;
wherein all months of the calendar mechanism include 31 days such that the calendar mechanism is a simple calendar mechanism,
wherein the timepiece movement comprises a third kinematic chain connecting the annual cam to the hour wheel set via the display mechanism for displaying the month,
wherein, either the third kinematic chain has a transmission ratio of 1:744 in the case where the hour wheel set is arranged to be driven by the motion work at a speed of one revolution in 12 hours, or the third kinematic chain has a transmission ratio of 1:372 in the case where the hour wheel set is arranged to be driven by the motion work at a speed of one revolution in 24 hours, and
wherein the third kinematic chain comprises a reduction gear train with a ratio of 1:744 and comprising a reduction wheel set which comprises an 18-tooth pinion and which is integral in rotation with the hour wheel set, the pinion of the reduction wheel set meshing with a 36-tooth wheel of a first intermediate wheel set arranged to complete one revolution in 24 hours, the first intermediate wheel set being provided with two fingers arranged respectively to advance step-by-step, once in 24 hours, a date star-wheel comprising 31 teeth, and a 40-tooth star-wheel of a second intermediate wheel set, the second intermediate wheel set further comprising a 10-tooth pinion coaxially integral with the 40-tooth star-wheel, the 10-tooth pinion being arranged to mesh with a toothing of 93 teeth of an annual wheel set on which the annual cam is mounted.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece has a second kinematic chain connecting the hour wheel set to the sphere in order to drive the sphere at a rate of one revolution in 24 hours, and wherein the timepiece movement comprises a manually actuatable time zone correction mechanism arranged to pivot the hour wheel set step-by-step independently of the motion work, and a disengagement mechanism arranged to disengage the second kinematic chain when the time zone correction mechanism pivots the hour wheel set to change from summer time to winter time, or vice versa.

3. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein the timepiece movement comprises a first hour wheel meshing with the motion work and a second hour wheel, which is integral with said hour wheel set, and wherein the time zone correction mechanism comprises a disengageable coupling device arranged to make the first and second hour wheels integral in rotation in one or other of a plurality of predefined relative angular positions, said angular positions being equidistant and spaced apart from each other by an angle corresponding to the distance travelled in one hour by the hour indicator member.

4. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece movement comprises a manually actuatable time-setting device arranged to act on the minute wheel set and the motion work, such that the hour wheel set, the hour indicator member, the date display, the month display, the annual cam and the angular position of the sphere are also affected.

5. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the sunrise and sunset indicating means that takes account of seasonal variations comprises a shell arranged concentrically to the sphere replicating the terrestrial globe, the shell being arranged to demarcate one part of the terrestrial globe where it is night time from another part where it is daytime, and wherein the shell has the general shape of a half-sphere and has a rim of generally circular shape, the rim forming the ring arranged to indicate the position of the earth's terminator.

6. The timepiece according to claim 5 , wherein the second axis is substantially collinear with a diameter of the ring.

7. The timepiece according to claim 6 , wherein the rim forming the ring has two notches arranged in diametrically opposite positions midway between two pivots.

8. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece is a watch.

9. A timepiece comprising:
a timepiece movement;
a calendar mechanism; and
means for indicating the sunrise and sunset that take account of seasonal variations,
the timepiece movement comprising a minute wheel set, a motion work, an hour indicator member, and an hour wheel set integral in rotation with the hour indicator member and arranged to be driven by the minute wheel set via the motion-work either at a speed of one revolution in 12 hours, or at a speed of one revolution in 24 hours,
the calendar mechanism being arranged to be driven via the hour wheel set and comprising a date display and a month display,
the sunrise and sunset indicating means comprising a sphere that replicates the terrestrial globe and a ring mounted concentrically to the sphere and arranged to indicate the position of the earth's terminator, the ring being arranged to be driven in order to rotate, at a rate of one revolution in 24 hours, about a first axis corresponding to the polar axis of the terrestrial globe, and the ring being also mounted in order also to be able to pivot relative to the sphere about a second axis intersecting the first axis perpendicularly at the centre of the sphere, the sunset and sunrise indicating means further comprising an annual cam having a profile representative of the tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane, and arranged to be driven in rotation at a rate of one revolution per year, the plane subtended by the ring forming with the first axis an angle equal to the angle of tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane,
wherein all months of the calendar mechanism include 31 days such that the calendar mechanism is a simple calendar mechanism,
wherein that the timepiece movement comprises a third kinematic chain connecting the annual cam to the hour wheel set via the month display,
wherein, either the third kinematic chain has a transmission ratio of 1:744 in the case where the hour wheel set is arranged to be driven by the motion work at a speed of one revolution in 12 hours, or the third kinematic chain has a transmission ratio of 1:372 in the case where the hour wheel set is arranged to be driven by the motion work at a speed of one revolution in 24

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Gilomen Beat
• Lechot Dominique

Classifications

• G04B19/226

  three-dimensionally shaped, e.g. terrestrial globes, cylinders and the like · CPC title

• G04B19/25366

  manually corrected at the end of months having less than 31 days · CPC title

• G04B19/262 Primary

  with indicators for astrological informations · CPC title

• G04B19/24 Primary

  Clocks or watches with date {or week-day} indicators {, i.e. calendar clocks or watches}; Clockwork calendars · CPC title