Timepiece with increased information view ability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11181864-B2
Application number	US-201916571512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 16, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2018
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

In a timepiece, moments of inertia of a first pointer and a second pointer that are for displaying first information and second information, respectively and that have a same rotation axis are the same. As a result, parts having identical specifications may be used in a drive mechanism of the first pointer and a drive mechanism of the second pointer. Further, color schemes of the first pointer and second pointer differ. As a result, a user may easily distinguish the first pointer and the second pointer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising:
a first pointer that rotates around a rotation axis;
a second pointer that rotates around the rotation axis independently of the first pointer and has a moment of inertia that is a same as a moment of inertia of the first pointer, the second pointer having a color scheme that is different from a color scheme of the first pointer; and
a controller that displays first information by controlling rotation of the first pointer and displays second information different from the first information, by controlling rotation of the second pointer.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein
in the first pointer, an hour hand that is shorter than the first pointer is drawn,
in the second pointer, a minute hand that is shorter than the second pointer and longer than the hour hand is drawn, and
the controller displays an hour of a current time by controlling the rotation of the first pointer and displays a minute of the current time by controlling the rotation of the second pointer.

3. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein
the hour hand and the minute hand are drawn in respectively different colors.

4. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein
a first pointing portion for displaying third information that is other than a time is provided at a tip of the first pointer,
a second pointing portion for displaying fourth information that is other than the time and different from the third information is provided at a tip of the second pointer, and
the controller, in a first state, displays the hour of the current time by controlling the rotation of the first pointer and displays the minute of the time by controlling the rotation of the second pointer, and while in a second state different from the first state, displays the third information by controlling the rotation of the first pointer and displays the fourth information by controlling the rotation of the second pointer.

5. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein
the first pointer and the second pointer rotate on a display face,
in the first pointer, a color of at least a part of a region in which the hour hand is not drawn is a color that is a same as a color of the display face, and
in the second pointer, a color of at least a part of a region in which the minute hand is not drawn is a color that is a same as the color of the display face.

6. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein
a length of the first pointer is a same as a length of the second pointer.

7. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein
a shape of the first pointer is a same as a shape of the second pointer.

8. The timepiece according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first motor that is controlled by the controller;
a first wheel train that transmits the rotation of the first motor to the first pointer;
a second motor that is controlled by the controller, a specification of the second motor is a same as a specification of the first motor; and
a second wheel train that transmits the rotation of the second motor to the second pointer, a specification of the second wheel train is a same as a specification of the first wheel train.

9. The timepiece according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a third pointer that changes pointing directions by rotation and different from the first pointer and the second pointer;
a display face that displays a plurality of arcs respectively included in a plurality of circles having radii that mutually differ and centers that coincide with a rotation center of the third pointer, of the plurality of arcs, a number of arcs present in the pointing direction of the third pointer as viewed from the rotation center of the third pointer differs according to the pointing direction of the third pointer;
a measuring unit that measures a predetermined physical quantity; and
a controller that controls the rotation of the third pointer so that, of the plurality of arcs, the number of arcs present in the point direction of the third pointer as viewed from the rotation center of the third pointer is a number corresponding to the physical quantity measured by the measuring unit.

10. The timepiece according to claim 9 , wherein
the plurality of arcs are arcs obtained by rotating at mutually differing rotation angles in a same direction around the rotation center of the third pointer, points that are on the plurality of circles and positioned along a single direction as viewed from the rotation center of the third pointer.

11. The timepiece according to claim 10 , wherein
arcs of the plurality of arcs are relatively shorter with increasing proximity of the arcs to the rotation center of the third pointer.

12. The timepiece according to claim 10 , wherein
the display face displays lines that extend toward the rotation center of the third pointer from first ends of the plurality of arcs, opposite second ends of the plurality of arcs, the second ends positioned along the single direction as viewed from the rotation center of the third pointer.

13. The timepiece according to claim 9 , wherein
a tip of the third pointer in pointing direction has a width that is less than a smallest difference in length between the plurality of arcs.

14. The timepiece according to claim 9 , wherein
a portion of the third pointer is visible to a user and has a color that is different from a color of the plurality of arcs.

15. The timepiece according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display unit that, of a plurality of operation modes that are mutually switchable, displays a current operation mode of the timepiece and has a portion visible to a user, a color of at least a part of the portion visible to the user is a predetermined color;
a first operation button that receives a user operation and has a portion visible to the user, a color of at least a part of the portion visible to the user is identical or similar to the predetermined color;
a second operation button that receives a user operation and different from the first operation button, the second operation button being free of a portion having a color identical or similar to the predetermined color; and
a controller that controls switching of an operation mode of the timepiece among the plurality of operation modes when the user operation is received by the first operation button and that performs an operation different from control when the user operation is received by the second operation button.

16. The timepiece according to claim 15 , wherein
the display unit includes a display face that includes notations representing the plurality of operation modes, and a third pointer that points to a notation that, of the notations on the display face, represents the current operation mode of the timepiece, the third pointer being different from the first pointer and the second pointer, at least a part of a portion of the notations or a part of a portion of the third pointer visible to the user has a color that is the predetermined color.

17. The timepiece according to claim 15 , wherein
the display unit is provided on a display face of a color not identical and not similar to the predetermined color.

18. The timepiece according to claim 15 , wherein
the first operation button is a crown.

19. The timepiece according to claim 15 , wherein
the first operation button is an operation button that is provided positioned nearest the display unit, among operation buttons of the timepiece receiving a user operation.

20. The timepiece according to claim

Assignees

• Citizen Watch Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okamura Naoaki
• Kuroda Akihiko

Classifications

• G04C10/04

  with means for indicating the condition of the power supply · CPC title

• G04B19/042 Primary

  Construction and manufacture of the hands; arrangements for increasing reading accuracy (hands with illumination G04B19/305; specially shaped hands, e.g. figures or pictures G04B45/0061; clockwork in the hands G04B45/043; invisible drive of the hands G04B45/046) · CPC title

• G04G21/02

  Detectors of external physical values, e.g. temperature · CPC title

• G04C10/02

  the power supply being a radioactive {or photovoltaic} source · CPC title

• G04G21/04

  using radio waves (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title