Timepiece able to indicate the sunrise or sunset anywhere in the world

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9335739-B2
Application number	US-201514862382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 7, 2014
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

The timepiece comprises means for indicating the sunrise and sunset taking account of seasonal variations. These means comprise a sphere reproducing the terrestrial globe, a shell arranged concentrically to the sphere and arranged to demarcate one portion of the terrestrial globe where it is night from another portion where it is day by indicating the position of the Earth's terminator. The shell can pivot about the globe on two axes perpendicular to each other. The shell is driven by the movement so as to rotate at a rate of one revolution per 24 hours about the polar axis. A disconnecting mechanism is controlled by an annual cam which has a profile representative of the tilt of the Sun with respect to the equatorial plane. The disconnecting mechanism controls the tilt of the shell about the axis by means of a drive shaft concentric to the polar axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising a timepiece movement and means for indicating the sunrise and sunset taking account of seasonal variations, said means comprising a sphere reproducing the terrestrial globe, a support, and a circle mounted on the support and arranged concentrically to the sphere, the circle being arranged to indicate the position of the Earth's terminator, the circle and the sphere being arranged to be able to pivot with respect to each other along two perpendicular axes, a first of the two axes, referred to as the polar axis, corresponding to the polar axis of the terrestrial globe, and the second axis, referred to as the ecliptic axis, intersecting the polar axis at the centre of the sphere, the circle being free to rotate with respect to the support about the ecliptic axis, the sunrise and sunset indicator 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 by the movement at the rate of one revolution per year, a cam follower arranged to cooperate with the cam, and a kinematic connection arranged to connect the cam follower to the circle such that the plane subtended by the circle forms, with the polar axis, an angle equal to the tilt angle of the Sun with respect to the equatorial plane, wherein:
the support is arranged to be driven by the movement so as to rotate at a rate of one revolution per 24 hours about the polar axis while driving the circle;
the sunrise and sunset indicator means comprise a drive shaft concentric to the polar axis and arranged to be driven in rotation at the same speed as the support, but angularly offset with respect to the support;
the kinematic connection between the cam follower and the circle comprises a disconnecting mechanism connected to the cam follower and to the drive shaft, and arranged such that the angular offset is representative of the tilt of the Sun with respect to the equatorial plane, the kinematic connection further comprising transmission means arranged such that a change in angular offset results in a corresponding change in the value of the angle between the plane subtended by the circle and the polar axis;
the kinematic connection between the cam follower and the circle is an intermittent connection, the disconnecting mechanism being arranged to periodically readjust the angular offset by forming a transient coupling between the drive shaft and the cam follower.

2. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the disconnecting mechanism is arranged to form the transient coupling between the drive shaft and the cam follower, and concurrently to disconnect the drive shaft from the movement.

3. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece comprises a dial, the polar axis being oriented parallel to the plane of the dial, and wherein the ecliptic axis is comprised in a plane perpendicular to the polar axis and which corresponds to the equatorial plane of the terrestrial globe.

4. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece is a watch.

5. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the sunrise and sunset indicator means taking account of seasonal variations comprise a shell arranged concentrically to the sphere reproducing the terrestrial globe, the shell being arranged to demarcate one portion of the terrestrial globe where it is night from another portion where it is day, and wherein the shell has the general shape of a half-sphere and has an edge of generally circular shape, the edge forming the circle arranged to indicate the position of the Earth's terminator.

6. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 5 , wherein the ecliptic axis is substantially collinear with a diameter of the circle, and wherein the shell carries two pivots extending the two ends of the diameter, the two pivots being respectively pivoted on first and second arms of the support.

7. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 6 , wherein the edge of the shell has two notches arranged in diametrically opposite positions midway between the two pivots.

8. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second arms of the support are pierced to increase the part of the surface of the terrestrial globe visible at a given time.

9. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 6 , wherein the first and second arms of the support are made of a transparent material to increase the part of the surface of the terrestrial globe visible at a given time.

10. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the timepiece comprises a calendar mechanism arranged to indicate the date and the month, and wherein the annual cam is kinematically connected to the calendar mechanism.

11. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the circle is kinematically connected to the drive shaft by a belt or a chain.

12. The timepiece comprising sunrise and sunset indicator means according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematic connection comprises a lever, one end of which forms the cam follower and the other end of which carries a rack meshing directly with an input of the disconnecting mechanism.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Gilomen Beat
• Willemin Michel
• Lechot Dominique

Classifications

• G04B19/262

  with indicators for astrological informations · CPC title

• G04B19/26 Primary

  Clocks or watches with indicators for tides, for the phases of the moon, or the like {(planetaria G09B27/00 - G09B27/06; arrangements for table reference, e.g. menstrual tables G06C3/00)} · CPC title

• G04B19/226

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