Timepiece comprising a day/night display that takes account of seasonal variations
AssigneeThe Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd
InventorsBeat GILOMEN, Dominique LECHOT
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims18
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 display mechanism for displaying the date and a display mechanism for displaying the month, the sunrise and sunset indicating means comprising a sphere that replicates the terrestrial globe, a support, and a ring mounted on the support 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 on the support 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, a cam follower arranged to cooperate with the cam, and a first kinematic chain arranged to connect the cam follower to the ring, such that the plane subtended by the ring forms with the first axis an angle equal to the angle of tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane;
- wherein 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, and 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.
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 display mechanism for displaying the date and a display mechanism for displaying the month, the sunrise and sunset indicating means comprising a sphere that replicates the terrestrial globe, a support, and a ring mounted on the support 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 on the support 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, a cam follower arranged to cooperate with the cam, and a first kinematic chain arranged to connect the cam follower to the ring, such that the plane subtended by the ring forms with the first axis an angle equal to the angle of tilt of the sun with respect to the equatorial plane;
- wherein 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 display mechanism for displaying the month, and 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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.