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JP-7856266-B2 - Dial and wristwatch

JP7856266B2JP 7856266 B2JP7856266 B2JP 7856266B2JP-7856266-B2

Inventors

  • デュビュニョン、 ドミニク
  • トルトラ、 ピエルパスカル
  • ユオ－マルシャン、 シルバン
  • クールボアジエ、 ラファエル

Assignees

  • ウーテーアー・エス・アー・マニファクチュール・オロロジェール・スイス

Dates

Publication Date
20260511
Application Date
20241118
Priority Date
20231222

Claims (20)

  1. The dial (2a, 2b) of the wristwatch (1), The watch (1) includes a determination device (3) for determining the position of at least one hand (24a, 24b), the dial (2a, 2b) includes a visible surface (20a) and a hidden surface (20b), the dial (2a, 2b) is formed by a laminate (9a, 9b) of layers (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) extending between the visible surface (20a) and the hidden surface (20b), each of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) includes at least one light-detecting element (23) in the determination device (3), - At least one first light source (4a) and at least one second light source (4b), A standalone power supply unit (21) including a photovoltaic module (5), - Includes one or more of the functional elements of each light source (4a, 4b) and a control unit (7) that manages the operation of at least one of the light detection elements (23), The at least one first light source (4a) and the at least one photodetector (23) are arranged such that the position of the at least one needle (24a, 24b) is determined by the reflection of a light beam (29a) emitted by the at least one first light source (4a) toward the at least one photodetector (23) by the at least one needle (24a, 24b). The dial (2a, 2b ) is capable of generating a visual message which is a function of the determined position of the at least one second light source (4b) of the at least one needle (24a, 24b) .
  2. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, comprising through holes configured to receive a spindle (25) intended to support at least one hand (24a, 24b) of the wristwatch (1).
  3. The laminate (9a, 9b) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) consists of a first layer (10) on which the visible surface (20a) of the dial (2a, 2b) is provided, and the first layer (10) includes the at least one light detection element (23), the at least one first light source (4a) , and the at least one second light source ( 4b), as described in claim 1.
  4. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 3, wherein the laminate (9a, 9b) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13, 14) includes a second layer (11) equipped with the photovoltaic module (5).
  5. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source (4a) is configured to emit a light beam (29a) toward the reflection area (26) of the at least one needle (24a, 24b), and the reflection area (26) is configured to reflect the light beam (29a) toward the at least one light detection element (23).
  6. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source (4a) is configured to emit a light beam (29a) toward a reflection area (26) of the at least one needle (24a, 24b), the reflection area (26) is configured to reflect the light beam (29a) toward the at least one photodetector (23), and the reflection area (26) includes an inclined reflective surface (27) formed on the lower surface of the at least one needle (24a, 24b).
  7. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first light source (4a) is configured to emit a light beam (29a) toward a reflection area (26) of the at least one needle (24a, 24b), the reflection area (26) is configured to reflect the light beam (29a) toward the at least one photodetector (23), the reflection area (26) includes a diffraction grating (28) formed on the lower surface of the at least one needle (24a, 24b), and the diffraction grating (28) is configured to reflect the light beam (29a) toward the at least one photodetector (23).
  8. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein at least one first light source (4a) is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser light source.
  9. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein the visual message includes a graphic representation related to the position .
  10. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second light source (4b) has a predetermined shape including the shape of numbers, letters, indices, lines, dots, logos, or text.
  11. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 3, wherein the first layer (10) is configured to allow light emission to pass through completely or partially.
  12. The second layer (11) includes a substrate on which the photovoltaic module (5) is printed, as described in claim 4 (2a, 2b).
  13. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 4, wherein the photovoltaic module (5) is positioned in the effective area of the second layer (11), and the effective area is positioned to receive light rays emitted from the first layer (10) of the laminate (9a, 9b) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13, 14).
  14. The dial (2a) according to claim 1, wherein the laminate (9a) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13) includes a third layer (12) having an electrical energy storage device (6) that constitutes the standalone power supply unit (21).
  15. The laminate (9a) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13) includes a third layer (12) having an electrical energy storage device (6) that constitutes the standalone power supply unit (21), and the third layer (12) includes a substrate on which the electrical energy storage device (6) is printed, the dial (2a) according to claim 1.
  16. The laminate (9a) of the layers (10, 11, 12, 13) includes a fourth layer (13) that forms the hidden surface (20b) of the dial (2a) including the control unit (7), according to claim 1.
  17. The laminate (9b) of the layers (10, 11, 14) includes a third layer (14) which includes the hidden surface (20b) of the dial (2b) that constitutes the control unit (7), and an electrical energy storage unit (6) that constitutes the standalone power supply unit (21), wherein the dial (2b) according to claim 1.
  18. The dial (2a, 2b) according to claim 3, wherein the first layer (10) is rigid compared to the other layers (11, 12, 13, 14) in the laminate (9a, 9b), which are flexible.
  19. A wristwatch (1) including the dials (2a, 2b) described in claim 1.
  20. A wristwatch (1) according to claim 19, comprising a mechanical or electromechanical watch movement.

Description

The present invention relates to a wristwatch including a dial, wherein a device for determining the position of at least one hand of the wristwatch is provided on the dial, and such device is autonomous. Prior art documents describe electromechanical wristwatches with hands, where the hour and minute hands, which display the current time, are driven by a gear train within the watch movement's mechanism. In this context, the operation of the mechanism may be disrupted by shocks, electromagnetic fields, or other disturbances to the wristwatch. As a result, even if the internal clock of the wristwatch accurately displays the current time, the hour and minute hands will give a distorted display of this time due to the influence of the disturbance applied to the wristwatch. Therefore, it may be necessary to resynchronize the positions of the hour and minute hands. In this context, it is understood that there is a need to find solutions that overcome the shortcomings of prior art. The objective of this invention is to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a wristwatch equipped with a dial that includes a device for determining the position of at least one hand, which is autonomous and maintains a constant efficiency over time. One aspect of the present invention relates to a watch dial including a device for determining the position of at least one hand of the watch, wherein the dial includes a visible surface and a hidden surface, and the dial is formed of a laminate of thin layers of material extending between these two surfaces, each of which is a functional element included in the determination device, i.e., • At least one light detection element, - At least a first light source and at least a second light source, • A standalone power supply unit including a photovoltaic module, - Includes one or more of the following: each light source and a control unit that manages the operation of at least one of the photodetector elements. In other embodiments, The dial includes a through-hole configured to receive a spindle that supports at least one of the hands of the wristwatch, - The laminate of thin layers of material consists of a first layer on which the visible surface of the dial is provided, and the first layer includes the at least one light detection element and the first and second light sources. - The laminate of thin material layers includes a second layer containing a photovoltaic module. - The at least one first light source and the at least one photodetector are arranged such that a light beam emitted by the at least one first light source is reflected toward the at least one photodetector by the at least one needle. - The at least one first light source is configured to emit a light beam toward the reflection area of the at least one needle, and the reflection area is configured to reflect this light beam toward the at least one photodetector. - The reflective area includes an inclined reflective surface formed on the lower surface of at least one of the needles. The reflection area includes a diffraction grating formed on the underside of at least one needle, and the diffraction grating is configured to reflect a light beam toward at least one photodetector. - The at least one first light source is a vertical cavity type surface-emitting laser light source, - The at least one second light source is capable of generating a visual message according to the determined position of the at least one needle. The first layer is configured to allow light radiation, particularly solar radiation and light radiation emitted by the first and second light sources, to pass through completely or partially. The second layer includes a substrate on which the photovoltaic module is printed. - The photovoltaic module is positioned in the effective area of the second layer, and the area is positioned to receive light rays emitted from the first layer of the laminate of thin layers. - The thin layered structure includes a third layer comprising an electrical energy storage device that constitutes a standalone power supply unit. The third layer includes a substrate on which an electrical energy storage device is printed. - The thin layered structure includes a fourth layer that forms the hidden surface of the dial, which includes the control unit. The thin laminate includes a third layer which includes a hidden surface of the dial containing the control unit, and an electrical energy storage unit which constitutes a standalone power supply unit. The first layer is rigid compared to the other flexible layers in the laminate. Another aspect of the present invention relates to a wristwatch including such a dial. Advantageously, a wristwatch may contain either a mechanical or electromechanical movement. The purpose, advantages, and features of the wristwatch according to the present invention will become clear in the following description, which is given based on at least one non-limiting embodiment shown in the drawings. The