EP1394640B1 - Timepiece with tactile reading and operation of time information - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a timepiece with tactile reading and control of the time information. The invention relates more particularly to a wristwatch allowing a user of average attention, being in conditions where he does not want or can not look at the dial, to know without sound signal perceptible by his entourage the current time or to be informed of an alarm time that can also be selected, turned on or off without visual control. This is for example the case of a user being in conditions of reduced visibility, for example at dusk, or a user with a visual impairment, or even a blind user.

The principle of such a wristwatch, the external appearance of which does not distinguish it from other time-only wristwatches visually, is already known for example by the US Patent 5,559,761 . According to this principle, capacitive, inductive or other sensors are arranged on the periphery of the ice and each sensor is activated individually by the presence of a finger by triggering a vibrating device which delivers trains of non-sonic vibrations representative of a time information. or a mode of operation. The vibrating device used is for example the one described in US Patent 5,365,497 . In practice, after a certain number of more or less complex manipulations at the level of pushers or the crown, by short or long pressure, by traction or by successively combining several operations, the user follows the periphery of the ice with his finger or position it on a single sensor until it perceives vibrations at the level of his finger or wrist. To determine the position detected or chosen, he must bring his finger on the bezel which has as many raised or recessed markers as sensors, then count the number of positions separating it from the crown constituting the basic reference. To facilitate the determination of a position, the US Patent 6,052,339 proposes to have for all the sensors marks carried by the telescope extending beyond this one so that the user can also follow with his finger the edge of the middle part.

Despite these improvements, the wristwatches corresponding to the aforementioned prior art still have a questionable aesthetic appearance, and above all still require a significant learning to "read" the time or to control a time function. According to the description of US Patent 6,052,339 To change the alarm time, briefly press the crown, briefly touch the sensor at 6 o'clock, then pull the crown before you can finally select a new alarm time.

The present invention therefore aims to make much simpler manipulations to be performed to read or order touch time information and especially to make these manipulations very easily memorized by a user of average attention.

• un circuit garde temps;
• au moins un moteur pas à pas pour entraîner individuellement chaque aiguille;
• un dispositif générateur de vibrations non sonores;
• au moins une source d'énergie pour le circuit garde temps, les moteurs pas à pas et le dispositif générateur de vibration.
• un ensemble de douze capteurs disposés sur le pourtour de la glace en regard des douze positions horaires, et
• un circuit électronique d'interprétation et de codage associé au circuit garde-temps et recevant des capteurs et de la couronne des signaux pour piloter le dispositif générateur de vibrations.

For this purpose the invention relates to a timepiece with analog display by needles, and more particularly a wristwatch of usual appearance and having on the middle part of a single crown-push. The box closed by an ice surrounded by a fixed telescope contains, in the space delimited by the dial and the bottom:

• a circuit time keeper;
• at least one stepping motor for individually driving each needle;
• a device generating non-sonic vibrations;
• at least one energy source for the timekeeping circuit, the stepper motors and the vibration generating device.
• a set of twelve sensors arranged on the periphery of the ice opposite the twelve hour positions, and
• an electronic circuit for interpreting and coding associated with the time-keeping circuit and receiving sensors and the ring gear for controlling the vibration-generating device.

This timepiece is characterized in that the bezel has only four marks at the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions and that the electronic circuit is designed to recognize at the same time a determined manipulation at the level of the pusher (short or long pressure, traction), the activation of an individual sensor, any sensor in a group of contiguous sensors, as well as the clockwise or anti-clockwise activation of contiguous sensors. This design has the advantage, as will be seen later, to eliminate the count of the number of reference relative to the ring, and to reduce to two the number of operations to be performed before acting on the sensors.

• les figures 1 et 2 représentent un premier mode de réalisation et de fonctionnement;
• les figures 3 et 4 représentent un deuxième mode de réalisation et de fonctionnement;
• les figures 5 et 6 représentent un troisième mode de réalisation et de fonctionnement;
• les figures 7 et 8 représentent un quatrième mode de réalisation et de fonctionnement;
• les figures 9A, 9B représentent un cinquième mode de réalisation et de fonctionnement;
• la figure 10 représente un dernier mode de fonctionnement, et
• la figure 11 représente une coupe diamétrale de la montre-bracelet représentée à la figure 2, selon la ligne Xl-Xl.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the detailed description which follows, made with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• the Figures 1 and 2 represent a first embodiment and operation;
• the Figures 3 and 4 represent a second embodiment and operation;
• the Figures 5 and 6 represent a third embodiment and operation;
• the Figures 7 and 8 represent a fourth embodiment and operation;
• the Figures 9A, 9B represent a fifth embodiment and operation;
• the figure 10 represents a last mode of operation, and
• the figure 11 represents a diametral section of the wristwatch shown in FIG. figure 2 , according to the line Xl-Xl.

Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and 11 have seen that the wristwatch shown comprises a box 1 formed by a middle part 3 sealed, at its base by a bottom 2, and at its upper part by a glass 4 disposed above a dial 5 having a display analogically by means of an hour hand 6 and a minute hand 7. Since the watch to be described also makes it possible to read the time quite normally visually, the display could also include a second hand. The upper part of the middle part 2 supports a fixed telescope 8 helping to seal the ice. A push-crown 9, on which it is possible to exert either a short or long pressure, or a pull, is positioned on the middle 2 to 3h. A brief pressure is a pressure exerted for example for less than 2 seconds, and a long pressure for more than 2 seconds. In the schematic section of the figure 11 , where the assembly means are not shown as being well known to those skilled in the art, it can be seen that the space delimited by the box 1 and the dial 5 is occupied by a horometric movement schematically represented by a guard circuit. time 10, by a stepping motor 11, by a vibratory device 20, and by an electronic interpretation and coding circuit 15, the assembly being powered by a power source 24.

The vibratory device 20 is for example that described in FIG. US Patent 5,365,497 already cited. It basically consists of an electromagnetic motor 21 capable of transmitting an oscillatory movement to a mass 23 via an elastic connection 22. The vibration, or the train of vibrations, thus created can be perceived at any point of the box and the wrist of the user in the case of a wristwatch taken for illustrative purposes in this description. The coding of vibrations or vibration trains is substantially the same as that described in FIG. US Patent 6,052,339 . The wristwatch according to the invention obviously allows a usual reading of the hour visually, but also a "tactile" reading by means of twelve capacitive sensors C1 to C12 disposed under the ice above each hour mark, said sensors being electrically connected to the electronic interpretation and coding circuit 15 which is arranged to discriminate the position of a stationary finger on a single sensor, or a sensor belonging to a group of sensors, of the outcropping of a finger on sensors successive clockwise or counterclockwise. As will be seen later this feature of the electronic circuit makes it particularly easy tactile reading time information. For the discriminating clockwise / anti-clockwise will be used in the electronic circuit 15 for example the circuit proposed in the US Patent 4,369,440 but other types of circuit may also be used.

The position of each sensor, designated generally by Ci, is identified by the telescope 8 which has four marks R3, R6, R9 and R12 located at the four positions at 3h, 6h, 9h and 12h. In this first embodiment each marker is formed by two bars 12a, 12b arranged in relief on the bezel and having the same spacing as the width of the sensor associated with the edge of the window 4. Thus, for example, the user who detects vibrations, with his finger that he passed without knowing it on the ice above the C3 sensor, immediately identifies the mark R3 through the two bars 12a, 12b that he feels with his finger on the inner edge of the telescope 8 , this identification can be made without risk of confusion with the bars of the other three pins which are spacially sufficiently distant. The user then knows that his finger was on the time position at 3 o'clock. Conversely, if he wants to select this time position at 3 o'clock, he can easily locate the bars 12a, 12b of the mark R3 and slide his finger on the ice on the sensor C3.

If, for example around the hour position at 3 o'clock, after perceiving vibrations, he only senses a single bar that blocks the movement of his finger in the clockwise direction, he knows that he is before the mark R3 and that the sensor that has delivered vibrations to it is the sensor C2, corresponding to the time position at 2 o'clock.

Conversely, if, after perceiving vibrations, he feels only one bar that blocks the movement of his finger in the counter-clockwise direction, he knows that he has passed the mark R3 and that the sensor that delivered him vibration is the C4 sensor corresponding to the time position at 4 o'clock.

As indicated above for the 3 o'clock position, the user can perform the reverse operation and easily select the hourly positions at 2 o'clock or 4h, and act the same for any of the three landmarks. Thus, with only four marks each associated with three time positions, the user can easily and unambiguously know or select any time position.

The figure 2 will now allow us to understand the operation of a wristwatch according to the invention in "Reading current time" mode represented by way of example at 9h19. First press the crown 9 briefly to switch to touch mode. As will be seen later other manipulations, long pressure or traction, also switch to touch mode. Touch mode only persists for a limited time. If the manipulations at the sensors are interrupted, for example for more than 10s, the touch mode is interrupted, this duration being reinitialized with each new manipulation. This design has the advantage of increasing the lifespan of the energy source, generally constituted by a battery, while leaving all the time necessary for the user to know, in this case, the time, or even control the hourly information he has detected.

Thus, after having exerted a brief pressure he traverses with his finger the edge of the ice in the clockwise direction, detectable as previously indicated by the electronic circuit 15 to switch to "reading the current time" mode. It will be observed that this manipulation is easily memorizable because this meaning corresponds to the natural direction of rotation of the needles. Assuming that he has begun to flush the edge of the ice from 6 o'clock, he will perceive a continuous vibration coding the hours when his finger is above the C9 sensor, a position he will easily identify as being 9 o'clock thanks to the landmark R9. Continuing to flush the edge of the ice, his finger will be positioned on the C3 sensor where he will repeatedly perceive countable vibration trains, coding the minutes (1 to 4 minutes) to add to the detected time position , each vibration train being separated by longer pauses. Thanks to the R3 mark, the user knows that he is on the time position at 3 o'clock, that is to say 15 minutes, to which he adds the 4 vibrations that he can count in each train of vibrations; in total 19 minutes.

By way of example, each vibration has a duration of 125 ms, separated from the next vibration by a pause of 375 ms, each vibration train being separated from the next by a longer pause of 875 ms.

Assuming that the minute hand was exactly 15 minutes, the user would have perceived a train of uncountable vibrations, that is to say vibrations separated by breaks too short to allow their counting. In Lastly, when the two hands are superimposed, the coding of the time and the coding of the minutes are chained.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 a second embodiment is described below, and the operation of the wristwatch in a mode "Reading the alarm time".

On the figure 3 , it can be seen that the four marks R3, R6, R9 and R12 are formed by bosses 14, and allow easy identification of the sensors C1 to C12 in the same manner as indicated above. Equivalently we can replace these bosses 14, soft connections with the bezel by geometric shapes having connections at sharper angles with the bezel.

The figure 4 shows schematically how to read the alarm time, or more precisely how to control an alarm time that would have been set for example at 7:22 but, that we would have forgotten. After applying a brief pressure on the crown, the user moves the edge of the ice with his or her finger anti-clockwise, a manipulation that he can easily memorize as being the reverse manipulation of that performed to read the current time. This manipulation brings the hands to the position of the last alarm time set. If the user can watch his watch he can remove his finger without waiting for coding by train of vibrations. In the opposite case, this reading is carried out in the same way as above. When the finger of the user arrives on the sensor C7 he perceives a continuous vibration coding 7h, and when his finger reaches the sensor C4 he perceives trains of two vibrations to be added to the 20 minutes corresponding to the time position at 4 o'clock. Since there is no risk of confusion between the coding of the time and that of the minutes, it will be observed that the order in which the time sensor (Ch) and the minute sensor (Cm) are detected has not been detected. no importance. This is also true for reading the current time previously described.

The figure 5 represents a third embodiment in which the four marks R3, R6, R9 and R12 are formed by depressions 16 in the telescope, contributing as previously to easy identification of the time positions.

The figure 6 shows schematically how to turn the alarm on (ON), or off (OFF).

On the figure 6 two bean-shaped zones covering three consecutive sensors Ci, Ci + 1, Ci + 2, namely the sensors C11, C12 and C1 for the zone 17 corresponding to the ON state, and the sensors C5, C6 and C7, have been represented. for zone 19 corresponding to the OFF state.

To put the alarm in the ON state, the user exerts a brief pressure on the crown 9 and then places his finger in the zone 17, easily identifiable with the marker R12 and hold it without moving in this position. The watch then emits two vibrations indicating that this state has been memorized. Similarly to put the alarm in the OFF state it performs the same manipulation by positioning his finger on the area 19 at the R6 mark and holds it without moving in this position. The watch then emits a single vibration indicating that this state has been memorized.

The vibrations giving off the ON / OFF state can be confirmed by the alarm vibration if the user holds his finger on the zone 17 or 19 long enough, for example more than 7 seconds. This is also a "demonstration" mode on a point of sale to show the touch operation of the watch, without disrupting it.

It will be observed that the user does not need to be very attentive because the three sensors of each zone fulfill exactly the same function.

The figure 7 represents a fourth embodiment in which the four marks R3, R6, R9 and R12 are constituted by rough surfaces 18 on the telescope. This embodiment may be advantageous for aesthetic reasons. It is indeed possible to give, for example by guilloche, a uniform visual appearance to the entire bezel by filling with a smooth synthetic resin spaces between the marks.

In the two previous examples, we saw how to control an alarm time and how to put it ON or OFF. With the schematic figure 8 we now explain how to change the alarm time from 7:22 to 12:15. For this the user first exerts a long pressure on the ring 9, for example between 2 and 10s. He selects on the telescope 8 the reference R12 corresponding to the position 12h and slides his finger on the ice: the hour hand 6 moves to this position and the user perceives a continuous vibration. After removing the finger, it also selects the mark R3 corresponding to 15 minutes: the minute hand 7 moves to this position and the user perceives a train of three uncountable vibrations. The user must then remove his finger and the alarm is set at the chosen time in the ON state. If the user holds his finger on the sensor R3, he will perceive after a long pause, for example a second, a new vibration indicating that the alarm time is now set at 12:16, and so on until 12:19.

Schematic representations of Figures 9A, 9B show a fifth embodiment and explain how a user can, without looking at the dial also put his watch on time from a "sound top" delivered by a radio or a talking clock. This fifth embodiment is in fact a variant of the previous embodiment. Indeed, the marks R3, R6, R9 and R12 are reported on the ice 4, which is easily achievable by known techniques, and virtually invisible to the naked eye.

At first, the user pulls on the crown 9 ( Fig. 9A ), which corresponds to the usual handling on most watches to perform a time setting. It then selects, according to the mode indicated above to change the alarm time, a time close to the next "sound top". When he hears the sound, he presses the crown again.

When the wristwatch has a stepper motor, there may be a shift of the hands relative to the time reference at 12 o'clock. The figure 10 shows schematically that it is also possible, to perform this initialization by bringing the needles 6, 7 in perfect superposition to the time position at 12 o'clock. This relatively rare manipulation must be done under visual control. For this the user exerts a long pressure on the ring 9 and then places his finger on any one of the two zones 27a or 27b formed of two sensors, respectively located near the mark R3 for the sensors C2 and C3 and near the mark R9 for the C9 and C10 sensors: the hour hand is positioned at 12 o'clock. These two zones simply allow the direction of rotation of the needle, in the clockwise direction for zone 27a and in the counterclockwise direction for zone 27b. Their position is also provided so that a finger on one of these areas does not mask the time reference at 12 o'clock. It acts the same with the zones 29a, 29b respectively corresponding to the sensors C4, C5 and C7, C8 to bring the needle 7 minutes in perfect superposition with the needle 6 hours. During these manipulations the counters of the horometric movement continue to be incremented, so that after the "time-out" of 10s the hands 6, 7 return to the position indicating the exact time, without angular offset. As with the ON / OFF function of the alarm function, the presence of two sensors providing the same function in the same zone, brings the user comfort by requiring much less attention than the reading of the current time or alarm time.

The composition of the zones 17, 19, 27a, 27b 29a, 29b and their location have been given in this description only by way of example, and it is quite obvious that the person skilled in the art can make changes that do not go out. not within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (15)

1. Timepiece with touch-type reading and control of time data including:

   - a case (1) formed of a back cover (3) and a middle part (2) closed by a glass (4) arranged above a dial (5) with analogue display by means of hands (6, 7), said glass being surrounded by a fixed bezel (8) mounted on the middle part (3) including a crown-push-button (9);

   - a timekeeping circuit (10);

   - at least one stepping motor (11, 13) for driving each hand (6, 7) individually;

   - a non-acoustic vibration generator (20);

   - at least one energy source (24) powering the timekeeping circuit (10), the stepping motors (11, 13) and the vibration generator device (20);

   - a set of twelve sensors (C1 to C12) arranged on the periphery of the glass (4) facing twelve time positions and arranged to be run over by a finger; and

   - an electronic interpretation and coding circuit (15) associated with the timekeeping circuit (10) and receiving from the sensors (C1 to C12) and the crown-push-button (9) signals for driving the vibration generator device (20),

   characterised in that the bezel (8) is provided with four markings (R3, R6, R9, R12) arranged facing the four 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions and in that the electronic circuit (15) is designed to recognise both a specific manipulation on the crown-push-button (9) such as a pull, a brief pressure or a longer pressure, the activation of an individual sensor (Ci), of any sensor in a group of contiguous sensors (Ci, Ci+1...), and the order in which contiguous sensors are activated.
2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each marking (Rj) is formed of two bars (12a, 12b) projecting from the bezel (8) and arranged on both sides of a sensor corresponding to the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions.
3. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each marking (Rj) is formed of a projection (14) projecting from the bezel (8) by a sensor corresponding to the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions.
4. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each marking (Rj) is formed by a recess (16) arranged in the bezel (8) by a sensor corresponding to the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions.
5. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each marking (Rj) is formed by a rough surface (18) arranged on the bezel (8) by a sensor corresponding to the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions.
6. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each marking (Rj) is formed of a rough surface (18a) on the glass (4) by a sensor corresponding to the 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock time positions.
7. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensors (Ci) are of the capacitive type and are located under the glass (4) above each time position.
8. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that said timepiece is a wristwatch.
9. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the electronic circuit (15) recognises a brief application of pressure on the crown-push-button (9) associated with a finger running over the sensors (Ci) in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.
10. Timepiece according to claim 9, characterised in that the clockwise direction causes the electronic circuit (15) to pass into current time read mode and the anti-clockwise direction into alarm time read mode, by activating two sensors (Ch, Cm), whose signals trigger trains of vibrations coding respectively the hour and the minutes, the time position of said sensors (Ch, Cm) being determined by bringing the finger back onto the bezel (8) to identify, either one of the four markings (R3, R6, R9 or R12), or an immediately preceding position, or an immediately following position.
11. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the electronic circuit (15) is arranged to differentiate a brief application of pressure from a long application of pressure exerted on the crown-push-button (9) associated with the immobile positioning of the finger on a sensor (Ci) or on a group of contiguous sensors (Ci, Ci+1....).
12. Timepiece according to claim 11, characterised in that a brief application of pressure associated with the group of sensors (C11, C12, C1) at 11 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 1 o'clock corresponds to the position of the alarm when on (ON) and associated with the group of sensors (C5, C6, C7) to the position of the alarm when off (OFF).
13. Timepiece according to claim 11, characterised in that a long application of pressure successively associated with two sensors (Ch, Cm) allows an alarm time to be selected.
14. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that the electronic circuit (15) recognises a pull exerted on the crown-push-button (9) associated with the positioning of the finger successively on a sensor (Ch) or on two sensors (Ch, Cm) for changing time zone or for changing the current time.
15. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterised in that each hand (6, 7) is driven separately by a stepping motor and in that the electronic circuit (15) is arranged to recognise to a long application of pressure exerted on the crown-push-button (9) associated with a group of sensors (C2, C3 or C9, C10) positioned at 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, or associated with a group of sensors (C4, C5 or C7, C8) positioned at 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock or 7 o'clock, 8 o'clock, to successively bring the hands (6, 7) into superposition at the 12 o'clock position to initialise the display.

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