JPS5810706B2 - Jiyuuriyokudokei - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gravity table clock that displays the time using rotating members such as an hour hand and a minute hand, in which the rotating members are rotationally driven by a rotational moment generated by the influence of gravity. .

In conventional watches that display the time using rotating members such as the hour hand and minute hand, the time is displayed using rotating members such as the hour hand and minute hand that are attached to the hour wheel, cylinder pinion, etc. that are part of the clock movement. Therefore, the degree of freedom in the design of the timepiece was severely restricted due to the mutual positional relationship between the timepiece movement and the rotating member that displays the time.

The present invention provides a means for rotationally moving the center of gravity of rotating members such as the hour hand and minute hand at a constant cycle, thereby creating a gravity clock that displays the time by rotating the rotating members at a constant cycle under the influence of gravity. This is what we provide.

Therefore, according to the present invention, since it is possible to arrange the rotational movement means for the center of gravity position in a part of the rotating member itself that displays the time, the degree of freedom in the design of the timepiece is greatly expanded. Become.

Hereinafter, details of the present invention will be explained according to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of rotating members such as the hour hand or the minute hand of the gravity timepiece according to the present invention.
A rolling bearing 2 having a rotation center at , a movement case 3, a member 8 for adjusting the position of the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the rotating member, and the like are provided.

Furthermore, a clock movement 4 similar to a conventional one is installed inside the movement case 3, and parts such as a cylinder pinion and an hour wheel (not shown) that constitute a part of the movement 4 and rotate at a constant period. A weight 5 is fixed to the

In this case, the node 5 is 1 if the rotating member is an hour hand.
The hour wheel rotates once every 2 hours, and if it is a minute hand, there is a 1
It will be fixed to a cylindrical pinion that rotates once per hour.

Further, the node 5 is made of a material with relatively high specific gravity, similar to the automatic winding weight used in conventional automatic watches, and the center of gravity is largely eccentric with respect to the center of rotation. The rotation center of the node 5 and the center of the movement 4 are set on the central axis of the pointer 1 in the length direction.

Further, an external operating member 6 that engages with an indication correction mechanism (not shown) of the movement 4 is provided to protrude from the movement case 3, and the central axis of the external operating member 6 also extends in the longitudinal direction of the pointer 1. is set to match the central axis.

Here, the above-mentioned indication adjustment mechanism and external operation member 6 have the same structure as the hand adjustment mechanism and external operation member in a conventional watch, and the external operation member 6 such as the crown fixed to the first winding stem 7 is fixed to a predetermined position. The displayed time can be adjusted by pulling it out to the position and rotating it.

However, in the case of the gravity watch according to the present invention, unlike conventional watches, the rotation of the external operating member 6 is not directly transmitted mechanically to the rotating member that displays the time to adjust the displayed time. The specific operation and effect will be described later and will be omitted here.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operating principle of the rotating member shown in FIG. 1, and the operating principle of the gravity timepiece according to the present invention will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 2, the dots indicate the position of the center of gravity on the left side of the figure with respect to the center of rotation O of the rotating member shown in FIG. 1, and similarly, the dot R indicates the position of the center of gravity on the right side of the figure.

In this case, the weight 5 is fixed to an hour wheel or cylinder pinion that constitutes a part of the movement 4 and rotates at a constant period, so the center of gravity position R of the entire right side of the rotating member including the weight 5 is It rotates on a circle C1 centered on a certain point Q at the same period as the hour wheel or the cylinder pinion.

Further, let LW be the weight of the left side of the rotating member shown in FIG. 1, RW be the weight of the right side, and G be the point indicating the center of gravity of the entire rotating member, and the distance connecting the 0 point, L point, and R point. LG respectively.

If expressed as GR, the point G is on the straight lines T and R and satisfies the condition LG・LW=RG−RW.Therefore, it is on the central axis in the length direction of the pointer 1, that is, on the straight line LQ. , and point G rotates at the same period as the hour wheel or cylinder pinion, with point 0, which divides the line segment angle LW:RW, as the center of rotation.

From the above, by appropriately setting the position of H and the weights RW, LW, etc., the rotating member is configured such that the center of gravity G of the entire rotating member rotates on a circle C2 centered on the rotation center 0 point. It is also clear that it is possible to do so.

In this embodiment, an adjustment member 8 is provided for adjusting the position of the center of gravity on the left side of the rotating member, and the adjustment member 8 can be moved in and out by an appropriate amount in the length direction of the pointer body 1. Accordingly, it is possible to perform fine adjustment so that the center of gravity G of the entire rotating member rotates on a circle C2 approximately centered on the zero point of the rotation center.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, except when the center of gravity G of the entire rotating member is located vertically below the rotation center 0,
Due to the positional relationship between the force F acting on the center of gravity G due to gravity and the center of rotation O, a rotational moment M is generated in the rotating member itself.

Further, if the distance between the straight line l passing through the force F and the rotation center 0 is set as a, the rotation moment M is expressed as the product of the force F and the distance a, and the rotating member has a center of gravity G that is perpendicular to the rotation center O. In the downward posture, the rotational moment M also becomes O and becomes stable.

Therefore, even if the center of gravity G of the entire rotating member attempts to continue rotating around the rotation center 0 at a constant period, the center of gravity G will continue to be pulled back vertically below the rotation center O, and as a result, the rotating member The entire body rotates at a constant period about the center of rotation O.

According to the configuration described above, it is clear that the rotating member in this embodiment also performs a rotational operation at a fixed period like the hour hand or minute hand of a conventional watch, and it is possible to display the time. .

Next, the correction of the display time will be explained.

By pulling out the external operating member 6 fixed to the winding stem 7 shown in FIG. 1 to a predetermined position and rotating it,
The hour wheel or cylinder pinion is rotated via an indication correction mechanism (not shown) included in the movement 4, so that the weight 5 can be rotated to any position.

In this case, the above-mentioned indication correction mechanism has the same structure as the hand correction mechanism in conventional watches, but it differs from conventional watches in that the hour hand or minute hand is not attached to the hour wheel or cylinder pinion, and the weight is 5. is fixed, the rotation of the external operating member 6 is transmitted to the weight 5 via the instruction correction mechanism.

Therefore, according to such a configuration, if the external operating member 6 is rotated and the position of the center of gravity G is rotationally moved so that the rotating member is stabilized in a posture that displays the correct time, the displayed time can be corrected as a result. It is done.

3 and 4 are a front view and a side view showing an embodiment of the gravity timepiece according to the present invention, and 9 and 10 are hour and minute hands, respectively, having the same structure as the rotating member shown in FIG. If the hour hand 9 and minute hand 10 are arranged on the front and back sides of the dial 11, respectively, as shown, the overall appearance of the watch will be well-balanced and good.

Further, reference numerals 12 and 13 designate movement cases that are installed independently of the hour hand and minute hand, respectively, and each of the movement cases 12 and 13 is provided with a movement (not shown).

In this case, it is of course more preferable if the movement uses a battery as one driving source.

Further, 14.15 is an external operation unit, and 16.17 is an adjustment member for the center of gravity position in the length direction of the hour hand and minute hand. The hour hand or minute hand is placed so that it coincides with the central axis in the length direction.

According to such a configuration, it becomes easy to set the center of gravity of the hour hand or the minute hand at an appropriate position, and the appearance of the timepiece also becomes good.

Further, 18 is a support shaft having rotating shafts 19 and 20 for the hour and minute hands, and the support shaft 18 is fixed to the dial 11,
Further, the dial 11 is connected to the stand 22 via the dial support member 21.
Fixed.

According to the above configuration, the hour hand 9 and the minute hand 10 move in a 12-hour period and a 1-hour period around the rotating shaft 19.20, respectively.
It rotates in time cycles, making it possible to display the time in the same way as the hour and minute hands in conventional watches.

Furthermore, since the movement is installed in part of the hour hand and minute hand, there is no need to provide a movement in any part other than the hour hand and minute hand, and therefore the design of the watch can be novel and unprecedented.

As described above, the gist of the present invention is to provide means for rotationally moving the center of gravity of a rotating member that displays the time, such as an hour hand or a minute hand, at an appropriate cycle. The purpose of the present invention is to drive the rotating member itself with the rotational moment generated by the relationship between the position and the center of gravity position and the direction of gravity, and according to the present invention, movements are provided in parts other than the rotating members such as the hour hand and minute hand. The degree of freedom in the design of the clock is dramatically expanded, and it becomes possible to realize a table clock with an extremely innovative appearance.

In this case, if the movement case disposed on the hour and minute hands is made opaque and decorative, the presence of the movement inside the movement case will be hidden, and the gravity watch according to the present invention will not be able to see it. It can also create a sense of wonder about its working principle, and it will have a great effect on attracting attention when the clock is displayed.

In addition, by providing components of a mechanical optical display device such as a lenticular lens or a moiré stripe device on a part of a rotating member with a relatively high rotation speed such as a minute hand or a second hand,
It is also possible to bring out various display effects.

Further, the means for rotationally moving the center of gravity of the rotating member at a constant cycle does not necessarily have to be a clock movement that is provided in a part of the rotating member and has a weight fixed to its hour wheel or cylinder pinion. , a step motor having an eccentric center of gravity, or the like.

In that case, it is also possible to arrange a timepiece circuit for driving the step motor in a portion other than the rotating member.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing rotating members such as the hour hand or minute hand of the gravity clock according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operating principle of the rotating member shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 1 is a front view and a side view of a gravity clock according to the invention; FIG. 1... pointer body, 4... movement, 5... weight, 6...
External operation member, 8...Adjustment member for center of gravity position, 9...Hour hand, 10...Minute hand, 0...Rotation center point.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A timepiece that displays the time using rotating members such as an hour hand and a minute hand, and a movable weight body for rotationally moving the center of gravity of a part of the rotating member, and a movable weight body that rotates the weight body at a constant cycle. and a driving means for rotating the rotary member, and the rotary member is configured to be driven by a rotational moment generated by a relationship between a rotation center position and a gravity center position of the rotary member and a direction of gravity. gravity clock. 2. In a watch that displays the time using rotating members such as an hour hand and a minute hand, a movable weight body for rotationally moving the center of gravity of a part of the rotating member, and a drive for rotating the weight body at a constant cycle. means, the rotating member is configured to be driven by a rotational moment generated by the relationship between the rotational center position and center of gravity position of the rotating member and the direction of gravity, and the weight is attached to a part of the rotating member. A gravity clock characterized by being provided with an external operating member for correcting the displayed time by moving the rotational position of the body.