Display module including elements movable around deformable links, associated display system and timepiece including such a display system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a display module including a fixed frame and at least two substantially rigid display organs. The display organs each include a portion displaying a pattern, said display portions being complementary to one another such that it forms said pattern in at least one relative position of said display organs. Furthermore, at least one of the display organs is secured and movable relative to the frame via a deformable link at least between a first resting position, in which the display portions are separate from one another, and a display position, in which said display portions are counter-affixed to one another to form and display said pattern. Lastly, said display organ(s) movable relative to the frame cooperate with an actuating push-piece arranged to transmit a movement force of this display organ by elastic deformation around its deformable link(s) from said resting position toward said display position.

Claims

1. A display module including a fixed frame and at least two substantially rigid display organs, wherein: each of said at least two display organs includes a display portion for displaying a pattern, said display portions being complementary to one another such that said display portions altogether form said pattern in at least one relative position of the at least two display organs, at least one of the at least two display organs being secured and movable relative to the frame via at least one deformable link between a resting position, in which the display portions are separate from one another, and a display position, in which said display portions are adjoined to one another to form and display said pattern, the at least one of the at least two display organs that is movable relative to the frame is arranged to cooperate with an actuating push-piece in order to move the at least one display organ that is movable relative to the frame from said resting position toward said display position by elastic deformation of said at least one deformable link, wherein the display organs, the frame, and the at least one deformable link form a monolithic piece of material.

2. The display module according to claim 1, further comprising n display organs, wherein n is an integer greater than 1, and wherein at least one display organ is secured to the frame and immobile relative thereto.

3. The display module according to claim 1, wherein the actuating push-piece is movable relative to the frame via a deformable link.

4. The display module according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least two display organs is linked to the frame by a plurality of deformable links.

5. The display module according to claim 1, wherein the deformable link is made up of flexible blades with a width comprised between 2 and 50 microns, the thickness of the frame and display organ(s) being greater than 30 microns.

6. The display module according to claim 1, wherein the display module is made up of monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon.

7. A display system including a display module according to claim 1 and an actuating device arranged to transmit a displacement force on the actuating push-piece so as to cause a movement of the movable display organs from the resting position to the display position.

8. The display system according to claim 7, wherein the actuating device includes a cam or a catch, said actuating device being rotatable around a rotation staff and arranged relative to the actuating push-piece such that said cam or said catch exerts, in at least one angular position around a rotation staff, on the actuating push-piece, a force able to mobilize said push-piece.

9. The display system according to claim 7, further including a plurality of display modules.

10. The display system according to claim 9, wherein the display modules are arranged concentrically around the actuating device rotatably arranged around a staff such that the staff successively cooperates with an actuating push-piece of each of the display modules.

11. The display system according to claim 7, wherein the actuating device is a contactless actuating device by electrostatic, thermal, or magnetic effect on the actuating push-piece of the display module.

12. A timepiece, comprising the display system according to claim 7.

13. The timepiece according to claim 12, characterized in that the actuating device is kinematically connected to an hour-wheel and/or to a minute-wheel of a clockwork movement and the display module is arranged to display a time.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be better understood upon reading the detailed description of one example embodiment done in reference to the appended figures, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a top view of a display module according to the present invention in a first embodiment, in the resting position and the display position, respectively;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a top view of a display module according to the present invention in a second embodiment, in the resting position, the display module making up a complete display dial of the hour for a timepiece;

(4) FIGS. 3A and 3B show a top view of a display module according to the present invention in a 3.sup.rd embodiment similar to that of FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the resting position and the display position, respectively;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a top view of a display module according to the present invention in a 4.sup.th embodiment, in the resting position, the display module making up a complete display dial of the hour for a timepiece according to the principle of the unitary display module of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The present invention relates to an analog animated display module 1 for any type of information or depiction, in particular, but not exclusively, for displaying numerical information as shown and described below in FIGS. 1 to 4. The invention also relates to an analog animated display system including at least one such display module 1, as well as a timepiece including such a display system for the purpose of displaying an item of time information, for example.

(7) Although one privileged application of the invention relates to the field of horology, it is not limited to displaying an item of time information and may also be implemented in any field requiring the use of a system for displaying an item of information or any depiction in an animated form.

(8) FIGS. 1A and 1B show a display module 1 according to the invention in a first embodiment. In this first embodiment, the display module 1 consists of a numerical display module for a pattern M such as a figure or a number including a fixed frame 2 to which at least two display organs, in the case at hand three display organs 31, 32, 33 in the example of FIGS. 1A and 1B to form the FIGURE 6 (FIG. 1B). The display organs 31, 32, 33 are secured to the frame 2 and each include a portion 31a, 32a, 33a displaying the pattern M, said display portions being complementary to one another such that they form said pattern in at least one relative position of said display organs 31, 32, 33.

(9) To that end, the display organs 31, 32, 33 are secured to the frame 2 and the organs 32, 33 are also movable relative to the frame 2 via at least one deformable link 4 formed by at least one flexible blade 41 between a first resting position, shown in FIG. 1A, in which the display portions of the display organs 31, 32, 33 are separated from one another, and a display position, shown in FIG. 1B, in which said display portions 31a, 32a, 33a are counter-affixed to one another to form and display the pattern M, in the case at hand a FIGURE 6.

(10) The movement of the display organs 32, 33 relative to the frame 2 around their deformable link 4 between the resting and display positions advantageously according to the invention results from the cooperation of said display organs 32, 33 with an actuating push-piece 5 arranged relative to the frame 2 and the display organs to transmit a force able to cause a movement of said display organs by elastic deformation around its deformable link(s) 4 following the action of an actuating device 6 separate from the display module 1, such as a cam 61 rotatable around a staff A in FIGS. 1A and 1B, on the actuating push-piece 5.

(11) In the example embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the movable display organs 32, 33 advantageously include at least one actuating lever 32b, 33b including an arm secured at one end of the display portion 32a, 33a and able to pivot relative to the frame 2 via a deformable link 4, in the case at hand a deformable pivot, formed by two flexible blades 41 joined at one of their ends to the frame 2 and secured at their second end to said arm, which cooperates by periodic or planar bearing, if applicable by an intermediate lever 32c, 33c also linked to the frame 2 by a deformable pivot link 4, with the actuating push-piece 5, itself also secured to the frame 2 and movable relative thereto via a deformable structure 8 formed by two parallel flexible blades 81 and forming a deformable parallelogram.

(12) It should be noted that although the display module 1 of FIGS. 1A and 1B includes intermediate levers 32c, 33c, these levers are nevertheless not essential and their presence in the display module depends fundamentally on the particular design thereof, the desired movement amplitudes for the display organs 32, 33 as well as the particular dimensions of the actuating levers 32b, 33b and the actuating push-piece 5.

(13) The display module 1 of the invention is advantageously made up of a monolithic piece formed from a rigid material, which, in the context of the present invention, refers to any material having a Young's modulus greater than 2.3 GPa. To that end, one preferred material for producing the display module 1 of the invention is monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon, from which it is easily possible, for example using deep etching methods (in particular DRIE, Deep Reactive-Ion Etching), to form the frame 2 and the display organs 31, 32, 33 connected to one another by at least one deformable link, in particular advantageously resulting from the formation, during the deep etching method, of one or several flexible blades 4 with a width comprised between 2 and 50 microns, the thickness of the frame 2 and the display organ(s) preferably being greater than 30 microns.

(14) A display module 1 according to the invention may in particular be used to produce a display system of the dial or dial portion type of a timepiece to indicate a time in a digital display form. By way of specific examples, it is first possible to produce a display dial by quarters, every 3 hours at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, using 4 individual display modules 1 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B respectively forming the numerical display 3, 6, 9 and 12 as pattern, or to produce a traditional 12-hour display dial as shown in FIG. 2, the circular display module including sub-modules similar to the individual display module of FIGS. 1A and 1B on a circular frame 2.

(15) In both cases, the frame 2 of the display module 1 can be fixed on a dial, a disc or directly on the middle of a watch case for a skeleton watch by any appropriate means, and in particular gluing or welding. By way of actuating device 6, one including one or several cams 61 is kinematically linked to the hour-wheel and pivots around a staff A, for example centered at the dial of the watch, like in a traditional display with hands.

(16) The operation of such a display system is described below in reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. During the rotation of the ring 6, the cam 61 pushes the free end of the actuating push-piece 5 (FIG. 1B), which acts as a follower contact, and causes a translational movement of the actuating push-piece 5, which then pushes on the intermediate levers 32c, 33c, which pivot relative to the frame 2, and thus bear by their end opposite the push-piece 5 on the arm of the actuating lever 32b, 33b, which pivots in turn, driving the movement of the display portions 32a, 33a toward the display position in which said display portions adjust with the portion 31a to form the pattern 6 in FIG. 1B.

(17) After the passage of the cam 61, the follower contact of the actuating push-piece 5 returns to bear on the ring 6, pushed by the return forces of the flexible blades 41 from its deformable link 4 to the frame. The display for portions 32a, 33a then separate to return toward the resting position (FIG. 1A), and the pattern is no longer visible.

(18) An animated display system is thus produced including movable display portions according to a predetermined period to create a visual animation effect within the display.

(19) An alternative embodiment of the display module 1 of FIGS. 1A and 1B is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In this alternative, the movable display organs 32, 33 and their display portions 32a, 33a are directly connected to the actuating push-piece 5. The display organ 31 remains identical to that of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

(20) This embodiment has the particularity of not having any interruption in the chain of command of the movement, from the actuating push-piece 5 to the display portions 32a, 33a. There is no friction within the display module 1 due to the movements, only deformations, therefore a minimal energy loss. The display portions 32a, 33b are connected to the upper ends of two levers 32b and 33b, in rotation around deformable links 4 in the form of butterfly flexible pivots 42 secured to the frame 2. The lower end of each of the levers is directly connected through a set 7 of winding flexible blades to a plate 51 of the actuating push-piece 5, which is also secured to the frame 2 by a linear translation guide structure 8 with flexible blades 81.

(21) The operation and animation of such a display module 1 is identical to that of FIGS. 1A and 1B and is actuated by an actuating organ able to cooperate with the push-piece 5 to impart a thrust force to it driving the passage of the display organs 32, 33 and of their display portions 32a, 33a in particular from the resting position shown in FIG. 3A to the display position shown in FIG. 3B.

(22) The structural and functional principles of the display module 1 of FIGS. 3A and 3B can be extended to the production of a circular display module as shown in FIG. 4, similar to that of FIG. 2. Such a display module may in particular serves as a base for producing a dial for a timepiece, such as a watch or clock, for the display, in animated form, of the time with an actuating cam of the push-pieces 5 arranged rotatably at the center of the display module is kinematically connected to the hour-wheel of a clockwork movement.

(23) While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.