US 12,326,696 B2
Device for determining the position of a horological display
Jérôme Favre, Neuchatel (CH); Stefan Kalbermatter, Grenchen (CH); and Hicham Farah, Sonceboz-Sombeval (CH)
Assigned to The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed by The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, Marin (CH)
Filed on May 13, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/319,144.
Claims priority of application No. 20201841 (EP), filed on Oct. 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0113676 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G04B 9/00 (2006.01); H04N 13/204 (2018.01)
CPC G04B 9/005 (2013.01) [H04N 13/204 (2018.05)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining an instantaneous position of a display hand of a timepiece, the method comprising:
controlling a first camera and a second camera to identify the display hand, and monitor movement of the display hand so as to code the instantaneous position of the display hand in relation to a fixed guide-mark, and controlling entries of the instantaneous position at distinct instants to determine mobility of the display hand in relation to the fixed guide-mark, wherein the controlling further comprises:
controlling a position of the first camera and a position of the second camera, in relation to the fixed guide-mark, wherein the second camera and the first camera are, in projection over a plane of the fixed guide-mark, disposed at a distance from one another for stereoscopic imaging,
controlling a focus of the first camera and a focus of the second camera, in relation to the display hand,
determining a depth position of a plane of the display hand in relation to the plane of the fixed guide-mark by controlling the position of the first camera in relation to the plane of the fixed guide-mark, controlling the second camera coupled with the first camera and determining the depth position of the display hand by stereoscopic vision, and
monitoring, by the first camera and the second camera, the display hand and determining the instantaneous position of the display hand in space from signals obtained from the first and second cameras.