Asulab S.a.

The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Gian-Carlo Poli

Jean-Jacques Born

Joachim Grupp

Pierre-Yves Baroni

Patrik Hoffmann

Romano Cristoni

Estelle Wagner

Pascal Winkler

Jean-Charles Guanter

The invention concerns a pressure sensor including means of sensing pressure and converting pressure into an electrical signal able to be transmitted by an electrical circuit to an control interface circuit of an indicator device, wherein said sensing and conversion means include: The pressure sensor is intended to be integrated in a pressure measuring device, particularly a timepiece.

Pressure sensor

A crystal and an ultrasonic welding method for a crystal. The crystal is used to close a top of a case of a portable object, the crystal being made of a transparent plastic material and being secured to the case of the portable object by ultrasonic welding. The crystal includes a top surface and a bottom surface that carry one or more conductive paths made of a transparent conductive material, and a peripheral rim that extends along at least one portion of the perimeter of the crystal. The peripheral rim provides at least one surface for the ultrasonic welding of the crystal to the case of the portable object.

Crystal used for closing the top of the case of a portable object and method of welding a crystal of this type

The electrodes () and the contact zones () are structured in a film of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO), deposited on a transparent support () possibly coated with an intermediate film (), while being separated by dielectric spaces () formed by nano fissures () obtained by UV radiation and passing through the TCO film. A protective film () can coat the electrodes () and the dielectric spaces ().

Transparent substrate with invisible electrodes and device incorporating the same

The substrate with electrodes is formed of a transparent material onto which is deposited a film () of a transparent conductive material of thickness eand of refractive index n, said film being structured to form a set of electrodes () whose contours () delimit insulating spaces (), wherein the insulating spaces () are filled with a transparent dielectric material of thickness eand of refractive index nso that the respective thicknesses of the conductive material and the dielectric material are inversely proportional to the values of the refractive indices of said materials and said dielectric material forms neither depressions nor beads at the contour () of the electrodes. A hardcoating layer () may be disposed between the substrate () and the electrodes and a protective film () added. The substrate with electrodes is obtained by UV irradiation through a single mask.

Method of substrate with transparent electrodes and devices incorporating it

The present invention is a lighting device for an electronic or electromechanical apparatus such as a timepiece of the wristwatch type. The invention includes a device displaying time-related or other information, this lighting device including a light source for lighting the display device. The lighting device is characterized in that the light source is also able to measure the intensity of the ambient light. The invention also concerns a method for controlling the lighting of an apparatus of the aforementioned type.

Method and device for lighting an electronic or electromechanical apparatus

Substrate with transparent electrodes and devices incorporating it

A conductive pattern, made of a transparent conductive oxide, such as ITO including electrodes () and conductive paths () is formed on one face of a transparent substrate () made of sapphire or toughened glass, then coated with a first layer () of a transparent dielectric with a low refractive index, such as MgFor LiF, and then a second layer () of another transparent dielectric having a higher refractive index than the first, such as AlO, TaOor DLC.

Method for manufacturing a transparent element with invisible electrodes

A light source () is housed in a housing () of a case, underneath the dial () opposite a guide () directing the light onto a reflector (), formed in a hollow in the internal or external face of a crystal () the thickness of which decreases regularly from the center to the periphery thereof for reorienting the light by total internal reflection into the crystal () until it emerges towards the dial () when the maximum refractive index is exceeded.

Lighting device with central symmetry for a dial

The present invention is a lighting device for an electronic or electromechanical apparatus such as a timepiece of the wristwatch type. The invention including a device displaying time-related or other information, this lighting device including a light source for lighting the display device. The lighting device is characterized in that the light source is also able to measure the intensity of the ambient light. The invention also concerns a method for controlling the lighting of an apparatus of the aforementioned type.

The manual control device for executing functions of an electronic watch () particularly a diary watch, includes a certain number of sensors (Cto C) wherein one touch sensitive pad of each sensor is placed for example on an internal face of the crystal (). When a user's finger () is placed on the watch crystal in a determined zone of the sensitive pad of a sensor to be activated, it causes an electronic circuit () of the device to execute an instruction or a function. In a first mode selected by the electronic circuit, at least two sensors are grouped such that the electronic circuit executes the same operation when a finger is placed on the crystal in a determined zone of the sensitive pad of one sensor or the other. However, in a second mode selected by the electronic circuit, each sensor (Cto C) activated by the finger () provides measuring signals to the electronic circuit () for the execution of a different specific operation for each sensor. The sensitive pads of the sensors are distributed on the internal face of the crystal for the purpose of allowing data to be entered into the watch, pre-stored data to be consulted or different function menus to be consulted.

Growing community of inventors

Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane, Switzerland

Gian-Carlo Poli