Eta Sa Manufacture Horlogere Suisse

Stéphane Claude

Raphael Balmer

Christophe Germiquet

Laurent Christe

Jean Laconte

Raphaël Balmer

Fabien Balli

Vincent Brunner

Jean-Bernard Veuthey

Giuseppe Saporito

A method of managing an electronic apparatus including a case containing a microcontroller powered with electrical energy by an electrical energy storage and connected to a time base, a mechanism of measuring light intensity, a mechanism of detecting whether the apparatus is being worn, the microcontroller also being connected to a first display and a second display, arranged, in an active operating mode, to be controlled by the electronic control circuit to display at least a first temporal data item at least provided by the time base.

Method of managing an electronic apparatus

The timepiece includes first () and second () rings to which indications () are affixed for displaying, in combination with each other, a time-related magnitude (), which appears in a large aperture (). The rings () have equal dimensions, are arranged one on top of the other and off-center in relation to each other such that, at the vertical of the large aperture, the outer edge () of the first ring () substantially borders the inner edge () of the second ring ().

Large aperture display for a timepiece

The invention concerns a water resistant portable object such as a diving watch including a sound generator device () and a microprocessor (), characterized in that it emits acoustic signals at two different frequencies (f) and (f) as a function of the medium, air or water, in which the wearer of the watch is situated.

Water resistant portable object including a sound generator

The present invention provides a method for detecting the start of a dive for a portable electronic device () comprising a pressure sensor () for measuring the value of the ambient pressure (P) as well as electronic circuits () for processing the pressure measurement results comprising a time base () and at least one memory zone (). The detection method updates the reference pressure value (Pref) on the basis of ambient pressure (P) measurements, this value being used to detect the start of a dive. In certain particular conditions, the method according to the present invention suspects the start of a dive, and backs up the value (Psauv) of the reference pressure (Pref) stored before updating. If the start of a dive is confirmed after having been suspected, the reference pressure value (Pref) stored is replaced by the backed up value (Psauv) upon activation of the dive mode.

Method for detecting the start of a dive for a dive computer

The present invention concerns a method for detecting the start of a dive for implementation in a portable electronic device () of the diving computer type. More specifically, the method is for implementation in a device of this type having at least a first operating mode and a second operating mode, called the dive mode. This device includes a pressure sensor () for measuring the ambient pressure value (P) and electronic circuits () for processing the pressure measurement results including a time base () and at least one memory zone (). The detection method according to the present invention more particularly proposes making correction to certain measured pressure values before storing them as reference pressure values (Pref). Thus, the start of a dive can be detected with a high level of reliability solely on the basis of ambient pressure measurements.

Process of detection of a dive start in a dive computer

The present invention proposes a portable barometric altimeter () including a pressure sensor (), a calculation unit () which determines an altitude value (H) as a function of the pressure (P) measured by the sensor () and as a function of a reference temperature (T) corresponding to an estimate of the temperature of the air mass at sea level, and a time measuring unit () that supplies calendar data (D), characterized in that it includes a correction circuit (), which selects the reference temperature value (T) from among a series of values (T) contained in a database stored in the altimeter (), as a function of the date (D) and as a function of a predefined climate value (C). The invention also proposes a method of determining altitude (H).

Barometric altimeter including a temperature compensation device

In an electronic apparatus worn on the wrist such as a diver's wristwatch or an altimeter, a pressure sensor () is mounted from the exterior in a housing (), located in one flank () of the case () of the apparatus and closed by a cap () provided with at least one orifice () for transmitting the ambient pressure towards said housing. The sensor is mounted in the housing by means of a sealing gasket (). A protective screen () is placed between the central wall () of the cap and the exposed surface () of the sensor, in order to prevent solid bodies and/or solar light being able to damage the sensor. Preferably, this screen is formed by a perforated plate fixed to the cap and whose holes () are shifted laterally with respect to each orifice () of the cap, such that all of the transmission paths of the ambient pressure from the exterior to the exposed surface of the sensor are sinuous.

Growing community of inventors

Grenchen, Switzerland

Stéphane Claude