MULTI-FUNCTIONAL DIGITAL TIME DISPLAYS

摘要

Balanced digital time displays for presenting readouts in which (A) minute digits are positioned to trail hour digits during the first half of each hour, and are then reversed to lead the hour digits during the second half of each hour, (B) the minute digits are operated to count minutes up to a peak value of 30 during the first half of each hour, and then down to 00 with advancement of the hour digits to the next hour during the second half of each hour, (C) second digits are positioned below the hour and minute digits and (D) the second digits are operated to count seconds up to a peak value of 30 during the first half of each minute, and then down to 00 during the second half of each minute. In a modified embodiment, quadri-balanced digital time displays for presenting readouts in which (A) during the first quarter of an hour, minute digits are positioned in a relatively upper area trailing hour digits and operated to count minutes from 01 to 15, (B) during the second quarter hour, minute digits are positioned in a relatively lower area trailing hour digits and operated to count minutes from 16 to 30, (C) during the third quarter hour, minute digits are reversed and positioned in a relatively lower area leading hour digits and operated to count minutes from 29 to 15, and (D) during the fourth quarter hour, minute digits arc reversed and positioned in a relatively upper area leading hour digits and operated to count minutes from 14 to 00, with the hour digits having been advanced to the next hour during the third and fourth quarter hours. In a further modified embodiment, a 13-element array of digital time display elements is selectively energizable to display relatively large hour digits of value 0 to 9, or relatively small minute digits of value 0 to 9 in a relatively upper or a relatively lower position. Three such arrays, to ether with two vertical line display elements, in ordered horizontal alignment, provide a compact, multi-functional display capable of performing balanced or quadri-balanced digital time keeping. Four such arrays aligned horizontally provide another compact, multi-functional display capable of performed balanced, quadri-balanced or chronographic digital time keeping.