CH685963B5 - Piece of mechanical watchmaking indication of the power reserve. - Google Patents

Description

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CH 685 963G A3

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Description

The present invention relates to mechanical timepieces with manual or automatic winding, driven by a high energy source constituted by two motor barrels working in series. A mechanism which can be used for this purpose is described in patent CH 599 580.

There are also known timepieces with only one engine barrel and a mechanism for indicating to the wearer of the watch their power reserve. Such a mechanism is described for example in patents CH 301 497 and FR 1 095 987.

The mechanisms described in these patents include a differential, the two inputs of which are coupled respectively to the case and to the axis of the barrel, and the output of which is coupled to a power reserve indicator perceptible by the user.

However, so far no satisfactory proposal has been made to solve the problem which consists in allowing the reading of the power reserve of a timepiece equipped with two motor barrels.

The invention aims to provide a solution to this problem.

The subject of the invention is therefore a mechanical timepiece with manual or automatic winding and comprising two motor barrels each containing a spring, these two barrels being coupled in series between a winding mechanism and a piece finishing train. timepieces, the latter also comprising means for indicating the power reserve, said timepiece being characterized in that said means for indicating the power reserve comprise two differentials associated respectively with each of said barrels, each of said differentials comprising two mobiles input and output mobile, in that the first differential input mobile are coupled in rotation with each other, in that the second differential input mobile are respectively coupled to the shafts of said barrels, while their mobile output devices are individually coupled to means for displaying the power reserve.

Thanks to these characteristics, a timepiece with two barrels is obtained, making it possible to read the power reserve immediately, by means of mechanical elements occupying as little space as possible.

Other characteristics of the invention will appear during the description which follows of an exemplary embodiment, a description which is made with reference to the appended drawings, given solely by way of example, and in which:

- fig. 1A shows a sectional view of a timepiece according to the invention, the view representing in particular the two barrels of this piece;

- fig. 1B shows a similar view of this same part, along a slightly different section line;

- fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the timepiece shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B;

- fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to those of FIGS. 1A and 1B of another embodiment of the invention; and

- fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

According to the embodiment shown in figs. 1A, 1B and 2, the timepiece according to the invention comprises a large engine barrel 1 containing a spring (not shown), as well as a small engine barrel 2 containing a second spring (also not shown).

Each barrel 1 and 2 respectively comprises a box 3, 4 and a cover 5, 6.

Boxes 3 and 4 have respective toothed rings 7 and 8 engaged with each other.

The large motor barrel 1 is mounted on a shaft 9 of which a toothed wheel is integral in rotation

10 coupled to the finishing train (not shown) of the part.

The small motor barrel 2 is mounted on a shaft

11, of which a toothed wheel 12 is integral, can also be driven by the automatic or manual winding mechanism of the timepiece.

The shaft 9 of the large motor barrel 1 journals in a bearing 13 driven into a plate 14 of the movement, and in a stone 15 which is mounted in a bridge 16.

The shaft 9 protrudes from below the plate 14 on the side of the dial 17 of the movement to serve as a support for a wheel 18 which forms one of the inputs of a differential designated by the general reference 19. This end of the shaft 9 also serves as a pivot for a pinion 20 on which is fixed a wheel 21 which is applied axially against a bearing surface of the pinion 20 with the interposition of a retaining flange 22.

The mobile formed by the pinion 20 and the wheel 21 constitutes the output of the differential 19.

The pinion 20 meshes with a reducing gear composed of the wheels 23, 24 and 25. The wheel 25 is provided with a barrel 26 on which is driven a needle 27 indicating power reserve which passes in front of a graduation 28 visible on the dial 17.

The differential 19 also includes a planet carrier plate 29 which constitutes the other input thereof and which is rotatably mounted on a rim of the pad 13, rim which is pressed, on the dial side, against the plate 14.

This plate carries an axis 30 on which is mounted a satellite 31 composed of two pinions 31a and 31b which respectively mesh with the wheel 18 and the wheel 21. The satellite 31 is held in place axially on its axis 30 by means of the flange holding 22.

The plate 29 meshes with an inversion wheel 32 rotatably mounted on a pivot 33 driven into the plate 14 and in turn meshing with a mobile 34 rotatably mounted in a bearing 35 also driven in this plate.

On the side thereof opposite the dial 17, the mobile 34 meshes with the external toothing 7 of the large driving barrel 1.

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CH 685 963G A3

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It should also be noted that the wheel 25 is mounted for rotation on a pivot 36 driven into the plate 14.

The small engine barrel 2 is provided with a differential 19A equipped in the same way as the differential 19 of the large engine barrel 1, only the dimensions being different. This arrangement is therefore not described in detail. All similar parts being indicated on the drawing with the same references followed by the letter A.

It should be noted, however, that the reduction gear train which leads from the output pinion 18A of this differential 19A to the indicator 27A comprises only two mobiles 23A and 25A instead of three, as in the case of the differential 19.

Furthermore, the plate 29A meshes with a pair of pinions 37 and 38 rotatably mounted on respective pivots 39 and 40, the pinion 38 being engaged with the plate 29 of the differential 19.

In the embodiment shown, in which the driving barrels 1 and 2 are of different dimensions, and above all have different teeth, the pinion 38 is equipped with a toothed ring 41 compensating for this difference between the barrels.

From the above description, it can therefore be seen that each differential 19 and 19A receives angular information from the associated barrel shaft, as well as angular information coming from the box 3 of the barrel 1, the toothing 7 of which represents the angular position of the input wheel 10 of the train of the timepiece.

Each differential 19 and 19A thus establishes an angular value which is representative of the tension of the spring of the barrel 1 or 2 which is associated with it. This angular value is transmitted respectively by the cogs 23, 24, 25 and 23A, 25A on the hands 27 and 27A which individually indicate, for each barrel 1 and 2, the power reserve which the timepiece can benefit from during its operation.

Figs. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the invention in which the timepiece only has a single total reserve indicator available in the two barrels 1 and 2 of the piece.

In this case, a single differential 19B similar to the differentials 19 and 19A is provided in a position which is coaxial with the axis 11 of the small barrel 2.

The plate 29B which constitutes its first entry is rotatably mounted on the bearing 13B by which the axis 11 is rotatably mounted in the plate 14. This plate meshes with a return wheel 41 rotatably mounted on a button 42 formed in this plate. This return wheel 41 meshes with a pinion 43 wedged on the axis 9 of the barrel 1.

The central wheel 18B of the differential 19B is fixed on the shaft 11 and thus forms the second input.

The differential output, formed by the double pinion 20B, 21B and driven by the satellite 31B, meshes with a transmission wheel 23B fixedly mounted on a pinion 44 swiveling around a button 45 of the plate 14 and in turn meshing with a wheel 25B provided with a barrel 26B. The latter receives a needle 27B which passes before a graduation 28B provided on the plate 14.

Thus, the needle 27B provides an indication of the entire power reserve of the two barrels 1 and 2.

Of course, the display of the power reserve can be done by other means than a hand (or two hands as in the first embodiment). For example, one or more indicators in the form of a disc scrolling in front of one or more aperture (s) made in the dial 14 could be provided.

Claims (7)

Claims 1. Mechanical timepiece with manual or automatic winding and comprising two motor barrels (1, 2) each containing a spring, these two barrels (1, 2) being coupled in series between a winding mechanism (12) and a train finishing (10) of the timepiece, the latter also comprising means for indicating the power reserve, said timepiece being characterized in that said means for indicating the power reserve comprise two differentials (19, 19A) associated respectively with each of said barrels (1, 2), each of said differentials comprising two input mobiles (18, 29; 18A, 29A) and an output mobile (20; 20A), in that the first mobile d input (29, 29A) of the differentials (19, 19A) are coupled in rotation with each other, in that the second input mobiles (18, 18A) of the differentials (19, 19A) are respectively coupled to the shafts (9, 11) of said barrels (1, 2), while their outgoing mobiles tie (20, 20A) are individually coupled to means for displaying the power reserve (27, 27A). 2. Timepiece according to claim 1 characterized in that said means for displaying the power reserve comprise two indicator hands (27, 27A) each cooperating with a scale (28, 28A) visible from the wearer of the piece and individually coupled to a respective output mobile (20, 20A) from each of said differentials (19, 19A). 3. Timepiece according to any one of claims 1 and 2 characterized in that said first input mobiles (29, 29A) are planet carrier plates of their respective differential (19, 19A). 4. Timepiece according to claim 3 characterized in that said planet carrier plates (29, 29A) are coupled to a toothing (7) of the barrel (1) which is placed at the entrance to the gear train (10 ) of the room. 5. Timepiece according to any one of claims 3 and 4 characterized in that the planet carrier plates (29, 29A) are coupled together by means of a gear train (37, 38) . 6. Timepiece according to claim 5 comprising barrels (1, 2) of different diameters and different powers, characterized in that said gear train (37, 38) has a reduction ratio determined according to the diameters different from said barrels (1, 2 - mobile 41). 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 5 CH 685 963G A3 7. Mechanical timepiece with manual or automatic winding and comprising two motor barrels (1, 2) each containing a spring, these two barrels (1,2) being coupled in series between a winding mechanism (12) and a train for finishing (10) the timepiece, the latter also comprising means for indicating the power reserve, said timepiece being characterized in that said means for indicating the power reserve comprise a single differential (19B ) whose first inlet (29B) is coupled to the axis (9) of the first barrel (1) and whose other inlet (18B) is coupled to the axis (11) of the second barrel (2) and whose output (20B, 21 B) is coupled to a gear train (23B, 25B) which results in a single indicator (27B) intended to display the entire power reserve of the two barrels (1, 2). 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 5