CH716486A2 - Mechanism for animating an object for a piece of jewelry or jewelry. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a mechanism for animating an object (11) for a portable piece of jewelry, comprising: a motor source (5) arranged to drive a transmission (9); a regulating system (7) arranged to regulate the speed of rotation of said transmission (9); a support system (13) carrying the object (11) intended to be animated according to a rotation about a first axis of rotation under the effect of said motor source (5) by means of a power take-off (9b) forming part of said transmission (9). Said support system (13) comprises a first frame (13b) pivotally mounted on a frame member about said first axis of rotation as well as an inner frame (13f) pivotally mounted in said first frame (13b) around a second pivot axis which is substantially orthogonal to said first axis of rotation; and in that said object (11) is arranged to be driven by an eccentric drive element integral in rotation with a driving wheel set (15) arranged to be driven by said power take-off (9b).

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of jewelry and jewelry. It relates more particularly to a mechanism for animating an object such as a piece of jewelry, a precious or semi-precious stone, a sculpture or any other miniature object, suitable for being integrated into a piece of jewelry or jewelry.

State of the art

[0002] Document FR2988866 describes a mechanism for animating a precious or semi-precious stone, in which a mainspring is arranged to animate the stone according to a rotational movement around a single axis of rotation via a flexible belt. The stone is mounted on a tree by four claws or jaws, which hold it in place.However, the movement of the stone is monotonous and only allows one of its faces to be seen, which always presents the same angle to the wearer and therefore limits its visibility. Moreover, the scintillation of the stone is thus relatively limited and the observer is obliged to observe it from an acute angle in order to visualize more than its crown.

[0003] The aim of the invention is therefore to provide a mechanism for animating an object in which the aforementioned defects are at least partially overcome.

Disclosure of the invention

[0004] More specifically, the invention relates to a mechanism for animating an object for a portable piece of jewelry. This mechanism comprises: - a driving source, such as a mainspring or an electric motor, arranged to drive a transmission, such as, for example, a cog made up of a plurality of toothed members, one or more belts, chains , transmission shafts or comprising other similar means; A regulating system, such as an escapement-sprung balance, tuning fork, quartz system or the like, arranged to regulate the speed of rotation of said toothed members; - a support system carrying an object, such as a precious or semi-precious stone, a piece of jewelry, a miniature sculpture or the like, intended to be animated according to a rotation around at least a first axis of rotation, said object being arranged to be driven directly or indirectly by a power take-off on said transmission. In the case where the transmission consists of a cog, this power take-off is one of said toothed members, which therefore transmits the force coming from the driving source to the object.

[0005] According to the invention, said support system comprises a first frame mounted to pivot on a frame element about said first axis of rotation, as well as an inner frame mounted to pivot in said first frame about a second pivot axis which is substantially orthogonal to said first pivot axis. The two frames can have any shape. For the rest, said object is arranged to be driven in rotation along said pivot axes by an eccentric drive element, such as a crank, a lever or the like, which is integral in rotation with a driving wheel set, the latter being arranged to be driven by said power take-off on the transmission.

[0006] By these means, the object is animated with a compound movement, defined by back and forth rotations around each of the two axes of rotation, which give it two degrees of freedom in rotation. The movement generated thus represents a rotary tilt, which increases the visibility of the object, as well as scintillations in the event that the latter is a jewel or a precious or semi-precious stone.

Advantageously, the object is carried by a shaft mounted to pivot in said inner frame around a third axis, said shaft being integral in rotation with a pinion meshing with a fixed or rotary toothing which is coaxial with said mobile of training. In doing so, the object is animated with a compound movement defined by the three pivot axes, and rotates not only according to the aforementioned rotary tilt but also around the third axis according to a continuous movement.

Advantageously, the mechanism further comprises a clutch of any type located kinematically between said power take-off on the transmission and said mobile drive, in order to make the kinematic connection between these two elements, disengageable and therefore selective. This makes it possible to disengage the animated object from said transmission and thus to allow it to move according to the effect of movements of the part in which the mechanism is integrated. This clutch can be designed to be controlled manually (for example by means of a push button or other control member) or automatically, by any mechanism.

[0009] Advantageously, at least part of the kinematic connection between said transmission and said moving object is flexible, which allows a certain “floating” of the object generated by movements of said part. In particular, the object can be linked to the inner frame by means of an elastomeric element or the like and / or the kinematic connection between the driving wheel set and the transmission can comprise an elastic belt.

[0010] Advantageously, said regulating system comprises a sprung balance oscillator arranged to be maintained in oscillation by an escapement of any kind. These elements may for example form part of a tourbillon system (single, double or multiple, inclined or not), of a carousel (inclined or not) or similar. In addition, several regulating systems can be combined with one another, thanks to mechanisms known to those skilled in the art (differentials, etc.).

[0011] Advantageously, at least a portion of said animated object protrudes outside of all of said frames, thus maximizing its visibility. In other words, at least a part of said animated object is located further from the driving wheel set than the entirety of said frames.

This mechanism is, of course, intended to be integrated into a piece of jewelry or jewelry comprising a mechanism according to one of the preceding claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Other details of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the following description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a piece of jewelry or jewelry comprising a first variant of a mechanism according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a piece of jewelry or jewelry comprising a second variant of a mechanism according to the invention; Figure 3 is an isometric view of a construction of a mechanism which corresponds to the schematic diagram of Figure 1; Figure 4 is an isometric view of the assembly comprising the animated object, the support system, the mobile drive and the fixed teeth; Figure 5 is a cutaway isometric view of the assembly illustrated in Figure 4; and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram similar to that of Figure 1, further illustrating some possible optional modifications.

Embodiment of the invention

Figures 1 and 2 schematically illustrate the overall structures of an animation mechanism 1 of an object, integrated into a piece of jewelry or jewelry 3. The latter may be, for example, a piece of jewelry intended to be worn as a bracelet, necklace, brooch or to be placed on a surface such as a table. In these figures, kinematic and / or functional links are represented by arrows.

Figure 1 illustrates a first mechanical variant of such a mechanism 1. As such, the mechanism 1 comprises a mechanical drive source 5, such as a drive spring, in kinematic connection with a regulating system 7 by the intermediary of a transmission 9, illustrated here as a gear train 9 composed of a plurality of toothed members, three of which have been indicated by the reference signs 9a, 9b and 9c. The number of toothed members forming part of the gear train 9 can, of course, be chosen according to the needs of the manufacturer. In addition, other transmission systems known to those skilled in the art could be used in place of cogs, such as for example belts, chains, transmission shafts, or any other type of transmission, which are at within the reach of those skilled in the art and therefore should not be illustrated here. The regulating system 7 can be of any known mechanical type, such as, for example, a centrifugal governor, a paddle wheel rotating in air or in a liquid, a tuning fork regulator, an escapement-sprung balance regulator, a mono-, bi- or triaxial tourbillon, a carousel or any other similar system (or combination of systems).

One of the toothed members 9b serves as a power take-off on the transmission 9, which is arranged to drive an animated object 11, as will clearly follow later. In the case where the transmission is made up of a belt, a chain or the like, the power take-off can be made up of an element which is driven by the latter at a location other than where the kinematic connection is located with the regulating system 7. The animated object 11 is thus in a branch of the transmission 9.

In the variant of Figure 2, the driving source 5 can also be a driving spring, in which case the regulating system 7 is, as mentioned above, connected to the driving source 5 by an ad hoc kinematic link, or alternatively it can be an electric motor. In the latter case, the driving source can be for example a stepping motor, the speed of rotation of which is regulated by a regulating system 7 such as a quartz system or any other equivalent system. The driving source 5 is in kinematic connection with the moving object 11 via the transmission 9, also illustrated here as a cog again composed of a plurality of toothed members 9d, 9e, 9f, one of which is them is arranged to drive the animated object 11. In the embodiment shown, the last toothed member 9f drives the animated object 11, but it is possible that an intermediate toothed member fulfills this aim, which would be the case in particular. whether transmission 9 also resulted in a clock switching or the like. In the case where the transmission 9 comprises one or more belt (s) or chain (s), the latter is in kinematic connection with the animated object 11 in an ad hoc manner.

Figures 3 to 5 illustrate a concrete embodiment corresponding to the diagram of Figure 1. Frame elements such as bridges, plates, bearings etc. have not been shown in order not to overload the drawings.

In this embodiment, the driving source 5 is a driving spring (not visible) housed in a barrel 5a in known manner. One of the ends of the mainspring is fixed to a shaft 5b, which is integral in rotation with a toothed wheel 5d serving as a force output which drives the transmission 9, which in this case consists of a cog 9 comprising three toothed members 9a, 9b, 9c meshing with each other in pairs in a known manner. Each of these toothed members 9a, 9b, 9c consists of two toothed wheels and / or pinions, mutually integral in rotation with one another, and pivoted between bearings (not shown) integral with frame elements (also not shown).

The other end of the spring cooperates with the drum of the barrel 5a, which can be rotated by a manual and / or automatic winding system in order to wind the spring. Alternatively, the drum of the barrel 5a may be integral in rotation with a toothing which drives the gear train 9, the mainspring being wound up by its shaft 5b in such a case.

The force output of the driving source 5, that is to say the toothed wheel 5d in the construction illustrated, is in kinematic connection with the regulating system 7 via the transmission 9.

The last toothed member 9c of the gear train 9 drives a regulating system 7 of the escapement-sprung balance type, in which an escapement of the so-called "Swiss lever" type maintains the oscillations of a balance-spring oscillator in a known manner, and which therefore need not be described in detail. As mentioned above, other types of tuning system 7 are also possible, as well as other forms of exhaust (English lever, detent, Omega-Daniels, etc.).

The toothed member 9b, which is located in the middle of the gear 9, serves as a power take-off for the animated object 11, shown here as a precious or semi-precious stone, other variants being possible such as explained above. The animated object 11 is supported by a support system 13, which connects it to a frame element (not shown) via a pair of pivots 13a carried by supports 13m fixed to the latter.

These pivots 13a define a first pivot axis A1, around which is pivoted a first frame 13b consisting of an annular ring of generally circular shape. Other shapes (oval, square, rectangular, etc.) are also possible. This frame carries a pair of intermediate pivots 13d, which define a second axis of rotation A2, substantially orthogonal to said first axis A1. An inner frame 13f is mounted to pivot around this second axis A2, and is integral with a base 13g which directly or indirectly carries the animated object 11. The inner frame 13f consists of a part having a substantially circular shape, thus that two arms 13f1 which connect the pivots 13d to the base 13g. It goes without saying that other shapes are also possible, and it is not even compulsory for the frame 13f to include the annular part. Indeed, the base 13g can simply be connected to the pivots by the arms 13f1 or by another ad hoc arrangement.

At least one of the frames 13b, 13f can be provided with any decoration, for example enamelling, precious or semi-precious stones, or any other desired decoration. Furthermore, at least one of the shafts of the pivots 13d, 13a may protrude from the surface of the element which it passes through, that is to say the outer surface of the first frame 13b for the pivots 13d, or the surface of the support 13m in the case of the pivots 13a, and can bear a decoration such as for example a precious or semi-precious stone. The movement of this stone will therefore generate scintillations which will accentuate the perception of the pivoting of the frame to which the stone is integral in rotation.

It should also be noted that none of the frames 13b, 13f is superimposed on the animated object 11, which protrudes from the latter 13b, 13f and is thus protruding, thus maximizing its visibility. In other words, at least a part of said object 11 is further from the driving wheel 15 than the whole of the frames 13b, 13f.

In the illustrated embodiment, the animated object 11 is supported by a shaft 13h, which passes through the base 13g and which is integral with a support 13j in which the animated object 11 is fixed by crimping. Alternatively, the object 11 can be fixed there by gluing, screwing, welding, driving or the like, depending on the nature of the object 11 and of the support 13j, and it is noted that the animated object 11 can be coaxial with the shaft 13h, or can be off-center in relation to the latter. Furthermore, the connection between the animated object 11 and the inner frame 13f may include a flexible element, for example made of elastomer, to allow a slight “floating” of the object under the effect of the movement of the part.

The 13h shaft is mounted in 13k bearings provided in the 13g base so that said 13h shaft can pivot relative to the latter.

From the above, it is clear that the support system defines a gimbal support, which gives the animated object 11 two degrees of freedom in rotation, and, substantially, no degree of freedom in translation . The pivoting of the shaft 13h in the base 13g confers a third degree of freedom in rotation on the animated object 11 about a third axis A3, which corresponds to the geometric axis of the shaft 13h. However, this third degree of freedom is not mandatory, as explained below.

The driving of the animated object 11 around the third axis A3 is provided by the cooperation between a pinion 131 consisting of a toothing that the shaft 13h comprises and a conical toothing 17 which is coaxial with the mobile d drive 15 and is fixed in the construction shown. Other forms of toothing are also possible, such as for example an internal bevel toothing carried by a crown, or other ad hoc gears.

In order to animate the object 11, the mechanism further comprises a driving wheel 15, which comprises a toothed wheel 15a meshing with the toothed member 9b serving as a power take-off. Of course, the interposition of additional toothed wheels and / or other kinematic connections such as belts are also possible. The axis of rotation of the driving wheel 15 is arranged to substantially cross the intersection of the axes A1 and A2, but in certain configurations a certain offset is also allowed, which can make the movement of the object 11 not symmetrical.

The mobile drive 15 also comprises an eccentric drive element 15b, which is integral in rotation with said toothed wheel 15a and is linked thereto by a shaft 15d. The eccentric drive element 15b as illustrated takes the form of an angled lever or crank fixed to the shaft 15d, the free end of the eccentric element 15b cooperating with the end of the rod 13h in order to train it along a substantially circular course. In doing so, when the driving wheel 15 rotates, the object 11 performs a compound movement having two degrees of freedom in rotation, the amplitude of which is defined by the geometry of the support system 13 as well as the radius of the element. drive eccentric 15b. This movement is a back and forth around each of the axes A1 and A2, which creates an inclined orbital movement.

At the same time, the toothing 131 of the shaft 13h rolls on the fixed toothing 17, which causes the animated object 11 to pivot about the third axis A3.

By these means, the animated object 11 rotates around the three axes A1, A2, A3, and its movements make it more visible to the observer than in the case of the prior art. As a result, the observer no longer has to observe it from acute angles in order to see more than its front face.

It goes without saying that other constructions for the drive eccentric 15b are possible, and that the gear ratios can be adapted to the needs of the manufacturer in order to animate the object 11 with a rotational speed desired around the three axes of rotation.

As mentioned above, a rotation of the object 11 around the third axis A3 is not mandatory. In such a case, the fixed toothing 17 as well as the pinion 131 of the shaft 13h may be unforeseen, the movement of the animated object 11 thus being defined exclusively by back and forth rotations around the two axes A1 and A2.

In view of the above, it is clear that the support system 13 is distinct from the regulating system 7, the latter simply serving to determine the speed of rotation of the transmission 9 and of the movements of the animated object 11, which is driven in the branch of the transmission 9. In other words, the animated object 11 is not part of the regulating system 7, is not mounted on an element of the latter, does not carry any element of the regulating system 7 , and can be considered kinematically in parallel with the latter.

The same principle can be applied to an embodiment as illustrated in Figure 2, whether mechanically or electrically driven. In such a case, the sub-assembly of Figures 4 and 5 is driven by the gear train 9 as noted above in the context of Figure 2.

In order to allow the illumination of the object 11 from below (that is to say from the direction of the driving mobile 15), the support system 13 can be located inside, or superimposed, a polished well (not shown), which may take for example the form of a goblet, a parabolic, elliptical, hemispherical or similar mirror, which is arranged to direct ambient light onto the underside of the object. Still alternatively, a light source (for example a tritium element, one or more LEDs or the like) can be placed below the object and the frames 13b, 13f. By these means, if the object 11 is a stone, its scintillations can be improved.

[0040] Of course, other constructions are possible. For example, the drive wheel 15 can be part of the transmission 9, for example being the toothed member 9b (or other). The kinematic connections can have relatively large clearances and / or include elastic elements such as elastic belts or the like, in order to allow the animated object 11 to “float” to a certain extent under the effect of movements of the part. 3. The toothing 17 can also be rotated by an ad hoc kinematic connection, which makes it possible to determine more freely the speed of rotation of the object around the axis A3. Still alternatively, the animated object 11 can be kinematically connected to the transmission 9 by means of a differential gear.

[0041] Figure 6 schematically illustrates yet another variant of a construction, which differs from that of Figure 1 in that a clutch 19 is provided between the transmission 9 and the animated object 11. This clutch 19 can take any known shape, such as for example a vertical or horizontal clutch, with tilting sliding pinion or differential (all of these clutches being known in particular in chronograph mechanisms, which therefore need not be described in detail here) , can be controlled manually by means of a control member such as a push button, a bolt or the like, or alternatively automatically by any mechanism. Still alternatively, the clutch 19 may be with intermittent teeth.

When the clutch 19 is engaged, the mechanism operates as described above. However, when it is disengaged, the animated object 11 is free to move under the effect of gravity and / or the movements of the part 3, the drive wheel 15 being free to rotate.

The same principle can also be applied, mutatis mutandis, to the embodiment of FIG. 2, in which case the clutch 19 can alternately be located in said cog 9.

Finally, Figure 6 illustrates yet another optional adaptation, independent of the clutch 19, in particular a watch switch 21 driven from a toothed member 9c of the transmission 9, in order to indicate the time or any other indication related to time. In such a case, the piece of jewelry or jewelry 3 can be a wristwatch, a pocket watch, a clock or the like.

Although the invention has been previously described in connection with specific embodiments, other additional variants can also be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims (13)

1. Mechanism (1) for animating an object (11) for a portable piece of jewelry (3), comprising: - a driving source (5) arranged to drive a transmission (9); - a regulating system (7) arranged to regulate the speed of rotation of said transmission (9); - a support system (13) carrying an object (11) intended to be animated according to a rotation around a first axis of rotation (A1) under the effect of said motor source (5) by means of a power take-off (9b; 9f) forming part of said transmission (9), characterized in that said support system (13) comprises a first frame (13b) pivotally mounted on a frame member about said first axis of rotation (A1), as well as an inner frame (13f) pivotally mounted in said first frame (13b) about a second pivot axis (A2) which is substantially orthogonal to said first pivot axis (A1); and in that said object (11) is arranged to be driven by an eccentric drive element (15b) integral in rotation with a driving wheel set (15) arranged to be driven by said power take-off (9b; 9f) ). 2. Mechanism (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said object (11) is carried by a shaft (13h) pivotally mounted in said inner frame (13f) about a third axis of rotation (A3), said shaft ( 13h) being integral in rotation with a pinion (131) meshing with a set of teeth (17) which is coaxial with said mobile drive (15), said toothing (17) being fixed or arranged to be rotated. 3. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said eccentric drive element (15b) is a crank or a lever. 4. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said transmission (9) comprises a gear (9) composed of a plurality of toothed members (9a, 9b, 9c; 9d, 9e, 9f). 5. Mechanism (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said power take-off is constituted by one of said toothed members (9b; 9f). 6. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a clutch (19) located kinematically between said power take-off (9b) and said mobile drive (15). 7. Mechanism (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said clutch (19) is arranged to be controlled manually or automatically. 8. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least part of the kinematic connection between said transmission (9) and said object (11) is flexible. 9. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said drive source (5) is a drive spring. 10. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said regulating system (7) comprises a sprung balance oscillator (7b) arranged to be maintained by an escapement (7a). 11. Mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein said motor source (7) is an electric motor, said regulating system preferably being a quartz system. 12. Mechanism (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein at least a portion of said object (11) protrudes outside all of said frames (13b, 13f). 13. Piece of jewelry or jewelry (3) comprising a mechanism (1) according to one of the preceding claims.