EP0931282A1

EP0931282A1 - Device for regulating the minute hand of a clock having at least a minute hand and a second hand

Info

Publication number: EP0931282A1
Application number: EP97942903A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Helmut Geyer
Original assignee: Lange Uhren GmbH
Current assignee: Lange Uhren GmbH
Priority date: 1996-09-18
Filing date: 1997-09-02
Publication date: 1999-07-28
Anticipated expiration: 2017-09-02
Also published as: DE59701420D1; EP0931282B1; WO1998012608A1; US6252827B1; JP2000505198A; ATE191570T1; JP3535524B2

Abstract

A device for regulating the minute hand of a clock having at least a minute hand and a second hand (29) has an adjusting shaft (1) which can be axially moved from a normal position to an adjusting position. When the adjusting shaft (1) is moved from the normal position to the regulating position, a resetting drive of the second hand (29) can be driven to reset the latter and the second shaft (28) which carries the second hand (29) can be driven by the clockwork of the clock by means of a second display drive (30) having blocking means which can be actuated by the displacement of the adjusting shaft (1) into its adjusting position, blocking the seconds display drive (30) before the seconds hand (29) is reset.

Description

description

Device for setting the minute hand of a watch having at least minute and second hands

The invention relates to a device for setting the minute hand of a watch having at least minutes and seconds hands, with an actuating shaft which can be moved by axial movement from a normal position into an actuating position, wherein when the actuating shaft is moved from the normal position into the actuating position, a zero actuator of The second hand can be driven to move it to its zero position and the second wave carrying the second hand can be driven by the clockwork of the watch via a second hand drive.

In such a known device, the zero actuator is a cardiac zero drive which, depending on the position of the heart curve, brings the second hand clockwise or counterclockwise to the zero position. Due to manufacturing tolerances, there is always play in the gear train leading to the second display gear, which must be overcome when the second hand is reset to the counterclockwise direction. If the second hand is then driven again in normal operation, the play in the gear train must first be overcome again before the second hand is moved. This leads to a delay in the start of the second hand and thus to an incorrect display of one to two seconds. The object of the invention is therefore to provide a device of the type mentioned by which a correct start of the second hand is ensured after an adjustment process.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the second display mechanism has a blocking device which can be actuated by the movement of the actuating shaft in the direction of the actuating position in such a way that a blocking of the second display mechanism leads to the movement of the second hand leading to the zero position.

Thus, before the second hand is reset, the second display gear is blocked, so that it always remains free of play in the normal drive direction and ensures correct start of the second hand after an adjustment process.

The adjusting shaft can only be used to reset the second hand.

If the setting shaft is a minute setting shaft of the clock and the setting position is the minute setting position in which the minute hand can be manually moved by turning the setting shaft, the setting shaft fulfills both the function of triggering the zero setting drive and the function for actuating the minute position. Simply moving the setting shaft to its minute setting position automatically causes the second hand to be reset. In order to be able to reset the second hand without affecting the drive of the clockwork, the second shaft can be non-positively coupled to the clockwork of the clock. For this purpose, a pre-tensioned dome spring can be arranged in a simple design between the second shaft and a second display drive of the clockwork, which is frictionally engaged in at least one of the parts of the second shaft and the second display drive. A space-saving design is achieved in that the second display mechanism is freely rotatably mounted on the second shaft, the dome spring being able to be arranged axially between the second shaft and the second display mechanism without significant space requirement.

Both to a simple structure of the dome spring and to a concentric loading of the components acted upon by the dome spring, if the dome spring is a spring having one or more radially directed spring arms, one end of the spring arm is arranged on the second shaft and the second end of the spring arm on the front side Second display gear is supported, wherein the second spring arm end can be supported on a radially directed flange-like extension of the gear.

In a simple embodiment, the blocking device can have a blocking lever that can be pivoted about a pivot axis, by means of which a movable drive part of the second display drive can be acted upon by force and / or form and / or friction.

In dual function and thus saving installation space, the movable drive part can be the flange-like extension of the second display gear, the radially circumferential surface of which can be acted upon by the blocking lever.

A particularly reliable blockage of the second display mechanism is achieved in that the radially circumferential circumferential surface has a radially circumferential approximately V-shaped groove into which the blocking lever, which can be pivoted about the pivot axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the second display mechanism, can be pivoted with an approximately corresponding V-shaped blocking region. A simply designed and safely functioning structure is achieved if the zero actuator is a cam disk drive, the cam disk of which is firmly arranged on the second shaft carrying the second hand and can be driven to move from a zero adjustment lever into the zero position when the actuating shaft is moved in the direction of the actuating position, for which purpose the cam disk drive is preferably one Heart cam zero drive is. If the cam can be locked in the zero position by the zeroing lever, these components serve not only to move in the zero position but also to hold the second hand in the zero position.

Only a small installation space is required if the zeroing lever is a lever which acts on the radially circumferential surface of the cam disc about an axis parallel to the second shaft.

A simple and space-saving actuator is achieved in that the zero actuator has a swivel lever which can be swiveled about a swivel axis parallel to the second shaft between a normal position and a zero position, which is spring-loaded into its zero position and by means of which the zero lever can be moved against the cam from its normal position spaced from the cam is acted upon.

If the blocking lever can be pivotally driven by the pivoting lever, the pivoting lever serves several functions simultaneously.

The advance of the blockage of the second display gear before the movement of the second hand into the zero position is achieved in a simple construction in that the pivot axis of the blocking lever and the axis of the zeroing lever are arranged axially to one another and the block direction of engagement of the blocking lever and the zeroing direction of the zeroing lever are directed approximately the same.

If the blocking lever is acted upon by a blocking spring both in the blocking engagement direction and against the swivel lever in the zero position, the blocking lever can easily be released from the swivel lever after its blocking engagement and this can move further to the cam disk of the cam disk drive. For this purpose, there is a simple structure in that the blocking lever is acted upon by the blocking spring in abutment with a stop of the pivoting lever or the zeroing lever, whereby when pivoting the blocking lever and pivoting lever in the direction of blocking engagement or zeroing direction of the blocking lever, the blocking position before the zeroing position is reached by the zeroing lever is achieved.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and will be described in more detail below. Show it:

Figure 1 shows a device for setting the minute hand

Minute hand and second hand clock in normal position

Figure 2 shows the device of Figure 1 in the position

Figure 3 shows a section of the device of Figure 1 in an intermediate position between normal position and position

FIG. 4 shows a side view in section along the line II-II in FIG. 2 The device shown has an actuating shaft 1 which can be moved axially between a normal position (FIG. 1) and an actuating position (FIG. 2).

The actuating shaft is coupled in its actuating position in a minute hand drive, not shown, and can adjust the position of a minute hand, also not shown, by rotating the actuating shaft 1 about its axis of rotation.

A pin 2 of an angle lever 4 pivotable about an axis 3 engages transversely to the axis of rotation of the actuating shaft 1 in a radially circumferential groove 5 formed in the actuating shaft 1. By axially moving the control shaft 1, the angle lever 4 is pivoted about its axis 3 via the pin 2.

A catch spring 7 engages a projection 6 arranged on the protruding lever 4 in such a way that depending on its pivot position into its rest position, the lever 4 is acted upon via its release position into a pointer setting position. The snap spring 7 consists of a spring arm 8 which is fixedly arranged at one end and has a tooth 9 at its other end.

In the rest position, the tooth 9 rests on the shoulder 6 with its one flank and in the trigger position with its other flank. When the angle lever 4 is pivoted, the spring arm 8 is deflected so that the tooth 9 is moved over the extension 6 (FIG. 3).

The angle lever 4 carries on its lever arm opposite the actuating shaft 1 a pin 10 which projects into a groove 11 of a switching disk 12. The switching disk 12 can be pivoted about an axis 13 parallel to the axis 3 of the angle lever 4, the pivoting path being limited by the ends of the groove 11, against which the pin 10 comes to rest. The groove 11 is formed at an equidistant distance from the axis 13.

The switching disk 12 has a switching curve 14, which is also equidistant from the axis 13. This switching curve 14, which is designed as an arc section, interacts with an action surface 15 of a pivoting lever 16 which can be pivoted about a pivot axis 17 by the switching curve 14.

For this purpose, the loading surface 15 is designed as an incline which is inclined with respect to a radial to the pivot axis 17 of the pivot lever 16. Switching curve 14 and loading surface 15 are inclined at such an angle to one another that self-locking of the two parts sliding on one another is excluded.

The pivot lever 16 is permanently spring-loaded in the direction of the switching curve 14 by the free end of a pretensioned spring arm 18 with an acting surface 15 and is biased in the normal position (FIG. 1) with the acting surface 15 on the switching curve 14.

A sliding along the switching curve 14 on the actuation surface 15 and thus a pivoting of the pivot lever 16 is only possible if the angle lever 4 is pivoted by moving the actuating shaft 1 from the normal position into the actuating position. The switching curve 14 slides under the force of the spring arm 18 on the swivel lever 16 along the actuating surface 15 until it disengages from the actuating surface 15 at the end of its swiveling path, since the pivotability of the swivel lever 16 is limited. The pivot lever 16 is designed as a two-armed lever, on one lever arm of which the loading surface 15 is arranged. The other lever arm is branched into a zero setting arm 19 and a stopping arm 20. A zeroing lever 22 is arranged in a plane parallel to the zeroing arm 19 about an axis 21 parallel to the pivoting axis 17. In this case, the axis 21 is located at one end of the zeroing lever 22, while at the other end of the zeroing lever 22 a positioning surface 23 is arranged in the pivoting direction.

A pin 24, which extends parallel to the axis 21 and extends into the pivoting range of the pivot lever 16, is arranged on the zero setting lever 22 approximately centrally between the positioning surface 23 and the axis 21. The pin 24 is gripped by a fork-shaped end 25 of the zeroing arm 19 and the pivoting position of the zeroing lever 22 is thus determined by the zeroing arm 19.

When pivoting the pivoting lever 16 from the normal position into the zeroing position, the fork-shaped end 25 of the zeroing arm 19 pivots the zeroing lever 22 until it rests against a stop 26. Here, the footprint 23 comes into the area of a heart cam 27, which parallel to the axis 21 rotatably Second wave 28 is arranged.

By the radial circumferential surface of the heart cam 27 being acted upon by the positioning surface 23, the heart cam 27 is pivoted until the positioning surface 23 has reached the axis of rotation of the heart cam 27 at the radially smallest point. However, this also moves the second hand 29 arranged on the second shaft 28 into its zero position.

This pivoting of the second shaft 28 is possible without hindrance, since a second display gear 30 of the clockwork gear train is freely rotatable mounted on the second shaft 28 and is non-positively coupled to the second shaft 28 only by a dome spring 31. Thus, the second shaft 28 can be rotated by overcoming the frictional engagement of the coupling fields 31 without being blocked by the second display gear 30.

The dome spring 31 is designed in the manner of a leaf spring with a central part 33 from which three radially extending spring arms 34 protrude from the plane of the central part 33. With a bore 35 formed in the central part 33, the dome spring 31 is arranged on the second shaft 28. Here, the central part 33 is supported on the heart cam 27, while the free ends of the spring arms 34 are pretensioned on a radially directed, flange-like extension 36 of the second display mechanism 30. By relative rotation of the heart cam 27 and second display gear 30 with sufficient force, the frictional coupling between the central part 33 of the dome spring 31 with the heart cam 27 and the second indicator gear 30 can be overcome.

The stopping arm 20 of the pivoting lever 16 has at its free end a pin 37 projecting transversely to its pivoting plane. This pin 37 acts against the force of a spring 40 together with a stopping lever 39 which can be pivoted about a pivot axis 38. One free end of the stopping lever 39 is designed as a spring arm 41 and can be moved by pivoting the stopping lever 39 through the spring 40 to bear against the radially circumferential contour of a balance 42. Due to the resilient contact of the spring arm 41 on the balance 42, the latter can be stopped in its rotational movement. The pin 37 of the stop lever 39 is in the normal position of the pivot lever 16 on a stop surface 43 of the stop lever 39 in contact and thus holds the spring arm 41 of the stop lever 39 against the force of the spring 40 at a distance from the balance 42 so that they move freely can. By pivoting the pivot lever 16 into the zero position, the pin 37 of the stopping arm 20 is disengaged from the stopping lever 39, so that the spring 40 swivels the stopping lever 39 and the spring arm 41 comes under pressure against the radial circumferential contour of the balance 42 and blocked the movement of the balance 42. The clockwork is also out of operation.

A blocking lever 45 is arranged pivotably about a pivot axis 44 parallel to the axis 21 of the zeroing lever 22.

By means of a blocking spring 46, the blocking lever 45 can be moved with its free end against the radially circumferential outer surface of the flange-like extension 36. At this free end, the blocking lever 45 has an approximately V-shaped blocking region 47, with which it can be pivoted into an approximately corresponding V-shaped groove 48, which is formed in a radially circumferential manner on the radially circumferential circumferential surface of the extension 36.

In the normal position (FIG. 1), the blocking lever 45 is held out of engagement with its blocking region 47 by the groove 48 by the pin 24 of the zeroing lever 22 against the force of the blocking spring 46.

If the zeroing lever 22 is pivoted from the normal position into the zeroing position by the pivoting lever 16, the blocking lever 45 supported on the pin 24 follows until it engages with its blocking region 47 in the groove 48 and thus blocks the second display mechanism 30.

The zeroing lever 22 is then moved further by the pivoting lever 16 until it comes to rest with its footprint 23 on the heart cam 27 and rotates it until the footprint 23 is at the radially lowest Point of the heart cam 27 rests and so the second hand 29 is in its zero position.

In this case, the second display mechanism 30 is blocked before the heart cam 27 is adjusted.

To set the clock to the exact time, the setting shaft 1 is first pulled upwards from the normal position shown in FIG. 1 into the setting position shown in FIG. 2 by means of a crown (not shown). Thus, the angle lever 4 is pivoted counterclockwise and transmits its movement to the switching disc 12. Until the intermediate position shown in Figure 3 is reached, the angle between the switching curve 14 and the loading surface 15 is such that there is self-locking of the two adjacent parts. During the further pivoting of the switching curve 14 there is also a pivoting of the pivot lever 16, so that the angle between the switching curve 14 and the loading surface 15 changes such that self-locking of these two adjacent parts is now excluded. Under the force of the spring arm 18, the pivot lever 16 then slides automatically with its loading surface 15 along the switching curve 14 and pivots so that it moves the fork lever 25 with the pin 24, the zeroing lever 22 and releases the blocking lever 45 so that it is under the action of the locking spring 46 follows the zero lever 22.

This blocks the second display operation first. Subsequently, the actuating surface 23 acts on the heart cam 27 by the zero setting lever 22 and, while overcoming the frictional forces of the dome spring 31, moves it directly into the zero position and holds it there. At the same time, the stopping arm 39 of the pivoting lever 16 pivots the stopping lever 39 with its spring arm 41 against the balance 42 and stops it.

Now, by turning the setting shaft 1, a minute hand (not shown) and an hour hand (also not shown) are set to the correct time, e.g. of the next time signal.

If this time signal sounds, the actuating shaft 1 is shifted back into the normal position, as a result of which the angular lever 4 and, after passing through a certain free travel of the angular lever 4 via the switching disk 12, the pivoting lever 16 and the zeroing lever 22 are moved back to their normal position with their positioning surface 23, whereby the heart cam 27 is released.

Subsequently, the pin 24 lifts the blocking lever 45, so that its blocking region 47 moves out of the groove 48 and the second display mechanism 30 is released.

At the same time, the stopping arm 20 acts on the stop surface 43 of the stopping lever 29, lifts its spring arm 41 from the balance 42 and releases it.

The clockwork runs freely and the hands move synchronously.

An eccentric 50 on the swivel axis 17 for the swivel lever 16, an eccentric 51 on the stop 26 of the zeroing lever 22 and an eccentric 52 on the swivel axis 44 of the blocking lever 45 serve to adjust the lever paths. It is understood that the second display gear to be blocked does not necessarily have to be the drive seated on the second shaft, but can also be a gearwheel close to this drive in the gear train leading to this drive. It is optimal, however, if the impulse sitting on the second wave is blocked.

Claims

claims

1.Device for setting the minute hand of a watch having at least the minute and second hands, with an actuating shaft which can be moved by axial movement from a normal position into an actuating position, a movement of the actuating shaft from the normal position into the actuating position having a zero actuator of the second hand in its Zero position can be driven to move and the second shaft carrying the second hand can be driven by the clockwork of the clock via a second display mechanism, characterized in that the second display mechanism (30) has a blocking device which can be actuated in this way by the movement of the adjusting shaft (1) in the direction of the adjusting position is that a blockage of the second display gear (30) leads the movement of the second hand (29) in the leading position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating shaft (1) is a minute actuating shaft of the clock and the actuating position is the minute actuating position in which the minute hand can be driven to be moved manually by rotating the actuating shaft (1).

3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second shaft (28) is non-positively coupled to the clockwork of the clock.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that between the second shaft (28) and a second display gear (30) of the clockwork a biased dome spring (31) is arranged, the friction on at least one of the parts second shaft (28) and second display gear (30) Facility is.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the second display gear (30) on the second shaft (28) is freely rotatable.

6. Device according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the dome spring (31) is arranged axially between the second shaft (28) and the second display gear (30).

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the dome spring (31) is a one or more radially directed spring arms having one spring arm end arranged on the second shaft (28) and the second spring arm end is supported on the end face of the second display gear (30) .

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that the second spring arm end is supported on a radially directed flange-like extension (36) of the second display mechanism (30).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking device has a blocking lever (45) which can be pivoted about a pivot axis (44), by means of which a movable drive part of the second display mechanism (32) is positively and / or positively and / or frictionally engaged. is acted upon.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the movable drive part is the flange-like extension (36) of the second display gear (30), the radially circumferential outer surface of which can be acted upon by the blocking lever (45).

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the radially circumferential circumferential surface has a radially circumferential, approximately V-shaped groove (48) into which the locking lever (45) pivotable about the pivot axis (44) parallel to the axis of rotation of the gearwheel an approximately corresponding V-shaped blocking area (47) can be pivoted into it.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the zero actuator is a cam disc drive, the cam disc is arranged fixedly on the second hand (29) carrying the second shaft (28) and when the actuating shaft (1) moves towards the adjusting position of a zero lever (22) is drivable in the zero position

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the cam disc drive is a cardiac zero drive,

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the zero lever (22) about a second shaft (28) parallel axis (21) pivotable, the radially circumferential surface of the cam is acting lever.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 to 14, characterized in that the zero setting drive has a pivoting lever (16) which can be pivoted about a pivot axis (17) parallel to the second shaft (28) between a normal position and a zero setting position its zero position is spring loaded and by means of which the zero lever (22) can be moved against the cam from its normal position spaced from the cam.

16. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking lever (45) is pivotally driven by the pivot lever (16).

17. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivot axis (44) of the blocking lever (45) and the axis (21) of the zeroing lever (22) are arranged axially to one another and the blocking engagement direction of the blocking lever (45) and the zeroing direction of the Zero lever (22) are approximately rectified.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the blocking lever (45) is acted upon both in the blocking engagement direction and against the pivoting lever (16) by a blocking spring (46) in the zero position.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the blocking lever (45) is acted upon by the blocking spring (46) in contact with a stop of the pivoting lever (16) or the zeroing lever (22), with pivoting of the blocking lever (45) and Swivel lever (16) in the blocking engagement direction or zeroing direction from the blocking lever (45) the blocking position has been reached by the zeroing lever (22) before reaching the zeroing position.