EP1254399B1 - Analog indicator device for timekeeping clock and use thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a timekeeping clock wherein on the axis of a mobile counter completing a cycle in 11 seconds is mounted a transparent disc ( 42 ) bearing ( 11 ) radial markers ( 44 ). The dial positioned beneath the disc ( 41 ) provides a marking in the form of a marker circle ( 40 ) with ( 10 ) radial markers ( 41 ) numbered 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. At each step of the mobile disc successive alignments occur between a marker of the disc ( 42 ) and a marker of the ring ( 40 ) thereby enabling tenths of seconds elapsed to be displayed anticlockwise.

Description

The present invention relates to an analog indicator device for timepiece according to the preamble of claim 1 and the use of this device.

Chronographs and chronograph watches have been made up to now in many forms that differ from each other mainly by the mode of presentation of the control and display organs, the materials used, the appearance, etc. These timepieces generally comprise a so-called second hand driven with a period of one revolution per minute, and which can be stopped at will to read the timed time. In general the dial has divisions marking sub-periods corresponding to seconds. The reading of the sub-period fractions can be made approximately at the fifth of a second if the balance-spring system oscillates at 18'000 alternations. For optical reasons, a higher reading accuracy is hardly possible, even with timepieces having a frequency higher than the usual frequency. In some cases the chronograph includes, in addition to the second hand hand indicating the number of seconds elapsed, counters, for example a counter of minutes or hours, totaling minutes or hours elapsed.

A device using the principle of the vernier for the purpose of displaying the hours and minutes using the only mobile hours is described in the patent DE 39 07 873 A . The purpose of this device is to reduce the number of indicators, including removing the minute hand, which reduces the energy consumption of the movement. To do this, the dial has five beaches in the form of concentric circular rings on each of which are distributed eleven equidistant marks, so as to obtain 55 equal circular sectors, each of the marks on a defined range being shifted from the nearest reference mark lying on the (or both) adjacent range (s) of an angle of 6.5 °. A disc-shaped hour wheel surmounting the dial also has five concentric circular beaches on each of which are distributed twelve equidistant slots, so as to obtain 60 equal circular sectors, each of the slots on a defined range being offset from the nearest slot located on the adjacent beach (s) at an angle of 6 °. The arrangement of the device makes it possible to read, in the clockwise direction, coincidences separated by 65.45 seconds from each other. To obtain coincidences separated by 60 seconds, it would be necessary to train the motive of the hours with a period of a turn in eleven hours, which would distort the reading of the hours.

The vernier principle is also disclosed in DE-A-35 03 672 det GB-A-2,206,712 . A major disadvantage, common to each of the devices described in these applications lies in the inaccuracy of the display of sub-period fractions, that due to the use of the main indicators of the timepiece.

Indeed, in a timepiece, the indicator of the second is, by definition, one revolution per minute, this speed of rotation can not be changed. This means that 1 / 10th of a corresponds to a rotation of 0.6 ° of the indicator, and that the coincidences of the fractions of sub-periods will be shifted by 0 ° relative to the seconds marks for the first, by 0.6 ° by the second, of 1.2 ° for the third, ..., of 5.4 ° for the ninth and again of 0 ° for the tenth.

EP 0 365 443 A2 describes a time display system consisting of a mobile disk and a concentric fixed disk also for reading the hour and the minute on the only mobile hours. The reading of the coincidences is done by juxtaposing the successive marks in the clockwise direction according to the vernier principle. This system imposes a numbering of time marks on the mobile hours in a counterclockwise direction. In addition, the user must be familiar with the handling of a vernier and with its reading, while reading hours is atypical, but especially difficult and inconvenient.

The object of the present invention consists in eliminating the drawbacks that the known devices exhibit, more particularly in an adaptation of the principle of the vernier to allow an accurate and easy reading of the fractions of sub-periods in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, regardless of the direction of rotation of the mobile indicator and requiring, in the user, no knowledge of said vernier principle.

This object is achieved by the means defined in the characterizing part of independent claim 1, while the particular means defined in the dependent claims allow the invention to be carried out cheaply and in preferential modes.

• Les fig. 1, 2, 3 sont des vues en plan de dessus de l'organe fixe, de l'organe mobile et des positions de superposition de ces deux organes dans une paire de lecture selon une première variante d'une première forme d'exécution,
• les fig. 4, 5, 6 sont des vues semblables des organes d'une paire de lecture selon une seconde variante de la première forme d'exécution,
• la fig. 7a est une vue en coupe schématique d'un chronographe utilisant l'une ou l'autre des variantes de la première forme d'exécution,
• les fig. 7b et 7c sont des vues en plan de dessus à échelle agrandie de l'organe fixe des première et seconde variantes de la première forme d'exécution
• les fig. 8, 9, 10 sont des vues analogues aux fig. 1, 2, 3 montrant une première variante d'une deuxième forme d'exécution du dispositif,
• les fig. 11, 12, 13 sont des vues analogues aux fig. 8, 9, 10, montrant une deuxième variante de la deuxième forme d'exécution,
• les fig. 14, 15, 16 sont des vues analogues aux fig. 8, 9, 10, montrant une troisième variante de la deuxième forme d'exécution et
• les fig. 17, 18, 19 sont des vues analogues aux fig. 8, 9, 10, montrant une troisième forme d'exécution du dispositif selon l'invention.

Various embodiments and different variants of the subject of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the appended drawing of which:

• The Fig. 1, 2, 3 are top plan views of the fixed member, the movable member and the superposition positions of these two members in a read pair according to a first variant of a first embodiment,
• the Fig. 4, 5, 6 are similar views of the members of a read pair according to a second variant of the first embodiment,
• the Fig. 7a is a schematic sectional view of a chronograph using one or other of the variants of the first embodiment,
• the Fig. 7b and 7c are enlarged top plan views of the fixed member of the first and second variants of the first embodiment
• the Fig. 8, 9, 10 are views similar to Fig. 1, 2, 3 showing a first variant of a second embodiment of the device,
• the Fig. 11, 12, 13 are views similar to Fig. 8, 9, 10 showing a second variant of the second embodiment,
• the Fig. 14, 15, 16 are views similar to Fig. 8, 9, 10 , showing a third variant of the second embodiment and
• the Fig. 17, 18, 19 are views similar to Fig. 8, 9, 10 , showing a third embodiment of the device according to the invention.

In the examples which will be described, the indicator device is incorporated in a mechanical movement analog chronograph which is shown schematically in FIG. Fig. 7a . The visible upper face of this chronograph comprises a circular dial on which is mounted a flange 16 which can be seen, at the Fig. 1 , a marking consisting of a ring 1 centered on the axis of the needles, of constant width all around its periphery. Between the 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock positions, the dark-colored crown 1 has alternating light and dark areas that divide the circular arc from 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock into 10 pairs of alternately dark and dark elements. clear (2). The ratio between the widths of the beaches of each pair varies progressively from one end to the other of the arc. The details of this provision will be described later in relation to the Fig. 7b .

The Fig. 2 represents a transparent disk 3 intended to be mounted on the axis of the seconds hand of the chronograph so as to be superimposed on the ring 1 of the flange 16. It carries a radical marking line 4 showing the seconds hand and to its periphery an opaque ring 5 formed of 60 distinct elements separated by transparent spaces 6 plotted radially and having a width of 0.6 degrees of arc is one tenth of the space traveled by the disc 3 in one second. Preferably, the markings 5 and 6 will be made by screen printing on the underside of the disc 3, while the marking 4 may be made on the top or bottom of the disc.

The Fig. 3 shows the 10 successive positions of the disc 3 on the crown 1 of the flange 16 during the second following the engagement of the chronograph from the zero position. Initially an element 6 is visible in front of the first clear area of the elements 2 on the flange, but every tenth of a second a new element 6 is placed in front of a clear range of the flange so that if we stop the needle at During the first second it is possible to read the number of tenths of seconds that have elapsed. Details of the operation of this system will be explained later ( Fig. 7b ). Note here that with the system of Fig. 1, 2, 3 , marking successive tenths of seconds develops in the direction of dextrorsum, as that of seconds.

The Fig. 4, 5, 6 represent the same way as Fig. 1, 2, 3 the crown 1 of the flange 16 of a chronograph with a dark circular marking 7 and on the arc of the circle between 11 am and 1 am a series of alternating elements 8 forming clear and dark beaches. A seconds disk 9, transparent, has a linear radial marking 10 showing the seconds hand and a ring of opaque elements 11 separated by transparent radial spaces 12 identical to those of the disk 3 of the first variant. The various relative positions of the two components of the reading pair 7, 9, shown in FIG. Fig. 6 , show that the display of tenths of seconds develops in the sense senestrorsum even as the second disc rotates in the direction of dextrorsum normal.

The Fig. 7a shows the chronograph in schematic section. The movement 13 carries a dial 14 fixed by feet 15 which protrude from the upper face and center the flange 16 having a planar upper surface which forms the crown 1. Needles of hours 17 and minutes 18 are mounted on the barrels of their mobiles respectively. They extend in the space limited by the flange 16 while the disc 3 of the second member extends by its periphery immediately above the upper face of the flange 16 so that the parallax is minimized. . A tube 19 and a washer 20 ensure the attachment of the disc 3 on the shaft of the second mobile. The means for switching on, stopping and returning to zero of the disk 3 are common means and are not represented in FIG. Fig. 7a .

To the Fig. 7b and 7c we see again, in more detail, the disposition of the part of the crown 1, 7 on the arc between 11 h and 1 h for the first and the second variant of the first embodiment. To the Fig. 7b , which corresponds to the Fig. 1 this arc covers 60 degrees and is divided into 10 elements 21 of 6 degrees each, each element being itself divided into a pair of alternately light and dark beaches. The light areas decrease in width as you circle the arc clockwise, and go from 6 to 0.6 degrees while the dark ranges increase proportionally from 0 to 5.4 degrees. Under these conditions, the progressive displacement of the crown 5, 6 of the Fig. 2 above the crown 1 of the Fig. 1 shows the succession of markings as represented in Fig. 3 , every second.

The Fig. 7c corresponds to the Fig. 4 . The arc elements 22 of 6 degrees of width are each formed of a dark range and a clear range, the dark ranges from 5.4 degrees to zero from the 11 o'clock position to the 1 o'clock position. It is understood that the displacement of the ring 11, 12 of the disc 9 seen at the Fig. 5 produces the succession of appearances of the Fig. 6 , with the appearance of marks developing counterclockwise every second.

The Fig. 8 to 19 are partial views that illustrate a second and third embodiment of the device. This is applied to a chronograph equipped with one or more counters, where one of these counters is expected to count tenths of seconds while the second hand moves normally above the dial. The tenths counter can be placed on any of the four usual positions: 3h, 6h, 9h or 12h. The Fig. 8 , 11 and 14 represent the marking of the reading organ, the Fig. 9 , 12 and 15 that of the display organ and the Fig. 10 , 13 and 16 the superposition of the two bodies, that in the first, second and third variants of the second embodiment.

In the variant of Fig. 8 to 10 , the fixed ring 23 has 10 dark elements 24 each covering a little less than 36 degrees separated by clear elements 25 whose width is the complement to 36 degrees. The exact width of these clear elements can be chosen at will so as to have an easy reading. Similarly, the transparent disk 26 shown in FIG. Fig. 9 carries a crown 27 formed of 11 arc elements 28 of a little less than 360/11 degrees, of opaque color, separated by narrow spaces 29 of the same width as the spaces 25. In this variant the movement of the chronograph will include a mobile rotating at the speed of one turn in 11 seconds, connected to the mobile of seconds of to be engaged, stopped and reset to zero at the same time as the chronograph hand. The superposition of the members 27 and 23 will then give the appearance of the various reading positions represented in FIG. Fig. 10 .
The tenths are read clockwise.

The fixed crown 30 of the Fig. 11 is exactly the same as that of the Fig. 8 , unlike the meaning of marking (which are inverted with respect to each other). It is divided into 10 dark arc elements 24 separated by narrow, light colored elements. It cooperates as a tracking member with a movable reading member 31 which is a transparent disk mounted on a counter axis rotating in this variant at a speed of one turn in 9 seconds. The disk 31 carries a ring formed of 9 dark arc elements 32 each covering, with the light intermediate element 33 which follows a 40 degree arc. As in the previous variant, the width of the elements 33 will be equal to that of the elements 25. The superposition of the elements 30 and 31 produces the succession of the positions of the Fig. 13 It can be seen that the tenths of a second marking develops counterclockwise.

Other arrangements are still possible. So the Fig. 14 to 16 show a third variant of the second embodiment. The fixed registration member is here a ring 34 divided into 9 dark arc elements 35 separated by narrow narrow elements 36, while the mobile reading member is a transparent disc 37 with a ring of the same diameter and width that the crown 34 formed of 10 dark elements 38 separated by transparent spaces 39 of the same width as the elements 36. The disc 37 will be mounted on a rotating axis of the moving meter at a rate of one turn in 9 seconds and the superposition of positions of both organs of the reading pair will give the appearance of a marker moving clockwise at the speed of one revolution per second, thus marking the count of tenths of a second.

Finally, the display of tenths of seconds can also be obtained as shown by the Fig. 17 to 19 by means of a circular fixed marker member 40 carrying 10 marks 41 spaced 36 degrees and by means of a transparent reading member 42 rotating above the member 40, bearing a marker ring 43 surrounding the ring 40. To the Fig. 18 the ring 43 is divided into 11 segments by 11 radial marks 44 regularly spaced 360/11 or about 32.7 degrees. At each step of the mobile disc occur 10 successive coincidences between a mark 44 of the disc 42 and a mark 41 of the crown 40, which allows to locate the tenths of seconds elapsed.

The position of the coincidences between a mark 44 and a mark 41 gives the tenth of a second, as can be seen in Fig. 19 . These coincidence positions develop counterclockwise.

We have seen that the basic period Pb (for example the minute) is divided into sub-periods (for example in seconds) and that these are themselves divided into fractions of N sub-periods (N being equal for example). at 10, the fraction of sub-period being then the tenth of a second). It has also been seen that an object of the invention is to allow an accurate reading; this accuracy is equivalent to at least one time interval corresponding to a fraction N of the sub-period elapsed since the last coincidence between the position of the marker and a mark of the registration graduation. That being so, taking as a basis of explanation the first embodiment of execution, if it is desired that the reading accuracy be at least equal to the value of said fraction. of the sub-period (so a reading precision to the N-th at least), the transparent spaces drawn radially on the mobile disk must extend over a defined angular distance: the latter must indeed be at most equal, on the one hand, at the angular distance covered by the mobile disc in 1 / Nth of sub-period and, on the other hand, in the step of progression (1 / N) of the light or dark areas on the disc of the fixed member having a division of N sub-periods. Thus, for example by setting N = 10, the device makes it possible to perform a reading at least 1/10 of a second.
The same reasoning is applicable by analogy as regards the second and third forms of execution.

The various arrangements presented in particular in the Fig. 8 to 16 allow a succession of coincidences in the clockwise direction regardless of the direction of rotation of the mobile. This characteristic is interesting when the tenth of a second reading is done on a separate meter. Indeed, according to the construction, the return system from the central second hand to the reading mobile sub-period fractions, the direction of rotation of the latter may be counterclockwise, in which case it will be necessary to add a mobile . However, the aforementioned characteristic of the invention precisely avoids such addition and, therefore, all the disadvantages it would cause for the device (increases in cost, space and energy consumption).

To avoid excessive jerks of the movable member, which could cause read errors, it is advantageous to choose a sprung-balance pair oscillating at least 28,800 alternations. The duration of the alternation of such a balance-spiral assembly being 1/8 of a second, the error it generates never exceeds a value greater than half a sub-period fraction of a tenth of a second.

It will be understood that it is possible to imagine still other arrangements for the pairs of reading elements described, in particular as regards the colors or the general appearance of the opaque or dark beaches and their superposition on the visible face of the timepieces.

Finally, it will be noted that an indicator device as described above can be integrated into a usual watch with or without a second hand for the sole purpose of creating a progressive decorative effect.

Claims (13)

1. Analog indicator device for timekeepers, comprising at least one reading assembly formed of a pair: a fixed reference organ (1, 7) having a reference graduation comprising equidistant marks, and a moving indicator organ (3, 9) provided with at least one reference (4, 10) that moves with respect to the fixed reference organ (1, 7) with a basic period Pb defining a given number and duration of subperiods per passage of the reference (4, 10) with regard to the marks of the reference graduation (1, 7), the two organs of the pair being provided each with a subperiod reading graduation (2, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12), these two graduations being disposed according to the vernier principle, characterised in that the subperiod reading graduations are disposed in such a manner that when the moving organ (3, 9, 26, 31, 37, 42) is stopped in whatever position, they allow a precise reading of a time interval corresponding to a subperiod fraction elapsed since the last coincidence between the position of the reference (6, 12, 29, 33, 39, 44) and a mark of the reference graduation (2, 8, 25, 36, 41), and in that the arrangement of the subperiod reading graduations on the two organs (1, 7, 23, 30, 34, 40, 3, 9, 26, 31, 37, 42) allows a reading of the successive coincidences in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction independently of the rotational direction of the moving organ (3, 9, 26, 31, 37, 42).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a reading pair including a moving indicator organ (3, 9) rotating around an axis and in front of a fixed reading organ (1, 7) at the period Pb, the moving organ (3, 9) being provided, on one hand, with a principal reference that allows to read the subperiods, and on the other hand, with a number of auxiliary references (5, 6, 11, 12) corresponding to the number of subperiods, and in that the fixed organ (1, 7) of the pair comprises a graduation (2, 8) extending on a circular arc and including a number of fixed auxiliary references (2, 8) that correspond to a desired number of readable subperiod fractions, each reference (5, 6, 11, 12) of the moving organ (3, 9) passing through the graduation (2, 8) of the fixed organ (1, 7) in such a manner that when stopped, the position of an auxiliary reference (6, 12) in front of the fixed graduation (2, 8) allows to read the elapsed subperiod fraction.
3. Device according to claim 2, characterised in that the reading pair comprises, on the moving organ (3, 9), an opaque circular crown (5, 11) that is subdivided into elements whose length is equal to the subperiods by transparent radial marks (6, 12) whose width corresponds to the subperiod fraction to be read, and in that the fixed organ (1, 7) of the pair comprises a crown disposed under that of the moving organ and comprising an arc portion divided into pairs of alternating dark or opaque and light elements (2, 8) each pair (2, 8) of which covers an arc that corresponds to the subperiod marked by the moving organ (3, 9), the ratio between the dark and light elements varying from one pair (2, 8) to the following one by an amount that corresponds to the subperiod fraction to be read.
4. Device according to claim 3, characterised in that the graduation (2, 8) of the fixed organ (1, 7) of the pair consisting of the fixed (1, 7) and of the moving organ (3, 9) extends on an arc that corresponds to the product of the desired number of readable subperiod fractions by the step of one subperiod on the moving indicator organ (3, 9), and the number of pairs (2, 8) of light and dark elements also corresponds to the desired number of readable subperiod fractions in each subperiod.
5. Device according to claim 1, in the case where the subperiod fractions are indicated on an auxiliary reading pair (23, 30, 34, 40, 26, 31, 37, 42) that is distinct from the principal reading pair (1, 7, 3, 9), characterised in that the rotation period of the indicator organ (26, 31, 37, 42) of the auxiliary pair (23, 30, 34, 40, 26, 31, 37, 42) is chosen such as to be equal to the product of the duration of the subperiod of the principal pair (1, 7, 3, 9) by the desired number of readable subperiod fractions plus one or less one.
6. Device according to claim 5, characterised in that the organs of the auxiliary reading pair (23, 30, 34, 40, 26, 31, 37, 42) comprise each a crown divided by radial elements into regular segments whose number is equal, for one of the organs, to the number of subperiod fractions to be read, and for the other one, to that number plus or less one, the disposition being such that in every stopping position, the superposed and non-coinciding elements become invisible due to the superposition of opaque or dark and of light or transparent portions, whereas only two coinciding elements, one of which is transparent and located on the moving disk (26, 31, 37, 42) and the other one of which is light and located on the fixed disk (23, 30, 34, 40), are visible and indicate by their position the duration of the subperiod fraction to be read.
7. Device according to claim 6, characterised in that the width of the light or transparent elements (25, 36, 29, 33, 39) corresponds to the duration of the subperiod fractions to be read.
8. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises a principal reading pair composed of an indicator organ (3, 9) and of a reading organ (1, 7) for the division of the period Pb into subperiods, whose indicator organ (3, 9) is provided with a single reference (4, 10), as well as an auxiliary reading pair composed of an indicator organ (5, 6, 11, 12) and of a reading organ (2, 8) for the division of the subperiods into fractions, whose period corresponds to the sum of the number of subperiod fractions, and allowing, when stopped during a subperiod, to read the elapsed time since the last coincidence between a reference of the fixed organ (1, 7) and the reference (4, 10) of the moving organ (3, 9) of the principal reading pair due to the disposition of the subperiod reading graduations (2, 8, 5, 6, 11, 12) on the auxiliary reading pair.
9. Device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that it is equipped with a balance and spring system whose balance operates at 28,800 vibrations at least.
10. Device according to claim 9, characterised in that it comprises a direct-driven seconds-hand (3; 9) rotating at one turn per minute, and in that the indicator device (1, 7, 3, 9) is adapted to allow a reading of tenths of seconds.
11. Device according to claim 10, characterised in that the indicator device is of the type according to claims 5, 6, or 7, that the movement comprises a driving mechanism for a wheel (26, 31, 37, 42) completing one turn in 9 or in 11 seconds, and that the auxiliary reading pair (23, 30, 34, 40, 26, 31, 37, 42) forms a counter in the dial situated at 3h., 6h., 9h. or 12h.
12. Usual analog watch, characterised in that it comprises a device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the pair(s) of fixed (1, 7, 23, 30, 34, 40) and moving organs (3, 9, 26, 31, 37, 42) advantageously having a decorative function.
13. Mechanical chronograph provided with a device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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