Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B27/00—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means
  • G04B27/004—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means having several simultaneous functions, e.g. stopping or starting the clockwork or the hands
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B3/00—Normal winding of clockworks by hand or mechanically; Winding up several mainsprings or driving weights simultaneously
  • G04B3/04—Rigidly-mounted keys, knobs or crowns
  • G04B3/046—Operation by rotation and axial movement with extra function of axial shift of operating element, e.g. crown combined with push button

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a push-button control device for a watch, more particularly a push-button control device comprising: - a support piece which can be fixed to the watch case or constituting the watch case itself , this support piece comprising an opening, - a rotary drive piece that can be connected to the movement of the watch to control first and second functions of the watch such as, respectively, a winding function and a setting function.
• a crown comprising a head and an extension integral with the head and mounted movable relative to the support piece in said opening, the extension being able to cooperate with a control member of a third function of the watch, such a start, stop, reset or catch-up function for a chronograph, control unit located inside the watch, - coupling means for securing the drive part and the extension of the crown in rotation and in translation in the pulling direction, the crown being able, when the device equips the watch, to occupy a first stable axial position and a second stable axial position, pulled, in which the rotation of the drive piece printed by the crown respectively controls the first and second functions, the crown being able to be further pushed independently of the drive piece from the first position axial to an axial position of activation of the control member, and - first elastic means arranged between the drive part and the crown head and the force of which is sufficient to overcome the resistance opposite by the drive part when passing from the second to the first axial position of the crown.
• a control member of a third function of the watch
• Such a device is described in the document FR 923.922. It has the drawback of subjecting the movement of the watch to a relatively high stress, exerted by the elastic means placed between the crown head and the rotating drive part, during the passage from the first axial position of the crown, in this case the winding position, in the activation position of the control member, that is to say the pushed position. This constraint tends, during repeated uses of the push-button crown, to wear out certain parts of the movement and can even cause ruptures in it.
• the present invention aims to remedy this drawback and provides for this purpose second elastic means arranged between the support piece and the crown head and capable, like the first elastic means, of compressing when passing from the first axial position of the crown in the activation position of the control member to return the crown to the first axial position after the thrust stress exerted on the crown has ceased.
• second elastic means arranged between the support piece and the crown head and capable, like the first elastic means, of compressing when passing from the first axial position of the crown in the activation position of the control member to return the crown to the first axial position after the thrust stress exerted on the crown has ceased.
• the effort to return the crown from the activation position of the control member (pushed position) to the first axial position (neutral or winding position) is shared between the first and the second elastic means.
• the first elastic means can therefore have a lower force than those of document FR 923.922.
• the movement receives a reduced intensity constraint.
• the force of the first elastic means is just sufficient to overcome the resistance opposed by the drive part during the transition from the second to the first axial position, and this force is less to that of second elastic means, the latter thus exerting the main force for returning the crown from the activation position of the control member to the first axial position.
• Particular embodiments of the push-button control device according to the invention are defined in the dependent claims appended 3 to 1 1.
• the present invention also provides a watch provided with the push-button control device as defined above.
• FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a push-button control device according to the invention mounted on a watch case, representing the push-button crown in the winding position (neutral position)
• FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of the push-button control device according to the invention representing the push-button crown in position time setting (pulled position)
• Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the push-button control device according to the invention showing the push-button crown in the pushed position
• Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the device according to the invention and of a part of the associated watch
• FIG. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a push-button control device according to the invention mounted on a watch case, representing the push-button crown in the winding position (neutral position)
• FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of the push-button control device according to the invention representing the push-button crown in position time setting (pulled position)
• Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the push-button
• a push-button control device notably comprises a fixed support and guide tube 1 driven into a bore 2 passing through the wall of the body (middle part) 3 of a watch case, and a push-button crown 4 constituted by a crown head 5 and a tubular extension 6 integral with the head 5.
• the extension 6 is composed of two parts, namely a push tube 7 driven at one of its two ends around a barrel 8 of the crown head 5 and an extension tube 9 driven in the other end of the push tube 7.
• the extension 6 is mounted movably in the fixed tube 1.
• a rotary drive part 10 in the form of a piston or cylinder is mounted inside the push tube 7.
• This drive part 10 comprises a threaded blind hole 11 receiving the threaded end of a winding and time setting rod 12 of the watch, rod 12 connected to the movement M of the watch and which conventionally crosses the bore 2 of the watch case, thus making the drive part 10 integral of the rod 12.
• Coupling means provided on the drive piece 10 and the push-tube 7 allow the crown 4 to drive the drive piece 10 in rotation and in translation in the pulling direction, c that is to say in the direction tending to move the crown 4 and the part 10 away from the watch case.
• these coupling means comprise, for the rotary drive, a part with polygonal external section (for example hexagonal) 13 of the drive part 10 and a part with corresponding polygonal internal section 14 of the tube push-button 7, and for the translational drive in the pulling direction, an external shoulder 15 of the drive part 10 and a corresponding internal shoulder 16 of the push-tube 7.
• the device according to the invention also comprises first and second helical springs 17, 18, disposed axially respectively between the bottom 19 of the crown head 5 and the closed end 20 of the drive part 10, inside the push tube 7, and between the bottom 19 of the crown head 5 and a shoulder 21 of the fixed tube 1, outside the push tube 7.
• the first spring 17 is mounted free in the cylindrical housing defined by the barrel 8 of the head crown 5.
• the second spring 18, for its part, is mounted freely in an annular housing defined by the external face 22 of the push-tube 7, an end portion 23 of the internal face of the fixed tube 1 and the shoulder 21 of the tube fixed 1.
• the springs 17, 18 are both at rest.
• the passage from the neutral position to the pulled position is effected by pulling the crown 4 by the user, the crown 4 carrying with it the drive part 10 thanks to the cooperation of the shoulders 15, 16.
• the drive part 10 and the winding and time setting rod 12 are pushed by the first spring 17, the force of which is sufficient to overcome the resistance opposed by these elements 10 and 12, resistance which emanates from the winding and time-setting mechanism inside the movement M, more precisely from the jumper jumper assembly - rocker spring (not shown) of the movement M.
• the crown 4 can be moved axially in the direction of the watch case to a so-called pushed position, independently of the drive part 10 and the winding rod and setting at hour 12 which then remain stationary ( Figure 3).
• the crown 4 more precisely the extension tube 9, activates a control member 25 inside the watch case.
• This control member 25 is for example a rocker for starting, stopping, resetting to zero or overtaking a chronograph, a rocker for changing time zones or any other similar device.
• the springs 17, 18 compress. As soon as the pushing force exerted by the user on the crown 4 ceases, the springs 17, 18 relax and bring the crown 4 back to its neutral position (FIG. 1).
• the first spring 17 has a force just sufficient to overcome the resistance opposed by the movement M during the passage from the pulled position to the neutral position of the crown 4, and the seco nd spring 18 has a greater force than that of the first spring 17 and thus exerts the main effort to return the crown 4 to its neutral position. In this way, the stress undergone by the movement M is minimized when the crown 4 is pushed from its neutral position.
• first and second formations 26, 27 are provided respectively on the crown head 5 and in a larger diameter end portion 28 of the bore 2 of the watch case in which s engages the crown head 5 when the crown 4 is in the pushed position.
• these formations 26, 27 allow the passage of the crown 4 from its neutral position to its pushed position only when they are aligned, thus avoiding any untimely activation of the control member 25.
• these formations are respectively a groove 26 parallel to the axis of the crown 4 provided on the periphery of the crown head 5 and a projection 27 provided on the side of the larger diameter bore portion 28 of the watch case. Markers can be drawn on the crown head 5 and the watch case to indicate to the user the respective positions of these formations 26, 27.
• the invention as described above has several advantages over the control device with push-button crown according to document FR 923.922, in particular: - the fact that, as already indicated, when the ring 4 is pushed from its neutral position, the movement M is only subjected to the stress of the first spring 17 (and not that of the second spring 18); this first spring 17 may be weaker than the spring used in the device according to document FR 923.922 because it does not have the function of exerting the main effort of returning the crown 4 from its pushed position to its neutral position, d 'where the possibility for the movement M to be subjected to a stress of reduced intensity when the crown 4 is pushed; - the device is made completely waterproof and dustproof by only two seals (the O-rings 24) which can be changed very easily (only one of these seals may be sufficient); in addition, this seal is obtained in all the axial positions of the crown 4; - the constitution of the extension 6 of the crown 4 in two parts (the push-tube 7 and the extension tube 9) makes it possible to easily
• the fixed tube 1 could be omitted.
• the extension 6 of the crown 4 would then be mounted directly in the bore 2 of the watch case, and the spring 18 would be disposed between the crown head 5 and the shoulder defined by the part of larger diameter 28 of the bore 2.
• Another modification could consist in making the crown 4 (head 5 and extension 6) in one piece.
• the drive part 10 - rod 12 assembly could also be in one piece.
• locking means such as a bayonet system could be provided to lock the crown 4 in an unlockable manner in its pushed position if such a function is made possible or necessary by the characteristics of the movement. In this latter embodiment, the formations 26, 27 would be eliminated or adapted to the locking means.

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• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-10-18 US US10/576,566 patent/US7318670B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-10-18 EP EP04791709A patent/EP1676177B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-10-18 WO PCT/IB2004/003391 patent/WO2005038538A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2004-10-18 JP JP2006536199A patent/JP2007509339A/ja active Pending

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