EP1982235A2

EP1982235A2 - Week display device

Info

Publication number: EP1982235A2
Application number: EP07704108A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Willy Meier
Original assignee: Meier Willy Bureau Technique
Current assignee: Meier Willy Bureau Technique
Priority date: 2006-01-27
Filing date: 2007-01-24
Publication date: 2008-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 2027-01-24
Also published as: WO2007085607A3; EP1813997A1; EP1982235B1; WO2007085607A2

Abstract

Device for indicating the number of the week for use in a watch movement and comprising wheels for the number of the week (40), for the day of the week (34) and for the date. According to the invention the device also comprises a mechanism for correcting the position of the first wheel with reference to the position of the second (34) and third (24) wheels, this mechanism being constructed in such a way that the first wheel (40) is moved an extra step during the week in which it occupies a position in which the number 52 is displayed in so far as, during this week, the third wheel (24) moves from a position in which day 27 of the month is displayed to a position in which day 28 is displayed.

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE OF THE WEEK

The present invention relates to watches and more particularly those displaying the number of the week. Although this indication is not used frequently in everyday life, it plays an important role in planning. Thus, a large part of the deadlines in the industrial world is given by the number or the rank of the week. This number is defined by the ISO 8601 standard, which states, in essence, that week 1 of the year is the first week counting at least four days or one Thursday. If this number is lower, then New Year's days are considered as part of the last week of the previous year, which may be the 52nd or the 53rd. However, if week 1 of the new year is less than seven days old, the last days of the previous year are part of that first week. In any case, it is obvious that if December 27 falls in week 52, the year can only count fifty-two weeks.

The display of the number of the week is proposed in EP 0366610. This function is provided by means of a pivoting hand in the center of the dial and which travels a scale of fifty two steps in one year. In order to facilitate reading, the scale is on the periphery of the dial. Such a solution makes it possible to use a very simple mechanism in its structure, but which must be corrected manually when the year has fifty three weeks. In a variant, it is planned fifty-three steps per year, the manual correction to be performed each time the year has fifty two weeks.

In either of these solutions, the display of the week must be corrected in either year. The purpose of the present invention is to allow an automatic correction of the number of the week.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for displaying the number of the week, intended to equip a watch movement and comprising: A first mobile connected kinematically to the work train by means arranged to make a jump at the end of each week, the position of which is significant of the number of the week, a second mobile connected kinematically to the gearing of said movement by means of means arranged so that it advances one step per day, the position of which is significant for the day of the week, and

• a third mobile kinematically connected to the work train by means arranged so that it advances one step per day, the position is significant month of the month.

According to the invention, the device further comprises a mechanism for correcting the position of the first mobile with reference to the position of the second and third mobiles, arranged in such a way that the first mobile is driven by one additional step during the week during which it occupies a position corresponding to the display of the number 52 to the extent that, during this week, the third mobile moves from a position corresponding to the display of the 27 to a position corresponding to the display of the 28 occupies a position corresponding to the 31st of the month.

In this way, the display device of the week passes from 52 to 1 automatically, if the year has only 52 weeks. It should be noted that the jump can be done either on Sundays or any other day of the week, because during this time of the year, industrial circles are generally on vacation, so that this display plays a role minor.

Advantageously, the second mobile is associated with an indicator of the days of the week and includes training means cooperating at least mediately with the first mobile to do so. skip the passage from Sunday to Monday. The media may be for example a lever controlled by a pin secured to the second mobile.

In a first embodiment, the device is arranged so that the first mobile advances in 6 ° angle, so that the display can be done by means of the dial timer. In this case the correction mechanism is further arranged to move the first mobile from the position in which the weeks indicator is in position 53 to the position 1 of the dial timer.

The first mobile comprises a cam and the initialization mechanism comprises a hammer and control means cooperating with the indicators of the date, the day of the week and the first mobile. The control means are arranged so that the hammer cooperates with the cam to bring the first mobile in the initial position during the week of January 1. In a second embodiment, the first mobile performs a turn of the dial in fifty three steps, so that at the beginning of each year, the week number indicator automatically returns to its initial position.

The device further comprises a pawl arranged so that it can be controlled by external means and which makes it possible to advance the first mobile one step each time these external means are actuated.

The present invention also relates to a watch provided with a device according to the invention. It includes a dial equipped with a dial timer and needle mounted rigidly on the first mobile, whose free end is next to the timer, this needle advancing one step of the timer each week.

The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference to the drawing in which: FIG. 1 represents the dial of a watch provided with a device according to the invention,

FIGS. 2 to 5 show the parts of a control mechanism for driving the display device provided with the watch of FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a mechanism according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The watch shown in FIG. 1 comprises, in a conventional manner:

A box 10 forming a housing for receiving a movement,

A dial 12 provided with a dial timer 14,

• hour hands 16 and minutes 18,

• indicators of month 20, day 22 and date 24,

A pointer 26 indicating the number of the week, and a control pusher 28 making it possible to correct the position of the needle 26.

The display of the various functions is done in a conventional manner, with the exception of the indication of the number of the week, carried out by means of the needle 26, the displayed information being read with reference to the dial timer 14. It will be noted that on the latter, the lines are replaced by dots from position 53, so that the portion of the scale of the dial timer 14 relating to the display of the week is clearly differentiated from the rest of the scale.

The mechanism represented in FIGS. 2 to 4 is seen on the dial side (FIG. 2) and on the movement side at two different moments (FIGS. 3 and 4). It forms a module intended to be mounted on a basic movement of mechanical or electromechanical type. It comprises a frame 32 on which are arranged the moving parts. We can notably see (figure 2) the disc

24 showing the day of the month and the day of the week. A disc 33 is disposed on the frame 32 concentrically with the disc 24. It is provided with a toothing comprising thirty-one teeth 33a visible in Figures 3 and 4. A referral 34 meshes with external teeth that comprise the discs 24 and 33, so as to make them integral in rotation.

The disk 22 is carried by a wheel 35, having fourteen teeth 35a, better visible in Figure 2 and partially torn to allow to see some parts that are usually hidden.

The drive of the disc 33 and the wheel 35 is formed by a wheel 36 making one turn per day and having fingers 36a and 36b for cooperating respectively with the teeth 33a and 35a. The wheel 36 cooperates in a conventional manner with the teeth 33a of the disc 33 and 35a of the wheel 35. It could be replaced by many other training devices such as those used for training date discs, whether they be trailing type, instantaneous or semi-instantaneous.

The disks 22 and 33 are positioned in the usual manner by jumpers. In the drawing, only one 38 is shown, which positions the disc 22 by the wheel 35 (Figure 2). The latter carries, in addition, a pin 35b, for controlling the change of the display of the week, as will be specified below.

The correction of the disks 22 and 24 is done by a conventional time setting mechanism, in the middle position of the rod. This solution, perfectly known to those skilled in the art, will not be described in detail.

The weeks hand 26 is carried by a wheel 40 disposed at the center of the movement below the wheel 35 (Figure 2). It is provided with a set of teeth 40a whose pitch is 6 °. It is controlled in rotation by a jumper 42 which jumps every week, during the passages from Sunday to Monday, by the action of the pin 35b.

More specifically, the jumper 42 pivots on the frame 32 and comprises a first arm 42a disposed at the pin 35b, a second arm 42b whose end forms a pallet 42c arranged so as to cooperate with the toothing 40a, and a spring 42d tending to maintain the jumper 42 in a rest position, the lift 42c being set back from the toothing 40a. During the passage from Sunday to Monday, the pin 35b raises the jumper 42 by its arm 42a, while arming the spring 42d. In this movement, the pallet 42c cooperates with the toothing 40a to advance the wheel 40 by one step, or 6 °. At the moment when the arm 42a is released by the pin 35b, the spring 42d returns the jumper to its rest position.

Thus, at each transition from Sunday to Monday, the wheel 40 makes a jump of 6 °, ensuring a jump from one week to another on the scale of the dial timer. The wheel 40 is positioned by a jumper which does not appear in the drawing, to avoid overloading it.

The mechanism comprises a lever 44 controlled by the pusher 28. The lever 44 comprises a control pallet 44a disposed in the vicinity of the wheel 40 and a spring 44b tending to position it facing the pusher 28. An action on the latter therefore has to effect of advancing wheel 40 one step. In this way, if the watch has been stopped for a certain time, which can be easily the case of a mechanical watch, the needle 26 can quickly be brought into place by successive pressures on the pusher 28.

The part of the mechanism thus described thus makes it possible to ensure the driving of the wheel 40 and its initial positioning. However, this is not enough to ensure an automatic jump at the end of the year, guaranteeing the transition from week 52 or 53 to week 1, as defined in ISO 8601.

Four situations can arise:

I The passage from December 31 to January 1 is between Friday and Saturday or between Saturday and Sunday of week 52. The needle 26 should then remain on the index 52 until the end of the week and jump to position 1 when switching from Sunday to Monday.

The passage takes place between Sunday 31 December and Monday 1 January. Needle 26 should then move from position 52 to position 1.

Ml The passage from December 31st to January 1st is from Thursday to Friday or from Friday to Saturday of week 53. Needle 26 should move from position 53 to position 1 when changing from Sunday to Monday following the change from 'year. IV The passage from December 31st to January 1st is done during week 1, from Monday to Tuesday, from Tuesday to Wednesday or from Wednesday to Thursday. The needle 26 should remain on the index 52 until the Sunday before the 1st and jump directly in week 1. To ensure a jump at the right moment, from position 53 to position 1, the mechanism comprises a hammer 46 and a board, secured to the wheel 35 and whose periphery forms a cam 48 (Figures 3 and 4), a portion is torn off to allow to see hidden parts. This cam comprises a sector 48a cooperating with the hammer 46 to ensure the displacement of the wheel 40 and, with it, the needle 26 which passes from the position 53 to the position 1 of the dial timer. A spring 49 keeps the hammer 46 bearing against the cam 48. The sector 48a is limited by notches 48b and 48c at each of its ends, also intended to cooperate with the hammer 46, as will be explained later. A second sector 48d serves as an inclined plane so that the spring 49 is armed when the end of the hammer 46 arrives at the notch 48b.

In cooperating with the sector 48a, the hammer 46 drives the cam 48 and with it the wheel 35 and the needle 26 of the index 53 to index 1 of the dial timer As explained below, this release of the jumper must do during the passage from Sunday to Monday if the passage from 31 to 1 is a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and 31 to 7 if the passage is a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

The cam 48 carries a fixed index 48e and a pivoting index 50, better visible in Figure 5. The latter is provided with a finger 50a, engaged in a groove 35c that includes the wheel 35. In this way, according to the relative position of the wheel 35 and the cam 48, the end 50b of the index is at the same radius or on the contrary set back from the index 48e.

In addition, the frame 32 carries a lever 52, clearly visible in Figure 4, having arms 52a and 52b. The disk 24 is provided with a finger 24a cooperating with the arm 52a when the disk 24 passes from 31 to 1. A jumper 54, pivotally mounted on the frame 32, cooperates by an arm 54a with the arm 52a, and by an arm 54b with the indexes 48e and 50. The arm 54a is extended by a spring 54c ensuring the rest position of the jumper 54 In the situation [explained above, during the passage from 31 December to 1 January, in week 52, the wheel 40 should remain in place, so that the jump is made only during the passage from Sunday to Monday, to move from position 52 to position 1. In the device as described, wheel 40 performs a first step during the passage from 31 to 1st, from week 52 to week 53, by the action of jumper 54 on the 48th index. The hammer 46 is then engaged in the notch 48b.

During the passage from Sunday to Monday, the jumper 42 drives the wheel 40 by one step, which releases the hammer 46 from the notch 48b and brings it to the sector 48a, so that the needle 26 moves from position 53 at position 1. The display of the week thus produced is shifted by one unit during the Saturday and Sunday at most. It is correct again the following Monday.

If 31 December is a Sunday, which corresponds to the situation U, it suffices that the index 50 is at the same level as the index 48e, and that the fingers 36a and 36b are arranged so that the wheel 40 be driven in front of the disc 33. In this way, the jumper 42 drives the wheel 40, bringing the needle 26 from the position 52 to the position 53, then the lever 54 drives the index 50. The hammer 46 is then located beyond the notch 48b, bearing against the sector 48a, thus generating the initialization of the needle 26. Thus, January 1 is also the first day of week 1.

Alternatively, the order of the functions can be reversed, so that the lever 54 cooperates with the index 48e, driving the wheel 40 which brings the needle 26 to position 53, then the lever 42 rotates the wheel 40 a new step, so that the hammer is on the sector 48a.

In the situation defined above, the needle 26 is in position 53 before the passage 31 to the 1st, which takes place from Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday or Saturday to Sunday. This position was reached by the action of the jumper 42 on the wheel 40. The hammer 46 is then engaged in the notch 48b. Moreover, the index 50 is set back, so that a movement of the jumper 52 has no effect on it. As a result, the change from December 31 to January 1 does not change the number of weeks. It is therefore the transition from Sunday to the Monday following the 1st of January that the jump from week 53 to week 1 takes place.

Finally, in the situation] V, it would be necessary for the jump of the needle 26 to take place from position 52 to position 1 during the transition from Sunday to the Monday preceding the 31st. In this situation, the needle 26 passes into position 53 during the transition from Sunday to the Monday preceding January 1st. The hammer 46 is then engaged in the notch 48b. In this situation, the passage from the 31st to the 1st is from Monday to Tuesday, from Tuesday to Wednesday or from Wednesday to Thursday. The index 50 is then in such a position that the jumper 54 advances the wheel 40 by one step, bringing the hammer to the sector 48a, which makes the needle 26 from the position 53 to the position 1. Thus, whatever the situation, the display of the week remains just with the exception of a few days during the weekends before or after the change of year.

In the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7, the mechanism is similar to that described with reference to Figures 2 to 4, the parts providing the same function with the same reference. In this embodiment, however, the wheel 40 which carries the needle 26 has fifty three teeth. The week number is displayed accordingly on a specific scale over a full turn of the dial. Under these conditions, the initialization system, which includes the hammer

46 and the cam 48 is therefore useless.

On the other hand, there is the jumper 42, controlled by the pin 35b, which actuates it every week, from Sunday to Monday, and thus makes the wheel 40 jump one step. This mechanism is based on the fact that the four situations J to JV set out above can be summarized as finding that the year has fifty two weeks if the passage from 27 to 28 December occurs during week 52, and fifty-three otherwise.

If the year has fifty three weeks, the wheel 40 therefore performs, without further, a turn in one year, and is found in such a position that the needle 26 displays the number of week 1 in the first pass from Sunday to Monday of the year. 'year.

If the year has only fifty two weeks, it is necessary that the wheel 40 performs an additional jump so that the display is corrected at the beginning of the following year. For this purpose, the disc 24 is also provided with a finger 24a cooperating with the lever 52 (FIG. 6), while the wheel 40 carries a fixed index 40 ^e (FIG. 7), which is arranged to cooperate with the jumper 54 during the passage 27 to 28 of the date, insofar as the displayed week is the 52nd. In this way, if the week indicator is in the position corresponding to the display of the number 52, and that the date passes from 27 to 28, then the wheel 40 is advanced an additional step under the action of the lever 52 On the other hand, if the wheel 40 is in a position corresponding to the display of the number 53, the lever 52 makes a movement in the vacuum, so that the wheel 40 is not actuated.

Thus, thanks to the particular characteristics of the device according to the invention, it is possible to produce an indicator of the number of the week that does not require manual correction at the end of the year.

Claims

1. Device indicating the number of the week intended to equip a watch movement, comprising:

a first mobile (40) kinematically connected to the wheelwork of said movement by means arranged to make a jump at the end of each week, whose position is significant of the number of the week,

- a second mobile (34), kinematically connected to the wheel of said movement by means arranged so that it advances one step per day, the position is significant for the day of the week, and

a third mobile (24) kinematically connected to the wheel of said movement by means arranged so that it advances one step per day, whose position is significant of the calendar of the month, characterized in that it comprises, in addition, a mechanism for correcting the position of the first mobile with reference to the position of the second (34) and third (24) movable, arranged so that the first mobile (40) is driven a further step during the week during which it occupies a position corresponding to the display of the number 52 to the extent that, during this week, the third mobile (24) moves from a position corresponding to the display of the 27 to a position corresponding to the 28th of the month.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said second mobile (34) is associated with an indicator days of the week (22) and comprises drive means (34b) cooperating at least mediately with said first mobile ( 40) to make it jump from Sunday to Monday.

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that said first mobile is arranged so that it advances in steps of 6 °, so as to allow the display of the number of the week by means of the dial timer , and in that said drive means are arranged so that said first mobile is further brought from the display position 53 directly to the position 1 at the latest at the change of year.

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said first mobile (40) comprises a cam (48) and in that said initialization mechanism comprises a hammer (46) and control means cooperating with the indicators of the date, the day of the week and the first mobile, said control means being arranged so that the hammer (46) cooperates with said cam (48) to bring the first mobile (40) to the initial position during the week comprising January 1st.

5. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said first mobile (40) performs a turn in fifty three steps.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises a pawl (44) arranged to be controllable by external means (28) and for advancing said first mobile (40) one step each actuation of these external means (28).

7. Watch provided with a device according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it comprises a dial (12) provided with a dial timer (14) and a needle (26) rigidly mounted on said first mobile (40), whose free end is in timer watch (14), said pointer (26) advancing one step of said timer each week.