EP2787400A1 - Clockwork with tourbillon and balance stop mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

Clockwork movement with tourbillon and pendulum stop mechanism. The vortex comprises a cage (4) and a rocker (12) mounted in the cage (4). The cage (4) comprises a lower cage portion (6) and an upper cage portion (7) connected by pillars (8). The stop mechanism comprises a stop element (18) integral in rotation with the cage (4) and able to come into contact with the balance (12) to stop it and a device (27, 28, 38-40 ) for actuating the stop element (18). The stop element (18) is in the form of a disk coaxial with the cage (4), traversed by the pillars (8) and having an outer periphery (20a) located radially beyond the pillars (8) , the actuating device (27, 28, 38-40) comprising at least one actuating element (27, 28) adapted to cooperate with said outer periphery (20a) for moving the disc along the axis of the cage (4) so as to cause the stop of the balance (12) by friction between the disk and the balance (12).

Description

The present invention relates to a tourbillon watch movement and pendulum stop mechanism.

The vortex is a well-known device, which serves to compensate for the variations in speed due to gravity by making the regulating member take all the vertical positions. A vortex comprises in particular a rotating cage in which are mounted a balance-sprung regulating member and an escapement. Generally, the rotating cage is driven by the gear train and the exhaust pinion meshes with a fixed second wheel.

The pendulum stop mechanisms, also called "stop-pendulum" or "stop-second", have the function of stopping the pendulum during the time setting to allow a restart of the movement at a chosen instant, for for example, to phase the second hand with a reference second. These mechanisms generally include, as described for example in the patent EP 1840677 , an elastic arm operable by the time setting rod and whose end may come into contact with the periphery of the balance to stop its friction oscillation. When the movement is equipped with a vortex, such an elastic arm can not be used because, in certain angular positions of the cage, it would be impeded by pillars of said cage located radially beyond the periphery of the beam.

Patent applications WO 03/048871 and WO 2012/140112 and the patent EP 1617305 propose different solutions to solve this problem. The device described in the application WO 03/048871 comprises a spring with a double V or U-shaped elastic arm controlled by the time setting rod and arranged so that, when one of the arms bears against one pillar of the cage, the other arm can still act on the pendulum to stop it. This device has several disadvantages some of which are mentioned in the patent EP 1617305 and recalled in the application WO 2012/140112 . The realization of the double spring elastic arm is complicated and this spring, given its great length, also requires a setting difficult to achieve. Another disadvantage lies in the fact that a spring of such a length can easily be deformed under the effect of a shock applied to the watch and thus inadvertently block the balance. Yet another disadvantage is that this device can only work with balancers whose serge continuously extends over 360 °, It is not suitable for serrated suspenders, sectoral or split.

The device described in the patent EP 1617305 comprises levers mounted on the cage and capable of coming into contact with the periphery of the rocker to block it when an action is exerted on at least one of said levers by a sliding shoe actuated by the time-setting rod. This device also has several disadvantages, some of which are mentioned in the application WO 2012/140112 . It includes many parts (levers, pads, feet-screws, sockets, etc.), which means a complex assembly. Some pieces are complex to make, such as stops for skates. In addition, all the components of the stop device are at the periphery of the cage. This represents an additional weight, which will disturb the inertia of the cage, and increases the thickness and size of the cage making it difficult to integrate such a device in an already existing tourbillon movement. Another disadvantage is that this device is not suitable for serge, split or split calipers. Finally, the use of such a device with a balance made of a fragile material such as silicon is difficult to envisage because the shocks of the levers against the periphery of the balance could damage the latter.

The device described in the application WO 2012/140112 comprises a flexible bent blade disposed under the beam and having a free end adapted to come into contact with the balance beam. The other end of this flexible bent blade rests on an actuating ring integral in rotation with the shaft of the tourbillon cage and slidably mounted along this shaft. Moving from the actuating ring is controlled by the movement of the time setting rod. The actuating ring is further subjected to the action of a bent blade return spring fixed at one of its ends to the shaft of the cage and at its other end to the actuating ring. Such a device is disadvantageous in that the bent flexible blade and the return spring are difficult to manufacture and shape. In addition, such a device occupies an important place in the direction of the shaft of the cage, which makes it difficult to integrate into a thin movement. Finally, such a device is not suitable for serrated, sectoral or split serge balancers.

The present invention aims to remedy, in part at least, the aforementioned drawbacks and proposes for this purpose a tourbillon clockwork movement and balance stop mechanism, the tourbillon comprising a cage and a rocker mounted in the cage, the cage comprising a lower cage portion and an upper cage portion connected by pillars, the stop mechanism comprising a stop member integral in rotation with the cage and adapted to come into contact with the balance to stop it and a actuating device for the stopping element, characterized in that the stopping element is in the form of a disk coaxial with the cage, traversed by the pillars and having an outer periphery located radially beyond the pillars, and in that the actuating device comprises at least one actuating element adapted to cooperate with said outer periphery to move the disc along the axis of the cage so as to causing the balance to stop by friction between the disk and the balance.

Typically, the disk comprises, between an inner periphery and said outer periphery, holes in which the pillars respectively pass.

The clockwork according to the invention may further comprise elastic means for returning the disk to a rest position, where the disk will be held axially supported by the elastic means against a surface of the cage.

The elastic means may comprise coil springs guided around guide elements fixed to the cage and extending parallel to the axis of the cage.

The actuating device may comprise two actuating elements arranged to act on the disk at diametrically opposite peripheral regions of the disk.

In this case, one of the actuating elements can be arranged to control the other actuating element.

Preferably, the or each actuating element is in the form of a lever arranged to pivot in the plane of the disk and having a bevel able to lift the disk during pivoting of the lever.

Typically, the actuating device further comprises a time setting rod and means for actuating the actuating element (s) from the time setting rod.

Said actuating means may comprise a pull tab cooperating with the time setting rod and an intermediate lever arranged to be actuated by the pull tab and for actuating the actuating element (s) against the action of at least one spring of return tending to bring the actuating element (s) into a rest position.

In a variant, said actuating means may comprise a pull tab cooperating with the time setting rod and an intermediate lever arranged to be controlled by the pull tab and, depending on the position of the pull tab, to retain the element or elements of actuating against the action of at least one spring tending to actuate the actuating element (s) in order to stop the balance, or release the actuating element (s).

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective de dessus d'un mouvement selon l'invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue plane de dessous du mouvement illustré à la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe selon une ligne brisée d'une partie du mouvement illustré à la figure 1 ; et
• la figure 4 est une vue plane d'une variante d'un dispositif d'actionnement utilisé dans le mouvement selon l'invention.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective view from above of a movement according to the invention;
• the figure 2 is a plan view from below of the movement shown in the figure 1 ;
• the figure 3 is a sectional view along a broken line of a portion of the movement illustrated in FIG. figure 1 ; and
• the figure 4 is a plan view of a variant of an actuating device used in the movement according to the invention.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3 a watch movement according to a particular embodiment of the invention comprises a drive member, in the form of a barrel 1, a gear train 2 and a vortex 3. By "vortex" is meant in the context of this any rotating regulating system such as a vortex proper or a carousel. The vortex 3 comprises a cage 4 mounted around a shaft 5 and consisting of a lower cage portion 6 and an upper cage portion 7 connected by pillars 8. The pillars 8, three in number example shown, each consist of a portion 9 defined by the lower cage portion 6 and a portion 10 defined by the upper cage portion 7 fixed to each other by a screw 11 (cf. figure 3 ). The shaft 5 of the cage 4 carries a second hand (not shown). In the cage 4 are mounted in a conventional manner, parallel to the plane of the cage 4, a rocker 12, a spiral 13 and an escapement 14. The pillars 8 are located radially (in a polar reference center of the axis of rotation of the cage 4, that is to say the axis of the shaft 5) beyond the strut of the balance 12. In the example shown, the balance 12 is coaxial with the cage 4. The pinion 15 of the escapement 14 meshes with a fixed second wheel of movement (not shown). A pinion 16 (cf. figure 2 ) integral with the shaft 5 of the cage 4 meshes with and is driven by the gear 2, more precisely by a wheel 17 of the average wheel gear 2, thus allowing the cage 4 to be driven by the gear 2.

According to the invention, a stop disk 18 is mounted on the cage 4 coaxially with it. The stop disc 18 is open in its central part to make room for other components of the vortex 3, such as the upper bearing 19 of the wheel-pinion wheel of the exhaust 14 (cf. figure 3 ) and the upper bearing (not visible in the drawings) of the escapement anchor 14, bearings that are defined by the lower cage portion 6. The stop disc 18 thus comprises an outer periphery 20a, having a diameter Da, and an inner periphery 20b, having a diameter Db smaller than the diameter Da. Between its outer periphery 20a and its inner periphery 20b, the stop disc 18 comprises holes 21a in which the pillars 8 pass respectively parallel to the axis of the cage 4. The outer periphery 20a of the stop disc 18 is thus located radially (in the same polar reference as defined above) beyond the pillars 8 and extends continuously 360 ° surrounding said pillars 8.

The stop disk 18 is axially movable relative to the cage 4, in particular with respect to the pillars 8, and, in its rest position, is held axially against a surface 22 of the lower cage portion 6 by means of springs. recall 23, three in the example shown. The return springs 23, typically coil springs, are each mounted and guided around a pin 24 oriented along the axis of the cage 4 and one of whose ends is fixed, for example driven, in the part of upper cage 7 and the other end is freely engaged in the lower cage portion 6. Each spring 23 is compressed axially between a surface 25 of the upper cage portion 7 and a fixed ring 26, for example driven, into a hole 21 b of the stop disc 18 and traversed and guided by the pin 24 corresponding, the rings 26 being in contact with the surface 22 of the lower cage portion 6 in the rest position of the stop disc 18. As the holes 21a, the holes 21b are situated between the outer periphery 20a and the inner periphery 20b of the stop disc 18. In addition to their function of axially guiding the return springs 23 and the rings 26, the pins 24 make the stop disc 18 integral in rotation with the cage 4.

Alternatively, the pins 24 could be fixed to the cage 4 in another way than that described above or could even be deleted. In the latter case, the return springs 23 and the rings 26 could be mounted around the pillars 8 and the pillars 8 would also serve to make the stop disc 18 integral in rotation with the cage 4.

The stop disc 18 is made for example of metal or, for aesthetic reasons, sapphire or ruby. In a particular embodiment, the stop disc 18 is made of nickel by the LIGA technique. In the case of a stop disc 18 in sapphire or ruby, the rings 26 will be fixed in the holes 21b rather by gluing than by driving. To reduce its weight and / or for aesthetic reasons the stop disc 18 may be perforated in its portion between the outer periphery 20a and the inner periphery 20b. The rings 26 are for example metal, such as copper-beryllium, or ruby.

The movement according to the invention further comprises a device for actuating the stop disk 18. The actuating device comprises actuating levers 27, 28 located in the plane of the stop disc 18 and pivotally mounted in this embodiment. plan around respective pivots 29, 30. Each actuating lever 27, 28 comprises in its free end portion 31, 32 a bevel 33, 34 adapted to cooperate with the outer periphery 20a of the stop disc 18 to lift this last against the action of the return springs 23. The actuating levers 27,28 are arranged so that their bevels 33, 34 act on the stop disc 18 at diametrically opposite peripheral zones thereof. Thus, when they are actuated, the actuating levers 27, 28 cause the stop disc 18 to translate along the axis of the cage 4 towards the upper cage portion 7, until the disc stop 18 comes into contact with the balance 12 and stops it by friction. When the actuating levers 27, 28 return to their rest position, the stop disc 18 descends towards the part of lower cage 6 under the action of the return springs 23, thus allowing restart of the balance 12. During its axial movements, the stop disc 18 is guided by the rings 26 sliding along the pins 24.

Due to the fact that the outer periphery 20a of the stop disc 18 is located radially beyond the pillars 8, the actuating levers 27, 28 can actuate the stop disc 18 in any angular position of the cage 4, without being impeded by said pillars 8. The displacement of the stop disc 18 in translation along the axis of the cage 4 allows the stop disc 18 to stop the rocker 12 in any position of the latter and this regardless of the form, serge continuous or interrupted said pendulum. Another advantage of the present invention is that the stop element constituted by the disc 18 is simple, lightweight and takes up little space. It can be easily integrated into an existing whirlpool. Finally, the present invention allows the rocker 12 to be made of a fragile material such as silicon, thanks to the flat surface contact against a flat surface between the stop disc 18 and the rocker 12.

Advantageously, one of the two actuating levers 27, 28, namely the lever 27, controls the other. For this purpose, the actuating lever 27 comprises, on the other side of the pivot 29 relative to the free end portion 31, a lug 35 cooperating with a corresponding lug 36 of the actuating lever 28. actuation 28 is subjected to the action of a return spring 37. By the cooperation between the lugs 35, 36, this return spring 37 also acts on the actuating lever 27.

In addition to the actuating levers 27, 28, the actuating device of the stop disc 18 comprises the time-setting rod 38 of the movement, a pull-cord 39 which is traditionally controlled by the time-setting rod. 38 and an intermediate lever 40 controlled by the pull tab 39, this intermediate lever 40 comprising a boss 41 in contact with the back of the free end portion 31 of the operating lever 27.

Thus, when the time-setting rod 38 is manually pulled into its axial time-setting position from its axial position for winding the movement illustrated in FIGS. figures 1 and 2 , the intermediate lever 40 pushes the operating lever 27 which pivots towards the stop disc 18, the other actuating lever 28 pivoting simultaneously towards the stop disc 18 by the cooperation between the lugs 35, 36 By this movement, the actuating levers 27, 28 raise the stop disc 18 to stop the balance 12 as described above. As soon as the time-setting rod 38 is manually pushed into the winding position, the return spring 37 brings the actuating levers 27, 28 and the intermediate lever 40 back to their rest position, allowing the disc to stop 18 also to return to its rest position where it is no longer in contact with the pendulum 12.

Alternatively, the movement according to the invention could comprise, as an actuating element of the stop disc 18, only the actuating lever 27. In other words, the actuating lever 28 could be removed and a return spring could act directly on the actuating lever 27. Actuation of the lever 27 by the time setting rod 38 would then cause an asymmetrical lifting of the stop disc 18, which disc would move along the pillars 8 and the axis of the cage 4 bowing with respect to its rest plane until coming into contact with the beam of the beam 12 to stop the latter.

The figure 4 is a variant of the actuating device of the stop disc 18. In this variant, one of the actuating levers, designated by 27 ', is permanently subjected to the action of a spring 42 tending to do so pivoting towards the stop disc 18 but, in the rest position of the system, the operating lever 27 'is retained by an intermediate lever 40'. The intermediate lever 40 'comprises an oblong opening 43 in which is engaged a pin 44 carried by the pull tab 39 controlled by the time setting rod 38. When the time setting rod 38 is in the axial position of reassembly, the pull tab 39 keeps the intermediate lever 40 'in a position where it blocks the operating lever 27'. When the time-setting rod 38 is moved to its axial time-setting position, the pull tab 39 pivots the lever 40 ', which releases the operating lever 27' which, under the action of the spring 42, actuates the stop disc 18 to stop the pendulum. As in the exemplary embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2 , the actuating lever 27 'can control a second actuating lever and may comprise for this purpose an arm (not shown) cooperating with a corresponding arm of the second actuating lever in the manner of the lugs 35, 36. Lever actuator 27 'may also be the only actuating element acting on the stop disc 18.

Claims (11)

Whirlwind and pendulum clock movement, the vortex comprising a cage (4) and a pendulum (12) mounted in the cage (4), the cage (4) comprising a lower cage part (6) ) and an upper cage part (7) connected by pillars (8), the stop mechanism comprising a stop element (18) integral in rotation with the cage (4) and able to come into contact with the balance (12) for stopping it and a device (27, 28, 38-40) for actuating the stopping element (18), characterized in that the stopping element (18) is in the form a disk coaxial with the cage (4), traversed by the pillars (8) and having an outer periphery (20a) located radially beyond the pillars (8), and in that the actuating device (27, 28, 38-40) comprises at least one actuating element (27, 28) adapted to cooperate with said outer periphery (20a) for moving the disc along the axis of the cage (4) so causing the rocker (12) to stop by friction between the disk and the rocker (12). Timepiece movement according to claim 1, characterized in that the disc (18) comprises, between an inner periphery (20b) and said outer periphery (20a), holes (21) in which the pillars (8) respectively pass. Timepiece movement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it further comprises elastic means (23) for returning the disc (18) to a rest position. Timepiece movement according to claim 3, characterized in that , in its rest position, the disc (18) is held axially supported by the elastic means (23) against a surface (22) of the cage (4). Timepiece movement according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the elastic means (23) comprise coil springs guided around guide elements (24) fixed to the cage (4) and extending parallel to the axis of the cage (4). Timepiece movement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the actuating device (27, 28, 38-40) comprises two actuating elements (27.28) arranged to act on the disk (18). ) at peripheral regions of the disc (18) diametrically opposed. Timepiece movement according to claim 6, characterized in that one (27) of the actuating elements (27, 28) is arranged to control the other actuating element (28). Timepiece movement according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the or each actuating element (27, 28) is in the form of a lever arranged to pivot in the plane of the disk (18) and having a bevel (33, 34) adapted to lift the disc (18) during the pivoting of the lever. Timepiece movement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the actuating device (27, 28, 38-40) further comprises a setting rod (38) and means (39, 40) for actuating the at least one actuating member (27, 28) from the time setting rod (38). Timepiece movement according to claim 9, characterized in that said actuating means (39, 40) comprise a pull tab (39) cooperating with the time setting rod (38) and an intermediate lever (40) arranged to be actuated by the pull tab (39) and to actuate the actuating element or elements (27, 28) against the action of at least one return spring (37) tending to return the actuating element or elements ( 27, 28) in a rest position. Timepiece movement according to claim 9, characterized in that said actuating means (39, 40 ') comprise a pull (39) cooperating with the time-setting rod (38) and an intermediate lever (40'). ) arranged to be controlled by the pull tab (39) and to, depending on the position of the pull tab (39), retain the actuating element or elements (27 ') against the action of at least one spring (42) tending actuating the actuating element or elements (27 ') in order to stop the rocker (12), or to release the actuating element or elements (27').

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