EP2880498A1

EP2880498A1 - Wristwatch provided with an animation above the dial

Info

Publication number: EP2880498A1
Application number: EP13739381.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: François Junod
Original assignee: Montres Jaquet Droz SA
Current assignee: Montres Jaquet Droz SA
Priority date: 2012-07-31
Filing date: 2013-07-09
Publication date: 2015-06-10
Anticipated expiration: 2033-07-09
Also published as: JP6010698B2; US9223292B2; CN104685425A; EP2880498B1; CH706771B1; CH706771A2; HK1206823A1; US20150205264A1; JP2015527578A; WO2014019819A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a wristwatch (1) comprising a watch case (201); a watch movement (205) inside said watch case; and a dial (204). At least one portion of a three-dimensional character (20) above said dial can be moved in a plane non-parallel to the dial, by means of a pin (21, 210) extending above said dial (204), in a direction perpendicular to the dial. A device for driving the character (1) is disposed under the dial to control the movements of this pin. The character can consist of a mechanical bird.

Description

Wristwatch m u n th e u nd ana m ation above cad ran

Technical area

The present invention relates to a wristwatch having an animation above the dial.

STATE OF THE ART Songbirds are known in particular in cuckoo clocks or snuffboxes. The concept of cuckoo clocks was created around 1738 in the Black Forest. Traditionally, these clocks have an apparent pendulum with weights and a cottage-style casing. Every hour or half-hour, the doors of the chalet open and a mechanical bird emerges from its nest and sings. Today, cuckoo clocks most often include a quartz movement and electronic ringtones.

CH55403, issued in 191 1, describes an innovation to existing cuckoo clocks consisting in that at each call of the cuckoo a mechanism puts into action figures arranged on the front of the pendulum.

US250481 1 describes a table clock with a cuckoo to play a melody composed of different notes, and simultaneously move one or more parts of the bird such as the beak or tail. A bellows blows air into the whistle.

CH668846 discloses a snuffbox comprising a mechanical songbird placed in a housing provided with a lid. The bird can pass a mobile position lying down, resting, in a vertical position, singing under the effect of a spring mechanism controlled by snap. The engagement of the mechanism automatically produces a cycle of operations including opening the lid and, simultaneously, the exit of the bird in the singing position, then the song of the bird and, finally, the stop of the song, the bird's return to the resting position, closing the lid and stopping the mechanism itself.

Cuckoo clocks and other devices above require a very large volume, and are therefore difficult to transport. Various attempts have also been made to animate the wristwatch dial with different displays which are superimposed on the display of time indications.

Thus, the Swiss patent CH32172 describes a pocket watch having above the dial blacksmiths in two dimensions driven in oscillation by the movement of the watch.

The German utility model DE20310007U1 describes a wristwatch or a pocket watch comprising a bird placed behind a window that opens at a given time, simultaneously with the emission of a cuckoo sound, the window then closing. Such two-dimensional mobiles in front of or behind the dial create a little visible animation. The size of the animated elements above and below the dial must necessarily be limited to make room for other time indications. Users who are not just above the dial may not see the animation at all, which is only for the wearer of the watch.

In addition, these two-dimensional mobiles move in a plane parallel to the dial, above or below this dial. Such a movement is not very visible for a person who is not standing vertically on the dial. This displacement also covers a surface important over or under the dial, which can not be used for other displays of the watch.

There is therefore a need for wristwatches with more visible animations above the dial, for example to mark particular events such as the passage of an hour, an hour of waking, or simply the will of the user, in a much more visible way, which can not escape the attention of the wearer of the watch and even other people in the immediate vicinity of the wearer of the watch.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a wristwatch having a more visible animation above the dial than the known animations.

According to the invention, this object is achieved in particular by means of a wristwatch having the claimed characteristics.

In one aspect, the wristwatch includes:

a watch case;

a watch movement in said watch case;

a dial;

a three-dimensional character above said dial;

an axis extending above said dial, in a direction perpendicular to the dial, arranged to be able to produce a displacement of at least a portion of said three-dimensional character in a non-parallel plane to the dial;

a character training device under said dial to control the movements of said axis.

This watch has the advantage of presenting a three-dimensional character over the dial, more visible than a two-dimensional object. In this application, the term character includes both humans and animals.

A three-dimensional animated character in a wristwatch produces a surprise effect, since such characters, known in much larger devices, are totally unexpected in a wristwatch.

This watch also has the advantage of animating this character, or at least part of this character, by moving it in a non-parallel plane to the dial. This displacement is more visible than a movement parallel to the dial, and also occupies a smaller area of the dial that can be made available for other indicators.

The movement of the character, and / or part of the character, may include at least one translation component not parallel to the dial.

The movement of the character, and / or a part of the character, may include at least one component of rotation about an axis not perpendicular to the dial.

The three-dimensional character may include at least one moving part relative to the rest of the character. An axis perpendicular to the dial can control the movements of this moving part.

In addition to these displacements in a non-parallel plane to the dial, the character, or a part of this character, can also undergo an additional displacement, for example a rotation and / or a translation, in a plane parallel to the dial. This makes the animation even more visible, even if this movement parallel to the dial is of little amplitude. Different parts of the character can move in different non-parallel planes. Parts of the character may move nonplanar.

The wristwatch may have a plurality of coaxial axes extending above the dial, in a direction perpendicular to the dial, and arranged to move independently one or more parts of the character and / or the entire character. For example, an axis can control the movement of the entire character. Another axis can control the movement of a part of the character. A third axis may be provided to control the movement of a third part of the character.

The character can be constituted by a mechanical bird. The beak and / or the wings and / or the tail of this mechanical bird may be movable relative to the body of the bird. The body of the bird can be mobile with respect to the dial. The beak and / or the wings and / or the tail of this mechanical bird can be movable in a plane not parallel to the dial. The body of the bird can be mobile in a plane parallel to the dial.

In one embodiment, the body of the mechanical bird rotates about itself about an axis perpendicular to the dial, while the head, the tail and the wings rotate about axes not perpendicular to the dial. .

The body of the character, for example of the bird may be hollow and house a mechanism for moving parts of the character, for example to move the beak and / or the wings and / or the tail of said bird according to the movements of the axis or axes.

The watch movement and the character's training device may be independent of each other.

The training device of the character may comprise a first cylinder and the watch movement may comprise a second barrel. The two barrels can be reassembled independently of one another.

The training device of the character may include a first regulating member. The watch movement may comprise a second regulating member. The two regulating organs can be independent of one another. The accuracy of the second regulating member may be significantly higher than the accuracy of the first regulating member. The first regulating member may be constituted by a simple brake or a feeder device for braking the movements of the character. The second regulating member may be constituted by a pendulum-balance assembly.

In a variant, the watch movement can cause the character's training device. The watch movement can provide the energy needed for this training. The watch movement can determine when this character begins to be trained. The watch movement can regulate the movement speed of the character.

The character's training device may include a whistle arranged to mimic the field of a bird. The wristwatch may include an ice over the dial and the character, a first portion of the ice covering the dial, and a second portion of the ice covering the character. The second part may be more curved than the first part. Both parts can be welded or glued to each other.

Brief description of the figures

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which: Figure 1 illustrates a sectional view of a wristwatch according to the invention.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates a portion of the character driving device according to the invention.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

FIG. 1 illustrates a watch case 200 comprising the character training device 1 according to one embodiment of the invention. The watch case has a middle part 201, a bottom 202 and a two part glazed piece 203-206 glued or assembled to one another, one of the parts 206 covering the dial 204 with the time display while the ice portion 203 more convex protects the character 20 which extends above this dial 204, perpendicularly to this dial, being rotated by the lever or the axis 21.

The element 205 is the watch movement, which in this embodiment is independent and does not cooperate with the character training device 1. The watch movement 205 may be mechanical. The device 1 for driving the character 20 occupies in this example a volume in the watch case next to and below the volume occupied by the movement 205. The movement 205 is off-center with respect to the box, the needles not represented by the movement moving next to the character 20 which does not cover these needles.

Character training devices 1 on the same plate as the watch movement, or on an auxiliary module cooperating with this movement 205, can however also be imagined. The term dial in this application must be interpreted broadly; it can either be a separate piece, for example an enamelled piece, pearly, etc., or in the case of a skeleton watch for example the upper surface of the movement above which is move the hands of the wristwatch. Generally speaking, the dial can be defined as the background in front of which the hands and / or the animated character move. The plane of the dial is the plane of the upper surface of the dial; in the case of a non-planar surface, the plane of the dial is a plane parallel to the plane of movement of the hands.

The character 20 is constituted in this example by a three-dimensional mechanical bird that extends prominently above the dial 204. The character 20 may be made of metal material, for example precious metal, ceramic, or any other appropriate material. It can be manufactured by molding, machining or bending from sheets of material. It can be feathered.

The training device 1 of the character 20 may include an axis 21 passing through the dial 240 perpendicular to the dial 204 to drive the character 20 and move it. Several axes 21, 21a may be arranged concentrically to independently drive the body of the bird and one or more parts of this bird, for example the tail, the beak and / or the wings. These parts can also be operated independently of each other by several independent axes. In one example, a hollow outer axis 21 may cause rotation of the complete bird about this axis, in a plane parallel to the dial, while an axis 21a within this axis may cause a displacement of part of this bird in relation to the body of the bird. The axis or axes 21, 21a can be rotated by the device 1, and / or in longitudinal translation. In one example, the outer axis 21 makes rotational movements about its longitudinal axis, while the axis 21a controlling the parts of the bird performs reciprocating movements back and forth along the same axis longitudinal, inside the axis 21. It is possible to use more than two concentric axes. It is possible to independently control several parts of the bird by independent movements of a single axis. The character 20 may be hollow. It can house a part of the mechanism to control the movement of the parts of the character according to the movements of the axis 21, 21 a. For example, it can house a mechanism for actuating the head, the beak, the wings and / or the tail of the bird, depending on the movements of the axis 21a. The mechanism inside the character 20 may include a cam and / or a rocking piece against the force of a spring under the thrust of the axis 21a, in order to simultaneously move the beak, the wings and the tail compared to the body of the bird. Several pieces can be provided inside the bird to move independently different parts of this character.

In another example, the head of an axis 21a may be provided with a cam to cause the spacing of the wings, or a displacement of another part of the bird, when this axis 21 has turned 90 ° or from another angle to the body of the bird.

The movements of the character 20 may involve for example a rotation of the complete character around the axis 21, in a plane parallel to the dial 204 and the plane of movement of the needles. The character 20 may for example perform several turns on itself. The axis 21 can also be controlled via a rake to perform rotary back and forth movements and to reverse the direction of rotation of the bird.

It is also possible to move the complete character in a plane or in a direction not parallel to the dial 204, for example to remove it from the dial, for example by pivoting about a horizontal axis and / or appearing through the dial. an opening flap. Parts of the character, for example the wings, the beak, the tail etc. can move relative to the body of the character, for example by rotating relative to the body of this character around an axis not perpendicular to the dial 204. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a device portion 1 for driving the character 1 via the axis 21 or the axes 21, 21a. The device comprises a cylinder 5 provided with an external toothing 6 meshing with a pinion 100 of a kinematic chain 10. The pinion 100 is mounted on the axis of a wheel 101 driving a second pinion 102 on the axis of the wheel 103. The transmission ratio between the barrel 5, which performs for example a rotation in two seconds, and the wheel 103, which performs for example ten rotations per second, is advantageously between 1/5 and 1/50, for example 1/20. This multiplication ratio can also be obtained with a number of wheels and pinions (simultaneously designated as mobile) different in the driveline 10.

The barrel 5 is also provided with cams 3, 6a, 6b, for example cams mounted on its periphery, in order to animate a character 20 and / or to actuate various other mechanisms, for example elements of a whistle mechanism. . The wheel 103 is provided with an eccentric 16 or a cam for actuating a rod not shown to move the piston of a pump producing the air blown into the whistle.

The kinematic chain 10 further comprises a regulating member 17, constituted here by weights on one of the mobiles 101b downstream of the wheel 103. The flyweights 17 deviate from the center of rotation of the mobile 101b when the latter starts to rotate. , which increases its moment of inertia and tends to slow down and regulate its speed and that of the entire kinematic chain. Other control mechanisms, including sprung balance mechanisms, brakes, etc. can be used.

One or more of the mobiles of the kinematic chain 10, for example the cams 3 and 6a, are connected to an articulated personage 20, for example a mechanical bird or another animated character perpendicular to the dial, by means of connecting elements 21 and 21a, so as to actuate this mobile when the kinematic chain rotates. The cam 3 further allows to actuate an accessory mechanism, for example a valve upstream of a whistle to mimic the field of the bird. The cam 6b makes it possible to move a piston in the whistle to modulate the sound produced. The cam 6a controls a lever (or axis) 21 to control the rotation of the character 20 on itself, around an axis perpendicular to the dial 204 and passing through the character 20. The rotational movement of this character can be alternated, in performing successions of back and forth and rotations in one direction and then in the other, thanks to a not shown rake mechanism. The axis 21 advantageously crosses the dial 204 perpendicularly to the dial.

The cam 3 further controls the lever (or shaft, rod) 21a which passes through a longitudinal opening through the axis 21. Under the action of the cam 3, the lever 21 a advantageously moves in a translation movement along its longitudinal axis, so as to control a displacement of the beak, the wings and / or the tail of the bird 20 relative to to the body of the bird. The end of the lever 21 has advantageously to pull or push a rocker in the body of the bird, against the force of a spring not shown, in order to act simultaneously on the position of the spout, the wings and of the tail by making them each rotate around an axis not perpendicular to the dial.

In a variant, the axis 21a is a rotary axis and acts through a cam or a connecting rod on the moving parts of the character 20.

Different axes or levers can be provided to independently actuate different parts of the character 20, for example to move the wings independently of the tail or the beak. The different axes or levers can be concentric.

The axis or axes 21, 21a for controlling the character 20 are thus actuated by one of the mobiles of the kinematic chain. Different axes 21, 21 a can be driven at different speeds by different mobile. The speed of rotation of the axes can be irregular, for example under the effect of a cam, a Maltese cross, etc. It is also possible to drive one or more axes 21, 21a in translation.

A whistle already mentioned may be actuated by a cam on the same kinematic chain 10 as the character 20, for example by the same cam 3 as that which also acts on the axis 21a controlling the beak of the bird. Thus, the mouth opening movements are perfectly synchronized with the sounds emitted by the whistle.

The whistle mechanism may include a piston to modulate the pitch of the played note. It may comprise a second piston actuated by the kinematic chain 10 for pumping air into the whistle.

The device according to the invention may comprise an actuator, for example a push button, a lever etc., manually actuable by the user to release the barrel 5 and to manually trigger the movement of the character 20. The actuation of the actuator, not shown, allows to release the barrel itself allowing the animation of the character. The same actuator, or a different actuator, can also be used to recharge the barrel 5.

Alternatively, the triggering of the animation can also be performed automatically, for example the passage of hours, half-hours or quarter of an hour. The triggering of the animation can also be done in a programmed manner for example using a function of the watch, including an alarm function, calendar, etc.. The present invention has been described with reference to a mechanical watch but it could be applied to an electromechanical or electronic watch.

The invention has been described for a wristwatch, but it could be applied to other small devices with previous features taken in combination or independently of each other.

Claims

claims

1. A wristwatch (1) comprising a watch case (201), a watch movement (205) in said watch case, and a dial (204) characterized by:

a three-dimensional character (20) above said dial;

at least one axis (21, 21 a) extending above said dial (204), in a direction perpendicular to the dial, arranged to move at least a portion of said three-dimensional character in a non-parallel plane to the dial;

a character training device (1) under said dial to control the movements of said axis.

2. wristwatch according to claim 1, characterized in that said three-dimensional character (20) has at least one moving part relative to the rest of the character;

said axis (21 a) controlling the movements of said movable part.

3. wristwatch according to claim 1, characterized by at least one axis (21) extending above said dial (204), in a direction perpendicular to the dial, arranged to move said three-dimensional character in a parallel plane on the dial.

A wristwatch according to claim 3, characterized by a plurality of said coaxial axes (21, 21a) extending above said dial (204), in a direction perpendicular to the dial, arranged to independently displace any of the other one or more parts of the character and / or the whole character.

5. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said character (20) is constituted by a mechanical bird.

6. wristwatch according to claim 5, characterized in that the beak and / or the wings and / or the tail of said mechanical bird (20) are movable relative to the body of the bird.

7. Wristwatch according to claim 6, characterized in that the body of said mechanical bird (20) is hollow and houses a mechanism for moving the beak and / or the wings and / or the tail of said bird as a function of movements of said said axes (21, 21 a).

8. wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 7, comprising a first cam (6a) acting on a first lever (21) perpendicular to the dial (204) to cause a rotation of said character (20) on itself in a plane parallel to the dial.

9. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 8, comprising a second cam (3) acting on a second lever (21a) perpendicular to the dial (204) to cause a displacement of a part of the character (20) in a plane not parallel to the dial (204).

10. Wristwatch according to claim 9, the second lever (21 a) being controlled to move by performing translation movements along its longitudinal axis.

1 1. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that said watch movement (205) and said device (1) for driving the character (20) are independent of each other.

12. Wristwatch according to claim 1 1, characterized in that said device (1) for driving the character (20) comprises a first barrel (5) and in that said watch movement (205) comprises a second barrel.

13. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 1 or 12, characterized in that said device (1) for driving the character (20) comprises a first regulating member (17) and in that said watch movement (205). ) has a second regulating member.

14. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that said watch movement (205) drives said device (1) for driving the character (20).

15. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said device (1) for training the character

(20) has a whistle arranged to mimic the field of a bird.

16. Wristwatch according to claim 15, comprising a second cam (3) acting both on the beak of a mechanical bird (20) to cause the opening or closing of the beak, and on said whistle to cause a hissing synchronized with said movements of the beak.

17. Wristwatch according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that it comprises an ice-cream over said dial (204) and said character (20),

a first portion (206) of said ice covering said dial (204), a second portion (203) of said ice covering said character

(20)

the second part being more curved than the first part, the two parts (203, 206) being welded or glued to each other.