EP2942673A1 - Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk - Google Patents

Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk Download PDF

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Publication number
EP2942673A1
EP2942673A1 EP14167078.6A EP14167078A EP2942673A1 EP 2942673 A1 EP2942673 A1 EP 2942673A1 EP 14167078 A EP14167078 A EP 14167078A EP 2942673 A1 EP2942673 A1 EP 2942673A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
oscillator
rod
blades
tuning fork
oscillation
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP14167078.6A
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Ilan Vardi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Asgalium Unitec SA
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Asgalium Unitec SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Asgalium Unitec SA filed Critical Asgalium Unitec SA
Priority to EP14167078.6A priority Critical patent/EP2942673A1/de
Priority to CH01457/16A priority patent/CH711280B1/fr
Priority to CN201580036646.8A priority patent/CN106471429B/zh
Priority to US15/309,342 priority patent/US10459405B2/en
Priority to EP15723856.9A priority patent/EP3140698B1/de
Priority to PCT/EP2015/059624 priority patent/WO2015169708A2/fr
Publication of EP2942673A1 publication Critical patent/EP2942673A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • 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
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/04—Oscillators acting by spring tension
    • G04B17/045—Oscillators acting by spring tension with oscillating blade springs
    • 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
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/20—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • 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
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/20—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/22—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency for the effect of variations of temperature
    • G04B17/227—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency for the effect of variations of temperature composition and manufacture of the material used

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, a watch movement comprising the oscillator and a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the invention relates to a mechanical timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • An object of the present invention is to improve the performance of the mechanical movement of a timepiece, in particular a mechanical timepiece.
  • the sprung balance long used as an oscillator in mechanical watches, has proven itself, but despite, or perhaps because of, centuries of research and development, it may be close to its limits .
  • the best balance springs achieve a quality factor Q of about 300.
  • the tuning fork is well known for its basic qualities of time, the tuning-fork wristwatches of the 1960s were the most accurate in the world until the advent of the quartz watch.
  • Max Hetzel is at the origin of a large number of patented inventions, relating to the implementation of a tuning fork as an oscillator, which led to the production of the Accutron wristwatch (registered trademark), marketed by the Bulova Swiss SA company.
  • the Accutron watch includes an electronic resonator as each branch of the tuning fork carries a permanent magnet associated with an electromagnet mounted fixed on the frame of the watch.
  • the operation of each electromagnet is slaved to the vibrations of the tuning fork by means of the magnets it carries, so that the vibrations of the tuning fork are maintained by the transmission of periodic magnetic pulses from the electromagnets to the permanent magnets.
  • One of the branches of the tuning fork actuates a pawl for rotating the mobile wheels of the finishing gear of the watch.
  • a general difference between mechanical wristwatches and acoustic tuning electronic watches is the fact that, in the latter, the oscillator as a time regulator also serves as a power distributor, that is to say that the oscillations are used to actuate the movement (Accutron) or to determine the activity of an electric motor which acts on the needles, for example (quartz electronic watch).
  • the oscillator as a time regulator also serves as a power distributor, that is to say that the oscillations are used to actuate the movement (Accutron) or to determine the activity of an electric motor which acts on the needles, for example (quartz electronic watch).
  • the oscillator as a time regulator also serves as a power distributor, that is to say that the oscillations are used to actuate the movement (Accutron) or to determine the activity of an electric motor which acts on the needles, for example (quartz electronic watch).
  • regulation is at the end of the chain of energy transmission.
  • the patent US 3,208,287 from a deposit dating from 1962, describes a resonator comprising a tuning fork coupled to an escape wheel by means of magnetic interactions. More specifically, the tuning fork carries permanent magnets cooperating with the escape wheel, the latter being made of a magnetic conductive material.
  • the escape wheel is kinematically connected to a source of energy which may be mechanical or take the form of a motor, while it comprises openings in its thickness such that it forms a magnetic circuit of variable reluctance when it is driven in rotation, in relation with the magnets carried by the tuning fork.
  • the present invention seeks to solve several technical problems.
  • it is desired to induce an antisymmetric oscillation by acting on a single blade of the tuning fork, therefore without imposing the antisymmetric oscillation by the simultaneous pulse of the two blades.
  • the use of magnets to distribute energy to an oscillator (exhaust pulse) or to regulate an energy is not strictly speaking "mechanical", for the simple reason that the energy is transmitted by magnetic forces and therefore associated with electromagnetic phenomena.
  • the present invention aims to provide a mechanical movement watch having a more accurate time base than that of the conventional sprung balance. It is an object of the present invention to provide an oscillator characterized by a higher quality factor than that of the sprung balance.
  • an object of the invention is to provide a fully mechanical movement wristwatch using a tuning fork oscillator as a timebase.
  • An object of the present invention is to avoid, in a tuning fork oscillator, the symmetrical oscillations. More particularly, the present invention aims to avoid symmetrical oscillations in an oscillator comprising a material characterized by a low internal friction, so as to make the oscillator capable of performing said symmetrical oscillations.
  • An object of the invention is to provide a tuning fork on the basis of a material having a low internal friction such as monocrystalline silicon.
  • a material having a low internal friction such as monocrystalline silicon.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an oscillator in which the antisymmetric oscillations are favored, even if the pulses are given on only one of the two blades, in other words, in the absence of simultaneous pulses. with both blades.
  • the present invention seeks to solve the above problems and has other advantages which will become more apparent upon reading the description and the claims.
  • the present invention relates to a timepiece comprising a mechanical watch movement comprising: a tuning fork type oscillator, said oscillator comprising an assembly comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod connected to said base the oscillator being connected by its rod to a fastener connected to the movement, said assembly comprising or consisting of a material A, said material A being characterized by a weak internal friction, said movement comprising a mechanical pulse member capable of acting on one of the two blades so as to induce and maintain said oscillation oscillator, said oscillator being capable of oscillating in a desired antisymmetric mode as well as in an undesired symmetrical mode, characterized in that the factor quality Q 2 symmetrical oscillation mode of said oscillator is reduced compared to the factor of Q 1 quality of the antisymmetric oscillation mode.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising an assembly comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod connected to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to an organ fastener connected to a support, said assembly being formed of a material A, characterized by a weak internal friction, said oscillator being able to oscillate in a desired antisymmetric mode as well as in an undesired symmetrical mode, characterized in that the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of said oscillator is reduced with respect to the quality factor Q 1 of the antisymmetric oscillation mode.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod connected to said base, characterized in that, in said oscillator, an oscillation mode symmetrical is damped or prevented by the presence of a selected material in or on said oscillator and / or in or on an attachment of the oscillator.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod connected to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to an attachment, said oscillator being made of one or more materials making said oscillator capable of performing symmetrical oscillations, and said oscillator or fixture further comprising another material capable of damping said symmetrical oscillations.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod connected to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to a fixation, said oscillator comprising or being made of several materials including a material A and a material A ', the material A' being characterized by a coefficient of thermal expansion of opposite sign to that of the material A.
  • the present invention relates to a movement for a timepiece comprising the oscillator and a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the present invention relates to the use of a material having a comparatively high internal friction to avoid symmetrical oscillation in a tuning fork type oscillator.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type as well as a timepiece comprising the oscillator and still a movement for a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the timepiece according to the invention may be a watch, a pocket watch, a pendant watch, a clock, or a table clock, for example.
  • the timepiece according to the invention is a wristwatch.
  • the timepiece according to the invention may be entirely mechanical and / or may comprise a fully mechanical movement.
  • an entirely mechanical movement can operate in the absence of any electronic circuit, in particular in the absence of a source of electrical energy, such as a battery or a photovoltaic cell, for example.
  • the present invention also makes it possible to produce a timepiece that operates on the basis of mechanical interactions between all the parts and excludes magnetic interactions.
  • the pulses for inducing and maintaining the oscillation oscillator are performed by a piece which acts by direct physical contact on the tuning fork or on a piece integral with the tuning fork.
  • the present invention may constitute an improvement of the solutions proposed in patent documents EP 2 466 401 or US 3,208,287 , which disclose a resonator in which the oscillator and the escape wheel carry magnets, for example permanent magnets, so as to constitute a regulation and exhaust mechanism on the basis of magnetic interactions.
  • the movement of the invention comprises a mechanical pulse member which is connected and / or powered by a source of mechanical energy.
  • Source mechanical energy can be the same as in a conventional mechanical watch, for example, the energy can come from a barrel spring that can be remounted manually or automatically, for example.
  • the present invention makes it possible, for the first time, to make a movement of an entirely mechanical timepiece with an oscillator of the tuning fork type.
  • the proposed solution is applicable to any time base on the basis of a tuning fork resonator or oscillator.
  • the figure 1 shows the general shape of a watch tuning fork.
  • the tuning fork 1 comprises the two blades or branches 3 and 4, connected by the base 5 so as to form the general shape of a U.
  • the two blades 2 and 3 are preferably arranged in parallel in a single plane.
  • the two blades 3 and 4 preferably have the same length.
  • the ends of the blades 3 and 4 are free. They preferably each carry a mass 8, 9, respectively, which serves to reduce the frequency of oscillations of the tuning fork 1.
  • the tuning fork comprises a rod 6 through which the base 5 is connected to a fastener 7. One end of the rod 6 is connected to the base 5 while the other end is connected to the attachment 7.
  • the attachment 7 is preferably secured to the movement of the watch.
  • the fastener 7 is connected, for example by screwing, to the plate or to a bridge.
  • the attachment 7 can be attached to a support any.
  • the rod 6 is preferably located above the base 5. It could also be below the base 5, as shown in FIGS. Figures 2A and 2B which does not change the behavior of the tuning fork.
  • the interest of the tuning fork is mainly due to the fact that its quality factor Q is much higher than that of a simple vibrating blade.
  • the high quality factor Q of the tuning fork compared to that of a simple vibrating plate is related to the U-shaped configuration and the resulting oscillation modes. P. Ong, "Little known facts about the common tuning fork", Phys. Educ. 37 (2002), 540-542 .
  • the oscillator comprises or is preferably made of a material having low or very low internal friction.
  • a sophisticated model of the explanation of the quality factor takes into account the viscous internal friction of the branches and the base of the tuning fork, as described by Andres Castellanos-Gomez, Nicolas Agrait, Gabino Rubio-Bollinger, "Forcegradient-induced mechanical dissipation of quartz tuning fork force sensors used in atomic force microscopy", Ultramicroscopy (2011) 111 (3), 186-190 .
  • Materials that meet the criterion of low internal friction are, for example, monocrystalline silicon or quartz. Of course, other materials having comparable internal friction and / or of the same order of magnitude can also be used. In general, other monocrystalline materials can be used in the manufacture of the oscillator 1 according to the invention.
  • oscillator 1 as a whole may comprise or be made of several materials.
  • the masses 8 and 9 are typically made of gold or other dense material, for example another heavy precious metal.
  • the masses 8 and 9 reduce the frequency of the oscillator if desired, which may be the case in a mechanical timepiece.
  • the present invention also covers the possibility that the masses 8 and 9 are zero or absent.
  • the masses 8, 9 can be placed or oriented in another way than shown in FIG. figure 1 as disclosed, for example, in US Patent US 3,447,311 .
  • the masses 8, 9 can be made in the form of layers deposited on the blades 3 and 4 and / or can be connected near or in the region of the ends and be oriented as shown in FIG. US 3,447,311 , for example.
  • the blades 3, 4 may be formed of several materials having low internal friction, as will be described later below.
  • the rod 6 and / or the fastener 7 preferably comprises a higher internal friction material, as will be described later.
  • the oscillator comprises a set 2 formed at least of the blades 3 and 4 and the base 5.
  • This set 2 preferably comprises an entity formed of a single continuous material. This should not prevent the presence of other materials as described in this specification.
  • the oscillator 1 comprises a set 2 formed of a material A characterized by a low internal friction.
  • the material A is chosen from the weak internal friction materials described above, such as, for example, monocrystalline silicon or quartz, or monocrystalline materials in general.
  • said oscillator 1, or at least said set 2 comprises or is formed of monocrystalline silicon and / or quartz.
  • the rod 6 comprises and / or is formed of the same material A. According to this embodiment, the rod 6 is part of the assembly 2. According to another embodiment, the rod 6 comprises and / or is formed of another material.
  • the quality factor Q of the oscillator is higher than in the case of a metal oscillator, for example. This increase in quality factor Q also applies to oscillation modes that may be designated as undesired in an oscillator serving as a timebase.
  • the figures 2 A and 2 B illustrate two oscillation modes of a tuning fork 1 following a pulse.
  • the dotted and continuous lines show, respectively, the two positions of the peak-to-peak amplitude of the oscillator, that is to say the two positions which define the maximum deviation from the rest position where the blades 3 and 4 are parallel.
  • the problems related to the symmetrical oscillation mode arise above all in the case where the oscillator is made of a low-friction material, such as quartz or monocrystalline silicon, for example.
  • the symmetrical oscillation mode ( Figure 2 B) is not observed in metal tuning forks, for example.
  • the choice of the low-friction material, for example material A makes the oscillator oscillable not only in the desired antisymmetric mode, but also in the undesired symmetrical mode.
  • the symmetrical oscillation mode is favored by mechanical excitation because of a slightly lower quality factor, thus easier to "find". This last point applies in particular to the pulse on only one of the two blades, whether this pulse is mechanical or otherwise.
  • a difference between the two modes of antisymmetric and symmetrical oscillations illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B relates to the rod 6.
  • the symmetrical mode induces a transverse oscillation of the rod 6, which corresponds to the oscillation of a simple vibrating blade. This transverse oscillation generally takes place in the plane defined by the two blades 3, 4.
  • the rod 6 performs longitudinal and / or axial oscillations, along the axis of the rod 6.
  • An object of the present invention is to implement alternative solutions to prevent the symmetric oscillation mode of a tuning fork type oscillator, preferably in a resonator used as a time base.
  • An impulse on only one of the two blades of a tuning fork represents the preferred solution in the case of a mechanical resonator, that is to say time bases in which oscillations of the tuning fork are mechanically induced and maintained, without the use of electricity, electronics or piezoelectricity.
  • the oscillations are induced and maintained without the use of magnetism.
  • the movement of the invention and / or the timepiece of the invention comprises a mechanical pulse mechanism or mechanism capable of acting on one of the two blades of a tuning fork so as to induce it and maintain it in oscillation.
  • a mechanical pulse mechanism or mechanism capable of acting on one of the two blades of a tuning fork so as to induce it and maintain it in oscillation.
  • WO2013 / 045573 discloses a tuning fork mechanical resonator for mechanical clock movement with free escapement.
  • a blade of this tuning fork carries at least one first pin associated with at least one first fork of an anchor, for pivoting said fork between first and second angular positions and alternately lock and release an escape wheel.
  • the resonator comprises a conversion member integral with the ankle, arranged to, on the one hand, to transform the oscillations of the blade into rotational movements of the anchor by the transmission of pulses from the blade to the anchor, and on the other hand, transmitting mechanical energy from said anchor to the oscillator blade in the form of pulses.
  • a support carrying pins is attached to the end of one of the two blades.
  • the dowels cooperate with teeth defining an anchor fork.
  • the anchor comprises a frame pivotally mounted on the movement and a pair of arms each of which carries a tooth to interact with the pegs on the support.
  • the anchor then comprises a second pair of additional arms, each of which carries a pallet arranged to cooperate with an escape wheel.
  • the resonator of the request WO2013 / 045573 operates in a similar way to conventional resonators because the oscillator carries two pins instead of a single pin and the special geometry of the anchor fork.
  • the anchor is intended to pivot between a first position in which one of the vanes locks the escape wheel in rotation and a second position in which the other pallet locks the escape wheel.
  • the pivoting of the anchor is also used to give a pulse on one of the two pins of the support to ensure the maintenance of oscillations of the blade and thus the tuning fork as a whole.
  • the conversion member comprises a rocker and operates according to the principle of the lever arm. A free end of the rocker is pivotally mounted on the free end of a blade and the other end is engaged between the teeth of the fork of the anchor to cooperate with it and rotate the anchor.
  • Requirement WO2013 / 045573 discloses a mechanical pulse member capable of acting on one of the two blades so as to induce and maintain said oscillation oscillator.
  • a mechanical pulse member is preferably used in the timepiece according to the present invention.
  • the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of the oscillator of the invention is reduced actively and in a targeted manner with respect to the quality factor Q 1 of the antisymmetric oscillation mode.
  • the present invention aims at reducing the quality factor of the symmetrical oscillations so as to favor oscillation in the desired antisymmetric mode. This implies, in fact, that each mode of oscillation has not only its own frequency, but also its own quality factor.
  • Q 2 represents the quality factor of the undesired symmetric oscillation mode
  • Q 1 represents the quality factor of the desired antisymmetric oscillation mode.
  • the quality factor Q 2 is reduced in a targeted manner by the construction of the tuning fork and in particular by the choice of materials used in the construction of the tuning fork.
  • the quality factor Q 2 is reduced by the tuning fork geometry and / or the choice of the position of different materials having different characteristics.
  • the oscillator of the invention comprises at least one second material which makes it possible to reduce the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode.
  • This second material is generally designated as material B in the present specification.
  • the material B is preferably chosen from materials having a higher friction than the material A.
  • the material B is a material having a higher internal friction than that of quartz and / or monocrystalline silicon, by example.
  • the material B is selected from metals, alloys, polycrystalline materials, amorphous materials, for example.
  • the internal friction of a material is associated with the ability of a solid material to convert its mechanical vibration energy into an internal energy. This inevitable degradation or loss of energy is manifested in several ways, for example by a transformation of the vibration energy into heat.
  • the quality factor of an oscillator and the internal friction of the material depend on each other, as described in the publication of Clarence Zener, "Internal Friction in Solids," Proceedings of the Physical Society 52 (1940), pp.
  • the inverse of the quality factor 1 / Q is preferably used to determine whether a given material is characterized by low or high internal friction.
  • the quality factor Q of a material can be determined by those skilled in the art, as described in many publications from the past 50 years, see the references of the publication Ilan Vardi, "The quality factor in mechanical watchmaking", Bulletin of the Swiss Chronometry Society 75 (2014), pp. 53-61 .
  • the quality factor Q of a material can be determined on the basis of a single vibrating blade which is induced in free vibration.
  • the internal friction of a material A can be represented by 1 / Q A
  • the internal friction of a material B can be represented by 1 / Q B .
  • a material A having a low internal friction is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q A ) is ⁇ 0.02, preferably ⁇ 0.01. According to a preferred embodiment, a material having a low internal friction is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q A ) is ⁇ 0.001.
  • the material A In terms of internal friction, the material A 'fulfills the same conditions as the material A.
  • the values of 1 / Q for A' (1 / Q A ' ) are thus in the same ranges as the values 1 / Q for A (1 / Q A ).
  • a material B having a high friction or greater than the material A is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q B ) is ⁇ 0.02, preferably ⁇ 0.05, for example ⁇ 0.1 or more great.
  • the materials A and A ' have an internal friction (1 / Q A ) ⁇ 0.01 and the material B an internal friction (1 / Q B )> 0.02.
  • materials A and B are generally selected such that 1 / Q A ⁇ 1 / Q B. Defining the materials A and B relative to one another ignores the particular conditions in which the respective Q quality factor (Q A , Q B ) has been measured to determine the value of the friction. internal material, provided that the conditions are the same for the determination of Q A and Q B (for example 25 ° C, and two rods, one of the material A and one of the material B, having identical dimensions).
  • Q B / Q A is ⁇ 0.1, preferably ⁇ 0.02, or even ⁇ 0.01.
  • materials A and B may be mixtures, for example composites comprising a plurality of materials or materials, selected to provide a material having internal friction in accordance with the preferred values or proportions indicated above.
  • the inventors have found that it is possible to prevent symmetrical oscillations by the geometrical configuration and / or the position of the material B in the tuning fork.
  • the material B is in contact with the material A of the oscillator.
  • the tuning fork of the invention comprises a material B which is arranged and / or located so as to prevent or dampen the symmetrical oscillations of the tuning fork.
  • the presence of the material B makes it possible to damp the transverse oscillations of the rod 6. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the invention, the material A is a first material and the said factor of quality Q 2 is reduced by the presence of a second material B, this material B being in contact with said material A so that a transverse oscillation of said rod 6 is damped.
  • said quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of said oscillator is reduced so that Q 1 / Q 2 is equal to or greater than 2.
  • Q 1 / Q 2 is equal to or greater than 5, equal to or greater than 10, equal to or greater than 20, equal to or greater than 50, or equal to or greater than 100, for example equal to or greater than 200.
  • the quality factor Q 1 is at least an order of magnitude higher than the quality factor Q 2 .
  • order of magnitude is meant a difference of about a factor of 10.
  • the quality factor Q 1 is at least 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than the quality factor Q 2 .
  • the quality factor Q is used both to describe the two modes of oscillation, antisymmetric and symmetrical, shown in FIGS. Figures 2A and 2B (Q 1 and Q 2 ), and as a parameter of the internal friction of a material.
  • the inverse of the quality factor (1 / Q) is used.
  • the state of the art describes several parameters which represent the internal friction of a material, such as the damping or loss factor tan ⁇ , or the loss modulus G ". of the present invention, the inverse of quality factor Q is chosen, as proposed by C. Zener (1940) and H.-P. Liu et al (1983), especially because the measurement of this parameter and well known to the skilled person in the field of watchmaking.
  • the second material or material B can be arranged in the rod 6 of the tuning fork.
  • said material A is a first material and the rod 6 comprises or consists of a second material B in contact with said first material.
  • the rod 6 is entirely made of the material B.
  • the rod 6 comprises such a material B or several materials which, on the whole, fulfill the characteristic of the higher internal friction. It is considered advantageous if the material B is in contact with the material A.
  • the material B is in contact with the base 5 of the tuning fork.
  • the material B is preferably at least at the interface of the material A with the rod 6.
  • FIG. 3 A This embodiment is illustrated by the figures 3 A to 3 C, wherein the rod 6 is made of a material B which is different from the material A, the assembly 2 is made.
  • the assembly 2 comprises in particular the two blades 3,4 and the base 5.
  • FIGS. 3A to 3C have the same meanings as described above for the figure 1 .
  • the figure 3A shows the tuning fork in the rest position, while the Figures 3B and 3C show the antisymmetrical and symmetrical oscillations, respectively, following a given pulse on one of the two blades (here on the blade 3) at the level of the arrow 11.
  • the assembly 2 is constructed entirely of type A materials, thus with low internal friction, but the rod 6 is composed of a material having a greater internal friction (material B), for example, the metal used for the tuning fork classic watchmaker.
  • the antisymmetric oscillations of the Figure 2A have no loss by the stem, due to its zero transverse movement, while the symmetrical oscillations of the tuning fork ( Figure 2 B) are damped due to the energy lost at the attachment or the connection between the rod 6 and the base 5, and between the rod 7 and the attachment 7 of the tuning fork, due to the stresses S1 and S2, see the figure 3C .
  • the quality factor (Q 2 ) of the symmetric oscillations would therefore be comparable to the quality factor of a single vibrating blade embedded at one end made of this material B, so very small (for example ⁇ 10).
  • Q 1 quality factor
  • the rod 6 preferably has a certain flexibility or elasticity as a whole, which makes it possible to remove or move the frequency away from the symmetrical oscillations of the frequency of the antisymmetric oscillations.
  • the rod 6 is arranged to retain sufficient flexibility and / or elasticity to separate the frequencies specific to the antisymmetrical and symmetrical mode.
  • This arrangement can be achieved by the geometry and / or shape of the rod 6 and the material of which it is made.
  • the natural frequency of the symmetrical and antisymmetric oscillations are different and / or remote.
  • natural frequency is meant the concept of resonant frequency, where the amplitude is maximum with respect to the pulse frequency.
  • the natural frequencies of symmetric and antisymmetric oscillations are at least 5 Hz, preferably at least 10 Hz, or even at least 20 Hz, and even at least 30 Hz.
  • the rod 6 is part of said assembly 2 comprising the blades 3, 4 and the base 5 and comprises or consists of said material A.
  • the rod 6, the base 5 and the blades 3, 4 may be manufactured in one piece, for example of a continuous material A, or may comprise a continuous material A.
  • the rod 6, the base 5 and the blades 3, 4 may comprise or be formed of a single crystal.
  • the attachment 7 comprises or consists of a material having an internal friction higher than that of the material A.
  • the rod 6 may or may not include a higher internal friction material (material B).
  • Figures 4A to 4C show in particular the possibility where the rod comprises and / or is made of the same material A as the base 5 and the blades 3, 4, and the attachment 7, illustrated by a dark square, is formed of the material B.
  • the rod comprises a material other than the material A of the base 5 and the blades 3, 4, this other material having a low internal friction, such as the material A, or a higher internal friction. , like material B.
  • said material A is a first material and said fixing member 7 comprises a second material B in contact with said rod 6.
  • the damping of the symmetrical oscillations is introduced to the fastener 7, replacing the material A of the fastener 7 with a material which dissipates the oscillations of the rod 6.
  • the rod 6 of material A is thus embedded in a base formed by the fastener 7 made of a material having a large internal friction, such as the watchmaking tuning fork metal, or another material such as a resin (material B).
  • the rod 6 of material A is bonded to the attachment 7 by an adhesive that could serve as damping, so a loss of energy in the symmetrical mode, and a reduction of the quality factor of the symmetrical mode.
  • the adhesive comprises and / or then constitutes the material B.
  • the fastener 7 could also be made of a material chosen from the type A materials. The antisymmetric oscillations are not damped by the fastening, since there are no transverse oscillations of the rod 6 in the dissipative embedding 7, see the Figure 4B .
  • the symmetrical oscillations are damped since the oscillations of the rod 6 are damped due to its fixation in the dissipative material 7, as indicated by the arrows D in the figure 4C .
  • the stress S1 'between the rod and the base of the tuning fork does not dissipate more energy than in the case where the tuning fork and its attachment are entirely of material A.
  • the constraint S1' does not therefore contribute to the reduction. symmetrical oscillations.
  • said fastener 7 fixes and / or encases said rod 6 so that a transverse oscillation of said rod is damped.
  • This embedding of the rod 6 is well illustrated at Figures 4A to 4C where the contact of the fastener 7 with the rod 6 causes the energy dissipation of the oscillations.
  • the material B is positioned and / or arranged to cause particularly a loss of energy symmetrical oscillations to reduce the quality factor Q 2 .
  • the material B is arranged so as to damp the transverse oscillations of the rod 6.
  • the present invention seeks to exploit the difference between the antisymmetric oscillations of the Figure 2A and the symmetrical oscillations of the Figure 2B , as it is manifested at the level of the movement of the rod 6. It will also be noted that the center of gravity of the tuning fork is almost immobile in the antisymmetric case but makes a sensible movement in the symmetrical case.
  • said blades 3, 4 of the tuning fork 1 according to the invention comprise a material A ', said material A' being arranged as a layer on at least a part of the two blades.
  • said material A ' is characterized by a weak internal friction similar to that of the material A.
  • the internal friction of the material A' is of the same order of magnitude as that of the material A.
  • the material A and the material A ' are distinguished with respect to the sign (positive or negative) of their respective coefficient of thermal expansion. Consequently, the coefficient of thermal expansion of said material A 'has a reverse sign with respect to the sign of the thermal coefficient of said material A. In other words, if the coefficient of thermal expansion of the material A is positive, for example +0.5, that of the material A 'is negative, for example -1.0.
  • An object of the choice of two materials, A and A 'with low internal friction is to cancel or at least partially compensate the effect of temperature on the frequency of oscillations.
  • the frequency of oscillations decreases following a deviation of the optimal temperature (generally 25 ° C) of a tuning fork because of the increase or the decrease of the volume of the material whose tuning fork is made up.
  • the material A ' preferably has a sign expansion coefficient opposite to that of the material A, the presence of A' reduces the change in the volume of the set A and A '.
  • the characteristic of the inverse sign does not imply that the absolute values of the thermal expansion coefficients of the materials A and A 'are identical (see the example of the values +0.5 and -1.0 given above).
  • the quantity of the material A ' is preferably chosen so that a change in volume of the assembly comprising at least the blades 3, 4 and the base 5, and possibly the rod 6 is reduced to the maximum, that is, the expansion or decrease in volume is essentially reduced or absent.
  • the material A ' is also a low-friction material.
  • the material A ' preferably does not have a significant effect on the quality factor Q 1 .
  • the person skilled in the art knows the materials with a coefficient of negative thermal expansion.
  • the material A ' is preferably present on at least the two blades 3, 4.
  • the material A' may also be present on the base 5.
  • the rod 6 comprises or consists of the material A, ( Figures 4A to 4C )
  • the material A ' may also be present on the rod.
  • the present invention is not limited to the way in which the material A 'is associated with the material A.
  • the material A' may be deposited as a layer on at least a portion of the material A or reverse.
  • Said layer may extend over an entire face of the blades 3, 4 and the base 5 and also on the rod 6, or may be present on only part of the assembly 2.
  • the material A ' is at least associated with and / or connected to a portion of the blades 3, 4.
  • the material A' is arranged equitably and / or symmetrically on the two blades 3, 4.
  • the present invention makes it possible to excite and / or maintain the antisymmetric pulses despite the pulses (mechanical or otherwise) on only one of the two branches makes it possible to facilitate the construction of the tuning fork in general, also in the case of a tuning fork induces oscillation by electronic means and / or by using the piezoelectric effect in the case of the quartz tuning fork, for example.
EP14167078.6A 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk Withdrawn EP2942673A1 (de)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP14167078.6A EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk
CH01457/16A CH711280B1 (fr) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Pièce d'horlogerie comportant un mouvement horloger mécanique avec oscillateur à diapason.
CN201580036646.8A CN106471429B (zh) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 用于钟表机芯的音叉机械振荡器
US15/309,342 US10459405B2 (en) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Tuning fork mechanical oscillator for clock movement
EP15723856.9A EP3140698B1 (de) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk
PCT/EP2015/059624 WO2015169708A2 (fr) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Oscillateur mecanique a diapason pour mouvement horloger

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP14167078.6A EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk

Publications (1)

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EP2942673A1 true EP2942673A1 (de) 2015-11-11

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EP14167078.6A Withdrawn EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk
EP15723856.9A Active EP3140698B1 (de) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk

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EP15723856.9A Active EP3140698B1 (de) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk

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US (1) US10459405B2 (de)
EP (2) EP2942673A1 (de)
CN (1) CN106471429B (de)
CH (1) CH711280B1 (de)
WO (1) WO2015169708A2 (de)

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US3208287A (en) 1961-10-21 1965-09-28 Jeco Kk Magnetic escapement
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CH435122A (fr) * 1965-03-10 1966-12-15 Longines Montres Comp D Diapason pour pièce d'horlogerie
US3447311A (en) 1966-03-29 1969-06-03 Ebauches Sa Electronic timepiece
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EP2466401A1 (de) 2010-12-15 2012-06-20 Asgalium Unitec SA Magnetischer Resonator für eine mechanische Uhr
WO2013045573A1 (fr) 2011-09-29 2013-04-04 Asgalium Unitec Sa Resonateur a diapason pour mouvement horloger mecanique

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US3760482A (en) * 1972-05-18 1973-09-25 Suwa Seikosha Kk Method of adjusting frequency of tuning fork type vibrator
CH1600774A4 (de) * 1974-12-03 1977-07-29
EP0964319A1 (de) * 1998-06-08 1999-12-15 Manufacture des Montres Rolex S.A. Verfahren zur Übertragung von mechanischen Energieimpulsen von einer Antriebsquelle zu einem Schwingungsregler
FR2842313B1 (fr) * 2002-07-12 2004-10-22 Gideon Levingston Oscilliateur mecanique (systeme balancier et ressort spiral) en materiaux permettant d'atteindre un niveau superieur de precision, applique a un mouvement d'horlogerie ou autre instrument de precision
HK1146455A2 (en) * 2010-03-12 2011-06-03 Microtechne Res & Dev Ct Ltd An oscillator system
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US2971323A (en) 1953-06-19 1961-02-14 Bulova Watch Co Inc Electronically-controlled timepiece
US3208287A (en) 1961-10-21 1965-09-28 Jeco Kk Magnetic escapement
FR1421123A (fr) * 1964-01-20 1965-12-10 Centre Electron Horloger Résonateur mécanique pour oscillateurs à fréquence normale dans des appareils demesure du temps
CH435122A (fr) * 1965-03-10 1966-12-15 Longines Montres Comp D Diapason pour pièce d'horlogerie
US3447311A (en) 1966-03-29 1969-06-03 Ebauches Sa Electronic timepiece
FR2106507A1 (de) * 1970-09-14 1972-05-05 Suwa Seikosha Kk
EP2466401A1 (de) 2010-12-15 2012-06-20 Asgalium Unitec SA Magnetischer Resonator für eine mechanische Uhr
WO2013045573A1 (fr) 2011-09-29 2013-04-04 Asgalium Unitec Sa Resonateur a diapason pour mouvement horloger mecanique

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH711280B1 (fr) 2022-11-15
US20180004160A9 (en) 2018-01-04
EP3140698B1 (de) 2020-03-25
CN106471429B (zh) 2019-05-14
US10459405B2 (en) 2019-10-29
WO2015169708A2 (fr) 2015-11-12
US20170108830A1 (en) 2017-04-20
CN106471429A (zh) 2017-03-01
EP3140698A2 (de) 2017-03-15
WO2015169708A3 (fr) 2016-03-10

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