Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B15/00—Escapements
• • 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
  • G04B13/00—Gearwork
  • G04B13/007—Gearwork with differential work
  • G04B13/008—Differentials
• • 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
  • G04B17/26—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency for the effect of variations of the impulses

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a watch movement, in particular for a mechanical wristwatch or a mechanical timepiece, comprising a plurality of regulating organs driven by a common source of energy.
• the differential gear comprises an input member, powered by energy from a barrel or other equivalent energy source, and two output members each driving a regulating member by
• EP2141555 describes a timepiece comprising two
• EP2570870 describes a timepiece with two anchor oscillators driven by a common cylinder.
• the two oscillators are driven by two wheels, one of which is direct, while a wheel of the second wheel is driven by a wheel of the first wheel through an elastic device.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a watch movement with the possibility of maintaining in oscillation a plurality of regulating organs, whose performance is determined by the collective action of these regulating organs, without the disadvantages. known devices.
• a watch movement comprising: one or more mechanical energy sources, at least two regulation assemblies, each regulation assembly comprising an escapement and an organ regulating; a torque sharing device comprising at least as many elastic members as regulation assemblies with at least one input connected to the source or to the sources of mechanical energy, allowing the transmission of the energy produced by the source or by the sources of mechanical energy to the control assemblies; characterized in that each regulation assembly is driven by at least one resilient member provided to the escape wheel;
• This solution has the advantage over the prior art to allow a steady march of the two regulating organs even in the presence of simultaneous pulses. Moreover it allows the setting in function of any number of regulating organs.
• a preferred variant of the invention relates to a watch movement having the above characteristics, wherein said torque sharing device comprises a shaft driving the elastic members.
• the elastic members may further comprise a center integral with the shaft and a peripheral end connected to an output wheel which is freely mounted on the shaft and which kinematically drives a regulation assembly.
• the elastic elements comprise springs-spiral, preferably prealarm.
• the movement of the invention may comprise multiplier wheels in each set of adjustment, downstream of the torque sharing device, or a multiplier gear interposed between the barrel and the torque sharing device.
• multiplier wheels in each set of adjustment, downstream of the torque sharing device, or a multiplier gear interposed between the barrel and the torque sharing device.
• the invention proposes a new way of arranging two or more regulating members in a movement.
• the movement may comprise a movable element with a speed determined by the average speeds of the two sets of adjustment.
• the arrangement of the regulating members and the respective workings allows space saving and excellent energy efficiency.
• the movement of the invention also comprises display means driven by an independent counting wheel, and / or by a multiplier gear or by the multiplier wheels of the assemblies.
• the invention can be achieved with any kind of regulating system, whether it is conventional Swiss anchor escapements, vortices, or carousels. It is also possible to use expansion exhausts, constant force devices, equal winding or any other known exhaust system.
• organs regulating control assemblies of the invention must not necessarily be identical and, preferably, are not arranged parallel to compensate for systematic errors due to gravity.
• the frequencies of the oscillators may be different from each other.
• the type of exhaust may be different from one regulator to another in the same room.
• the present invention also comprises a timepiece comprising a movement as mentioned above.
• FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two variants of the invention comprising a plurality of sources of mechanical energy.
• a possible embodiment of a movement according to the invention comprises a barrel 11 serving as a source of mechanical energy which drives the shaft 20 by the return 24 and the pinion 22.
• the movement of the invention could comprise a plurality of barrels, or other suitable sources of mechanical energy.
• the pinion 22 could be replaced, without departing from the scope of the invention, by any other suitable transmission element.
• the two coaxial output wheels 36, 38 are coupled to the shaft 20 via the elastic members 44, 46, as will be seen better later, and transmit the energy of the barrel 11 to two sets 61, 67, each comprising, in this example, a multiplier wheel 8, respectively 16, and a regulating member.
• the output wheels 36, 38 are mounted on the barrels 33, 35 allowing their free rotation relative to the shaft 20 and are driven by spiral springs 44, 46, more visible in Figure 2, a central core is integral with the shaft 20 and a peripheral end 48 is connected to an output wheel 36, 38 by a pin 50, 56.
• the torque of the barrel is transmitted to the 20 by the input pinion 22 and is shared between the two coaxial output wheels 36, 38. It is obvious that any type and any means of attachment to make integral the central core and one of the peripheral ends 48 spiral spring can be provided
• the torque of the barrel is transmitted to a differential device and shared by the latter to two output wheels.
• the output wheels and the sets of adjustment that they cause have rotational speeds whose average is equal to or proportional to the rotational speed of the barrel 11.
• Figure 1 shows a movement with two output wheels and two sets of adjustment 61, 67.
• the invention however also includes variants with three see more sets of adjustment.
• the regulating assembly 61 includes a multiplier gear train 8 which is here schematically represented by two references, but which can assume any suitable shape, followed by the escape wheel 5, the anchor 6, and a harmonic oscillator 62 which determines, by its natural frequency, the operation of the regulation assembly 61.
• the regulation assembly is here represented with a spiral balance pivoting about a fixed axis, could also include a vortex or a carousel .
• the regulating assembly 67 shown in FIG. 1 has the same structure as the assembly 61. It comprises a multiplier gear 16, an escape wheel 13, an anchor 14, and an oscillator 68 which determines its walk. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to this embodiment, but also includes variants in which the two sets have different structures to each other.
• FIG. 2 shows the shaft 20 which freely rotate the two output wheels 36, 38, and the spiral spring 44 driving the wheel 36, as explained above.
• the spiral spring 44 could be pre-armed during
• the invention is however not limited to this embodiment, but also includes variants in which the spiral springs 44 and 46 are replaced by other elastic elements capable of storing mechanical energy from the barrel and returning it to the regulating assembly 61, respectively 67, as required.
• the resilient members may be of any type of shape, for example coil, blade, etc.
• the driving force is provided first by the spiral springs 44, 46 which are closer to the escapements, before the shaft 20 is rotated .
• the two wheels 36 and 38 advance at the same angle, and the springs 44 and 46 relax at the same time.
• the shaft 20 then turns to restore the balance torque. In this way, the movement of the invention provides each escapement with the required driving force and avoids the couplings and the amplitude losses that occur in the movements of the state of the art.
• the shaft 20 rotates with a speed which is given by the average wheel speeds 36 and 38, both in the variants provided with a differential, as in the embodiment of FIG. 1 which does not include
• the spiral springs 44, 46 make it possible to decouple the operation of the adjustment assemblies 61, 67 independently of the pulses of the other.
• the unwinding of the barrel 11 is determined by the combined action of the two regulating members, and its speed is proportional to the average between the speeds of the two regulating members, with an improvement in the overall accuracy.
• the angular velocities of the two output wheels 36 and 38 are not independent of one another, but may vary between them only for a limited period of time, and to the extent granted by the elastic members 44 and 46.
• the spiral spring of the faster assembly relaxes, while the one that Powering the slower assembly increases its voltage state, so that the slower regulating member receives, on average, a higher driving force and speeds up its motion, while the faster regulating member slows down. In this way, the gap between the two sets of adjustment 61 and 67 is limited.
• the movement of the invention also comprises a counting wheel and display devices for displaying the time it is and / or the desired time indications.
• this cog is independent and separate from the multiplier wheels 8 and 16. It can be driven directly by the barrel 11 the return 24, the pinion 22, the shaft 20, or any other element suitable, and rotates with a speed determined by the average speeds of the two sets of adjustment.
• one end of the shaft 20 could cause
• multiplier wheels 8 and 16 may also be used for counting time and carry display devices providing indications.
• the multiplier gear train could be interposed between the barrel 11 and the torque-sharing device 20. Consequently, the latter could therefore directly drive the wheels of the wheels. Exhaust 5 and 13.
• the movement of the invention is not limited to two regulating members, but may have any number
• the elastic member does not necessarily have to be positioned between the main shaft 20 and the output wheel, but could also be integrated in the gear train or in any position, up to
• the pinion 22 could be in the middle of the sharing device, between the barrels 33 and 35, or at the other end of the shaft 20.
• the hairspring and the output wheel could be replaced by a wheel incorporating an elastic member, coaxial with the shaft 20 or in any position downstream of the latter, before the exhaust.
• the invention is not limited to a single device sharing torque, but could include any number of sharing device.
• a watch movement according to the invention could include a first sharing device constituted by a differential, conventional or spherical, driving two shafts having the structure of the shaft 20 of FIG. 1: thus there would be in this case four regulating organs.
• the invention could include, in variants, several elastic members per regulation assembly, for example two spiral springs working in opposition or in combination.
• the movement of the invention comprises a plurality of mechanical energy sources, for example two barrels 11 ', 11 "driving the shaft 20.
• two referrals 24 ', 24 are respectively engaged with one of the barrels 11', 11 'on the one hand, and with a pinion 22', 22" secured to the shaft 20 on the other.
• the gears 22 'and 22 “could also be driven directly by the barrels 11' and 11", or be driven at least mediately by the same barrels 11 'and 11 ", by any suitable transmission device, without depart from the scope of the invention.
• This arrangement increases the energy reserves, and therefore the operating time between two pumping, while decreasing the contact force on the teeth of the gears 22 ', 22 ".
• the workings can be arranged on different planes and at different angles with respect to the plate and to the axis 20, which allows great flexibility in the design of the movement.
• the spiral springs 44 and 46 store a portion of the elastic energy supplied by the barrels and are able to provide it instantly when the respective escapements fall. The dynamic behavior of the regulating organs that results is thus improved.
• FIG. 4 illustrates another variant in which the shaft comprises two coaxial half-shafts 20 'and 20 ", each of which can pivot.
• the half-shaft 20 "has at one end a spigot 25 intended to cooperate with the female element 27 made at the adjacent end of the other half-shaft, so that each barrel independently feeds a single gear train and A single regulating member
• the relative pivoting of the half-shafts by the two male and female ends 25, 27 allows a very simple and compact arrangement.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Transmission Devices (AREA)
• Retarders (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=52686365

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 2014
  • 2014-03-21 CH CH00433/14A patent/CH709394A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
• 2015
  • 2015-03-17 EP EP15710492.8A patent/EP3120198B1/de active Active
  • 2015-03-17 WO PCT/EP2015/055559 patent/WO2015140168A2/fr active Application Filing

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