EP3120198B1 - Clockwork - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The present invention relates to a timepiece movement, in particular for a mechanical wristwatch or a mechanical timepiece, comprising a plurality of organs regulating driven by a common energy source.

State of the art

We know, for example by the document CH698622 , clockwork movements with two or more regulating organs, for example two tourbillons, driven by a differential gear. In these movements, the differential gear comprises an input member, supplied with energy coming from a barrel or another equivalent source of energy, and two output members each driving a regulating member by means of an appropriate gear train. Thanks to the property of the differential gear that the speed of rotation of the input is equal to the average of the speeds of rotation of the outputs, the progress of these movements is determined by the average of the frequencies of oscillation of their organs regulating this. which gives them greater precision and stability than timepieces which have a single regulating body.

This technical solution, however, has drawbacks linked to the coupling of the two oscillators supplied by the same energy source. In particular, during two simultaneous pulses on the two regulating members, it has been observed that the differential gear first supplies energy to the kinematic chain which requires the least, and only afterwards to the other. This results in a less effective impulse and a loss of the amplitude of the pendulum's oscillations, which is detrimental to the precision of walking.

EP2141555 describes a timepiece comprising two resonators, each with an inertia mass and a return spring. The two masses of inertia are coupled together by a third spring. The coupling between the masses of inertia by means of a direct elastic bond, necessarily has a negative influence on the isochronism.

EP2570870 describes a timepiece with two anchor oscillators driven by a common barrel. The two oscillators are driven by two cogs, the first of which is direct, while a wheel of the second cog is driven by a wheel of the first cog through an elastic device.

The document CH708658 discloses a timepiece movement with two regulating systems and a differential distributing the engine torque.

Brief summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a timepiece movement with the possibility of maintaining in oscillation a plurality of regulating organs, the progress of which is determined by the collective action of these regulating organs, without the drawbacks of known devices. .

According to the invention, these aims are achieved in particular by means of a timepiece movement comprising: one or more sources of mechanical energy, at least two regulation assemblies, each regulation assembly comprising an exhaust and a regulating member; a torque sharing device, which does not include a differential, comprising at least as many elastic members as regulating assemblies with at least one input connected to the source or sources of mechanical energy, allowing the transmission of the energy produced by the source or by mechanical energy sources at regulating assemblies; each regulating assembly being driven by a respective elastic member provided in a respective kinematic chain before the exhaust mobile.

This solution has in particular the advantage compared to the prior art of allowing regular operation of the two regulating organs even in the presence of simultaneous pulses. In addition, it enables any number of regulating organs to operate.

A preferred variant of the invention relates to a timepiece movement having the above characteristics, in which 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 mounted freely on the shaft and which kinematically drives a regulation assembly. In a variant, the elastic elements comprise spiral springs, preferably pre-armed.

The movement of the invention may include multiplier cogs in each adjustment assembly, downstream of the torque sharing device, or a multiplier cog interposed between the barrel and the torque sharing device. We could also have a first common multiplication stage before the torque sharing device and multiplication stages in the regulation assemblies, producing the required multiplication ratios.

The invention proposes a new way of placing two or more regulating members in a movement. The movement may include a mobile element with a speed determined by the average of the speeds of the two adjustment assemblies. According to the invention, the arrangement of the regulating members and of the respective cogs allows space saving and excellent energy efficiency.

Advantageously, the movement of the invention also includes display means driven by an independent counting train, and / or by a multiplier train or by the multiplier train sets.

The invention can be carried out with any kind of regulating system, whether it be conventional Swiss anchor escapements, tourbillons, or carousels. It is also possible to use detent exhausts, constant force devices, equalizers or any other known exhaust system.

By exhaust system, it is necessary to understand any mechanism allowing to maintain the operation of an oscillator by means of (or several) source (-s) of energy.

The regulating members of the regulating assemblies of the invention need not necessarily be identical either, and preferably are not arranged in parallel so as to compensate for systematic errors due to gravity. In addition, the frequencies of the oscillators can be different from each other. Similarly, the type of exhaust can be different from one regulating member to another in the same room.

The present invention also comprises a timepiece comprising a movement as mentioned above.

Brief description of the figures

• La figure 1 illustre schématiquement une vue d'ensemble d'un mouvement d'horlogerie selon un aspect de l'invention.
• La figure 2 illustre une vue isométrique du dispositif de partage de couple de l'invention comportant un ressort spiral faisant office d'organe élastique.
• Les figures 3 et 4 illustrent deux variantes de l'invention comprenant une pluralité de sources d'énergie mécanique.

Examples of implementation of the invention are indicated in the description illustrated by the appended figures in which:

• The figure 1 schematically illustrates an overview of a timepiece movement according to one aspect of the invention.
• The figure 2 illustrates an isometric view of the torque sharing device of the invention comprising a spiral spring acting as an elastic member.
• The figures 3 and 4 illustrate two variants of the invention comprising a plurality of mechanical energy sources.

Example (s) of embodiment of the invention

Referring to the figure 1 , a possible embodiment of a movement according to the invention comprises a barrel 11 acting as a source of mechanical energy which drives the shaft 20 through the gear 24 and the pinion 22. It is quite obvious that, as required , the movement of the invention could have a plurality of barrels, or other suitable mechanical energy sources. 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 more clearly below, and transmit the energy of the barrel 11 to two regulating assemblies 61 , 67, each comprising, in this example, a gear train 8, respectively 16, and a regulating member.

In the system presented in the figure, the output wheels 36, 38 are mounted on barrels 33, 35 allowing their free rotation relative to the shaft 20 and are driven by spiral springs 44, 46, better visible on the figure 2 , a central core of which is integral with the shaft 20 and a peripheral end 48 is connected to an output wheel 36, 38 by a pin 50, 56. In this arrangement, the torque of the barrel is transmitted to the shaft 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 fixing means making it possible to make the central core and one of the peripheral ends 48 of the spiral springs integral can be expected.

According to another variant not included in the present invention, the torque of the barrel is transmitted to a differential device and shared by the latter towards two output wheels. In this case, by the properties of the differential gear, the output wheels and the adjustment assemblies which they drive have rotation speeds whose average is equal to or proportional to the rotation speed of the barrel 11.

The figure 1 represents a movement with two output wheels and two adjustment assemblies 61, 67. The invention however also includes variants with three or more adjustment assemblies.

The regulation assembly 61 includes a gear train 8 which is here represented schematically by two references, but which can assume any suitable form, 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 balance-spring swiveling about a fixed axis, could also include a vortex or a carousel.

The regulating assembly 67 shown in the figure 1 has the same structure as the assembly 61. It comprises a gear train 16, an escape wheel 13, an anchor 14, and an oscillator 68 which determines its progress. It should however be understood that the invention is not limited to this exemplary embodiment, but also includes variants in which the two sets have different structures between them.

The figure 2 shows the shaft 20 on which the two output wheels 36, 38 rotate freely, and the spiral spring 44 driving the wheel 36, as explained above. The spiral spring 44 could be pre-armed during assembly of the movement, or be armed only by the torque transmitted by the barrel 11. 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 coming from the barrel and of restoring it to the regulating assembly 61, respectively 67, as required. The elastic members can be of any type of shape, for example sausage, blade, etc.

During operation, when the two exhausts 6 and 14 are in a rest phase, the wheels 36 and 38 are stationary. The condition of static equilibrium of the shaft 20 implies that the sum of the torques springs 44 and 46 is equal and opposite to that exerted by the barrel 11 through the reference 24 and the pinion 22. We can assume, to simplify discussion and without loss of generality, that the springs 44 and 46 are prewarmed beforehand with identical tension values, so that each exerts on the shaft 20 a torque equal to half the torque exerted on the pinion 22.

When the anchor 6 releases the escape wheel 5, the spiral spring 44 provides a torque to the respective finishing train 8 by relaxing slightly. The shaft 20 cannot fully follow the movement of the wheel 36 because it is retained by the wheel 38, stationary because the exhaust 14 is in the rest phase. It will then move by an angle equal to half the angle traveled by the wheel 36, slightly stiffening the spiral spring 46. It can be seen that the sum of the torques of the springs 44 and 46 is always equal and opposite to that acting on the pinion 22.

Then, when the anchor 14 releases the wheel 13, the driving force will be supplied by the spiral spring 46. The shaft 20 again advances by an angle equal to half the angle traveled by the wheel 38: the springs 44, 46 return to the initial state of identical tensions.

If on the other hand the impulse of the wheel 13 precedes that of the wheel 5, there will be the same sequence of steps, with reversed roles.

In the case of simultaneous pulses of the anchors 6 and 14, the driving force is supplied first by the spiral springs 44, 46 which are closer to the exhausts, before the shaft 20 starts to rotate. The two wheels 36 and 38 advance by the same angle, and the springs 44 and 46 relax at the same time. The shaft 20 then rotates until the balance torque is restored. In this way, the movement of the invention provides each escapement with the required driving force and avoids the couplings and the losses of amplitude which occur in the movements of the state of the art.

In a general case, the shaft 20 rotates with a speed which is given by the average of the speeds of the wheels 36 and 38, both in the variants provided with a differential and not included in the invention, as in the mode of realization of the figure 1 that doesn't have one. The spiral springs 44, 46 make it possible to decouple the step of the adjustment assemblies 61, 67 independently of the pulses of the other. The course 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 overall precision.

Since the embodiment illustrated in the figure 1 does not have a differential, the angular speeds of the two output wheels 36 and 38 are not independent of each other, but can vary between them only for a limited period of time, and to the extent agreed by the elastic members 44 and 46.

At all times the combined torques of the spiral springs 44, 46 compensate for that provided by the barrel 11. In the event of differences in travel between the two sets, the spiral spring of the faster set relaxes, while the one which supplies the slower together increases its state of tension, so that the slower regulating organ receives, on average, a higher motive force and accelerates its walking, while the faster regulating organ slows down. In this way, the difference between the two adjustment assemblies 61 and 67 is limited.

Preferably, the movement of the invention also includes a counting train and display devices making it possible to display the current time and / or the desired time indications. In an advantageous variant, not shown in the figures, this cog is independent and separated from the multiplier cogs 8 and 16. It can be driven directly by the barrel 11, the gear 24, the pinion 22, the shaft 20, or any other element appropriate, and rotates with a speed determined by the average of the speeds of the two sets of adjustment.

For example, one end of the shaft 20 could directly lead to an indication, for example a minute hand, and also carry an hour cannon, driven by any suitable drive.

Optionally, the multiplier cogs 8 and 16 can also be used for counting time and carry display devices providing indications.

In a variant of the invention not visible in the figures, the gear train could be interposed between the barrel 11 and the device sharing of torque 20. Consequently, the latter could therefore directly drive the pinions of the exhaust wheels 5 and 13.

As already mentioned, the movement of the invention is not limited to two regulating members, but can have any number of adjustment assemblies, identical or different, preferably variously oriented in space, so as to eliminate the as much as possible the sources of systematic error due to the action of gravity. In the variants provided with a differential and not included in the present invention, the number of outputs of the torque sharing device can be multiplied by providing a cascade of differential devices. The embodiment of the figure 1 allows a multiplication of the number of outputs simply by superimposing on the same axis 20 the desired number of output wheels and elastic members.

Furthermore, the elastic member need not necessarily be positioned between the main shaft 20 and the output wheel, but could also be integrated into the multiplier train or in any position, up to the exhaust, but preferably before.

In another variant, the pinion 22 could be in the middle of the sharing device, between the barrels 33 and 35, or even at the other end of the shaft 20.

The hairspring and the output wheel could be replaced by a wheel integrating an elastic element, coaxial with the shaft 20 or in any position downstream of the latter, before the exhaust.

The invention is not limited to a single torque sharing device, but could include any number of sharing devices. In an example not included in the invention, a watch movement could include a first sharing device constituted by a differential, classic or spherical, driving two shafts having the structure of the shaft 20 of the figure 1 : thus there would be in this case four regulating organs.

Furthermore, the invention could include, in variants, several elastic members per regulation assembly, for example two spiral springs working in opposition or in association.

According to another alternative embodiment, visible on the figure 3 , the movement of the invention comprises a plurality of mechanical energy sources, for example two barrels 11 ', 11 "driving the shaft 20. In the example shown, two references 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 hand. The pinions 22' and 22" could moreover be driven directly by the barrels 11 'and 11 ", or be driven at least medially by the same barrels 11' and 11", by any suitable transmission device, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

This arrangement makes it possible to increase the energy reserves, and consequently the operating time between two windings, while decreasing the contact force on the teeth of the pinions 22 ', 22 ". Furthermore, the barrels and the cogs can be arranged on planes and at different angles to the plate and to the axis 20, which allows great flexibility in the design of the movement.

The balance springs 44 and 46 store part of the elastic energy supplied by the barrels and are able to supply it instantaneously when the respective exhausts fall. The dynamic behavior of the regulating organs which results therefrom is thus improved.

The figure 4 illustrates another variant in which the shaft comprises two coaxial half-shafts 20 ′ and 20 ", each of which can pivot independently of the other. The half-shaft 20" has at one end a male end piece 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 train and a single regulating member. The relative pivoting of the half-shafts by the two male and female end pieces 25, 27 allows a very simple and compact arrangement.

Although the examples and the figures represent a conventionally arranged movement, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to a particular arrangement but also encompasses constructions in which the elements of the movement are superimposed or inclined in any direction .

Reference numbers used in the figures

5

escape wheel

6

anchor

7

mobile exhaust

8

multiplier cog

12

mobile exhaust

13

escape wheel

14

anchor

16

multiplier cog

25

male end

27

female end cap

11, 11 ', 11 "

energy source

33

cannon

35

cannon

36

output wheel

38

output wheel

40

divider torque sharing device

44

spiral spring

46

spiral spring

48

spiral spring end

56

pin

20, 20 ', 20 "

tree or half tree

61

regulation set

62

pendulum

22, 22 ', 22 "

pinion

67

regulation set

68

pendulum

24, 24 ', 24 "

dismissal

Claims (14)

1. Timepiece movement comprising:

   • one or more mechanical energy sources (11),

   • at least two regulator assemblies (61, 67), each regulator assembly comprising an escapement (5, 6; 13, 14), an escapement wheel (7, 12) and a regulating organ (62, 68);

   said movement additionally comprising

   ▪ a torque-sharing device (40) comprising at least as many elastic organs (44, 46) as regulator assemblies (61, 67) with at least one input (22) connected to the mechanical energy source or sources, allowing the transmission of the energy produced by the mechanical energy source or sources to the regulator assemblies (61, 67), said torque-sharing device (40) not comprising a differential;

   ▪ each regulator assembly being driven by the respective elastic organ (44, 46), each respective elastic organ (44, 46) being provided in a respective kinematic chain before said respective escapement wheel (7, 12).
2. Timepiece movement according to the preceding claim, in which said torque-sharing device comprises an arbor (20) driving the elastic organs (44, 46).
3. Timepiece movement according to Claim 2, in which the elastic organs each comprise a centre secured to the arbor (20) and a peripheral end (48) connected to an output wheel (36, 38) which is mounted freely on the arbor (20) and which kinematically drives a regulator assembly (61, 67).
4. Timepiece movement according to the preceding claim, in which the elastic organs comprise a spiral spring which is optionally preloaded.
5. Timepiece movement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the regulator assemblies comprise a step-up geartrain (8, 16).
6. Timepiece movement according to the preceding claim, in which at least one of the step-up geartrains of the assemblies drives display organs.
7. Timepiece movement according to Claim 6, additionally comprising a counter geartrain independent of the step-up geartrains of the regulator assemblies.
8. Timepiece movement according to one of Claims 1 to 3, comprising a step-up geartrain interposed between each energy source (11) and the torque-sharing device (20), the torque-sharing device directly driving the escapements (5, 13).
9. Timepiece movement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the regulating organs of the regulator assemblies comprise at least one tourbillon and/or a carousel and/or a Swiss lever escapement and/or a detent escapement and/or a constant-force device and/or a remontoire.
10. Timepiece movement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the regulating organs of the regulator assemblies are not arranged parallel.
11. Timepiece movement according to one of the preceding claims, in which the one or more mechanical energy sources comprise a plurality of barrels.
12. Timepiece movement according to one of Claims 3 to 13, in which said torque-sharing device comprises an arbor (20) driving the elastic organs (44, 46), the movement comprising at least two barrels (11', 11''), and in which the arbor (20) comprises at least two mutually-integrated pinions (22', 22"), each of the at least two barrels (11' 11") respectively driving a pinion (22', 22").
13. Timepiece movement according to the preceding claim, in which said arbor comprises a first half-arbor (20') and a second half-arbor (20") which are co-axial and pivot relative to one another, the first and second half-arbor (20', 20") each having a pinion (22', 22") driven by one of the barrels (11', 11").
14. Timepiece comprising a movement according to one of the preceding claims.

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