EP3168693B1 - Clock movement - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a watch movement intended to equip a timepiece and comprising a barrel arranged to transmit energy to a movement cog and a time display comprising a minute indicator for displaying the minutes.

In general, the barrel is formed of a drum closed by a lid. It turns freely around its shaft and contains the motor spring fixed by its outer turn to the drum and by its inner turn to the shaft. Traditionally, the barrel rotates slowly, its rotation speed varying between one-ninth and one-sixth of an hour.

In general also, the gear train for transmitting energy from the cylinder to the exhaust comprises either a center wheel or a medium wheel for the connection with the time display of the movement for displaying the minutes, hours and possibly seconds. The patent CH 529 375 A discloses a watch movement comprising a barrel the bonde of which rotates at a rate of one revolution per hour, said bung driving in rotation by friction a minute hand.

The European patent application EP 1 150 184 A1 discloses a watch movement comprising a barrel rotating at a rate of one twelfth of an hour, said barrel rotating, by a first part of a wheel, a turntable rotating at a rate of one revolution per hour, said platinum rotating bearing an index of minutes.

The object of the present invention is to achieve a watch movement whose time display and in particular the display of minutes is atypical and innovative.

The present invention relates to a movement according to claim 1.

The present invention further relates to a timepiece according to claim 11.

• La figure 1 est une vue du dessus du barillet et de l'affichage horaire du mouvement d'horlogerie selon l'invention.
• La figure 2 illustre en particulier le barillet et l'indicateur des minutes visibles sur la figure 1.
• La figure 3 est une vue en coupe du barillet illustré sur la figure 2.
• La figure 4 est une vue en coupe partielle de la figure 1 illustrant le train d'engrenage de l'affichage des heures.
• La figure 5 est une vue en coupe partielle de la figure 1 illustrant le train d'engrenage de l'affichage des secondes.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures.

• The figure 1 is a top view of the barrel and the time display of the watch movement according to the invention.
• The figure 2 illustrates in particular the barrel and the minute indicator visible on the figure 1 .
• The figure 3 is a sectional view of the barrel illustrated on the figure 2 .
• The figure 4 is a partial sectional view of the figure 1 illustrating the gear train of the hours display.
• The figure 5 is a partial sectional view of the figure 1 illustrating the gear train of the seconds display.

The watch movement according to the invention as illustrated in FIG. figure 1 comprises a barrel 1 for transmitting energy to a gear train connecting said barrel to an exhaust (not shown).

In the illustrated embodiment (see figure 3 ), the barrel 1 is a double barrel composed of a lower drum 11 closed by a lower lid 12 and containing a first motor spring 13, as well as an upper drum 14 closed by an upper lid 15 and containing a second motor spring 16 (the "lower" and "upper" directions are given for information only with reference to the figures). The lower drum 11 freely rotates on a first barrel shaft 171, while the upper drum 14 rotates freely on a second barrel shaft 172. The first and second barrel shafts 171, 172 are coaxial and pivot about a barrel axis. Barrel 17. The first and second motor springs 13, 16 are fixed by their outer turn to their respective drum 11, 14 and by their inner coil to their respective barrel shaft 171, 172. The first barrel shaft 171 carries the winding ratchet 19 while the second barrel shaft 172 is rotatably connected to the lower drum 11. The lower and upper drums 11, 14 are therefore arranged in series. The cylinder 1 still traditionally has a toothing 18 which in the illustrated embodiment is carried by the second drum 14.

Barrel 1 described above with reference to the illustrated embodiment is a non-limiting example. Alternatively, the cylinder 1 of the watch movement according to the invention could of course take any appropriate form allowing to accumulate the energy and to transmit it to the cog and the escape of the movement.

The watch movement according to the invention furthermore comprises a time display comprising at least one minute indicator 2. Preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, the time display also comprises a time indicator 3 and an indicator seconds 4.

According to the invention, the minute indicator 2 is carried by the barrel 1. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, the minute indicator 2 is a dual minute hand coaxial with the barrel axis 17 comprising a friction road integrated in its central barrel. This indicator 2 is frictionally mounted on the top cover 15. The indicator 2 thus rotates with the first drum 11 and with the second drum 14 of the barrel 1 during the movement. The double needle 2 comprises two arms 2a, 2b substantially similar and separated by an angle of 180 °. The double minute hand 2 is arranged to cooperate with a minute graduation 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the barrel 1 is arranged to perform a turn in two hours or half a turn in one hour. Thus, the minute graduation 21 has the shape of a semicircle concentric with the barrel axis 17 and graduated on a first half of 30 to 60 and on a second half of 1 to 30, the minutes being indicated by the one or the other of the arms 2a, 2b of the double minute hand 2 opposite said graduation 21 (see figure 1 ).

In the illustrated embodiment, the hours and seconds displays are more traditional and are described below for the sake of completeness.

In particular, the gear train of the hour display is shown in FIG. figure 4 . The cylinder 1 is engaged by its toothing 18 with the lower level 51 of a mobile 5 whose upper level 52 meshes with a first intermediate wheel 61. This first intermediate wheel 61 is itself engaged with a second intermediate wheel 62 which meshes with a pinion hours 71 concentrically pivoted to the barrel axis 17 and secured to a wheel of 72 hours. The hour wheel 72 is also rotated co-axially to the barrel axis 17 and carries the hour indicator 3, which is a hour hand 3 in the illustrated embodiment. The hour hand 3 cooperates with a graduation of hours 31 for the display of hours. The gear train of the hour display (movable 5, first and second intermediate wheels 61, 62, pinion and hour wheel 71, 72) is arranged so that the hour hand 3 makes a turn in twelve hours.

The gear train of the seconds display is illustrated by the figure 5 . The toothing 18 of the barrel 1 is engaged with a first intermediate pinion 81 integral with a third intermediate wheel 82 which is engaged with a pinion of the seconds 91. The pinion seconds 91 is integral with a second wheel 92 of which axis carries the seconds indicator 4 which is here a second hand. The seconds wheel is in contact with the movement train for its connection with the exhaust. The second hand 4 is arranged to cooperate with a graduation of seconds 41.

Preferably and according to the illustrated embodiment, the barrel 1 is arranged to perform a half-turn per hour (against a ninth to a sixth of an hour per revolution for a traditional barrel). To allow this fast speed, the diameter of the barrel 1 is for example about 24.8 mm and the length of the first and second motor springs 13, 16 is about 1100 mm (against about 250 mm for a traditional motor spring), said springs effecting at least twenty-four turns in their respective drum 11, 14.

Alternatively, the speed of the barrel 1 may be one turn per hour which allows a display of minutes with a more traditional minute scale on a complete disk and with a minute indicator which could then be a single needle to a single arms. However, it is then necessary to increase the number of revolutions of the springs or engines to ensure a satisfactory power reserve (forty-eight turns for a power reserve of forty-eight hours for example).

In the illustrated embodiment, the minute indicator 2 is frictionally driven on the barrel 1 and more precisely on the upper lid 15 of the barrel 1. When setting the time, the minute indicator 2 can be rotated independently of said cylinder 1 by means of a crown or other control device. The associated time setting mechanism is known and conventional and is not shown here.

The embodiment described above comprises a double barrel 1 composed in fact of two barrels arranged in series. Alternatively, the barrel 1 could be a simple barrel or any other type of barrel for transmitting energy to the gear of the watch movement.

Likewise, the display of hours and seconds, which are not the subject of the present invention, may take different forms than those described above (for example, a display of non-coaxial hours at the axis of the barrel and not concentric to the display of minutes).

In general, a watch movement according to the invention comprises a barrel for transmitting energy to a movement train and a time display comprising at least one minute indicator, said minute indicator being carried by the barrel. In addition to obtaining a new type of display minutes, the speed of the cylinder to be adapted to the display of the minutes, it is increased compared to the traditional barrel (whose speed generally varies between a sixth and a ninth of turn per hour) to reach for example a half or a turn per hour. With this faster speed of rotation, the so-called "stick-slip" phenomenon, namely the inadvertent locking of the turns of the mainspring of the barrel between them due to friction is reduced. In addition, the gear ratio between the barrel and the rest of the movement of the gear as well as the torque transmitted to the wheel are also lower with greater cylinder rotation speeds. This makes it possible in particular to reduce the disturbances due to the torque on the exhaust and thus to obtain a better chronometric stability.

Claims (11)

1. Timepiece movement comprising a barrel (1) intended to transmit energy to a going train of the movement and a time display comprising at least one minute hand (2), said minute hand (2) being coaxial to the axis of the barrel (17) and characterised in that said minute hand (2) is friction-mounted on the cover of the barrel (1).
2. Timepiece movement as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the going train of the movement is arranged so that the barrel (1) turns at a rate of one half turn per hour.
3. Timepiece movement as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the minute hand is a double hand (2) having two arms (2a, 2b) separated by an angle of 180°, and in that said double hand (2) cooperates with a minute graduation (21) concentric to said double hand (2) and forming a half circle.
4. Timepiece movement as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the going train of the movement is arranged so that the barrel (1) turns at a rate of one turn per hour.
5. Timepiece movement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the time display further comprises an hour hand (3) to display the hours, a hour gear train (5, 61, 62, 71, 72) connecting the barrel (1) to said hour hand (3).
6. Timepiece movement as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that the hour hand (3) is coaxial to the axis of the barrel (17).
7. Timepiece movement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the time display further comprises a seconds hand (4) to display the seconds, a seconds gear train (81, 82, 91, 92) connecting the barrel (1) to said seconds hand (4).
8. Timepiece movement as claimed in the preceding claim, characterised in that the hour gear train (5, 61, 62, 71, 72) and the seconds gear train (81, 82, 91, 92) are distinct.
9. Timepiece movement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the barrel (1) is a double barrel comprising a first barrel (11, 12, 13, 171) and a second barrel (14, 15, 16, 172) arranged in series.
10. Timepiece movement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the barrel (1) has a diameter of 24.8 mm and contains a mainspring (13, 16), the length of which is about 1100 mm.
11. Timepiece comprising a timepiece movement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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