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
  • G04B15/06—Free escapements
  • G04B15/08—Lever 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
  • G04B15/00—Escapements
  • G04B15/14—Component parts or constructional details, e.g. construction of the lever or the escape wheel
• • 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
  • G04B5/00—Automatic winding up
  • G04B5/02—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch
  • G04B5/04—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch by oscillating weights the movement of which is limited
  • G04B5/08—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch by oscillating weights the movement of which is limited acting in both directions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the field of watchmaking. More particularly, it relates to a free escapement mechanism combining a direct exhaust and an indirect escape pattern.
• the invention also relates to a timepiece comprising such an exhaust mechanism.
• Anchor escapements are certainly the most common category of escapements in mechanical clockwork, at least in the so-called free escapement class.
• a regulating member typically of the pendulum or balance sprung-balance type
• an anchor escapement makes it possible to maintain the oscillations of said regulating member by transmitting, by regular pulses, at a determined frequency, a fraction of mechanical energy of the mechanical energy source of a said clock mechanism, usually comprising a barrel spring at least.
• the escapement also makes it possible to count the oscillations of the regulating organ and hence to count the time.
• anchor escapements Numerous variations of anchor escapements have been proposed in the state of the art and are well known to those skilled in the art in the field of watchmaking. Their limitations, just as well known, are mainly a propensity to disturb the isochronism of the oscillations of the regulating organ due to successive shocks and friction between the anchor and the regulating member on the one hand and the anchor and the mobile exhaust on the other hand, and a low mechanical efficiency, mainly for the same reasons. Indeed, it is usually considered that an anchor escapement transmits to the regulator member only a limited amount of the motive force that it receives from the drive source. Anchor escapements are however acclaimed for their reliable operation and are also self-starting.
• Robin anchor mechanisms have the advantage of better performance than Swiss lever escapement mechanisms.
• the Robin exhaust is an exhaust that combines the advantages of the escapement escapement (high efficiencies and direct transmission of energy between the escape wheel and the balance) to those of the anchor escapement (better operating safety) . It is a direct impulse escapement of the escapement mobile to the balance wheel, the anchor of the exhaust mechanism constituting essentially a rocker equipped with two pallets of rest and which switches between two extreme rest positions of the escape wheel in outside the pulse phases.
• the document CH101849 A also describes a self-starting direct free exit configuration comprising resting pallets at the anchor whose resting planes are configured to interact by a one-off support of the teeth of the escape mobile on the planes of the vehicle. rest, which are in inclined contact relative to the rest plane of said teeth.
• This configuration has the advantage of providing a self-starting capacity to the exhaust.
• trailing rest greatly affect the efficiency of the exhaust and make the adjustment more complex because at each rest, an induced impulse of the escape wheel on the pallets of the anchor is also necessarily combined, in addition to the main impulse directly to the pendulum, which singularly decreases the interest and ease of implementation on an industrial scale of this solution.
• the object of the present invention is to provide an anchor escapement which combines the respective advantages of Swiss anchor or anchor anchor escapements in terms of reliability and self-starting and those of direct impulse exhausts, in particular of Robin type, and which is furthermore reliable and allows industrial implementation in series of said escapement without major adjustment difficulties for the watchmaker.
• the invention also aims to provide a perfectly secure exhaust against shocks and risks of induced shutdown of the regulating member, even in case of micro-pulses.
• the purpose of the invention is to propose a timepiece comprising such an escape mechanism.
• the present invention provides an anchor escapement mechanism according to claim 1, as well as a timepiece provided with such an escapement and defined in claim 10.
• the invention thus proposes, according to a first object, a direct escapement mechanism for a timepiece, comprising, in a manner known to the watchmaker: an escape wheel, rotatable about a first axis of rotation and having a series of peripheral teeth each provided with a rest plane, said teeth defining at their ends during the rotation of the escape wheel a circular path C, an anchor, rotatable about a second axis rotation between two extreme rest positions delimited by pins, said anchor comprising an entry pallet and an output pallet each having a rest plane and arranged on the anchor so that each pallet cooperates abutting on its plane resting with the rest plane of a tooth of the escape wheel in each said rest position, said anchor further comprising a fork, at least one peg adapted to be secured to a regulating member pivoting about a third axis of rotation to cooperate with each alternation of said regulating member with the fork of the anchor to at least partially release said anchor of the escapement mobile, and at least one impulse pallet adapted to be secured to said
• the escapement mechanism of the invention is however characterized with respect to the known escapements of the prior art in that it associates and combines with the conventional trace of a direct escapement a trace portion of an indirect escapement, as in a classic Swiss lever escapement.
• the escape mechanism of the invention is such that at least each tooth of the escapement wheel or at least one of the entry or exit pallets comprises, in the extension of its rest plane, a inclined plane arranged to provide an indirect pulse to said regulating member during a movement of said pallet in the path C of the escapement mobile rotation of the anchor on its axis.
• the escapement mechanism of the invention has a "hybrid" character resulting from the combination of traces of a Swiss anchor escapement, which provides pulling and is self-starting, with the drawing of a direct free exhaust, as for example a Robin type exhaust.
• the performance of the escapement of the invention in particular its efficiency and its low angle of lift, are similar to those of a direct free exhaust of the Robin type because all the energy transmission is done directly from the escapement mobile to the balance wheel.
• the pallets of entry and exit of the anchor in the normal operation of the escapement, the pallets of entry and exit of the anchor being useful essentially only for the rest.
• the inclined planes of micro-pulses at the ends of the pallets or teeth of the mobile exhaust are oriented and dimensioned such that they only participate in the auto-start of the exhaust under the engine torque of a watch movement, in order to transmit the initial pulse without locking the teeth of the mobile plan on plan with rest of the pallets of entry-exit.
• the rest are plane-to-plane rest, without friction or parasitic dragging, and therefore with significant energy loss as known from CH101849A.
• the ends of said inclined plane delimit with respect to said axis of rotation of the anchor an angle b, which is advantageously between 0.5 and 5 °, preferably between 0.5 and 2 °.
• said inclined plane extends in a secant direction forming an acute angle i between 30 ° and 70 °, preferably between 40 ° and 60 °, more preferably of the order of 50 ° with said rest plane.
• the fork comprises two horns separated by a notch and is devoid of dart or the like.
• Anti-rollover securing of the anchor relative to the regulating member is advantageously achieved by the arrangement of said horns of the symmetrical fork with respect to a straight line passing through the axis of rotation of the anchor and the center of the notch and extending from said notch in a circular arc radius of curvature R1, slightly greater than the radius of gyration of the ankle, and having at their free end a stud or finger protruding perpendicular to the median plane of the anchor in which extend the horns.
• the mechanism also comprises, in a particular embodiment, a circular collar adapted to be secured to said regulator member, said collar being centered on the axis of rotation of said regulating member, the pin being integrated into said collar of such so that it moves without contact along an inner face of said horns during the rest phases of the escapement mobile.
• the flange whose geometry may vary, has the function of providing a contact surface to the pads in case of shock during the additional arc of the regulator, said pads then abutting either on the inside or on the outside said flange.
• the radius of curvature R1 is between 0.5 and 1.5 cm.
• said flange has free ends beveled in a vertical plane or curved.
• the present invention also provides in a second object a timepiece comprising an exhaust mechanism as previously stated, arranged to cooperate with a regulating member which are integral said pin and said pulse pallet.
• the timepiece of the invention may comprise a balance spring-type or resonator-type regulator member rotatably mounted on a virtual knife pivot (x).
• FIG. 1 shows an exhaust mechanism according to the invention and associated regulating member such as a rocker shown schematically in a position called “dead point", out of pulse or rest;
• FIG. 2 represents an enlargement of the end of a pallet of rest of the anchor of the escape mechanism of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the escape mechanism of FIG. 1 with the various angles determining the condition of self- starting the exhaust according to the construction of the mechanism of the invention;
• FIG. 22 represents an enlargement of the end of a tooth of the escape wheel in an alternative embodiment of the escape mechanism of FIGS. 1 to 21.
• the present invention proposes a free escapement mechanism 1 of a new kind, designed and arranged to exploit and combine, in a direct-impulse free exhaust, the advantages of reliability, simplicity of adjustment and self-starting of a Swiss lever escapement well known to watchmakers for decades.
• a particular embodiment of such an exhaust mechanism 1 is shown in Figure 1, corresponding to the dead center of the exhaust 1.
• the exhaust mechanism 1 is structurally similar to an exhaust type Robin but modified on different aspects as described later.
• the exhaust mechanism comprises an escapement wheel 2 provided with pointed teeth 3 and rotatably mounted about a first axis of rotation X1.
• this escapement mobile 2 is associated with an exhaust pinion (not shown) through which the escapement wheel 2 is coupled to the finishing gear and the driving source of a watch movement, for example a spring of barrel, which thus transmits a motor torque to the escapement mobile 2, that it distributes sequentially to a regulating member 5 mounted to rotate about a second axis of rotation X2, in cooperation with an anchor 4, itself mobile in rotation about a third axis of rotation X3, the axes of rotation X1, X2, X3 being parallel to each other.
• the regulating member 5 may consist of a spiral balance well known to those skilled in the watchmaking art or any other oscillating regulating member, such as for example a knife resonator (x) as proposed by the applicant in the application for WO 2016/012281.
• the anchor 4 acts as a rocker and comprises a board 41 on which are arranged an inlet pallet 10 and an outlet pallet 11, each having a rest plane 10p, 11p designed to alternately form a resting surface in abutment for the teeth 3 of the escapement mobile 2 in two extreme positions in rotation of the anchor 4 about its axis X3, said rest positions.
• said anchor comprises a fork 43 disposed at the end of an arm 42 extending from the plate 41 along a straight line connecting the axis rotation X3 of the anchor 4 to the axis of rotation X2 of the regulating member 5.
• the fork 43 comprises two horns 44, 45 separated by a notch 46 and devoid of dart, finger, or anti-rollover safety element similar. These horns 44, 45 are symmetrical with respect to the line connecting, in neutral, the axis of rotation X3 and the axis X2 of the regulator, which also passes through the center of the notch 46.
• the anchor 4 cooperates with this fork 43, more particularly at its notch 46, with a pin 6 mounted integral with the regulating member 5, for example a coaxial plate of said regulating member 5 and which is further secured to a direct pulse pallet 9 which is propelled at each alternation of the regulator 5 by a tooth 3 of the escapement 2.
• the anchor stroke is limited by two pins 7, 8 which limit the angle of travel of the anchor 4 between 5 and 6 ° with respect to the axis X3 of the anchor 4.
• the input pallet 10 and the output pallet 11, in any case at least the output pallet 11, comprise, in the extension of their plan 10p, 11p respective resting plane, an inclined indirect pulse plane 10i, 11i arranged to provide an indirect micro-pulse to the regulating member 5 when said pallets 10, 11 intersect the trajectory C defines by the end of the teeth 3 of the escapement mobile 2 in rotation, during the rotation of the anchor 4 on its axis X3 between the two rest positions.
• These inclined planes 10i, 11i are advantageously formed on the resting pallets 10, 11 so that a so-called micropulence angle b, of a value between 0.5 ° and 5 °, more particularly in the example represented between 1 ° and 2 °, preferably of the order of 1.5 ° is formed between its ends and the axis of rotation X3 of the anchor 4.
• the indirect pulse planes 10i , 11 i are arranged, in the continuity of the rest plane 10p, 11 p with an inclination at an acute angle i, in practice of the order of 30 ° to 70 °, preferably between 40 ° and 60 °, preferably of the order of 50 °, relative to said rest plane 10p, 11 p.
• the indirect micro-pulse planes 10i, 11i provide a break or localized recess d, in the extension and at the end of the rest planes 10p, 11p of a length determined according to the angle b micro-pulse, calculated and adapted to ensure the automatic start of a regulating member associated with the exhaust 1 under the driving force of the train after stopping said regulating member.
• the resting planes 10p, 11p of the pallets 10, 11 and teeth 3 are such that they rest plane-to-plane in the rest position of the exhaust.
• the distance between the anchor pivot X3 and the pivot X1 of the escapement mobile 2 is adjusted so that at the dead point of the exhaust, the free end of the teeth 3 of the mobile escape resting by its rest plane substantially on the point of recess d, to ensure that the single driving torque induces a sufficient draw to tilt said end of the tooth 3 on the micro-pulse plane 10i, 11 i after stopping the regulating organ 5.
• the pallets 10, 11 of the inlet and the outlet of the anchor 4 are advantageously fitted on the plate 41 so that the functions of rest and clearance of the anchor vis-à-vis the mobile of escapement 2, as well as the stroke safety of the latter vis-à-vis said pallets are optimized.
• the pallets 10, 11 are thus positioned such that, in the rest positions, a first of the pallets is in contact with a tooth 3 of the escape wheel on its rest plane over a distance defining an angle a resting on the order of 2 ° to the axis of rotation X3 of the anchor while the other pallet is spaced from the circle C of the escapement mobile a distance forming a security angle e to the passage of teeth 3 of the order of 1, 5 ° to the axis of rotation X3.
• the pallets 10, 11 provide by their configuration and positioning, a slight draw, their inclined planes 10i, 11 i providing a self-starting character to the mechanism of the invention and the micro-pulse at each alternation, characteristics of a Swiss lever escapement.
• an essential condition of the mechanism of the invention is defined such as:
• the inclined plane of indirect impulse can be provided not on one of the inlet or outlet pallets 10 of the anchor 4 of the mechanism.
• Exhaust 1 Swiss-anchor escapement type but directly at the free radial end of the teeth 3, in the form of an inclined plane 3i similar to the inclined plane 10i, 11 i of the pallets 10, 11 in Figures 2 and 3 of type ankle escapement and thus forming a micro-pulse angle b, of a value between 0.5 ° and 5 °, more particularly in the example represented between 1 ° and 2 °, with respect to the axis X3 from the anchor.
• the inclined plane 3i of micropulse is disposed at the free end of the tooth 3, in the continuity of the rest plane 3p thereof but being inclined at an acute angle i, in practice of the order of 30 At 70 ° with respect to said rest plane 3p, preferably between 40 ° and 60 °, more preferably of the order of 50 °.
• the indirect micropulse planes 3i provide a localized break or setback d, in the extension and at the end of the rest plane 3p of a length determined as a function of the micropulence angle b, calculated and adapted to ensure the automatic start of a regulating member associated with the exhaust 1 under the driving force of the train after stopping said regulating member.
• the rest planes 10p, 1 1p pallets 10, 1 1 and 3p teeth are such that they are in plane-plane support in the rest position of the exhaust.
• the distance between the anchor pivot X3 and the pivot X1 of the escapement mobile 2 is adjusted so that at the dead point of the exhaust, the free end of the teeth 3 of the mobile escape resting by its rest plane substantially on the point of recess d, to ensure that the single driving torque induces a sufficient draw of the pallets 10, 1 1 to tilt said end of the tooth 3 on the micro-pulse plane 3i after stopping the regulator 5.
• the pallet 9 may finally comprise an end shape adapted to receive and cooperate with the inclined plane 3i of the tooth 3 during the direct pulse so as to transmit a substantially constant torque.
• the escapement mechanism 1 of the invention proposes an anti-rollover safety device formed in a conjugated manner on the fork 43 of the anchor 4 and the regulating member 2, more particularly a flange secured to the regulating member 5.
• the fork 43 of the anchor 4 is free of stinger between its horns 44, 45 Indeed, the low angular path l traveled by the anchor 4 does not allow to consider as originally planned in the Robin exhaust, the implementation of such a sting cooperating a small balance plate according to the usual form of a Swiss lever escapement for example, the difficulty of adjusting the exhaust to avoid the risk of jamming being too important to make the exhaust serviceable at the industrial level.
• the fork 43 of the anchor 4 of the mechanism 1 of the invention comprises two horns 44, 45 symmetrical with respect to a line passing through the axis of rotation X3 of the anchor and the center of the notch 46 and which extend from said notch 46 in an arc of a circle of radius of curvature R1, advantageously between 0.5 and 1.5 cm or more empirically slightly greater than the radius of gyration of the peg 6 secured to the regulating member 5 by relative to the axis of rotation X2 thereof.
• Said horns 44, 45 further include at their free end a stud or finger 44e, 45e cylindrical protruding perpendicular to the median plane of the anchor 4 in which the plate 41, the arm 42 and the fork 43 extend.
• the studs could however present a other geometry as well.
• the horns 44, 45 thus form a guiding body of said peg 6 during the rest phases on the whole of the angular amplitude in rotation of the regulating member 5 if this is reduced and the oscillation frequency is high or almost the entire additional arc rotating said regulator member 5 if it is of the conventional balance spring type.
• the anti-rollover device also comprises a circular collar 12 extending on either side of the pin 6 on the regulating member 5. Said collar 12 is centered on the axis X2 of rotation of the regulating organ.
• the pin 6 is integrated in said flange so that it moves, normally without contact, along an inner face of said horns during the rest phases of the escapement mobile 2.
• the total length of the flange 12 is preferably substantially equal to the total distance between the studs 44e, 45e of said horns 44, 45.
• the returns ( Figures 18, 21) of the collar 12 and the pin 6 between the horns in a normal operating configuration is provided by the free ends of the flange 12 which are advantageously bevelled in a vertical plane to leave passing said pads 44e, 45e to return between the horns 44, 45 after having possibly switched to the outside of the horns during the previous alternation.
• This arrangement and conformation of the horns 44, 45 and the flange 12 thus provides optimum safety against possible overturning without adversely affecting the operation of the escapement mechanism 1.
• FIGS. 4 to 15 show the different operating phases of the escapement mechanism of the invention on two successive alternations of the regulating member 5, the respective directions of rotation of the escapement wheel 2, the anchor 4 and the said organ regulator being represented by arrows F 1, F 2, F 3 on a first respectively alternating and arrows F4, F5, F6 on a second alternation respectively.
• Figure 4 shows the mechanism 1 in the release position.
• the peg 6 is in the notch 46 of the fork 43 of the anchor 4 and under the action of the regulating member 5 in rotation along F3 leaves the bearing against the pin 8 along F2, passing through the dead point to halfway (FIG. 1) to arrive (FIG. 5) in the indirect micro-pulse position via the input pallet 10.
• the regulating member 5 receives (FIG. 6) its direct impulse to the pallet 9 by the escape wheel at the end of which (FIG. 7) the fork drops (FIG. 8) against the pin 7 and the anchor 4. is in the rest position, a tooth 3 of the escapement mobile 2 resting on the rest plane of the output pallet 11.
• the regulating member 5 then traverses its supplementary arc (FIG. 9) and the anchor 4 undergoes a draw via its output pallet 11 against the pin 7.
• the regulating member 5 then returns in the opposite direction along F6 towards the release position (FIG. 10) on the second alternation, thus releasing the anchor 4 from the pin 7, the next pivoting anchor F5. then, passing through the dead point (FIG. 11) undergoes a second indirect micro-pulse at the output pallet 11 (FIG. 12) while the escape wheel is released in rotation along F4, after which the anchor 4 drops on the pin 8 ( Figure 13), then reaching the second rest position ( Figure 14) or a tooth 3 of the escapement mobile abuts on the rest plane of the input pallet 10.
• the regulating member 5 continues then its race following F6 by making a blow to the end of its second half-cycle and then return following F 1 to the release position of Figure 4.
• the escapement mechanism 1 of the invention thus provides a direct escape with a hybrid layout including indirect micro-pulses and a slight draw like a Swiss lever escapement in a Robin-type direct exhaust configuration without essentially disturbing the parameters and performance benefits of it but simplifying and reliable implementation, while providing optimal operating security.

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• 2019
  • 2019-05-14 JP JP2020564263A patent/JP7292571B2/ja active Active
  • 2019-05-14 EP EP19722926.3A patent/EP3794412B1/de active Active
  • 2019-05-14 CN CN201980039495.XA patent/CN112262349B/zh active Active
  • 2019-05-14 US US17/055,330 patent/US11860576B2/en active Active
  • 2019-05-14 WO PCT/EP2019/062338 patent/WO2019219679A1/fr unknown

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