EP3805874B1 - Adjustable threaded crown - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an orientable screw-down crown for a watch case comprising a middle part with at least one through housing for receiving said orientable screw-down crown, which orientable screw-down crown is arranged to cooperate with said housing and seal it in a watertight manner, said orientable screwed crown comprising a pattern on one end face or in its vicinity, said orientable screwed crown comprising, movable axially in an axial direction relative to each other, on the one hand a subassembly comprising a crown body manipulatable by a user and comprising said pattern, and on the other hand a tube arranged to be screwed or driven into said housing in said axial direction.

The invention also relates to a watch case, comprising a middle part with at least one through housing for receiving such an orientable screw-down crown.

The invention also relates to a timepiece, in particular a watch, comprising such a box.

The invention also relates to a method of assembling such an orientable screwed crown.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting such an orientable screw-down crown on a watch case.

Background of the invention

Screw-down crowns are commonly used to equip watches with the aim of improving their watertightness at the level of the passage of a control member, such as a winding or control stem. This type of crown has the particularity of being able to take an unscrewed position in which the watch can be wound, set the time, adjusted, or other, and a screwed position in which the crown is screwed and locked on a driven or screwed tube in the middle of the watch case in order to compress a seal, thus improving the watertightness of the watch. The screwed position is therefore the one which corresponds to the normal position when the watch is worn and which is always approximately the same, except for wear of the seal.

The manufacture and assembly of these crowns screwed onto watch cases are well known. However, the assembly methods for these crowns are poorly suited to screw-down crowns which bear an inscription or pattern on their end face, for example a logo, a trademark or a similar sign, or even a relief, or to crowns which are not of revolution, while it is desirable that the user, or at least an after-sales service, can carry out the angular indexing adjustment of such a crown, in the screwed position, according to a particular desired orientation.

In fact, the known assembly methods generally do not make it possible to bring the crown into a determined orientation relative to the case after its screwing, which can harm the aesthetics of the case. This situation is of course unacceptable when these crowns are fitted to luxury and high quality products.

The document EP 2 718 770 discloses all the features of the preamble of claim 1.

Summary of the invention

The invention aims in particular to overcome the various disadvantages of these known techniques.

More precisely, an objective of the invention is to provide an orientable screw-down crown adaptable to any watch case comprising a crown housing, for the orientation of this screw-down crown, produced according to a simple and economical construction.

The invention also aims to provide an orientable screwed crown that is more reliable than existing ones.

Thus, the invention relates to an orientable screwed crown according to claim 1.

The invention also relates to a watch case, comprising a middle part with at least one through housing for receiving such an orientable screw-down crown.

The invention also relates to a timepiece, in particular a watch, comprising such a box.

The invention also relates to a method of assembling such an orientable screwed crown.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting such an orientable screw-down crown on a watch case.

Summary description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une vue en partie de côté, et en partie en coupe longitudinale, d'une couronne vissée orientable selon l'invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus de la couronne de la figure 1, et montre un motif sur un corps de couronne manipulable par l'utilisateur ;
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe de la même couronne, qui comporte un tube vissé sur une carrure, dans une position vissée à fond préalable au débrayage ; un relief d'indexage que porte un canon fixe, et un relief d'indexage complémentaire solidaire du corps de couronne, et qui sont ici des cannelures, sont en prise sous l'action d'un ressort de couronne conique ;
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe de la même couronne, dans une position comprimée dans laquelle l'utilisateur fait pression sur le corps de couronne, pour effectuer le débrayage du relief d'indexage et du relief d'indexage complémentaire, qui sont ici dégagés l'un de l'autre et dont le dégrènement autorise la rotation relative entre le corps de couronne et le tube ;
• la figure 5 est une perspective éclatée, quart enlevé, montrant uniquement le canon fixe avec son relief d'indexage sous la forme de cannelure femelle, et le corps de couronne avec son relief d'indexage complémentaire sous la forme d'une cannelure mâle ;
• la figure 6 est une perspective montrant le tube de couronne vissé sur la carrure de la boîte de montre, et la présentation du corps de couronne comportant un sous-ensemble constituant le mécanisme d'embrayage/débrayage, comportant le canon fixe, dans lequel est monté prisonnier un canon mobile prévu pour coopérer avec le mécanisme interne de la montre destiné à être commandé et/ou réglé par la couronne ;
• la figure 7 est une perspective similaire à la figure 6, où le corps de couronne est vissé à fond sur le tube comme sur la figure 3, et où l'utilisateur peut indexer le motif par rapport à la boîte de montre en exerçant une pression sur le corps de couronne pour débrayer le mécanisme, tourner le corps de couronne jusqu'à l'orientation angulaire souhaitée, puis en relâchant sa pression axiale sur le corps de couronne pour réembrayer le mécanisme dans sa nouvelle position indexée ;
• la figure 8 représente, en coupe longitudinale, le montage de la couronne, dans une position où un ressort de canon, qui tend à éloigner le canon mobile du corps de couronne, est dans son élongation maximale (alors qu'il est en compression maximale dans les positions des figures 3 et 4) ;
• la figure 9 est une vue dévissée de la couronne, le filetage du canon fixe étant présenté face au taraudage du tube de carrure, mais non encore vissé ;
• la figure 10 est une vue dévissée et tirée de la couronne, avec la course maximale du canon fixe par rapport au tube de couronne ;
• la figure 11 est un schéma-blocs représentant une montre comportant une boîte munie d'une couronne vissée orientable selon l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting example, and the appended figures, among which :

• there figure 1 is a partly side view, and partly in longitudinal section, of an orientable screwed crown according to the invention;
• there figure 2 is a top view of the crown of the figure 1 , and shows a pattern on a crown body that can be manipulated by the user;
• there Figure 3 is a sectional view of the same crown, which comprises a tube screwed onto a middle part, in a fully screwed position prior to disengagement; an indexing relief carried by a fixed barrel, and a complementary indexing relief integral with the crown body, and which are here grooves, are engaged under the action of a conical crown spring;
• there figure 4 is a sectional view of the same crown, in a compressed position in which the user puts pressure on the crown body, to disengage the indexing relief and the complementary indexing relief, which are here released one from the other and whose gradient allows relative rotation between the crown body and the tube;
• there Figure 5 is an exploded perspective, quarter removed, showing only the fixed barrel with its indexing relief in the form of a female groove, and the crown body with its complementary indexing relief in the form of a male groove;
• there Figure 6 is a perspective showing the crown tube screwed onto the middle of the watch case, and the presentation of the crown body comprising a sub-assembly constituting the clutch/disengagement mechanism, comprising the fixed barrel, in which is mounted prisoner a movable barrel designed to cooperate with the internal mechanism of the watch intended to be controlled and/or adjusted by the crown;
• there Figure 7 is a similar perspective to Figure 6 , where the crown body is screwed fully onto the tube as on the Figure 3 , and where the user can index the pattern in relation to the watch case by exerting pressure on the crown body to disengage the mechanism, turning the crown body until the desired angular orientation, then releasing its axial pressure on the crown body to re-engage the mechanism in its new indexed position;
• there figure 8 represents, in longitudinal section, the mounting of the crown, in a position where a barrel spring, which tends to move the movable barrel away from the crown body, is in its maximum elongation (while it is in maximum compression in the positions of the figures 3 and 4 ) ;
• there Figure 9 is an unscrewed view of the crown, the thread of the fixed barrel being presented opposite the tapping of the middle tube, but not yet screwed;
• there Figure 10 is an unscrewed and pulled view of the crown, with the maximum travel of the barrel fixed relative to the crown tube;
• there Figure 11 is a block diagram representing a watch comprising a case fitted with an adjustable screw-down crown according to the invention.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

The invention relates to an adjustable screw-down crown 200 for a watch case 100. This box 100 conventionally has a middle part 9, with at least one through housing 90 for receiving the adjustable screw-down crown 200.

This adjustable screwed crown 200 is arranged to cooperate with the housing 90 and seal it in a watertight manner. The adjustable screwed crown 200 has a pattern 19 on an end face 18 or in its vicinity.

This orientable screwed crown 200 comprises, movable axially in an axial direction D relative to each other, on the one hand a subassembly 20 comprising a crown body 1 which can be manipulated by a user and comprising the pattern 19, and on the other hand a tube 11. This tube 11 is arranged to be screwed or driven into the housing 90 in the axial direction D.

According to the invention, the subassembly 20 comprises, integral with the crown body 1, an indexing relief 15 which extends in the axial direction D, and which is and arranged to, in an engaged position, cooperate so complementary with a complementary indexing relief 55 which comprises a fixed barrel 5, which the subassembly 20 comprises. This complementary indexing relief 55 also extends in the axial direction D, and this fixed barrel 5 tends to be pushed back of the crown body 1 by at least one crown spring 12 interposed and mounted prisoner between the crown body 1 and the fixed barrel 5 which it tends to move away from each other. The crown spring 12 is here, without limitation, a conical spring or in a cup. In the absence of manipulation by the user, the crown spring 12 tends to move the crown body 1 away from the fixed barrel 5.

The indexing relief 15 is arranged to, in a disengaged position by compression of the crown spring 12, remain at an axial distance from the complementary indexing relief 55 and without cooperation with it.

The cooperation between the indexing relief 15 and the complementary indexing relief 55 in the engaged position defines a discrete number of relative indexing positions corresponding to as many relative orientations of the pattern 19 with respect to the box 100.

The subassembly 20 and the tube 11 are arranged to cooperate by screwing up to a stop position, which corresponds to a completely screwed position of the subassembly 20 in the tube 11.

And, according to the invention, the subassembly 20 comprises an axial stopping means 3, which is fixed to the crown body 1 to imprison axially, in the axial direction D, the subassembly 20 with an axial stroke corresponding to the deformation range of the crown spring 12 to authorize disengagement, by compression of the crown body 1, between the indexing relief 15 and the complementary indexing relief 55.

More particularly, the subassembly 20 comprises a movable barrel 10 comprising fixing means 101 arranged for fixing the orientable screwed crown 200 to a control member housed in a box 100. This movable barrel 10 is movable axially in the direction axial D against elastic return means 6, in particular a barrel spring, which is a helical spring in the variant illustrated by the figures, in a chamber 105 defined on the one hand by the fixed barrel 5 and on the other leaves by a pin 4 secured to the crown body 1, and in which chamber 105 the mobile barrel 10 is mounted prisoner. This pin 4 can be permanently fixed to the crown body 1, by laser welding 140, or otherwise.

More particularly, subassembly 20 cannot be dismantled.

More particularly, the fixed barrel 5 fixed inside the crown body 1 comprises a thread 51, which is arranged to cooperate with a thread 111 which the tube 11 comprises.

More particularly, and as visible in the non-limiting variant illustrated by the figures, the indexing relief 15 and the complementary indexing relief 55 comprise complementary grooves.

More particularly, the axial stopping means 3 comprises an annular ring with an internal flange comprising a front abutment support surface 33 substantially perpendicular to the axial direction D, and which is arranged to cooperate in abutment support with a front surface complementary stop support 53 which comprises an external flange 2 which the fixed barrel 5 comprises.

More particularly, the crown body 1 carries a second axial stopping means 9, which is arranged to directly or indirectly hold the axial stopping means 3 in the crown body 1. More particularly, this second axial stopping means 9 is arranged to indirectly hold the axial stopping means 3 in the crown body 1, through at least one spacer 7 housed in the crown body 1. This spacer 7 can be permanently fixed to the crown body 1 , for example by laser welding 137 or the like. More particularly, the second axial stopping means 9 is arranged to indirectly hold the axial stopping means 3 in the crown body 1 through at least one seal 8, which is arranged to cooperate with a surface of joint support 118 which the tube 11 comprises and which is arranged to compress the seal 8 in the completely screwed position of the subassembly 20 in the tube 11. This joint support surface 118 is preferably oblique by relative to the axial direction D, and is in particular a conical surface.

More particularly, the crown body 1 comprises at least one internal annular groove 91 for receiving the second axial stopping means 9, which is in particular but not limited to constituted by a circlip, as visible on the figure 1 . This groove 91 can also result from a folding rolling of a thread provided at the end of the crown body 1, after the assembly of this circlip 9.

More particularly, the crown spring 12 comprises at least one conical spring and/or at least one “Belleville” washer and/or at least one “Schnorr” washer.

According to the invention, the indexing relief 15 is carried by a pin 4 which is integral with the crown body 1, and interior to said fixed barrel 5.

The invention also relates to a watch case 100, comprising a middle part 9 with at least one through housing 90 for receiving such an orientable screw-down crown 200.

The invention also relates to a timepiece, in particular a watch 1000, comprising such a box 100.

• préparer le sous-ensemble 20 avec le moyen d'arrêt axial 3 dans le corps de couronne 1, en insérant le relief d'indexage 15 dans le relief d'indexage complémentaire 55, et équiper intérieurement le corps de couronne 1 d'au moins un joint d'étanchéité 8, et arrêter axialement le joint d'étanchéité 8 par un deuxième moyen d'arrêt axial 9;
• préparer le tube 11 et le visser sur le sous-ensemble 20.

The invention also relates to a method of assembling such an orientable screwed crown 200, comprising the following steps:

• prepare the subassembly 20 with the axial stopping means 3 in the crown body 1, by inserting the indexing relief 15 into the complementary indexing relief 55, and internally equip the crown body 1 with at least a seal 8, and axially stop the seal 8 by a second axial stopping means 9;
• prepare tube 11 and screw it onto subassembly 20.

• assembler la couronne vissée orientable 200 selon le procédé d'assemblage ci-dessus ;
• insérer le tube 11 axialement selon la direction axiale D dans le logement 90 de la carrure 8, dans la carrure 100, et le fixer à la carrure 9 par vissage ou chassage jusqu'à une position de butée de vissage ou respectivement de chassage ;
• mesurer l'écart d'orientation angulaire du motif 19 par rapport à la position désirée, et déterminer le nombre de pas de correction d'indexation ;
• presser axialement le corps de couronne 1 vers la carrure 9 puis faire tourner le corps de couronne 1 jusqu'à obtention de l'orientation angulaire désirée ;
• relâcher le corps de couronne 1.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting such an orientable screwed crown 200 on such a box 100, comprising the following steps:

• assemble the adjustable screwed crown 200 according to the assembly method above;
• insert the tube 11 axially in the axial direction D in the housing 90 of the middle part 8, in the middle part 100, and fix it to the middle part 9 by screwing or driving in up to a screwing stop position or respectively driving in;
• measure the angular orientation deviation of the pattern 19 relative to the desired position, and determine the number of indexing correction steps;
• axially press the crown body 1 towards the middle part 9 then rotate the crown body 1 until the desired angular orientation is obtained;
• release the crown body 1.

• on dispose chaque ressort de couronne 12 entre d'une part un tourillon 4 solidaire du corps de couronne 1 et d'autre part le canon fixe 5 ;
• on enferme dans une chambre 105 constituée par la juxtaposition, d'une part du tourillon 4 et d'autre part du canon fixe 5, des moyens de rappel élastique 6 tendant à repousser un canon mobile 10 comportant des moyens de fixation 101 agencés pour la fixation de la couronne vissée orientable 200 à un organe de commande logé dans la boîte 100, le canon mobile 10 étant aussi maintenu prisonnier dans la chambre 105 par le canon fixe 5 ;
• on insère le relief d'indexage 15, porté par le tourillon 4, dans le relief d'indexage complémentaire 55 porté par le canon fixe 5 ;
• on limite axialement la course du canon fixe 5 par rapport au corps de couronne 1 par fixation du moyen d'arrêt axial 3 au corps de couronne 1 de façon à ce que chaque ressort de couronne 12 soit maintenu sans jeu dans l'espace axial délimité d'une part par le tourillon 4, et d'autre part par le canon fixe 5;
• puis on fixe de façon irréversible moyen d'arrêt axial 3 au corps de couronne 1, pour constituer un sous-ensemble indémontable.

More particularly, during the preparation of subset 20:

• each crown spring 12 is placed between, on the one hand, a pin 4 secured to the crown body 1 and, on the other hand, the fixed barrel 5;
• we enclose in a chamber 105 constituted by the juxtaposition, on the one hand of the pin 4 and on the other hand of the fixed barrel 5, elastic return means 6 tending to push back a mobile barrel 10 comprising fixing means 101 arranged for the fixing the adjustable screwed crown 200 to a control member housed in the box 100, the mobile barrel 10 also being held captive in the chamber 105 by the fixed barrel 5;
• the indexing relief 15, carried by the pin 4, is inserted into the complementary indexing relief 55 carried by the fixed barrel 5;
• the stroke of the fixed barrel 5 is axially limited relative to the crown body 1 by fixing the axial stop means 3 to the crown body 1 so that each crown spring 12 is maintained without play in the delimited axial space on the one hand by the pin 4, and on the other hand by the fixed barrel 5;
• then we irreversibly fix axial stopping means 3 to the crown body 1, to constitute a non-removable sub-assembly.

Thanks to these different aspects of the invention, we have an orientable screwed crown of simple design making it possible to index the angular position of the crown while comprising a reduced number of components.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the example illustrated and is susceptible to various variants and modifications which will appear to those skilled in the art, while remaining limited to the scope of the claims as appended.

Claims (15)

1. A screw-down orientable crown (200) for a watch case (100) including a middle part (9) with at least one through housing (90) for receiving said screw-down orientable crown (200), which screw-down orientable crown (200) is arranged to cooperate with said housing (90) and tightly seal it, said screw-down orientable crown (200) including a pattern (19) on an end face (18) or in its vicinity, said screw-down orientable crown (200) including, mobiles in an axial direction (D) relative to each other, on the one hand a sub-assembly (20) including a crown body (1) that can be manipulated by a user and including said pattern (19), and on the other hand a tube (11) arranged to be screwed-down or driven into said housing (90) in said axial direction (D), where said sub-assembly (20) includes an indexing relief (15) integral with said crown body (1) extending in said axial direction (D) and arranged, in a coupled position, to complementarily cooperate with a complementary indexing relief (55) that a fixed pipe (5) includes, that said sub-assembly (20) includes and which extends in said axial direction (D) and tends to be pushed back from said crown body (1) by at least one crown spring (12) interposed and captively mounted between said crown body (1) and said fixed pipe (5) that it tends to separate from one another, and arranged, in a position disconnected by compression of said crown spring (12), to remain at an axial distance from said complementary indexing relief (55) and without cooperation therewith, the cooperation between said indexing relief (15) and said complementary indexing relief (55) defining a discrete number of relative indexing positions corresponding to so many relative orientations of said pattern (19) relative to said case (100), said sub-assembly (20) and said tube (11) being arranged to cooperate by screwing-down to an abutment position corresponding to a fully screwed-down position of said sub-assembly (20) in said tube (11), said sub-assembly (20) including an axial stop means (3) fixed to said crown body (1) to axially trap, in said axial direction (D), said fixed pipe (5) with an axial stroke corresponding to the range of deformation of said crown spring (12) to enable the disconnection, by a compression of said crown body (1), between said indexing relief (15) and said complementary indexing relief (55), said indexing relief (15) being carried by a trunnion (4) integral with said crown body (1), characterised in that said trunnion is inside said fixed pipe (5).
2. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 1, characterised in that said sub-assembly (20) is non-removable, and includes a movable pipe (10) including fixing means (101) arranged for fixing said screw-down orientable crown (200) to a control organ housed in a said case (100), which movable pipe (10) is axially movable in said axial direction (D) against elastic return means (6) in a chamber (105) defined on the one hand by said fixed pipe (5) and on the other hand by said trunnion (4) integral with said crown body (1), and in which chamber (105) said movable pipe (10) is captively mounted.
3. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said fixed pipe (5) fixed inside said crown body (1) includes a threading (51) arranged to cooperate with a tapping (111) that said tube (11) includes.
4. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 1 to 3, characterised in that said indexing relief (15) and said complementary indexing relief (55) include complementary splines.
5. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 1 to 4, characterised in that said axial stop means (3) includes an annular ring with an internal flange including a front abutment support surface (33) substantially perpendicular to said axial direction (D), arranged to cooperate in abutment support with a front complementary abutment support surface (53) that an external flange (2) includes that said fixed pipe (5) includes.
6. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 1 to 5, characterised in that said crown body (1) carries a second axial stop means (9) arranged to directly or indirectly maintain said axial stop means (3) in said crown body (1).
7. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 6, characterised in that said second axial stop means (9) is arranged to indirectly maintain said axial stop means (3) in said crown body (1) through at least one spacer (7) housed in said crown body (1).
8. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that said second axial stop means (9) is arranged to indirectly maintain said axial stop means (3) in said crown body (1) through at least one gasket (8) arranged to cooperate with a gasket support surface (118) that said tube (11) includes and which is arranged to compress said gasket (8) in said fully screwed-down position of said sub-assembly (20) in said tube (11).
9. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that said crown body (1) includes at least one inner annular groove (91) for receiving said second axial stop means (9) which is a snap ring.
10. The screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that said crown spring (12) includes at least one conical spring and/or at least one "Belleville" washer and/or at least one "Schnorr" washer.
11. A watch case (100), including a middle part (9) with at least one through housing (90) for receiving a screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 1 to 10, included in said case (100).
12. A watch (1000) including a case (100) according to claim 11, and at least one screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 1 to 10 arranged to cooperate with said at least one housing (90).
13. A method for assembling a screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 1 to 10, comprising the following steps:

    - preparing said sub-assembly (20) with said axial stop means (3) in said crown body (1), by inserting said indexing relief (15) into said complementary indexing relief (55), and internally equipping said crown body (1) with at least one gasket (8), and axially stopping said gasket (8) by a second axial stop means (9);

    - preparing said tube (11) and screwing it on said sub-assembly (20).
14. A method for mounting a screw-down orientable crown (200) according to one of claims 1 to 10 on a case (100) according to claim 11, comprising the following steps:

    - assembling said screw-down orientable crown (200) according to the method of claim 13;

    - axially inserting said tube (11) in said axial direction (D) into said housing (90) of said middle part (8), in the middle part (100), and fixing it to said middle part (9) by screwing or driving to a screwing or respectively driving abutment position;

    - measuring the angular orientation deviation of said pattern (19) relative to the desired position, and determining the number of indexing correction pitches;

    - axially pressing said crown body (1) towards said middle part (9) then rotating said crown body (1) until the desired angular orientation is obtained;

    - releasing said crown body (1).
15. The mounting method according to claim 14, characterised in that, during the preparation of said sub-assembly (20):

    - each said crown spring (12) is disposed between on the one hand said trunnion (4) integral with said crown body (1) and on the other hand said fixed pipe (5);

    - elastic return means (6) tending to push back a movable pipe (10) including fixing means (101) arranged for fixing said screw-down orientable crown (200) to a control organ housed in said case (100) are enclosed in a chamber (105) formed by the juxtaposition, on the one hand of said trunnion (4) and on the other hand of said fixed pipe (5), said movable pipe (10) also being held captive in said chamber (105) by said fixed pipe (5);

    - said indexing relief (15), carried by said trunnion (4), is inserted into said complementary indexing relief (55) carried by said fixed pipe (5);

    - the stroke of said fixed pipe (5) is axially limited relative to said crown body (1) by fixing said axial stop means (3) to said crown body (1) so that each said crown spring (12) is held without clearance in the axial space delimited on the one hand by said trunnion (4), and on the other hand by said fixed pipe (5);

    - then said axial stop means (3) is irreversibly fixed to said crown body (1), to form a non-removable sub-assembly.

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