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
  • G04B5/00—Automatic winding up
  • G04B5/02—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch
  • G04B5/18—Supports, suspensions or guide arrangements, for oscillating weights
  • G04B5/184—Guide arrangement of the moving weight in a circular course
• • 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
  • G04B5/10—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch by oscillating weights the movement of which is not limited
  • G04B5/14—Automatic winding up by self-winding caused by the movement of the watch by oscillating weights the movement of which is not limited acting in both directions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a self-winding watch movement comprising:
• a barrel comprising a bung and a barrel drum concentric with the bung, and inside which a motor spring is wound, the latter being hooked by its outer coil to the barrel drum and by its internal coil to the bung;
• a downside to self-winding watches is that they tend not to be as thin as they could be if they were only equipped with a manual winding mechanism. Indeed, the presence of an oscillating weight has the effect of significantly thickening the watch movements which are equipped with an automatic winding mechanism.
• Patent document CH 458 213 describes a self-winding watch movement which complies with the definition given in the preamble and which is supposed to remedy the aforementioned drawbacks.
• This known clockwork movement comprises on the one hand an oscillating weight which is housed in a peripheral zone of the movement, entirely in the height of the latter, and on the other hand, a winding and time-setting stem which is arranged perpendicular to the plane of movement so as to emerge in an eccentric position on the bottom side thereof.
• the oscillating weight is fixed to a rotating ring which is arranged concentrically to the movement, and the latter comprises an internal toothing which is arranged to drive the ratchet wheel of the barrel through a reduction gear train formed by six intermeshing wheels.
• the reduction gear of the automatic winding mechanism necessarily takes up space.
• this cog is not confined to a peripheral zone of the movement. Under these conditions, it would be advantageous to have a self-winding watch movement whose design would make it even thinner.
• the present invention achieves this and other object by providing a self-winding watch movement which is in accordance with the appended claim 1.
• the barrel and the oscillating mass are arranged concentrically, the barrel being at the center of the movement, and the annular space in which the oscillating mass is intended to move being arranged around the barrel.
• the barrel drum is mounted on the movement frame so as to be rotatable only in one direction of rotation.
• the oscillating mass and the barrel drum are arranged so as to be integral with each other when the oscillating mass rotates in said one direction of rotation.
• said single direction of rotation corresponds to the winding direction of the barrel.
• the above characteristics allow the oscillating mass to drive the barrel drum with a drive ratio which is equal to 1.
• the barrel drum also rotates one revolution on itself in the same direction.
• the automatic winding according to the invention makes it possible to store mechanical energy more quickly in the barrel, provided that the torque generated by the oscillating weight is sufficient.
• the pivoting device is arranged so that the oscillating mass is free to rotate around the barrel in both directions, the barrel drum being arranged to be disengaged from the oscillating mass when the latter rotates in the opposite direction to said one direction of rotation.
• the oscillating mass and the barrel drum are linked to each other by a unidirectional coupling, so that the barrel drum can remain stationary when the oscillating mass rotates in the opposite direction to said one direction of rotation.
• the pivoting device must be double, so that the oscillating mass and the barrel drum can both rotate relative to the platen, and can also rotate relative to each other.
• the oscillating mass and the barrel drum are arranged so as to be permanently integral with one another, so that the pivoting device prohibits the oscillating mass, as in the case of the oscillating mass. barrel drum, to rotate in the opposite direction to said one direction of rotation.
• the oscillating mass drives the barrel drum exclusively in said one direction of rotation.
• the oscillating mass and the barrel drum never have to rotate independently of each other, so that a simple pivoting device is sufficient.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the back side of a self-winding watch movement which corresponds to a first particular embodiment of the invention, this first embodiment being in accordance with the first variant of the invention;
• FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back side of a self-winding watch movement which corresponds to a second particular embodiment of the invention, this second embodiment being in accordance with the second variant of the invention;
• FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the connection between the oscillating mass and the barrel drum of the self-winding watch movement of FIG. 2.
• FIG. 1 shows in particular a barrel 3 of low height which is placed in the center of the movement and a ball bearing 5 which surrounds the barrel.
• the barrel 3 contains a mainspring 11 which is wound on itself and which is fixed to the ball bearing by its outer coil and to a central plug 9 by its internal coil.
• FIG. 1 also shows an oscillating mass 7 in the form of a ring sector, which is arranged to rotate around the barrel 3, concentrically to the latter.
• the ball bearing 5 fulfills in particular the function of a pivoting device for the oscillating mass.
• the ball bearing 5 has three coplanar and concentric rings.
• the inner ring is referenced 13, the intermediate ring 14 and the outer ring 15.
• the intermediate ring 14 is fixed on the plate (not shown) of the watch movement, while the inner 13 and outer rings 15 of the ball bearing 5 are free to rotate independently of one another, concentrically with the intermediate ring 14.
• the ball bearing 5 fulfills an interface function between the barrel 3 on the one hand, and the oscillating weight 7 on the other hand.
• the inner ring 13 of the ball bearing 5 fulfills the function of drum in the barrel 3.
• the outer ring 15 constitutes the rotating part of the pivoting device of the oscillating mass 7, this the latter being fixed to the outer ring of the ball bearing (by gluing for example).
• a first elastic pawl (referenced 19) which is mounted on the movement at 3 o'clock, and we can see on the other hand that the inner ring 13 acting as a barrel drum is taller than the other two rings 14, 15 of the ball bearing.
• the inner ring 13 in fact comprises a raised part provided with toothing outer saw 17 which protrudes above the level of the upper faces of the other two rings. It can also be seen that the saw teeth of the toothing 17 are arranged to cooperate with the first elastic pawl 19 which is carried by the fixed ring 14 of the ball bearing 5. It will therefore be understood that the inner ring, in other words the drum cylinder, 13 can only turn in one direction.
• the toothing 17 of the barrel drum acts as a winding ratchet for the barrel 3.
• the barrel drum which is formed by the inner ring 13 , is retained by the first pawl 19 while the watch is running, so that it remains fixed.
• the plug 9 of the barrel which is designed to drive the cog of the movement.
• the plug 9 of the barrel is integral with the shank of the center pinion, or minute pinion, of the movement.
• the center pinion is itself connected to the exhaust by a cog which may be of the conventional type. This cog is visible in figure 1, but the elements that compose it are not referenced. It will be understood from the above that, because the plug 9 of the barrel 3 of the present example is integral with the center pinion, it rotates at a rate of 1 revolution per hour during the running of the movement.
• FIG. 1 also shows a second elastic pawl. (referenced 21) which is mounted on the outer ring 15, so that it is arranged to rotate with the oscillating weight 7.
• the pawl 21 is further arranged to cooperate with the teeth 17 of the winding ratchet.
• the pawl 21 creates a unidirectional coupling between the oscillating mass 7 and the barrel drum constituted by the inner ring 13, so that, on the one hand, the oscillating mass 7 drives the barrel drum with it when rotates in said one direction of rotation (clockwise in figure 1), and that on the other hand, the oscillating mass is free to rotate in the opposite direction in said one direction of rotation without being accompanied by the barrel drum which is retained by the first elastic pawl 19. It will be understood from the above explanations that the self-winding watch movement illustrated in FIG. 1 conforms to the first variant of the invention.
• the self-winding watch movement of Figure 1 also includes a time setting stem (referenced 23) which emerges radially out of the movement at 3 o'clock.
• the time-setting rod may for example be connected to the timer gear (not referenced) of the movement in a manner known to those skilled in the art.
• the time-setting rod 23 be arranged outside the path of the oscillating weight 7. In order to fulfill this latter condition without increasing the time. thickness of the movement which is the subject of the present example, the movements of the oscillating weight 7 are confined within an angular sector which is bounded on either side.
• Figure 1 shows two elastic stops (referenced 25a and 25b) which are arranged at the periphery of the movement, on either side of the rod 23, so as to prevent the oscillating weight 7 from entering a small angular sector centered on the time-setting stem. It will be understood that the two resilient stops 25a and 25b also prevent collisions between the two resilient pawls 19 and 21.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 are respectively perspective and cross-sectional views of a self-winding watch movement which corresponds to a second exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• the watch movement of Figures 2 and 3 has many characteristics in common with that which has just been described in relation to Figure 1.
• the elements of the watch movement of Figures 2 and 3 which are identical or similar to elements of the first mode embodiments are designated by the same reference number increased by 50.
• the few differences between the first and the second embodiment are mainly the consequence of the fact that the second embodiment conforms to the second variant of the invention, while the first embodiment conforms to the first variant.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 show in particular a barrel 53 of low height which is placed in the center of the movement and a unidirectional ball bearing 55 which surrounds the barrel.
• the latter comprises a bung 59 and a barrel drum 63, and it can be seen that, conventionally, it also contains a mainspring 61 which is wound on itself and which is fixed to the barrel drum 63 by its coil. external and to the bung 59 by its internal coil.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 also show an oscillating weight 57 in the form of a ring sector, which is arranged to rotate around the barrel 53, concentrically with the latter, and it will be understood that the unidirectional ball bearing 55 fulfills in particular the function of a control device. pivoting for the oscillating weight.
• the unidirectional ball bearing 55 has two concentric rings (referenced 64 and 65).
• the inner ring 64 of the unidirectional ball bearing is fixed to the plate (not shown) of the movement, while the outer ring 65 is arranged to rotate, but only in a single direction of rotation (clockwise in figure 3).
• unidirectional ball bearings which are said to be "one way”. The description of a ball bearing of this type can be found in particular in patent document CH 694 025. This document is incorporated in the present text by reference. Still referring to FIG.
• the oscillating mass 57 and the barrel drum 63 are both rigidly fixed to the outer ring 65 (by gluing for example). It will therefore be understood that, in accordance with the second variant of the invention, the oscillating mass 57 and the barrel drum 63 are arranged so as to pivot integrally with one another. In addition, since they are both attached to the outer race 65 of the one-way ball bearing 55, they do not can rotate only in said one direction of rotation. It will also be understood that said single direction of rotation corresponds to the winding direction of barrel 53.
• the oscillating mass 57 of the watch movement shown in Figures 2 and 3 can only rotate in one direction, it is not possible to confine it within a particular angular sector. Unlike what was the case with the first embodiment, the oscillating weight 57 of the present example must be able to complete full revolutions.
• the watch movement illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 is compatible with this requirement. In particular, it is devoid of pawls liable to collide with one another, and it also does not include a time-setting rod emerging radially out of the movement.
• the winding and time-setting stem could for example be oriented along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the movement, and accessible from the dial side or back of the watch.
• a self-winding watch movement according to the first variant of the invention does not necessarily have two pawls.
• a unidirectional ball bearing could be used to provide one of the two unidirectional couplings. It will be noted that the use of a unidirectional ball bearing in a self-winding watch movement according to the first variant of the invention would make it possible to overcome the constraint of preventing collisions between the pawls, since the movement watch would then have only one pawl.
• a self-winding watch movement according to the second variant of the invention does not necessarily include a unidirectional ball bearing.
• the unidirectional ball bearing could be replaced by a bidirectional ball bearing associated with a ratchet cooperating with a pawl.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=66589402

Family Applications (2)

Family Applications Before (1)

Country Status (2)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2019
  • 2019-05-17 EP EP19175036.3A patent/EP3739393A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2020
  • 2020-04-23 WO PCT/IB2020/053843 patent/WO2020234665A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2020-04-23 EP EP20721316.6A patent/EP3969964A1/de active Pending

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