JP2017053706A - Timepiece component and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a configuration of a timepiece component for a rotating or oscillating movable component engaged with and fixed to a shaft core in which the shape is simplified as much as possible, the size is reduced, the accuracy is increased, the assembling process is made easy, and a necessary fixing force can be obtained.SOLUTION: A timepiece component for engaging and fixing a rotating or oscillating movable component (balance-spring 1) to a shaft core (axle 21) is provided. An engagement portion of at least one of the movable component and the shaft core includes a resin layer. In such a configuration, the shaft hole of the movable component is made to have a simple cylindrical shape to allow a high shape accuracy to be easily obtained, the occupied volume by the engagement portion is minimized, and the engagement with the shaft core and assembling process can be facilitated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of a timepiece component formed by coupling a movable component that performs a rotational motion and an axis (shaft member) that serves as a rotation axis thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a configuration of a timepiece component that can obtain a necessary fixing force with respect to a shaft core without fear of breaking even when the movable component is formed of a hard and brittle material.

  The mechanical parts of watches, especially watches, have traditionally been made of metal. However, in recent years, a so-called MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technique is applied, and a non-metallic material such as silicon, which is different from the conventional one, is used and a photo-etching technique is applied to a high degree. Increasingly, there is an increasing trend to manufacture small timepiece mechanical parts that increase the precision of the parts and reduce the number of parts by integrated processing to lower the manufacturing cost and possibly give new functions.

In order to form the side surface of a thick part as vertically as possible, a deep etching technique called a Deep RIE method has already been developed. For example, the aspect ratio can be adjusted by alternately repeating the steps of flowing SF ₆ gas and etching to a certain depth on the bottom surface, and then switching to C ₄ F ₈ gas to form a protective film on the etched side wall. A method for obtaining a highly uneven surface (or punched side surface) is known.

  In this case, a timepiece component to which the MEMS technology is applied uses a substantially flat non-metallic material and etches it in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface to perform deep engraving or punching, and has a specific planar shape and An uneven shape (or hole) in the thickness direction is given. If the timepiece part made of a non-metallic material is a member to be rotated or swinged, a hole is provided in the member, and a shaft member serving as a rotation or swinging shaft is fixed to the hole. In many cases, assembled and combined movable parts are used. On the other hand, a metal material is used for the shaft member, and it is often manufactured by a traditional machining method (such as turning).

  A movable part of a timepiece that is made of a non-metallic material such as silicon and rotates or swings must have a metal shaft core fixed to a shaft hole provided in the part. In general, non-metallic materials suitable for high-precision etching are often hard and brittle materials, and particularly have a small plastic deformation capability, which causes breakage when trying to apply shaft core press-fitting, which is a traditional method. In order to solve this problem, several techniques have been proposed in the past.

  One of the micromechanical parts in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of flexible arms formed by elliptical cutouts at the edge of the opening into which the spindle is inserted, and these are elastically contacted with the cylindrical surface of the spindle. To obtain a fixing force with the spindle.

  Moreover, the assembly method described in Patent Document 2 does not cause stress on the metal intermediate part (bush) in the ring-shaped space between the opening of the part that does not have the plastic region and the shaft member. The intermediate part is compressed with a tool from above and below, and elastically and plastically deformed in the outer and inner directions, and then expanded to fix the part and the shaft member to each other.

JP 2009-265097 A (first page, FIG. 3) JP 2012-132914 A (first page, FIG. 1)

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to form an elastic portion at the peripheral edge of the opening, and the shape of the micromechanical component becomes extremely complicated. Since the central portion is occupied by a complicated shape, the shape portion responsible for the function of the micromechanical component must be disposed outside the center portion. If gears are not so difficult to arrange the teeth, for example, if you try to give this shape to the mustache ball portion of the balance, the diameter of the mustache ball portion will be too large, and the number and total length of the balance spring will be reduced. shorten. Therefore, characteristics such as isochronism due to the swing angle of the balance may be deteriorated.

  Moreover, if it is applied to the peripheral edge of the shaft hole of the ankle, the true circumference of the ankle becomes thick, which may interfere with the tooth of the escape wheel and make its rotation impossible. Furthermore, based on the complexity of the structure, there is a problem of shape accuracy and quality, and a problem that eccentricity with the spindle is likely to occur (especially if the bottom of the pinion remains in the fitting part of the spindle and it is not a cylindrical surface), There is a problem of difficulty in managing the fixing force (torque).

  The technique described in Patent Document 2 requires an intermediate part 7. Therefore, first, the number of parts for a watch increases, and the merit of integrally forming parts by MEMS is lost. Further, since the intermediate part 7 occupies a considerable space around the shaft member 50, for the same reason as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, this technique cannot be applied or is difficult to apply. Moving parts can occur. In addition, since the assembly process is complicated and force adjustment is delicate, there is a high possibility that the number of manufacturing steps will increase.

  The present invention relates to a timepiece component that is fitted and fixed to a shaft core and that is rotated or oscillated, and whose shape is simplified and miniaturized as much as possible, the assembly process is facilitated, and a necessary fixing force is obtained. It aims at providing the composition of.

  In order to achieve the above object, the timepiece component and the manufacturing method thereof of the present invention employ the following configuration.

  A method of manufacturing a timepiece component that fits and fixes a rotating or swinging movable component and a shaft core, wherein the component preparing step for preparing the movable component and the shaft core and at least one of the movable component and the shaft core are provided. A resin layer forming step for forming the resin layer and a fitting and fixing step for compressing and fixing the resin layer to fit and fix the movable part and the shaft core are characterized.

  You may have the adhesion process which adheres and fixes a movable part and a shaft core.

  A timepiece component that fits and fixes a rotating or swinging movable component and a shaft core, and is characterized in that a resin layer is provided at least in a fitting portion of either the movable component or the shaft core.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is easy to obtain high shape accuracy by making the shaft hole of the movable part a simple cylindrical shape, minimize the volume occupied by the fitting portion, and perform the fitting and assembling process with the shaft core. Can be facilitated.

  The resin layer may be a paraxylylene resin.

  With this configuration, it is possible to apply a film forming method in which paraxylylene resin is established, and to obtain a large degree of freedom in selecting a film thickness.

  The movable part may be made of silicon.

  With this configuration, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate and low-cost movable part by utilizing an established micromachining method related to a silicon material.

  The movable part and the shaft core may be bonded and fixed.

  As described above, the adhesive strength between the movable part and the shaft core can be further increased by additionally applying the adhesive.

  The shape and structure of the mating part of the movable part with the shaft core can be greatly simplified, the shape accuracy can be improved and the size can be reduced, and the assembly process with the shaft core can be facilitated. There is an effect that it is possible to provide a watch part having excellent practicality.

The structure of the balance spring in the 1st Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, (b) is a cross-sectional view of a mustache ball part. It is a perspective view which shows the assembly process of the components in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the balance spring and the balance spring in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the completion form of the other timepiece components in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the components for timepieces in embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 shows a balance spring 1 and a balance stem 21 as movable parts according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a fitting of a beard ball 2 portion. It is the cross-sectional view which expanded the part. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a method for assembling a timepiece part in this embodiment, and FIG. 2A shows a balance spring 1 which is a movable part, a balance stem 21 which is a shaft core, and an assembling direction thereof by arrows. FIG. 2B shows the timepiece part in a state where the balance spring 1 and the balance stem 21 are fitted and fixed.

  The balance spring 1 is shown in a perspective view as a whole in FIG. 2, and only the inner four windings are shown in a sectional view in FIG. The balance spring 1 is made of a non-metallic material such as silicon formed from a plate material by applying a photo-etching technique (a Deep RIE technique if necessary). Traditionally, the portion called the beard ball 2 is integrally formed of the same material as the balance spring 1 in this example. The beard ball 2 is provided with a shaft hole 2a. The outer end 1a of the balance spring 1 is also formed integrally with the balance spring 1, and is fixed to the timepiece mechanism side as a mustache.

  The balance stem 21 is a cylindrical metal member provided with tenons at both ends, and serves as the shaft core (rotating shaft) of the swinging balance. The barrel portion of the tenth stem 21 is fitted into the shaft hole 2a of the beard ball 2 and fixed. The shape of the shaft hole 2 a of the beard ball 2 is a cylindrical shape that is extremely close to the outer diameter of the tenth true stem 21. For this reason, the outer diameter of the mustache ball 2 can be made sufficiently small, and the inner end of the balance spring 1 can be set very close to the axis.

  The resin layer 10 is formed by vapor-depositing a resin material in a gas phase state on the surfaces of the balance spring 1 and the balance ball 2 before fitting the balance spring and the balance stem 21 together. The thickness is, for example, several μm to several tens of μm, preferably about 10 μm. The thickness of the resin layer 10 is exaggerated in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). A dotted line 10b in FIG. 1B shows the shape of the resin layer 10 formed on the inner surface of the shaft hole 2a. The inner diameter surface in a free state before the balance spring 1 and the balance stem 21 are fitted and fixed. Indicates. The inner diameter is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the tenth stem 21.

  The shaft core 21 is inserted into the shaft hole 2a of the beard ball 2 vertically as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2A and press-fitted, and is integrally formed as shown in FIG. 2B. . At that time, as shown in FIG. 1B, the resin layer 10 is compressed from the position indicated by the dotted line 10b to the position of the resin layer 10a indicated by the solid line, as shown in FIG. The two are fixed to each other with an appropriate force by the frictional force or the adhesion force.

  In the first embodiment, it is the compressed resin layer present in the fitting portion of the resin layer 10 that exerts the fixing force between the balance spring 1 that is a movable part and the tenth stem 21 that is the shaft core. However, the position where the resin layer 10 is formed is sufficiently thin so that the function as a watch part is not adversely affected, or the impact resistance of the watch part is improved. In order to function as a protective layer for this purpose, the resin layer 10 may be formed in addition to the fitting portion.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the resin layer 10 formed on the inner surface of the shaft hole 2a obtains a fixing force between the balance spring 1 that is a movable part and the tenth stem 21 that is a shaft core. Can be machined with high accuracy (perfect circle), and the resulting fixing force is highly reliable. Also, the space required for fixing can be made extremely small. Furthermore, since the coupling with the shaft core may be simply pushed, the assembling method is simplified.

<Second Embodiment>
The balance spring 1 and the balance spring 21 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3A is a longitudinal sectional view of the balance spring 1, and FIG. 3B is a longitudinal sectional view of the balance stem 21. As shown in FIG. The difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that, in the second embodiment, the resin layer 10 is in the vicinity of a portion where the shaft hole 2a provided in the beard ball 2 or the tenth true 21 is fitted. This is limited to only. In addition, the resin layer 10 does not necessarily need to be provided on both the beard ball 2 and the tenshin 21, and may be either one.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a completed form of another timepiece part comprising a movable part and a shaft core according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 (a) is an escape gear, and FIG. 4 (b). Is an ankle. In these figures, the resin layer 10 is formed only in the fitting portion between the escape gear body 4 and the escape hook 41 and only in the fitting portion between the ankle body 3 and the ankle true 31. It has not been. Also in this case, the escape gear body 4 or the ankle body 3 that is a movable part and the escape gear 41 or the ankle true 31 that is an axis are fixed to each other by the resin layer 10 interposed in the fitting portion.

  In the second embodiment, when the formation of the resin layer 10 extends to the surface other than the movable part or the fitting portion of the shaft core, an adverse effect may be exerted on the characteristics as a timepiece part. It is effective to adopt it. The influence is the influence of the elastic characteristics of the surface of the resin layer 10 depending on the material characteristics of the resin layer 10. For example, in the case of the balance spring 1, the temperature characteristics, the teeth of the escape gear body 4 and the ankle body 3. In the case of a toe, contact friction between the two.

When the resin layer 10 is formed in the sliding part between the movable parts, depending on the material of the resin layer 10, when operating as a watch part, the power torque transmitted from the power spring is absorbed and attenuated. It is preferable to form the resin layer 10 only at the fitting portion between the movable part and the shaft core and in the vicinity thereof. When the resin layer 10 is formed on the sliding portion of the shaft core with the bearing, the friction is sufficiently low. Since there is a possibility that resistance cannot be obtained, it is preferable to form the resin layer 10 only in the fitting portion of the shaft core and in the vicinity thereof.

<Formation of resin layer and manufacture of watch parts>
FIG. 5 is a process diagram showing a method for manufacturing a watch component according to the present invention in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The method for manufacturing a timepiece part of the present invention includes a part preparation step S1 for preparing a movable part and a shaft core, which are parts for forming the resin layer 10, and a resin layer formation for forming the resin layer 10 on at least one of the prepared parts. Step S2 and a fitting fixing step S3 in which the shaft core is press-fitted and fitted to the movable part to fix them together.

<Formation of resin layer>
In the resin layer forming step S2, the resin layer 10 is formed by a gas phase. For example, a polyparaxylylene-based polymer is suitable as the material of the resin layer 10 and is formed by vapor deposition on the surface of the object. A polyparaxylylene-based polymer is a polymer in which benzene rings are linked in a straight chain via a CH ₂ group. Those in which part of the hydrogen on the benzene ring is substituted with chlorine or fluorine are also in practical use.

  A solid xylylene dimer (dimer) is charged as a raw material into a chamber of a vapor deposition apparatus, and vaporized under conditions of about 120 ° C. and a pressure of about 1 torr. The dimer gas is then decomposed by heating to about 680 ° C. and 0.5 torr to produce paraxylylene monomer in which the methylene bond is broken and both ends are radicalized. This monomer gas is sent into a vacuum chamber at room temperature, and the resin layer 10 is deposited and polymerized on at least one surface of the movable part and the shaft core, which are the deposition objects set inside, and the film formation is completed. .

  The resin layer 10 after vapor deposition obtained by this gas phase polymerization method is a resin known as Parylene (registered trademark), and the thickness can be controlled in a wide range of several hundred angstroms to about 75 μm. It is easy to obtain the characteristics necessary for the fixing action according to 10.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, unnecessary portions of the resin layer 10 are removed, and a method for that purpose will be illustrated. For example, by preparing a mask member having an opening in a portion where the resin layer 10 is to be formed, covering the mask member close to the surface of the part and partially covering it, the resin layer 10 is not attached to the portion, There are a method of removing the resin layer 10 adhering to an unnecessary portion after the film by laser light irradiation, a method of patterning by photolithography after applying a photosensitive resin, or the like.

<Other embodiments>
The timepiece component to which the present invention is applied is not limited to that illustrated in the above description with reference to the drawings. For example, the present invention can be applied to gears constituting a train wheel of a watch. Further, the non-metallic material constituting the movable part to be deposited is not limited to the exemplified silicon, and any material may be used as long as the forming method is established. Furthermore, the resin layer 10 may be formed on a movable part made of a metal material.

  Further, instead of forming the resin layer 10 from the gas phase, a film forming method from a liquid phase using a liquid containing a resin layer raw material as a raw material can be employed as long as desired characteristics are obtained.

  In addition, by further supplying other bonding means such as an adhesive in the vicinity of the fitting part between the movable part and the shaft core, the fixing force (bonding force) between the two can be further increased as necessary. it can.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the shape and structure necessary for fixing the movable part and the shaft core constituting the timepiece part are extremely simplified, the required space is extremely reduced, and the combination of the two is achieved. The work was also simplified. Since the present invention can be applied to fixing the shaft core of any timepiece component, there is a great industrial applicability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Balance spring 1a Outer end part 2 Beard ball 3 Ankle body 4 Gangle gear body 2a Shaft hole 21 Ten true 31 Uncle true 41 Gangi kana 10 Resin layer

Claims (6)

A method for manufacturing a watch part for fitting and fixing a rotating or swinging movable part and a shaft core,
A component preparation step of preparing the movable component and the shaft core;
A resin layer forming step of forming a resin layer on at least one of the movable part and the shaft core;
A method for manufacturing a timepiece part, comprising: a fitting and fixing step of fitting and fixing the movable part and the shaft core by compressing the resin layer. The method for manufacturing a timepiece part according to claim 1, further comprising a bonding step of bonding and fixing the movable part and the shaft core. A watch component for fitting and fixing a rotating or swinging movable component and a shaft core,
A timepiece part, wherein a resin layer is provided on at least one of the movable part and the shaft core. The timepiece component according to claim 3, wherein the resin layer is a paraxylylene resin. The timepiece component according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the movable component is made of silicon. The timepiece part according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the movable part and the shaft core are bonded and fixed.

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