JP6577099B2 - Speed governor for timepiece and method of adjusting balance of balance wheel used for it - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a speed governor for a mechanical timepiece, and more particularly to a time governor for a timepiece using a balance spring made of a brittle material and a method of adjusting a balance of a balance wheel used for the timepiece.

  In a mechanical timepiece, energy is stored by winding the mainspring. On the other hand, in order to keep the operation of the machine regularly at a constant speed, a speed governor called a balance with a balance spring and a balance wheel is used.

  The balance with the escape wheel, which consists of a escape wheel and ankle, is engaged with the balance, and the energy accumulated in the mainspring is transmitted little by little to the balance through the escapement. Has come to last.

  In recent years, attempts have been made to manufacture timepiece parts by etching a silicon substrate by applying semiconductor manufacturing technology. It is said that it has the advantage that it can be made lighter than the manufacture of watch parts using conventional metal parts, and the advantage that it can be mass-produced at low cost. Thereby, it is expected that a small and lightweight watch can be manufactured.

  When etching a silicon substrate, a reactive ion etching (RIE) technique, which is a dry etching technique, has recently progressed. In particular, deep RIE (Deep RIE) technology has been developed, and etching with a high aspect ratio has become possible.

  This technique allows the mask pattern to be faithfully reproduced in the vertical depth direction because the etching does not go under the portion protected by the photoresist, and the watch part is designed as designed when etching the silicon substrate. It has become possible to manufacture accurately with this shape.

  Among these, since silicon has better temperature characteristics than metal, it is convenient to apply it to a time governor for a watch. Therefore, attempts have been made to manufacture a balance spring and a balance wheel mainly composed of a silicon material (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP-T-2011-526676 (page 7-8, FIG. 10-11)

  However, silicon is a brittle material and difficult to machine. In addition, since the density is low, there is a problem that if a silicon balance spring is incorporated into a watch as it is, it is vulnerable to shock applied to the watch.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A shows a side view of a time governor 81 using a known balance spring 86 made of silicon. Reference numeral 85 represents a balance, reference numeral 87 represents a balance, and reference numeral 88 represents a main plate.

When a strong impact is applied to the timepiece, as shown in FIG. 10B, the hairspring 86 collides with the balance wheel 84 when the hairspring 86 is greatly bent. There was a risk that the hairspring 86 could be damaged by the impact at this time. Of course, although not shown, the hairspring 86 may collide with the balance 87.

  In order to avoid such a problem, it is only necessary to provide a large space between the both sides of the balance spring 86 so that it does not collide with the balance wheel 85 or balance 87, but this increases the size of the watch. End up. Therefore, such a method is not realistic.

  In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to adjust the timepiece for a watch that can prevent the balance from being damaged by an applied impact without increasing the size of the timepiece even if a silicon spring is used. To provide a speed machine.

Piece weight adjustment method of balance wheel for use in this and for the speed governor timepiece of the present invention for achieving the above object adopts the following configurations respectively.

That is, a time governor for a timepiece having a balance wheel and a balance spring which are engaged with a rotation shaft supported by a mortise provided in a balance with a balance and work together,
The balance wheel includes a balance wheel and a resin structure formed on the surface of the balance wheel ,
The balance wheel body is formed of a material different from that of the resin structure,
The resin structure has a removing portion for adjusting a single spindle of the balance wheel.
The balance wheel body is made of metal.

Also, a balance adjustment method for a balance wheel used in a time governor for a timepiece having a balance wheel and a balance spring that cooperates by engaging with a rotating shaft that is supported by a mortise provided in a balance. And
Forming a resin structure on the balance wheel;
Removing the resin structure partially only contains,
The balance wheel is composed of a balance wheel body and a resin structure formed on the surface of the balance wheel body,
The balance wheel body is formed of a material different from that of the resin structure .
The balance wheel body is made of metal.

  Even if the governor of the present invention is a hairspring having silicon as a main component, even if the watch is subjected to a strong impact and the hairspring is greatly bent and collides with a portion facing the hairspring in a plane, Since there is a resin structure in this portion, the impact applied to the hairspring is mitigated, and damage to the hairspring can be prevented.

It is a side view explaining the structural example 1 of the governor for timepieces which is embodiment of this invention. It is a side view explaining the structural example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces which is embodiment of this invention. It is a side view explaining the structural example 3 of the governor for timepieces which is embodiment of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining 1st Embodiment in Example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining the modification of 1st Embodiment in Example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining 2nd Embodiment in Example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining 3rd Embodiment in Example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining 4th Embodiment in Example 2 of the governor for timepieces of this invention. It is the top view and sectional drawing explaining 5th Embodiment in Example 2 of the speed governor for timepieces of this invention. It is a side view explaining the governor for timepieces of the technique known conventionally.

  Hereinafter, a time governor for a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description, as Example 1, three examples of the time governor for a timepiece according to the present invention in which the resin structure is provided at different locations will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. And as Example 2, five embodiment is described using FIGS. 4-9 using the example which provides a resin structure in a balance wheel.

[Description of configuration example 1 of time governor for watch: FIG. 1]
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a part of a time governor.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the time governor 1 for a timepiece is composed of a balance wheel 4, a balance spring 5 that is a rotating shaft of the balance wheel 4, and a hairspring 6 combined with the balance spring 5. 5 is pivotally supported by mortises 7a and 8a provided in the balance holder 7 and the main plate 8, respectively.

  The time governor 1 for timepieces receives the energy of the mainspring from an escapement (not shown) and regularly swings to maintain the time rate of the timepiece (the degree of advance / delay of the day) constant. The configuration so far is the same as that of a known time governor.

  A feature of the time governor 1 is that a resin structure 3 a is disposed on the balance wheel 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the resin structure 3 a is provided in a portion of the balance wheel 4 that faces the balance spring 6 in a plan view.

  With such a configuration, even when a strong impact is applied to the timepiece on which the time governor 1 is mounted, the mainspring 6 is greatly bent and the mainspring 6 collides with the balance wheel 4, the resin structure The impact is mitigated by the body 3a, and the hairspring 6 can be prevented from being damaged.

  Although the resin structure 3a is not specifically limited, it can be comprised with resin-type compositions, such as a silicon resin, an epoxy resin, and an acrylic resin. The resin structure 3a can be formed using a known forming technique. For example, spraying by a spin coat technique or a resin spray technique. And the thickness of the resin structure 3a is 200 micrometers, for example.

  Of course, the shape of the resin structure 3a provided on the balance wheel 4 is preferably arranged at a place where the balance spring 6 is supposed to come into contact. How to arrange the resin structure and its shape will be described in Example 2 described later.

[Description of configuration example 2 of time governor for watch: FIG. 2]
FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a part of a time governor. It is the figure seen from the same direction as the example of FIG. 1 already demonstrated, Comprising: The same number is provided to the same structure.

  The time governor 11 is characterized in that a resin structure 3 b is disposed on the balance 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the resin structure 3 b is provided in a portion of the balance with a balance with the balance spring 6 in the balance 7.

  The balance 7 is not provided with the resin structure 3b at the portion (near the mortise 7a) where the balance 5 is engaged, and the balance 5 does not hinder the rotation.

Even with such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the hairspring 6 from being damaged by the resin structure 3b.

  By the way, in the design of a time governor, there is a case where it is desired to make the balance wheel have a predetermined weight. Even in such a case, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the resin structure is provided in the balance with the balance, so there is an advantage that the weight of the balance wheel is not hindered.

[Description of configuration example 3 of time governor for watch: FIG. 3]
FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a part of the time governor. It is the figure seen from the same direction as the example of already demonstrated FIG.1 and FIG.2, Comprising: The same number is provided to the same structure.

  A feature of the time governor 21 is that resin structures 3a and 3b are disposed on the balance wheel 4 and the balance 7 respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the resin structure 3 a is provided in a portion of the balance wheel 4 that faces the balance spring 6 in a plane, and the resin structure 3 b faces the balance spring 6 in a plane in the balance 7. It is provided in the part.

  Similar to the configuration example 2 shown in FIG. 2, the balance 7 is not provided with the resin structure 3b in the portion where the balance 5 is engaged (in the vicinity of the mortise 7a), which prevents the balance 5 from rotating. Never become.

  With such a configuration, even if the hairspring 6 is bent in the vertical direction of the drawing due to the applied impact, the resin springs 3a and 3b can prevent the hairspring 6 from being damaged.

  Next, the configuration and arrangement of the resin structure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, using the configuration example 1 of the time governor for a timepiece described with reference to FIG. 1 (example in which the resin structure is provided on the balance wheel). The first to fifth embodiments will be described depending on the shape.

[Explanation of First Embodiment 1: FIG. 4]
FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining the first embodiment in Example 2 and a cross-sectional view thereof. This is an example using a so-called flat balance wheel.

  4A is a plan view of the balance wheel 4 in plan view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along a cutting line AA ′ in FIG. 4A.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the balance wheel body 2 constituting the balance wheel 4 is formed, for example, by machining brass. The balance wheel body 2 has, for example, a disk shape with a diameter of 10 mm and a thickness of 450 μm.

  At the center of the balance wheel body 2, a through-hole 2 a into which the balance stem 5 as a rotation shaft is fitted is provided. A resin structure 3a made of a resin-based composition such as a silicon resin, an epoxy resin, or an acrylic resin is formed on the entire surface of the balance wheel 2 except for the through holes 2a. The thickness of the resin structure 3a is, for example, 200 μm.

  With such a configuration, the timepiece 6 is greatly deflected to the balance wheel 4 side due to a strong impact on the watch, and the balance structure 6 a has the beard 6 no matter where the balance spring 6 comes into contact with the balance wheel 4. The impact applied to the mainspring 6 can be mitigated to prevent the hairspring 6 from being damaged.

[Description of First Embodiment 2: FIG. 5]
FIG. 5 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a modification of the first embodiment in Example 2. This is an example of using a so-called wheel-shaped balance wheel.

  5, FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view of the balance wheel 14 in plan view, and FIG. 5 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line BB ′ of FIG. 5 (a).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the balance wheel 14 has a fitting portion 12 a having a through hole 2 a into which the rotation shaft is fitted at the center of the balance wheel body 12 constituting the balance wheel 14, and an outer peripheral portion 12 b and a connection portion 12 c. Connected by. In this example, the case where there are four connection parts 12c is shown. If this shape is compared to a wheel, the connecting portion 12c corresponds to a spoke. Of course, the number of the connecting portions 12c can be arbitrarily determined. With such a configuration, the weight of the balance wheel 14 can be reduced.

  Similar to the example shown in FIG. 4, the resin structure 3 a is disposed on the entire surface of the balance wheel body 12 except for the through holes 2 a. Of course, it is also formed on the surface of the connecting portion 12c.

  With such a configuration, both the weight reduction of the balance wheel and the prevention of damage to the hairspring 6 can be achieved.

[Explanation of Second Embodiment: FIG. 6]
FIG. 6 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the second embodiment in the second embodiment. This is an example using a so-called flat balance wheel.

  6A is a plan view of the balance wheel 24 as viewed from above, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line CC ′ of FIG. 6A.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of resin structures 13 a are arranged at equal intervals on concentric circles with different distances from the center of the balance wheel body 2 on the surface of the balance wheel body 2 constituting the balance wheel 24. Yes. In order to prevent the balance wheel 24 from causing a single spindle, the resin structures 13a are preferably arranged in a well-balanced manner. For this purpose, the total number of resin structures 13a arranged in the same concentric circle is an even number. Is preferred.

  In addition, although the magnitude | size of the resin structure 13a arrange | positioned in the same concentric circle is made the same, it may differ in a different concentric circle.

  Moreover, if the resin structure 13a is arranged symmetrically with respect to an arbitrary virtual straight line L passing through the center of the balance wheel 24, it is preferable that the balance of the balance wheel 24 is not easily lost.

  The resin structure 13a is formed in a predetermined size by potting a resin for forming the resin structure. For example, a method of repeatedly forming a resin structure 13a by moving a nozzle or balance wheel 24 for injecting resin in the X direction and the Y direction and injecting a predetermined amount is used. Since it is a well-known technique, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The shape of the upper end surface of the resin structure 13a may be flat or a so-called dome shape having a hemispherical shape. Such a shape of the resin structure 13a is referred to as a bump shape. When the upper end surface is flat, the shape can be easily formed by forming the dome shape and then polishing the surface with a flat plate polishing means. For example, if polishing is performed while controlling the distance and force pressed against the polishing means, the upper end surface can be processed into a flat shape with high accuracy. Such a technique is well known, particularly in semiconductor element formation technology.

  Moreover, in the example shown in FIG. 6, although the resin structure 13a is circular by planar view, it cannot be overemphasized that a polygon may be sufficient.

  With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide the balance wheel 24 in all the portions that are planarly opposed to the balance spring 6, so that the resin constituting the resin structure 13a can be reduced, which is economical. .

[Explanation of Third Embodiment: FIG. 7]
FIG. 7 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating the third embodiment in the second embodiment. This is an example using a so-called flat balance wheel.

  7A is a plan view of the balance wheel 34 as viewed in plan, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the section line DD ′ of FIG. 7A.

  As shown in FIG. 7, on the surface of the balance wheel body 2 constituting the balance wheel 34, a plurality of strip-shaped resin structures 23a are disposed concentrically.

  With such a configuration, the resin structures 23a can be arranged on the balance wheel 34 in a well-balanced manner. Since the balance wheel 34 rotates about the rotation axis, the balance of the rotation of the balance wheel 34 does not occur if the resin structures 23a are arranged in a well-balanced manner.

  In addition, if the part to which the hairspring 6 hits is known in advance, the band shape can be freely designed and arranged so as to cover only that part.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the resin structure 23 a is formed in a circular shape centered on the through hole 2 a in a plan view, but is not limited thereto. A part of the resin structure 23a may be removed to form a plurality of belt shapes instead of a complete circle. For example, the balance wheel 34 shown in FIG. 7A is regarded as a dial of a watch, and two resin structures are drawn so as to draw an arc at two locations from the 12 o'clock direction to the 3 o'clock direction and from the 6 o'clock direction to the 9 o'clock direction. The body 23a may be provided.

[Explanation of Fourth Embodiment: FIG. 8]
FIG. 8 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the fourth embodiment in the second embodiment. This is an example using a so-called flat balance wheel.

  8A is a plan view of the balance wheel 44 as viewed from above, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line EE ′ of FIG. 8A.

  As shown in FIG. 8, on the surface of the balance wheel body 2 constituting the balance wheel 44, a plurality of resin structures 33a having a constant width extending radially from the center of the balance wheel body 2 are arranged at equal intervals. Yes.

  In the example shown in FIG. 8, there are twelve resin structures 33a and each resin structure is connected in the vicinity of the through hole 2a. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may arrange | position so that each provided resin structure may space apart. At this time, it should be noted that the contact of the hairspring 6 cannot be covered if the separation distance is wide.

  With this configuration, the resin structures 33a can be arranged on the balance wheel 44 in a well-balanced manner as in the third embodiment in the second embodiment shown in FIG. Since the balance wheel 44 rotates around the rotation axis, the balance of the rotation of the balance wheel 34 does not occur if the resin structures 33a are arranged in a well-balanced manner.

  Further, the hairspring 6 is expanding and contracting, and its diameter changes to a large or small size. Since the resin structure 33a has a constant width extending radially from the center of the balance wheel body 2 and a plurality of the resin structures 33a are provided, the resin structure 33a is resin regardless of the timing when the balance spring 6 strikes the balance wheel 44 during expansion and contraction. It can abut against the structure 33a.

[Explanation of Fifth Embodiment: FIG. 9]
FIG. 9 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view for explaining the fifth embodiment in the second embodiment. This is an example using a so-called flat balance wheel.

  9A is a plan view of the balance wheel 54 as viewed from above, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line FF ′ of FIG. 9A.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a first resin structure 43 a is provided on the entire surface of the balance wheel body 2 constituting the balance wheel 54. A second belt-like resin structure 53a in a circular shape is arranged on the outer periphery of a part of the balance wheel body 2, for example, the through hole 2a, at the upper part of the first resin structure 43a. It is installed.

  The first resin structure 43a and the second resin structure 53a may be made of the same material, but are preferably made of different materials. For example, the second resin structure 53a on the side in contact with the hairspring 6 can be made of a relatively soft resin, and the first resin structure 43a on the base side can be a relatively hard resin film. If it does so, destruction of the hairspring 6 can be prevented, maintaining the intensity | strength of the whole laminated | stacked resin film.

  In addition, if the second resin structure 53a is a material that does not easily adhere to the balance wheel body 2, if a material having high adhesion to the balance wheel body 2 is selected as the first resin structure 43a, the first resin structure 53a is selected. In some cases, the second resin structure 53a can be formed without any problem through the resin structure 43a. Such an example is also a merit of making the resin structure into a laminated structure.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the example in which the first resin structure 43a is provided on the entire surface of the balance wheel body 2 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. You may make it provide only in the lower part of the 2nd resin structure 53a.

  Further, as in the second embodiment in Example 2 shown in FIG. 6, the laminated resin structure may be formed into a bump shape.

  The first to fifth embodiments in Example 2 described above can be combined with the shapes shown and described. For example, the shape of the balance wheel body may be a so-called wheel-shaped balance wheel shown in FIG. 5, and the bump shape shown in FIG. 6 or the belt-like resin structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 may be provided there. It is. Of course, it is needless to say that the belt-shaped resin structure may have the laminated structure shown in FIG.

  In addition, a single spindle may occur on the balance wheel. Even in such a case, the balance of the balance wheel can be adjusted. For example, the resin structure is partially removed by laser beam irradiation or the like. This will change the weight balance and eliminate the single weight.

  Moreover, the shape of the resin structure shown in the first to fifth embodiments in Example 2 described above can also be adopted as the shape of the resin structure formed on the balance. Since the balance with hairspring does not rotate like the balance wheel body, when forming a resin structure on the balance with a balance, it is not necessary to consider the balance much more than when forming it on the balance wheel body.

  According to the present invention, even when a silicon balance wheel, which is a brittle material, is used, the occurrence of breakage can be prevented without increasing the size of the watch, and therefore, it is suitable as a speed governor for a small and lightweight watch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 11, 21 Time regulator 2a Through-hole 3a, 3b, 13a, 23a, 33a, 43a, 53a Resin structure 4, 14, 24, 34, 44, 54 Balance wheel 5 Balance 6 Balance spring 7 Balance 7a, 8a Mortise 8 Base plate 54 Second resin structure

Claims (6)

A time governor for a timepiece having a balance wheel and a balance spring which are engaged with a rotation shaft supported by a mortise provided in a balance with a balance,
The balance wheel includes a balance wheel and a resin structure formed on the surface of the balance wheel ,
The balance wheel body is formed of a material different from that of the resin structure,
The timepiece governor according to claim 1, wherein the resin structure includes a removing portion for adjusting a half weight of the balance wheel. 2. The time governor for a timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the resin structure exists in a portion facing the hairspring in a planar manner. The balance wheel body is made of metal.
The time governor for a timepiece according to claim 1 or 2. A balance adjustment method for a balance wheel used in a time governor for a timepiece having a balance wheel and a balance spring which cooperates by being engaged with a rotation shaft supported by a mortise provided in a balance with a balance,
Forming a resin structure on the balance wheel;
Removing the resin structure partially only contains,
The balance wheel is composed of a balance wheel body and a resin structure formed on the surface of the balance wheel body,
The balance wheel half weight adjusting method used for a time governor for a timepiece , wherein the balance wheel body is formed of a material different from that of the resin structure . The method of adjusting a balance of a balance wheel for a time governor according to claim 4 , wherein the partial removal is performed by laser beam irradiation. The balance wheel body is made of metal.
The method of adjusting a half weight of a balance wheel for a time governor according to claim 4 or 5.

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