US2977749A

US2977749A - Transmission device for time meters

Info

Publication number: US2977749A
Application number: US673683A
Authority: US
Inventors: Meyer Friedrich
Original assignee: Ebauches SA
Current assignee: Ebauches SA
Priority date: 1957-05-29
Filing date: 1957-07-23
Publication date: 1961-04-04
Anticipated expiration: 1978-04-04

Description

April 4, 1961 F. MEYER TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR TIME METERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1957 I v INVENTOR 2%Heger Unitsd SW e TRANSMISSION DEVICE FOR TIME METERS Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen, Switzerland, assignor to Ebauches S.A., Neuchatel, Switzerland Filed July 23, 1957, Ser. No. 673,683

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 29, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 58-21.13)

The present invention relates to a timepiece of the type in which a single spring powers the time and alarm mechanisms, the timepiece including a translatorily movable sliding gear which, in one direction of rotation, is in mesh with a toothed wheel and, in the other direction of rotation of the toothed wheel, is out of mesh therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide a means acting upon said sliding gear to automatically keep said gear in an initial position avoiding setting up on the teeth of said toothed wheel.

Other objects and features will be apparent as the following description proceeds reference being hand to the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example one embodiment of the invention and in which Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of the device seen from the side of the winding knob.

Fig. 2 illustrates on a larger scale a detail of the alarm movement;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along broken line III- III of Fig. 2 and Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views taken on a larger scale along broken lines IV-IV and V-V respectively of Fig. l.

The device illustrated and described below is used in the alarm movement of an alarm device forming object of my copending patent application Serial No. 673,681 filed the same day under the title Alarm Device.

The

pillar plates

1 and 2 are mounted on spacing members 3 secured to a catch cover 6 and a casing 7 by means of screws 4 and 5 respectively. A winding stem 9 rigidly connected with a hand-operable winding knob 8 is journalled in a bearing 10 of the pillar plate 2 and in a bearing 11 of the pillar plate 1. A drive wheel 12 rigidly connected with the winding stem 9 has a toothing 13 extending only over about half the circumference of the wheel 12 on which are

indices

0, 15, 30, 45, 60 indicating minutes, the indices being distributed over half the circumference of the wheel 12 (Fig. 1). These indices become visible in a certain position through a window 56 against a hand 52 provided on the pillar plate 1 and the cover 6. Outermost teeth 14 at the two ends of the toothing 13 are shorter than remaining teeth 15. In Fig. 2 only the outermost tooth 14 at one end is shown. The shorter teeth 14 assist in avoiding jamming or setting-up (described later on). One end of a drive spring. 16 is appended on the winding stem 9 as at 17 (Fig. 4) and the other end of the spring 16 is fixed to a lug 18 bent out of the pillar plate 2 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The drive wheel 12 includes a pin 19 made in one piece with it. A disc 20 with a radially projecting member 21 is loosely placed on the winding stem 9. A pin 22 is inserted in the disc 20 or is made in one piece with it and enters a slot 23 of the pillar plate -1. At the right of the drive wheel 12 (Fig. 1) a pinion 25 is journalled in the

pillar plates

1 and 2 by means of a shaft 24. This pinion serves to cooperate with the toothing 13 of the drive wheel 12., A wheel 26 is loosely mounted on the shaft 24 and is pressed by means of a "ice friction spring 27 abutting on the pinon 25 against a disc 28 rigidly fixed to the shaft 24. The wheel 26 is in mesh with a pinion 29 of a shaft 30 journalled in the

pillar plates

1 and 2, shaft 30 also carrying an intermediate wheel 31 in mesh with the pinion 32 of an escape wheel 33 which together with the pinion 32 is mounted on a shaft 34 journalled in the

pillar plates

1 and 2. The escape wheel 33 cooperates with a pallet or retarder 36 having two pallets 53 and being mounted on the balance shaft 35 journalled in the

pillar plates

1 and 2. The balance 37 also carried by the shaft 35 is springless. The

parts

25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 33, 36 and 37 constitute the going or retarding movement of the alarm device.

On the left in Fig. l is the alarm movement. It includes a pinion 33 to mesh with the toothing 13 of the drive wheel 12, the pinion 38 and wheel 55 forming together a translatorily movable sliding gear in that the shaft 39 of the pinion 38 is mounted in slots 40 of the

pillar piates

1 and 2 in such a manner that it can be displaced parallel to itself in order to avoid or give place to the toothing 13 on the winding of the drive spring 16, i.e. on rotation of the drive wheel 12 in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1 and to mesh with the toothing 13 on alarm when the spring 16 is running down in anticlockwise direction. Since the pinion 38 is not in permanent engagement with the toothing 13 during a complete revolution of the drive wheel 12, but must come into engagement with it at a certain moment, there exists the danger of jamming or setting-up between the teeth of the pinion 38 and the toothing 13 in spite of the shorter teeth 14. In order to avoid such setting-up, a leaf spring 41 is in contact with the circumference of the pinion 38 and, in the rest position of the pinion 38, according to Fig. 2, bears against two adjacent teeth of the pinion 38 in such a manner that setting-up between the teeth of the

parts

38 and 13 is definitely avoided in that the tooth of the pinion 38 which first engages with a tooth of wheel 12 is held by the spring 41 in a position directed towards a side of a tooth of the drive wheel preventing setting up. In order to hold it in place, the spring 41, at its end away from the pinion 38, is bent at a right angle and pressed into a hole 54 of the pillar plate 2. The shaft 39 carries a Wheel 55 with ratchet teeth, cooperating with a drive member 43, having two teeth 42, of an alarm or ringing hammer 44. Member 43 and hammer 44 connected together by means of a screw 46 are rigidly fixed to the shaft 45 journalled in the

pillar plates

1 and 2. For emitting alarm signals the hammer 44 strikes against a bell 48 fixed to the bearing 10. Since on displacement of the shaft 39 of the sliding gear in the slots 40 tilting of this shaft becomes possible, a collar 47 is provided on the shaft 45 at the side of the member 43 away from the hammer 44. The wheel 55 enters the space axially limited by the hammer 44 and the collar 47, in such a manner that on tilting of the shaft 39 the wheel 55 cannot disengage from member 43.

The illustrated and described device works as follows:

In the position of the several parts as shown in Fig. l the device is Wound up for the period of an hour. In the window 56 the index 60 of the drive disc or wheel 12 is visible, is. the

alarm movement

38, 55, 43, 44, 48'

becomes effective after the expiration of sixty minutes. In the initial position of Fig. l the pin 19 of the drive wheei 12 is between the disc 29 and the wheel 55. The projecting member 21 of the disc 20 bears, as may be seen in Fig. 1, against the top of the pin 19, while the pin 22 contacts the end face 49 of the slot 23. The toothing 13 is disengaged from the pinion 38 and is immediately before its engagement with the pinion 25. Now, when the drive wheel 12 under the action of the drive spring 16 begins to rotate in the anticlockwise direction of Fig. 1 the toothing 13 at once engages the pinion'25 which Patented Apr. 4, 1961v V 3 through the intermediary of the friction spring 27 drives the wheels and

pinions

26, 29, 31, 32 and 33. The going movement regulates or retards respectively the speed of the drive wheel 12 against the action of spring 16 in such ajmanner that the drive disc or wheel 12 turns during an hour by half a revolution in the anticlockwise direction of Fig. ll When the index of the disc 12 appears in the window 56; i.e., when the previously adjusted hour has lapsed, the end 50 of the toothing 13 shown at the right side in Fig. 1 comes within reach of the pinion 38 so that the

teeth

14 and 15 engage the pinion 38 and the wheel 55 is turned in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1

and oscillations are? imparted to the member 43 by co operation of the teeth of the wheel 55 with the teeth 42 of the member 43, so'that the hammer 44 strikes against the bell 48. As the drive wheel 12 is not in engagement with the going and regulating movement during the driving-of the

alarm movement

38, 55, 43, 44, the spring 16 can develop its full power for operating the alarm movementand in consequence can impart to the drive wheel 12 a much greater speed than before so that this'wheel runs through the second half revolution, during which the alarm is given, in a very short period (e.g. in to seconds).

At the beginning of the above-described running-down movement the pin 19 of the wheel 12 leaves the projecting member 21 and, at a certain moment of the unwinding motion, strikes thereagainst from the topthereof. The pin 19 by means of the projecting member 21 then carries the disc 20 and its pin 22 along inthe anticlockwise direction until the pin 22 strikes against the end face 51 of the slot 23 of the pillar plate'l so that the drive Wheel 12 is stopped and the alarm ceases. From this end position the index 60 is'visible again in the'window 56.

In order to rewind the now unwound device for another period of one hour the drive wheel 12 is turned in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1 a complete revolution by means of the winding knob 8. At the beginning of this winding movement the toothing 13 strikes against the pinion 38 thus moving the shaft 39 outwardly along the slots 40 and against the action of the spring 41 so that the toothing 13 jumps over the pinion 38 of the sliding gear. When the fore end of the toothing 13 arrives in reach'of the pinion 25, the latter engages the toothing 13 and is rotated while the remaining parts of the going and regulating movement remain at rest, due to the action of the friction spring 27. During the winding operation the pin 19 is carried in the clockwise direction, to strike against the projecting member 21 from the bottom side and to move it with the disc 21 and the pin 22 along in the clockwise direction until the pin 22 strikes against the end face 49 in the position of Fig. 1. not be turned further in the clockwise direction because The wheel 12 can- '4- i the pin 22 strikes against the stationary end face 49. The cycle as described above may now be repeated.

Instead of using the novel device including the sliding gear in an alarm device, it may also be used in time meters for other purposes, e.g. in automatic winding mechanisms for watch movements.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I do not wish to limit the scope'thereto but reserve the right to make such modifications and rearrangements that may come within the purview of the appending claims.

I claim: 1' I 1. A timepiece of thetype including a toothed drive wheel having teeth over only a portion of its circumference and adapted to berotatedin opposite directions the combination therewith of a translatorily movable sliding gear adapted to be in mesh with the teeth of the drive wheel during one direction of rotation thereof and moved out of mesh with .said teeth by the drive wheel during the opposite direction of rotation thereof, and :1

positioning spring member resiliently bearing against adjacent teeth of the sliding gear and urging it towards the drive wheel and simultaneously positioningthe sliding gear so that a tooth thereof is directed towards a side of the first tooth of the toothed portion o'f'the drive wheel thereby preventing jamming of opposite teeth of the sliding gear and drive wheel.

2. A timepiece according to claim 1 combined with an alarm device including a shaft, an alarm hammer mounted on said shaft, a collarmounted'on said shaft spaced from said hammer, a drive member for said hammer mountedon said shaft intermediate said hammer and said collar, a drive wheel carried withthesliding gear, the drive wheel extending into the space between said hammer'and said collar andbeing thereby arrially secured against tilting so as to maintain engagement with said drive member.

References Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Switzerland May 17, 1954