US3006138A

US3006138A - Automatic self-winding watch

Info

Publication number: US3006138A
Application number: US739764A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rene A Fiechter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1958-06-04
Filing date: 1958-06-04
Publication date: 1961-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 1978-10-31

Description

Oct. 31, 1961 R. A. FIECHTER 3,006,138

AUTOMATIC SELF-WINDING WATCH Filed June 4, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PRIOR ART INVENTOR WMWM ATTORNEYb Oct. 31, 1961 R. A. FIECHTER AUTOMATIC SELF-WINDING WATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 4, 1958 INVENTOR M M. 3 M 4 BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofifice 3,006,138 AUTOMATIC SELF-WINDING WATCH Rene A. Fiechter, 137 Hollywood Ave., Douglaston 63, N.Y. Filed June 4, 1958, Ser. No. 739,764 6 Claims. (Cl. 58-82) This invention relates to an automatic self-winding watch and particularly to such a Watch in which the oscillating mass (rotor) is provided with peripheral supporting bearings to relieve the central pivot or trunnion of certain undesirable stresses, to reduce friction and to increase eificiency.

The self-winding watches now in current use on the market have a rotor or mass oscillating around a central trunnion which bears the whole weight of such mass. The

.shocks causing the mass to rotate, thus winding the watch,

are also borne by said central trunnion, causing it to wear out and often to break.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for increasing the life of the central trunnion and to reduce the possible amount of friction of the rotor not only at its trunnion but at all other points where friction might develop, thus obtaining a more durable and at the same time more sensitive self-winding mechanism, and therefore a better over-all performance of the watch.

Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 represents a perspective View, W1th a minimum of detail, showing a conventional form of trunnionmounted rotor;

FIG. 2 represents a radial section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1, parts being broken away;

FIG. 3 represents a top plan view of a rotor according to the invention with its peripheral guide rings, parts being broken away and conventional details of the watch mechanism being omitted;

FIG. 4 represents a radial section, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, parts being broken away;

FIG. 5 represents a detail radial section, similar to FIG. 4, showing an alternative form of bearing, parts being broken away; I

FIG. 6 represents a detail radial section, similar to FIGS. 4 and 5, showing another alternative form of hearing, and

FIG. 7 represents a detail chord-wise section taken on the line VIIVII of FIG. 6, parts being broken away.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the conventional rotor mounting, it will be seen that the rotor 1 rotates freely about the trunnion 2 which supports the rotor above the watch mechanism proper 3 with a small clearance. The trunnion 2 is heavily stressed mechanically because the greatest mass of the rotor is near its periphery, as shown at 4, thus subjecting the central trunnion to high bending moments through cantilever action, plus strong sheer stresses. Moreover, the reaction from shocks, dynarnic accelerations and friction, all caused by the fact that the center of mass of the rotor necessarily does not coincide with its axis of rotation (the rotor being dynamically unbalanced) tend to aggravate the stress situation. In actual practice it is found that the greatest single cause of breakdown in self-winding watches is failure of the center trunnion 2, which either breaks or bends or wears out a larger hole in the rotor thus permitting the rotor to scrape against the watch movement. On the other hand, the necessarily tight fit of the rotor on the trunnion results in friction which makes the efliciency of the rotor, at best, far from ideal.

The difiiculties just described are overcome by the structure of the present invention in which the rotor 5 (FIGS.

3,006,138 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 .3 and 4) is provided with a rim 6 extending uniformly around 360 and firmly fixed to the periphery of the rotor through 180 by means of the screws 7. The rim 6 projects radially outward beyond the periphery of the rotor into a channel formed by the lower guide ring 8 (fixed to the watch mechanism) and the upper guide ring 9 (fixed to ring 8), the inwardly projecting flange 9 being spaced from the upper surface of ring 8 by a distance somewhat greater than the thickness of the rim 6 so as to leave clearance spaces above and below said rim.

The rim 6 is provided with a plurality (e.g., 13 to 26) of vertical holes or sockets 10 uniformly spaced throughout its whole extent and small jewels 11, 12 are set in the holes or sockets in such a Way as to present upwardly and downwardly projecting rounded surfaces 11', 12'. The dimensions of the jewels are such that they do not normally come in contact with the channel walls (surfaces of ring 8 and flange 9'), but the clearance is small enough to permit the rounded surfaces 11, 12' to act as bumpers, preventing any serious distortion of the central trunnion when the watch is subjected to shocks. The rounded jewel surfaces have good frictional characteristics so that their momentary (or longer) contact with the channel surfaces does not interfere with the proper functioning of the rotor, and such contact causes no harmful wear.

It is important to note that the rim 6 is a complete annulus and thus resists cantilever distortion of the central trunnion at both ends of every diameter, as contrasted with the conventional rotor (1 in FIGS. 1 and 2) which is only a 180 sector. That is, any rocking of the rotor out of its normal plane of oscillation will be arrested by the contact of one or more upper jewels against flange 9' on one side and one or more lower jewels against ring 8 at the opposite side, thus distributing the friction and wear among a plurality of contact points.

In the alternative form shown in FIG. 5 the jewels 13, 14 are spherical and are mounted in a small cylinder 15 with a spring 16 pushing them apart against the crimped-in ends of the cylinder. The cylinder is designed to be held by a close friction fit in the hole 10 of the rotor, and the outermost points of the jewels are spaced by small clearances from the channel surfaces, as described above. Such spherical jewels act as ball bearings when a shock brings them into contact with the channel surfaces, with the result that friction and wear are both minimized.

A further alternative arrangement is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein the jewels. are in the form of

rollers

17, 18 mounted onaxles 19, 20 for rotation about radial axes a and 12 disposed in regular alternation around the periphery of a rim 21 (similar to rim 6). The axles 1'9 (on ads a) are nearer the upper surface of rim 21 so that the rollers 17 can contact the flange 9", while the axles 2.0 (on axis [1) are nearer the lower surface of the rim enabling the rollers 18 to bear against the ring 8. When the rotor is in its proper position and not subjected to abnormal shocks the

rollers

17, 18 do not touch either of the channel surfaces, but when a shock deforms the rotor, momentarily or longer, out of its normal trajectory the rollers 17 on one side will run on the adjacent flange surface while the rollers 18 diametrically opposite will run on the surface of ring 8, as will be readily understood. In this instance frictional interference with the operation of the rotor is practically eliminated, and no perceptible wear of either rollers or channel surfaces should occur.

If either one of the guide rings 8 or 9 is omitted there is still some advantage from the provision of a complete circle of anti-friction and wear-resisting elements capable of limiting displacement of the rotor from its proper plane, but the provision of both upper and lower annular guide surfaces is to be preferred. Part of the annular rim 6 can evidently be replaced by a correspondingly shaped, jewel-carryin g arcuate rim integral with the rotor, so long as the net effect is to provide a complete circle of the jewel elements in approximately the positions shown and described.

It will be understood that other modifications may be made in the mounting, shape and distribution of the jewels and in other details of the structure well within the scope of the invention exemplified by the three forms described above. Also, while the bumpers, balls and rollers have been described as jewels, which are preferred, pants having corresponding shapes and functions but made of other materials might be substituted if necessary or desired.

What I claim is:

1. A watch of the character described comprising a rotor supported for oscillation on a fixed central trunnion, a plurality of anti-friction and wear-resistant elements fixed to the rotor and disposed in an are adjacent its periphery, an additional plurality of anti-friction and wear-resistant elements fixed to the rotor and disposed in an are forming with the first-mentioned are a complete circle with the trunnion as its center, and at least one fixed annular guide surface disposed adjacent said elements with a small clearance between said surface and said elements under normal conditions and in any position with relation to the force of gravity, whereby displacement of the rotor from its normal plane of oscillation about its axis in the watch movement may be limited by contact of at least one of said elements with said surface, said elements being jewels, each presenting toward the adjacent guide surface a rounded portion.

2. A watch according to claim 1 in which the jewels are spherical and are resiliently and rotatably supported.

3. A watch according to claim 1 in which the jewels are in the form of rollers mounted for rotation about axes lying radially of the rotor, alternate axes being disposed to lie in different planes perpendicular tothe axis of oscillation of the rotor.

4. A watch of the character described comprising a rotor supported for oscillation on a fixed central trunnion, an annular rim fixed to the rotor adjacent its pen'phery, a plurality of anti-friction and wear-resistant elements mounted in said rim and projecting therefrom, and upper and lower fixed annular guide surfaces disposed adjacent said elements above and below said annular rim with a small clearance between said surfaces and the projecting portions of said elements under normal conditions and in any position with relation to the force of gravity, whereby displacement of the rotor from its normal plane of oscillation about its axis in the watch movement may be limited by contact of at least one of said elements with said surface, said elements being jewels, each presenting toward the adjacent guide surface a rounded portion.

5. A watch according to claim 4 in which the jewels are spherical and are resiliently and rotatably supported.

6. A watch according to claim 4 in which the jewels are in the form of rollers mounted for rotation about axes lying radially of the rotor, alternate axes being disposed to lie in different planes perpendicular to the axis of oscillation of the rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 786,387 Smith Apr. 4, 1905 1,799,454 Burke Apr. 7, 1931 1,844,882. Bulova Feb. 9, 1932 2,857,733 Maire Oct. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 669,731 France Aug. 10, 1929 146,604 Switzerland July 1, 1931 160,491 Switzerland May 16, 1933 776,187 Great Britain June 5, 1957