US3045418A

US3045418A - Time meter

Info

Publication number: US3045418A
Application number: US34436A
Authority: US
Inventors: Heuer Hubert Bernard
Original assignee: Ed Heuer & Co SA
Current assignee: Ed Heuer & Co Sa
Priority date: 1960-06-07
Filing date: 1960-06-07
Publication date: 1962-07-24
Anticipated expiration: 1979-07-24

Description

July 24, 1962 H. B. HEUER 3,045,418

TIME METER Filed June 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H. B. HEUER July 24, 1962 TIME METER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 7, 1960 ite Stats Patent 3,045,418 TIME METER Hubert Bernard Heuer, Gottstatt, near Orpund, Switzerland, assignor to Ed. Heuer & Co. 5A., a Swiss firm Filed June 7, 1960, Ser. No. 34,436 3 Claims. (Cl. 5874) My invention has for its object a time-meter including an hour indicating disc rotating intermittently so as to make successive digits appear behind a gate formed in a dial; means for driving the hour indicating disc, consisting of a star wheel fixed below the disc and a pinion mounted on an eccentric centre wheel; a spring detent engaging into the star wheel so as to hold the hour indicating' disc at a given angular position; a push-button arrangement for zero re-set of the hour indicating disc independently from zero re-set of the minute and second indicating members, said arrangement comprising a push button, a rocking member providing for the progression'of the star wheel by one interval at every pressure on the push-button, and means preventing the star wheel from rotating by an angle greater than an interval owing to its inertia and against setting lever action whenever an exaggerated pressure is exerted on the push-button.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the time-meter form-- ing disc 10, the digits on which appear through the gate 11 formed in the dial 12, while a central minute-hand 13 and a sweep seconds hand 14 turn over said dial.

The mechanism controlling the time-indicating members is carried by the pillar plate 15 and includes (FIG. 4) an eccentric centre Wheel and pinion 16, a third wheel and pinion 17 and a fourth wheel and pinion arranged centrally at 18.

The sweep seconds hand 14 is driven, as shown in FIG. 4, over a sleeve 19 fitted with slight friction over the end of the spindle 28 rigid with the fourth wheel and pinion 18. Said sleeve 19, revolving inside a bearing sleeve 21 formed in a bridge plate 22 secured to the pillar plate 15 on the side facing the dial, is provided at its lower end with a heart-shaped return to zero cam 23.

The minute hand 13 is keyed to a cannon pinion 24 adapted to revolve round the bearing 21. Over the pipe of cannon pinion 24 is freely fitted the hub 25 of an arrangement formed by the hour indicating disc and by the twelve-pointed star wheel 36; said hub is provided at its lower end with a carrier section revolving inside a circular bearing formed by an opening in a small bar 26. The latter is fitted on the pillar plate through the agency of an annular bridge plate 27 (FIG. 2).

The cannon pinion 24, of which the axial shifting is limited by the bar 26, is driven by the centre wheel and pinion 16 through the agency of a rotary system 29, fitted with slight friction over the end of the spindle 68 of said centre wheel and pinion and passing through the plate 15, and of a transmission pinion 30.

The rotary system 29 includes .a toothed wheel 31 carrying a projection 32 and a heart-shaped return to zero cam 33. The transmission pinion 30 is fitted in an arm 3,045,418 Patented July 24, 1962 34 (FIG. 3) and is urged against the teeth on the cannon pinion 24 and on the toothed wheel 31 by a spring 35.

The angular position of the arrangement 10-36 resting in the small bar 26 and held in position by a clip 28, is defined by a spring detent 37, FIG. 2. At each rotation of the centre wheel and pinion 16, the projection 32 provides for the progression of the star wheel 36 by one interval, i.e. by one twelfth of a revolution of the disc 10 rigid with the star wheel.

The means controlling the starting and the stopping of the driving mechanism include, as shown in FIG. 3, a stop-carrying wheel 38 rigid with a ratchet 39 provided with sixteen teeth. Said wheel 38 carrying eight stops 40 is subjected to the action of a spring detent 41 and is actuated by a catch 42 connected with the rod 43 of a central pusher member 44 (FIG. 1). A pressure exerted on the latter provides for a progression by one tooth interval of the ratchet wheel 39, which produces the starting and stopping of the driving mechanism according to the angular position assumed by the stops 40.

The stoppage of the mechanism is obtained through the agency of two

brakes

46 and 45 acting simultaneously, respectively on the wheel 47 of the fourth wheel and pinion 18 and on the balance wheel 48. The brake 45 is constituted by a lever, of which one arm carries a shoe 49, while its other arm is provided with a nose 50. Said braking leveris subjected to the action of a spring 51 which urges the shoe 49 against the cooperating part of the balance wheel 48. If the wheel 38 is in the angular position illustrated in the drawing, the nose 50 is raised by one of .the stops 40 and the shoe 49 is held away from the balance wheel. If the wheel 38 is, in contradistinction, in an angular position spaced by one sixteenth of a revolution with reference to the position illustrated, the nose 49 drops into the space separating two successive stops 40 and the shoe 49 locks the balance wheel 48 against movement. The brake 46, which is constituted by a spring blade, is controlled by the brake 45 and acts through the agency of a shoe 52 on the teeth of the wheel 47.

The return to zero of the

hands

13 and 14 is obtained through the agency of an arrangement including a forked rocking member 53, the

arms

54 and 55 of which form two hammers adapted to act on the corresponding heartshaped return to zero

cams

23 and 33.

The rocking member 53 is controlled by a lateral pusher knob 56 (FIGS. 1 and 2) subjected to the action of a return spring, not shown. Said arrangement is locked whenever a stop 40 is located in registry with the tailpiece 58 of the rocking member 53, as occurs each time the

brakes

45 and 46 are not actuated and it is released at the moment at which a stop 40 raises the nose 50 and produces a locking of the driving mechanism.

The indicating mechanism is arranged for zero resetting the hour indicating disc 10 independently from the zero resetting of the other indicating members.

This arrangement includes a lateral push-button 59 controlling a rocking member 61 subject to the action of a return spring 62. Said rocking member, when pivoting because a pressure is exerted on the push-button, touches a tooth of the star wheel 36 and provides for its progression by an angle greater than half an interval, thus enabling the setting lever 37 to complete the action of the rocking lever conveniently while the latter returns to its first position.

The star wheel 36 is prevented from moving through an angle larger than one interval under the action of its inertia whenever the action of the spring detent 37 is overcome by an exaggerated pressure exerted on the pushbutton 59. This is obtained by the shape of the end of the rocking member 61, which and forms a projection u) 70 bounded by an inner impulse surface 71 adapted to impinge against the rear side 73 of the successive teeth of the star wheel and to thus make the star wheel turn intermittently while the outer surface 72 of the projection 70 forms an abutment stopping the successive star wheel teeth through their front side 74 just after the impulse has been given to the preceding star wheel tooth.

The impulse surface 71 is rounded so as to engage only a very small area on the rear side 73 of the successive teeth during the successive impulses. In contradistinction the abutment surface 74 is rectilinear and engages a line on the front side 74 of the successive teeth so as to stop the star wheel.

The rounded shape of the impulse surface allows thus a sliding movement thereof over the rear side of the cooperating teeth when the rocking member is caused to pivot under the action of the push-button 59; this ensures an even distribution of wear.

These impulse and abutment surfaces are designed so as to limit to a minimum the time elapsed between the actual beginning of the impulse and the stop produced by the abutment surface. This cuts out any undesired shocks.

The spring detent 37, the rocking member 61 and the return spring acting thereon are fitted on the annular bridge member 27. A ring 63 screwed over the sleeve inside which the stem of the pusher member 59 slides, allows axially locking the latter against inward movement.

What I claim is:

1. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale of hours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to show the figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, an annular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds hand cooperating with the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear including a spindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindle and controlling the minute hand, two return to zero cams rigid with said sweep seconds hand and with said toothed wheel respectively, a projection carried eccentrically by the toothed wheel, a star-shaped wheel coaxially rigid with the hour disc and driven by said projection engaging in intervals between its teeth, a train of gears operatively connecting the sweep seconds hand with the centre gear, a first knob, a balance wheel operatively connected with said train of gears, means engaging the train of gears and the balance wheel and controlled by said first knob to produce alternatively upon successive actuations of the first knob, the starting and the stopping of the operation of the time meter, a second knob controlling the return to zero of the two return to zero cams; a third knob and a mechanism through which actuation of said third knob shifts the star-shaped wheel and hour disc stepwise to zero.

2. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale of hours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to show the figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, an annular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds hand cooperating with the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear, including a spindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindle and ccntroh ling the minute hand, a return to zero lll' auisrn, including cams, for the seconds hand and the n nute hand, a projection carried eccentric. lly by the toothed wheel, a star-shaped wheel coax-ially rigid with the hour disc and driven by said projection engac 'ig the intervals between its teeth, a train of gears operativeiy conncr the sweep seconds hand with the centre gear, a first khan, means engaging the train of gears and controlled by said first knob to produce alternatively upon successive actuations of the first knob the starting and the stopping of the operation of the time meter, s second knob controlling the return to zero of the two return to zero cam a third knob, a me ring member controlled by said third knob and one end of which faces the star-shaped wheel, to engage upon actuation of said third knob the interval between two successive teeth to thereby si'lift the at shaped wheel by one tooth interval, a spring detent holding the star-shaped wheel elastically in its successive angular positions corresponding to accurate positioning of an hour scale figure under the dial gate.

3. A time meter comprising an hour disc carrying an annular scale of hours, a gated dial under which said disc is adapted to revolve to show the figures of its scale in succession through the gate in the dial, an annular minute scale on the dial, a minute hand and a sweep seconds hand cooperating Wl-lJ the minute scale, an eccentric centre gear, including a spindle, a toothed wheel fitted with slight friction over said spindle and controlling the minute hand, a return to zero mechanism for the seconds hand and the minute hand, a projection carried eccentrically by the toothed wheel, a star-shaped wheel coaxially rigid with the hour disc and driven by said projection engaging the intervals between its teeth, a train of gears operatively connecting the sweep seconds hand with the centre gear, a first knob, means engaging the train of gears and controlled by said first knob to pro duce alternatively upon successive actuations of the first knob the starting and the stopping of the operation of the time meter, a second knob controlling the return to zero of the zero mechanism, a third knob, a rocking member controlled by said third knob and one end of which forms a projection extending towards said starshaped wheel and defined between a forward rounded impulse surface adapted to engage the rear surfaces of the successive teeth of the star-shaped wheel to urge the latter through one tooth interval and a substantially flat rear abutment surface stopping the progression of the star-shaped wheel by engagement with the front surface of the following tooth a very short moment after the impulse has been given by the impulse surface, a spring detent holding the star-shaped wheel elastically in its successive angular positions corresponding to an accurate positioning of an hour scale figure under the dial gate.

References Cited in the file or" this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 71,947 Switzerland Mar r, 19l6 161,G93 Switzerland July l7, 1933 1,000,067 France Get 10, 1951