US3262259A - Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces - Google Patents

Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3262259A
US3262259A US431676A US43167665A US3262259A US 3262259 A US3262259 A US 3262259A US 431676 A US431676 A US 431676A US 43167665 A US43167665 A US 43167665A US 3262259 A US3262259 A US 3262259A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
wheel
timepiece
index
setting
minute
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US431676A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
William O Bennett
William W Mutter
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bulova Watch Co Inc
Original Assignee
Bulova Watch Co Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bulova Watch Co Inc filed Critical Bulova Watch Co Inc
Priority to US431676A priority Critical patent/US3262259A/en
Priority to DEB85720A priority patent/DE1300868B/de
Priority to GB5752/66A priority patent/GB1064230A/en
Priority to CH183166A priority patent/CH505415A/de
Priority to NL6601719A priority patent/NL6601719A/xx
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3262259A publication Critical patent/US3262259A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
    • G04C3/00—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means
    • G04C3/08—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means wherein movement is regulated by a mechanical oscillator other than a pendulum or balance, e.g. by a tuning fork, e.g. electrostatically
    • G04C3/10—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means wherein movement is regulated by a mechanical oscillator other than a pendulum or balance, e.g. by a tuning fork, e.g. electrostatically driven by electromagnetic means
    • G04C3/101—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means wherein movement is regulated by a mechanical oscillator other than a pendulum or balance, e.g. by a tuning fork, e.g. electrostatically driven by electromagnetic means constructional details
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B27/00—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means
    • G04B27/004—Mechanical devices for setting the time indicating means having several simultaneous functions, e.g. stopping or starting the clockwork or the hands

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to time-setting mechanisms for electronic timepieces, and more particularly to a mechanism which when actuated immediately arrests the motion of the seconds hand in a tuning-fork type of electronic timepiece, normal motion of the seconds hand being resumed the moment the setting mechanism is released.
  • an electronic timepiece including a tuning fork having a rela tively high frequency and a battery-powered transistorized drive circuit to sustain the vibratory motion of the fork.
  • the reciprocating motion of the fork which acts as a time-keeping standard, istransformed into rotary motion by means of a ratchet and pawl mechanism whose pawl or index finger is attached to one tine of the fork.
  • the pawl engages and advances a ratchet wheel provided with a pinion for operating the timepiece hands through a train of gears.
  • the lever being provided with lifting pins which when the stem is raised, serve to lift the index finger and pawl away from the ratchet teeth of the index wheel.
  • the lifting thereof has no adverse effects.
  • the index finger is attached to one tine of the tuning fork and when this element is lifted, the index finger continues to reciprocate, the finger then proceeding to drag back and forth across the lifting pin. This drag imposes a relatively heavy load on the tuning fork, thereby reducing its vibratory amplitude and increasing battery drain.
  • the index finger is returned to its operative position, its action is initially relatively sluggish until such time as the fork is able to regain its orginal amplitude. As a consequence, the timepiece does not immediately resume its proper functioning when restarted by the setting mechanism and some degree of accuracy is lost in the setting operation.
  • a significant feature of the invention resides in the fact that as the stem of the setting mechanism is raised, a programmed sequence of events takes place in the following or er:
  • the pawl is lifted from the index wheel, and since retrograde motion is no longer prevented, the wheel under the action of the index finger, which remains engaged, is caused to oscillate back and forth without, however, advancing.
  • a brake is applied to the seconds hand wheel or elsewhere in the gear train, at which point the seconds hand is locked in position.
  • the clutch wheel on the stem is caused to engage the setting wheel in the train to permit turning of the minute and hour hands, while the seconds hand is held at rest, thus making possible a precise setting of the timepiece.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tuning fork and motion converter of the type disclosed in said co-pending application;
  • FIG. 2 separately shows the motion converter
  • FIG. 3 schematically shows the setting mechanism in accordance with the invention, when the stem is fully pushed in and the timepiece is operative;
  • FIG. 4 schematically shows the same time-setting mech anism when the stem is pulled out to permit manual time setting of the minute and hour hands;
  • FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of that portion of the time-setting mechanism which lifts the pawl and brakes the seconds hand;
  • FIG. 6 is a section taken along the plane indicated by line 66 in FIG. 5;
  • FIG. 7 diagrammatically shows the sequence of events when operating the setting mechanism.
  • the motion transformer Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a timepiece of the type disclosed more fully in the aboveidentifie-d patent and co-pending application, including a tuning fork, generally designated by numeral 10, a rotary movement of conventional design in the form of a gear train 11 for turning the hands of the timepiece, and a motion transformer, generally designated by numeral 13, operatively intercoupling the fork 10 and the rotary movement 11 and acting to convert the vibratory action of the fork into rotary motion.
  • the tuning fork has no pivots or bearings and its timekeeping action is therefore relatively independent of the effects of friction.
  • Tuning fork is provided with a pair of flexible tines 14A and 14B interconnected by a relatively inflexible base 15, the base being provided with an upwardly extending stem 16 secured to the pillar plate or the framework by suitable screws.
  • the central area of the pillar plate is cut out to permit unobstructed vibration of the tines.
  • the tuning fork is electromagnetically actuated through an electronic circuit of the type disclosed in the abovenoted Hetzel patent, including a magnetic element 17 secured to the free end of tine 14A, and a magnetic element 18 secured to the free end of tine 14B.
  • the manner in which the fork or other vibratory member is sustained in vibration forms no part of the present invention.
  • the vibratory motion of the tuning fork is converted by motion transformer 13 into rotary motion.
  • This transformer is constituted by a ratchet and pawl mechanism operated by the tuning fork to drive an index wheel 19 having ratchet teeth 20 thereon.
  • the wheel has a large number of teeth (300) and yet a diameter of only of an inch, the length of each tooth being of an inch.
  • Index wheel 19 acts as the actuator for rotary movement 11, and it is therefore intended that this wheel be advanced by the vibratory fork at a constant rate. This is effected by means of the main pawl or index finger 21, one end of which is secured to a post 22 projecting laterally from the tine 1413.
  • Index finger 21 is in the form of a light leaf spring and carries a tip 23 which may be of precious or semiprecious stone, such as sapphire.
  • the tip engages the teeth 20 of index wheel 19, so that the oscillations of the tine transmit turning impulses to the wheel.
  • the shaft of wheel 19 is provided with a pinion 24 which intermeshes with the first gear in the gear train 11.
  • auxiliary pawl 25 Operating in conjunction with index wheel 19 is an auxiliary pawl 25 whose design is similar to that of the index finger 21, the pawl being secured to a bridge 26 pivotally attached to the pillar plate.
  • the position of bridge 26 may be adjusted by means of cam member 27 and locked by locking screws 28.
  • Bridge 26 pivots about screw 29.
  • the index finger and pawl are both tensioned downwardly, the jewelled tips thereof being parallel with the teeth of the index wheel.
  • the tension is such that when the finger is retracted, there is sufiicient reverse torque to cause the wheel to reverse direction.
  • This back-up is arrested by the pawl which is phased several teeth plus one-half tooth from the finger. It would not be practical to maintain an exact amplitude for vibrations of the tuning fork in a wrist timepiece and the operation of the motion transformer is such that this is not necessary.
  • the time-setting mechanism Referring now to FIG. 3, the time-setting mechanism is shown in its pushed-in or inactive position, in which state the timepiece operates normally with all hands in motion.
  • the reciprocating index finger 21 engages the ratchet teeth of index wheel 19 to advance same.
  • Retrograde motion of the wheel is prevented by pawl 25 which also engages the ratchet teeth of the wheel at a point thereon displaced from that of the index finger which is adjusted to provide the proper phase relationship therebetween in the manner disclosed in the aboveidentified co-pending application.
  • the gearworks 11 acts to turn an hour hand HH, a minute hand MH, and a sweep second hand SH.
  • the regulated driving power to operate these hands is transmitted through pinion 24 on the shaft of the index wheel 19, this pinion engaging wheel 30.
  • the pinion 31 on the shaft of the wheel 30 engages the seconds wheel 32.
  • the pinion 33 on the shaft of the seconds wheel engages the third wheel 34, and its pinion 35 engages the center wheel 36.
  • the cannon pinion 37 of the center wheel engages a minute wheel 38, and its pinion (not shown) engages an hour wheel (not shown) with its hour hand tube or pipe.
  • the cannon pinion, or the minute hand shaft is held by friction in the usual way to the center wheel.
  • the time-setting mechanism includes a stem assembly constituted by a slidable stem 39 whose upper end extends through an opening in the watch casing 40 and terminates in a crown 41.
  • a hack lever 42 is mounted on a pivot 43 and is tensioned by a spring 44 such that projection 42A thereon bears against the lower portion of stem 39 when the stem is in its inactive position, whereby when the stem is retracted from projection 42A, the hack lever is free to swing in the manner shown in FIG. 4, to cause a shoe portion 45 thereof to engage a brake disc 46 mounted on the shaft of the seconds wheel and to cause a lifting pin 47 to engage the pawl 25 and to lift it away from the teeth on ratchet wheel 19.
  • clutch wheel 48 mounted on a square portion of the stem 39 is a clutch wheel 48 which is free to slide but not to rotate thereon.
  • Clutch wheel 48 is caused by clutch lever 49, when the stem is fully raised to its pull-out or active position, to engage a setting wheel 59.
  • Setting wheel 50 intermeshes with minute wheel 38, hence when the crown 41 is manually rotated, the minute wheel is caused to turn to set the minute and hour hands in the usual manner.
  • Clutch lever 49 is operated by a setting lever 51 which rocks about a pivot 52, the nose 53 of this lever being received within an annular groove 54 on the stem, such that when the stem is raised, a projection 55 on the setting lever rides on the cam surface of the clutch lever 49, forcing the clutch lever down against the action of the setting lever spring 56, thereby putting clutch wheel 48 into mesh with the setting wheel 50.
  • a detent (not shown) is provided to hold setting lever 51 in its operative position.
  • the stem 39 In the pushed-in or inactive position of the stem 39, as shown in FIG. 3, the stem extends beneath the projection 42A of the hack lever 42, thereby holding this lever in angular position about its pivot 43, at which position brake drum 46 is disengaged, lifting pin is displaced from the pawl 25, and the setting wheel 50 is decoupled from clutch wheel 48, so that the timepiece is free to operate in its usual manner.
  • Event I When the stem is partially lifted from its inactive position and before it is sufficiently raised to its active position to cause clutch wheel 48 to engage the setting wheel 50, the stem is retracted from projection 42A to release the hack lever 42.
  • the position of lifting pin 47 relative to pawl 25, as against the position of shoe 45 relative to brake drum 46, is such that the first event, which occurs in the course of the swing of the hack lever, is the lifting of the pawl.
  • the first event which occurs in the course of the swing of the hack lever
  • the first event which occurs in the course of the swing of the hack lever
  • Event II. the stem is only partially raised, and while the setting wheel is not yet operative, the hack lever has been released and has swung to a degree sufficient to effect lifting of the pawl. With the completion of the hack-lever swing, the shoe 45 engages brake disc 46, which is mounted on the shaft of the seconds wheel, and arrests further movement of the seconds hand. Hence the indication of the seconds hand will not thereafter be changed while the minute and hour hands are adjusted.
  • Event III when the stem is pulled up fully to the active position where the clutch wheel 48 on the stern meshes with setting wheel 50, rotation of the crown 41 will bring about rotation of the minute wheel 38 and hence setting of the minute and hour hands, without however changing the held position of the seconds hand. In this way it becomes possible to precisely set the watch. It is important to note that the hack lever completes its swing to carry out the first and second events before the third event takes place.
  • a time-setting mechanism for an electronic timepiece wherein an index finger attached to a vibratory element engages the ratchet teeth on an index wheel operatively coupled to a gear train having a minute wheel and a seconds wheel and wherein a pawl also engages said teeth to prevent retrograde motion of said index wheel, said mechanism comprising:
  • control means being adapted to stop said timepiece and to permit setting thereof by rendering said first, second and third means operative in the named sequence, and adapted to restart said'timepiece after the setting thereof by rendering said third, second and first means inoperative in the named sequence.
  • a time-setting mechanism for an electronic timepiece wherein an index finger attached to a tine of a tuning fork whose vibration is sustained engages the ratchet teeth on an index wheel operatively coupled to a gear train having a minute wheel coupled to the minute and hour hands and a seconds wheel coupled to a sweep second hand, and wherein a pawl also engages said teeth to prevent retrograde motion of said index wheel, said mechanism comprising:
  • control means including a slidable stem adapted to stop said timepiece and to effect setting thereof by rendering said first, second and third means operative in the named sequence when said stem is pulled out, and to restart said timepiece after the setting thereof by rendering said third, second and first means inoperative in the named sequence when the stem is pushed in.
  • a time-setting mechanism for an electronic timepiece wherein an index finger attached to a vibratory element engages the ratchet teeth on an index wheel operatively coupled to a gear train having a minute wheel coupled to minute and hour hands, and a seconds wheel coupled to a sweep second hand and wherein a pawl also engages said teeth to prevent retrograde motion of said index wheel, said mechanism comprising:
  • (B) second means including a brake shoe and a brake disc coupled to said seconds wheel to arrest the motion thereof,
  • (C) third means including a clutch to engage and turn said minute wheel to adjust the minute and hour hands of the timepiece, and
  • control means operatively coupled to said first, second and third means to actuate same without interfering with the action of said index finger, said control means being adapted to stop said timepiece and to effect setting thereof by rendering said first, second and third means operative in sequence and to restart said timepiece after the setting thereof by rendering said third, second and first means inoperative in sequence.
  • An electronic timepiece comprising:
  • (C) a motion transformer to convert the vibratory motion of the fork into rotary motion for driving said gear train and including,
  • a stern assembly provided with a stem which is slidable from an inactive to an active position and having a clutch wheel thereon which is caused to engage said setting wheel only when said stem occupies said active position to permit adjustment of the minute and hour hands,
  • a pivoted hack lever having a brake shoe and a lifting pin thereon, said pin being arranged to lift said pawl from said ratchet wheel when said lever occupies a first angular position without interfering with the action of said index finger, and said shoe being arranged to brake said seconds wheel when said lever occupies a second angular position,
  • (d) means maintaining said lever in an inactive position when said stem is in an inactive position and releasing said lever to swing sequentially into said first and second angular positions when said stem is partially raised but before said stem occupies its active position.
  • An electronic timepiece comprising:
  • (C) a motion transformer to convert the vibratory motion of the fork into rotary motion for driving said gear train and including,
  • a stern assembly provided with a stem which is slidable from an inactive to an active position and having a clutch wheel thereon which is caused to engage said setting wheel only when said stern occupies said active position to permit adjustment of the minute and hour hands,
  • a pivoted back lever having a brake shoe and a lifting pin thereon, said pin being arranged -to lift said pawl from said ratchet wheel when said lever occupies a first angular position without interfering with the action of said index finger, and said shoe being arranged to engage said brake disc to brake said seconds wheel when said lever occupies a second angular position,

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Transmission Devices (AREA)
  • Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Unknown Time Intervals (AREA)
US431676A 1965-02-10 1965-02-10 Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces Expired - Lifetime US3262259A (en)

Priority Applications (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US431676A US3262259A (en) 1965-02-10 1965-02-10 Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces
DEB85720A DE1300868B (de) 1965-02-10 1966-02-08 Vorrichtung zur Zeigereinstellung einer elektrischen Uhr
GB5752/66A GB1064230A (en) 1965-02-10 1966-02-09 Improvements in or relating to a time-setting mechanism in an electronic timepiece
CH183166A CH505415A (de) 1965-02-10 1966-02-09 Vorrichtung zur Zeiteinstellung einer elektrischen Uhr
NL6601719A NL6601719A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1965-02-10 1966-02-10

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US431676A US3262259A (en) 1965-02-10 1965-02-10 Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3262259A true US3262259A (en) 1966-07-26

Family

ID=23712959

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US431676A Expired - Lifetime US3262259A (en) 1965-02-10 1965-02-10 Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3262259A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH505415A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE1300868B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1064230A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL6601719A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3449904A (en) * 1965-11-10 1969-06-17 Centre Electron Horloger Electromechanical watch
US3665699A (en) * 1970-04-16 1972-05-30 Centre Electron Horloger Device for locking an electro-dynamically maintained balance/balance-spring
DE2333310A1 (de) * 1972-07-10 1974-01-31 Seiko Instr & Electronics Elektronische uhr
US3817024A (en) * 1971-12-13 1974-06-18 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Time-setter for an electronic timepiece
US4400091A (en) * 1980-02-05 1983-08-23 Seiko Koki Kabushiki Kaisha Second stop device of clock
US8776705B2 (en) 2011-08-31 2014-07-15 Poulsen Hybrid, Llc Magnus rotor ship propulsion system
CN108519733A (zh) * 2018-05-30 2018-09-11 福州小神龙表业技术研发有限公司 一种钟表机芯秒轮分轮时轮结构

Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB955367A (en) * 1961-03-06 1964-04-15 Suwa Seikosha Kk Improvements in electric timekeepers

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2865163A (en) * 1952-04-15 1958-12-23 Elgin Nat Watch Co Electrically-powered time device
IT558253A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1953-06-19
US3184981A (en) * 1961-01-19 1965-05-25 Bulova Watch Co Inc Electronically-controlled timepiece and motion transformer therefor

Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB955367A (en) * 1961-03-06 1964-04-15 Suwa Seikosha Kk Improvements in electric timekeepers

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3449904A (en) * 1965-11-10 1969-06-17 Centre Electron Horloger Electromechanical watch
US3665699A (en) * 1970-04-16 1972-05-30 Centre Electron Horloger Device for locking an electro-dynamically maintained balance/balance-spring
US3817024A (en) * 1971-12-13 1974-06-18 Citizen Watch Co Ltd Time-setter for an electronic timepiece
DE2333310A1 (de) * 1972-07-10 1974-01-31 Seiko Instr & Electronics Elektronische uhr
US4400091A (en) * 1980-02-05 1983-08-23 Seiko Koki Kabushiki Kaisha Second stop device of clock
US8776705B2 (en) 2011-08-31 2014-07-15 Poulsen Hybrid, Llc Magnus rotor ship propulsion system
CN108519733A (zh) * 2018-05-30 2018-09-11 福州小神龙表业技术研发有限公司 一种钟表机芯秒轮分轮时轮结构
CN108519733B (zh) * 2018-05-30 2024-03-19 曾光震 一种钟表机芯秒轮分轮时轮结构

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
NL6601719A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1966-08-11
DE1300868B (de) 1970-01-15
GB1064230A (en) 1967-04-05
CH183166A4 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1969-01-31
CH505415A (de) 1971-05-14

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7742362B2 (en) Timepiece comprising an alarm
US8328413B2 (en) Timepiece comprising a chronograph and a watch
US4588305A (en) Electronic chronograph watch having analog and digital display of measured time periods
US9535405B2 (en) Chronograph mechanism
US3696609A (en) Timepiece having oscillating rotation indicator
US3262259A (en) Time setting mechanism for electronic timepieces
GB1360543A (en) Timepiece
GB1402432A (en) Calender timepiece
US3844107A (en) Timepiece
US3798893A (en) Day-and-date changing device for a wristwatch
US4253173A (en) Dual display synchronization system for a timepiece
US3765164A (en) Device to stop timepiece balance wheels
GB1397492A (en) Timepiece
US2372771A (en) Watch
US3559395A (en) Digital timepiece
US3693344A (en) Timepiece movement
US2098737A (en) Self-winding timepiece
GB1187752A (en) An Improved Horological Movement
US3890778A (en) Watch stem intermediate setting position with functions determined by whether intermediate position was achieved by pushing stem in or pulling stem out
US2216523A (en) Alarm clock
US3568432A (en) Chronograph-watch with independently mounted chronograph mechanism
US4127985A (en) Watch
US3866408A (en) Timepiece setting mechanism
US3576100A (en) Date-watch
US3735581A (en) Day-date correcting device