US3283495A - Electronic watch - Google Patents

Electronic watch Download PDF

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Publication number
US3283495A
US3283495A US433033A US43303365A US3283495A US 3283495 A US3283495 A US 3283495A US 433033 A US433033 A US 433033A US 43303365 A US43303365 A US 43303365A US 3283495 A US3283495 A US 3283495A
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Prior art keywords
resonator
arms
hand
periphery
wheel
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Expired - Lifetime
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US433033A
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English (en)
Inventor
Hetzel Max
Seigneur Remy
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Centre Electronique Horloger SA
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Centre Electronique Horloger SA
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    • 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
    • G04C3/107—Controlling frequency or amplitude of the oscillating system
    • 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
    • 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
    • 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

Definitions

  • the present'invention relates to :an electronic watch comprising .a deflection oscillator serving both as a timebasis and as a driving member.
  • the mechanical oscillator has in general the shape of 1a tuning-fork located in the central portion of the case.
  • Such an arrangement has various drawbacks, since the space defined by the case is thus divided into two parts, which makes it difficult to mount the gear-train for driving the hands and the date disc, and in some cases other indicator devices. Again, the room available for the battery is very limited, so that under certain circumstances it is necessary to resort to several batteries or to a special battery the cross-section of which is not circular.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a resonator which is devoid of the above-mentioned drawbacks.
  • the object of the present invention is also to provide a resonator, the shape of which is such that it follows the periphery of the watch case through the major portion of its length.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a clockwork movement according to the invention
  • FIG. -2 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 along IIII,
  • FIG. 3 is a cross-section of FIG. 1 along III-III
  • FIG. 4 is .a partial cross-section of FIG. 1 along IVIV,
  • FIG. 5 is the diagram of the electric circuit of that watch
  • p FIG. 6 is "a plan view of a second form of embodiment of the watch according to the invention, showing only the resonator in its case, and
  • FIG. 7 is a cross-section of FIG. '6 along VII-VII.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 show a bottomeplate 1 to which is fixed, by means ofthree screws 2, the V-shaped foot 3a of an 'audio frequency resonator 3.
  • the oscillating parts of that resonator have approximately the shape of a small Omega, and they are connected to the foot 3a by :a link 3b.
  • ,Th-e oscillating parts are essentially constituted by two oscillating arms 30 and 3d which, through the major portion oftheir length, run along the periphery 1a of the bottom plate 1 which is at the same time the periphery of the clockwork movement.
  • FIG. 2 there is provided between arms 30, 3d, on the one hand, and bottom plate 1, .on the other hand, a certain space, in order that the arms can oscillate freely.
  • each of the arms 3c and 3d is welded a magnetic. head, respectively 14 and 115.
  • FIG. 3 shows that the magnetic head 14, which is in mirror-symmetry with the magnetic head 15, is constituted by -a soft iron part 4, the cross-section of which is in the shape of a U, and by polar pieces 5a and 5b fixed to the arms 4a and 4b of the U shaped iron 4, the shape of which 3,283,495 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 corresponds to that of the coil.
  • the resonator proper 3 is preferably made of a material with a low thermo-elas-tic coefiicient, such as for instance an [alloy going by the name of Elinvar, Nivarox, Ni-span-C, or Thermelas-t, one can use for part 4, instead of soft iron, a material such as Per-mendur.
  • Elinvar is an alloy composed of 36% nickel, 12% chromium, 4% tungsten, at most 0.1% carbon and at most 2% manganese, balance iron.
  • Nivarox consists of 35-40% nickel, 1% beryllium, 0. 1% carbon, traces of magnesium, silicon and titanium, the balance iron.
  • Ni-span-C and Thermelast consist of 3540% nickel, traces of other elements, residue iron.
  • Per-mendur consists of 50% iron, 50% columbium, or 49% iron, 49% columbiu-m and 2% vanadium.
  • Polar pieces 5a and 5b are made of a material with a high coercitive field, such as an alloy containing platinum and cobalt.
  • the magnetic field in the air gap between polar pieces 5a and 5b is essentially homogenous, and the lines of force are at right angles to the plane of the bottom-plate 1 and, therefore, to the plane in which is located the resonator 3 and in which its arms 30 and 3d oscillate.
  • each of the magnetic heads 14 and 15 is placed, by means of a screw 6, la finger which is friction-tight fitted, with its axis of rotation at right angles to the oscillation plane and its centre of gravity not coincident with its axis of rotation, so that when the finger is rotated, its centre of gravity and, therefore, the centre of gravity of the whole oscillating arm, is shifted and the natural frequency of that arm is modified.
  • Each of the magnetic heads 14 and 15 carries scale respectively 14a and 15a, on which can be read the frequency changes in seconds per day.
  • Fingers 7 are preferably constituted by a small pointed metal tongue, squeezed under the head of the corresponding screw 6.
  • an amplitude limitator 47 is .fixed in the bottom plate 1 in the vicinity of each of the magnetic heads, with a view to restricting the oscillation amplitude of said magnetic heads in the direction opposite to the bottom-plate and towards the periphery of s the latter.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram of the electric circuit for maintaining oscillations.
  • This circuit comprises the pick-up coil 9, the energizing coil 10, the capacitor 11, the resistor 12, the transistor 13 and the battery 8.
  • the base- I electrode 13b of transistor 13 is connected through resisplate is either the positive pole or the negative pole, ac-
  • the two coils 9 and 10 are fiat elliptic coils, and they are removably mounted on a rib 16a of a case 16 of plastic material.
  • said elliptic :case are also mounted the capacitor 11, resistor 12 and transistor 13, whereas the two coils 9 and 10 are so dimensioned as to intersect all the lines of force of the magnetic field appearing in the air-gap of magnetic heads 14 and 15.
  • Battery 8 rests by its negative pole 8 on bottom-plate 1; it is housed in a cylindrical recess 1b of bottom plate 1, and kept in that position by a spring 17 fixed in turn by a screw 18 which is electrically insulated from bottomplate 1.
  • the adjustment of the desired frequency can be obtained in the course of manufacturing, by slightly stripping the oscillating arms at some place or other: the areshaped segments 32 and 3 of arms 30 and 3d can be made thinner, for instance by means of a drill.
  • the conversion of the movement of translation of the arms to a rotary movement is achieved by means of a pawl fixed to one of the arm-s (in the present instance, arm 311), said pawl driving a ratchet-wheel 23.
  • the teeth of said ratchet-wheel are so dimensioned that wheel 23 rotates by one tooth for every oscillation of the resonator.
  • the backward rotation of wheel 23 is impeded by a blocking pawl 25 fixed to bottom-plate 1.
  • To the staff of ratchet wheel 23 is fixed a pinion 23a in mesh with .a toothed wheel 26, the pinion 26a of which meshes in turn with wheel 27. None of the spindles of these wheels is shown in the figures, in order to render these wheels more visible.
  • Wheel 27 drives, through the medium of a wheel 28, the seconds-wheel 29, to the staff 30 of which is tfiXCd the seconds-hand 31, as can be seen in FIG. 4.
  • Pinion 28a is integral with wheel 28, and meshes with a wheel 32, the pinion 32a of which meshes in turn with a wheel 33.
  • Pinion 33a integral with that wheel meshes with the minutes-wheel 34, fixed to a cannon-pinion 35 oo-axial with the seconds staff '30 and carrying the minutes-hand 36, and also a pinion 34a driving an intermediate wheel 37, the pinion 37d of which inesheswith the hour wheel 38.
  • the latter is fixed to the cannon-pinion 39 carrying the hour hand 40.
  • the movement of the oscillator 3 is thus transmitted to hands 31, 3'6 and 40.
  • a hand setting stem 43 provided wit-h a crown-button 44 outside the case and with a transmission-wheel (or crown-wheel) 45 within said case.
  • That hand-setting stem is locate-d substantially in the plane of resonator 3.
  • the latter is symmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to the oscillation plane and passing through the hand-setting stern, and it comprises an indentation forming a free space between the periphery of the clockwork movement 1a and the resonator 3, said free space serving to house the handsetting stem 43.
  • Said stern can be axially shifted, so that when it is drawn out, the transmission-wheel 45 meshes with the hand-setting wheel 41 through the medium of lever 46 and rocking-bar 47.
  • the hand-setting wheel 41 in turn meshes with wheel 42, the pinion 42a of which drives the intermediate wheel 47
  • a dial 46 provided with feet in the bottom plate 1 which is provided with holes 1c for the dial feet and inner threads 1e for the fixation screws.
  • the resonator having the shape of a small omega permits the use of a handsetting stem of a conventional type.
  • the connection of the oscillating arms to their fixation foot promotes the dissipation of the oscillator elastic energy in a quantity of matter which is substantially greater than in the case of the tuning-fork.
  • FIGS. 6 and 7 A second form of embodiment, shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, represents a clockwork movement similar to the above described movement, with the exception that its resonator is of slightly different shape, this shape deriving from mechanical motives which will be given hereafter.
  • the elemental masses of one ar-m describe circular arcs, the centre of which is located in the vicinity of the fixation point of the resonator and, since the various radius-vectors of these elemental masses are divergent, the path followed by the said elemental masses are also divergent. It follows that do dm dt is most often different from zero. 7
  • FIG. 6 shows such a resonator 53, the V shaped foot 0 which (53a) is fixed to the bottom-plate '51 by means of three screws 52.
  • the oscillating portions of that resonator have approximately the shape of a small omega and are connected by a link 53d to the foot 53a.
  • Said oscillating portions are essentially constituted by two arms 53c and 53d in mirror-symmetry, which follow, through the major portion of their length, the periphery 51a of bottom-plate 51, which also constitutes the periphery of the clockwork movement.
  • the magnetic head 64 which is in mirror-symmetry with head 65, is constituted by a soft iron member 54 of U-shaped crosssection, with lpolar pieces 55a and 55b fixed to the free extremities 54a and 54b, respectively, of the soft iron member 54, and having a shape adapted to that of the coil.
  • the material used for manufacturing oscillator 53 and members 54, 55a and 55b, is preferably the same as that described in the first form of embodiment.
  • each of magnetic head 64 and 65 is made a cylindrical hole perpendicular to the oscillation plane.
  • the object of said hole is twofold: in the upper portion thereof is located a cylindrical member 67, friction-tight fitted in its housing and which can be rotated by means of a screw-driver and the masses of which .are eccentrically distributed. Such an eccentric distribution of the masses is ensured by a recess 68 provided in the lower half of said member.
  • cylindrical member 67 The required friction between cylindrical member 67 and the corresponding magnetic head is achieved by means of a diametral slit made in the face 69 of said cylindrical element, which provides the latter with a certain resiliency which urges it against the wall of its housing; that slit which coincides with the screw slit also serves as a finger moving along a scale 70 carried by each of the magnetic heads.
  • That member has, over the known precision setting members, the advantage of being fully sunk in the magnetic head.
  • the oscillating portion of the resonator is imparted a suitable shape.
  • the elemental masses forming the whole oscillating mass describe paths which are approximately convergent and the tangents of which define the lines of action of the elemental forces do dm
  • the oscillating mass must therefore be distributed so that the vectorial integral of the elemental forces do elmis nil.
  • that condition can be reduced to day l avy designating the component of the velocity in the direction of the resonator axis of symmetry.
  • the shape of the arm is essentially conditioned by the other parts of the watch (not shown), such as the battery, the gears, the electric circuit, the periphery of the bottom-plate and also the required oscillation frequency and, the required rigidity of the arms; it follows that the distribution of masses cannot be achieved simply by properly choosing the shape of the resonator.
  • each of the resonator arms is provided with three other holes, whereby the distribution of the oscillating masses can be modified without however substantially decreasing the rigidity and the mechanical resistance of the resonator.
  • the resonator alone or mounted on the bottom-plate, is placed on a base responsive to oscillations, connected to a measuring instrument.
  • the symmetry of this oscillator is adjusted in known manner by slightly stripping with a file at appropriate places the resonator arms, whereas the integral of the elemental forces acting in the axial direction is reduced to zero by perforating the resonator arms. It is also possible to reduce the integral to zero by filing the arms at a place in the vicinity of the centre of oscillation, such as 53 By filing the arms at such a place, the centre of oscillation is shifted, with the result that the paths of the elemental masses are modified, a suitable displacement permitting the reduction of the integral to zero.
  • the resonators When mass produced, the resonators can be so cut that they all have a resultant acting in the same direction, for instance'in the direction of the coil. It is thus possible, by filing the inside of the curvature 53), to adjust the frequency and symmetry, and to reduce to zero the integral of the elemental forces, by enlarging the perforations made in the arms.
  • the resonator according to the present invention is not restricted to the above-described forms of embodiment.
  • An electronic watch having a hand-setting stem in the plane of the clockwork movement and an audio frequency mechanical resonator serving both as a time-basis and as a driving member, said resonator following through the major portion of its length the periphery of the clockwork movement, the oscillating part of said resonator being an approximately omega-configuration with a narrow elastic neck at its central portion, said resonator comprising two arms fixed to each other and symmetrical with respect to a plane passing through the axis of said hand-setting stem and having an indentation leaving a free space between said resonator and the periphery of the clockwork movement, said space being adapted to house said hand-setting stem, said hand-setting stern being located at least approximately in the plane of said resonator.
  • An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 with a generally omega-shaped audio frequency mechanical resonator serving both as atime-basis and as a driving member, said resonator followingthrough'the major portion of its length the periphery of the clockwork movement, said resonator comprising two arms fixed to each other and having an indentation which leaves'a free, space between said oscillator and the periphery of the clockwork movement, each of said resonator arms having at its extremity a magnetic head, an opening in said head perpendicular to the plane of oscillationthereof; a rotatable member having an eccentric centre of gravity mounted in the upper part of said opening, for modifying the natural frequency of oscillation of said resonator; and in the lower part of said opening, an amplitude li-mitator to protect said resonator from shocks.
  • a resonator for timepieces said resonator'comprising a V-shaped fixation foot and oscillating arms, said arms being generally omega-shaped and having a narrow elastic connecting neck connecting them to said foot, whereby said resonator is adapted to be mounted in a watch case with said arms isolated from the watch case thereby keeping a substantially greater part of the vibrating energy in said arms.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)
US433033A 1964-02-18 1965-02-16 Electronic watch Expired - Lifetime US3283495A (en)

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CH196664A CH409791A (de) 1964-02-18 1964-02-18 Elektronische Kleinuhr

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Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3466475A (en) * 1967-03-13 1969-09-09 Centre Electron Horloger Mechanical resonator
US3486049A (en) * 1967-03-31 1969-12-23 Centre Electron Horloger Mechanical resonator
US3649858A (en) * 1969-02-19 1972-03-14 Omega Brandt & Freres Sa Louis Transmission, particularly for use in a timepiece, for converting the oscillating movement of a tuning fork into a rotating movement
US3683613A (en) * 1969-12-12 1972-08-15 Bulova Watch Co Inc Miniaturized movement for an electronic timepiece
US3751899A (en) * 1970-09-07 1973-08-14 Suwa Seikosha Kk Tuning fork construction for electronic wrist watches
US3797224A (en) * 1970-08-04 1974-03-19 Movado Montres Compensation of the thermal frequency drift of a mechanical oscillator for timekeeping
US4430009A (en) 1980-03-31 1984-02-07 Eta S.A. Fabriques D'ebauches Arrangement for securing and electrically contacting a battery in a watch

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2433160A (en) * 1945-09-06 1947-12-23 Honeywell Regulator Co Tuning fork construction
US2960817A (en) * 1955-05-12 1960-11-22 Bulova Watch Co Inc Electrical timepiece
US3192701A (en) * 1962-11-30 1965-07-06 Tanaka Kazuo Vibratory motion converter for an electric timepiece
US3202848A (en) * 1961-01-19 1965-08-24 Bulova Watch Co Inc Tuning fork frequency adjuster

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2433160A (en) * 1945-09-06 1947-12-23 Honeywell Regulator Co Tuning fork construction
US2960817A (en) * 1955-05-12 1960-11-22 Bulova Watch Co Inc Electrical timepiece
US3202848A (en) * 1961-01-19 1965-08-24 Bulova Watch Co Inc Tuning fork frequency adjuster
US3192701A (en) * 1962-11-30 1965-07-06 Tanaka Kazuo Vibratory motion converter for an electric timepiece

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3466475A (en) * 1967-03-13 1969-09-09 Centre Electron Horloger Mechanical resonator
US3486049A (en) * 1967-03-31 1969-12-23 Centre Electron Horloger Mechanical resonator
US3649858A (en) * 1969-02-19 1972-03-14 Omega Brandt & Freres Sa Louis Transmission, particularly for use in a timepiece, for converting the oscillating movement of a tuning fork into a rotating movement
US3683613A (en) * 1969-12-12 1972-08-15 Bulova Watch Co Inc Miniaturized movement for an electronic timepiece
US3797224A (en) * 1970-08-04 1974-03-19 Movado Montres Compensation of the thermal frequency drift of a mechanical oscillator for timekeeping
US3751899A (en) * 1970-09-07 1973-08-14 Suwa Seikosha Kk Tuning fork construction for electronic wrist watches
US4430009A (en) 1980-03-31 1984-02-07 Eta S.A. Fabriques D'ebauches Arrangement for securing and electrically contacting a battery in a watch

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Publication number Publication date
CH196664A4 (en, 2012) 1965-11-30
CH409791A (de) 1965-11-30

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