US3343365A - Oscillator for time-pieces - Google Patents

Oscillator for time-pieces Download PDF

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US3343365A
US3343365A US437208A US43720865A US3343365A US 3343365 A US3343365 A US 3343365A US 437208 A US437208 A US 437208A US 43720865 A US43720865 A US 43720865A US 3343365 A US3343365 A US 3343365A
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oscillator
members
support
driving member
blades
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US437208A
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Vosseler Gerhard
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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
    • G04C3/12—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 piezoelectric means; driven by magneto-strictive 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

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  • a bottom plate having mounted on it a battery, a dial train including a ratchet wheel, a resistor and a transistor forming part of a maintenance circuit for an oscillator, the oscillator having at least one collecting member and one driving member, the collecting member being in the input and the driving member being in the output of the maintenance circuit, the members being in the shape of a crystal in the form of an elongated blade mechanically coupled when oscillating at their resonant frequency; a support on the bottom plate in one section thereof near the periphery; a pair of parallel grooves in the support for mounting the members; a rider slidably mounted on the blades for modifying their efiicient length to adjust their oscillation frequency and a pawl carried by the driving for transmitting its vibrations to the ratchet wheel.
  • Said previous application deals with an oscillator for time-pieces comprising at least one collecting member and one driving member inserted in the input circuit and in the power circuit of an amplifier, respectively, at least one of said members being a crystal the resonance frequency of which constituttes the time base of the timepiece, said two members being mechanically coupled when they oscillate at their resonance frequency in order to make it possible to have the collecting member energized by the driving member.
  • the present invention relates to improvements to oscillators described in said US. application Ser. No, 246,564, and it is characterized in that both the collecting member and the driving member are constituted by a crystal in the shape of an elongated blade, said two blades being mounted parallel to each other in the plane of the timepiece and being held along a small portion of their length by a common support.
  • FIG. 1 is a general plan view
  • FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial cross-sections along II-H and along IlI-III, respectively, of FIG. 1.
  • the clockwork movement shown in the drawing comprises a bottom-plate 1 on which are mounted a battery 2, a dial-train 3, a resistor 4 and a transistor 5 belonging to the maintenance circuit of the oscillator which is constituted by two crystals 6 and 7 oscillating as explained in said US. Patent No. 3,176,167.
  • These two crystals have the shape of blades of rectangular cross-sections mounted in the plane of the clockwork movement parallel to each other and fixed in two grooves made in a support 8 of a non-hygroscopic insulating material.
  • Each of the lateral surfaces of said blades is coated with a metal film 9 which acts as an electrode for the crystals and comes into contact with members 10 mounted in support 8, by means of which the two blades are mechanical- -ly coupled, and bringing the current from the battery.
  • Said blades are squeezed against said support by a small insulating plate 11 fixed to the support by means of screws 12 and 11 on both sides of the two blades. Said small plate 11 prevents the blades from sliding out of their grooves.
  • a rider 14 mechanically connects the two blades, and its displacement along the latter permits to modify the eificient length thereof with a view to adjust their oscillation frequency.
  • Said rider is constituted by two -T- shaped parts, one of which has a central opening and the other a median protrusion corresponding to said opening in order that said two parts can fit together, so .that they squeeze the blades along the smaller sides thereof.
  • Blade 6 forms the collecting member of the maintenance electronic circuit, and blade 7 the driving member thereof.
  • the vibration of the latter blades are transmitted to the gear-work by a probe 15 fixed by welding or stuck and by means of a support 16 fixed to the free extremity of said blade.
  • Said probe carries a plate 17 of ruby serving to cooperate with the teeth of a'ratchet wheel 22 forming the first gear of the gear work of the time-piece.
  • Said ratchet wheel can comprise for instance 3000 teeth, the spacing between two successive teeth being of about 4,14 and the depth 2p.
  • a stopping pawl can be provided for ensuring a uni-directional rotation of wheel 2.2, said pawl being mounted on the base 19 comprising a blade 20 and a pallet-stone 21.
  • an auxiliary stopping pawl which, like driving members 15-17, is constituted by a metal wire 18 fixed to a support 19 by means of a small plate 20 and carrying a pawl 21 at the extremity thereof.
  • Said auxiliary pawl which is so directed as to make a given angle with the driving member, prevents the first gear of the gear-work to rotate backwards. It is however to be noted that such a stopping pawl is not absolutely necessary if the angle made by driving member 17 with respect to the periphery of the driven wheel has been properly chosen.
  • Such an arrangement has the advantage of being spacesaving and it can easily be mounted in clockwork movements of any shape, whether round or shaped; in addition, it ensures an excellent acoustic coupling of the two crystals.
  • probe 15 When the two crystals 6 and 7 are oscillating, probe 15 is caused to oscillate by bending, in view of the weight of the pawl 17 fixed to the free extremity thereof, said oscillation being similar to that of a vibrating string located in the plane of the clockwork movement and pawl 17 forming a node of such vibration; in this way, pawl 17 is imparted a to-and-fro movement substantially along the axis of probe 15, this displacement corre sponding to the periodical bending and slackening of the probe.
  • the frequency of the bending oscillation of probe 15 is a sub-harmonic of the oscillation frequency of the crystal.
  • the oscillating amplitude of pawl 17 in the longitudinal direction of probe 15 is substantially greater than the oscillating amplitude of the crystals, so that are achieved through probe 15 a reduction of the frequency, on the one hand, and an amplification of the oscillating amplitude, on the other hand. If the oscillating amplitude of the crystal blade is for instance of about 10 mm., the oscillating amplitude of pawl 17 reaches a few microns, an amplitude which in any case is greater than the depth of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, so that it is certain that pawl 17 will fully disengage from these teeth.
  • the oscillator according to the invention is characterized by its very simple geometry, its small size, its safety of operation and also its small consumption of current.
  • the electric circuit being merely constituted by a single transistor and two crystals, simply requires a current of about a few micro-a-mperes, the result of which 3 is that the oscillating amplitude is independent of the feeding voltage of the battery. What is claimed is: 1.
  • An electronic time-piece comprising, in combination,
  • a bottomplate having mounted thereon: a battery, a
  • dial train including a ratchet wheel, a resistor and a transistor forming part of a maintenance circuit for an oscillator, said oscillator comprising at least one collecting member and one driving member, said collecting member being in the input and said driving member being in the output of said circuit, said members each consisting of a crystal in the form of an elongated blade, said members being mechanically coupled when oscillating at their resonant frequency; a support on said plate in one section thereof near the periphery of said plate; said support having a pair of parallel grooves for mounting said members therein; a rider slidably mounted on said blades for modifying the efiicient length thereof to adjust their oscillation frequency; and means carried by said driving member for transmitting the vibrations thereof to said ratchet wheel.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)

Description

P 26, 6 G. VOSSELER 3,343,365
OSCILLATOR FOR TIME-PIECES Filed March 4, 1965 United States Patent 3,343,365 OSCILLATOR FOR TIME-PIECES Gerhard'Vosseler, Basel, Switzerland, assignor to Georges Ceppi, Bassecourt, Switzerland Filed Mar. 4, 1965, Ser. No. 437,208 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 4, 1964, 2,7 64/ 64 4 Claims. (Cl. 58-23) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In an electric time-piece, a bottom plate having mounted on it a battery, a dial train including a ratchet wheel, a resistor and a transistor forming part of a maintenance circuit for an oscillator, the oscillator having at least one collecting member and one driving member, the collecting member being in the input and the driving member being in the output of the maintenance circuit, the members being in the shape of a crystal in the form of an elongated blade mechanically coupled when oscillating at their resonant frequency; a support on the bottom plate in one section thereof near the periphery; a pair of parallel grooves in the support for mounting the members; a rider slidably mounted on the blades for modifying their efiicient length to adjust their oscillation frequency and a pawl carried by the driving for transmitting its vibrations to the ratchet wheel.
An oscillator for time-pieces has already been disclosed in a previous US. Patent No. 3,176,167 filed on Dec. 21, 1962, granted on Mar. 30, 1965, to the present applicant for Quartz Oscillator for Time-Pieces.
Said previous application deals with an oscillator for time-pieces comprising at least one collecting member and one driving member inserted in the input circuit and in the power circuit of an amplifier, respectively, at least one of said members being a crystal the resonance frequency of which constituttes the time base of the timepiece, said two members being mechanically coupled when they oscillate at their resonance frequency in order to make it possible to have the collecting member energized by the driving member.
The present invention relates to improvements to oscillators described in said US. application Ser. No, 246,564, and it is characterized in that both the collecting member and the driving member are constituted by a crystal in the shape of an elongated blade, said two blades being mounted parallel to each other in the plane of the timepiece and being held along a small portion of their length by a common support.
The features of the present invention will be disclosed hereafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a general plan view, and
FIGS. 2 and 3 are partial cross-sections along II-H and along IlI-III, respectively, of FIG. 1.
The clockwork movement shown in the drawing comprises a bottom-plate 1 on which are mounted a battery 2, a dial-train 3, a resistor 4 and a transistor 5 belonging to the maintenance circuit of the oscillator which is constituted by two crystals 6 and 7 oscillating as explained in said US. Patent No. 3,176,167. These two crystals have the shape of blades of rectangular cross-sections mounted in the plane of the clockwork movement parallel to each other and fixed in two grooves made in a support 8 of a non-hygroscopic insulating material. Each of the lateral surfaces of said blades is coated with a metal film 9 which acts as an electrode for the crystals and comes into contact with members 10 mounted in support 8, by means of which the two blades are mechanical- -ly coupled, and bringing the current from the battery.
ICC.
Said blades are squeezed against said support by a small insulating plate 11 fixed to the support by means of screws 12 and 11 on both sides of the two blades. Said small plate 11 prevents the blades from sliding out of their grooves.
A rider 14 mechanically connects the two blades, and its displacement along the latter permits to modify the eificient length thereof with a view to adjust their oscillation frequency. Said rider is constituted by two -T- shaped parts, one of which has a central opening and the other a median protrusion corresponding to said opening in order that said two parts can fit together, so .that they squeeze the blades along the smaller sides thereof.
Blade 6 forms the collecting member of the maintenance electronic circuit, and blade 7 the driving member thereof. The vibration of the latter blades are transmitted to the gear-work by a probe 15 fixed by welding or stuck and by means of a support 16 fixed to the free extremity of said blade. Said probe carries a plate 17 of ruby serving to cooperate with the teeth of a'ratchet wheel 22 forming the first gear of the gear work of the time-piece. Said ratchet wheel can comprise for instance 3000 teeth, the spacing between two successive teeth being of about 4,14 and the depth 2p. Although not essential, a stopping pawl can be provided for ensuring a uni-directional rotation of wheel 2.2, said pawl being mounted on the base 19 comprising a blade 20 and a pallet-stone 21.
In the example contemplated, there is also provided an auxiliary stopping pawl which, like driving members 15-17, is constituted by a metal wire 18 fixed to a support 19 by means of a small plate 20 and carrying a pawl 21 at the extremity thereof. Said auxiliary pawl which is so directed as to make a given angle with the driving member, prevents the first gear of the gear-work to rotate backwards. It is however to be noted that such a stopping pawl is not absolutely necessary if the angle made by driving member 17 with respect to the periphery of the driven wheel has been properly chosen.
Such an arrangement has the advantage of being spacesaving and it can easily be mounted in clockwork movements of any shape, whether round or shaped; in addition, it ensures an excellent acoustic coupling of the two crystals.
When the two crystals 6 and 7 are oscillating, probe 15 is caused to oscillate by bending, in view of the weight of the pawl 17 fixed to the free extremity thereof, said oscillation being similar to that of a vibrating string located in the plane of the clockwork movement and pawl 17 forming a node of such vibration; in this way, pawl 17 is imparted a to-and-fro movement substantially along the axis of probe 15, this displacement corre sponding to the periodical bending and slackening of the probe. The frequency of the bending oscillation of probe 15 is a sub-harmonic of the oscillation frequency of the crystal. The oscillating amplitude of pawl 17 in the longitudinal direction of probe 15 is substantially greater than the oscillating amplitude of the crystals, so that are achieved through probe 15 a reduction of the frequency, on the one hand, and an amplification of the oscillating amplitude, on the other hand. If the oscillating amplitude of the crystal blade is for instance of about 10 mm., the oscillating amplitude of pawl 17 reaches a few microns, an amplitude which in any case is greater than the depth of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, so that it is certain that pawl 17 will fully disengage from these teeth.
The oscillator according to the invention is characterized by its very simple geometry, its small size, its safety of operation and also its small consumption of current. The electric circuit, being merely constituted by a single transistor and two crystals, simply requires a current of about a few micro-a-mperes, the result of which 3 is that the oscillating amplitude is independent of the feeding voltage of the battery. What is claimed is: 1. An electronic time-piece comprising, in combination,
a bottomplate having mounted thereon: a battery, a
dial train including a ratchet wheel, a resistor and a transistor forming part of a maintenance circuit for an oscillator, said oscillator comprising at least one collecting member and one driving member, said collecting member being in the input and said driving member being in the output of said circuit, said members each consisting of a crystal in the form of an elongated blade, said members being mechanically coupled when oscillating at their resonant frequency; a support on said plate in one section thereof near the periphery of said plate; said support having a pair of parallel grooves for mounting said members therein; a rider slidably mounted on said blades for modifying the efiicient length thereof to adjust their oscillation frequency; and means carried by said driving member for transmitting the vibrations thereof to said ratchet wheel.
2. Electronic time-piece according to claim 1, wherein said support consists of a non-hygroscopic insulating material.
3. Electronic time-piece according to claim 1, having stopping means for said ratchet wheel, said stopping means comprising a support secured to said bottom plate, a wire fixed to said support at one end thereof and carrying, at the other end thereof a pawl, said pawl being in mesh with said ratchet wheel and positioned at an angle with respect to said driving member.
4. Electronic time-piece according to claim 1, wherein said members have lateral surface coated with a metal film acting as an electrode therefor.
References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,176,167 3/1965 Vosseler 3108.1 3,192,416 6/1965 Gerber 3108.3 3,192,419 6/1965 Beach 310-83 3,225,226 12/1965 Kawakarni 3108.3 3,243 ,95 1 8/ 1962 Kawakami 5823 MILTON O. HIRSHFIELD, Primary Examiner.
I. D. MILLER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. AN ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A BOTTOM PLATE HAVING MOUNTED THEREON: A BATTERY, A DIAL TRAIN INCLUDING A RATCHET WHEEL, A RESISTOR AND A TRANSISTOR FORMING PART OF A MAINTENANCE CIRCUIT FOR AN OSCILLATOR, SAID OSCILLATOR COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE COLLECING MEMBER AND ONE DRIVING MEMBER, SAID COLLECTING MEMBER BEING IN THE INPUT AND SAID DRIVING MEMBER BEING IN THE OUTPUT OF SAID CIRCUIT, SAID MEMBERS EACH CONSISTING OF A CRYSTAL IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED BLADE, SAID MEMBERS BEING MECHANICALLY COUPLED WHEN OSCILLATING AT THEIR RESONANT FREQUENCY; A SUPPORT ON SAID PLATE IN ONE SECTION THEREOF NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE; SAID SUPPORT HAVING A PAIR OF PARALLEL GROOVES FOR MOUNTING SAID MEMBERS THEREIN; A RIDER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BLADES FOR MODIFYING THE EFFICIENT LENGTH THEREOF TO ADJUST THEIR OSCILLATION FREQUENCY; AND MEANS CARRIED THEREOF TO SAID RATCHET WHEEL.
US437208A 1964-03-04 1965-03-04 Oscillator for time-pieces Expired - Lifetime US3343365A (en)

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Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3441753A (en) * 1966-07-26 1969-04-29 Seiko Instr & Electronics Electric timepiece regulator
US3462939A (en) * 1965-02-12 1969-08-26 Tokei Kk Mechanical vibrator for timepiece
US3694681A (en) * 1969-10-21 1972-09-26 Frederick Otto Horstmann Piezoelectric motor
EP1439435A1 (en) * 2002-08-30 2004-07-21 Seiko Epson Corporation Analog electronic timepiece

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3176167A (en) * 1962-01-05 1965-03-30 Vosseler Gerhard Quartz oscillator and drive system
US3192416A (en) * 1963-07-16 1965-06-29 Hoover Co Synchronous motor with limit control
US3192419A (en) * 1963-07-16 1965-06-29 Hoover Co Synchronous motor and mounting
US3225226A (en) * 1961-09-08 1965-12-21 Toko Radio Coil Kenkyusho Kk Electrical vibrator
US3243951A (en) * 1962-03-28 1966-04-05 Toko Radio Coil Kenkyusho Kk Flexure vibration type electrical vibrator and transistor oscillator utilizing the same

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3225226A (en) * 1961-09-08 1965-12-21 Toko Radio Coil Kenkyusho Kk Electrical vibrator
US3176167A (en) * 1962-01-05 1965-03-30 Vosseler Gerhard Quartz oscillator and drive system
US3243951A (en) * 1962-03-28 1966-04-05 Toko Radio Coil Kenkyusho Kk Flexure vibration type electrical vibrator and transistor oscillator utilizing the same
US3192416A (en) * 1963-07-16 1965-06-29 Hoover Co Synchronous motor with limit control
US3192419A (en) * 1963-07-16 1965-06-29 Hoover Co Synchronous motor and mounting

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3462939A (en) * 1965-02-12 1969-08-26 Tokei Kk Mechanical vibrator for timepiece
US3441753A (en) * 1966-07-26 1969-04-29 Seiko Instr & Electronics Electric timepiece regulator
US3694681A (en) * 1969-10-21 1972-09-26 Frederick Otto Horstmann Piezoelectric motor
EP1439435A1 (en) * 2002-08-30 2004-07-21 Seiko Epson Corporation Analog electronic timepiece
EP1439435A4 (en) * 2002-08-30 2007-12-26 Seiko Epson Corp Analog electronic timepiece

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CH276464A4 (en) 1966-04-15
GB1096819A (en) 1967-12-29

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