US3540211A - Horological regulator - Google Patents

Horological regulator Download PDF

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Publication number
US3540211A
US3540211A US828530A US3540211DA US3540211A US 3540211 A US3540211 A US 3540211A US 828530 A US828530 A US 828530A US 3540211D A US3540211D A US 3540211DA US 3540211 A US3540211 A US 3540211A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
hairspring
regulator
horological
opening
width
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
US828530A
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English (en)
Inventor
Harwell B Thompson
Edward Kaunns
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.)
Timex Group USA Inc
Original Assignee
Timex Corp
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 Timex Corp filed Critical Timex Corp
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3540211A publication Critical patent/US3540211A/en
Assigned to CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A., THE reassignment CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A., THE SECURITY INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: FREDERIKSPLEIN HOLDING 1970 B.V., TIMEX CLOCK COMPANY, A DE CORP., TIMEX COMPUTERS LTD., A DE CORP., TIMEX CORPORATION, A DE CORP., TIMEX ENTERPRISES, INC., A BERMUDA CORP., TIMEX GROUP LTD., A BERMUDA CORP., TIMEX MEDICAL PRODUCTS LTD., A BERMUDA CORP., TIMEX N.V.
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • 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
    • G04B18/00—Mechanisms for setting frequency
    • G04B18/02—Regulator or adjustment devices; Indexing devices, e.g. raquettes
    • G04B18/026—Locking the hair spring in the indexing device, e.g. goupille of the raquette

Definitions

  • the time base is an oscillator.
  • the oscillator is connected to the inner end of a hairspring and the outer end of the hairspring is attached to a fixed part of the instrument, for example, a frame plate or bridge.
  • the oscillator is a balance wheel fastened to a balance staff The staff pivots in bearings or other pivot means.
  • the timekeeping accuracy of the instrument is dependent upon the balance wheel and its hairspring.
  • a problem involving the hairspring system arises from the desire that when the horological instrument is sold it should be regulated to keep accurate time.
  • One, way to obtain such an initial accurate regulation is to place a watch on a timing machine, regulate it a first time, allow it to run for a while, for example, a few hours or days, and regulate it a second time. That procedure is time-consuming, costly and may require skilled personnel.
  • a watch is placed on a timing machine and the watch regulator moved into its supposedly correct position.
  • the oscillator rate rapidly drifts off its setting.
  • a curbed hairspring is designed to constantly lie against a wall of the regulator and not to vibrate within the regulators opening. Possibly the hairspring initially rests on one or a few points on the internal surface of the regulator opening; but in its first few hours or days of running it wears down those points and thereby changes the contact area between the hairspring and the regulator.
  • the contact portion of the regulator arm is substantially less than the width of the hairspring, the effective length of the hairspring and the regulation becomes rapidly fixed.
  • a horological I instrument in which an osillator assembly is attached to a hairspring at its inner end.
  • a regulator "United States Patent ice is positioned to contact the hairspring between its inner end and its outer fixed end.
  • the regulator is constructed. in one alternative, so that the part of the regulator which touches the hairspring is less wide than the width of the hairspring.
  • the area of contact between the regulator and the hairspring is purposely made small so that the initial wearing away does not have an adverse effect.
  • the contact between the regulator and the hairspring determining the effective length of the hairspring is accomplished almost at once.
  • the regulator arm has a flange-like portion with an opening, the hairspring contacts the regulator on the inner surface of the opening (toward the balance staff), and the contact wall of that opening has a protrusion upon which the hairspring rests.
  • that inner wall of that opening is V a pin having a shoulder portion of greater diameter than the rest of the pin.
  • the portion of the regulator in contact with the hairspring is made of a resilient (elastic) material.
  • the material is initially compressed by the hairspring, at the point of contact, and presents a relatively large and constant contact area.
  • FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in cross-section, of the balance wheel, hairspring and regulator
  • FIG, 2 is an enlarged side plan view of a portion of the regulator which is the first embodiment of the present invention
  • FIG. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in perspective and partly in plan, of the second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged side plan view of the third embodiment of the present invention.
  • the horological instrument is described in a wrist watch, although the present invention is appicable to other horological instruments using an oscillator and a hairspring.
  • the watch movement includes a balance wheel 10 which is fixed on a balance wheel staff 11.
  • a hub 12 is also fixed on staff 11.
  • the staff pivots between pivots 13 and 14 in frame plate 15 and bridge 16, respectively.
  • a hairspring 17 is connected, at its inner end, to the hub 12.
  • the hairspring 17, at its outer end, is connected to the bridge by means of a wedge pin arrangement 18.
  • a regulator 19 is rotatably mounted on bridge 16 above the pivot 14.
  • the regulator 19 has a regulator arm 20 with an extension flange portion 21 having an opening 22 through which the hairspring passes.
  • the inner wall 23 of opening 22 is toward the balance staff. That wall includes a central integral protruding portion 24.
  • the hairspring 17 contacts the end of protruding portion 24.
  • the distance the protruding portion 24 protrudes is its height and its vertical distance in FIG. 2 is its width.
  • the vertical distance (the longer side) of the hairspring is its width and the horizontal distance (the shorter side) its thickness.
  • the width of the protruding portion 24 may be .002 in. compared to a hairspring width of .010 in, In all cases the width of that protruding portion is less than the width of the hairspring.
  • the regulator arm 20a terminates in an extension flange portion 210! having an opening 22a through which the hairspring 17a passes.
  • a regulator pin 26 consists of a top shank portion 27, a shoulder portion 28 and a bottom shank portion 29. The pin is round in cross-section and the dameter of the shoulder portion 28 is larger than the diameter of the shank portions.
  • the pin 26 is secured to the regulator arm 20a and forms the inner wall of the opening 22a.
  • the enlarged shoulder portion 28 protrudes into opening 22a and the hairspring 17a contacts that shoulder portion 28. In all cases the width of portion 28 is less than the width of the hairspring.
  • the regulator arm 20b has a downwardly descending flange portion 21b having an opening 22b through which the hairspring 17b passes.
  • the inner wall of the opening 22b is formed by a strip of resilient (elastic) material which is adhered to wall 31 of the flange portion.
  • a suitable material is natural rubber.
  • the resilient material may be coated on wall 31 or wall 31 may be entirely of such material.
  • the hairspring 17b contacts the resilient material 30.
  • the watch In operation, in any of the embodiments the watch is placed on a timing machine and regulated by movement of the regulator.
  • the watch will retain its initial rate, without re-regulation, in the process of its manufacture.
  • a horological device having a frame member and bridge, an oscillator assembly, a hairspring connected between the oscillator assembly and the bridge and an adjustable regulator pivotly positioned on the bridge and having an arm positioned to contact the hairspring, the said regulator arm having a portion adapted to contact the hairspring, the said contact portion being substan- 4 tially less than the width of the hairspring to facilitate the intimate engagement of the regulator and hairspring.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Springs (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
  • Stringed Musical Instruments (AREA)
US828530A 1969-05-28 1969-05-28 Horological regulator Expired - Lifetime US3540211A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US82853069A 1969-05-28 1969-05-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3540211A true US3540211A (en) 1970-11-17

Family

ID=25252076

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US828530A Expired - Lifetime US3540211A (en) 1969-05-28 1969-05-28 Horological regulator

Country Status (6)

Country Link
US (1) US3540211A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS4910275B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (2) CH720770A4 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2023324C3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2044826B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1254256A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4201042A (en) * 1977-05-12 1980-05-06 A. Schild S.A. Regulator for a timepiece movement

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP7038491B2 (ja) * 2017-05-11 2022-03-18 セイコーインスツル株式会社 緩急針、ムーブメント、及び時計

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2088421A (en) * 1936-10-05 1937-07-27 Waterbury Clock Company Regulating means for timepieces
US2209172A (en) * 1938-09-19 1940-07-23 Waterbury Clock Company Hairspring for time instruments
CH257460A (fr) * 1945-12-29 1948-10-15 Marti Fritz Dispositif de raquetterie pour pièce d'horlogerie à balancier.
GB674549A (en) * 1949-06-02 1952-06-25 Edgard Andre Ulysse Chatelain Improvements in or relating to mounting devices for spiral springs
FR1295468A (fr) * 1961-04-25 1962-06-08 Lip Sa Régulateur du ressort spiral d'un mouvement d'horlogerie

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH288795A (fr) * 1950-08-02 1953-02-15 Colomb Henri Raquette de mouvement d'horlogerie.
CH320004A (fr) * 1954-11-11 1957-03-15 Morf Ernest Dispositif de réglage de la longueur active d'un ressort-spiral
DE1197816B (de) * 1964-03-13 1965-07-29 Kienzle Uhrenfabriken Ges Mit Spiralschluessel

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2088421A (en) * 1936-10-05 1937-07-27 Waterbury Clock Company Regulating means for timepieces
US2209172A (en) * 1938-09-19 1940-07-23 Waterbury Clock Company Hairspring for time instruments
CH257460A (fr) * 1945-12-29 1948-10-15 Marti Fritz Dispositif de raquetterie pour pièce d'horlogerie à balancier.
GB674549A (en) * 1949-06-02 1952-06-25 Edgard Andre Ulysse Chatelain Improvements in or relating to mounting devices for spiral springs
FR1295468A (fr) * 1961-04-25 1962-06-08 Lip Sa Régulateur du ressort spiral d'un mouvement d'horlogerie

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4201042A (en) * 1977-05-12 1980-05-06 A. Schild S.A. Regulator for a timepiece movement

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH720770A4 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1972-11-30
DE2023324A1 (de) 1970-12-03
DE2023324B2 (de) 1978-08-31
CH534908A (de) 1972-11-30
DE2023324C3 (de) 1979-04-19
FR2044826B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-12-21
GB1254256A (en) 1971-11-17
FR2044826A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1971-02-26
JPS4910275B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-03-09

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Legal Events

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AS Assignment

Owner name: CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, N.A., THE

Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:TIMEX CORPORATION, A DE CORP.;TIMEX COMPUTERS LTD., A DE CORP.;TIMEX CLOCK COMPANY, A DE CORP.;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:004181/0596

Effective date: 19830331