US3739570A - Column-wheel timer - Google Patents

Column-wheel timer Download PDF

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Publication number
US3739570A
US3739570A US00228842A US3739570DA US3739570A US 3739570 A US3739570 A US 3739570A US 00228842 A US00228842 A US 00228842A US 3739570D A US3739570D A US 3739570DA US 3739570 A US3739570 A US 3739570A
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United States
Prior art keywords
wheel
column
lever
timer
columns
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
US00228842A
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English (en)
Inventor
P Bachmann
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.)
Ebauches Bettlach SA
Original Assignee
Ebauches Bettlach SA
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Application filed by Ebauches Bettlach SA filed Critical Ebauches Bettlach SA
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Publication of US3739570A publication Critical patent/US3739570A/en
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Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04F—TIME-INTERVAL MEASURING
    • G04F7/00—Apparatus for measuring unknown time intervals by non-electric means
    • G04F7/04—Apparatus for measuring unknown time intervals by non-electric means using a mechanical oscillator
    • G04F7/08—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph
    • G04F7/0842—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with start-stop control mechanisms
    • G04F7/0847—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with start-stop control mechanisms with column wheel
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04F—TIME-INTERVAL MEASURING
    • G04F7/00—Apparatus for measuring unknown time intervals by non-electric means
    • G04F7/04—Apparatus for measuring unknown time intervals by non-electric means using a mechanical oscillator
    • G04F7/08—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph
    • G04F7/0804—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with reset mechanisms
    • G04F7/0814—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with reset mechanisms with double hammer, i.e. one hammer acts on two counters

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 10 1971 Switzerland 3501 71
  • a time timepiece having at least one hand rotatably mounted on a housing base, and includ- 521 vs. Cl. 58/76 ing a rewm-w-Zew r, a sto in lever, a push- 51 Int. Cl.
  • This invention relates to a column-wheel timer or timpiece comprising a retum-to-zero hammer with at least one hand, a stopping lever functioning together with a movement wheel-and-pinion and a control-lever, these three components functioning together with the column-wheel to activate the engaging, stopping, and returning to zero of the hand(s) under the influence of pressures exerted upon a push-piece activating the control-lever.
  • Timer-mechanisms of this kind are known as threetime mechanisms. Generally they comprise a second hand making one revolution per minute, and a minute hand advancing by one step every minute. In the zero position, the stopping lever blocks the movement, the stopping lever generally resting on the felly of the balance wheel. When starting from this position, a first pressure exerted on the push-piece frees the hands from the movement. A second pressure causes the hands to stop, and a third pressure causes return to the starting position, the movement remaining stopped when the hands are brought back to zero.
  • the goal of this invention is to realize a columnwheel timer of the kind mentioned at the beginning and which allows re'engaging, when starting from the stopped position, by pressure exerted on a second push-piece, and which is of a simpler construction and operates more reliably than mechanism of this kind that are already known.
  • the column-wheel timer comprises re-engaging means for starting from the stopped position and is characterized by the fact that said reengaging means comprises a pivotable lever which extends to the lever of column-wheel blocks for activating said blocks to force the column-wheel to regress by one step, starting from the stopped position, when pressure is exerted upon the push-piece.
  • FIG. I shows the re-engaging mechanism
  • FIG. 2 shows the position of operation
  • FIG. 3 shows the stopped position
  • FIG. 4 shows the setting-to-zero position
  • the timer partly shown in the drawing in its general construction is a timer of the three-time type and comprises the common components of timers ofthat kind.
  • a description of such a mechanism may be found in'the work by M. B. Humbert under the title of le chronographe and published by EDITIONS DU JOURNAL SUISSE DHORLOGERIE.
  • FIGS. 273, 274 and 275 of that work in particular show the various positions of the control components of a timer of that type.
  • column-wheel I is provided with six blocks or columns 2 of trapezoidal shape distributed along its periphery.
  • the column-wheel is provided with a ratchet toothing 3 having 18 teeth.
  • This wheel pivots round a screw 4 and is kept in place by jumper-spring 5 which engages toothing 3. Hence the wheel may stop in three different positions during each step-advance by the blocks 2.
  • hammer 6 is made up of a blanked plate rotating about a screw 7, and is provided with: a first arm 8 under the influence of strip-spring 9; a second arm 10 the end of which comprises the hammer which brings to heart-piece 22a which is fixed to the hand of the summer back to zero; a third arm 1 1 the end of which makes up the hammer which brings back to zero heart-piece 23 which is attached to the secondhand; and a fourth arm 12 functioning together with blocks 2 of the column-wheel in a manner illustrated below.
  • Stopping lever 13 pivots about a screw 14 located near the column-wheel.
  • One of the levers ends 15 functions together with blocks 2 whereas the other, 24, is provided with a pin 25 which in the position shown in the drawing rests against the felly of balance 26 and locks the movement. But when end 15 is located between two blocks 2, 'lever 13 pivots in response to spring 16 and the pin pulls away from the balance to allow the movement to operate.
  • the described mechanism comprises a control lever 17 and a re-engaging lever 18.
  • Lever 17 is elbow-like in shape. Its end opposite beak 19 pivots with a certain amount of play about screw 27 which is located near the winding shaft 28, as in conventional constructions.
  • this lever 17 is connected to the winding shaft by a hinge-screw 29 and pulled by a spring 30, so that normally the shaft 28 is displaced towards the outside of the movement. In that position, which is the one shown in the drawings, one may notice that beak 19 is wholly clear from ratchet toothing 3.
  • the re-engaging lever 18 generally assumes a shape similar to that of lever 17. Its beak end 20, which may be seen in the drawings, is bent towards the center of the column-wheel to allow engagement between the two blocks 2. Its other end 31 pivots by means of screw 32 upon the movement and near a flat component 33 where lever 18 is jointed on the second push-piece 35. This second push-piece may be dimetrically opposite to the rewinding crown.
  • the initial position is that shown in FIG. 1.
  • the mechanism being in the stopped position, the user is about to push upon'the second pushpiece 35 so that beak 20 moves the column-wheel in the direction opposite to its usual one.
  • hammer 6 by its arm 12 pushes upon block 2a so that the hammer 6 is kept away from the heart-pieces.
  • End 15 of blocking lever 13 pushes against block 2b so that the movement is locked, but when the movement lever 18 has run its course pushing block 2b clockwise, this block frees lever 13 which it previously retained.
  • Lever 13 then pivots in response to spring 16 and therefore allows the movement to operate. Then the mechanism is in working condition (FIG. 2) and lever 18 returns to its initial position in response to spring 34.
  • a pressure exerted at this time upon control push-piece 28 causes an advance by one step in the column-wheel in the direction of arrow 21.
  • Block 2a locking hammer 6 moves below arm 12 leaving the hammer in its free position, while block 2b-which now is in front of end 15 of lever l3passes beyond end 15, causing lever 13 to pivot, again locking the movement.
  • the mechanism thereof again is in the stopped position (see FIG. 3).
  • a new pressure exerted on the push-piece of lever 18 commences a new engaging procedure as described above.
  • timing mechanisms such as sports timers which, with respect to conventional chronographs, are of a very simplified construction since they include neither hour nor minute hands and because all of the movement in locked except during the periods of timing.
  • the above described mechanism in other embodiments, might also be incorporated in permanently running timers or in wrist chronographs for which the locked component (when the timer is in the stopped position) is not the balance, but rather a wheel ganged to the second-hand and friction-coupled to the second wheel-and-pinion itself.
  • the interlocking lever 18 is made up of a single, solid piece. It is provided with a rest position determined by a stop, and in which rest position its beak 20 is out of the path of blocks 2 of the column-wheel. Its course, as measured from the rest position, need not be limited by another stop, since, as seen previously, the rotation of the column-wheel, when actuated by this lever, is restricted by the other components functioning together with this part.
  • a column-wheel timer comprising:
  • a column-wheel rotatably mounted on said base, said column-wheel having a plurality of columns projecting from one side face of said wheel, said columns angularly spaced apart and located at the same radial distance from the axis of said wheel;
  • said means comprising:
  • a return-to-zero hammer pivotally mounted on said base, and having an arm for engaging the column-wheel columns and another arm for returning said hand to a zero-indicating position
  • a stopping lever pivotally mounted on said base for engaging the column-wheel columns and for stopping engagement with a rotating member in the movement of the timer
  • control lever pivotally mounted on said base, one end of which is adapted to engage the periphery of said column-wheel, said control lever also being engageable with said push-piece and a re-engaging lever pivotally mounted on said base,
  • re-engaging lever being adapted for engagement with a push-piece for regressing the column-wheel an increment from the stopped position of said column-wheel when pressure is exerted upon the re-engaging lever through a push-piece.
  • said means additionally comprises a heart-shaped caming surface coaxially mounted with said hand and the arm of said return-to-zero hammer for returning said hand is engageable with said caming surface.
  • a timer according to claim 1 additionally comprising a second push-piece slidably mounted at the edge of said base, said second push-piece engageable with the re-engaging lever.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Unknown Time Intervals (AREA)
US00228842A 1971-03-10 1972-02-24 Column-wheel timer Expired - Lifetime US3739570A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH350171A CH544963A (fr) 1971-03-10 1971-03-10 Compteur à roue à colonnes

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3739570A true US3739570A (en) 1973-06-19

Family

ID=4257352

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00228842A Expired - Lifetime US3739570A (en) 1971-03-10 1972-02-24 Column-wheel timer

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US (1) US3739570A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (2) CH544963A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2208835C3 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3901020A (en) * 1973-04-06 1975-08-26 Valjoux Sa Chronograph watch
EP1031896A4 (en) * 1998-09-10 2000-11-02 Seiko Epson Corp TIME MEASURING DEVICE
US20040246820A1 (en) * 2001-09-24 2004-12-09 Johnny Girardin Chronograph mechanism
US20050007888A1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2005-01-13 Tag-Heuer Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH695802A5 (fr) * 2001-10-23 2006-08-31 Franck Muller Watchland Sa Dispositif de commande pour pièce d'horlogerie.

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3045418A (en) * 1960-06-07 1962-07-24 Ed Heuer & Co Sa Time meter
US3457720A (en) * 1966-04-19 1969-07-29 Ebauches Bettlach Sa Stopwatch control mechanism

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3045418A (en) * 1960-06-07 1962-07-24 Ed Heuer & Co Sa Time meter
US3457720A (en) * 1966-04-19 1969-07-29 Ebauches Bettlach Sa Stopwatch control mechanism

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3901020A (en) * 1973-04-06 1975-08-26 Valjoux Sa Chronograph watch
EP1031896A4 (en) * 1998-09-10 2000-11-02 Seiko Epson Corp TIME MEASURING DEVICE
US6567345B1 (en) 1998-09-10 2003-05-20 Seiko Epson Corporation Clocking device
US20040246820A1 (en) * 2001-09-24 2004-12-09 Johnny Girardin Chronograph mechanism
US6926438B2 (en) * 2001-09-24 2005-08-09 Girard-Perregaux Sa Chronograph mechanism
US20050007888A1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2005-01-13 Tag-Heuer Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US7905655B2 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-03-15 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US20110164474A1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-07-07 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US8113707B2 (en) 2002-02-01 2012-02-14 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US8182138B2 (en) 2002-02-01 2012-05-22 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US8308345B2 (en) 2002-02-01 2012-11-13 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2208835B2 (de) 1975-02-13
CH544963A (fr) 1973-05-30
DE2208835A1 (de) 1972-09-14
DE2208835C3 (de) 1975-09-18
CH350171A4 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-05-30

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