US3903686A - Chronograph movement - Google Patents

Chronograph movement Download PDF

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Publication number
US3903686A
US3903686A US486617A US48661774A US3903686A US 3903686 A US3903686 A US 3903686A US 486617 A US486617 A US 486617A US 48661774 A US48661774 A US 48661774A US 3903686 A US3903686 A US 3903686A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
pinion
wheel
chronograph
counter
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
US486617A
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English (en)
Inventor
Hughes Burki
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.)
NOUVELLE LEMAIA SA
Original Assignee
SSIH Management Services SA
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 SSIH Management Services SA filed Critical SSIH Management Services SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3903686A publication Critical patent/US3903686A/en
Assigned to NOUVELLE LEMAIA S.A. reassignment NOUVELLE LEMAIA S.A. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST. Assignors: SOCIETE SUISSE POUR L'INDUSTRIE HORLOGERE MANAGEMENT SERVICES S.A.
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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
    • G04F7/0823—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with couplings between the chronograph mechanism and the base movement
    • 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
    • G04F7/0823—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with couplings between the chronograph mechanism and the base movement
    • G04F7/0833—Watches or clocks with stop devices, e.g. chronograph with couplings between the chronograph mechanism and the base movement acting perpendicular to the plane of the movement

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT A conventional timepiece movement with a seconds July l0, I973 Switzerland 10034/73 handy minutes hand and hour hand combined with a chronograph movement including a minutes counter US. Cl. 58/74 and hours counter and having the Capability to zeroize 7/04 the seconds hand, minutes counter and hours counter.
  • CHRONOGRAPH MOVEMENT This invention relates to a chronograph movement comprising an hour-wheel and a minutewheel continuously driven by a gear-train, and further comprising a chronograph-pinion and a minute-counter, each adapted to be stopped, returned to zero. or connected to the gear-train and driven.
  • chronograph movements comprise the usual wheels and pinions of a watch movement and, in addition, a chronograph-arbor integral with a chronograph-wheel and means for connecting the chronograph-wheel to a fourth WheeLand-pinion, these means being controllable from the outside so as to cause the chronograph-hand to start and stop.
  • the chronograph is equipped with a minute-counter, the latter is driven from the chronograph-wheel, either by a finger actuating the counter-wheel by one step per revolution, or by an oscillating pinion which produces a continuous slow motion of the counter-hand.
  • the minutecounter is coaxial with the chronograph-hand. It is then connected to the center wheel-and-pinion by a friction coupling, and the mechanism comprises a brake which can block the counter when the chronograph hand is uncoupled.
  • the chronograph-pinion and the minute-counter each have toothings continuously engaged with corresponding toothings of a whecl-and-pinion constituting the driven part of a friction clutch, and the driving part of the clutch is a wheel-and-pinion of the gear-train.
  • the drawing shows part of a base plate I of the movement and part of a wheel-train bridge 2.
  • a chronograph bridge 3 is fastened under the base plate 1 in such a way that certain elements may pivot, as will be seen further on.
  • Below the chronograph bridge 3 is a retaining plate 4. through a central opening 5 of which pass the various pipes of the members bearing the center hands.
  • the retaining plate 4 also has an off center opening 6 through which an arbor 7 of an hour-counter passes.
  • the chronograph movement illustrated comprises a mainspring lodged in a barrel which rotates at a slightly greater speed than usual.
  • the drum of this barrel drives an off-center center wheel-and-pinion 8, part of the wheel of which may be seen in the drawing.
  • the center wheel-and-pinion 8 likewise rotates at a slightly greater speed than usual. which is one revolution per hour, and pivots between the wheel-train bridge 3 and the base plate 1 about an off-center arbor.
  • the wheel of the wheel-and-pinion 8 engages a pinion-teething 9 of a third wheel-and-pinion 10, which is of a special design.
  • the pinion-teething 9 is integral with a toothed disc I l which represents the whcel-toothing of the third whecland-pinion l0, and it is also integral with an auxiliary pinion-toothing 12 smaller in diameter than the piniontoothing 9.
  • the wheel ll drives an off-center fourth wheel pinion (not shown) which transmits the driving torque to an escape wheel actuating the escapement.
  • the wheel-and-pinion 10 has a cylindrical passage along its axis, and it is mounted loose on an arbor 13 which pivots at its upper end in a bearing 14, integral with the bridge 2, and at its lower end in the bottom 15 of a socket l6 driven into an opening in the chronograph bridge 3.
  • the sidewall of the socket 16 has a recess in order to enable the driving of the minute-counter, as will be seen further
  • the third wheel-and-pinion 10 is held in place axially by a shoulder of the arbor 13 on which the end face of the pinion-toothing l2 rests, and by a sleeve 17 driven onto the upper end of the arbor 13. The to sition of the sleeve 17 determines the clearance of the wheel-andpinion 10.
  • a clutch plate 18 Guided freely about the sleeve 17 is a clutch plate 18 provided with a peripheral toothing 19.
  • the plate 18 is normally pressed against the wheel 11 by a resilient element 20 held under tension between a collar of the sleeve 17 and a circular rim of the plate 18. It can, however, be axially displaced with respect to the arbor 13 by means of a control member (not shown).
  • the plate 18 is adapted to drive the arbor l3 rotatingly by the friction of the resilient member or spring 20 on the rim of the plate 18 and on the sleeve 17, and hence a pinion-toothing 21, situated at the lower end of the arbor l3 inside the socket 16, is rotated with the wheel-and-pinion 10 or, on the contrary. blocked, ac cording to the position of the control member of the plate 18.
  • the whole assembly constitutes a clutch, the driven part of which, consisting of the arbor 13 and the plate 18, comprises a number of toothings of different diameters which are coupled 0r uncoupled simultaneously.
  • the indicators of the chronograph movement described here are so arranged that they can be started, stopped, and returned to zero accurately and simply.
  • the indicator members comprise, first of all, a chronograph-arbor 22, the upper end of which pivots in a bearing 23 integral with the bridge 2, while the lower end bears a chronograph-hand 24.
  • the arbor 22 is machined with a pinion-toothing 25 which is constantly engaged with the toothing 19 of the plate 18. It carries a return-to-zero heartpiece 26 disposed immediately above the inner face of the base plate 1 and intended to cooperate with a hammer 26a.
  • a collar 27 which guides it in the inner bore of the pipe of a cannon-pinion 28.
  • the arbor 22 has a frustoconical shoulder 47 between the toothed portion 25 and the portion of the arbor immediately ad jacent thereto.
  • a spring 48 consisting of a straight wire borne by a pillar (not shown) set upright in the base plate 1.
  • the position and height of this pillar are such that the spring-wire 48 exerts an oblique force, acting in the direction indicated by an arrow F, upon the arbor 22.
  • the spring 48 has a number of functions. First of all, it is a source of friction on the arbor 22. Furthermore, it prevents any jumping or wavering of the chronograph-hand at the moment of its starting up, i.c.. when the plate 18 moves axially to come into contact with the plate 11.
  • the hole of the bearing 23 is given a non circular shape, slightly elongated in the direction determined by the parallel axes of the wheel-and-pi'nion l and the arbor 22.
  • the spring 48 exerts upon the arbor 22 a force of which the horizontal component likewise acts in that direction and which consequently tends to press the pinion-toothing 25 against the toothing 19 of the plate 18.
  • the profiles of these toothings will be such that the points of the teeth of the toothing 19 press against the bottoms of the tooth-gaps of the toothing 25 without the upper pivot of the arbor 22 pressing against the flank of the hole of the bearing 23.
  • the length of this hole will be such that the short-side nearest the toothing 19 is never in contact with the upper pivot of the chronograph-arbor 22, while the opposite shortside offers sufficient play to absorb any eccentricity of the toothings 25 and 19, but little enough play to furnish support for the pivot of the chronographpinion 25 and thus to prevent disengagement of the toothings when the chronograph-pinion 25 is returned to zero.
  • This function of the spring 48 therefore ensures that the chronograph-hand will start up without any jerk, besides avoiding any risk of jamming due to possible eccentricity of the toothing 19.
  • this arrangement for avoiding angular play of the toothings may be described as follows: in a positioning arrangement for a rotating part having a toothing engaged with a driving toothing, the rotating part pivots with play in at least one bearing and com prises a shoulder against which a resilient element presses continuously, exerting upon the rotating part a force having an axial component and a horizontal component, the horizontal component being directed towards the axis of the driving toothing.
  • the cannon-pinion 28 has a toothing 29 extending between the base plate 1 and the chronograph bridge 3, the pipe of the cannon-pinion 28 passing through a circular opening in the bridge 3.
  • the cannon-pinion 28 pivots in a hole in the base plate 1 and carries a frictionmounted minute-wheel 31 on a collar 30 having frustoconical flanks.
  • the minute-wheel 31 is in continuous engagement with the pinion-toothing 12 of the third wheel-and-pinion 10.
  • the cannonpinion 28 bears a minute-hand 32.
  • the pipe 33 is integral with a heartpiece 34 and bears a counter-wheel 35.
  • the counterwheel 35 is freely engaged on a cylindrical bearing surface of the pipe 33.
  • the wheel 35 is of the same diameter as the wheel 3 l and it meshes continuously with the toothing 2] of the arbor 13, this toothing 2] being of the same diameter as the toothing 12.
  • a spring 36 which rests on one face of a pinion 4l driven onto the pipe 33 positions the wheel 35 axially and produces the friction necessary to drive the heartpiece 34 and its pipe 33.
  • a washer 37 which rests on the other face of the pinion 41 axially positions an hour-wheel 38 which extends immediately under the retaining plate 4, and the pipe of which passes through the opening 5 and guides the pipe 33.
  • the pinion 41 fastened rigidly on the pipe 33 is integral with the minute-counter and drives the wheel of a transmission wheel-and-pinion 42 mounted on a pivot pin 43 set upright in the base plate 1.
  • the pinion-toothing of this wheel-and-pinion 42 drives a wheel 44 which is mounted on the arbor 7 in such a way as to be frictioncoupled to the arbor 7.
  • a heartpiece 45 is integral with the arbor 7, as isan hour-counter hand 46.
  • a minute wheeland-pinion (not shown) is provided between the base plate 1 and the retaining plate 4.
  • This wheel-and-pinion will comprise a wheeltoothing engaged with the toothing 29 of the cannonpinion 28 and a pinion-toothing engaged with the hourwheel 38.
  • the clutchplate 18 Due to the rotation of the arbor 22 driven by the heart-piece 26, the clutchplate 18, which has remained engaged with the toothing 25 but is no longer in contact with the wheel-andpinion 10, rotates against the friction of the spring 20.
  • the heart-piece 34 causes the pipe 33 to rotate, returning the hand 39 to zero, but without necessarily driving the wheel 35, which is friction-fitted, and this facilitates the return to zero of the heart-piece 34.
  • This rotating movement of the pipe 33 brings about a rotation of the pinion 41 and, consequently, of the wheel-and-pinion 42 and the wheel 44; but at the same time, the arbor 7, as well as the hand 46 and the heart-piece 45. rotates so as to return the hand 46 to zero. It follows that the arbor 7 rotates frictionally in the wheel 44.
  • chronograph-hand is driven by the toothing l9, and the arbor 13 is driven via the spring 20, so that the toothing 2] drives the wheel at the same speed as the wheel 31.
  • the arrangement described makes it possible to produce a chronograph with a continuous slow-motion minute-counter in the center.
  • the normal hourand minute-hands turn freely under the action of the mainspring without being disturbed by the action of a brake acting upon one of the chronograph wheels or pinions.
  • the setting of the hands and 32 is made possible through the friction existing between the wheel 3! and the collar 30 of the cannon-pinion 28.
  • the cannon-pinion 28 and the hour-wheel 38 may, as a matter of fact, be driven independently of the wheel 31 owing to that friction.
  • the minute-counter might also be off-center.
  • the wheel 35 might remain engaged with the toothing 21 and drive the arbor of the counter by friction. Instead of serving to pivot the pipe 33, the hour-wheel 38 would then receive the pipe of the cannon-pinion 28 directly.
  • a chronograph movement comprising an hourwheel and a minute-wheel continuously driven by a gear-train. and further comprising a chronographpinion and a minute-counter, each adapted to be stopped, returned to zero, or connected to said geartrain and driven, wherein said chronograph-pinion and said minute-counter each have toothings countinuously engaged with corresponding toothings of a wheel-andpinion constituting the driven part of a friction clutch. and the driving part of said clutch is a wheel-and-pinion of said gear-train.
  • said driving part comprises a piniontoothing engaged with a center wheel-and-pinion and a wheel-toothing engaged with a fourth wheel pinion, said fourth wheel pinion and said center wheel-andpinion constituting elements of other wheels and pinions of said gear-train.
  • said minute-counter comprises a counter-wheel engaged with a pinion-toothing of said driven part, a pipe engaged on said cannon-pinion. and a further pinion integral with a pipe of said minutecounter, said further pinion driving an hour-counter.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Unknown Time Intervals (AREA)
US486617A 1973-07-10 1974-07-08 Chronograph movement Expired - Lifetime US3903686A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH1003473A CH584937B5 (xx) 1973-07-10 1973-07-10

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3903686A true US3903686A (en) 1975-09-09

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ID=4358622

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US486617A Expired - Lifetime US3903686A (en) 1973-07-10 1974-07-08 Chronograph movement

Country Status (3)

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US (1) US3903686A (xx)
CH (2) CH1003473A4 (xx)
GB (1) GB1467683A (xx)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5224667A (en) * 1991-01-29 1993-07-06 Societe Nationale Industrielle Et Aerospatiale System enabling the flutter behavior of an aircraft to be improved
US5793708A (en) * 1995-10-31 1998-08-11 Montres Rolex S.A. Timepiece with a chronograph mechanism
US6406176B1 (en) * 1997-12-22 2002-06-18 Seiko Instruments Inc. Chronograph timepiece
US20040105346A1 (en) * 2001-03-21 2004-06-03 Gerd-Rudiger Lang Watch movement
US20050249044A1 (en) * 2002-10-07 2005-11-10 Forsey Stephen E M Chronograph watch movement
US20050259520A1 (en) * 2002-10-07 2005-11-24 Forsey Stephen Edward M Display device for watch
US20070019509A1 (en) * 2005-07-20 2007-01-25 Breitling Ag Zero-resetting device for two time counters
US20090154301A1 (en) * 2005-02-22 2009-06-18 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd Pointer Indication Type Timepiece
US7905655B2 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-03-15 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
DE102013103180A1 (de) * 2013-03-28 2014-10-02 Uwe Heinz Chronograph
EP3032358A1 (fr) * 2014-12-12 2016-06-15 Richemont International S.A. Mécanisme de chronographe pour mouvement horloger
DE202017107668U1 (de) 2017-12-18 2018-01-19 Uwe Heinz Nullstellvorrichtung für Minutenzeiger eines Chronographen und Chronograph

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2266791A (en) * 1992-05-08 1993-11-10 George Daniels Improvements relaating to chronographs

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2325539A (en) * 1939-08-22 1943-07-27 Firm Soc Ind De Soneeboz Sa Timepiece with chronograph
US3675413A (en) * 1970-07-02 1972-07-11 Schild Sa A Watch movement having totalizers

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2325539A (en) * 1939-08-22 1943-07-27 Firm Soc Ind De Soneeboz Sa Timepiece with chronograph
US3675413A (en) * 1970-07-02 1972-07-11 Schild Sa A Watch movement having totalizers

Cited By (25)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5224667A (en) * 1991-01-29 1993-07-06 Societe Nationale Industrielle Et Aerospatiale System enabling the flutter behavior of an aircraft to be improved
US5793708A (en) * 1995-10-31 1998-08-11 Montres Rolex S.A. Timepiece with a chronograph mechanism
US6406176B1 (en) * 1997-12-22 2002-06-18 Seiko Instruments Inc. Chronograph timepiece
US7085199B2 (en) * 2001-03-21 2006-08-01 Chronoswiss Uhren Gmbh Watch movement
US20040105346A1 (en) * 2001-03-21 2004-06-03 Gerd-Rudiger Lang Watch movement
US20110164474A1 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-07-07 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
US8182138B2 (en) 2002-02-01 2012-05-22 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
US7905655B2 (en) * 2002-02-01 2011-03-15 Lvmh Swiss Manufactures Sa Device comprising a clock movement and a chronograph module
US20050249044A1 (en) * 2002-10-07 2005-11-10 Forsey Stephen E M Chronograph watch movement
US20050259520A1 (en) * 2002-10-07 2005-11-24 Forsey Stephen Edward M Display device for watch
US7275859B2 (en) * 2002-10-07 2007-10-02 Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier S.A. Display device for watch
US7445374B2 (en) * 2002-10-07 2008-11-04 Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier S.A. Two-state chronograph with switching means
US7821877B2 (en) * 2005-02-22 2010-10-26 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. Pointer indication type timepiece
US20090154301A1 (en) * 2005-02-22 2009-06-18 Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd Pointer Indication Type Timepiece
US7331706B2 (en) * 2005-07-20 2008-02-19 Breitling Ag Zero-resetting device for two time counters
US20070019509A1 (en) * 2005-07-20 2007-01-25 Breitling Ag Zero-resetting device for two time counters
DE102013103180A1 (de) * 2013-03-28 2014-10-02 Uwe Heinz Chronograph
WO2014155307A2 (de) 2013-03-28 2014-10-02 Uwe Heinz Chronograph
DE102013103180B4 (de) * 2013-03-28 2014-11-13 Uwe Heinz Chronograph
US10001755B2 (en) 2013-03-28 2018-06-19 Uwe Heinz Chronograph
EP3032358A1 (fr) * 2014-12-12 2016-06-15 Richemont International S.A. Mécanisme de chronographe pour mouvement horloger
DE202017107668U1 (de) 2017-12-18 2018-01-19 Uwe Heinz Nullstellvorrichtung für Minutenzeiger eines Chronographen und Chronograph
DE102018132154A1 (de) 2017-12-18 2019-06-19 Uwe Heinz Nullstellvorrichtung für minutenzeiger eines chronographen und chronograph

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH584937B5 (xx) 1977-02-15
CH1003473A4 (xx) 1976-07-15
GB1467683A (en) 1977-03-16

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: NOUVELLE LEMAIA S.A. MANUFACTURE D HORLOGERIE 2, R

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:SOCIETE SUISSE POUR L INDUSTRIE HORLOGERE MANAGEMENT SERVICES S.A.;REEL/FRAME:003927/0831

Effective date: 19811104