US950520A - Electric winding mechanism for timepieces. - Google Patents

Description

L STBIGER @zz J. BESANGON. ELECTRIC WINDING MECHANISM FOR TIMBPIECES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 12, 1909.

@@QQB Patented Mar. 1, 1910' Y@ MMM @friki/32646150 f mi? me,

ilil. ,team

tiener jira nnnoriero rfinnrive- Meenemen Fon rrarnrrnons.

Specification ci Letters Patent. tool M13@ Q figlia@ Applicatie-n tiled. 1.2%, i969. Serial Een. $5,335.

'lo all whom it may com-ern:

T be itwiinownthat encon tormenti and JAMES Besanon, citizens ot Switzerland,

and residents, the. lirst 'of 4liest?.ngen, Doper' ment ot' the Doubs', State'of lrciice, end. second of La haux-vdellontls, 'Canton of Neuchtel, and State of Switiierlentl, have inventcdcer-tain new and useful Electric Winding illeclienisin :tor Timepieces, oit which the following is a specification.

This invention relates ite 'mechanism for periodicallyT utilizing an electric current to nctunte means for windingv the movement of a time piece. v

One object of the invention is to'pronide simple means tor winding a time piece the windingmeans beingA connected in an electric circuity which is broken during the time ot operation of the movement. but which circuit is closed as the movement runs down thereby actuating the winding mechanism and causing the latter to vwind the timepiece movement. i

A. further object of the invention is to provide means ttor insuring thewinding of the movement in cose the current emanating from the source thereof, is not eutliciently strong` to accomplish this result.

Other objects ot the invention will he disclosed. in the following description, reference heinghad to the accounimnying drawing wherein:-

Figure l 1s an elevational view of an ep- .peratus constructed according to the present intention. Fig: 2 isla cross sectional View` taken on the broken line .lf-l-MC---D of. Fin 1 v 'zlhe `ti1ne-keeper illustrated comprises a drivingflbarrel a, actuating the pinion t: of the escapeinent wheel c by the aid. ot the pinions! and Wheels cl, e, g, it and z' respectively. The -ratchet w reel 7c of the barrel gears with a pinion Z, revolvingwitli a wheel in, which ears with a pinion'n, re-

volvingr with a wheel o which is in inesh with o worm p. fixed upon the driving` shaft y or" a smell electro-motor r of which one brush 8 1n frictional Contact with' the collector' is connected by means of an wneei e there is lined a collet y, having a notch e' and revolving as a result of the action of the barrel a'. in the direction indo cated. oy the arrow L the action` of the electroniotor c in the direction indicated by tlie ori-ow 'lo a metallic piller (S, screwed` lo :i bridge 7 of 'the movement, is fitted oy one or' its extremities4V a. flat spring' 8, the' other extremity ,of which terminates in dog 9, hearing' con stantljy against the :tace of the collet y. To the pillar t3 is' also secured. e yoke l0 of insulating materiel, supporting e iat spring 11,'comiectcd by means ol en insulated conducting Wire 1Q to the negative pole of the above mentioned source of electrical energy.

Carried by this fiat spring il is an adjusting` screw 3 3, with the point of which the flat spring; 8 is adapted to Contact, es soon es the notch a' of the collet i/ is in line with the dog@ of this lat spring. flt'tlie other end, the Het spring il carries an arm 14, the end l5 or" which yheare upon the periphcry of the collet 1. The posit-ion ofthe Hat spring ll and otite arm is so arranged that even though the dop; 9 of the fiat spring 8 rests on the collet gf, while not engaged in the notch of this collet, the point of the screw i3 ie in contact with the seid liet spring S, as long es the extremity 15 of the arm le bears ogainstcthe collet 3, So that the contact `between `the screw lf3 and the flatspringY S ,will only be broken, the moment the extremity l5 ci the arno lll catches into the notch l ot the collet 3.

I lv'lnle the movement isl'in oeration as a resultof the action ofits barre a, and whilethe parts occupy `the position ns indicated by Fig. l, the electric circuit, Within which is included themotor fr, is broken in as much as there is en absence of Icontact between the screw .13 and the liet spring 8. Since however the collet i/ rotatesin the direction indicated by the arrow L'tne notch e will m time comeinto -line with the dog '5l of the flat' spring 8; the' dog will then catch therein, causing the screw to contact with this llat spring, vhich will complete thev circuit and operate the motor fr, Whose worm p,

actuating the wheel 0, winds up the barrel a byineans of its ratchet wheels. The col let 3 participating in ,the motion produced i by the electroinotor, rotates in the direction @n the arbor 2 of the wheel m lixed a collet y3, having e' vtiotch 4l, enti heine; adapted to rotate under LID with the ratchet Wheel f:

indicated by the arrovfT 5', and its notch, corresponding no longer with the extremity l5 of the arm 14, is litted by the aid ot the 'face Aof this collet 3 which will make contact between the screw 13 and the flat spring 8 or the whole time of one entire revolution of this collet and consequently the wheel m, quite independent of the length of the notch s and the strength of the source of electrical energy.

lt is evident that the winding up et' the barrel of the movement mightalso be accomplished without the intervention ot the collet 3 and of the arm lll, but in such a case it would become necessary to adjust with great nicety the length of the notch z of the collet y, to secure a suliiciently long,r period of contact to insure the operation of the elcctromotor long enough to ctect the winding of the time piece. Besides should in the long run the strene'th of the source of electrical energy fall ohA through wear, the speed of the eiectromotor would necessarily diminish and become inadequate to accomplish its work oit winding up the barrel within the time that the dog 9 is engaged in the notch z and stoppage ol the movement would ensue after a certain lapse of time. To overcome this diiliculty it would be possible to venlarge the notch z to suit the diminution oi the electrical Iscarcely be feasible, tor in such a case, when n l energy, but this course will replacing or strengthening the source of electrical energy it would become necessary to replace also the collet y. By adopting however thefauxiliary collet 3 and the arm 14, this dilliculty 'is entirely obviated and permanent and regular winding up of the movement is thereby insured, Whatever the decrease in electrica energy may be, and this will continue so until the source of electrical energy is exhausted to such an extent, that it no longer able to work the. electron'iotor at all. The auxiliary collet 3 might just well be placed on any other arbor than the one indicated, always provided that the same is made coactive with one ot the intermediate gears between the electromotor and the barrel, so tor example it might cooperate of the barrel and in escena this case, it would be provided With a plurality of notches, to successively engage the ,dat ,spring l1, with a View to insure a Suthciently long period of contact for completing and breaking the circuit of the electromotor.

The motor, pertaining to themovement, which in the example shown, is constituted by a. spring barrel, might also be a Weight, acting upon a roll or toothed cylinder. l

'lhe form, the sizes and the relative arrangement of the various parts ot' the mechanism, may be considerably varied Without departing 'from the spirit ot the invention defined by the accompanyingA claims.

Having now described our invention, we claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent l. ln clock Winding mechanism of the character described, the, coml'iination with an electric motor, ot a pair of contact members for closing the motor circuit, a collet engaging one of said members and permitting the same to descend by gravity at a predetermined time, and a second collet acting upon the second Contact member to raise the same into contact with its companion member, substantially' as described.

2. ln clock Winding mechanism of the character described, the con'ibination with an electric motor. ot' a pair of parallel contact members for closing the motor circuit, a dog at the extremity ot one cont act member and an arm depending: from the other Contact member, a rotary collet having its face engaging the dog and having a slot into Which the dog falls to permit the contact member to descend by gravity, and a Second collet acting upon said arm to elevate the contact member which carries it into Contact -with its companion member, substantially as described.

Sig-ned at Berne in the canton of Berne.

and State ot Switzerland this 3d day of May A. l). 190).

.li-'hCOB STEGER. JAMES BESMKNQON.

Witnesses i Gmo. Hnmmon, lino J. FRAN iinN'rnAL.

Images