This application claims priority from European Patent application No. 14199755.1 filed Dec. 22, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention concerns an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring including a balance spring stud and a stud-holder, wherein said stud-holder includes:
In a mechanical watch, it is usual to use a regulating member comprising a sprung-balance device. Conventionally, the inner end of the balance spring is attached to a collet provided on the balance staff. In order to attach and position the inner end of the balance spring, it is known to use a stud-holder housing a balance spring stud, in association with a clamping screw to clamp the stud against the portion of the balance spring engaged in the stud-holder.
In such an assembly, the stud-holder is conventionally attached to a balance-cock also used for attaching one of the ends of the balance staff. In practice, during assembly and/or timing, the operations to be performed with these various elements are difficult, since access is restricted and the parts are of very small dimensions. Moreover, with such configurations, it is common for the balance spring clamping screw or the balance spring stud-holder to come loose, and/or be lost during an operation such as adjustment of the active length of the balance spring.
It is an object of the invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing to provide an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring which allows simplified assembly or disassembly of the balance spring stud.
To this end, the invention concerns an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring including a base provided with an upper surface and a lower surface on which a balance spring stud and a stud-holder are arranged, wherein the stud-holder includes:
In a first advantageous embodiment, the peripheral rim is provided with a through notch in order to place the stud therein.
In a second advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is provided with a through notch in order to place the stud therein.
In a third advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a hub.
In a fourth advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a ring.
In a fifth advantageous embodiment, the hub includes a shock absorber system.
The invention also concerns an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring including a base provided with an upper surface and a lower surface on which a balance spring stud and a stud-holder are arranged, wherein said stud-holder includes:
In a first advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a hub.
In a second advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a ring.
In a third advantageous embodiment, the peripheral rim is provided with a through notch in order to place the stud therein.
In a fourth advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is provided with a through notch cooperating with a hole located in the bottom of the housing in order to place the stud therein.
In a fifth advantageous embodiment, the housing is a circular hollow, formed of a peripheral rim, an inner rim and a bottom, in which the rotating element is inserted, the inner rim defining a central portion protruding from the bottom.
In another advantageous embodiment, the inner rim is provided with a through notch cooperating with a hole located in the bottom of the housing in order to place the stud therein.
In another advantageous embodiment, the bottom of the housing includes a shock absorber system.
The invention also concerns an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring, comprising a base provided with an upper surface and a lower surface on which a stud and a stud-holder are arranged, wherein the stud-holder includes:
In a first advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a hub.
In a second advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is a ring.
In a third advantageous embodiment, the peripheral rim is provided with a notch in order to place the stud therein.
In a fourth advantageous embodiment, said rotating element is provided with a through notch in order to place the stud therein.
In a fifth advantageous embodiment, the housing is a circular hollow formed of a peripheral rim, an inner rim and a bottom, in which the rotating element is inserted, the inner rim defining a central portion protruding from the bottom.
In a sixth advantageous embodiment, the inner rim is provided with a notch cooperating in order to place the stud therein.
In another advantageous embodiment, the hub includes a shock absorber system.
In another advantageous embodiment, the bottom of the housing includes a shock absorber system, the balance staff passing through the ring acting as rotating element.
In another advantageous embodiment, the central portion includes a shock absorber system.
In another advantageous embodiment, the peripheral rim includes at least one cavity comprising a countersink perpendicular to the plane of the base and open relative to the upper surface, and secant with said countersink and opposite the upper surface, a blind slot used to lock a rotating element in a bayonet fitting, said rotating element including at least one protruding portion cooperating with at least one aforementioned cavity.
In another advantageous embodiment, the peripheral rim and the rotating element each include a screw pitch enabling them to cooperate with each other.
The objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more clearly in the following detailed description of at least one embodiment of the invention, given solely by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the annexed drawings, in which:
The present invention proceeds from the general inventive idea of providing an assembly for holding or supporting a timepiece balance spring allowing the stud to be more easily assembled/disassembled and allowing the stud to be placed very close to the balance staff in order to use balance springs with a small external diameter.
In a first embodiment, cock 5, also called the base, is provided with a housing 50. This housing 50 takes the form here of a through opening or orifice 51 in which stud-holder 3 is placed, said stud-holder 3 being maintained in its housing 50 via attachment means 7, as seen in
In a preferred mode of this first embodiment seen in
In a first solution seen in
In a variant of this first solution seen in
In a second solution seen in
In a variant of this second solution, as seen in
In another preferred mode, the rotating element takes the form here of a ring 300. This ring 300 includes an upper face 301, a lower face 302, an outer edge 303 and an inner edge 304.
Rotating element 3 is advantageously used as a multi-functional hub. Thus, central hub 30 is arranged to include a shock absorber system 100, as seen in
In the case of a ring 300 as seen in
Shock absorber system 100 may take a conventional form, that is to say a setting in which a jewel hole and an endstone are arranged, or the form of a single jewel. This single jewel is provided with a recess for cooperating with the balance staff and may be pressed into the hub hole or mounted via an elastic ring. Shock absorber system 100 could also take the form of a disc provided with elastic arms. One advantage of this configuration is that it provides a centered system, since the position of the stud is centred relative to the balance staff cooperating with the shock absorber system. Further, this provides an easy-to-assemble, multifunctional system acting as stud-holder 3 and shock absorber 100. Shock absorber system 100 may be pre-mounted on the hub prior to final assembly with stud 9.
Of course, shock absorber system 100 might not incorporated in hub 30, but arranged on cock 5 in an off-centre position relative to central hub 30. This configuration allows the use of a sprung balance assembly of large diameter without necessarily having a large hub 30.
In a second embodiment visible in
In this embodiment, attachment means 7 comprise a male interface 701 arranged on an edge of ring 300 and a female interface 702 arranged on one of the rims of housing 500. Male interface 701 could be arranged on outer edge 303 of ring 300, whereas female interface 702 will be arranged on peripheral rim 511 of housing 500. However, male interface 701 could be arranged on inner edge 304 of ring 300, whereas female interface 702 will be arranged on inner rim 512 of housing 500.
These male and females interfaces 701, 702 thus cooperate together to allow ring 300 to be mounted via a rotational motion relative to housing 500. This assembly via a rotational motion is used to lock stud 9 in housing 500. Assembly via a rotational motion causes the stud to press on a rim of the housing.
In a third embodiment visible in
In this third embodiment, attachment means 7 include a male interface 701 arranged on outer edge 303 of the rotating element and a female interface 702 arranged on peripheral rim 521. These male and females interfaces 701, 702 thus cooperate together to allow the rotating element to be mounted in housing 500 via a rotational motion of said rotating element relative to cock 5. This assembly via a rotational motion is used to lock stud 9 in housing 500. Assembly via a rotational motion causes stud 9 to press on the peripheral rim.
In the second and third embodiment, a notch for housing the stud is provided.
According to a first solution seen in
In a variant of this first solution, the rotating element has an irregular shape so that the outer edge 33,303 in contact with stud 9 is not perfectly circular. Thus, the edge in contact with stud 9 includes a substantially triangular set back portion and forms a gentle slope. When the rotating element is rotated and secured in the housing, this configuration makes it possible to even out the increase in stress applied to stud 9 in order to lock it.
In a second solution seen in
During assembly, stud 9 is initially placed in notch 35 of the rotating element. Then, the rotating element is fixed in its housing 500, by engaging male interface 701 with female interface 702. The rotating element is then rotated and causes a contact between peripheral rim 511 and stud 9 or between inner rim 512 and the stud. The stud is thus pressed and locked. The circular groove shape of the through portion of housing bottom 513 allows stud 9 to be placed in the notch of the rotating element and rotatable assembly of the latter.
Of course, it will be understood that the ring notch may or may not protrude so as to gain size.
In a variant of this second solution, the peripheral or inner rim has an irregular shape so that it is not perfectly circular. Thus, the peripheral or inner rim includes a substantially triangular set back portion and forms a gentle slope. When the rotating element is rotated and secured in the housing, this configuration makes it possible to even out the increase in stress applied to the stud in order to lock it.
In a first variant of the second embodiment or of the third embodiment seen in
In a second variant of the second embodiment or of the third embodiment seen in
In the case where the housing is arranged on the visible face of the cock seen in
In the case where the housing is arranged on the non-visible face of the cock, there are several possibilities.
In the case of a housing provided with an inner rim forming a protruding portion or central island as seen in
In the case where the housing is provided with a peripheral rim and a bottom and where the rotating element is a hub as seen in
In the case where the housing is provided with a peripheral rim 511 and a bottom 513 and where the rotating element is a ring 300 as seen in
In a variant of the different embodiments in which the rotating element is a ring and as seen in
For rotatable mounting of the rotating element in the different embodiments, male interfaces 71, 701 and female interfaces 72, 702 thus cooperate with each other in order to mount the central hub in the housing by a rotational motion of the hub relative to the housing.
According to a first alternative embodiment, the rotatable mounting is a bayonet fitting. To achieve this, female interface 702 is formed by at least one cavity comprised in the thickness of the peripheral rim. This cavity is formed by a countersink, which is parallel to said central hub axis and open on the upper surface, and a blind slot, which is secant with said first countersink and opposite to the upper surface. This slot is used to lock the rotating element in a bayonet fitting.
Male interface 71, 701, located on the rotating element, consists of at least one protruding portion. This protruding portion is located on the outer edge of the rotating element. The protruding portion is arranged to cooperate with the female interface.
The rotating element is mounted in the housing such that the protruding portions can be inserted in the countersink The rotating element can then be inserted in the housing. When the rotating element reaches an abutment position, the protruding portions must be facing the slots. Consequently, a movement of rotation is effected to insert the protruding portions into said slots and to fix said rotating element in the cock.
According to a second alternative, the rotatable mounting is a screw mounting. Thus, the female interface is formed by a screw pitch comprised in the peripheral rim. The male interface, located on the rotating element, also consists of a screw pitch. The screw pitch is arranged to cooperate with the female interface.
Of course, other types of assembly may be used, such as for example pressing-in or adhesive bonding, but they cannot be disassembled like the bayonet fitting or screws.
It will be clear that various alterations and/or improvements and/or combinations evident to those skilled in the art may be made to the various embodiments of the invention set out above without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the annexed claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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14199755 | Dec 2014 | EP | regional |
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Entry |
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European Search Report issued Sep. 11, 2015 in European Application 14199755, filed on Dec. 22, 2014 ( with English Translation). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160179056 A1 | Jun 2016 | US |