Patent Application
20160147198
This application claims priority from European Patent Application No. 14194957.8 filed on Nov. 26, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a timepiece movement comprising at least a first and a second function implementing the display of at least first and second pieces of information, and notably tachymetric information.
There is known from WO Patent No 2011/160970 a timepiece movement comprising a mechanism associated with one of the first and second functions, and a selection member movable between first and second positions, respectively associated with the first and second functions and respectively corresponding to the creation of first and second kinematic connections between the going train and the display wheel set, resulting in opposite directions of rotation and/or different rotational speeds of the display wheel set.
The first and second functions are chronograph and countdown functions, the display wheel set being intended to move the display member in a first direction when the chronograph function is actuated and in a second direction when the countdown function is actuated.
The timepiece movement described above has several drawbacks. Firstly, it will be mentioned that the countdown requires pre-setting of the countdown value, which is taken into account by the movement in order to determine the function to be actuated, which entails a complication in use. It will also be mentioned that such a mechanism has a relative large number of parts which entails a relatively complex mechanism that is difficult to implement.
It is an object of the invention to overcome the various drawbacks of these known techniques.
More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a tachymeter and/or chronograph that can provide a more accurate mean speed reading according to the situated encountered, such as for example a regatta or car race.
It is also an object of the invention, at least in a particular embodiment, to provide a device that is simple to implement and inexpensive.
These objects, in addition to others, which will appear more clearly hereinafter, are accomplished by the invention with the aid of a timepiece movement having at least first and second functions implementing the display of at least first and second pieces of information, the timepiece movement notably including:
Thus, the subject of the present invention, by means of the different functional and structural aspects described above, provides a relatively compact yet relatively simple to implement selection member.
According to the invention, the selection member includes:
In accordance with other advantageous variants of the invention:
The invention also concerns a timepiece fitted with a movement according to the invention.
Other features and advantages will appear clearly from the following description, given by way of non-limiting illustration, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
A timepiece movement according to an example embodiment will now be described below with reference jointly to
Timepiece movement 1 is arranged to allow the display of the hours and minutes by means of an hour wheel, a minute wheel, and a seconds wheel, in a conventional manner.
As stated above, the main principle of the invention relies on the implementation of a timepiece movement having at least first and second functions implementing the display of at least first and second pieces of information, the timepiece movement notably including:
According to the invention, the selection member includes:
In this example, the frame members of timepiece movement 1 and the current time components are not shown, while some components are transparent for ease of understanding.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, movement 1 includes at least a chronograph and countdown mechanism, each mechanism being selectable using the same selection member. Chronograph drive wheel 2 and chronograph wheel set 3 are shown in the Figures to best illustrate the various kinematic connections of the functions.
Actuator 10 is slidably mounted on a frame member of the movement to allow finger 101 to move in a longitudinal direction, and it is arranged to cooperate with elastic return means (not shown in the Figures), to remain in position at rest.
Actuating finger 101 is arranged to cooperate with a cam 20 mounted to pivot on a frame member of timepiece movement 1 between at least two positions, around an axis of rotation located at the centre of cam 20, one of the positions being associated with the chronograph function and the other with the countdown function.
As can be observed in
The selection member also includes a lever, called first lever 30. First lever 30 is formed by a lower plate 31 and upper plate 32 between which are arranged a first gear train formed by a first arbor 33 receiving a toothed wheel 330 and a pinion 331 and a second gear train formed by a second arbor 34 receiving toothed wheel 340, an upper pinion 341 and a lower pinion 342.
Upper plate 32 and lower plate 31 are assembled to each other to form first lever 30, upper plate 32 having an upper pivot 320 arranged to be accommodated in the orifice of a bridge (not shown in the Figures) and lower plate 31 having an orifice 311 arranged to receive a pivot of another bridge. Advantageously, upper pivot 320 and orifice 311 are aligned on the same axis to form the axis of rotation of first lever 30.
The first gear train and second gear train are arranged to cooperate with the chronograph drive wheel 2 when the selection member is moved between the first and second positions corresponding to the first and second kinematic connections.
Thus, when the selection member is in a first position as illustrated in
When the selection member is in the second position as illustrated in
According to the invention, the first gear train and/or the second gear train may be reduction gears and/or reversers depending on the functions required to be implemented in the watch. These functions may be, for example, a chronograph function, a countdown function, or even a chronograph function having a lower speed.
As can be observed in
Thus, to switch from the first operating mode to the second operating mode, the user presses a push-button (not shown in the Figures) connected to actuator 10 so that actuating finger 101 actuates the rotation of ratchet 23 and also of lower shuttle-like element 21 which then abuts against engagement sector 310. This has the effect of pivoting first lever 30, of disengaging upper pinion 341 from chronograph drive wheel 2 and simultaneously engaging wheel 330 with chronograph drive wheel 2.
A strip-spring 11 is provided for retaining ratchet 23 and advancing it in steps when it is actuated in rotation by actuator 10.
Likewise, the selection member includes a second strip-spring 12 configured to define a default position of first lever 30 by exerting thereon a force to place it in the position associated with the first function, for example the chronograph function.
According to the invention, the selection member may be placed in a third position which is associated with a third function, and corresponds to the creation of a third kinematic connection between chronograph drive wheel 2 and chronograph wheel set 3.
The selection member includes a second lever 40 for selecting the third function, and for creating the third kinematic connection seen in
According to a particularly advantageous aspect of the invention, second lever 40 is mounted to pivot on first lever 30.
As can be observed in
Lower plate 41 has an orifice 410 configured to receive a pivot of lower plate 31 of first lever 30, and upper plate 42 has an upper pivot 420 configured to be accommodated in a hole 321 of upper plate 32 of first lever 30. Thus, upper pivot 420 and orifice 410 define the axis of rotation of second lever 40 with respect to first lever 30.
Upper plate 42 is assembled on lower plate 41 by means of an assembly element 46 integral with lower plate 41. This assembly element 46 includes two pins 460 configured to be accommodated in two corresponding openings 421 in upper plate 42.
Second lever 42 receives intermediate wheel 430 and intermediate pinion 431, and another wheel 440, respectively mounted between upper plate 42 and lower plate 41 by means of an arbor 43 and another arbor 44.
As can be observed in
Rocking member 50 also has a toothed sector 52 configured to cooperate with toothed sector 45 of second lever 40. Rocking member 50 also includes a return spring 53 exerting a return force returning it to its initial position when the selection member is placed in the first or second position.
As can be observed in
Thus, to switch into the third operating mode illustrated in
Rocking member 50 then drives in rotation second lever 40 by means of toothed sectors 45 and 52 so that intermediate pinion 431 meshes on the one hand with wheel 330, and on the other hand with wheel 440 which meshes with wheel 340 connected to chronograph wheel 3.
The invention also concerns a timepiece, such as a watch, fitted with one such movement.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the watch may include means for displaying the selected function. These display means may consist of an indicator hand on the watch dial or an aperture on the dial displaying the selected function.
As a result of these different aspects of the invention, there is provided a movement of simple design which allows easy selection and implementation of the desired function.
Of course, this invention is not limited to the illustrated example but is capable of various variants and alterations that will appear to those skilled in the art.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14194957.8 | Nov 2014 | EP | regional |
