Patent Grant
11899401
This application claims priority of European patent application No. EP 19150503.1 filed on Jan. 7, 2019, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The invention relates to a drive device for a display element. The invention also relates to a calendar system or module comprising such a device. The invention also relates to a timepiece movement comprising such a device or such a system or such a module. Finally, the invention relates to a timepiece comprising such a device or such a system or such a module or such a movement.
In particular, the invention relates to a drive device for instantaneously changing the display from one value of a quantity associated with time or derived from time, for example the date or hour, to another.
Devices generally having a drive member made up of a finger secured to a cam are known, said cam cooperating with an energy accumulator in order that this member can instantaneously drive, at least by an angular step, a toothset of a display member, said toothset being angularly indexed by a jumper. The energy accumulator is usually made up of an elastic return means cooperating with a lever, which bears against the flank of the cam under the effect of said elastic return means, and makes it possible, during the instantaneous change of the display from one value of a quantity associated with time or derived from time to another, to overcome the torque produced by said jumper under the effect of the torque restored by said elastic means.
The time of the instantaneous change of the display from one value of a quantity associated with time or derived from time to another depends on a number of parameters, for example the coefficients of friction between the elements involved in the drive device, in particular with regard to the means for pivoting the drive cam and of the elements that make up the accumulator. Thus, the time of the instantaneous change can vary in particular depending on the speed of the drive cam relative to the frame of the timepiece.
In the case of a calendar mechanism, the time of the instantaneous change of the date can thus vary depending on the speeds of the different gear trains of the movement on which the calendar mechanism is mounted. In the conventional time display mode, the speed of the drive cam is defined unequivocally by the speed of the going train of the movement that drives said cam. However, in the time adjusting mode, for example, the speed of the drive cam can vary according to the speed of a time setting gear train that can likewise drive said cam. Thus, the time of the instantaneous change of date can vary slightly depending on the operating mode of the movement. As a result, a jump of date can take place while the timepiece, in particular the hour and minute hands, is not indicating exactly midnight. Similarly, in the case of a timepiece with jumping hours, a jump of the hour display can take place while the timepiece, in particular the minute hand, is not indicating exactly a whole hour.
This is because, in practice, it is delicate to unequivocally define the location of the cam profile peak triggering, for example, a jump of date. Also in practice, the peak is more like a surface, in particular a rounded surface, than a point or edge on account of the methods for manufacturing the cam, and in particular the methods for finishing same.
The aim of the invention is to provide a drive device for a display element that makes it possible to improve the devices known from the prior art. In particular, the invention proposes a drive device for a display element, the operation of which is optimized in terms of reliability and precision. In particular, the invention proposes a drive device for a display element that makes it possible to trigger, without or substantially without any distinction between the normal operating mode and the correction mode of the timepiece, a jump of display for given and predefined positions of other display elements.
According to the invention, a drive device according to the invention is defined by example 1 below.
1. A drive device for a display element for displaying a quantity associated with time or derived from time, comprising:
Various embodiments of the device are defined by examples 2 to 11.
2. The device according to example 1, wherein the angle is greater than or equal to 30°, or even greater than or equal to 35°, or even greater than or equal to 40°.
3. The device according to example 1 or 2, wherein the lever comprises a roller intended to come into contact with the cam, in particular a roller made of hard material minimizing friction, such as a ruby roller.
4. The device according to one of examples 1 to 4, wherein the roller is mounted on the lever so as to pivot about a third axis.
5. The device according to one of examples 3 or 4, wherein the roller has a radius less than or equal to 1 mm.
6. The device according to one of examples 3 to 5, wherein the angle is defined as the angle between:
According to the invention, a timepiece calendar system or module according to the invention is defined by example 12.
12. A timepiece calendar system or module comprising a device according to one of examples 1-11.
An embodiment of the timepiece calendar system or module is defined by example 13.
13. The system or module according to one of examples 1 to 12, which comprises a display element comprising a display disk, in particular a display disk intended to cooperate with an aperture and/or intended to cooperate with at least one drive finger secured to the cam.
According to the invention, a timepiece movement according to the invention is defined by example 14.
14. A timepiece movement comprising a system or module according to one of examples 12 or 13 and/or a device according to one of examples 1 to 11.
According to the invention, a timepiece according to the invention is defined by example 15.
15. A timepiece, in particular a wristwatch, comprising a timepiece movement according to one of examples 1 to 14 and/or a system or module according to one of examples 12 and 13 and/or a device according to one of examples 1 to 11.
The appended figures show, by way of example, an embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention.
A first embodiment of a timepiece 400 is described below with reference to
The movement may comprise a timepiece calendar system 200 or a timepiece calendar module 200.
The movement 300 or the timepiece calendar system 200 or a timepiece calendar module 200 comprises a drive device 100 for a display element 10 for displaying a quantity associated with time or derived from time.
The timepiece, the timepiece movement, the timepiece calendar system 200 or the timepiece calendar module 200 comprises the display element 10 for displaying the quantity associated with time or derived from time.
The quantity associated with time or derived from time may comprise or be in particular a year indication, a month indication, a day indication, a date indication, an hour indication, a minute indication.
The display element may be or comprise a disk bearing numerical and/or alphabetic and/or alphanumerical indications, in particular a disk cooperating with an aperture. Alternatively, the display element may be an indicator, such as a hand, in particular an indicator cooperating with a limb. The display element is preferably pivoted on a frame of the timepiece, of the timepiece movement, of the timepiece calendar system 200 or of the timepiece calendar module 200.
The drive device 100 of the display element 10 for displaying the quantity associated with time or derived from time comprises:
The cam 3 is preferably pivoted on a frame of the timepiece, of the timepiece movement, of the timepiece calendar system 200 or of the timepiece calendar module 200.
The lever 4 is preferably pivoted on a frame of the timepiece, of the timepiece movement, of the timepiece calendar system 200 or of the timepiece calendar module 200.
The drive device 100 preferably has an energy accumulator 5, such as a spring, and a drive mobile 1 provided with a drive member or finger 2 that is secured to the cam 3 cooperating with the energy accumulator 5, via the lever 4, such that the drive finger 2 can instantaneously drive (or drive in a fraction of a second), by an angular step, the display element 10, in particular a toothset 10a of the display element 10, said toothset being indexed in position by a beak 20a of a jumper 20.
The drive mobile 1 also comprises a wheel 6 that is connected to a going train 7 of the basic movement and, during conventional operation of the movement, executes one complete rotation in 24 hours. This wheel 6 is also connected to a correction train or time setting gear train 8 that is able to drive said wheel 6 at a speed that is not predefined and is dependent on adjusting habits of the wearer, during correction or time setting operation. The wheel 6 comprises an elongate cutout 6a, one of the ends of which is intended to drive the cam 3 and the drive finger 2 in rotation via a pin 9 fixed to the cam. Thus, the cam 3 and the finger 2, for the one part, and the wheel 6, for the other part, are able to be driven at different rotational speeds.
The energy accumulator comprises, for example, a spring 5 cooperating with the lever 4. The lever 4 comprises a roller 4a, in particular a roller 4a pivoted on the lever about an axis A4a. The axes A4a and A3 are preferably parallel. The lever is designed such that the roller 4a is pressed against a flank or profile of the cam. The action of the lever 4 on the cam 3 makes it possible to drive the cam 3 and the finger 2 in rotation, said finger 2 in turn driving the display element 10. This action of the lever 4, which is brought about by the spring 5, makes it possible, during the driving of the display element 10, to overcome the torque produced by the jumper 20.
For example, via the pin 9 cooperating with one end of the elongate cutout 6a, the wheel 6 carries along the cam 3 and accumulates the energy required for an abrupt displacement of the finger 2 such that the latter exerts a brief action on the display element 10 so as to bring about an instantaneous jump of the display element 10. This required energy is accumulated by arming the spring 5 via a first portion 3a of the profile of the cam 3 and the lever 4. Just before a change in position of the display element 10, i.e. just before a jump of the display element for modifying the information displayed by the display element, the lever 4 is in contact with the peak 3b of the profile of the cam 6, namely the zone 3b of one end of a portion 3a, which comprises the point 30b, which is the point of the cam farthest from the axis A3 of rotation of the cam 3. This zone 3b may, for example, be in the form of a curve or rounded portion 3b, which comprises the point 30b farthest from the axis A3 of rotation of the cam 3. Alternatively, this zone 3b may be reduced to the point 30b farthest from the axis A3 of rotation of the cam 3. The movement of the cam 6, of the finger 2 and of the display element 10 then takes place in a fraction of a section when the spring 5 restores the energy that it has accumulated. This energy makes it possible to communicate an abrupt rotational movement to the cam 3 and to the finger 2 via the lever 4 and its roller 4a, once the roller 4a has passed over the zone 3b so as to cooperate with a second portion 3c of the profile of the cam 3.
The relative movement between the finger 2 and the cam 3, for the one part, and the wheel 6, for the other part, is possible by virtue of the degree of freedom provided by the cutout 6a. Alternatively, this degree of freedom may be provided by a “freewheel” type solution disposed between the finger 2 and the cam 3, for the one part, and the wheel 6, for the other part.
Once the jump of display has taken place, the finger 2 is preferably positioned and held within the toothset 10a by virtue of the lever 4, the roller 4a of which is pressed against a third portion 3d of the profile of the cam 3, which is in the form of a recess (as shown in
Thus, the zone 3b constitutes a transition zone between the portions 3a and 3c of the cam 3 (as shown in
Before the contact point of the lever with the cam passes over the zone 3b, the cam 3 is driving with respect to the lever 4 and the spring 5, under the effect of one or the other of the gear trains 7, 8, via the wheel 6. After passing over this zone 3b, the cam is driven under the effect of the force restored by the spring 5 and the lever 4. In other words, the zone 3b constitutes a transition zone in which the torque applied by the lever to the cam 3 changes sign and passes through zero.
In order to minimize the sensitivity of the drive device to the variations in friction between the components involved in said drive device, and thus to define a time of instantaneous change of date that is as unequivocal and repeatable as possible, studies by the proprietor have shown that it is advisable to maximize the variation in torque applied by the lever to the cam 3 for a given angular range of rotation of the cam.
In other words, it is advisable to maximize the derivative of the torque applied by the lever to the cam relative to the rotation of the cam dC3/dγ, where:
C3 is the torque applied by the lever to the cam or the torque at the cam 3;
γ is the angle of rotation of the cam 3 about the first axis A3.
For this purpose, the variation in the ratio between the torque C3 at the cam 3 and the torque C4 at the lever 4, for a given rotation γ of the cam 3, has to be maximized as far as possible, as long as the lever 4, in particular the roller 4a, is in contact with the zone 3b.
Furthermore, it has been found that the ratio C3/C4 is proportional to the ratio of the lengths A3P/A4P, where P is the intersection point of the reaction force F between the roller 4a and the zone 3b of the cam 3 with the line of the centers A3A4 connecting the axis of rotation A3 of the cam 3 to the axis of rotation A4 of the lever 4, the reaction force F optionally being turned through the angle of friction with respect to the normal to the contact N. Thus, a given increase in the torque C3 at the cam 3, when the latter is driven, corresponds to a displacement of the intersection point P on the line of the centers A3A4.
An angle α is defined, in a plane perpendicular to the first and second axes A3, A4, between a first straight line passing through the contact point between the peak 3b of the cam 3, in particular the point 30b farthest from the axis A3 of the cam 3, and the lever 4, and the first axis A3, and a second straight line passing through the first axis A3 and the second axis A4.
More particularly, in the particular embodiments illustrated in the figures, the angle α can be defined between the segments [A330b] and [A3A4], at the time at which the roller 4a is in contact with the point 30b of the cam 3, when the reaction force F arises. More particularly, the angle α in question is the angle that partially characterizes the triangle formed by the points A3, A4 and 30b at the time at which the roller 4a is in contact with the point 30b of the cam 3 (see
When the peak 3b is in the form of a surface 3b, the angle α can be defined between the segments [A3A4] and the line passing through the axis A3, the center of curvature A3b of the surface 3b or of the peak 3b and the axis or the center A4a of the roller 4a (
Of course, the contact between the lever 4 and the cam 3 can take place directly, independently of the roller 4a. For example, the lever 4 may comprise a contact surface intended to cooperate directly with the cam 3. This contact surface may, for example, have a center of curvature comparable to the center A4a of the roller 4a.
Studies by the proprietor have shown that, if the angle α decreases, the angle γ of rotation of the cam, which is necessary for causing this displacement of the intersection point P, also decreases.
A second embodiment of a timepiece comprising a second embodiment of a drive device 100* is shown in
It is therefore advisable to minimize the angle α.
The patent literature discloses examples of drive devices within which the value of the angle α is around 90°. It can be shown that, in the absence of friction where the roller is guided, the variation in the torque at the cam is at a minimum for an angle α close to 90°.
By way of example, the patent application EP1746470 relates to an improved drive device for a display.
Thus, in the embodiments of drive devices according to the invention, an angle α is formed, in a plane perpendicular to the first and second axes A3, A4, between:
This angle α is the salient angle between these first and second straight lines.
This angle α is less than or equal to 70°, or even less than or equal to 65°, or even less than or equal to 60°, or even equal or substantially equal to 57°.
As mentioned above, a second embodiment of a timepiece 400* is described below with reference to
The movement may comprise a timepiece calendar system 200* or a timepiece calendar module 200*.
The movement 300* or the timepiece calendar system 200* or the timepiece calendar module 200* comprises a second embodiment of a drive device 100* for a display element for displaying a quantity associated with time or derived from time.
The timepiece, the timepiece movement, the timepiece calendar system 200* or the timepiece calendar module 200* comprises the display element for displaying the quantity associated with time or derived from time.
In this second embodiment, the drive device preferably differs from the first embodiment only by the value of the angle α. In this second embodiment, α is equal to 57°.
Such an embodiment advantageously makes it possible to maximize dC3/dγ. For example, the configuration shown in
In this second embodiment, the elements having the same structure and/or function as elements of the first embodiment are identified by the same reference to which a “*” has been added.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant of the drive device, dC3/dγ is preferably greater than or equal to 110 μNm per degree of rotation of the cam, or dC3/dγ is greater than or equal to 150 μNm per degree of rotation of the cam, or dC3/dγ is greater than or equal to 200 μNm per degree of rotation of the cam, when the lever 4 is in contact with the peak 3b of the cam, in particular when the roller 4a is in contact with the zone 3b, in particular the rounded surface 3b.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant of the drive device, the lever and the spring can be two separate parts as in the first embodiment shown in
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant of the drive device, the angle α is greater than or equal to 30°, or even greater than or equal to 35°, or even greater than or equal to 40°. This makes it possible to obtain a satisfactory overall performance of the drive device. Specifically, studies by the proprietor have also shown that an angle α that is too small brings about excessive friction torque at the cam 3. Thus, α is determined so as to solve the technical problem addressed, while making it possible to obtain a satisfactory overall performance of the drive device.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant of the drive device, the lever preferably comprises a roller 4a. Thus, the contact between the lever 4 and the cam 3 takes place via the roller 4a. This roller is advantageously movable, in particular rotatable, relative to the rest of the lever. Thus, the roller can roll over the profile of the cam. Alternatively, the roller can be mounted in a fixed manner on the rest of the lever. The roller may be made of a hard material minimizing friction with the cam, for example of synthetic ruby. The roller preferably has a radius less than or equal to 1 mm.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant of the drive device, the peak 3b may be a portion of cylinder with a radius less than 0.1 mm. The cam may have at least one concave surface 3a, 3c adjacent to the peak or two concave surfaces 3a, 3c on either side of the peak. Further preferably, the peak 3b of the cam 3 is delimited by respective bending zones 30a, 30c of the portions 3a and 3c, as shown in
Such a design makes it possible to better control the rounded portion forming the cam peak 3b, regardless of the methods for manufacturing the cam, and in particular the methods for finishing same.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant, the drive device comprises a drive wheel 6, in particular a 24-hours wheel 6, and a connection that provides a degree of freedom between the drive wheel and the cam. The connection may be of the type having a pin 9 cooperating with an elongate cutout 6a designed to secure the cam and the drive wheel. Alternatively, the connection may be of the freewheel type designed to secure the cam and the drive wheel.
Irrespective of the embodiment or embodiment variant, besides the abovementioned improvements, the designs and arrangements of the cam 3 and lever 4 make it possible to provide a drive device 100 that is particularly compact in the main plane of the device, that is to say in a plane perpendicular to the first and/or second axes. Preferably, the distance between the second axis A4 and the contact point of the lever with the cam or the distance between the second axis A4 and the axis A4a is less than or equal to 4 times the maximum radius of the cam or the distance between the first axis A3 and the point 30b, or even less than or equal to 3 times the maximum radius of the cam or the distance between the first axis A3 and the point 30b, or even less than or equal to 2.5 times the maximum radius of the cam or the distance between the first axis A3 and the point 30b.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19150503 | Jan 2019 | EP | regional |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8760975 | Rudaz | Jun 2014 | B2 |
| 20030151981 | Vernay | Aug 2003 | A1 |
| 20070091727 | Bonvin | Apr 2007 | A1 |
| 20110299365 | De Biase | Dec 2011 | A1 |
| 20120014224 | Gabathuler et al. | Jan 2012 | A1 |
| 20120057434 | Rudaz | Mar 2012 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2 407 833 | Jan 2012 | EP |
| 2 428 855 | Mar 2012 | EP |
| Entry |
|---|
| European Search Report and Written Opinion dated Jul. 11, 2019 issued in counterpart application No. EP19150503; w/ English machine translation (14 pages). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20200218199 A1 | Jul 2020 | US |
