Patent Application
20240176303
This application is claiming priority based on European Patent Application No. 22209440.1 filed on Nov. 24, 2022.
The invention relates to a horological calotte forming a casing for handling and/or presenting a horological movement according to a calibre model belonging to a predetermined family, said movement comprising a control member projecting radially relative to a movement axis and the distal part of said control member being distant from said movement axis by a radial value specific to said model, said calotte comprising a transport ring specific to said calibre model and which is arranged to cooperate by fitting in a single angular position, on the one hand with a bottom, and on the other hand with a cover, for enclosing said movement with the exception of control member thereof passing radially, in a radial direction, through at least a first recess comprised in said transport ring.
The invention relates to a piece of production equipment for handling and/or presenting horological movements of different calibre models belonging to a predetermined family at a manufacturing, inspection or storage station.
The invention relates to the field of assembling, handling and testing horological movements.
The European patent document No. 2015148B1, filed by ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse, describes a system for handling and transporting horological movements of different types during manufacture, comprising different types of support rings which correspond respectively to the different types of movements and each of which are arranged to support a plate of a movement in a determined position. This system further comprises transport pallets, each having an opening arranged to removably receive any one of the support rings, the pallet opening and the outer contour of the support rings having standardised configurations adapted to suit one another, and retaining means for holding the support ring in the pallet. This transport ring comprises inner elements arranged to support a plate of the movement in a determined position, wherein the inner elements of the support ring comprise bearing surfaces and prestressing means, the support ring comprising, on the outside, reference surfaces capable of acting as bearings for the precise spatial positioning of the support ring. These prestressing means are resilient, and are arranged to deform elastically by moving away from one another when the movement is inserted, thus ensuring precise positioning of the plate of the movement in the ring.
Such a transport pallet, more commonly known as a calotte, is very useful for protecting and transporting a horological movement. In order to inspect a movement, in particular in order to inspect the running or state, this movement must be presented in a precise position in front of, or in contact with, one or more sensors. The diversity of existing calibres makes this a difficult task, however, due to the variety of calottes linked to the calibre models.
The purpose of the invention is to facilitate the inspection of horological movements of a predetermined family of calibres, by creating a family of calottes comprising reference surfaces for the positioning thereof, and such that an element of the movement is positioned on an imposed side in relation to the contour of the calotte enclosing it.
To this end, the invention relates to a horological calotte forming a casing for handling and/or presenting a horological movement according to a calibre model belonging to a predetermined family, according to claim 1.
The invention further relates to a piece of production equipment for handling and/or presenting horological movements of different calibre models belonging to a predetermined family at a manufacturing, inspection or storage station, which piece of production equipment comprises such a calotte for each calibre model of this family.
The purposes, advantages and features of the invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The invention relates to a horological calotte 200 forming a casing for handling and/or presenting a horological movement 400 according to a calibre model belonging to a predetermined family. The movement 400 comprises a control member 410, which projects radially relative to a movement axis DM, and the distal part 411 of this control member 410, for example the end of a crown, is distant from the movement axis DM by a radial value VR specific to this calibre model of the movement 400.
The calotte 200 comprises a transport ring 220, which is specific to this calibre of the movement 400, and which is arranged to cooperate by fitting in a single angular position, on the one hand with a bottom 210, and on the other hand with a cover 230, for enclosing the movement 400 with the exception of said control member 410 thereof passing radially, in a radial direction DR, through at least a first recess 221 comprised in the transport ring 220.
According to the invention, the calotte 200 has the same outer shape for all calibres in the family, and it comprises outer reference shoulders 240, at least some whereof are symmetrical relative to a calotte axis DC.
Moreover, the transport ring 220 is arranged to position the movement axis DM of the movement 400 eccentrically relative to the calotte axis DC, in the radial direction DR defined by this first recess 221, according to an eccentricity value which is such that the distal part 411 of the control member 410 is distant from the calotte axis DC by a predefined value VP, the predefined value VP being identical for all calibres of the family.
More particularly, the cover 230 comprises a second recess 231 allowing the control member 410 to pass therethrough.
More particularly, the bottom 210 is the same for all calibres of the family.
More specifically, the bottom 210 and the cover 230 each comprise, perpendicular to the calotte axis DC, a flat outer plate 218, respectively 238, having an identical contour when projected over one another, and when the calotte 200 is in the closed position where the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith.
More particularly, the transport ring 220 comprises an outer lip 225 which, when the calotte 200 is in the closed position in which the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith, projects from shoulders 219, 239 comprised in the bottom 210 and the cover 230 respectively.
More particularly, the outer lip 225 has an identical contour to that of the flat outer plates 218, 238 of the bottom 210 and of the cover 230 when projected over one another, and when the calotte 200 is in the closed position wherein the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith.
More particularly, the outer lip 225 and the flat outer plates 218, 238 each comprise a positioning notch 227, 217, 237, the positioning notches 227, 217, 237 being aligned, parallel to the calotte axis DC, when the calotte 200 is in the closed position wherein the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith. Moreover, the outer lip 225 and the flat outer plates 218, 238, each comprise a locating notch 226, 216, 236 to distinguish the dial side from the bridge side of the movement 400, the locating notches 226, 216, 236 being aligned, parallel to the calotte axis DC, when the calotte 200 is in the closed position.
More particularly, the cover 230 comprises inner cover projections 232, which are arranged to support the transport ring 220 in an axial position, in the direction of the calotte axis DC, when the calotte 200 is in a position wherein the cover 230 is angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith.
More particularly, the transport ring 220 comprises inner ring projections 222, which are arranged to support the bottom 210 in an axial position, in the direction of the calotte axis DC, when the calotte 200 is in a position wherein the bottom 210 is angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith.
More particularly, the transport ring 220 comprises a ring groove 223 or lug for cooperation with a bottom groove or bottom lug 213, respectively, comprised in the bottom 210, for the relative angular orientation of the bottom 210 with respect to the transport ring 220 when the calotte 200 is in a position wherein the bottom 210 is angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith.
More particularly, the outer lip 225 is offset, in the direction of the calotte axis DC, relative to the calotte 200, when the calotte 200 is in the closed position wherein the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith, to delimit, on the side of the cover 230, an upper chamber for receiving the movement 400 on an upper face of the transport ring 220, arranged so as to make the dial side of the movement 400 visible and to ensure radial passage of the control member 410, and, on the side of the bottom 210, a lower chamber, of smaller volume than the upper chamber, and delimited by a lower face of the transport ring 220 arranged so as to make the bridge side of the movement 400 visible.
More particularly, the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are transparent to allow for optical inspection of the movement 400.
More particularly, the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are sound-isolating to sound-isolate a movement 400 contained in the calotte 200 from other sound sources in its vicinity, for acoustic inspection of the movement 400.
More particularly, the bottom 210, the transport ring 220 and the cover 230 are arranged to fit together two-by-two with elastic clamping.
The invention also relates to a piece of production equipment 2000 for handling and/or presenting horological movements 400 of different calibre models belonging to a predetermined family at a manufacturing, inspection or storage station. According to the invention, this piece of production equipment 2000 comprises, for each calibre of this family, at least one such horological calotte 200. This calotte 200 comprises a transport ring 220 and a cover 230 specific to the calibre. Moreover, in their closed position, wherein the bottom 210 and the cover 230 are angularly indexed in position relative to the transport ring 220 and fitted therewith, all the calottes 200 comprised in the piece of equipment 2000 have identical outer dimensions. Moreover, when a calotte 200 is in the closed position enclosing a movement 400, the distal part 411 of the control member 410 is distant from the calotte axis DC by the predefined value VP, which is identical for all calibres of the family, and oriented in a radial direction DR with a single angular position in relation to positioning means and locating means that are identical for all the calottes 200 comprised in the piece of equipment 2000.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22209440.1 | Nov 2022 | EP | regional |
