The invention relates to a machine for winding a watch and/or horological movement, including at least one support arranged to carry at least one object consisting of a watch or a horological movement, and including motorisation means arranged to move each said support.
The winding of horological movements, or watches, in particular for testing purposes, is often carried out with devices imparting a rotational movement to the movements, for example with a device of the “Cyclotest” type, and optionally with different combined rotations.
A device of the “Chapuis” type imparts to the movements a rotation along a horizontal axis, alternately in two directions, for example with two revolutions in one direction, then two revolutions in the other direction.
Other mechanisms impart to the movements a rotation in one single direction at constant speed, with a variant where all the movements are aligned on the same axis of rotation.
Another variant of a “Chapuis” type device includes a strongly inclined plate, for example at 60°.
Existing apparatuses have similar flaws. The loading time is long, due to often tedious handling, and the operating time is substantial: it often takes more than thirty minutes to wind an automatic calibre twenty-four hours. If the speed of rotation is increased in order to wind more quickly, then the movements furthest from the axis of rotation may no longer carry out the winding correctly because of the centrifugal acceleration.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 2,863,345A in the name of FIECHTER describes one comprising a rotary support, drive means for rotating this support continuously in a single direction about its axis, rotating mobiles carrying articles to be wound rotatably mounted on said support on secondary axes parallel to the axis of the support and radially spaced therefrom, and disengageable means for driving by friction each of the rotary mobiles.
Document DE19535229A1 in the name of DOETSCH describes a winder for automatic clocks and watches to ensure that they are kept in service. A casing base supports an electric motor, connected to the mains and to a transformer, and a rotating wheel is carried on the edge by two rollers, one of which acts as a friction drive. This one is actuated by a worm of the motor. Foam pads are mounted in holes cut in the rotating wheel to receive watches. The vertical rotation of the wheel thus rotates the watches on a plane, activating the eccentrics which wind them. The watches are easily interchangeable. The system also maintains other temporal mechanisms, such as the days of the week, the phases of the moon.
Document WO2014/146924A1 in the name of M & E UHRENBEWEGER MANUFAKTUR describes a watch winder having a certain number of receiving cylinders for receiving watches and allowing a very uniform movement of the watches to wind the mechanical movement, by peripheral cylindrical drive.
The invention proposes to introduce the standardisation of the winding of movements of the same production batch, for the purposes of establishing fixed parameters for their control and qualification.
To this end, the invention relates to a machine for winding a watch and/or horological movement, according to claim 1.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings, where:
The invention relates to a winding machine 100 for a watch and/or a horological movement, including at least one support 10 arranged to carry at least one object 1 consisting of a watch or a horological movement, and including motorisation means 20 arranged to move each support 10.
According to the invention, these motorisation means 20 are arranged to move each support 10 parallel to a starting position corresponding to the loading or unloading of this at least one object 1 on this at least one support 10, the axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to this support 10 always remaining parallel to the oriented directions that they occupy in this starting position.
In particular, the motorisation means 20 are arranged to move each support 10 along a path T, in a plane P, and in particular but in a non-limiting manner about a median axis D, keeping the orientation of the support fixed relative to a fixed frame of reference, so that the speed vector of each point of each support 10 remains parallel to a fixed direction, that is to say so that each point of the support follows the same path, except for a translation of the path in its entirety.
More particularly, the movement of each support takes place paraxially relative to a main frame of reference of the plane P made up of two main orthogonal directions X and Y of the plane P. A secondary frame of reference of two secondary orthogonal directions x and y of each support 10 remains parallel to the main frame of reference, so that each object 1 carried by a support 10 follows an individual path TI, which is parallel or coincides with the path T of the support 10 which carries it.
More particularly, the path T is a closed path. In a particular variant, the support 10 can travel this closed path in a single direction.
And the motorisation means 20 are arranged to impart to each support 10 a movement such that the value of the acceleration imparted to the support 10 during its evolution along its path T is at any point greater than the value of the acceleration of gravity.
More particularly, this movement is imparted with an angular speed w relative to a median axis D, the instantaneous position of the support of which is spaced by a radial value R, with a central acceleration, such that the value of the acceleration imparted to the support 10 during its evolution along its path T is at any point greater than the value of the acceleration of gravity. More particularly, the motorisation means 20 are arranged to impart to each support 10 an angular speed w relative to the median axis D, the instantaneous position of the support of which is spaced by a radial value R, with a central acceleration, such that the value of the radial acceleration imparted to the support 10 during its evolution along its path T is at any point greater than the value of the acceleration of gravity. More particularly, the movement of each support 10 is a uniform circular movement, along the path T which is circular, and the radial acceleration, equal to ω2R, is greater than the value of the acceleration of gravity.
More particularly, the movement of a point of the support is in a plane P.
More particularly, the movement of each point of each support 10 is a circular movement in a plane PI, of radius R and travelled at a frequency N, and the radial acceleration, equal to (2πN)2 R, is greater than the value of the acceleration of gravity.
More particularly the plane PI of each point of each support 10 is a horizontal plane, perpendicular to the direction of the gravity field.
More particularly, the frequency N is greater than or equal to 100 revolutions per minute, and the minimum radial value R of the path T relative to the median axis D is greater than or equal to 5 millimetres. More particularly still, the frequency N is greater than or equal to 300 revolutions per minute, and the minimum radial value R of the path T relative to the median axis D is greater than or equal to 10 millimetres.
More particularly, at least one support 10 includes several levels for receiving such objects 1. More particularly, at least one support 10 is a prism including at least ten parallel levels, each level being arranged to carry at least ten rows of at least ten objects 1.
More particularly all the supports 10, that the winding machine 100 includes, are driven by the same kinematics, so as to impart the same movements to all the objects 1 carried by the supports 10 at any time.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes piloting means 200, which are arranged to pilot the motorisation means 20 to ensure automatic winding of each object 1 carried by the winding machine 100, and to manage the duration of the automatic winding.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes running control means 30, for controlling the running of each object 1 carried by the winding machine 100, piloted by the piloting means 200.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes state control means 40, for controlling the state of each object 1 carried by the winding machine 100, these state control means 40 are piloted by the piloting means 200. These state control means can in particular include at least a photographic apparatus, or a camera, or else a mobile telephone, or “smatphone ®” or “iphone ®” or the like, and image processing means for interpreting the position of a display such as a hand, disc, or the like, relative to a graduated scale, dial, or the like. The optical state controls of watches or horological movements are used during chronometric precision controls, as in patent EP2458458B1 in the name of THE SWATCH GROUP RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Ltd.
More particularly, the piloting means 200 are arranged to measure the compliance of running or/and state of each object 1 carried by the winding machine 100 relative to a frame of reference, and to send the results thereof to a production management system that the winding machine includes, or into which it is integrated. In a variant, the piloting means 200 edit or store a certificate of compliance with a frame of reference, or are arranged to designate any object 1 that does not comply with the frame of reference, for return to a retouching circuit.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes automated handling means 50 which are arranged for loading and/or unloading such objects 1 on or off supports 10. More particularly still, these automated handling means 50 are able to take an object 1 considered non-compliant with a reference system, to orient it in a retouching circuit.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes at least one pallet 60, which is arranged to carry a plurality of objects 1 loaded on the winding machine 100 and/or unloaded from the winding machine 100, and the automated handling means 50 are arranged for loading and/or unloading pallets 60 relative to the supports 10.
More particularly, the winding machine 100 includes an orbital winding mechanism, of differential type, including a fixed wheel 12 centred on the median axis D, and a planet carrier 11, which is rotated by the motorisation means 20 about the median axis D, and which carries a geartrain 14 including a planetary wheel 15. This planetary wheel 15 carries at least one support 10, and is driven by at least one intermediate wheel 13 meshing with the fixed wheel 12.
More particularly, the radius of the planetary wheel 15 is equal to that of the fixed wheel 12.
More particularly, the geartrain 14 includes a single intermediate wheel 13, the radius of which is equal to that of the planetary wheel 15.
More particularly, the motorisation means 20 are arranged to move each support 10 parallel to a starting position corresponding to the loading or unloading of said at least one object 1 on said at least one support 10, in the plane P, each support 10 moving in said plane P with a planetary movement along a closed curvilinear path T, surrounding a median axis D, and wherein the axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to the support 10 always remain parallel to the oriented directions that they occupy in said starting position. And the motorisation means 20 are arranged to impart to each support 10 a movement such that the value of the acceleration imparted to the support 10 during its evolution along its path T is at any point greater than the value of the gravity acceleration.
More particularly, the orientation of the plane P is maintained constant relative to a frame of reference in the space constituted by the vertical, the meridian and the parallel of the place.
In a particular embodiment, the invention uses an XY table, that is to say a motorised, horizontal plate, with a programmable translational displacement along X and Y, the plate always remaining parallel to its initial position, therefore without rotation. The invention consists in programming a circular movement, of constant radius R and of constant angular speed w. An automatic winding mechanical watch movement, placed on such a plate, then feels a centrifugal acceleration ω2R which rotates at speed w. By choosing w and R so that the acceleration is equal to or greater than 1 g (9.81 m/s2), this acceleration will cause the oscillating mass of the movement to rotate at speed ω, which will allow the movement to be wound. The invention provides notable advantages:
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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19161582.2 | Mar 2019 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2020/053033 | 2/6/2020 | WO | 00 |