MECHANISM DISPLAYING VALUES IN VARIABLE CYCLES, PARTICULARLY IN A LUNISOLAR CALENDAR

Abstract

The invention concerns a lunar month display mechanism, for a lunisolar calendar mechanism. The mechanism includes concentrically a plate, which determines the position of the additional month in the bissextile years. The plate is provided with a hand associated with a scale of twelve months and carries a planetary wheel permanently braked by a restraining device. The drive wheel, driven over one twelfth of a revolution at each new moon, meshes with the planetary wheel and moves the plate and hand forward. At the start of a bissextile month, the stop finger forces the wheel to rotate overcoming the force of the restraining device while the drive wheel is rotating, such that the hand remains close to the number of the preceding month. The position of the stop finger is determined by a year cam. This mechanism can be used in particular in a Chinese calendar display.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, which shows by way of non-limiting example a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective bottom view of a device displaying the lunar month in the Chinese calendar, this device being able to be incorporated in a timepiece having an element able to drive the month display at each new moon,

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic bottom views showing different positions of the display device of FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A mechanical device for displaying cycles of discrete values of a variable on a scale of N fields, the variable being able to take either N successive ordinary values in an ordinary cycle, or at least N+1 values, including said N ordinary values and at least one additional value, in an extraordinary cycle, said mechanical device including concentrically: an indicator wheel set, driven step by step to complete one revolution per ordinary cycle and per extraordinary cycle and provided with an indicator which is associated with said scale, the indicator wheel set having a plate carrying a toothed planetary wheel which is prevented from rotating on the plate by a restraining device which is preferably of the friction type, the planetary wheel further having stop elements uniformly distributed over its circumference,a drive wheel having a first toothing, arranged to be driven through 1/Nth of a revolution at the end of each cycle and a second toothing which meshes with that of the planetary wheel,and a rotating stop finger able to form a stop member for at least one of the stop elements of the planetary wheel and thus to rotate the wheel against the restraining device while the plate rotates;the device further including positioning means arranged for placing and holding the stop finger in a selected position corresponding to a field of said scale.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the restraining device is of the friction type.

3. The device according to claim 1 for the display of the lunar month cycle in a lunisolar calendar mechanism, particularly in a timepiece, wherein N has a value of twelve and wherein said ordinary cycles are ordinary years including twelve lunar months and the extraordinary cycles are bissextile years including thirteen lunar months, the indicator wheel set being a lunar month wheel that completes one revolution per year.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the stop finger has an inactive position, in which it does not interfere with the stop elements of the planetary wheel.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein, in the inactive position, the stop finger is shifted in the direction of the rotational axis thereof in relation to the other positions thereof.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the inactive position of the stop finger is that which corresponds to the last field on said scale.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning means include a cycle cam, having, for each cycle of a series of cycles, a shoulder the level of which represents the absence or presence of an additional value in the cycle and the place of any additional value, a feeler able to abut against the corresponding shoulder of the current cycle on the cycle cam, and a transmission mechanism between the sensor and the stop finger.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said transmission mechanism is formed by a pivoting rack, connected to the feeler and meshed on the toothed hub of the stop finger.

9. The device according to claim 3, wherein the cycle cam is a year cam, wherein the level of each shoulder represents the absence or presence of a bissextile month in the year and the place of any bissextile month.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the year cam is removable and can be replaced by a cam corresponding to another series of years.

11. The device according to claim 2 for the display of the lunar month cycle in a lunisolar calendar mechanism, particularly in a timepiece, wherein N has a value of twelve and wherein said ordinary cycles are ordinary years including twelve lunar months and the extraordinary cycles are bissextile years including thirteen lunar months, the indicator wheel set being a lunar month wheel that completes one revolution per year.

12. The device according to claim 7, wherein the cycle cam is a year cam, wherein the level of each shoulder represents the absence or presence of a bissextile month in the year and the place of any bissextile month.