Patent Application
20230408982
The present application is based on, and claims priority from the prior European Patent Application No. 22179968.7, filed on Jun. 20, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to a mechanism for stopping or releasing a regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel in rotation about a main axis, including a control organ that can be operated by a user and linked with a stopping lever including a support surface arranged to cooperate with a complementary support surface of the wheel, and movable between a working position where any support surface is distant from the complementary support surface, and a stopping position where a support surface is bearing thereon. The invention further relates to a timepiece including a regulating or chronograph mechanism including a structure and at least a first bridge on either side of a wheel rotating about a main axis, and including such a stopping mechanism, for triggering the stopping or release of said regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel.
The invention relates to the field of horological stopping mechanisms.
Stopping levers, also known as stop levers, are designed to stop the rotation of a wheel, and to release it on the user's instruction. These levers are generally inserted next to the wheels in question, in highly occupied zones where little space is available. For this reason, these levers are often inserted in a non-dismantlable manner in stacks of bridges or similar, which requires a complete dismantling of the stacking of these bridges, for an intervention on the mechanisms disposed behind the stop levers, or on the stop levers themselves.
In particular, a recurrent problem is that the stop lever prevents the dismantling of the pallet assembly bridge, for example in the event of the need to set the mount of the pallet assembly pallets.
To remove the stop-second, it would be necessary in principle to remove the bridges which are on top of the stop-second bridge, to obtain a configuration without the bridges, which makes it possible to dismantle the stop-second.
This is disadvantageous as it is very time-consuming, and gives rise to a risk of damage and/or soiling of components.
The invention proposes to provide an economical solution for this problem, by allowing a removal at minimal cost of the stop lever, to enable any other intervention on the timepiece.
To this end, the invention relates to a mechanism for stopping or releasing a regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel, according to claim 1.
The invention further relates to a timepiece including a regulating or chronograph mechanism including such a stopping mechanism, for triggering the stopping or release of this regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel.
The invention will be understood more clearly in light of the following description, and the appended drawings, where:
The invention relates to a stopping mechanism 100 for triggering the stopping or release of a regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel 1 of a timepiece 1000.
This stopping mechanism 100 includes a structure 500, particularly a plate or similar, and at least a first bridge 600 on either side of the wheel 1 which is rotatable about a main axis D.
The stopping mechanism 100 includes a control organ 210, which can be operated directly or indirectly by a user, and which is linked with a stopping lever 2, which includes at least one support surface 20 arranged to bear on a complementary front and/or edge support surface 11 of the wheel 1.
This stopping lever 2 is movable between a working position where any support surface 20 is at a distance from the complementary support surface 11 and where the wheel 1 rotates freely, and a stopping position where at least one support surface 20 is bearing on the complementary support surface 11 and where the wheel 1 is in a rotation stopping position.
According to the invention, the stopping lever 2 includes, rigidly connected to each other and rotatable together with respect to a pivot axis DP parallel with the main axis D, a first control part 21 and a second support part 22. The first control part 21 is linked removably with the control organ 210, at a link axis DA, preferably parallel with the pivot axis DP. This removable link allows a substantially planar extraction or insertion of the first part 21 with respect to the control organ 210, perpendicularly to the link axis DA. The second support part 22, which includes this at least one support surface 20, is movable between the structure 500 and the first bridge 600.
The stopping lever 2 is fitted, at the pivot axis DP, in an axially removable manner with respect to a rotation guidance element 510 included in the structure 500.
The stopping mechanism 100 further includes at least one elastic return means, which is arranged to exert an axial force on the stopping lever 2 and press it on the structure 500.
More specifically, the stopping lever 2 is inserted between the structure 500 and a second bridge 700, included in the stopping mechanism 100, which define together a chamber 800 wherein the stopping lever 2 is fitted, at the pivot axis DP, in an axially removable manner with respect to the rotation guidance element 510.
More specifically, the chamber 800 includes a pivoting trunnion 810 defining the pivot axis DP and arranged to cooperate with minimal radial play with a hole 820 included in the stopping lever 2, or vice versa. The pivoting of the addendum of the pivoting trunnion 810 is less than the difference between the height of the chamber 800 along the axial direction Z at the pivot axis DP, and the maximum thickness of the stopping lever 2, so as to allow the extraction of the stopping lever 2 by combining an axial movement to countersink the hole 820 of the pivoting trunnion 810, and a substantially planar movement, perpendicularly to the link axis DA, of the stopping lever 2.
More specifically, the stopping mechanism 100 further includes, rigidly connected to the first part 21 and second part 22, a third stabilisation part 23 which is movable in the chamber 800, with at least one axial degree of freedom along an axial direction Z parallel with the main axis D.
More specifically, the structure 500 and the second bridge 700 limit the axial travel of the third stabilisation part 23 below a maximum value CM, to ensure a rotation movement of the second part 22 about the pivot axis DP, substantially planar perpendicularly to the main axis D.
More specifically, the removable link between the first control part 21 and the control organ 210 includes a fork 25 borne by the first part 21, arranged to cooperate with a pin 26 included in the control organ 210, or vice versa, so as to allow a lateral fitting or dismantling between the first part 21 and the control organ 210.
More specifically, the elastic return means is borne by the stopping lever 2, which includes a fourth flexible part 24, arranged to cooperate in support with a bottom surface 724 of the second bridge 700 to press the stopping lever 2 on the structure 500. In a variant not illustrated, this elastic return means can consist of a spring rigidly connected to the second bridge 700, or similar. More specifically, the fourth part 24 is not coplanar with the first part 21, the second part 22 and the third part 23, which are coplanar with each other. In a specific variant, not illustrated by the figures, the fourth part 24 is one piece with the third part 23, and is not coplanar with the first part 21 and the second part 22 which are coplanar with each other. In a further variant, the fourth part 24 is one piece with the first part 21, and is not coplanar with the second part 22 and the third part 23, which are coplanar with each other.
More specifically, the stopping lever 2 is one-piece.
More specifically, the stopping lever 2 is a blanked and bent component, and therefore very economical.
The invention further relates to a timepiece 1000 including a regulating or chronograph mechanism including a structure 500 and at least a first bridge 600 on either side of a wheel 1 rotating about a main axis D, and including such a stopping mechanism 100, for triggering the stopping or release of this regulating or chronograph mechanism wheel 1.
More specifically, the mechanism bearing the wheel 1 is a regulating mechanism, wherein the wheel 1 is an inertia-block or a balance or a tourbillon cage, and which regulating mechanism includes, superposed along the axial direction Z, from the structure 500 bearing a lower pivot 520, a pallet assembly bridge 900, the inertia-block or the balance or the tourbillon cage, the stopping lever 2 which can be dismantled by leaving an axial access to said pallet assembly bridge 900 and allowing the removal of the inertia-block or the balance or the tourbillon cage, the second bridge 700, and the first bridge 600 bearing an upper pivot 540.
More specifically, the stopping lever 2 is arranged to cooperate with a heart-piece borne by the inertia-block or the balance or the tourbillon cage, in order to restart it for the start during the release thereof.
More specifically, the lower pivot 520 and/or the upper pivot 540 is a magnetic pivot. Indeed, the use of magnetic pivots is particularly advantageous for guiding a high-frequency oscillator, of the order of 10 Hz.
More specifically, the stopping lever 2 is arranged to cooperate in tangential support with a felloe or a peripheral surface included in the inertia-block or the balance or the tourbillon cage, and is, in planar projection along the axial direction Z, in each of the positions thereof, external to the pallet assembly bridge 900.
The invention thus provides an economical solution for the stated problem: the stopping lever, also more commonly referred to as stop lever, is designed so that it can be dismantled without removing the bridge above it. The sectional figures make it possible to understand the system.
The movement to be applied to dismantle the stopping lever is broken down into two phases: an axial movement along the direction Z to free the stopping lever from the guidance at the pivot axis DP, and then a planar movement in a plane parallel with that of the balance. Indeed, the shaft guiding the stopping lever enables axial fitting/dismantling along the axis Z, parallel with the axis of rotation of the balance.
The link with the control mechanism upstream is performed with a linked mechanism, such as a fork and a pin enabling lateral dismantling, or similar.
To hold the stopping lever in place and prevent it from being dismantled on its own, it advantageously includes a flexible strip bearing on the upper bridge, which presses it axially downwards on the structure, particularly a plate.
While, on a caliber with a low-frequency oscillator (less than or equal to 5 Hz) with stop-second bearing on the balance fellow, the pallet assembly bridge can be dismantled without dismantling the stop-second, the same does not apply on a caliber including a high-frequency oscillator (over Hz), which requires a stop-second which acts upon a heart-piece on the balance in order to restart it for the start; the stop-second then passes above the pallet assembly bridge, and the invention finds all its usefulness therein. Indeed, a calibre with a high-frequency oscillator requires such a stop-second which acts upon a heart-piece on the balance in order to restart it for the start, this start function being necessary due to a frequency greater than 5 Hz. The stop-second therefore passes above the pallet assembly point. In the case of setting of the pallets of the pallet assembly, it is necessary to be able to dismantle the pallet assembly bridge and therefore dismantle the stop-second. The invention makes it possible to dismantle the upper bridge (barrel bridge, geartrain bridge, or other), and renders maintenance operations more economical, and ensures the cleanliness of the mechanisms.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22179968.7 | Jun 2022 | EP | regional |
