Patent Grant
8867316
The present disclosure relates to the field of timepieces. More particularly, and without limitation, the present disclosure relates to a support for a mechanism for displaying jumping-type information for a timepiece movement. The mechanism may comprise a display mobile that may be driven in rotation via a driving star wheel. The support may be positioned between a display member and a frame element of the timepiece movement.
The present disclosure also relates to a display mechanism comprising such a support, as well as a timepiece movement. The present disclosure further relates to a timepiece comprising such a timepiece movement.
Many display mechanisms of a jumping type are known in the art. Typically, these display mechanisms are arranged on the bottom plate of the corresponding timepiece movement and comprise a display mobile, a driving star wheel, and a jumper, making it possible to define stable positions of the driving star wheel, all these elements being borne directly by the bottom plate. An example of such a mechanism is disclosed in the patent application EP 1 406 131 A1.
Furthermore, it is common practice to provide an additional correction mechanism for adjusting the value of the information displayed, often by pressure from a user on a corrector.
However, it should be noted that the assembly of all these elements is difficult and sometimes requires alterations to certain elements to guarantee the correct operation of the mechanism.
The present disclosure includes embodiments that improve on conventional solutions and overcome the drawbacks of conventional display mechanisms of a jumping type known in the art, by proposing such a display mechanism whose assembly is simplified, among other things.
The present disclosure relates more particularly to embodiments that provide a support for a display mechanism of a jumping type, which may comprise a base including at least one first hole configured to receive a shaft for rotating the display member, and from which extend a first arm arranged in such a way as to ensure the function of a jumper for the driving star wheel, and a second arm arranged in such a way as to act on the driving star wheel to rotate it in order to correct the information to be displayed in response to a predefined action of a user aiming to deform the second arm.
By virtue of these features, a display mechanism incorporating such a support may offer simplified assembly compared to conventional display mechanisms. In practice, the relative positions of the display mobile, the jumper, and a correction member may be defined directly by one and the same member, e.g., the support. All that is then required to guarantee correct operation of the display mechanism according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be to ensure the correct relative positioning between the driving star wheel and the support.
Advantageously, the second arm may comprise, from the base and toward its free end terminated by an actuating pawl, a first portion of reduced transversal dimensions followed by a second portion of transversal dimensions greater than those of the first portion. Furthermore, a corrector receiving surface may be formed on the second portion, for example, in a region closest to the first portion.
The first portion of the second arm may be deformed more easily than the second portion. Because of this, when a pressure is exerted on the receiving surface, as a consequence of the action of the user, the first portion of the second arm may be deformed to allow its free end to come into contact with the driving star wheel and exert a pressure thereon aiming to rotate it, in order to correct the value of the information displayed.
The present disclosure also relates to a flexible display mechanism. According to some embodiments, the support may comprise at least one second hole configured to receive the shaft for rotating the display member. More specifically, the corresponding timepiece movement may comprise a display mechanism arranged in such a way that the first and second holes are substantially aligned with the center of the timepiece movement. The first and second holes may be substantially equidistant from the point of intersection between a radius that passes through the first and second holes, and a straight line perpendicular to the radius and also cutting the axis of rotation of the driving star wheel.
By virtue of these features, the display mobile may be arranged to pivot in either one of the first and second holes, as chosen by the manufacturer, without the rest of the mechanism having to undergo any additional modification. It will be noted in particular that, because of the positions of the first and second holes, the distance between the display mobile and the driving star wheel may be the same regardless of which hole is used to house the shaft of the display mobile. Such a property may confer great flexibility in the construction of a timepiece, in particular if a plurality of complications are provided, as in the design of the dial plate. In practice, the display mobile may be displaced along the radius passing through the first and second holes with no particular modification to the mechanism.
Advantageously, the corresponding timepiece movement may comprise a display mobile including an information display member and mounted to pivot in a bearing attached to the support via one of the first and second holes. The display mobile may also comprise a first toothed wheel, attached in rotation to the information display member and arranged to be engaged with a second wheel that may be attached in rotation to the driving star wheel.
The first wheel may be driven onto a cylindrical seating of the display member. Thus, the display member may be modified with no impact on its driving mechanism.
Moreover, it is advantageously possible to provide for the support to be arranged on a frame element of the timepiece movement in such a way that the receiving surface of the second arm may be accessible from a side of the timepiece movement in a radial direction, notably to allow for it to be actuated by the corrector.
Mechanisms according to embodiments of the present disclosure is particularly, but not exclusively, suited to displaying phases of the Moon.
Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more clearly apparent on reading the following detailed description, given with reference to the appended drawings, which are provided by way of non-limiting examples, and in which:
The display mechanism may be driven from a mobile of a timepiece movement, which may be an hour wheel 1. The mechanism may comprise a first mobile 2 arranged to be engaged with the hour wheel 1 by its wheel and with an intermediate wheel 3 by its pinion (not visible). The intermediate wheel 3 may be driven onto a bush 4 to be attached thereto in rotation.
An actuating spring 6 may be mounted on a bush 4 by a base 8. The bush 4 may include a flat surface on its periphery. The base 8 of the actuating spring 6 may include a central opening of complementary form to securely attach the actuating spring 6 to the bush 4 in rotation.
An arm 10, which may be elastically deformable, may extend from the base 8 with substantially the form of a ring. The arm 10 may include an actuating pawl 12, in proximity to its free end, having a substantially radial flank and an inclined flank, the latter facilitating the retraction of the actuating pawl during correction operations.
A gear train comprising the mobile 2 and the intermediate wheel 3 is configured in such a way that the actuating spring 6 may perform a complete rotation on itself in, e.g., twenty four hours. A driving star wheel 14 with, e.g., fourteen teeth, may be arranged in reach of the actuating pawl 12 to be driven in rotation by one step every twenty four hours.
A driving wheel 16 with, e.g., thirty two teeth, coaxial to the driving star wheel 14 and attached thereto in rotation, may be provided to drive in rotation a mobile for displaying the phases of the Moon (visible in
The support 20 may comprise a base 22 that may be configured to be securely attached to a frame element of the timepiece movement by means of, e.g., three screws 24. The base 22 may include first and second holes 26 and 28, the function of which will be explained below, in relation to
A first arm 30 may extend from the base 22 and toward the driving star wheel 14 to define a jumper spring. In particular, a free end 31 of the first arm 30 may include two inclined planes arranged to cooperate with the teeth of the driving star wheel 14 and define stable angular positions thereof.
A second arm 32 may extend from the base 22, also toward the driving star wheel 14. The second arm 32 may include a first portion 34, of reduced transversal dimensions, and followed by a second portion 36 of greater transversal dimensions. Furthermore, a corrector receiving surface 38 may be formed in the region of the second portion 36 closest to the first portion 34. A free end 40 of the second arm 32 may be situated in proximity to the teeth of the driving star wheel 14.
Advantageously, provision may be made to have a corrector (not shown) facing the receiving surface 38, in such a way that the second arm 32 may be deformed in response to a pressure exerted by a user on the corrector. As a consequence of this deformation, the free end 40 of the second arm 32 may come into contact with the teeth of the driving star wheel 14 and may exert thereon a force tending to make the driving star wheel 14 rotate, e.g., in a counter-clockwise direction of rotation, resulting in a correction of the value displayed by the display mobile.
Advantageously, but in a non-limiting manner, all the members that have been described above may be assembled on a bottom plate of a timepiece movement.
Thus, the assembly of the display mechanism according to the disclosure may be substantially simplified compared to mechanisms known in the art. In practice, the jumper and the correction member (e.g., the second arm 32) may be made of one part with the support ensuring the positioning of the display mobile, thus simplifying the relative positioning between these parts.
Depending on the space available on the frame of the timepiece movement, an additional correction mechanism may be provided, which may be capable of being actuated by a user from a point that is distant from that where the receiving surface 38 is situated. In some embodiments, such a correction mechanism may, for example, include a rocker 42, mounted to rotate on the frame of the timepiece movement and comprising an additional correction pawl 44 arranged to be able to rotate the driving star wheel 14 in response to a pressure exerted on an additional receiving surface 46. The rocker 42 may advantageously include a return spring 48 formed by one part therewith.
The display mobile (as shown at first and second positions 50 and 51) may comprise a wheel with, e.g., one hundred and thirty five teeth and arranged to be engaged with the driving wheel 16.
It can be observed in
Thus, the display mobile may be mounted on the frame of the timepiece movement according to the first and second positions 50 and 51, respectively closer to and further way from the center of the timepiece movement.
As stated above, such a feature provides great flexibility for the manufacturer of the timepiece movement and for the designer responsible for designing the dial plate of the corresponding timepiece.
The display mobile can be seen in its position referenced 51 in
An exemplary construction of the display mobile is illustrated in
The display mobile may comprise a display member 54 configured for displaying information, e.g., the phases of the Moon. The display member may have an overall form of a disk.
A seating 56 may be formed on its bottom face, on which there may be force-fitted a toothed wheel 58 meshing with the driving wheel 16. In the exemplary construction shown in
In addition, in the exemplary construction shown in
The above descriptions serve as non-limiting illustrations, and the disclosure is not limited to the implementation of certain particular features which have been described, such as, for example, the structure of the driving mechanism or the forms represented for its different component parts.
In particular, it will be noted that the display member fastening mode, as described, is non-limiting and will be able to be produced differently, such as, for example, by arranging the assembly on a ball bearing or on a post. Similarly, as described previously, the disclosure is not limited to displaying the phases of the Moon. Any other suitable information can be displayed without departing from the framework of the disclosure.
A person skilled in the art will not have any particular difficulty in adapting the content and embodiments of the present disclosure to his or her own needs and implementing a display mechanism of jumping type comprising a support directly forming a jumper and a correction member, without departing from the framework of the present disclosure.
This application is a continuation application of prior International Application No. PCT/EP2012/055270, filed Mar. 23, 2012 and claiming priority to French (FR) Patent Application No. 1152405, filed Mar. 23, 2011. The disclosures of the above-referenced applications are expressly incorporated herein by reference to their entireties.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3659413 | Tanaka et al. | May 1972 | A |
| 3888076 | Zaugg et al. | Jun 1975 | A |
| 4259735 | Vuille | Mar 1981 | A |
| 20050152225 | Dias | Jul 2005 | A1 |
| 20100188937 | Watanabe | Jul 2010 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 692 166 | Feb 2002 | CH |
| 0 008 832 | Mar 1980 | EP |
| 1 406 131 | Apr 2004 | EP |
| 2 165 705 | Aug 1973 | FR |
| Entry |
|---|
| International Search Report of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2012/055270, dated Sep. 5, 2012, 4 pages. |
| Preliminary Search Report of FR 1152405, dated Dec. 14, 2011, 2 pages. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20140022870 A1 | Jan 2014 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/EP2012/055270 | Mar 2012 | US |
| Child | 14034467 | US |
