CH709151A2 - Timepiece including a striking barrel. - Google Patents

Abstract

The timepiece comprises a watch case containing a clockwork movement having a striking mechanism comprising a striking barrel, a winding lever (17) connected by a kinematic connection to a ratchet (27) integral with a shaft (28) of said ringer barrel. This kinematic connection connecting the arming lever (17) to the ratchet (27) comprises disengaging means (21, 24) uncoupling at the end of the winding of the barrel of the said arming lever (17) of the ratchet (27) so as to allow unwinding of the ringer barrel without the arming lever (17) returns to its initial position of starting the winding of the ringer barrel.

Description

The present invention relates to a timepiece comprising one or a combination of several of the following mechanisms: <tb> a) <SEP> a mechanism allowing a pusher type control member to be retractable inside a cavity in the middle of the watch case receiving the watch movement. <tb> b) <SEP> A mechanism for winding a secondary barrel, typically a barrel of a striking mechanism, comprising a winding lever actuated by a control member accessible from outside the box shows, this arming lever can, at the end of winding of the barrel, be maintained in this end of winding position without hindering the operation of the mechanism driven by the barrel. <tb> c) <SEP> A mechanism for winding a striking barrel with a fixed stroke. <tb> d) <SEP> A striking mechanism comprising means for eliminating the dead time between the sounding of the ring and the start of the ringing of the hours, the dead time between the end of the ringing of the hours and the beginning of the shifts and dead time between the end of the quarter bell and the start of the minute ring.

The present invention also relates in particular to a timepiece comprising a watch case containing a clockwork movement having a striking mechanism comprising a striking barrel, a winding lever (17) connected by a link kinematic to a ratchet (27) secured to a shaft (28) of said ringer barrel. This kinematic connection connecting the arming lever (17) to the ratchet (27) comprises disengaging means (21, 24) uncoupling at the end of the winding of the barrel of the said arming lever (17) of the ratchet (27) so as to allow unwinding of the ringer barrel without the arming lever (17) returns to its initial position of starting the winding of the ringer barrel.

The present invention also relates to a timepiece comprising a watch case containing a clockwork comprising a striking mechanism comprising; a barrel of ringing; a piece of hours (31) adapted to cooperate with a limaçon hours (L) and provided with a toothing hours (32) adapted to cooperate with a lifting hours (48). An intermediate piece (33) is pivoted concentrically to the hour piece (31) and is subjected to the action of a spring tending to hold it resting on a stop pin (G) integral with the hour piece ( 31); this intermediate piece (33) comprises a toothed sector (34) engaged with a pinion (35) integral with the shaft of the striking barrel; this pinion (35) comprises a sector (36) free of teeth so that, during the winding of the striking barrel, the intermediate piece (33) moves angularly with respect to the piece of hours (31) which remains stationary, at the end of the winding of the striking barrel, the intermediate piece returns to the resting position against the locking pin (G) and after the fall of the hour piece (31) against the snail of the hours (38), the hour part driving the intermediate piece (33) in its fall, the hour part (31) is raised in the rest position by the pinion (35) meshing with the intermediate piece (33) the latter driving the hour piece (31) by the locking pin (G).

Finally, the present invention also relates to a timepiece comprising a watch case containing a clockwork comprising a striking mechanism comprising a striking barrel, a piece of hours (31) rotated on the movement capable of cooperating with a snail of the hours (L) and provided with an hour teeth (32) able to cooperate with a lifting of the hours (48); a quarter-piece (46) rotated non-concentrically to the hour-piece (31) on the movement, able to cooperate with a non-concentric quarter-end snail (52) at the end of the hour (38) and provided with an external toothing of the quarters (47) adapted to cooperate with a lifting of the minutes (49) and the lifting of the hours (48); a minute piece (54) pivoted on the movement concentrically to the quarter piece (46), adapted to cooperate with a minute snail (56) concentric with the quarter snail (53), and provided with an external toothing minutes (55) adapted to cooperate with the lifting of minutes (49). The quarter piece (46) has a quarter internal toothing (50) and the minute piece (54) has an internal minute toothing (58). The hour piece (31) has a quarter pawl (53) adapted to cooperate, during the ascent of the hour piece (31), with the inner teeth of the quarters (50) of the quarter piece (46). The hour piece (31) further includes a ratchet of the minutes (57) able to cooperate during the last part of the upstroke of the hour piece (31) with the inner toothing of the minutes (58) of the piece of minutes (54).

Particular embodiments of the timepiece according to the invention may comprise combinations of two or three of the mechanisms mentioned above.

The accompanying drawing illustrates schematically and by way of example the above mechanisms adapted to be incorporated in a timepiece according to the invention. <tb> Fig. 1 <SEP> is a partial plan view of a timepiece and its movement, the middle of the box houses a retraction mechanism of a control member. <tb> Fig. 2 <SEP> is a partial view on a larger scale of FIG. 1. <tb> Figs. 3 to 5 <SEP> schematically illustrate in plan a winding mechanism of a secondary barrel of the movement of the coin in three different positions. <tb> Figs. 6 to 10 <SEP> illustrate a mechanism for winding a ringing barrel with a fixed stroke of the movement of the timepiece in different positions. <tb> Figs. 11 and 12 <SEP> illustrate a mechanism for eliminating dead time between the triggering of the striking mechanism and the ringing of hours, quarters and minutes of movement of the timepiece in different positions.

The present timepiece comprises a watch case containing a watch movement having, alone or in combination, one or more mechanisms which will be described in what follows.

The timepiece comprises a drive member, a work train, a regulating member and a time display that can be of the usual type.

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the middle part 1 of the timepiece includes a mechanism for a push-type control member to be retracted when it is not used in a housing or cavity made in this case 1.

The middle part 1 comprises a recess 2 in the form of a circular arc along a part of its periphery open on the upper face of this middle part 1. An arched slide 3 slides freely in this recess 2 and tends to be moved in the clockwise direction by a slider spring 4 housed between a first end of this slider 3 and the end of the recess 2. The other end of the slider 3 comprises a guide 5 having an axial bore 6 in which slides a index 7. An index spring 8 tends to move this index 7 out of said guide 5 towards the second end of the recess 2 of the middle part. The free end of this index 7 is housed in a passage connecting the recess 2 to a housing or cavity 9 formed in the middle part 1 and open on the outer wall of this middle part. The bottom of this cavity 9 communicates with the inside of the watch case by a passage. A pusher-type operating member 10 is slidably mounted in this cavity 9 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the inner wall of the middle part 1. A pusher shaft 11 is screwed into the inner face of the pusher 10 and extends to the interior of the middle part 1 by said passage. A thrust spring 12 tends to move the pusher 10 out of the cavity 9 of the caseband 1 into a position for which the abutment 13 of the free end of the pusher axis 11 comes into contact with the internal lateral face of the case. the middle part 1.

The pusher 10 further comprises locking means formed by an inclined plane 14 and a recess 15 located on a generatrix of the pusher 10 which is opposite the index 7.

A control button 16 passes through the outer side wall of the middle 1 by a slot and is fixed on the slide 3 near its first end so that the user can move along its longitudinal axis in the recess against the action of the spring of the slide 4.

From the position of this mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for which the pusher 10 is held in a retracted position, housed entirely or almost entirely in the cavity 9 of the caseband 1, when the user moves the control button in the direction of the arrow F, he moves the slide 3 counterclockwise against the action of the slider spring 4, the index 7 exits the recess 15 of the pusher 10 and this pusher 10 leaves its cavity 9 under the action of the push spring 12 into the position output of the pusher delimited by the stop 13 of the pusher axis 10 coming into contact with the inner peripheral face of the middle part. The user can release the command button.

When the user pushes on the pusher 10 it moves inwardly of the cavity 9, the index 7 is pushed into the axial bore of the guide 6 and then is housed again in the recess 15 pusher 10 to maintain it in the retracted position in the cavity 9 of the middle part.

The pusher shaft 11 is adapted to cooperate with a winding lever 17 or other element of a movement mechanism of the timepiece to be controlled by the retractable pusher 10.

Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate a mechanism for winding a secondary barrel, typically a barrel of a striking mechanism, which can equip the timepiece according to the invention. This arming mechanism comprises a winding lever 17 adapted to be actuated by the push rod 11 of the retractable pusher 10 described above or by a conventional pusher. This arming lever is pivoted in Z on the plate of the movement and comprises, opposite its end cooperating with the pusher, a toothing 18. This toothing 18 meshes with the toothing 19 of a rocker 20 pivoted Y on the platinum of the movement. The free end of this rocker 20 carries a pawl 21 held in the active position by its pawl spring 22 against a pin 23 integral with the rocker 20. A first toothed sector 24 is pivoted concentrically to the rocker 20 and meshes with a pinion. sector 25 secured to a second toothed sector 26 whose teeth meshes with a ratchet 27 integral with a ringing drum shaft 28.

The first sector gear 24 is, at the beginning of arming (FIG 3), bearing against the pawl 21.

By oscillating the arming lever 17, for example using the push rod 11 of the retraction mechanism of the pusher described above, it causes the winding of the barrel by the kinematic connection described above .

At the end of winding of the barrel (FIG 4) the barrel is fully armed, a spout 29 of the pawl 21 abuts against a fixed stop 30 causing the rotation of the pawl 21 in the clockwise direction. At this moment, the pawl 21 escapes the first toothed sector 24 and the ringer can drive the ratchet clockwise, the connection between the pawl 21 and the first sector gear 24 is interrupted and the arming lever 17 can therefore stay in the end position without interfering with the operation of the striking mechanism (Fig. 5).

So if the arming lever 17 is actuated by a pusher 10 as described above we see that the pusher after causing the winding of the barrel ring and the triggering of the ring can remain in the retracted position.

It is only after the unlocking of the pusher 10 by the actuation of the control knob 16, that the arming lever 17 will return to the starting position of arming under the action of a return spring .

Figs. 6 to 12 and more particularly 6 to 8 illustrate a mechanism for winding a ringing barrel with fixed or constant arming stroke. In addition to the parts 17 to 28 forming the winding mechanism of the striking barrel, we see in these figures a part of the hours 31 pivoted in X on the clockwork movement and having a toothing of the hours of twelve teeth 32 adapted to cooperate with a 48 hours lifting of the striking mechanism operating a hammer hours of this striking mechanism (not shown). An intermediate piece 33 which is coaxial with the hours part is subjected to the action of a return spring tending to move it clockwise and to keep it bearing against a locking pin G of the hour piece 31. This intermediate piece 33 further comprises a toothed sector 34 in engagement with a pinion 35, connected to and preferably integral with the barrel axis 28, this pinion 35 having an absence of teeth on a portion 36 of its periphery.

The hour piece 31 further comprises in a conventional manner a feeler hours 37 adapted to cooperate with a limaçon hours L of the striking mechanism.

The hour part 31 is, in the rest position of the striking mechanism, held against the action of its return spring (not shown), bearing against a stopper 38 (visible in FIG 11 and 12) by a retaining pawl 39 pivoted on the clock movement and controlled by a trigger rocker 40 pivoted on the movement and having an adjustment eccentric 41. The end of the retaining pawl 39 cooperates with a toothing tooth wolf 42 of the hours part 31. A probe 43 of the trigger rocker 40 bears on a cam 44 integral with a return 45 meshing with the barrel ratchet 27.

At the beginning of the winding of the ringing barrel, the tilting of the arming lever 17 causes via the rocker 20, the first toothed sector 24, the sector pinion 25 and the second toothed sector 26. counter-clockwise rotation of the barrel ratchet 27 (see Fig. 6). During this arming stroke, the intermediate piece 33 is driven by the pinion 35 integral with the shaft 28 of the barrel clockwise, the hour piece 31, it, remaining stationary (see Figure 7). At the moment when the toothless portion 36 of the pinion 35 leaves the toothing of the toothed sector 34 of the intermediate piece 33, it returns against the locking pin G of the hour piece (see FIG 8).

At the end of the arming, just before the pawl 21 escapes the first toothed sector 24, the cam 44 actuates the trigger rocker 40 which moves the retaining pawl 39 and releases the workpiece hours 31 which moves clockwise until its hour sensor 37 comes into contact with a rung of the hour limb L (see Fig. 9). The trigger rocker also moves a retaining pawl of the quarter part releasing it to allow it to contact its probe 51 with the quarter snail. The minute room is released simultaneously to the hour room and its probe comes to a stop on the minute snail. Then the pawl 21 escaping the first sector gear 24, the kinematic connection between the arming lever 17 and the barrel ratchet 27 is interrupted (FIG 5), the arming lever 17 can remain in the end of winding position and the pusher 10 is again locked in the retracted position in the middle 1. It is obvious that the arming lever 17 can be actuated by a conventional pusher, in this case the pusher and the arming lever return to their initial position after the triggering of the hours room 31.

At this time, the striking barrel begins to unwind and the pinion 35 meshes again with the toothed sector 34 of the intermediate piece 33 (see Fig. 10) and thus causes the rise of the piece of hours 31 up to in the rest position bearing against the stopper 38. The pawl 39 then engages in the teeth of wolf teeth 42 of the hour part 31 and maintains it in the rest position. At the beginning of the ascent of the hour-piece 31, the hour-set of 32 of this piece actuates the lifting of the hours 48, thus ringing a number between 0 and 12, corresponding to the stroke of the hour-piece 31 determined by its hour sensor. 37 and the snail of hours 35.

There are two important features in this mechanism. On the one hand the winding stroke of the barrel is fixed, constant, independent of the angular stroke of the hour coin. On the other hand, the start of the hour bell is made immediately after the time of the hour 31 has been triggered regardless of the hour struck. This has eliminated the dead time that exists in most striking mechanisms between the triggering of the hours room and the start of the hour bell.

When the ring also rings quarters, the striking mechanism further comprises a quarter part 46 pivoted on the movement in A eccentrically relative to the room hours 31. This quarter part 46 has an external toothing of quarters 47 formed of two groups of three teeth capable of cooperating with the lifting of the hours 48 and the raising of the minutes 49 to ring the quarters. This quarter piece 46 also has an inner toothing of the quarters 50. This quarter piece 46 is subjected to the action of a spring tending to move it clockwise to, when it is released from its rest position by pressing on the stopper 38 by the release of the retaining pawl 39, come to rest by its probe of the quarters 51 on a quarter snail 52 in the usual way. The quarter snail 52 is pivoted on the movement eccentrically with respect to the hour limon L.

The parts of the hours 31 further comprises a quarter pawl 53 maintained in the active position by a spring 53a in a position such that during the ascent of the hour room, it comes into contact with one of the teeth of the inner teeth of the quarters 50 of the quarter piece 46 (see Fig. 11).

The tooth of the inner teeth of the quarters 50 of the quarter part 46 coming into contact with the ratchet of the quarters 53 of the hour part 31 depends on one hand the eccentricity of the pivoting of the quarter part 46 relative to the pivoting of the workpiece hours, distance A-X, and secondly the angular position information taking of the quarter part 46 determined by the contact of the probe of the quarters 51 against a step This contact with the quarter ratchet 53 with the internal toothing of the quarters 50 of the quarter piece 46 takes place immediately after the end of the hour bell. Then, the part of the hours 31 causes in its ascent the quarter part 46 by ringing quarters until this quarter part 46 is again in the rest position resting on the stopper 38 and maintained in this rest position by the retaining pawl 39 (see Fig. 12).

At this time, as seen in FIG. 12, the ratchet of the quarters 53 escapes the teeth of the quarters 50 of the quarters 46 so that the room hours 31 can continue its ascent.

In FIG. 12, it can also be seen that the striking mechanism further comprises a minute piece 54 pivoted concentrically at A to the quarter piece 46. This minute piece 54 has an external minute toothing 55 capable of cooperating with the lifting of the minutes 49. This minute piece 54 is subjected to the action of a spring tending to rotate it clockwise from its rest position to bear on the stopper 38 when it is released by the retaining pawl 39 for to take the information corresponding to the number of minutes to be sounded with his minute probe 59 coming to a stop on a rung of a concentric minute snail 56 at quarter end 52.

The hour piece 31 further comprises a minute ratchet 57 and the minute piece 54 also has an internal teeth of the minutes 58. At the moment when the quarter part abuts against the abutment, the ratchet of the quarters 53 is disengaged from the internal teeth of the quarters 50 because the recovery of the hour part 31 continues.

This release of the ratchet quarter 53 of the inner teeth of quarters 50 of quarter part 46 rotates minute ratchet 57 in the counterclockwise direction and it engages in the internal toothing minutes 58 of the minute piece 54 (see Fig. 12). Then, the hour part 31, continuing its ascent, causes the minute piece 54 to its rest position. At this time, the hour piece 31, the quarter piece 46 and the minute piece 54 are all resting on the stopper 38 and held in this position by the retaining pawl 39 until a next trigger the striking mechanism.

The tooth of the internal toothing minutes 58 of the minute piece 54 with which the ratchet of the minutes 57 meshes depends on the angular stroke made when taking information from the quarter piece 46. Because of the plurality of teeth of the internal toothing of the minutes 58 of the minute piece 54 and the tilting of the ratchet of the minutes 57 during the release of the ratchet of the quarters 53, one removes any dead time between the end of the ringer quarter and the beginning of the minute ring.

Thus, in this striking mechanism, the hour part 31 is driven in its upward stroke by an intermediate piece 33 and it is this piece of hours 31 which leads successively in their lift races the quarter piece 46 then the minute piece 54 using the ratchet of the quarters 53 cooperating with the internal teeth of the quarters 50 and minute ratchet 57 cooperating with the inner toothing minutes 58, the two pawls 53 and 57 being carried by the piece of hours 31.

Of course, it is advantageous to combine in the same timepiece the retractable pusher mechanism, the winding mechanism of the barrel ring with a possibility of disengagement, the winding mechanism of the barrel ring stroke constant and striking mechanism where parts of quarters and minutes are brought up by the hour room. However, a timepiece according to the invention may comprise only one, two or three of these mechanisms.

In these embodiments, we see that the hour part of the striking mechanism does not participate in the winding of the barrel ring. Furthermore, the triggering of the ring is obtained by the actuation of the trigger rocker by a cam carried by a return meshing with the barrel ratchet. The hour part 59 is thus independent of the winding of the barrel, allowing a fixed or constant winding of the barrel. In addition, the flare of the striking mechanism is simplified since only the minute piece 54 is raised by the intermediate piece 33 meshing with the pinion 35 fixed on the shaft 28 of the striking barrel.

Claims (9)

1. Timepiece comprising a watch case containing a clockwork movement having a striking mechanism comprising a striking barrel, a winding lever (17) connected by a kinematic connection to a ratchet (27) secured to a shaft (28) of said striking barrel, characterized in that this kinematic connection connecting the arming lever (17) to the ratchet (27) comprises disengaging means (21, 24) uncoupling at the end of winding of the barrel ringing said arming lever (17) of the ratchet (27) so as to allow unwinding of the barrel of ringer without the arming lever (17) returning to its initial position of beginning of winding of the barrel of ringing . 2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that said kinematic connection connecting the arming lever (17) to the ratchet (27) comprises a rocker (20), a first end comprises a toothing (19). socket with a toothed end (18) of the arming lever (17); in that a pawl (21) is pivoted on the second end of the rocker (20); in that a sector gear (24) is pivoted concentrically to the rocker (20) and kinematically connected permanently to the ratchet (27); in that the pawl (21) is subjected to a return action tending to hold it in abutment against a pin (23) of the rocker (20) in a position for which it drives the toothed sector (24) in the movements the rocker (20); and in that at the end of winding of the striking barrel the pawl (21) abuts against a fixed stop (30), moves angularly against the action of its return spring and escapes the tooth sector (24) breaking and the kinematic connection between the ratchet (27) and the arming lever (17). 3. A timepiece comprising a watch case enclosing a clockwork movement, this watch case comprising a caseband (1) having a cavity (9) in which a pusher (10) slides substantially perpendicularly to the inner wall of the case. middle part against the action of a return spring, this pusher (10) being integral with a pusher axis (11) passing through the middle part (1) and able to cooperate with a mechanism of the watch movement such that a striking mechanism, characterized in that it comprises locking means now automatically maintaining said pusher (10) in the pushed end position at the bottom of said cavity (9) of the middle part (1), and unlocking means activatable by the user causing the release of said pusher. 4. Timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that the pusher (10) has on its peripheral wall a recess (15) and an inclined plane (14) cooperating with an index (7) of a slide ( 3) sliding in a recess (2) made in the middle part (1). 5. Timepiece according to claim 4, characterized in that the index (7) is slidably mounted in one end of the slide (3), a slide spring (4) tending to move the slide (3). in the direction of the pusher (10). 6. Timepiece according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the slide (3) is secured to a control button (16) emerging from the middle part (1). 7. Timepiece according to one of claims 3 and 6, characterized in that the axis of the pusher (11) cooperates with a winding lever (17) of a kinematic connection of a winding striking mechanism that includes the watch movement, this kinematic linkage comprising disengaging means (21, 24) uncoupling at the end of the winding the barrel of the said arming lever (17) of a ratchet (27) of so as to allow unwinding of the ringer barrel without the arming lever (17) returns to its initial position of starting the winding of the ringer barrel. 8. Timepiece according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the striking mechanism comprises a piece of hours (31) pivoted on the movement, adapted to cooperate with a snail hours (L), and provided a toothing hours (32) capable of cooperating with a lifting hours (48); a quarter piece (46) pivoted non-concentrically to the hour piece (31) on the movement, adapted to cooperate with a quarter snail (52) non-concentric to the hour snail (38) and provided with an external toothing of quarters (47) adapted to cooperate with a lifting of the minutes (49) and the lifting of the hours (48); a minute piece (54) pivoted on the movement concentrically to the quarter piece (46), adapted to cooperate with a minute snail (56) concentric with the quarter snail (53), and provided with an external toothing minutes (55) adapted to cooperate with the lifting of minutes (49); characterized in that the quarter piece (46) has a quarter internal toothing (50) and the minute piece (54) has an internal minute toothing (58); in that the hour piece (31) has a quarter pawl (53) able to cooperate, during the ascent of the hour piece (31), with the inner toothing of the quarters (50) of the quarter piece (46); and in that the hour piece (31) further comprises a ratchet of the minutes (57) adapted to cooperate during the end of the stroke of recovery of the hour piece (31) with the inner toothing of the minutes (58) of the minute room (54). 9. Timepiece according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the striking mechanism also comprises an intermediate piece (33) which is pivoted concentrically to the hour piece (31) and is subjected to the action of a spring tending to maintain it resting on a locking pin (G) integral with the hour piece (31); in that this intermediate piece (33) comprises a toothed sector (34) engaged with a pinion (35) integral with the shaft of the striking barrel; and in that the pinion (35) has a tooth-free sector (36) so that, during the winding of the striking barrel, the intermediate piece (33) moves angularly with respect to the hour piece (31). ) which remains stationary, that at the end of the winding of the striking barrel, the intermediate piece returns to the bearing position against the locking pin (G) and that after the fall of the hour piece (31) against the hour limon (L), the hour part driving the intermediate piece (33) in its fall, the hour part (31) is raised to the rest position by the pinion (35) meshing again with the intermediate piece (33) the latter driving the hour piece (31) by the stop pin (G).