EP3140698B1 - Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk - Google Patents

Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3140698B1
EP3140698B1 EP15723856.9A EP15723856A EP3140698B1 EP 3140698 B1 EP3140698 B1 EP 3140698B1 EP 15723856 A EP15723856 A EP 15723856A EP 3140698 B1 EP3140698 B1 EP 3140698B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
oscillator
rod
blades
tuning fork
oscillation
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EP15723856.9A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP3140698A2 (de
Inventor
Ilan Vardi
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Swatch Group Research and Development SA
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Swatch Group Research and Development SA
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/04—Oscillators acting by spring tension
    • G04B17/045—Oscillators acting by spring tension with oscillating blade springs
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/20—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G04—HOROLOGY
    • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
    • G04B17/00—Mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/20—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency
    • G04B17/22—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency for the effect of variations of temperature
    • G04B17/227—Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency for the effect of variations of temperature composition and manufacture of the material used

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, a timepiece movement comprising the oscillator as well as a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the invention relates to a mechanical timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • An object of the present invention is to improve the performance of the mechanical movement of a timepiece, in particular of a mechanical timepiece.
  • the balance spring long used as an oscillator in mechanical watches, has proven itself, but despite, or perhaps because of, centuries of research and development, it may be near its limits. . Thus, the best balance springs arrive at a quality factor Q of around 300.
  • the tuning fork is well known for its time base qualities, the tuning fork wrist watches of the 1960s were the most precise in the world until the advent of the quartz watch. Max Hetzel is at the origin of a large number of patented inventions, relating to the use of a tuning fork as an oscillator, which led to the production of the Accutron wristwatch (registered trademark), marketed by Bulova Swiss SA.
  • the Accutron watch however includes an electronic resonator since each branch of the tuning fork carries a permanent magnet associated with an electromagnet mounted fixed on the frame of the watch.
  • the operation of each electromagnet is subject to the vibrations of the tuning fork via the magnets which it carries, in such a way that the vibrations of the tuning fork are maintained by the transmission of periodic magnetic pulses from the electromagnets to the permanent magnets.
  • One of the branches of the tuning fork activates a ratchet making it possible to rotate the moving parts of the watch's final train.
  • a general difference between mechanical wristwatches and electronic watches with acoustic tuning fork is the fact that, in the latter, the oscillator as a time regulator also serves as an energy distributor, i.e. the oscillations are used to activate the movement (Accutron) or to determine the activity of an electric motor which acts on the hands, for example (electronic quartz watch).
  • the oscillator as a time regulator also serves as an energy distributor, i.e. the oscillations are used to activate the movement (Accutron) or to determine the activity of an electric motor which acts on the hands, for example (electronic quartz watch).
  • the regulation is at the end of the energy transmission chain.
  • the patent US 3,208,287 from a deposit dating from 1962, describes a resonator comprising a tuning fork coupled to an escape wheel by means of magnetic interactions. More specifically, the tuning fork carries permanent magnets cooperating with the escape wheel, the latter being made of a magnetic conductive material.
  • the escape wheel is kinematically connected to a source of energy which can be mechanical or take the form of a motor, while it includes openings in its thickness such that it forms a magnetic circuit of variable reluctance when it is rotated, in relation to the magnets carried by the tuning fork.
  • the present invention seeks to solve several technical problems.
  • it is desired to induce an asymmetrical oscillation by acting on a single blade of the tuning fork, therefore without imposing the antisymmetrical oscillation by the simultaneous impulse of the two blades.
  • the use of magnets to distribute energy to an oscillator (pulse by escape) or even to regulate an energy is not strictly spoken "mechanical", for the simple reason that energy is transmitted by magnetic forces and therefore associated with electromagnetic phenomena.
  • the patent FR 1 421 123 describes a tuning fork whose geometry of the blades and of the rod makes it possible to limit an undesired oscillation of the rod.
  • the present invention aims to provide a watch with mechanical movement comprising a more precise time base than that of the conventional balance-spring.
  • an objective of the invention is to provide a wristwatch with entirely mechanical movement using an oscillator of the tuning fork type as time base.
  • An objective of the present invention is to avoid, in a tuning fork oscillator, symmetrical oscillations. More particularly, the present invention aims to avoid symmetrical oscillations in an oscillator comprising a material characterized by low internal friction, so as to make the oscillator capable of effecting said symmetrical oscillations.
  • An object of the invention is to provide a tuning fork on the basis of a material having a low internal friction such as monocrystalline silicon.
  • a material having a low internal friction such as monocrystalline silicon.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an oscillator in which the asymmetric oscillations are favored, even if the pulses are given on one of the two blades only, in other words, in the absence of simultaneous pulses both blades.
  • the present invention seeks to solve the above problems and has other advantages which will become more clearly apparent on reading the description and the claims.
  • the present invention relates to a timepiece according to claim 1.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising an assembly comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod linked to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to a member fixing device connected to a support, said assembly being formed of a material A, characterized by a low internal friction, said oscillator being capable of oscillating in a desired asymmetric mode as well as in an undesired symmetrical mode, characterized in that the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of said oscillator is reduced compared to the quality factor Q 1 of the antisymmetrical oscillation mode.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod linked to said base, characterized in that, in said oscillator, an oscillation mode symmetrical is damped or prevented by the presence of a selected material in or on said oscillator and / or in or on a fixation of the oscillator.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod linked to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to a fixing, said oscillator being made of one or more materials making said oscillator capable of performing symmetrical oscillations, and said oscillator or the fixing further comprising another material capable of damping said symmetrical oscillations.
  • the present invention relates to a tuning fork type oscillator, said oscillator comprising two blades and a base connecting said blades, said oscillator comprising a rod linked to said base, the oscillator being connected by its rod to a fixing, said oscillator comprising or being made of several materials including a material A and a material A ', the material A' being characterized by a coefficient of thermal expansion of opposite sign to that of the material A.
  • the present invention relates to a movement for a timepiece comprising the oscillator as well as a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the present invention relates to the use of a material having comparatively high internal friction to avoid symmetrical oscillation in an oscillator of the tuning fork type.
  • the present invention relates to an oscillator of the tuning fork type as well as a timepiece comprising the oscillator and also a movement for a timepiece comprising the oscillator.
  • the timepiece according to the invention can be a watch, a pocket watch, a pendant watch, a pendulum, or even a table clock, for example.
  • the timepiece according to the invention is a wristwatch.
  • the timepiece according to the invention may be entirely mechanical and / or may comprise an entirely mechanical movement.
  • a fully mechanical movement can operate in the absence of any electronic circuit, in particular in the absence of a source of electrical energy, such as a battery or a photovoltaic cell, for example.
  • the present invention also makes it possible to produce a timepiece which operates on the basis of mechanical interactions between all of the parts and which excludes magnetic interactions.
  • the pulses to induce and keep the oscillator in oscillation are carried out by a part which acts by direct physical contact on the tuning fork or on a part integral with the tuning fork.
  • the present invention can constitute an improvement of the solutions proposed in patent documents EP 2,466,401 or US 3,208,287 , which disclose a resonator in which the oscillator and the escape wheel carry magnets, for example permanent magnets, so as to constitute a regulation and escape mechanism based on magnetic interactions.
  • the movement of the invention comprises a mechanical impulse member which is connected and / or powered by a source of mechanical energy.
  • Source mechanical energy can be the same as in a classic mechanical watch, for example, the energy can come from a barrel spring which can be wound manually or automatically, for example.
  • the present invention makes it possible, for the first time, to produce a fully mechanical timepiece movement with an oscillator of the tuning fork type.
  • the proposed solution is applicable to any time base on the basis of a tuning fork type resonator or oscillator.
  • the figure 1 shows the general shape of a watch tuning fork.
  • the tuning fork 1 comprises the two blades or branches 3 and 4, connected by the base 5 so as to constitute the general shape of a U.
  • the two blades 2 and 3 are preferably arranged in parallel in a single plane.
  • the two blades 3 and 4 preferably have the same length.
  • On the side opposite the base 5, the ends of the blades 3 and 4 are free. They preferably each carry a mass 8, 9, respectively, which serves to reduce the frequency of the oscillations of the tuning fork 1.
  • the tuning fork comprises a rod 6 by which the base 5 is connected to a fixing member 7. One end of the rod 6 is therefore connected to the base 5 while the other end is connected to the fixing 7.
  • the fixing 7 is preferably made integral with the movement of the watch.
  • the fastener 7 is connected, for example by screwing, to the plate or to a bridge.
  • the fixing 7 can be attached to a support any.
  • the rod 6 is preferably located above the base 5. It could also be located below the base 5, as shown in Figures 2A and 2B which does not change the behavior of the tuning fork.
  • the interest of the tuning fork is mainly due to the fact that its quality factor Q is much higher than that of a simple vibrating blade.
  • the high quality factor Q of the tuning fork compared to that of a simple vibrating plate is related to the configuration in U and the modes of oscillations which result from it.
  • the latter comprises or is preferably made of a material having a low or very low internal friction.
  • a sophisticated model of the explanation of the quality factor takes into account the viscous internal friction of the branches and the base of the tuning fork, as described by Andres Castellanos-Gomez, Nicolas Agrait, Gabino Rubio-Bollinger, "Forcegradient-induced mechanical dissipation of quartz tuning fork force sensors used in atomic force microscopy", Ultramicroscopy (2011) 111 (3), 186-190 .
  • Materials which fulfill the criterion of low internal friction are, for example, monocrystalline silicon or quartz. Of course, other materials having comparable internal friction and / or of the same order of magnitude can also be used. In general, other monocrystalline materials can be used in the manufacture of the oscillator 1 according to the invention.
  • the oscillator 1 as a whole may comprise or be made of several materials.
  • masses 8 and 9 are typically made of gold or another dense material, for example another heavy precious metal.
  • the masses 8 and 9 make it possible to reduce the frequency of the oscillator if this is desired, which may be the case in a mechanical timepiece.
  • the present invention also covers the possibility that the masses 8 and 9 are zero or absent.
  • the masses 8, 9 can be placed or oriented in another way than shown in the figure 1 , as disclosed, for example, in the US patent US 3,447,311 .
  • the masses 8, 9 can be produced in the form of layers deposited on the blades 3 and 4 and / or can be connected close to or in the region of the ends and be oriented as shown in US 3,447,311 , for example.
  • the blades 3, 4 can be formed from several materials having a low internal friction, as will be described below below.
  • the rod 6 and / or the fixing 7 preferably comprises a material with higher internal friction, as will be described later.
  • the oscillator comprises an assembly 2 formed at least of the blades 3 and 4 and of the base 5.
  • This assembly 2 preferably comprises an entity formed of a single continuous material.
  • the oscillator 1 comprises an assembly 2 formed of a material A characterized by a low internal friction.
  • the material A is chosen from the materials with low internal friction described above, such as for example monocrystalline silicon or quartz, or monocrystalline materials in general.
  • said oscillator 1, or at least said assembly 2 comprises or is formed of monocrystalline silicon and / or quartz.
  • the rod 6 comprises and / or is formed from the same material A. According to this embodiment, the rod 6 is part of the assembly 2. According to another embodiment, the rod 6 comprises and / or is made of another material.
  • the quality factor Q of the oscillator is higher than in the case of a metal oscillator, for example. This increase in the quality factor Q also applies to oscillation modes which can be designated as unwanted in an oscillator serving as a time base.
  • the figures 2 A and 2 B illustrate two modes of oscillation of a tuning fork 1 following a pulse.
  • the dotted and solid lines show, respectively, the two positions of the peak-to-peak amplitude of the oscillator, i.e. the two positions which define the maximum deviation from the rest position where the blades 3 and 4 are parallel.
  • the problems associated with the symmetrical oscillation mode arise above all in the case where the oscillator is made of a material with low internal friction, such as quartz or monocrystalline silicon, for example.
  • the symmetrical oscillation mode ( figure 2 B) is not observed in metal tuning forks, for example.
  • the choice of material with low internal friction, for example material A makes said oscillator capable of oscillating not only in the desired asymmetric mode, but also in the undesired symmetrical mode.
  • the symmetrical oscillation mode is favored by mechanical excitation due to a slightly lower quality factor, therefore easier to "find". This last point applies in particular to the pulse on only one of the two blades, whether this pulse is mechanical or other.
  • a difference between the two modes of asymmetric and symmetrical oscillations illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B relates to rod 6.
  • the symmetrical mode induces a transverse oscillation of the rod 6, which corresponds to the oscillation of a simple vibrating blade. This transverse oscillation generally takes place in the plane defined by the two blades 3, 4.
  • the rod 6 performs longitudinal and / or axial oscillations along the axis of the rod 6.
  • the symmetrical oscillations ( figure 2 B) are generally avoided by the simultaneous excitation of the two blades 3 and 4, exploiting the piezoelectric properties of quartz.
  • the simultaneous impulse (at the same time) of the two blades 3, 4 is illustrated by the two arrows 10 in opposite directions in the figure 1 .
  • electrodes are placed on or near the blades to be able to induce an asymmetrical oscillation.
  • electronic methods or algorithms are put in place to prevent symmetrical oscillation in electronic watches.
  • An objective of the present invention is to implement alternative solutions to prevent the symmetrical oscillation mode of an oscillator of the tuning fork type, preferably in a resonator used as a time base.
  • a pulse on only one of the two blades of a tuning fork represents the preferred solution in the case of a mechanical resonator, that is to say time bases in which the oscillations of the tuning fork are induced and maintained mechanically, without the use of electricity, electronics or piezoelectricity.
  • the oscillations are induced and maintained without the use of magnetism.
  • the movement of the invention and / or the timepiece of the invention comprises a mechanical impulse member or mechanism capable of acting on one of the two blades of a tuning fork so as to induce it and keep it in oscillation.
  • a mechanical impulse member or mechanism capable of acting on one of the two blades of a tuning fork so as to induce it and keep it in oscillation.
  • Requirement WO2013 / 045573 discloses a mechanical tuning fork resonator for mechanical watch movement with free escapement.
  • a blade of this tuning fork carries at least a first pin associated with at least a first fork tooth of an anchor, for pivoting said fork between first and second angular positions and alternately lock and release an escape wheel.
  • the resonator comprises a conversion member secured to the ankle, arranged to, on the one hand, transform the oscillations of the blade into rotational movements of the anchor by transmitting pulses from the blade to the anchor, and on the other hand, transmit mechanical energy from said anchor to the blade of the oscillator in the form of pulses.
  • a support carrying pegs is attached to the end of one of the two blades.
  • the pegs cooperate with teeth defining an anchor fork.
  • the anchor has a frame pivotally mounted on the movement as well as a pair of arms, each of which carries a tooth to interact with the pins on the support.
  • the anchor then comprises a second pair of additional arms, each of which carries a pallet arranged to cooperate with an escape wheel.
  • the request resonator WO2013 / 045573 works in a similar way to that of conventional resonators thanks to the fact that the oscillator carries two pegs instead of a single peg as well as by the particular geometry of the anchor fork.
  • the anchor is intended to pivot between a first position in which one of the pallets locks the escaping wheel in rotation and a second position in which the other pallet locks the escapement wheel.
  • the pivoting of the anchor is also used to give impetus to one of the two pins of the support to ensure the maintenance of the oscillations of the blade and thus of the tuning fork as a whole.
  • the conversion member comprises a rocker and operates on the principle of the lever arm. A free end of the rocker is pivotally mounted on the free end of a blade and the other end is engaged between the teeth of the fork of the anchor to cooperate with it and rotate the anchor.
  • WO2013 / 045573 discloses a mechanical impulse member capable of acting on one of the two blades so as to induce and keep said oscillator in oscillation.
  • a mechanical impulse member is preferably used in the timepiece according to the present invention.
  • the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of the oscillator of the invention is actively and targetedly reduced compared to the quality factor Q 1 of the asymmetric oscillation mode.
  • the present invention aims to reduce the quality factor of the symmetrical oscillations, thereby favoring the oscillation in the desired asymmetric mode. This implies, in fact, that each oscillation mode has not only its own frequency, but also its own quality factor.
  • Q 2 represents the quality factor of the undesired symmetrical oscillation mode
  • Q 1 represents the quality factor of the desired asymmetrical oscillation mode.
  • the quality factor Q 2 is reduced in a targeted manner by the construction of the tuning fork and in particular by the choice of materials used in the construction of the tuning fork.
  • the quality factor Q 2 is reduced by the geometry of the tuning fork and / or the choice of the position of different materials having different characteristics.
  • the oscillator of the invention comprises at least one second material which makes it possible to reduce the quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode.
  • This second material is generally designated as material B in the present description.
  • the material B is preferably chosen from materials having a higher friction than the material A.
  • the material B is a material having a higher internal friction than that of quartz and / or monocrystalline silicon, by example.
  • the material B is chosen from metals, alloys, polycrystalline materials, amorphous materials, for example.
  • the internal friction of a material is associated with the ability of a solid material to convert its mechanical vibration energy into internal energy. This inevitable degradation or loss of energy manifests itself in several ways, for example by a transformation of the energy of vibration into heat.
  • the quality factor of an oscillator and the internal friction of the material depend on each other, as described in the publication of Clarence Zener, "Internai Friction in Solids," Proceedings of the Physical Society 52 (1940), pp.
  • the inverse of the quality factor 1 / Q is preferably used to determine whether a given material is characterized by low or high internal friction.
  • the quality factor Q of a material can be determined by a person skilled in the art, as described in numerous publications dating from the last 50 years, see the publication references. Ilan Vardi, “The quality factor in mechanical watchmaking”, Bulletin de la cios Métrie 75 (2014), pp. 53-61 .
  • the quality factor Q of a material can be determined on the basis of a simple vibrating plate which is induced in free vibration.
  • the internal friction of a material A can be represented by 1 / Q A
  • the internal friction of a material B can be represented by 1 / Q B .
  • a material A having a low internal friction is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q A ) is ⁇ 0.02, preferably ⁇ 0.01. According to a preferred embodiment, a material having a low internal friction is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q A ) is ⁇ 0.001.
  • the material A In terms of internal friction, the material A 'fulfills the same conditions as the material A.
  • the values of 1 / Q for A' (1 / Q A ' ) are therefore in the same ranges as the values 1 / Q for A (1 / Q A ).
  • a material B having a high friction or higher than the material A is a material whose value 1 / Q (1 / Q B ) is ⁇ 0.02, preferably ⁇ 0.05, for example ⁇ 0.1 or more tall.
  • the materials A and A ' have an internal friction (1 / Q A ) ⁇ 0.01 and the material B an internal friction (1 / Q B )> 0.02.
  • the materials A and B are generally chosen so that 1 / Q A ⁇ 1 / Q B. Defining materials A and B in relation to each other makes it possible to ignore the specific conditions under which the respective quality factor Q (Q A , Q B ) was measured to determine the value of friction internal of the material, as long as the conditions are the same for the determination of Q A and Q B (for example 25 ° C, and two rods, one of material A and one of material B, having identical dimensions).
  • Q B / Q A is ⁇ 0.1, preferably ⁇ 0.02, or even ⁇ 0.01.
  • the present invention contemplates adjusting the internal friction of a material (1 / Q A and / or 1 / Q B ) to obtain a material having the desired characteristics.
  • the materials A and B can be mixtures, for example composites comprising several materials or materials, chosen so as to obtain a material having an internal friction in accordance with the preferred values or proportions indicated above.
  • the inventors have found that it is possible to prevent symmetrical oscillations by the geometric configuration and / or the position of the material B in the tuning fork. Material B is in contact with material A of the oscillator.
  • the tuning fork of the invention comprises a material B which is arranged and / or located so as to prevent or dampen the symmetrical oscillations of the tuning fork.
  • the presence of the material B makes it possible to damp the transverse oscillations of the rod 6. Consequently, according to one embodiment of the invention, the material A is a first material and said factor of quality Q 2 is reduced by the presence of a second material B, this material B being in contact with said material A so that a transverse oscillation of said rod 6 is damped.
  • said quality factor Q 2 of the symmetrical oscillation mode of said oscillator is reduced so that Q 1 / Q 2 is equal to or greater than 2.
  • Q 1 / Q 2 is equal to or greater than 5, or even equal or greater than 10, equal or greater than 20, equal or greater than 50, or even equal or greater than 100, for example, equal or greater than 200.
  • the quality factor Q 1 is at least an order of magnitude higher than the quality factor Q 2 .
  • order of magnitude is meant a difference of about a factor of 10.
  • the quality factor Q 1 is at least 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than the quality factor Q 2 .
  • the quality factor Q is used both to qualify the two modes of oscillation, antisymmetric and symmetrical, shown in the Figures 2A and 2B (Q 1 and Q 2 ), and as a parameter of the internal friction of a material.
  • the inverse of the quality factor (1 / Q) is used.
  • the state of the art describes several parameters which represent the internal friction of a material, such as the damping or loss factor tan ou, or the loss modulus G ".
  • the inverse of the quality factor Q is chosen, as proposed by C. Zener (1940) and H.-P. Liu et al (1983), in particular because the measurement of this parameter is well known to those skilled in the art in the field of watchmaking.
  • the second material or material B can be placed in the rod 6 of the tuning fork.
  • said material A is a first material and the rod 6 comprises or consists of a second material B in contact with said first material.
  • the rod 6 is entirely made of the material B.
  • the rod 6 comprises such a material B or several materials which, on the whole, fulfill the characteristic of the higher internal friction. It is considered advantageous if the material B is in contact with the material A.
  • the material B is in contact with the base 5 of the tuning fork.
  • the material B is preferably at least at the interface of the material A with the rod 6.
  • the rod 6 consists of a material B which is different from the material A of which the assembly 2 is produced.
  • the assembly 2 comprises in particular the two blades 3,4 and the base 5.
  • Figures 3A to 3C have the same meanings as described above for the figure 1 .
  • the figure 3A shows the tuning fork in the rest position, while the Figures 3B and 3C show the asymmetric and symmetrical oscillations, respectively, following a pulse given on one of the two blades (here on the blade 3) at the level of arrow 11.
  • the assembly 2 is constructed entirely of materials of type A, therefore with low internal friction, but the rod 6 is composed of a material having a greater internal friction (material B), for example, the metal used for the tuning fork classic watchmaker.
  • material B the metal used for the tuning fork classic watchmaker.
  • the asymmetric oscillations of the figure 2A have no loss through the stem, due to its zero transverse movement, while the symmetrical oscillations of the tuning fork ( figure 2 B) are damped due to the energy lost at the level of the attachment or the connection between the rod 6 and the base 5, and between the rod 7 and the fixing 7 of the tuning fork, due to the constraints SI and S2, see the figure 3C .
  • the quality factor (Q 2 ) of symmetrical oscillations would therefore be comparable to the quality factor of a simple vibrating blade embedded at one end made of this material B, therefore very small (for example ⁇ 10).
  • Q 1 quality factor
  • the rod 6 preferably has a certain flexibility or elasticity as a whole, which makes it possible to separate or distance the frequency of the symmetrical oscillations from the frequency of the asymmetrical oscillations.
  • the rod 6 is arranged so as to retain sufficient flexibility and / or elasticity to exclude the frequencies specific to the asymmetric and symmetrical mode.
  • This arrangement can be achieved by the geometry and / or shape of the rod 6 and by the material from which it is made.
  • the natural frequency of the symmetrical and antisymmetric oscillations are different and / or distant.
  • natural frequency is meant the concept of resonant frequency, where the amplitude is maximum with respect to the pulse frequency.
  • the natural frequencies of symmetrical and antisymmetric oscillations are distant from at least 5 Hz, preferably at least 10 Hz, or even at least 20 Hz, and even at least 30 Hz.
  • the rod 6 is part of said assembly 2 comprising the blades 3, 4 and the base 5 and comprises or is made up of said material A.
  • the rod 6, the base 5 and the blades 3, 4 can be made in one piece, for example of a continuous material A, or can comprise a continuous material A.
  • the rod 6, the base 5 and the blades 3, 4 may comprise or be formed of a single crystal.
  • the binding 7 comprises or consists of a material having higher internal friction than that of material A.
  • the rod 6 may or may not include a material with higher internal friction (material B).
  • the Figures 4A to 4C show in particular the possibility where the rod comprises and / or is made of the same material A as the base 5 and the blades 3, 4, and the fixing 7, illustrated by a dark square, is formed of the material B.
  • the present invention does not exclude the possibility that the rod comprises a material other than the material A of the base 5 and the blades 3, 4, this other material having a low internal friction, like material A, or a higher internal friction , like material B.
  • said material A is a first material and said fixing member 7 comprises a second material B in contact with said rod 6.
  • the damping of the symmetrical oscillations is introduced at the fixing 7, by replacing the material A of the fixing 7 by a material which dissipates the oscillations of the rod 6.
  • the rod 6 of material A is therefore embedded in a base formed by the attachment 7 made of a material having a high internal friction, such as the metal of the watch tuning fork, or another material such as a resin (material B).
  • the rod 6 of material A is glued to the fixing 7 by an adhesive which could serve as damping, therefore a loss of energy in the symmetrical mode, and a reduction of the quality factor of the symmetrical mode.
  • the glue then comprises and / or constitutes the material B.
  • the attachment 7 could also be made of a material chosen from materials of type A. The asymmetric oscillations are not damped by the attachment, since it does not '' there are no transverse oscillations of the rod 6 in the dissipative embedding 7, see the figure 4B .
  • the symmetrical oscillations are damped since the oscillations of the rod 6 are damped due to its fixation in the dissipative material 7, as indicated by the arrows D in the figure 4C .
  • the stress S1 'between the rod and the base of the tuning fork does not dissipate more energy than in the case where the tuning fork and its fixing are entirely of material A. The stress S1' therefore does not contribute to the reduction symmetrical oscillations.
  • said fixing member 7 fixes and / or embeds said rod 6 so that a transverse oscillation of said rod is damped.
  • This embedding of the rod 6 is well illustrated in Figures 4A to 4C , where the contact of the binding 7 with the rod 6 causes the energy dissipation of the oscillations.
  • the material B is positioned and / or arranged so as to cause in particular a loss of energy of the symmetrical oscillations to reduce the quality factor Q 2 .
  • the material B is arranged so as to absorb the transverse oscillations of the rod 6.
  • the present invention seeks to exploit the difference between the antisymmetric oscillations of the figure 2A and the symmetrical oscillations of the figure 2B , as it manifests itself at the level of the movement of the rod 6. It will also be noted that the center of gravity of the tuning fork is almost immobile in the antisymmetric case but performs a sensitive movement in the symmetrical case.
  • Said blades 3, 4 of the tuning fork 1 according to the invention comprise a material A ', said material A' being arranged in the form of a layer on at least part of the two blades.
  • said material A ' is characterized by a low internal friction similar to that of material A.
  • the internal friction of material A' is of the same order of magnitude as that of material A.
  • the material A and the material A ' are distinguished with respect to the sign (positive or negative) of their respective coefficient of thermal expansion. Consequently, the coefficient of thermal expansion of said material A 'has a reverse sign compared to the sign of the thermal coefficient of said material A. In other words, if the coefficient of thermal expansion of material A is positive, for example +0.5, that of material A 'is negative, for example -1.0.
  • One aim of choosing two materials, A and A 'with low internal friction is to cancel or at least partially compensate for the effect of temperature on the frequency of the oscillations.
  • the frequency of the oscillations decreases following a deviation of the optimal temperature (generally 25 ° C) of a tuning fork because of the increase or the decrease of the volume of the material of which the tuning fork is made.
  • the material A ' preferably has a coefficient of expansion of opposite sign to that of the material A, the presence of A' reduces the change in the volume of the assembly A and A '.
  • the characteristic of the inverse sign does not imply that the absolute values of the thermal expansion coefficients of the materials A and A 'are identical (see the example of the values +0.5 and -1.0 given above).
  • the quantity of material A ′ is preferably chosen so that a change in volume of the assembly comprising at least the blades 3, 4 and the base 5, and possibly the rod 6 is reduced to the maximum, that is, the dilation or decrease in volume is essentially reduced or absent.
  • the material A ' is also a material with low internal friction.
  • the material A ' preferably has no significant effect on the quality factor Q 1 .
  • Those skilled in the art know the materials with a negative coefficient of thermal expansion.
  • the material A ' is preferably present on at least the two blades 3, 4.
  • the material A' can also be present on the base 5.
  • the rod 6 comprises or consists of the material A, ( Figures 4A to 4C )
  • the material A ' may also be present on the rod. It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the way in which the material A 'is associated with the material A.
  • the material A' can be deposited in the form of a layer on at least part of the material A or the 'reverse. Those skilled in the art can envisage other ways of associating the material A 'with the tuning fork according to the invention.
  • Said layer may extend over the whole of one face of the blades 3, 4 and of the base 5 and also over the rod 6, or may be present over part of the assembly 2 only.
  • the material A ' is at least associated with and / or connected to a part of the blades 3, 4.
  • the material A' is arranged equitably and / or symmetrically on the two blades 3, 4.
  • the present invention makes it possible to excite and / or maintain the asymmetric pulses despite the pulses (mechanical or other) on only one of the two branches makes it possible to facilitate the construction of the tuning fork in general, also in the case of a tuning fork induced in oscillation by electronic means and / or by using the piezoelectric effect in the case of the quartz tuning fork, for example.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Metallurgy (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Electric Clocks (AREA)
  • Piezo-Electric Or Mechanical Vibrators, Or Delay Or Filter Circuits (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
  • Table Equipment (AREA)

Claims (13)

  1. Uhr mit einem mechanischen Uhrwerk, umfassend einen Oszillator (1) vom Typ Stimmgabel, wobei der Oszillator eine Anordnung (2) mit zwei Zinken (3, 4) und einer die Zinken verbindenden Basis (5) umfasst, der Oszillator (1) einen mit der Basis (5) verbundenen Stift (6) umfasst, und der Oszillator durch seinen Stift (6) mit einem mit dem Werk verbundenen Befestigungselement (7) verbunden ist, wobei die Anordnung (2) ein Material A enthält oder daraus gebildet ist, und das Material A eine geringe innere Reibung aufweist, wobei das Werk ein mechanisches Impulselement umfasst, das geeignet ist, auf eines der beiden Zinken derart einzuwirken, dass der Oszillator in Schwingung versetzt und in Schwingung gehalten wird, wobei der Oszillator geeignet ist, in einem gewünschten antisymmetrischen Modus sowie in einem unerwünschten symmetrischen Modus zu schwingen, wobei der Gütefaktor Q2 des symmetrischen Schwingungsmodus des Oszillators im Vergleich zu dem Gütefaktor Q1 des antisymmetrischen Schwingungsmodus geringer ist, wobei das Material A ein erstes Material ist und der Gütefaktor Q2 durch das Vorhandensein eines vom Material A verschiedenen zweiten Materials B verringert ist, wobei dieses Material B mit dem Material A derart in Kontakt ist, dass eine Querschwingung des Stifts (6) gedämpft wird, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Zinken (3, 4) ein drittes Material A' enthalten, wobei das Material A' in Form einer Schicht mindestens auf einem Teil der beiden Zinken angeordnet ist.
  2. Uhr nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Material B durch eine innere Reibung höher als jene des ersten Materials gekennzeichnet ist.
  3. Uhr nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Material A ein erstes Material ist und dass der Stift (6) ein zweites Material B in Kontakt mit dem ersten Material enthält oder daraus gebildet ist.
  4. Uhr nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass der Stift (6) einen Teil der die Zinken (3, 4) und die Basis (5) umfassenden Anordnung (2) bildet und das erste Material A enthält oder daraus gebildet ist.
  5. Uhr nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Material A ein erstes Material ist und dass das Befestigungselement (7) ein zweites Material B in Kontakt mit dem Stift (6) enthält.
  6. Uhr nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Befestigungselement (7) den Stift (6) derart fixiert und/oder einbaut, dass eine Querschwingung des Stifts gedämpft wird.
  7. Uhr nach einem der Ansprüche 2 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das zweite Material aus Metallen, Legierungen, polykristallinen Materialien und/oder amorphen Materialien ausgewählt ist.
  8. Uhr nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Material A einkristallines Silicium und/oder Quarz ist.
  9. Uhr nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei das Material A' durch eine geringe innere Reibung ähnlich jener des Materials A gekennzeichnet ist.
  10. Uhr nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Wärmeausdehnungskoeffizient des Materials A' ein zu dem Vorzeichen des Wärmekoeffizienten des Materials A umgekehrtes Vorzeichen (+/-) aufweist.
  11. Oszillator (1) vom Typ Stimmgabel, wobei der Oszillator eine Anordnung (2) mit zwei Zinken (3, 4) und einer die Zinken verbindenden Basis (5) umfasst, der Oszillator (1) einen mit der Basis (5) verbundenen Stift (6) umfasst, und der Oszillator durch seinen Stift (6) mit einem mit einem Träger verbundenen Befestigungselement (7) verbunden ist, wobei die Anordnung (2) aus einem ersten Material A mit einer geringen inneren Reibung gebildet ist, und der Oszillator ein zweites Material B enthält, wobei dieses Material B mit dem Material A derart in Kontakt ist, dass eine Querschwingung des Stifts (6) gedämpft wird, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Material B eine innere Reibung 1/QB aufweist, die größer als die innere Reibung 1/QA des Materials A ist, derart, dass QB/QA ≤ 0,1 ist.
  12. Uhrwerk, umfassend einen Oszillator nach dem vorhergehenden Anspruch, wobei das Werk ein mechanisches Impulselement umfasst, das geeignet ist, auf eine der beiden Zinken derart einzuwirken, dass der Oszillator in Schwingung versetzt und in Schwingung gehalten wird.
  13. Uhrwerk nach dem vorhergehenden Anspruch, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das mechanische Impulselement mit einer mechanischen Energiequelle verbunden ist und/oder hierdurch gespeist wird.
EP15723856.9A 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk Active EP3140698B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP14167078.6A EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk
PCT/EP2015/059624 WO2015169708A2 (fr) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Oscillateur mecanique a diapason pour mouvement horloger

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3140698A2 EP3140698A2 (de) 2017-03-15
EP3140698B1 true EP3140698B1 (de) 2020-03-25

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EP14167078.6A Withdrawn EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk
EP15723856.9A Active EP3140698B1 (de) 2014-05-05 2015-05-01 Stimmgabel mechanischen oszillator für uhrwerk

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP14167078.6A Withdrawn EP2942673A1 (de) 2014-05-05 2014-05-05 Mechanischer Stimmgabel-Oszillator für Uhrwerk

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US (1) US10459405B2 (de)
EP (2) EP2942673A1 (de)
CN (1) CN106471429B (de)
CH (1) CH711280B1 (de)
WO (1) WO2015169708A2 (de)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP4016193A1 (de) * 2020-12-18 2022-06-22 Omega SA Resonatormechanismus eines uhrwerks mit flexibler führung, die mit mitteln zur einstellung der steifigkeit ausgestattet ist

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NL228637A (de) 1953-06-19
US3208287A (en) 1961-10-21 1965-09-28 Jeco Kk Magnetic escapement
CH58264A4 (de) * 1964-01-20 1965-09-15
CH333565A4 (de) * 1965-03-10 1966-12-15
CH466993A (fr) 1966-03-29 1969-02-14 Ebauches Sa Pièce d'horlogerie électromécanique
GB1366853A (en) * 1970-09-14 1974-09-11 Suwa Seikosha Kk Timepiece
US3760482A (en) * 1972-05-18 1973-09-25 Suwa Seikosha Kk Method of adjusting frequency of tuning fork type vibrator
CH1600774A4 (de) * 1974-12-03 1977-07-29
EP0964319A1 (de) * 1998-06-08 1999-12-15 Manufacture des Montres Rolex S.A. Verfahren zur Übertragung von mechanischen Energieimpulsen von einer Antriebsquelle zu einem Schwingungsregler
FR2842313B1 (fr) * 2002-07-12 2004-10-22 Gideon Levingston Oscilliateur mecanique (systeme balancier et ressort spiral) en materiaux permettant d'atteindre un niveau superieur de precision, applique a un mouvement d'horlogerie ou autre instrument de precision
HK1146455A2 (en) * 2010-03-12 2011-06-03 Microtechne Res & Dev Ct Ltd An oscillator system
EP2466401B1 (de) 2010-12-15 2013-08-14 Asgalium Unitec SA Magnetischer Resonator für eine mechanische Uhr
EP2574994A1 (de) 2011-09-29 2013-04-03 Asgalium Unitec SA Stimmgabelresonator für ein mechanisches Uhrwerk
CH707554A2 (fr) * 2013-02-07 2014-08-15 Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd Résonateur thermocompensé par un métal à mémoire de forme.

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20170108830A1 (en) 2017-04-20
US20180004160A9 (en) 2018-01-04
CN106471429B (zh) 2019-05-14
CN106471429A (zh) 2017-03-01
US10459405B2 (en) 2019-10-29
CH711280B1 (fr) 2022-11-15
WO2015169708A2 (fr) 2015-11-12
WO2015169708A3 (fr) 2016-03-10
EP2942673A1 (de) 2015-11-11
EP3140698A2 (de) 2017-03-15

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