US3616636A

US3616636A - Electric timepiece

Info

Publication number: US3616636A
Application number: US15028A
Authority: US
Inventors: Remv Chopard; Rene Besson
Original assignee: Ebauches SA
Current assignee: Ebauches SA
Priority date: 1969-03-17
Filing date: 1970-02-27
Publication date: 1971-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 1988-11-02
Also published as: CH506107A; GB1287643A; DE2012877B2; FR2035016A1; CH392569A4; DE2012877A1

Abstract

IN AN ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE, THE COMBINATION OF A FLEXIBLE RESONATOR HAVING A VIBRATING FLEXIBLE BLADE FOR DRIVING A RATCHET COUNTING WHEEL, IN A STEP BY STEP MANNER THROUGH A TRAIN INCLUDING A PAWL, A CIRCULAR GUAGE OF A SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THE RATCHET COUNTING WHEEL DIAMETER FOR FUNCTIONING IN LIEU OF THE RATCHET COUNTING WHEEL IN THE SETTING AND ADJUSTING OPERATIONS WITH THE PAWL BEING CONTACTABLE WITH THE GAUGE WHEREFOR THE TENSION OF THE PAWL CORRESPONDS TO A VALUE SUFFICIENT TO SATISFACTORILY OPERATE THE COUNTING MECHANISM.

Description

Nov. 2,1971 R. CHOPARD ETAL ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1970- INVENTOR. Romy CHOPARD and Rene BESSON Nov. 2, 1971 R CHOPARD 7 ET AL ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. '27, mo

INVENTOR Ha'm y CI-IOPARD U 5 u \m.

and Hana BETDSON BY a Che/1M5 7121/1/02 s Sheets-Sheet z ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE R. CHOPARD Nov.'2, 1971 Filed Feb. 27, 1970 United States Patent Office 3,616,636 ELECTRIC TIMEPIECE and Rene Besson, Neuchatel, Switzerland, assignors to Ebauches S.A. Filed Feb. 27, 1970, Ser. No. 15,028 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 17, 1969, 3,925/69 Int. Cl. G04c 3/00 Remv Chopard US. Cl. 58-23 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention provides an electric timepiece with a flexure resonator in which at least one flexible vibrating blade drives step by step, by the intermediary of a pawl, a ratchet counting wheel.

This electric timepiece is characterized by the fact that it comprises a circular gauge of a diameter smaller than that of the counting wheel, which can be substituted for this counting Wheel for setting and adjusting operations, the arrangement being such that, when the pawl is just in contact with the gauge, without exerting radially thereon any pressure, the tension of the pawl, when the counting wheel is again put into place, corresponds to the value necessary for satisfying operation of the counting mechanism.

The drawing shows, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view, from above, of the movement of an electric wrist-watch.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1, at an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, from below, of a portion of the movement.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a detail, along line IVIV of FIG. 1, at an enlarged scale, and,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a detail, also at an enlarged scale.

The watch movement represented comprises a base plate 1 (FIGS. 1 and 2) carrying the conventional mechanical elements, especially the gearing which, on the other side, is carried by a gearing bridge 2, visible in FIG. 2 only, secured to the base plate by screws 3 provided with conical bearing surfaces.

The frame of the movement also comprises a second base plate, designated by 4, removably secured to the base plate 1, on the upper face thereof, above the gearing bridge 2, and held in place by means of securing screws 5 (FIG. 1).

This base plate 4, the shape of which has been represented by a heavy line in FIG. 1 for clarity, is represented as being viewed from below in FIG. 3. It carries the driving and regulating devices, that is to say the mechanical and electrical portions of the movement of the watch.

This driving-regulating device comprises a fiexure symmetrical resonator 6, secured to the base plate 4 by at their free ends, the movable elements 8 of a trans- Patented Nov. 2, 1971 ductor, the fixed elements of which are constituted by two driving windings 9. The flexible arms 6a of the resonator 6 carry in the neighborhood of their free ends, and secured by pins 10, rigid arms 11 ending in enlarged portions 11a, functioning as balanced weights, and which themselves carry balancing masses 12. These latter, which have the shape of three arm stars, are asymmetric since one of their arms is provided with a notch 13. Thus, by rotating these masses, one modifies the position of the center of gravity of each of these two symmetric portions of the resonator, thus permitting adjustment of its frequency. The two enlarged portions 11a of the rigid arms 11 are each provided with a graduation 14 (FIG. 1), thus permitting control of the position of the masses 12 and facilitating the setting operations.

The sustaining of the oscillations of the resonator 6 is effected electrically by means of a transistorized electronic circuit fed by an electric battery 15 (FIG. 1) located in an are shaped recess 16 provided in the base plate 4 and in a circular recess 17 provided in the base plate 1. These two recesses are coaxial when the two base plates are assembled to each other, thus providing a circular partition intended to receive the battery 15 which occupies, substantially, the whole height of the movement.

The battery is maintained in place by two straps which also insure the electric connection of the battery with the electronic circuit; these two straps are constituted by elastic blades, one of which, designated by 18, is secured to the base plate 1 by a screw 19, and the other of which, designated by 20, is secured to the base plate 4 by means hereafter disclosed. The strap 18 insures the connection of the positive terminal of the battery 15 with the mass of the movement and the strap 20 insures the connection of the negative terminal of the battery with one of the terminals of the electronic circuit.

The electronic sustaining circuit of the oscillations of the resonator comprises two different electronic blocks a

small plate

21 or 22 respectively, secured to the base plate 4, under the latter, by means of screws 23. These small plates have been shown by heavy lines in FIG. 3 to help increase the clarity of the drawing.

Each of the electronic blocks comprises one of the two driving windings 9 and a portion of the electronic components of the circuit; one of the blocks comprises pick-up winding combined with one of the two windings 9. The two electronic blocks, the

small plates

21 and 22 of which are made of insulating material, are constituted by circuits which are achieved, by cutting a conductive metallic sheet so as to constitute a gate, by embedding this gate into the insulating material of the small plates, as a moulding operation, then by cutting the edges of the gate so as to separate the constituting elements of the circuit; the electronic components are welded to the gate after the moulding and the cutting of the edges thereof.

FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, three metallic tongues 24 which constitute the terminals of three constitutive elements of the circuit, protruding laterally on the edge of the small plate 21, and a metallic tongue 25 constituting a connecting terminal of the circuit, protruding laterally on the edge of the small plate 22.

The strap 20, maintaining battery 15 in situ and insuring the electric connection of the negative terminal of the battery, is riveted at 26 (FIGS. 1 and 3) to the small plate 21 and is welded at one of the elements of the gate constituting the circuit.

So far as the connection of the circuit with the positive terminal of the battery is concerned, which positive terminal, as stated hereabove, is the mass, it is insured by a pin 27 (FIGS. 1 and 3) carried by the above mentioned metallic tongue 25, which is normally in contact with an elastic blade 28 carried by the base plate 4. This blade passes in a notch provided in a bent portion 29a of a lever 29 mounted on the base plate 4 and guided in its displacements, according to the arrows 30 of FIGS. 1 and 3, by two pins 31 carried by the base plate 4 and which pass through elongated openings 32 of this lever.

This latter is provided with a fork shaped portion, between the arms 2% of which is engaged a pin 33 (FIG. 1) carried by the setting-lever of the movement, not shown. When the setting pin, designated by 34 (FIG. 1) is moved longitudinally, the pin 33 moves along the direction of arrow 35, thus producing the displacements of the lever 29 in the direction of the arrow 30, the return of the lever in the reverse direction being insured by the elastic blade 28, serving as a return spring.

The arrangement is such that, when the setting stem occupies its rest position, in which it is entirely pushed, (position represented in the drawing), the blade 28 is in contact with the pin 27, closing the electric sustaining circuit of the oscillations of the resonator; it is the same when the setting stem 34 occupies its intermediary position of date setting of a date indicating element, not represented, owing to the play of the pin 33 between the arms 29b of the fork of the lever 29, while, when the stem 34 is entirely pulled, in a setting position, the lever 29 is displaced towards the center of the movement, against the resilient action of the blade 28, that separates this blade from the pin 27 and thus interrupts the feeding of the sustaining circuit.

The counting of the oscillations of the resonator 6 is effected by means of a ratchet wheel 36 provided with a very fine toothing, rotating between the base plate 4 and a small plate 37 (FIG. 3) secured under the base plate 4 by two screws 38; the shape of this small plate has been shown in heavy line in FIG. 3 to help the clarity of the drawing.

A pawl 39, secured at 40 on one of the portions 11a of the resonator 6, acts on the wheel 36 for rotating it by one tooth upon each oscillation of the resonator. The other portion 11a of the resonator carries a pin 41 insuring the balancing of the pin 40.

A second pawl, i.e. a retaining pawl, designated by 42, acts on the wheel 36. This second pawl is carried by a small plate 43 submitted to the action of a screw 44, screwed in a stud carried by the base plate 4, this screw acting laterally on the small plate for maintaining it applied, by a circular notch thereof, against a pin 45, constituting a journal, carried by the base plate 4, and for maintaining an elastic arm 43a of the small plate applied against a pin 46 carried by the base plate 4.

The small plate 43 is prevented from being lifted on the one hand by a head a provided on the pin 45a and on the other hand by a head 47a provided on a second pin, designated by 47, of smaller sectional section than the pin 45, engaged with play into an opening 48 having the shape of a button-hole, provided in the small plate. The portion of greater diameter of the button-hole 48 permits the head 47a of pin 47 to pass through in view of the mounting and dismounting of the small plate.

The arrangement as disclosed permits modifying, by means of the screw 44, the position of the retaining pawl 42, and adjusting thereby, with high precision, the relative position of the two pawls, the driving pawl 39 and the retaining pawl 42, and thus their dephasing.

Owing to the type of mounting of the small plate 43, no articulating play is produced, the small plate permanently bearing against pin 45 under the effect of its elastic arm 43:: and of the screw 44.

The radial pressure exerted by the two pawls 39 and 42 on the counting wheel 36 has also to be adjusted very precisely.

For this purpose, the movement is provided with a calibrated gauge 49 (FIGS. 4 and 5) located, when not used, in a circular partition 59 provided in the base plate 4, closed by the base plate 1 when the movement is mounted.

The adjustment of the pressure of the pawls on the counting wheel is effected when the base plate 4 is separated from the base plate 1. The gauge 49 is then accessible and can be withdrawn from the partition 50 for engagement in the bore, designated by 51, 0f the base plate 4 containing the upper bearing, designated by 52, of the counting wheel 36, after this wheel has been removed (FIG. 5). The height of the bore 51 is sufficient to permit engagement of an extension 49a of the gauge in the bore below the bearing 52. The extension 49a is annular, having the shape of a collar, so as to be slightly resilient and thereby to allow frictional engagement in bore 51.

The diameter of the gauge is very slightly smaller than that of wheel 36, the difference being such that, when the pawls 39 and 42 are just in contact with the gauge, without exerting thereon any pressure, the tension thereof, when the counting wheel 36 is substituted to the gauge, has the desired value.

The gauge 49, in reserve in the partition 50, is thus always at the disposal of the repairman. This gauge is provided, besides the collar 49a by means of which it is engaged either into the bore 51 of the base plate 4 or into a circular recess 53, of same diameter as the bore 51, provided in the bottom of the partition 50, with a central button 4%, situated on the opposite face to the one provided with the collar 4911, which permits engagement by means of tweezers, for manipulation thereof.

The transmission of the intermittent rotative movements, step by step, of the ratchet wheel 36 to the indicating elements of the watch, i.e. to the

hands

54, 55 and 56, respectively of hours, minutes and seconds, is insured by a pinion 57 rigid with the wheel 36 (FIG. 2) meshing with a wheel 58 rigid with a pinion 59 engaged, with a very slight play, in a bearing 60 carried by the small plate 37; the lower spindle of the element 58-59 is carried, when the movement is mounted, by a bearing 61 itself mounted on the base plate 1.

The pinion 59 meshes with a wheel 62 axially pressed, by an arched elastic washer 63, against a pinion 64 mounted on seconds shaft, at the center of the movement designated by 65.

The friction coupling constituted by the elastic washer 63 and the elements which are associated therewith ensures the protection of the counting ratchet mechanism 39-36 which could be damaged if a reverse direction effort were applied to the counting wheel 36, as for example when the seconds hand is put into place.

Wire spring 66 acts on a pulle 67 mounted on the shaft and serves as a brake of the seconds hand.

The pinion 64 drives a wheel 68 axially pressed by an arched elastic washer 69 against a disk 70 rigid with a pinion 71 rotatably mounted between the base plate 1 and the gearing bridge 2.

The friction coupling constituted by the elastic washer 69 and the elements which are associated therewith operates like the indenting of a conventional watch and permits the setting of the watch without exerting any action on the regulating elements.

The pinion 71 meshes with the minutes wheel, designated by 72, rotatably mounted on a sleeve 73 carried by the base plate 1 and which controls, by the intermediary of the conventional dial-train, not represented, the hour wheel designated by 74.

The general arrangement of the movement, by modules, one of which, that of the base plate 1, comprises the conventional mechanical elements of the watch, and the other of which, that of the base plate 4, comprises the driving-regulating device including the electric er tion, is very advantageous from the point of view of repairing the several elements, of their mounting, of the setting and of their assembling.

As a matter of fact, this arrangement, especially flexible, permits the mounting of each module separately and the testing before assembly.

For instance, any alteration of the counting ratchet device is thereby prevented, which could occur in spite of the friction coupling of the spring 63, when the hands of the watch are put in place or during accidental grazings during the mounting operations.

One can even put the conventional portion into the casing of the watch, i.e. the base plate 1, provided with the gearing bridge 2 and all the mechanical elements carried thereby, before the driving regulating module be assembled thereto, which is constituted by the base plate 4 and all the mechanical and electric elements carried thereby. 1

This arrangement permits moveover the repairer to open the watch, to Withdraw the battery therefrom, to withdraw the module of the base plate 4 and to handle it per se, for instance for changing one or the other of the electronic blocks, without touching the resonator 6 and without having to make again any setting of the counting ratchet device 39-66.

What we claim is:

1. Electric timepiece with a flexure resonator in which at least a vibrating flexible blade drives in a step by step manner through the intermediary of a pawl a ratchet counting wheel characterized by a circular gauge of a diameter smaller than the diameter of the counting wheel so as to be substituted for the counting wheel for setting and adjusting operations, the arrangement being such that,

when the pawl is just in contact with the gauge, without '3 corresponds to the value necessary for a satisfying operation of the counting mechanism.

2. Electric timepiece as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the counting Wheels having a bearing located in a bore of an element of the frame of the movement, the height of which is higher than the height of the bearing in such a way that a circular extension of the gauge can be engaged into the bore below the bearing, the gauge being then in the position normally occupied by the counting wheel.

3. Electric timepiece as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that an element of the frame of the movement is provided with a circular recess in which is located the gauge when not in use.

4. Electric timepiece as claimed in claim 3, characterized by the fact that the bottom of the said recess is provided with a central circular hole of same diameter as the bore, into which engages the central extension of the gauge which is thus maintained in place in the recess.-

5. Electric timepiece as claimed in claim 2, characterized by the fact that the said circular extension of the gauge is annular so as to be slightly resilient, in order to be able to engage itself frictionally in the said bore.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 1,528,337 6/1968 France 58-230 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner E. C. SIMMONS, Assistant Examiner