Adjustment systems for mechanical watches

Abstract

The invention relates to a regulating mechanism for a mechanical timepiece, in particular a system based on the magnetic interaction between a resonator, for example in the form of a tuning fork, and an escape wheel. The system is characterized in that between the resonator (14) and the escape wheel (9) there are several areas of magnetic interaction (25) and (26) arranged in such a way that the The torques compensate each other in case the escape wheel is not synchronized with the frequency of the resonator. This induces a negligible torque in the escape wheel as it rotates slowly in the direction of the arrow (24) or in the opposite direction. This allows the timepiece to be started at the low torque of the setter mainspring without any starting procedure or device and provides the timepiece with better performance against loss of synchronization in shock situations.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to a regulating system for a mechanical timepiece. "Adjustment system" or "adjustment part" refers to two distinct devices: the resonator and the escapement. Background technique [0002] A resonator is a component that produces the periodic motion that forms the time base of a timepiece. Well known resonators are the pendulum oscillating under the action of gravity, the balance wheel which, together with the associated balance spring, forms a mechanical oscillator resonating around the balance axis, and the tuning fork, which oscillates by elastic deformation of their structure. The best known embodiment of a tuning fork is a tuning fork used in music, however, the most widely manufactured tuning fork is a resonator made from a quartz crystal and used as a time base for electronic watches. [0003] The escapement is the connecting element between the watch's gear train and the resonator. The escapement has two functions: first...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] However, the device according to European Patent Application No. EP2466401A1 has a number of disadvantages resulting from the fact that the tuning fork interacts with the escape wheel to generate a tangential force that varies greatly when the escape wheel is advanced by one tooth

However, in the case of a wrist watch in particular, and given the high accelerations it has to withstand, this solution is not possible: either the tuning fork mounting part is actually small enough not to disturb the vibrations of the resonator, in which case the The device is not shock resistant, or the device is shock resistant, in which case the mounted parts are too bulky and cause significant energy losses

Clearly, it is not possible to mount the U-shaped tuning fork in a timepiece movement in such a way as to meet the conditions required for this application

Images