Sound production device for timepiece movement comprising chiming or alarm mechanism

Abstract

To provide a sound production device designed to be arranged in a case of a timepiece, in association with a timepiece movement comprising a chiming or alarm mechanism.SOLUTION: A sound production device is designed to be arranged in a case of a timepiece, in association with a timepiece movement comprising a chiming or alarm mechanism, and comprises: at least one external connecting member for attaching the device to the timepiece case; a sound producing member 24 comprising a heel 30 carrying at least one vibrating member 32 made in one piece with the heel 30; a damping member 26 attached to the sound producing member 24 and designed to form an assembly interface between the sound producing member 24 and the timepiece movement; and one or more internal connecting members arranged solely on the damping member 26 and designed to attach the device to the timepiece movement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sound generating device designed to be arranged within a watch case in relation to a watch movement comprising a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism, the sound generating device comprising: - at least one external connection member for assembling the sound generating device to the watch case; - a sound generating member comprising a heel carrying at least one vibrating member made integrally with the heel. and including.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a watch comprising a case housing such a sound generating device, the device being associated with a watch movement comprising a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism.

Background Art

[0003] Generally speaking, a known problem in the structure of watches comprising a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism is the emission of the sound generated by a sound generating device arranged within the case to the outside of the corresponding case. Until relatively recently, sound generating devices typically comprised at least one striking gong connected to the plate of the corresponding watch movement via, for example, a heel or a gong carrier. A number of studies have been carried out with the aim of optimizing the transmission of the sound from the gong(s) to the case and through the case.

[0004] Patent Document 1 shows one strategy. This document describes the structure of a watch case in which one or more striking gongs can be made directly integrally with an intermediate part. Since the gong is no longer carried by the plate of the watch movement but directly by the intermediate part itself, the transmission of the sound of the gong to the case does not exhibit the losses typical of conventional designs.

[0005] However, the drawings of this patent application clearly show that the configuration of such an intermediate part is not clear from the perspective of machining conditions. Furthermore, considering that other general constraints are applied, particularly to the relative orientation between the watch movement and the intermediate part, and in particular to the arrangement of the control members that pass through the intermediate part and interact with the mechanism of the watch movement, such a design makes it impossible to make clear adjustments regarding the relative orientation between the hammer and the gong carried by the watch movement.

[0006] Therefore, it seems preferable to provide a design for a sound generating device that is not directly fabricated integrally with the intermediate part.

[0007] Examples of embodiments of sound generating devices that conform to the aforementioned features are disclosed in the prior art.

[0008] Patent Document 2 describes an assembly that generates a chime in relation to a striking mechanism for a watch, and this assembly is fabricated in the form of a ring made integrally with the striking gong. This approach improves access to the various parts of the assembly, and thus simplifies the manufacture of the assembly compared to the case of previous documents. To optimize the transmission of sound waves generated by the gong to the intermediate part, the ring is preferably press-fitted into the corresponding intermediate part of the watch. Thereby, the relative orientation between the ring and the watch movement can be adjusted to some extent, and the watch movement is arranged to abut against the shoulder of the intermediate part such that the hammer is disposed opposite the gong.

[0009] This approach requires some adaptation of the intermediate part compared to the conventional design, but the structures of the intermediate part and the gong are significantly simplified compared to the aforementioned design.

[0010] Other similar types of designs have also been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 3, the gong and its heel are configured integrally with the glass of a sapphire watch. However, in this case, the dimensions of the gong are restricted by the dimensions of the glass, and the glass has a smaller diameter than the intermediate part.

[0011] Therefore, it still seems possible to propose an advantageous design compared to known designs so that the sound generating device can be constructed and installed in the watch case in a simple, reliable, and robust manner.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0012]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0013] The main object of the present invention is to propose an alternative design of a sound generating device designed to be arranged within a watch case in relation to a watch movement comprising a striking or alarm mechanism, the structure of the device being simple and requiring only minimal modification to a standard watch case in order to enable assembly of the sound generating device, and by means of which improved propagation of sound generated both inside and outside the associated watch case is made possible.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0014] For this purpose, the present invention relates in particular to a sound generating device of the above type, also comprising a damping member assembled to the sound generating member and designed to form a mechanical assembly interface between the sound generating member and the watch movement, Comprising one or more internal connection members that are arranged only on the damping member and are designed to assemble the sound generating device into the watch movement, Characterized by.

[0015] Due to its specific features, the sound generating device according to the present invention enables the optimal transmission of the sound generated towards the associated watch case, while allowing for an exact relative orientation between the sound generating device and at least one hammer included in the associated watch movement. Furthermore, due to the fact that a mechanical connection is implemented between the sound generating member and the watch movement via the damping member, it is advantageously possible to limit the transmission of vibrations from or to the watch movement. Thus, in particular, in the case of a striking mechanism comprising a speed adjustment member using mechanical contact (for example, an inertia wheel having a cylindrical braking surface or a roller rubbing on a pallet system), the presence of the damping member limits the transmission of parasitic noise of the operation of the adjustment member towards the watch case.

[0016] Preferably, by providing at least one external connection member arranged on the sound generating member, it may be possible to directly assemble the sound generating member into the watch case.

[0017] Generally, the sound generating member can be made of a material selected from the group including metallic glass as well as metallic materials (such as copper, titanium, bronze, etc.), in particular steel, precious metals (silver, gold, platinum, palladium) and their alloys.

[0018] The damping member can also be made of a material selected from the group including elastomers or any suitable plastic material, in particular polyamide, polyoxymethylene (POM) and polyurethane.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, it is advantageous for the overall shape of the sound generating member and the damping member to preferably define a closed casing ring of substantially annular shape therebetween.

[0020] The sound generating member and the damping member may be assembled to each other by at least two assembling members arranged at intervals from each other.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, it is advantageous that the sound generating member includes a striking portion located between the heel and the vibrating member, and that portion is designed to be struck by the striking hammer or the alarm hammer of the timepiece movement.

[0022] In this case, according to a first preferred variant embodiment, it is preferred that the vibrating member is a gong extending over an angular range of 180 degrees to 720 degrees with respect to the central axis of the sound generating device substantially from the striking portion.

[0023] Furthermore, the sound generating member may include at least one additional gong made integrally with the heel, and more preferably, the gong may extend in two opposite directions with respect to the heel. Furthermore, the gongs may be at least partially overlapped.

[0024] According to a second preferred variant embodiment, the vibrating member may be a tuning fork having two branches extending substantially from the striking portion.

[0025] Generally, the vibrating member may be at least partially overlapped with the damping member in the thickness direction of the sound generating device.

[0026] Advantageously, the sound generating device according to the present invention may form a passage for an external control member of an associated timepiece by having at least one elliptical through-opening oriented in the radial direction.

[0027] The present invention also relates to a timepiece including a case housing a timepiece movement provided with a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism. Here, the timepiece movement is assembled to the case via a sound generating device having some or all of the above-described features, and this device is arranged so as to be able to interact with at least one striking hammer or alarm hammer of the timepiece movement to generate sound.

[0028] According to a preferred variant embodiment, the timepiece may be made such that the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the case (usually the intermediate part) and the sound generating member is smaller than the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the sound generating member and the damping member. Thanks to these additional special characteristics, the vibrations generated by the sound generating member are more likely to be transmitted towards the case rather than the timepiece movement, and thus, considering that most of the generated vibrations are reflected at the interface between the two members, it is ensured that only a limited proportion of the generated vibrations is transmitted to the timepiece movement.

[0029] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood by perusing the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings provided as non-limiting examples.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a simplified front view of a part of the clock 1 as seen from the back, and the clock comprises a sound generating device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The clock 1 comprises a case including an intermediate part 4 that houses a clock movement 6 having a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism, such a mechanism being recognizable here by the presence of a hammer 8 designed to strike a vibrating member to generate sound in a conventional manner.

[0033] The clock 1 also comprises, by way of non-limiting example, two external control members 10 (in this case, crown rods) designed so that a user can adjust the operation of the clock movement 6 in a conventional manner via the intermediate part 4.

[0034] From the overall view of FIG. 1, it can be seen that the clock movement 6 is assembled to the intermediate part 4 via a casing ring 12 by way of non-limiting example, the casing ring 12 being supported on a shoulder (not shown) of the intermediate part 4 and held in place by two screws 14.

[0035] The casing ring 12 itself is assembled to the intermediate part 4 by being arranged to rest on a shoulder (not shown) of the intermediate part 4 and by the interaction of a plurality of metal tabs 16 that are screwed onto the casing ring 12 by screws 18 and engage in one or more suitable grooves (not shown) of the intermediate part 4 in a conventional manner. Further, one or more additional screws 20 (three in this case, but this is a non-limiting example) are arranged through the casing ring 12 and screwed directly into the intermediate part 4.

[0036] Obviously, those skilled in the art will not encounter any particular difficulties in using other internal connection members between the casing ring 12 and the timepiece movement 6 and other external connection members between the casing ring 12 and the intermediate part 4 that meet specific requirements without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. Thus, for example, alternatively, as described in the prior art, the casing ring 12 may be pushed or press-fitted into the intermediate part 4 (in this case, at least a part of the peripheral shell of the casing ring functions as an external connection member).

[0037] Advantageously, it should be noted that each screw 14 has an extended flat head that is supported on the casing ring 12 and is arranged in a milled recess 22 whose extension in the plane is larger than the extension of the head of the screw 14 (this can alternatively be replaced by a washer). Thus, the relative angular direction between the timepiece movement 6 and the casing ring 12 can be adjusted by moving the screw 14 along the milled recess 22 in order to accurately adjust the relative position between the casing ring 12 and the hammer 8 (or in some cases a plurality of hammers), especially when the screw 14 is not fully screwed in, as will become clear from the rest of the present specification.

[0038] Next, a method by which the casing ring 12 according to the present invention simultaneously forms a sound generating device will be described in more detail. As can be more clearly seen from the drawings of FIGS. 2 to 5, the casing ring 12 includes a sound generating member 24 and a damping member 26 assembled to each other.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a simplified perspective view of only the sound generating member 24.

[0040] The sound generating member 24 here generally has an annular shape and preferably, together with the damping member 26, defines a generally annular casing ring 12, so that it can be combined with a rounded watch movement. However, it is clear that without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, it can also have a different overall shape to suit a "shaped" caliber (i.e., having a shape other than round in the terminology of conventional watchmaking).

[0041] The sound generating member 24 comprises a rigid portion forming a heel 30 that carries the vibrating member 32, which here takes the form of a double gong, by way of non - limiting example.

[0042] In the conventional method, the heel 30 is designed so that the vibrating member 32 can be attached to the case of the watch 1. Thus, the heel 30 has three holes 34 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 2) for screws 20 to be arranged for assembly to the intermediate part 4, and two holes 36 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 2) for receiving an assembly member 38 (in this case, the screw is only visible in FIGS. 1 and 3) for assembling the sound generating member 24 to the damping member 26.

[0043] Preferably, the sound generating member 24 can be made from a material selected from the group including metallic glass as well as metallic materials (such as copper, titanium, bronze, etc.), especially steel, precious metals (silver, gold, platinum, palladium) and their alloys.

[0044] Depending on the material selected, a person skilled in the art will not particularly encounter difficulties when manufacturing the sound generating member 24 using any suitable known manufacturing method, such as casting, machining or 3D printing (or "additive manufacturing techniques"). It is also possible to use quenched steel, in which case the sound generating member can be placed in a mold for the quenching operation to prevent deformation.

[0045] The notch 40 is provided in the heel 30 directly during manufacturing by casting or 3D printing, or by milling or laser ablation in the context of manufacturing by machining. The notch 40 allows, in particular, a joint with an intermediate lateral dimension to be left free between the heel 30 and the vibrating member 32 in order to define a striking part 42 designed to interact with the hammer 8 of the ringing or alarm mechanism.

[0046] The vibrating member 32 extends substantially from the striking part 42 and here takes the form of a double gong having two branches 44 that extend asymmetrically with respect to the joint between the vibrating member 32 and the striking part 42. Each branch 44 comprises a first part that extends in the thickness direction of the timepiece movement 6 and is followed by an elbow that provides a joint with an annular turn that extends over substantially 360°. Thus, the two turns partially overlap one another and, by way of non-limiting example, also partially overlap on the heel 30.

[0047] Obviously, a person skilled in the art can use any other form of vibrating member or other form of sound generating member without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims. In fact, for example, alternatively, one or more gongs each having a single branch, a double gong in the form of a curved tuning fork (thus having two turns extending in the same direction on both sides of the heel in the thickness direction and overlapping over the entire length of at least one of the branches or both branches in the case of branches of the same length), or a sound generating member including two gongs extending on both sides of the heel in the longitudinal direction of the heel can be provided. It is also possible to provide at least two gongs, and the lengths of at least two gongs are adjusted relative to each other, whereby vibrations are generated by their simultaneous operation to cause a beat phenomenon, and as a result, a deeper sound is emitted. Alternatively or additionally, at least two branches or at least two gongs of the gong may each have a different weight, which is made possible by making them each have a different cross-section, especially for generating a beat phenomenon or generally. Also generally, the gong(s) may be made to extend over an angular range typically from 180 degrees to 720 degrees with respect to the central axis of the sound generating device or the casing ring 12, or one gong or each gong may take the shape of a closed ring, in which case such rings may or may not be interconnected. Generally, without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims, the gong may have a constant or variable surface area, especially a circular or substantially square or rectangular, and may have any suitable type of cross-section.

[0048] Figures 3 and 4 show similar simplified perspective views of the sound generating device 12 from first and second observation points arranged substantially opposite to each other, and more clearly show the way in which the sound generating member 24 and the damping member 26 are associated with each other.

[0049] The damping member 26 also has a substantially annular overall shape and is assembled to the sound generating member by the screw 38 as described above.

[0050] The damping member is preferably made of an elastomer or any suitable plastic material, particularly a material selected from the group including polyamide, polyoxymethylene (POM), and polyurethane.

[0051] The sound generating member 24 and the damping member 26 each preferably have an angular spread of less than 360 degrees, so that their free ends interact with the free ends of the other members to enable their assembly. The members 24 and 26 advantageously have opposing surfaces including some surfaces oriented in a plane substantially parallel to the general plane of the clock 1 to ensure satisfactory relative retention in the thickness direction of the clock 1, and other surfaces oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the general plane of the clock 1 to ensure satisfactory relative angular positioning. Here, one of the members has a notch at its free end, and its shape is complementary to the shape of the free end of the other member. Thus, the two members 24 and 26 together form a complete circle or a closed circle. Alternatively, particularly when the sound generating device or the casing ring 12 is assembled to the intermediate part 4 by pressing or press-fitting, the two members may be made to form an open circle together.

[0052] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention shown as a non-limiting example in the drawings, the damping member 26 has a larger angular spread than the sound generating member 24.

[0053] In fact, the sound generating device 12 according to the present invention is intended to achieve several purposes. It not only simplifies the attachment of a clock movement having a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism to a clock case, but is also designed such that the sound generated by the vibrating member is optimally transmitted to the clock case to ensure sufficient radiation of the sound towards the outside of the case.

[0054] To achieve the latter objective, first, it is necessary to optimize the transmission of sound waves from the vibrating member 32 towards the intermediate portion 4.

[0055] For this purpose, the vibrating member 32 is integrally formed with the heel 30, and the heel 30 is assembled to the intermediate portion 4 by being placed in contact with a transmission surface that extends relatively between the heel 30 and the intermediate portion 4. It is advantageous for the outer peripheral wall of the heel 30 to be arranged to abut against the complementary-shaped surface of the intermediate portion 4, while three additional assembly screws 20 are arranged to maintain a permanent close contact between the heel 30 and the intermediate portion 4 in a plane substantially parallel to the entire plane of the intermediate portion 4. Furthermore, it is advantageous for the materials used for the sound generating member 24 and the intermediate portion 4 to have close acoustic impedance values to each other, thereby ensuring good impedance matching and thus ensuring good transmission from the sound generating member 24 to the intermediate portion 4.

[0056] Conversely, it is preferable to limit as much as possible the transmission of the sound wave generated by the sound generating member 24 toward the timepiece movement 6. From this perspective, the damping member 26 not only functions as a damper for protecting the timepiece movement 6 from external impacts by intervening between the intermediate portion 4 and the timepiece movement 6, but also reduces the transmission of sound waves from the sound generating member 24 toward the timepiece movement 6. This is because the sound generating member 24 is not directly connected to the timepiece movement 6 as described above and is assembled to the timepiece movement 6 via the damping member 26. Therefore, in order to reduce the transmission of sound waves at the interface between the sound generating member 24 and the damping member 26, the damping member 26 is preferably made of a material having a substantially different specific acoustic impedance value from that of the sound generating member 24. Preferably, the timepiece 1 may be manufactured such that the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the intermediate portion 4 and the sound generating member 24 is smaller than the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the sound generating member 24 and the damping member 26. Thereby, the vibration generated by the sound generating member 24 is more likely to be transmitted toward the intermediate portion 4 rather than the timepiece movement 6, and considering that most of the generated vibration is reflected at the interface between the two members 24 and 26, it is ensured that only a limited proportion of the generated vibration is transmitted to the timepiece movement 6. Further, in order to limit the proportion of the sound waves transmitted to the damping member 26 and then reaching the timepiece movement 6 (the corresponding vibrations are likely to cause problems in the operation or adjustment of the timepiece movement 6 over a long period), the constituent material of the damping member 26 may be made to exhibit high attenuation in the transmission of sound waves.

[0057] As described above, by interposing the damping member 26 between the timepiece movement 6 and the intermediate portion 4, it is also possible to filter any parasitic noise that may be generated by the operation of the timepiece movement 6, particularly by using a mechanical striking adjustment device (for example, by using a pallet or an inertia wheel that generates friction due to variable inertia), while it is also possible to limit the corresponding vibrations that may reach the intermediate portion 4 and emit parasitic sounds outward from the intermediate portion 4.

[0058] From the foregoing description, it will be understood that in order to enable the generated sound to be sufficiently radiated outside the case of the clock 1, it is sufficient to provide a high-quality contact between the sound generating member 24 and the intermediate portion 4, while the damping member 26 provides mechanical support for the clock movement 6 within the intermediate portion 4, so that it is preferable to make the angular spread of the damping member 26 larger than that of the sound generating member 24, and it is preferable to limit the direct contact between the sound generating member 24 and the clock movement 6. Obviously, those skilled in the art can adapt the relative spreads of the sound generating member and the damping member as needed without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

[0059] Generally, it is preferable and advantageous to configure the vibrating member 32 to partially overlap the damping member 26, whereby the overall dimensions of the sound generating device 12 according to the present invention are limited.

[0060] Also, as is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, it is preferable to form a notch 46 in the damping member 26 so as to ensure the arrangement of the metal tab 16 for connection to the intermediate portion 4, improve the mechanical stability of the metal tab 16 on the damping member 26, and enable the metal tab 16 to be disengaged from the intermediate portion 4 by rotation without the need to completely remove the screw 18 holding the metal tab 16 on the damping member 26.

[0061] Finally, it should also be noted from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the damping member 26 has two radially directed, preferably elliptical, through openings 48 for defining a passage for the external control member 10 of the clock 1. As shown in the perspective detail view of FIG. 5, these openings 48 are slightly elliptical in order to ensure the correct positioning of the hammer 8 particularly facing the striking portion 42 of the sound generating member 24, so that a greater margin for adjusting the relative angular direction of the clock movement 6 in relation to the intermediate portion 4 can be achieved.

[0062] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, it may be advantageous for the striking portion 42 to be made not at a right angle but with a larger or smaller radius of curvature. Such a feature allows for fine adjustment of the angular direction between the timepiece movement 6, and thus the position of the hammer 8, and the sound generating member 24 over an angular range where striking is possible but the distance between the hammer 8 and the striking portion 42 can be adjusted to regulate the quality of the generated sound.

[0063] From the foregoing description, a method of configuring a sound generating device that optimizes sound characteristics while simultaneously performing the mechanical functions of the casing ring can be understood. Due to the features of the present invention, this sound generating device is relatively simple in terms of structure and manufacturing, has limited overall dimensions, and can be easily adapted to existing timepiece cases and timepiece movements without the need to significantly modify the said case and movement.

[0064] The implementation of the present invention is not limited to the specific features specifically described and / or illustrated, such as in particular the shape of the vibrating member or the number of vibrating members used, whether the timepiece movement includes a striking mechanism or an alarm mechanism, the shape of the heel, or the fact that the striking portion is disposed between two rigid portions of the heel used for assembly to the intermediate portion. In fact, alternatively, the striking portion can be configured to be simply disposed within an extension of the heel from one of its ends, but in this case, the mechanical retention of the heel to the intermediate portion may be somewhat insufficient.

[0065] Generally, those skilled in the art will not find it particularly difficult to adapt this teaching to the implementation of a sound generating device for a timepiece that meets specific requirements while complying with the present invention, i.e., the present invention comprising a sound generating member connected only to corresponding intermediate parts and damping members, the damping members being connected at least to the timepiece movement and optionally also to the intermediate parts, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sound generating device (12) designed to be placed within a case of a timepiece (1) in association with a timepiece movement (6) comprising a striking or alarm mechanism, said sound generating device (12) comprising: at least one external connection member for assembling said sound generating device (12) on said case of said watch (1); a sound-generating member (24) comprising a heel (30) carrying at least one vibrating member (32) made integral with said heel (30); The sound generating device (12) comprises: a damping member (26) assembled to said sound generating member (24) and designed to form a mechanical assembly interface between said sound generating member (24) and said timepiece movement (6); one or more internal connection members arranged only on said damping member (26) and designed to assemble said sound generating device (12) to said clock movement (6); A sound generating device (12).

2. 2. The sound generating device (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one external connection member is arranged on the sound generating member (24) thereby enabling the sound generating member (24) to be directly assembled to the case of the watch (1).

3. 3. The sound generating device (12) of claim 2, characterized in that the sound generating member (24) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of metallic glasses and metallic materials including steels, precious metals and their alloys.

4. 3. The sound generating device (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the damping member (26) is made of a material selected from the group comprising elastomers and plastic materials including polyamide, polyoxymethylene (POM) and polyurethane.

5. 3. A sound producing device (12) according to claim 2, characterised in that the overall shape of said sound producing member (24) and said damping member (26) are shaped so as to together define a closed casing ring.

6. 3. The sound generating device (12) of claim 2, wherein the sound generating member (24) and the damping member (26) are assembled to one another by at least two assembly members (38) spaced apart from one another.

7. 3. The sound generating device (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that the sound generating member (24) comprises a striking part (42) located between the heel (30) and the vibration member (32), said striking part being designed to be struck by a striking or alarm hammer (8) of the clock movement (6).

8. 8. The sound generating device (12) of claim 7, wherein the vibrating member (32) is a gong extending substantially from the striking portion (42) over an angular range of 180 degrees to 720 degrees relative to a central axis of the sound generating device (12).

9. 9. The sound producing device (12) of claim 8, characterized in that said sound producing member (24) includes at least one additional gong made integral with said heel.

10. 10. A sound generating device (12) according to claim 9, characterised in that the gong and the further gong extend in two opposite directions relative to the heel.

11. 8. The sound generating device (12) of claim 7, wherein the vibrating member (32) is a tuning fork having two prongs (44) extending substantially from the striking portion (42).

12. 2. The sound generating device (12) of claim 1, wherein the vibration member (32) is at least partially overlapped with the damping member (26) in a thickness direction of the sound generating device (12).

13. 3. The sound generating device (12) of claim 2, wherein the vibration member (32) is at least partially overlapped with the damping member (26) in a thickness direction of the sound generating device (12).

14. 2. A sound generating device (12) according to claim 1, characterized in that it has at least one radially oriented elliptical through opening (48) forming a passage for an external control member (10) of the timepiece.

15. 3. A sound generating device (12) according to claim 2, characterized in that it has at least one radially oriented elliptical through opening (48) forming a passage for the external control member (10) of the timepiece.

16. A timepiece (1) comprising a case housing a clock movement (6) comprising a striking or alarm mechanism, said clock movement (6) being assembled to said case via a sound generating device (12) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, said sound generating device (12) being arranged to interact with at least one striking or alarm hammer (8) of said clock movement (6) to enable the generation of a sound.

17. 17. The timepiece (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that the case is assembled to the sound generating device (12) via an intermediate part (4), and the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the intermediate part (4) and the sound generating member (24) is smaller than the difference between the specific acoustic impedances of the materials used for the sound generating member (24) and the damping member (26).

Images