Watch movement with cantilevered functional element

Abstract

The invention relates to a watch movement (1) comprising: – a main frame (3) serving as a support for a power source (5) as well as for at least one basic gear (7) arranged to be driven by said power source (5); – at least one flying bridge (11) mounted cantilevered on an element of said main frame (3) and extending superimposed on the latter, characterized in that said flying bridge (11) carries at least one functional element (13) in kinematic connection with said basic gear (7) by means of a flying gear (17, 17a, 17b, 17c) and in that said functional element (13) as well as at least some elements of said flying gear (17a, 17b, 17c) are entirely supported on said flying bridge (11).

Description

Description technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watchmaking. It relates, more particularly, to a watch movement having a particular case construction. State of the art

[0002] In so-called "complicated" timepieces, that is, pieces comprising several additional mechanisms, one of the problems often encountered is insufficient space in the movement for housing the various mechanisms and / or on the dial for displaying the features, animations, and other visual elements. The most common solution to the movement's bulk is to increase its thickness by incorporating mechanisms on additional levels. This makes the movement very thick, which necessitates a bulky watch case. MB&F's "Legacy Machine" series of timepieces overcomes this problem to a certain extent. In this construction, the balance wheel and hairspring assembly is mounted between, on the one hand, a first bearing conventionally arranged in the frame and, on the other hand, a second bearing carried by a pair of cantilevered arms surmounting the mechanism and defining a flying bridge.However, the escapement system is still arranged on the case in a relatively conventional manner, requiring a passage for the balance wheel bearing. The fact that one of the balance wheel bearing bearings is conventionally arranged on the case implies traditional construction constraints regarding pivoting on the case as well as the escapement arrangement.

[0003] Regarding the layout of displays, animations, etc., a common solution is to place some of these visual elements at the back of the room, visible through a transparent background. However, these elements are not visible when the watch is worn by a user; the watch must be removed and turned over to view these displays.

[0004] The object of the invention is therefore to propose a watch movement in which one or the other of the aforementioned defects is at least partially overcome. Disclosure of the invention

[0005] More precisely, the invention relates to a watch movement as defined by claim 1. This movement comprises: - a main frame, typically comprising a plate and at least one bridge, serving as a support for a driving source as well as for at least one basic gear arranged to be driven by said driving source; - at least one flying bridge mounted in cantilever on an element of said main structure and extending in superposition of the latter.

[0006] According to the invention, said flying bridge carries at least one functional element such as a display element, a regulating system (such as a balance wheel-spring-escapement system), a winding oscillating weight, or the like, kinematically linked to said base gear train via a flying gear train. Furthermore, said functional element, as well as at least certain elements of said flying gear train, are entirely supported by said flying bridge. In other words, the components in question are pivoted exclusively on the flying bridge, without the intervention of any bearing located on the main frame.

[0007] By these means, the functional element, whether a display unit, a regulating system element, or other, can be positioned above the main frame without requiring any bearings on the latter. This creates space within the movement without the need to stack even more levels on the main frame, not only on the flybridge but also on the main frame itself, thus giving the manufacturer greater freedom. Indeed, when the movement is integrated, the flybridge extends into the gap between the main frame and the glass (or alternatively, the case back, which can also be transparent), thereby utilizing space that is typically otherwise unused.

[0008] Advantageously, the entire flying gear is entirely supported by the flying bridge.

[0009] In a particular embodiment, the movement may comprise at least two flying bridges, each carrying a respective flying gear. These flying gears may be independent of each other or may mesh with each other at a respective toothed wheel of each flying gear in order to transmit torque from one side of the main frame to the other. In particular, this meshing may occur at the last toothed wheel of each flying gear.

[0010] The invention also relates to a timepiece comprising a case closed at least on one side by a glass and a movement as described above mounted in said case, said functional element and said flying bridge located between said main frame and said glass. Brief description of the drawings

[0011] Other details of the invention will become clearer upon reading the following description, made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: - Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of part of a clock movement according to the invention; - Fig. 2 is an isometric view of part of another variant of a clock movement according to the invention, comprising two flying bridges carrying flying gears which mesh with each other; - Fig. 3 is a schematic view of part of another variant of a watch movement according to the invention, in which the flying bridge carries the regulating system. Methods of implementing the invention

[0012] Figure 1 schematically illustrates part of a watch movement 1 according to the invention. This movement comprises a main body 3, including a plate and at least one bridge as generally known and which therefore do not need to be described in detail.

[0013] The main frame 3 carries a drive source 5, illustrated here as a conventional barrel, housing a mainspring. Other types of drive sources 5, such as an electric motor, can also be used in the movement 1 according to the invention. The drive source 5 can be pivotally mounted between two frame elements or can be mounted in a free-floating fashion, supported exclusively on one of its sides, as is generally known.

[0014] The drive source 5 drives a main gear 7, partially illustrated (the remainder of the main gear 7 being schematically shown by means of thick arrows), which is supported by the frame and comprises a plurality of toothed wheels, one or more belts, chains or similar, or a combination of such elements, as is generally known. Furthermore, the tooth profile of the toothed wheels may be straight, but also inclined, beveled, helical or similar, depending on the requirements of the construction and the shape of the bridge.

[0015] In this particular case, the gear train 7 also drives a regulating system 9 mounted on the main frame 3, for example, a balance-spring-escapement of any kind, a mono-, bi-, or tri-axial tourbillon, a carousel, or any other known regulating system used to determine the rate of the movement. Furthermore, each regulating system may or may not be inclined relative to the plane of the main frame 3.

[0016] The watch movement also includes a flying bridge 11, cantilevered over the main frame 3, specifically over a bridge or over the main plate of the latter. In other words, the flying bridge has one end fixed to the main frame 3 and one end free. The flying bridge 11 extends over the main frame 3 and carries at least one functional element 13, which, in this case, is a hand arranged to display horological information such as seconds, minutes, hours, day, date, week number, moon phase, or any other horological information. Instead of a hand, a disc or any other type of display device may be provided. Similarly, the display mechanism can be, for example, retrograde, jumping, or any type of mechanism known to a person skilled in the art.

[0017] This functional element 13 is entirely supported by the flying bridge 11, by means of a pair of bearings 15a, 15b arranged on either side of the flying bridge 11, or by any other suitable arrangement for supporting it. It is clear that any type of bearing can be used, such as, for example, ball bearings or any other type of bearing known to those skilled in the art.

[0018] The functional element 13 is rotationally fixed to an element 17a of a flywheel 17, which consists of three toothed wheels 17a, 17b, 17c, which are each entirely supported by the flywheel bridge 11 and which form a gear driven by a drive wheel 7a mounted on the main frame 3 and driven by the drive source 5. In the illustrated embodiment, wheels 17a and 17c each have a single toothed wheel, while wheel 17b consists of a wheel and a pinion, but other combinations of toothed elements are also possible. By "fully supported", we mean that the pivoting of the mobiles 17a, 17b, 17c is carried out exclusively on the flying bridge, without any use of a bearing located on the main frame 3.

[0019] As illustrated, the set of toothed moving parts 17a, 17b, 17c is mounted on the lower side of the flying bridge 11 opposite the main frame 3, but it is also possible to mount them all on the other side of the bridge 11, opposite the user. Furthermore, a combination of toothed elements on both sides of the flying bridge 11 is also possible, in which case at least some of the moving parts may have a toothed element on each face of the bridge, connected to each other by a shaft, a spigot, or the like.

[0020] Furthermore, it is also possible to provide several functional elements 13, each fixed in rotation to a different moving part 17a, 17b, 17c of the flywheel 17. By adapting the gear ratios appropriately, the flywheel can, for example, serve as a timer, displaying the time by means of a functional element 13 fixed in rotation to the moving part 17a, and the minutes by means of a functional element fixed in rotation or driven by the moving part 17b or 17c. Thus, depending on the inclination of the moving parts 17a, 17b, 17c of the flywheel, it is possible to have an additional functional element fixed to several (or all) of them with a different inclination than one another, parallel to the axis of its respective moving part. This can give an original aesthetic effect to the timepiece.

Claims

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, in which the elements carried by the main frame 3 are not shown, it is also possible to provide for a plurality of flying bridges 11 and flying gears 17, which can mesh with each other at their last moving parts 17a. Alternatively, the two flying gears 17 may not cooperate directly with each other. Such an arrangement will allow the watchmaker to provide, for example, a space at the center of the movement 1, the majority of the movement elements being part of the flying gears 17. This space may be transparent, or may contain any object (sculpture, animation, game device, etc.). [0022] In the illustrated variant, each moving part 17a carries a functional element 13 such as a hand, but it is also possible to provide only one functional element carried by one or the other of the flying gears 17. In this construction, the hands rotate in opposite directions, with an angular velocity ratio that depends on the gear ratio between the two moving parts 17a. It is also possible to interpose a linkage between the two moving parts 17a, or to mount one of the hands, which is rotationally fixed to the moving part 17b, on one or the other of the flying gears 17. Alternatively, the two flying gears 17 can be used to transmit torque from one side of the main frame to the other, without requiring a crown or bulky gear passing through the latter. [0023] Figure 3, in which the elements carried by the main frame 3 are also not shown, illustrates yet another embodiment, in which the regulating system 9 is carried by the flying bridge 11 instead of being located on the main frame 3. In the illustrated variant, the regulating system 9 comprises a balance wheel 21 - balance spring 23 assembly maintained in oscillation by a conventional escapement system 25, the regulating system 9 being considered as the functional element in the sense of the invention. Alternatively, a regulating system of any other type (detent escapement, tourbillon, carousel, etc.) may be used. [0024] The balance wheel 21 can be mounted so as to be supported on only one of its sides (“flying balance wheel”), for example by being supported on the flying bridge 11 by means of a ball bearing. Alternatively, the flying bridge 11 can also include a plate (not shown) carrying a conventional bearing, this plate being fixed to the flying bridge 11 by means of a screw or similar, cooperating with the opening 11a for example. [0025] In the illustrated construction, the moving part 17d is an escapement moving part comprising a pinion 17dl located on the lower side of the flywheel 11 and an escape wheel 17d2 located on the upper side of the flywheel 11. The latter cooperates with an anchor 25a in a known manner, and clearly illustrates the principle that a moving part can include toothed elements located on either side of the flywheel 11. [0026] By these means, the balance wheel 21 - spiral 23 - escapement 25 assembly located on the flying bridge regulates the rate of the basic gear train 7 driven by the power source 5, these last two elements not being shown in figure 3. [0027] Other alternatives based on the principles described above are also conceivable. For example, the functional element carried by the flying bridge 11 can be any animation, a display organ for any horological information related to time or movement (such as the power reserve), an oscillating weight arranged to wind the barrel 5 or similar. [0028] In view of the foregoing, it is clear that, when the movement 1 is fitted, the flying bridge 11 as well as the functional element 13, 21 will be interposed between the main frame 3 and a glass, whether on the case side or the back side. [0029] It is also noted that other Standard elements such as a dial, a watch case, means of winding and / or setting the time etc. have not been represented. [0030] Although the invention has been previously described in connection with specific embodiments, other additional variants are also conceivable without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Demands 1. Clock movement (1) comprising: - a main frame (3) serving as a support for a drive source (5) as well as for at least one basic gear (7) arranged to be driven by said drive source (5); - at least one flying bridge (11) is mounted cantilevered on an element of said main structure (3) and extending superimposed on the latter, characterized in that said flying bridge (11) carries at least one functional element (13; 9) in kinematic connection with said base gear (7) by means of a flying gear (17, 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d), and in that said functional element (13; 9) as well as at least certain elements of said flying gear (17a, 17b, 17c, 17d) are entirely supported on said flying bridge (11).

2. Movement (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the whole of said flying gear (17, 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d) is entirely supported by said flying bridge (11).

3. Movement (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said functional element is a Display Organ (13).

4. Movement (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said functional element is a regulating system (9).

5. Movement (1) according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said element is a winding oscillating weight.

6. Movement (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising at least two flying bridges (11) each carrying a respective flying gear (17).

7. Movement (1) according to claim 6, in which said flying gears (17) mesh with each other.

8. Movement (1) according to claim 7, in which said flying gears (17) mesh with each other at the last moving part (17a) of each flying gear (17).

9. Timepiece comprising a case closed at least on one side by a glass and a movement (1) according to one of the preceding claims mounted in said case, said functional element (13, 9) and said at least one flying bridge (11) situated between said main frame and said glass.