Calendar mechanism of a timepiece with seasonal display function

Abstract

A calendar mechanism of a timepiece having a seasonal display function includes a drive wheel (26) whose angular position is indicative of the date, a seasonal display member (80), and a seasonal display drive member (62) arranged to drive the seasonal display member (80) by the drive wheel (26) and only during a predetermined time interval of less than thirty days every three months.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a calendar mechanism for a clock with a seasonal display function. Background Technology

[0002] Calendar mechanisms with seasonal display functions have been proposed in patent US 563268 and patent applications DE102008031441 and EP 3327516.

[0003] In patent US 563268, the names of the season and month are written on the watch dial, and information related to the current month and season is given by rotating the month hand on the dial. Therefore, the display of the season depends on the display of the month, making it impossible to indicate the change of season on the exact date.

[0004] In patent application DE 102008031441, the watch dial includes four symbols representing the summer sun, autumn leaves, winter snowflakes, and spring flowers. Each symbol is an opening or a transparent area on the dial. A first rotating disc, driven by the watch movement and located below the dial, has a colored area that can change the color of the active season to indicate whether the season is at the beginning, middle, or end. A second disc is used to make the symbols corresponding to the three inactive seasons invisible. This patent application only relates to the principle of displaying the seasons. The mechanism driving the disc is not described.

[0005] Finally, in patent application EP 3327516, the first wheel is arranged to rotate once every thirty-one days to display the date, and the second wheel, coaxial with the first wheel, is configured to display the season. The first and second wheels are driven by the same wheel assembly but with different gear ratios, causing the second wheel to rotate faster than the first wheel and offset by one rotation for every twelve rotations of the first wheel. The first wheel has a hand for indicating the date. The second wheel includes symbols indicating the season fully visible through a large opening on its upper surface; the current season is indicated by a symbol or symbolic part visible through the opening on the hand indicating the date. The advantage of this mechanism is its simplicity; however, it cannot accurately display the current season or precisely indicate seasonal changes. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a calendar mechanism for displaying seasons, which can accurately show the current season and seasonal changes.

[0007] For this purpose, a calendar mechanism for a watch with a seasonal display function is provided, comprising: a drive wheel, the angular position of which indicates the date, a seasonal display member, and a seasonal display drive member arranged to be driven by the drive wheel and to drive the seasonal display member only during predetermined time intervals of less than thirty days every three months.

[0008] According to the embodiments, the predetermined time interval is at most ten days, preferably at most seven days, and more preferably at most five days.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the seasonal display driving component is arranged to move the seasonal display component over several pitches over a period of several days, preferably at least three days, and preferably at least four days during a predetermined time interval.

[0010] According to an example, the predetermined time interval is a portion of the last month of each calendar quarter.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the predetermined time interval ends before the last day of the last month.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the predetermined time interval includes at least part of the twenty-first day of the last month of each calendar quarter.

[0013] According to the embodiment, the predetermined time interval begins at the earliest on the 18th, preferably at the earliest on the 19th, and ends at the latest on the 23rd.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the seasonal display drive member is formed as part of a wheel assembly driven by a drive wheel, and further includes a monthly display drive member.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the wheel assembly is a quarterly wheel assembly that rotates once every three months, the seasonal display drive member is a wheel including a toothed portion, and the monthly display drive member is another wheel including three teeth positioned at 120° relative to each other.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the quarterly ring assembly further includes a safety member for preventing the seasonal display member from driving the quarterly ring assembly under inertia in the event of a collision.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the safety member includes a safety surface substantially concentric with the axis of the seasonal wheel assembly. The seasonal display member can abut against the safety surface in the event of a collision when engaging with the toothed portion. The safety member has limited rotational movement relative to the seasonal display drive member and the notch in the safety surface so as not to interfere with the normal drive of the seasonal display member.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the drive wheel is coaxial with the date wheel, the date wheel is arranged to drive the date indicator component and is driven by the date drive wheel assembly, and the drive wheel is arranged to be driven by the date drive wheel assembly in a manner that has a time offset relative to the drive of the date wheel during a predetermined time interval.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the drive wheel is arranged to be driven by the date wheel every day except during a predetermined time interval, during which the drive wheel is directly driven by the date drive wheel assembly in a manner that has a time offset relative to the drive of the date wheel.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the date drive wheel assembly includes a first finger and a second finger at different heights, the first finger being arranged to engage with the date wheel daily, and the second finger being arranged to engage with at least one tooth fixedly attached to the drive wheel during predetermined time intervals.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the second finger is also arranged to engage with the teeth of the rod carried by the date wheel, and to engage with the month cam coaxial with the date wheel during the transition from the last day of a 30-day month to the first day of the next month.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the calendar mechanism includes a gear located between the hour wheel and the drive wheel, at least a portion of which is unidirectional to prevent backtracking time settings around midnight.

[0023] The present invention also relates to a clock or timepiece including such a calendar mechanism, such as a wristwatch, pocket watch, or small clock. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a top view of a calendar mechanism according to a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of the calendar mechanism shown; Figure 3 It shows the result of Figure 1 The calendar mechanism shown features a one-way gear formed by the hour cam and the pinion of the date drive wheel assembly. Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of a portion of the calendar mechanism, with some elements removed to reveal the components located below. Figure 5 Is with Figure 4 A similar view, but with the hidden parts shown by dashed lines; Figure 6 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a bottom view of a portion of the calendar mechanism, which reveals the seasonal display drive wheel, safety component, and seasonal display star wheel in a non-operating state; Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The bottom view shown illustrates the seasonal display drive wheel, safety components, and seasonal display star wheel during the driving of the seasonal display star wheel; Figure 8 and Figure 9These are top and perspective views of a portion of a calendar mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention, showing the quarter drive wheel and the quarter intermediate wheel before the season has passed.

[0025] Figure 10 and Figure 11 They are Figure 8 and Figure 9 The diagram shows a top view and a perspective view of the components, illustrating the quarterly drive wheel and quarterly intermediate wheel before the month has passed. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Reference Figures 1 to 3 The calendar mechanism 1 according to the invention, integrated into the watch movement, includes an hour cam 2, which is coaxially and fixedly attached to the hour wheel 4 of the watch movement, and thus rotates at a rate of one revolution every twelve hours. The hour cam 2 is a disc having a toothed portion 6 more than one-quarter of its circumference, the toothed portion 6 having four teeth arranged to engage with the pinion 8 of the date drive wheel assembly 10. When the toothed portion 6 faces the pinion 8, it drives the pinion 8, i.e., for three hours out of every twelve-hour period, driving the pinion 8, causing it to rotate 180°. When the pinion 8 faces the toothless portion of the hour cam 2, it remains stationary for the remaining nine hours. Therefore, the pinion 8 rotates once every twenty-four hours, but its movement within these twenty-four hours lasts for only six hours in total. Thus, the hour cam 2 constitutes an acceleration cam that can accelerate the rotation of the pinion 8. The hour cam 2 also has the function of preventing the movement from making any backward time settings around midnight, as will be referred to below. Figure 3 As explained.

[0027] In addition to the pinion 8, the date drive wheel assembly 10 also includes (see...) Figure 4 The lower finger 12 or the first finger and the upper finger 14 or the second finger are rigidly connected to the pinion 8 at offset positions in both angle and height. When the date drive wheel assembly 10 rotates once, around midnight, the lower finger 12 advances the date wheel 16 by one pitch. The date wheel 16 has thirty-one teeth and is acted upon by the date lever 18. Thus, the date wheel 16, which rotates once per month, is coaxial with the moon cam 20, which pivots freely relative to the date wheel 16. The periphery of the moon cam 20 includes alternating valleys and convexities, the valleys corresponding to months with thirty-one days and the convexities corresponding to months with fewer than thirty-one days.

[0028] The moon stem 22 is pivotally mounted on the plate of the date wheel 16 and includes a beak 22a capable of engaging with the periphery of the moon cam 20. The moon stem 22 is free to rotate, but its displacement is limited in one direction by the moon cam 20 and in another direction by a pin 22b driven into the disc of the date wheel 16. When the moon stem 22 abuts its beak 22a against the protrusion of the moon cam 20, the teeth 24 of the moon stem 22 overlap the teeth of the date wheel 16 and thus lie on the track of the upper finger 14 when the date wheel 16 is in the angular position corresponding to the 30th day. When the beak 22a rests in the valley of the moon cam 20, the teeth 24 retract relative to the teeth of the date wheel 16 and cannot engage with the upper finger 14.

[0029] Therefore, in a month with thirty-one days, the upper finger 14 cannot act on the date wheel 16, and as with other dates, the transition from the 30th to the 31st day is achieved through the action of the lower finger 12. Even though the tooth 24 is positioned superimposed on the teeth of the date wheel 16, it actually moves backward when it encounters the upper finger 14, thus preventing the latter from driving the date wheel 16. Conversely, on the 30th day of a month with thirty days, around midnight, the upper finger 14 engages with the teeth 24 of the moon rod 22, which is then supported by its beak 22a on the protrusion of the moon cam 20 to move the date wheel 16 by a first pitch, thus transitioning from the 30th to the 31st. Then, the lower finger 12 engages with the teeth of the date wheel 16 to advance the date wheel 16 by an additional pitch and ensure the transition from the 31st to the 1st.

[0030] Each movement of the date wheel 16 is transmitted via a gear system (not shown) to the date indicator components (not shown), such as the crown, dial, or hands.

[0031] The date drive wheel assembly 10, date wheel 16, and month bar 22 form part of the annual date mechanism based on the principles described in patent CH 685585 and patent application WO 2019 / 193430. However, the date mechanism can be simple or permanent.

[0032] The quarterly drive wheel 26 is coaxially mounted with the date wheel 16. The quarterly drive wheel 26 can only rotate a certain angle relative to the date wheel 16, defined by two openings 28 in the date wheel 16 through which two corresponding pins 30 pass. These pins are driven into the quarterly drive wheel 26 on one side and into the seasonal element 32 on the other. The seasonal element 32 includes a toothed portion 34 with four teeth overlapping the teeth of the date wheel 16. A return spring 36 mounted on the disc of the date wheel 16 acts on the seasonal element 32 so that at least one pin 30 remains in a supported position against the wall of the corresponding opening 28. This supported position allows the date wheel 16 to drive the quarterly drive wheel 26.

[0033] The seasonal component 32 is positioned such that around midnight on the 19th of each month, the upper finger 14 engages with the first tooth of the seasonal component 32 to overcome the return spring 36, causing the quarterly drive wheel 26 to move relative to the date wheel 16 by an angle corresponding to one pitch of the date wheel 16. Then, again around midnight on the 19th, the lower finger 12 acts on the teeth of the date wheel 16 to advance the date wheel 16 by one pitch and catch up with the quarterly drive wheel 26. Around midnight on the 20th, the upper finger 14 engages with the second tooth of the seasonal component 32 to overcome the return spring 36, causing the quarterly drive wheel 26 to move relative to the date wheel 16 by an angle corresponding to one pitch of the date wheel 16. Then, the lower finger 12 acts on the teeth of the date wheel 16 to advance the date wheel 16 by one pitch and catch up with the quarterly drive wheel 26. On date 21, the same operation occurs between the third tooth of the upper finger 14 and the seasonal element 32, and between the teeth of the lower finger 12 and the date wheel 16; then on date 22, it occurs between the fourth tooth of the upper finger 14 and the seasonal element 32, and between the teeth of the lower finger 12 and the date wheel 16. On other dates, the date wheel 16 drives the seasonal drive wheel 26 by at least one of the pins 30 abutting against the wall of the corresponding opening 28.

[0034] Therefore, like the date wheel 16, the quarter drive wheel 26 is driven one-thirty-first of a revolution each day, but between the 19th and 23rd, this movement is achieved with a time offset relative to the date wheel 16. This allows for the allocation of energy consumption. As shown below, the movement of the quarter drive wheel 26 between the 19th and 23rd actually results in the movement of the seasonal display for each quarter. To avoid peak energy consumption, it is advantageous for the date jump and the seasonal display jump to occur at different times. However, in a variant, the seasonal component 32 can be omitted, and the quarter drive wheel 26 can be fixedly attached to the date wheel 16.

[0035] The quarterly drive wheel 26 includes a seasonal drive toothed section formed by two large teeth 38. The quarterly drive wheel 26 also includes small teeth 40 for driving the months. The two large teeth 38 are sized to allow the quarterly intermediate wheel 42 to advance four pitches—a first pitch from the 19th to the 20th, a second pitch from the 20th to the 21st, a third pitch from the 21st to the 22nd, and a fourth pitch from the 22nd to the 23rd. The small teeth 40 allow the quarterly intermediate wheel 42 to advance one pitch at the end of each month. The quarterly intermediate wheel 42 includes six toothed sections 44 separated by six spaces 46, each toothed section 44 having four teeth, and each space 46 occupying the position of one tooth. These spaces 46 function to allow the small teeth 40 to engage the correct tooth of the quarterly intermediate wheel 42 each time. They do not obstruct the drive of the quarterly intermediate wheel 42 by the two large teeth 38.

[0036] The quarterly intermediate wheel 42 rotates once every six months. The monthly drive wheel 48 (see...) Figure 1 The moon wheel 52 is coaxial with and fixedly attached to the quarterly intermediate wheel 42, and drives the moon wheel 52 once every twelve months via the intermediate wheel 50. The moon wheel 52 is coaxial with and fixedly attached to the moon cam 20.

[0037] The quarter wheel 42 meshes with a 15-tooth pinion 54, which is acted upon by the quarter wheel lever 56 and forms part of the quarter wheel assembly 58 (see [link]). Figure 5 The quarterly wheel assembly 58 includes a month display drive wheel 60 and a season display drive wheel 62, both of which are fixedly attached to a pinion 54 (see [link]). Figure 1 The quarterly wheel component 58 moves once per quarter, but the movement of the intermediate quarter wheel 42 is irregular: it jumps once a day around midnight between the 19th and 23rd, and once at midnight at the end of each month, that is, it jumps five times a month and fifteen times per quarter.

[0038] The month display drive wheel 60 is equipped with three teeth 64 positioned at 120° to each other. Figure 1 Only two of them are visible in the image. On the last day of each month, one of these teeth 64 causes the pinion 66 of the month-displaying intermediate gear assembly 68 to advance one pitch (see [link]). Figure 2 A wheel 70 of pinion 66 is fixedly attached to pinion 66 and meshes with month display wheel 72, which carries a month indicator component such as a pointer or dial, which, in conjunction with the dial, displays the current month. A concave square piece 74, fixedly attached to pinion 66 and wheel 70, is tightly fitted to the toothless upper portion of the periphery of month display drive wheel 60 to prevent month display wheel 72 and month indicator component from rotating unnaturally under their inertia in the event of a collision, or even to prevent month display wheel 72 from driving quarter wheel assembly 58. When one of the teeth 64 engages with pinion 66 to drive it, three recesses 76, each vertically aligned with the teeth 64 in the toothless upper portion, allow square piece 74 to rotate, thereby allowing month display intermediate wheel assembly 68 to rotate.

[0039] The seasonal display drive wheel 62 includes a toothed portion 78 with three teeth, the rest of which is toothless. The toothed portion 78 engages with a sixteen-tooth seasonal display star wheel 80 every three months between the 19th and 23rd, causing it to move four teeth. The seasonal display star wheel 80 is actuated by a seasonal lever 82 and carries seasonal indicator components, such as a disc with seasonal symbols, which can be continuously seen through holes in the dial or hands. In the example shown, the valleys between the teeth of the seasonal display star wheel 80 that are not engaged with the seasonal display drive wheel 62 are partially filled with material to accommodate screws 84 that secure the seasonal indicator disc to the seasonal display star wheel 80.

[0040] When the seasonal display star wheel 80 faces the toothless portion 86 of the seasonal display drive wheel 62, the teeth of the seasonal display star wheel 80 immediately abut the toothless portion 86 in the event of a collision, preventing the seasonal display star wheel 80 from rotating unnecessarily. Conversely, when the seasonal display star wheel 80 engages with the toothed portion 78, the seasonal display star wheel 80 may generate a driving force under the impact and its inertia, driving the seasonal wheel assembly 58. To avoid this, the safety member 88 is complementary to the seasonal wheel assembly 58.

[0041] Safety component 88 includes (see...) Figure 6 Safety surface 90 is substantially concentric with the toothless portion 86 and the axis 92 of the seasonal wheel assembly 58, and extends at different heights around the periphery of the toothless portion 86 in the region of the toothed portion 78. Safety member 88 is mounted to rotate freely about the axis 92 of the seasonal wheel assembly 58, but its rotation relative to the seasonal display drive wheel 62 is limited by the fit between a pin 94 embedded in the seasonal display drive wheel 62 and an elliptical hole 96 formed in the safety member 88. A return spring 98 acting between the seasonal display drive wheel 62 and the safety member 88 holds the safety member 88 abutting the pin 94 at angular positions aligned with the three notches 100 in the safety surface 90 relative to the seasonal display drive wheel 62 and the three teeth of the toothed portion 78.

[0042] The teeth of the seasonal display star wheel 80 have sufficient height to engage with the seasonal display drive wheel 62 and the safety member 88. When the toothed portion 78 and the seasonal display star wheel 80 are engaged and do not move, as... Figure 6The configuration shown is such that, depending on the relative angular positions of wheel 62 and star wheel 80, one tooth 80a of the seasonal display star wheel 80 faces a portion of the safety surface 90, and another tooth 80b of the seasonal display star wheel 80, adjacent to tooth 80a, faces either another portion of the safety surface 90 or another portion of the toothless portion 86 of the seasonal display drive wheel 62. Therefore, when the calendar mechanism 1 is subjected to an impact from the seasonal display star wheel 80 that causes it to rotate, depending on the direction of the impact, one of the two teeth 80a, 80b immediately abuts the safety surface 90 or the toothless portion 86. In this way, untimely rotation of the seasonal display star wheel 80 and its ability to drive the seasonal wheel assembly 58 are prevented.

[0043] The rotational movement of the safety member 88 relative to the seasonal display drive wheel 62 allows the safety member 88 to not obstruct the drive of the seasonal display drive wheel 62 on the seasonal display star wheel 80. In fact, each jump of the seasonal display star wheel 80 includes a first jump portion where the star wheel 80 is driven by the toothed portion 78 to resist the action of the seasonal jump lever 82, and a second jump portion caused by the seasonal jump lever 82 after it passes the tooth tips of the star wheel 80. During the first jump portion, the safety member 88 is fixed relative to the seasonal display drive wheel 62 due to the pin 94 abutting against the wall of the elliptical hole 96. During the second jump portion, the safety member 88, by its movement relative to the seasonal display drive wheel 62, overcomes the action of the return spring 98 to allow the teeth of the seasonal display star wheel 80 located in one of the recesses 100 (see...) to... Figure 7 The gear continues to move until the seasonal display drive wheel 62 stops rotating.

[0044] It should be understood that the different moving components of the calendar mechanism 1 are rotated relative to each other such that the actuation of the quarterly drive wheel 26 by the finger 14 between the 19th and 23rd of each month does not cause the quarterly wheel assembly 58 to actuate the quarterly display star wheel 80 (the toothed portion 78 does not face the seasonal display star wheel 80) during two consecutive months, nor does it cause the quarterly wheel assembly 58 to actuate the seasonal display star wheel 80 between the 19th and 23rd of the third month. Therefore, the seasonal display star wheel 80 and its carried seasonal indicator component rotate a quarter turn between the 19th and 23rd every three months, and remain stationary for the rest of the time.

[0045] It goes without saying that the calendar mechanism 1 can be modified so that the seasonal display wheel 80 moves a quarter circle, for example, in four jumps between the 18th and 22nd, in two jumps between the 20th and 22nd, in a single jump between the 20th and 21st, or in a single jump between the 21st and 22nd, instead of in four jumps between the 19th and 23rd.

[0046] All the dates mentioned above are based on European dates for the change of season. European dates for the change of season vary by season and year, but always fall between the 19th and 23rd of the last month of each calendar quarter, that is, between the 19th and 23rd of March, June, September, and December, and this applies at least until 2100.

[0047] However, the present invention is applicable to seasonal change dates other than European dates, such as Russian dates or Eastern dates, particularly seasonal change dates at the beginning or middle of the month. Generally, in the present invention, the seasonal display star wheel 80 is driven only every three months during a predetermined time interval of less than thirty days, and this time interval is preferably at most ten days, preferably at most seven days, and preferably at most five days.

[0048] For European dates, the scheduled time interval is a portion of the last month of each calendar quarter, and preferably, the time interval ends before the last day of said last month. The time interval preferably includes at least part of the twenty-first day of the last month of each calendar quarter. The time interval preferably begins no earlier than the 18th and ends no later than the 23rd.

[0049] In each case, it is advantageous to move the seasonal display star wheel 80 in several jumps over a period of several days, preferably at least three days, more preferably at least four days, for two reasons: this ensures that the time intervals at which the seasonal display star wheel 80 moves cover the precise date of the change of seasons, and this makes the torque required to drive the seasonal display star wheel 80 smooth—the seasonal display star wheel 80 must move a quarter turn to indicate the change of seasons—and thus avoids peaks in energy consumption.

[0050] It should also be understood that the various moving components of the calendar mechanism 1 are rotated relative to each other, such that the actuation of the lower finger 12 on the quarter drive wheel 26 only affects the month display wheel 72 during the transition from the last day of each month to the first day of the next month.

[0051] Therefore, the present invention allows the displayed information about the current season to be changed on the exact date of the change of seasons or on a previously selected date, particularly on a date different from the end of the month. Furthermore, thanks to safety components 74 and 88, the display of the season is permanently synchronized with the display of the month, thus preventing any asynchrony between the season and month during the correction of one or during ongoing operation.

[0052] In the calendar mechanism 1 described above, due to the presence of the safety element 88, the seasonal display star wheel 80 cannot move backward without the risk of damage. Other parts of the calendar mechanism 1 may be affected by this problem, for example, if the month display is retrograde. To protect the calendar mechanism 1, the present invention prevents the time from being corrected backward around midnight. To achieve this, as... Figure 3 As shown, the teeth 102 of the pinion 8 of the date drive wheel assembly 10 correspond to a time range including midnight, and have flat tips 104 tangentially oriented relative to the axis of the pinion 8, with one side of the front side 106 being cut off. Once the hour cam 2 is driven to begin rotating counterclockwise due to the rearward rotation of the upper winding shaft 108, the teeth 6a of the hour cam 2 are adjacent to the tips 104 of one of the teeth 102 and block the gear by abutment. Thus, the teeth 102 and the toothed portion 6 form a one-way gear.

[0053] When the winding shank is in the axial time-set position, the rotation of the winding shank 108 is sequentially transmitted via (see...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The sliding pinion 110, first intermediate gear 112, second intermediate gear 114, third intermediate gear 116, drive gear 118, and drive gear 120 transmit power to the hour wheel 4. The second intermediate gear 114 and the third intermediate gear 116 are coaxial and fixedly attached. However, one of them is frictionally mounted on the common shaft of the intermediate gears 114 and 116 so that the winding shank 108 can be disconnected from the transmission mechanism if the user applies excessive torque backward on the winding shank 108 when the hour cam 2 abuts against the pinion 8 of the date drive wheel assembly 10.

[0054] In one exemplary embodiment, the display of the month and season can be corrected using a corrector that acts on a ratchet coaxial with and fixedly attached to the quarter-year intermediate wheel 42. In another exemplary embodiment, the display of the month and season can be corrected using the winding crown 108 of the watch movement, which has a dedicated axial position, wherein rotation of the winding crown 108 causes the date wheel 16 to rotate independently of the hour wheel 4. In this other exemplary embodiment, it may be useful to prevent any asynchrony between the quarter-year intermediate wheel 42 and the date wheel 16. For this purpose, a method can be used... Figures 8 to 11 The security system shown.

[0055] The safety system includes a first safety surface 122 and a second safety surface 124 on the periphery of the quarter drive wheel 26. The first safety surface 122 extends at an angle to the toothless portion of the quarter drive wheel 26, covering the entire height of the quarter drive wheel 26, and this toothless portion is located before the two large teeth 38 used to drive the quarter. Furthermore, the first safety surface 122 is concentric with the axis of the wheel 26 and has a radius R1. The second safety surface 124 extends at an angle to the toothless portion of the quarter drive wheel 26 following the two large teeth 38, slightly protruding beyond this toothless portion, but in height it only extends beyond the lower part of the quarter drive wheel 26. Furthermore, the second safety surface 124 is concentric with the axis of the wheel 26 and has a radius R2 greater than radius R1 and equal to the radius of the top circle of the two large teeth 38. The upper portion 126 of the toothless portion of the quarter drive wheel 26 following the two large teeth 38 is concentric with the axis of the wheel 26 and has a radius R3 smaller than radius R1. The upper part 126 extends from the seasonal drive toothed portion formed by two large teeth 38 to the small teeth 40 for driving months, where the small teeth 40 are no longer in the form of teeth, but rather a transition surface between the first safety surface 122 and the upper part 126.

[0056] from Figure 8 As can be seen, the first safety surface 122 serves as the abutment for the final tooth 44a and the first tooth 44b of two adjacent toothed portions 44 of the seasonal intermediate wheel 42 separated by the blank space 46, thus preventing the wheel 42 from disengaging relative to the seasonal drive wheel 26 in one or the other direction before the seasonal change in the event of an impact. In this respect, the second safety surface 122 serves as the abutment for the second tooth 44c and the first tooth 44d of two adjacent toothed portions 44 of the seasonal intermediate wheel 42 (see...). Figure 10 Therefore, in the event of an impact, wheel 42 is prevented from being displaced relative to the quarterly annual drive wheel 26 in one direction or the other before the month changes.

[0057] To allow for this engagement between the teeth of the intermediate quarter wheel 42 and the safety surfaces 122, 124, and between the teeth of the intermediate quarter wheel 42 and the teeth of the quarter drive wheel 26, such as Figure 9 and Figure 11 As shown, the height of the last two teeth of each toothed portion 44 is less than the height of the first two teeth, and they are located on a horizontal plane that is different from the height of the second safety surface 124, namely the horizontal plane of the upper portion 126 and the transition surface 40.

[0058] The invention has been described above by way of example only. It is self-evident that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

Claims

1. A calendar mechanism for a clock with a seasonal display function, comprising: The angular position of the drive wheel (26) indicates the date. Seasonal display component (80), and The seasonal display drive component (62) is arranged to be driven by the drive wheel (26) and to drive the seasonal display component (80) only during predetermined time intervals of less than thirty days every three months.

2. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The predetermined time interval is a maximum of ten days.

3. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The seasonal display drive member (62) is arranged to move the seasonal display member (80) over several pitches over several days during the predetermined time interval.

4. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The scheduled time interval is part of the last month of each calendar quarter.

5. The calendar mechanism according to claim 4, wherein, The predetermined time interval ends before the last day of the last month.

6. The calendar mechanism according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, The predetermined time interval includes at least in part the twenty-first day of the last month of each calendar quarter.

7. The calendar mechanism according to claim 4 or 5, wherein, The predetermined time interval will begin at the earliest on the 18th and end at the latest on the 23rd.

8. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The seasonal display drive member (62) is formed as part of a wheel assembly (58) driven by the drive wheel (26), and further includes a month display drive member (60).

9. The calendar mechanism according to claim 8, wherein, The wheel assembly (58) is a quarterly wheel assembly that rotates once every three months, the seasonal display drive member (62) is a wheel that includes a toothed portion (78), and the monthly display drive member (60) is another wheel that includes three teeth (64) positioned at 120° relative to each other.

10. The calendar mechanism according to claim 9, wherein, The seasonal wheel assembly (58) further includes a safety member (88) for preventing the seasonal display member (80) from driving the seasonal wheel assembly (58) under inertial force in the event of a collision.

11. The calendar mechanism according to claim 10, wherein, The safety member (88) includes a safety surface (90) substantially concentric with the shaft (92) of the seasonal wheel assembly (58), the seasonal display member (80) being able to abut against the safety surface (90) in the event of a collision when engaged with the toothed portion (78), and the safety member (88) having limited rotational movement relative to the seasonal display drive member (62) and the notch (100) in the safety surface (90) so as not to impede the normal drive of the seasonal display member (80).

12. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The drive wheel (26) is coaxial with the date wheel (16), the date wheel (16) is arranged to drive the date indicator component and is driven by the date drive wheel assembly (10), and the drive wheel (26) is arranged to be driven by the date drive wheel assembly (10) during the predetermined time interval in a manner that has a time offset relative to the drive of the date wheel (16).

13. The calendar mechanism according to claim 12, wherein, The drive wheel (26) is arranged to be driven by the date wheel (16) every day except during the predetermined time interval, during which the drive wheel (26) is directly driven by the date drive wheel assembly (10) in a manner that has a time offset relative to the drive of the date wheel (16).

14. The calendar mechanism according to claim 13, wherein, The date drive wheel assembly (10) includes a first finger and a second finger (12, 14) at different heights, the first finger (12) being arranged to engage with the date wheel (16) daily, and the second finger (14) being arranged to engage with at least one tooth (34) fixedly attached to the drive wheel (26) during predetermined time intervals.

15. The calendar mechanism according to claim 14, wherein, The second finger (14) is also arranged to engage with the teeth (24) of the rod (22) carried by the date wheel (16), and to engage with the moon cam (20) coaxial with the date wheel (16) during the transition from the last day of a month to the first day of the next month in the thirty-day cycle.

16. The calendar mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The calendar mechanism includes gears (6, 8) located between the hour wheel (4) and the drive wheel (26), at least a portion (6, 102) of the gears (6, 8) being unidirectional to prevent time settings from being reversed around midnight.

17. A clock comprising a calendar mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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