Ultra-flat timepiece
By dividing the watch surface into four sectors and optimizing the arrangement of components, combined with independent module assembly, the problem of laying the watch movement components in the smallest space is solved, and the manufacturing of ultra-flat watches is realized, with a thickness less than 2mm and a diameter between 30mm and 45mm Extreme flattening effect between.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380025637.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-03-08
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-08
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-13
AI Technical Summary
The prior art is difficult to optimally arrange various components of the watch movement in a minimum space, resulting in the inability to produce sufficiently flat mechanical clocks.
By dividing the horizontal surface of the clock into four horizontal sectors of essentially the same size, and laying the hour dial, minute dial, barrel wheel and balance wheel in these sectors, combining independent functional modules and operating wheel systems, the components are optimized The position is to minimize volume and is assembled in the form of multiple independent modules to reduce space occupancy.
The extremely flattened clock is achieved, with a thickness of less than or equal to 2mm and a diameter of between 30mm and 45mm, meeting the requirements of high-performance time indication while maintaining the integrity of mechanical functions.
Smart Images
Figure CN119137548A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an ultra-flat timepiece and a method for assembling or manufacturing a timepiece. Background Art
[0002] In order to produce an ultra-flat mechanical timepiece, a technical problem arises, namely how to optimally arrange the various components of the timepiece movement within a minimum amount of space. Summary of the Invention
[0003] The general object of the present invention is to propose an arrangement of the various components of a timepiece, in particular of the movement, so as to minimize the volume occupied by these components, thus making it possible to manufacture an ultra-flat timepiece.
[0004] To this end, the invention relies on a timepiece comprising a case, wherein the horizontal surface of the timepiece is divided into four horizontal sectors of substantially equal size, and wherein the timepiece comprises an hour dial and / or hour wheel occupying a first sector, a minute dial and / or minute wheel occupying a second sector adjacent to the first sector, a barrel occupying a third sector and a balance wheel occupying a fourth sector.
[0005] Occupying a sector means that the surface area of the sector is occupied. The component in question extends substantially completely from a first limit to a second limit of the sector. In other words, it occupies a significant portion of the total surface area of the sector, in particular at least one third of the surface area or even at least half of the surface area.
[0006] The timepiece may include at least two independent functional modules. The independent functional modules may include components installed between an upper plate and a lower plate.
[0007] Thus, a timepiece may include a balance module and a going-train module.
[0008] The balance module may also include an escapement, and the going train module may include at least three or even at least four wheels.
[0009] The timepiece may comprise a winding crown arranged near the barrel and connected to the barrel via a winding wheel train, and / or a setting crown arranged between the hour dial and / or hour wheel and the minute dial and / or minute wheel and connected to the hour wheel and / or minute wheel via a connecting device.
[0010] The winding crown and / or the setting crown may be arranged below the lower surface of the timepiece.
[0011] The timepiece may include a minute wheel located below the minute dial and an hour wheel located below the hour dial.
[0012] The timepiece may comprise a going train arranged between the barrel, the balance wheel and the hour and / or minute wheel.
[0013] The total thickness of the watch may be less than or equal to 2 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.9 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.85 mm, and / or the diameter of the watch may be greater than or equal to 30 mm, or even greater than or equal to 30 mm, and / or the diameter of the watch may be less than or equal to 45 mm, or even less than or equal to 40 mm.
[0014] The invention also relates to a method for assembling a timepiece as described above, wherein the method comprises mounting in four horizontal sectors of substantially the same size an hour dial and / or an hour wheel occupying a first sector, a minute dial and / or a minute wheel occupying a second sector adjacent to the first sector, a barrel wheel occupying a third sector, and a balance wheel occupying a fourth sector.
[0015] The method for assembling a timepiece may comprise the steps of mounting at least two independent functional modules on the timepiece. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Further advantages and characteristics will become more apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention given by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0017] Figure 1 A top view of a timepiece according to one embodiment of the invention is depicted.
[0018] Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of a portion of a movement of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention is depicted.
[0019] Figure 3 A perspective view of a going train module of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention is depicted.
[0020] Figure 4 Depicted is a perspective view of a balance and escapement module of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] To simplify the description, by convention, the expression "horizontal" will be used to denote any direction parallel to the crystal and / or bridges and / or plates and / or dial of a timepiece. The expression "vertical" will be used to denote any direction perpendicular to the crystal of the timepiece. The adjectives "upper" and "lower" will be used to denote elements or surfaces, respectively positioned on the side of the timepiece facing the user and on the opposite side, such as, in the case of a wristwatch, the side facing the wearer's wrist, relative to the vertical.
[0022] According to the invention, the volume of the components of a mechanical timepiece is minimized using two complementary and combined methods:
[0023] - the various mechanical functions are organized in the form of a plurality of independent modules that are assembled in a compact form outside the timepiece, making it easier to install them as modules in a timepiece that has little space to accommodate them; and / or
[0024] The various components are positioned in this space in an optimized manner relative to one another in order to minimize their volume and reduce the empty space.
[0025] Figure 1 A top view of a timepiece 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is depicted. The timepiece 1 comprises a case 2 having a horn 3 intended for attaching a length of strap (not depicted). According to this embodiment, the timepiece is a wristwatch. Case 2 comprises a back or plate and a case middle, as well as a bezel 4 arranged on the case middle around the perimeter of case 2. Alternatively, any other configuration of case 2 is contemplated. A crystal, not shown, is intended to be mounted on the upper surface of the timepiece.
[0026] The case 2 defines a volume that must house all the components of the mechanical timepiece 1 (that is, primarily the movement and the dial). According to this embodiment, the timepiece 1 is an ultra-flat watch with a very small thickness. Consequently, in such a timepiece 1 there is little space for distributing the components in the vertical direction, so they are arranged in a Figure 1 The distribution in the horizontal plane visible in FIG1 is very important for successfully minimizing the overall volume of timepiece 1 and thus providing the flattest possible timepiece 1. This optimal horizontal distribution therefore provides a first way of solving the problem of minimizing the overall volume of timepiece 1.
[0027] According to this embodiment, the total thickness of timepiece 1 is less than or equal to 2 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.9 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.85 mm. This thickness may be greater than or equal to 1.7 mm.
[0028] First, in Figure 1In this embodiment, when considering the horizontal plane of the timepiece, four main subassemblies can be distinguished, referred to as "main" by reference to their significant surface areas. Note that, since this approach is adapted for an ultra-flat watch, it seeks to limit any vertical superposition of functions or components. Therefore, using a simplified approach, the watch movement can be analyzed by considering the two-dimensional horizontal plane in which the greatest number of components and functions are arranged, thereby minimizing the movement's vertical height. In other words, in this embodiment, the four subassemblies occupy (that is, fill or display) the four largest surface areas within case 2 and therefore represent the maximum volumetric constraint on their positioning within the horizontal plane of the timepiece. According to this embodiment, each subassembly is essentially in the form of a disk (at least in horizontal section). Other shapes are conceivable as variations. The four disks of the four main subassemblies are distributed around the perimeter of the timepiece. Specifically, each of these four main subassemblies includes an end located at the boundary of the timepiece's horizontal plane, that is, at the edge of the bezel 4 of timepiece 1 and / or at the edge of the case middle of case 2.
[0029] The first subassembly is an hour dial 6, on which an hour hand 8 indicates the hours. The adjacent second subassembly is a minute dial 7, on which a minute hand 9 indicates the minutes. Thus, the adjective "adjacent" means that these subassemblies are positioned in adjacent sectors, as described above. Note that, compared to conventional embodiments, splitting these two indications into two separate dials is advantageous in order to minimize the overall height, as opposed to conventional embodiments, where a single dial can combine the hour and minute indications using two separate hands superimposed vertically.
[0030] Furthermore, a third subassembly is formed by drum 10 , the diameter of which depends on the desired power reserve. Finally, a fourth subassembly is formed by balance wheel 20 .
[0031] Finally, each of these four subassemblies is distributed across a substantially different quarter of the overall horizontal surface of timepiece 1. This configuration prevents the four subassemblies from overlapping vertically, minimizing the overall height of the movement and the thickness of the timepiece. In other words, the surface can be divided into four sectors of substantially equal size, forming the aforementioned four quarters. According to the depicted embodiment, the movement drum 10 occupies a surface that extends slightly beyond one sector of this surface, while the other three subassemblies 6, 7, and 20 occupy a surface that is slightly smaller than one of the four sectors of this surface. Naturally, the relative surfaces of these four subassemblies can be easily modified. Furthermore, their relative positions can be modified, while the two dials 6 and 7 advantageously continue to be adjacent. Note that dials 6 and 7 could be omitted, for example in a skeleton-type variation of the timepiece. In this case, the hour and minute wheels would occupy the first and second sectors, respectively.
[0032] Advantageously, the first two sectors are distributed on the left or right side of the watch, so as to cooperate with a first crown that will be described later, while the other two sectors are distributed on the other side.
[0033] The above arrangement frees up sufficient space to distribute the following complementary functions of the timepiece 1 :
[0034] a winding crown 11 arranged to partially protrude from case 2 so as to be operated by the user. This winding crown 11 is positioned near barrel 10 and is connected to it via a winding wheel train 12 comprising, for example, a ratchet wheel and an intermediate winding wheel;
[0035] a setting crown 15 arranged between the two dials 6 , 7 and arranged to partially protrude from case 2 so as to be operated by the user. This setting crown 15 is connected to at least one of the hour and minute wheels by means of connection means 16 , not shown in detail but arranged at least partially between the two dials 6 , 7 ;
[0036] - a running gear train module 30, which Figure 3 More specifically depicted in FIG, the running train module 30 integrally connects the barrel wheel 10, the balance wheel 20 and the hour wheel and minute wheel. Figure 2 This going train module 30 extends substantially in the central portion of timepiece 1, essentially between the four main subassemblies mentioned above. It can be considered to form a fifth subassembly of the movement, having a more irregular shape than the four aforementioned subassemblies, so that it occupies the intermediate space not occupied by these four subassemblies. As previously mentioned, "occupying space" means occupying the surface area of that space, thus occupying substantially the entirety of that space or a significant surface area of that space.
[0037] The main components of the movement of clock 1 are Figure 2 This is more particularly visible in the exploded perspective view of the watch. In this view, one can see minute wheel 17, intended to be located substantially below minute dial 7, as well as hour wheel 18, intended to be located substantially below hour dial 6, and the wheels forming connection 16, in particular of the differential type, between setting crown 15 and minute and hour wheels 17 and 18. One can also discern winding crown 11, situated substantially diametrically opposite setting crown 15, balance wheel 20, winding train 12, barrel 10, and going train 30.
[0038] According to the invention, several functions of the movement are additionally provided in the form of independent modules, making it easier to fit them into the small space available in timepiece 1, since all the components are brought together as close as possible to minimize bulk. Such a module comprises several components of the movement, such as the wheels, mounted between two bridges to form a self-contained assembly that can be transported, stored, and assembled independently and easily.
[0039] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the timepiece 1 includes Figure 3 The first (going train) module 30 is depicted in FIG. It comprises an upper plate 35 superimposed on a less visible lower plate 36, between which a plurality of wheels are rotatably mounted. Thus, according to this embodiment, the going train module more specifically comprises a barrel intermediate wheel 31, intended to cooperate with both barrel 10 and connecting means 16, which mesh with a center wheel 32, which meshes with a third wheel 33, which meshes with a fourth wheel or seconds wheel 34, intended to cooperate with balance module 20, which will be described below. Plates 35, 36 are provided with through-holes 37 for their preferably removable attachment to timepiece 1. As a variant, going train module 30 could have a different architecture, for example comprising three, four, or five wheels (or, more generally, other essentially single-piece components).
[0040] Clocks and watches also include Figure 4 The balance module 20 is depicted. It comprises an upper plate 25 and a lower plate 26, between which the balance staff is fixed, between which the balance assembly 20, in particular the balance spring and the balance rim, are fixed, and between which the escape wheel 21 is fixed.
[0041] As a variation, the modules described above may have architectures other than those described, for example, including additional components. As another variation, functional modules other than the modules described above may be modular and used in addition to or in place of the modules described above. Thus, the timepiece includes at least two functional modules, and may include three, four, five, or more functional modules.
[0042] The functional module can be fixed to the timepiece by screw fastening or even using any other fixing means.
[0043] Note that the above description indicates that the components of timepiece 1, particularly those of the movement, are distributed over several overlapping planes to minimize thickness. To further reduce the overall thickness, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the two crowns—winding crown 11 and setting crown 15—is advantageously positioned on the lower surface of the timepiece, that is, beneath the back of timepiece 1. To this end, it is connected to the movement via a substantially vertical stem or axle that passes through an opening in the back of timepiece 1. The back may have a shape including a non-planar indentation in the region of this crown, rendering it substantially continuous with the underside surface of the timepiece.
[0044] In this way, the present invention achieves the surprising result of an ultra-flat mechanical timepiece in the form of a wristwatch, which incorporates all the mechanical functions essential for high-performance timekeeping. Thus, the diameter of timepiece 1 can, for example, be greater than or equal to 30 mm, or even greater than or equal to 35 mm. Furthermore, its diameter can be less than or equal to 45 mm, or even less than or equal to 40 mm. Its outline can be circular. Alternatively, it can have any other shape: square, rectangular, oval, etc. In all cases, its surface area can remain within the same values as those resulting from the aforementioned diameter ranges.
[0045] The invention relates to a timepiece per se, which, as mentioned above, can be ultra-flat. Naturally, the invention remains implementable for any other timepiece that is not necessarily flat.
[0046] The invention also relates to a method for assembling a timepiece, wherein the method comprises installing in four horizontal sectors of equal size an hour dial 6 occupying a first sector, a minute dial 7 occupying a second sector adjacent to the first sector, a barrel 10 occupying a third sector, and a balance wheel 20 occupying a fourth sector.
[0047] The method may comprise the step of mounting at least two independent functional modules on the timepiece.
[0048] Advantageously, the method includes a step of adjusting the modules of the movement after they have been assembled in the timepiece. Alternatively, these modules can be temporarily removed so that, if necessary, they can be adjusted outside the timepiece before being modified. If necessary, this removal / modification operation can be performed multiple times.
Claims
1. A timepiece (1) comprising a case (2), wherein the horizontal surface of the timepiece is divided into four horizontal sectors of substantially the same size, and wherein the timepiece comprises an hour dial (6) and / or an hour wheel (18) occupying the surface of a first sector, a minute dial (7) and / or a minute wheel (17) occupying the surface of a second sector adjacent to the first sector, a barrel wheel (10) occupying the surface of a third sector, and a balance wheel (20) occupying the surface of a fourth sector, the hour dial (6) and / or the hour wheel (18), the minute dial (7) and / or the minute wheel (17), the barrel wheel (10) and the balance wheel (20) being each distributed in a different quarter of the entire horizontal surface of the timepiece.
2. Timepiece (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the timepiece comprises at least two independent functional modules.
3. Timepiece (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein said independent functional module comprises a component mounted between an upper plate and a lower plate.
4. Timepiece (1) according to claim 2 or 3, comprising a balance module (20) and a going train module (30).
5. Timepiece (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the balance module (20) further comprises an escapement (21), and wherein the going train module (30) comprises at least three or even at least four wheels.
6. A timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the timepiece comprises a winding crown (11) arranged near the barrel wheel (10) and connected to the barrel wheel via a winding wheel train (12), and / or a setting crown (15) arranged between the hour dial (6) and / or the hour wheel (18) and the minute dial (7) and / or the minute wheel (17) and connected to the hour wheel (18) and / or the minute wheel (17) via a connecting device (16).
7. Timepiece (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the winding crown (11) and / or the setting crown (15) are arranged below the lower surface of the timepiece (1).
8. Timepiece (1) according to claim 6 or 7, comprising a minute wheel (17) located below the minute dial (7) and an hour wheel (18) located below the hour dial (6).
9. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a going train (30) arranged between the barrel (10), the balance wheel (20) and the hour wheel (18) and / or the minute wheel (17).
10. Timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: In order to minimize the thickness of the timepiece, the hour dial (6) and / or the hour wheel (18), the minute dial (7) and / or the minute wheel (17), the barrel wheel (10) and the balance wheel (20) do not overlap one another.
11. A timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one end of each of the hour dial (6) and / or the hour wheel (18), the minute dial (7) and / or the minute wheel (17), the barrel wheel (10) and the balance wheel (20) is located at the boundary of the horizontal plane of the timepiece, that is, at the edge of the bezel (4) of the timepiece (1) and / or at the edge of the case middle of the case (2).
12. A timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hour dial (6) and / or the hour wheel (18), the minute dial (7) and / or the minute wheel (17), the barrel wheel (10) and the balance wheel (20) have four maximum surface areas within the case (2).
13. A timepiece (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the total thickness of the timepiece is less than or equal to 2 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.9 mm, or even less than or equal to 1.85 mm, and / or wherein the diameter of the timepiece is greater than or equal to 30 mm, or even greater than or equal to 30 mm, and / or the diameter is less than or equal to 45 mm, or even less than or equal to 40 mm.
14. A method for assembling a timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises installing in four horizontal sectors of substantially the same size an hour dial (6) and / or an hour wheel (18) occupying a first sector, a minute dial (7) and / or a minute wheel (17) occupying a second sector adjacent to the first sector, a barrel wheel (10) occupying a third sector and a balance wheel (20) occupying a fourth sector.
15. Method for assembling a timepiece according to the preceding claim, wherein said method comprises the step of mounting at least two independent functional modules on said timepiece.