Stud holder for timepiece speed regulation mechanism, comprising stud fitted with anti-seizing arm
By designing an outer pile holder with an extension arm, the problem of the stagnation of the sprinkler coil in mechanical clocks and the stable operation and accurate movement of the speed control mechanism are ensured.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411631738.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-11-27
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-27
AI Technical Summary
In mechanical clocks, the outer coil of the hairspring may be stuck under the outer pile when impacted, causing the balance wheel oscillation to be disturbed, interrupting the speed control mechanism to move completely, and even stopping the speed control mechanism completely.
An outer pile holder is designed, the retainer comprising an arm extending from the outer pile, the arm oriented in a second direction below the main body, the second direction forming a non-zero angle with the first direction so that the arm passes at least partially below the hairspring held by the outer pile.
Through this design, the coil is avoided from passing through the outer pile and being stuck, the balance wheel oscillation is prevented from being disturbed, the stable operation of the speed regulation mechanism is ensured, and the error of travel is avoided.
Smart Images
Figure CN120044776A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watchmaking, and more particularly to the field of mechanical watchmaking, in which the regulation of the driving energy is provided by a speed regulation mechanism.
[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to an outer stud holder for a watch speed regulation mechanism including an outer stud provided with an anti-jamming arm, a speed regulation mechanism including such an outer stud holder, and a watch movement including such a speed regulation mechanism. Background Art
[0003] In most mechanical watches, the energy required to rotate the hands (e.g., the minute hand and the hour hand) is stored in a barrel and then transmitted by a balance-spring system, which includes a flywheel called a balance wheel that is combined with a spring called a balance spring, which is in the form of a helically wound strip.
[0004] The rotation of the balance wheel is maintained by an escapement mechanism, and its oscillations are counted by the escapement mechanism, which includes an escapement fork lever that exhibits a low-amplitude oscillatory motion and is provided with two escapement pallets that engage with the teeth of an escape wheel. When the escape wheel is engaged in this way, it causes a stepwise rotation, the rotational frequency of which is determined by the oscillation frequency of the escapement fork lever, and the oscillation frequency of the escapement fork lever itself is set to the oscillation frequency of the balance-spring system.
[0005] The inner end of the balance spring is attached to a balance staff that rotates integrally with the balance wheel; the outer end of the balance spring is attached to an outer stud, which is mounted on an outer stud holder that is itself rigidly connected to a stationary balance bridge. The outer stud generally includes a notch defined by two walls. The outer end of the balance spring is held in the notch, for example, by means of an adhesive.
[0006] However, in the event of an impact, one or more outer coils of the balance spring may pass under the outer stud and become caught behind the outer stud.
[0007] This is because when the balance wheel oscillates, the balance spring changes from a contracted configuration to an extended configuration and from an extended configuration to a contracted configuration within its working plane. As a result, if an impact occurs, the balance spring may deform transversely to the working plane, and one or more outer coils may pass under the outer stud. Therefore, the oscillation of the balance wheel is disturbed by this jamming, which leads to an interruption of the running of the speed regulation mechanism and even causes the speed regulation mechanism to stop completely.
[0008] To avoid this phenomenon, there are outer stud holders in which the ends of the outer studs are substantially conical, so that after one or more coils pass around the outer stud and become jammed, the coils will slide along the cone and return under the outer stud. The interruption of the running of the speed regulation mechanism will continue until the balance spring returns to its normal position.
[0009] Other outer stud holders include an outer stud with its longer wall on the hairspring side to prevent the coil from passing under the outer stud. However, the wall must be very close to the balance wheel, which results in the risk of the balance wheel hitting the wall during an impact, thus causing another interruption.
[0010] In any case, these outer stud holders are not satisfactory because they do not completely eliminate the above problems or create new problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] An object of the present invention is to overcome some or all of the above drawbacks by providing an outer stud holder that can prevent one or more outer coils of the hairspring from getting stuck around the outer stud, especially in the case of an impact.
[0012] To this end, the present invention relates to an outer stud holder for a speed control mechanism of a watch movement, the speed control mechanism including an inertial mass, a hairspring, and a balance bridge, the inertial mass being, for example, a balance wheel, the hairspring including a strip wound around itself in multiple turns, the outer stud holder including a body for mounting on the balance bridge, and an outer stud mounted on the body in a first direction.
[0013] The present invention is characterized in that the outer stud holder includes an arm extending from the outer stud, the arm being oriented in a second direction below the body, the second direction forming a non-zero angle with the first direction, so that when the outer stud holder is mounted on the speed control mechanism, the arm at least partially passes under the hairspring held by the outer stud.
[0014] Thanks to the present invention, the coil cannot pass under the outer stud and get stuck behind the outer stud.
[0015] This is because when the outer coil of the hairspring deforms in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the hairspring, the arm holds the outer coil of the hairspring.
[0016] Therefore, it is possible to avoid adversely affecting the timekeeping performance of the movement due to a timekeeping error of the speed control mechanism in the case where one or more coils are stuck behind the outer stud or the balance wheel hits the outer stud.
[0017] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
[0018] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the outer stud includes a notch for receiving the outer end of the strip.
[0019] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the notch includes an inner wall and an outer wall, and the arm extends from the inner wall.
[0020] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the arm is oriented radially towards the axis of the speed control mechanism.
[0021] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the body includes a radial member on which the outer stud is mounted.
[0022] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the arm extends in the longitudinal direction.
[0023] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the arm has the shape of a substantially flat tab.
[0024] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, when the hairspring is in the extended configuration, preferably when in the retracted configuration, the arm extends towards the center of the hairspring by at least more than the penultimate coil of the hairspring.
[0025] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the inner wall is longer than the outer wall.
[0026] The present invention also relates to a timepiece speed control mechanism, which includes an inertial mass body, a hairspring, and such an outer stud holder. The inertial mass body is, for example, a balance wheel, and the hairspring includes a strip wound around itself for multiple turns.
[0027] The present invention also relates to a timepiece movement including such a timepiece speed control mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] By reading several embodiments given with reference to the accompanying drawings, the objectives, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent. These embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings:
[0029] - Figure 1 A perspective top view of a speed control mechanism including an outer stud holder according to an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown.
[0030] - Figure 2 A top view of the Figure 1 shown speed control mechanism is schematically shown, where there is no balance bridge plate.
[0031] - Figure 3 A perspective bottom view of the Figure 1 shown speed control mechanism is schematically shown.
[0032] - Figure 4 A bottom view of the Figure 1 shown speed control mechanism is schematically shown, where there is no balance bridge plate, and
[0033] - Figure 5 An enlarged view of a hairspring fixed to the outer stud of the Figure 1 shown speed control mechanism is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] Figures 1 to 3Schematically shows a part of an embodiment of a speed regulating mechanism 10 including an outer stud holder 1 according to the present invention.
[0035] This speed regulating mechanism 10 is intended to be arranged in a watch movement in order to adjust the timekeeping error of the movement. The escapement mechanism is not shown in the figure, nor is the watch movement.
[0036] The speed regulating mechanism 10 includes an inertial mass, a hairspring 25, a balance staff 4, and a balance cock 22. The inertial mass is a ring-shaped balance wheel 23 in this example. The hairspring 25 serves as an elastic restoring element for the inertial mass and is configured to oscillate the inertial mass. These components are stacked from bottom to top in the following order: the balance wheel 23, the hairspring 25, and the balance cock 22.
[0037] The balance staff 4 passes through the centers of the balance wheel and the hairspring 25. The balance staff 4 is held by two shock-resistant bearings 28 arranged at both ends of the balance staff 4. A first bearing (not shown in the figure) is arranged below the balance cock 22, and the second bearing 28 is arranged within the balance cock 22. The balance cock 22 has a through hole, and the second bearing 28 is held inside the through hole.
[0038] A plate 13 is arranged at the base of the balance staff 4, which is intended to cooperate with the escapement fork of the escapement mechanism.
[0039] The hairspring 25 preferably extends substantially in a plane. The hairspring 25 includes a flexible strip 2 wound around itself for several turns. The strip 2 has a predetermined stiffness. The inner end of the strip 2 is integral with or assembled to a rigid support (not shown in the figure), which is commonly referred to as an inner stud. The rigid support is, for example, substantially triangular and is passed through by the balance staff 4.
[0040] The speed regulating mechanism 10 includes an outer stud holder 1 equipped with an outer stud 34, and the outer stud 34 hangs from the end of a radial member 33. The outer stud holder 1 is mechanically connected to the outer end 3 of the strip 2. The outer stud holder 1 surrounds the second bearing 28. For this purpose, the outer stud holder 1 includes a central ring 38 arranged around the second bearing 28, and the central ring 38 rests on the balance cock 22. The radial member 33 extends radially with respect to the central ring 38.
[0041] In addition, the outer stud 34 is rigidly attached to the outer end 3 of the strip 2. In other words, the outer stud 34 is integral with the outer end 3 of the strip 2. The outer stud 34 and the hairspring 25 are assembled, for example, by adhesion, soldering, welding, deformation of metallic glass, or mechanical fastening.
[0042] The outer stud 34 can move relative to the balance cock 22. For this purpose, the outer stud holder 1 can rotate around the second bearing 28. The outer stud holder 1 can be displaced, for example, in an angular range of 10° or even 20°. Thus, the timekeeping error of the speed regulating mechanism 10 can be adjusted.
[0043] The outer stud 34 is mounted on the body 31 in a first direction which is preferably substantially perpendicular to the plane of the body 31 and / or the working plane of the hairspring.
[0044] According to the invention, the outer stud holder 1 comprises an arm 5 extending from the outer stud 34 and located below the working plane of the hairspring.
[0045] The arm 5 is oriented in a second direction below the body 31. The second direction forms a non-zero angle with the first direction so as to pass at least partly below the hairspring 25 held by the outer stud 34. The arm 5 is oriented radially towards the speed regulating mechanism and / or the axis of the hairspring 25. The arm 5 is arranged at the free end of the outer stud 34.
[0046] The second direction is preferably substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
[0047] In Figure 5 , the outer stud 34 comprises a notch 8 for receiving the outer end 3 of the strip 2. The notch 8 has an inner wall 6 and an outer wall 7. Preferably, the inner wall 6 is longer than the outer wall 7. The arm 5 extends from the inner wall 6 towards the speed regulating mechanism and / or the axis of the hairspring 25. The arm 5 has a substantially flat tab shape. The arm 5 extends in the longitudinal direction.
[0048] In the case where the outer stud holder 1 is mounted on the speed regulating mechanism 10, when the hairspring 25 is in the extended configuration, preferably when in the contracted configuration or the contracted rest configuration, the arm 5 extends at least beyond the penultimate coil 9 of the hairspring from the outside towards the axis of the hairspring.
[0049] Preferably, the arm 5 extends at least beyond the last few coils. This further prevents the risk of the latter coils getting caught around the outer stud 34.
[0050] It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments of the speed regulating mechanism described with reference to the accompanying drawings and that alternatives can be considered without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A stud holder for a speed regulating mechanism (10) of a watch movement, the speed regulating mechanism (10) comprising an inertial mass body, a hairspring (25) and a swing plate (22), the inertial mass body being, for example, a balance wheel (23), the hairspring (25) comprising a strip (2) wound around itself a plurality of times, the stud holder (1) comprising a main body (31) for mounting on the swing plate (22), and a stud (34) mounted on the main body (31) along a first direction, characterized in that: The stud holder (1) comprises an arm (5) extending from the stud (34), the arm (5) being oriented below the body (31) in a second direction which forms a non-zero angle with the first direction so that when the stud holder (1) is mounted on the regulating organ (10), the arm (5) passes at least partially below the balance spring (25) held by the stud (34).
2. The stud holder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction.
3. The stud holder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The stud (34) comprises a notch (8) for receiving the outer end (3) of the strip (2).
4. The stud holder according to claim 3, characterized in that: The recess (8) comprises an inner wall (6) and an outer wall (7), the arm (5) extending from the inner wall (6).
5. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The arm (5) is oriented radially toward the axis of the speed regulating mechanism (10).
6. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The main body (31) comprises a radial member (33) on which the stud (34) is mounted.
7. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The arm (5) extends in a longitudinal direction.
8. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The arm (5) has a substantially flat tab shape.
9. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that When the balance spring (25) is in an extended position, preferably when the balance spring (25) is in a retracted position, the arm (5) extends towards the center of the balance spring (25) at least beyond the penultimate coil (9) of the balance spring (25).
10. A stud holder according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that The inner wall (6) is longer than the outer wall (7).
11. A speed regulating mechanism for a watch movement, the speed regulating mechanism (10) comprising an inertial mass body and a hairspring (25), the inertial mass body being, for example, a balance wheel (23), the hairspring (25) comprising a strip (2) wound around itself a plurality of times, characterized in that: The speed regulating mechanism comprises a stud holder (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.
12. A watch movement, characterized in that: The timepiece movement comprises a regulating organ according to claim 11 .