Permanent module for perpetual calendar mechanism of watch movement

Through the long-term module design of three moving parts installed in series and two levers, the existing perpetual calendar mechanism cannot manage the lack of leap years for every hundred years and the occurrence of leap years for every 400 years, and the accurate leap year management and flexible correction of year display are achieved, improving the compactness and ease of integration of the mechanism.

CN120604176APending Publication Date: 2025-09-05DE LA MFG DHORLOGERIE AUDEMARS PIGUET & CIE
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202480009364.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-01-27
Filing Date
2024-01-12
Publication Date
2025-09-05

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing perpetual calendar mechanism cannot effectively manage the lack of leap years for every hundred years, and it is difficult to easily correct the year display in both directions, and the conventional perpetual calendar does not consider the leap years that occur every 400 years.

Method used

The long-term module design with three moving parts and two levers installed in series, including a leap year cam, a 10-year cam and a 10-year cam. Through the cooperation of the lever system and cam, the management and correction of leap years is achieved, adapting to leap years that occur every hundred years and every 400 years, and supporting the reversibility correction of year display.

Benefits of technology

Accurately manage the transition from late February to March 1st while taking into account every centenary and every 400 years of leap years, and supports flexible correction of year displays, improving the compactness and ease of integration of the perpetual calendar mechanism.

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Abstract

The invention relates to a permanent module for a perpetual calendar mechanism of a watch movement, comprising a first mover arranged to be driven by a month mover of the watch movement, a second mover and a third mover mounted in series with the first mover, and two levers. The three moving parts respectively comprise a leap year cam, a ten-year cam and a hundred-year cam.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a perpetual calendar module for a watch movement. This perpetual calendar module is intended to activate a correction device to manage the transition from the end of February to the first of March according to the leap year, taking into account the absence of a leap year every hundred years and optionally maintaining a leap year every 400 years. Background Art

[0002] There are various mechanisms for displaying date-related information. These mechanisms have relatively simple structures and can be used for basic date display without requiring any adjustments; annual calendar mechanisms, which manage the transition from a 30- or 31-day month to the first day of the following month; and perpetual calendar mechanisms, which include a mechanical memory and, so to speak, manage not only the transition from a 30- or 31-day month to the first day of the following month, but also the transition from the end of February to the first of March, thus accounting for leap years. However, conventional perpetual calendars do not account for the absence of leap years every hundred years.

[0003] Various perpetual calendar mechanisms have been described. However, one challenge remains maintaining acceptable compactness. Another challenge is the ability to easily integrate a perpetual module capable of actuating a correction device to manage the transition from the end of February to the first of March based on leap years, while accounting for the absence of leap years every hundred years and optionally maintaining leap years every 400 years. Perpetual modules of this type are particularly described in publications EP3339973 and CH653841.

[0004] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a long-lasting module capable of actuating a correction device to manage the transition from the end of February to the first of March according to the leap year, taking into account the absence of leap years every hundred years.

[0005] Another object of the invention is to propose a permanent module that is easily modified to actuate the correction device, also taking into account the occurrence of leap years every 400 years.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to propose a reversible permanent module that allows easy correction of the year display in two directions, namely increasing and decreasing.

[0007] An additional objective is to propose a long-lasting perpetual calendar incorporating a long-lasting module. Summary of the Invention

[0008] These purposes are particularly achieved by a kind of long-lasting module for perpetual calendar mechanism, and this long-lasting module comprises three mobile members mounted in series, and one of them mobile member is arranged to be driven by month mobile member.The first mobile member preferably comprises a driving member, a cam being called a leap year cam and a driven member being arranged to be rotated by the finger of the month mobile member.The leap year cam of the first mobile member and the driving member are fixed to the driven member.The second mobile member comprises a driven member being arranged to be rotated by the driving member of the first mobile member, a cam being called a decade cam and a driving member generally comprising a finger.The decade cam of the second mobile member and the driving member are fixed to the driven member.The third mobile member comprises a rotating member being arranged to be driven by the finger of the driving member of the second mobile member and a cam being called a century cam that is fixed to the rotating member.

[0009] The permanent module also includes a first lever and a second lever. The first lever includes a stylus that is arranged to engage with the leap year cam of the first moving member to move the first lever to a first position or a second position. When the stylus engages with the first portion of the leap year cam corresponding to a non-leap year, the first lever is in the first position. When the stylus engages with the second portion of the leap year cam corresponding to a leap year, the first lever is in the second position, thereby actuating the correction device to account for February 29 in a leap year.

[0010] The second lever includes a first contact pin and a second contact pin, the first contact pin and the second contact pin being arranged to engage with the decade cam of the second movable member and the century cam of the third movable member, respectively. The second lever is arranged to hold the first lever in the first position when the first contact pin and the second contact pin are positioned over portions of the cam corresponding to multiples of ten years of the decade cam and multiples of one hundred years of the century cam, respectively.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the permanent module further comprises a finger-shaped member fixed to the rotating member of the third moving member, a fourth moving member, and a third lever. The fourth moving member comprises a rotating member arranged to be driven by the finger-shaped member, and a cam, referred to as a 400-year cam, fixed to the rotating member of the fourth moving member. The third lever comprises a third contact pin to engage with the 400-year cam. The third lever is arranged to pivot the second lever so that when the third contact pin of the third lever engages with a portion of the 400-year cam corresponding to a multiple of 400 years, the second lever does not act on the first lever.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the 400 cam comprises two diametrically opposed notches.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the rotating member of the third moving element and the driven member of the first moving element each take the form of a gear shaft having a plurality of tooth pairs, the tooth pairs being evenly distributed around the circumference of the gear shaft and spaced apart from each other to define a gap.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the drive member of the second mobile and the drive member of the month mobile each have a circular edge, a finger whose free end protrudes from the circular edge, and two grooves arranged on either side of the finger. This allows each of these fingers to be fitted into the space formed by the tooth pairs on the corresponding pinions of the first and third mobiles, while each tooth of this tooth pair can be fitted alternately into a first groove downstream of the finger with respect to its direction of rotation and into a second groove arranged upstream of the finger.

[0015] According to one embodiment, two adjacent teeth of corresponding pinion are arranged to make the circular edge of the driving member of the drive member of one of tooth abutting month mobile member and the second mobile member from each adjacent tooth pair, thereby limit the angular movement of the corresponding pinion of the first mobile member and the 3rd mobile member.Therefore, these pinions are all fixed in relatively stable position after each passing of finger drive tooth pair, until the next passing of finger engagement adjacent tooth pair.This arrangement prevents the driven member of the first mobile member and the 3rd mobile member from any accidental rotation in the case that one of them will move in either direction (for example, in the case of impact).

[0016] According to one embodiment, the permanent module further comprises a jumper spring arranged to abut against a bearing zone of one of the gaps of the pinion of the third mobile member in order to bring the pinion into the indexed angular position.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the tooth pairs of the pinions of the first and third mobile elements are respectively obtained from pinions in which every third tooth has been truncated.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the first mobile is arranged to be driven by the finger of the month mobile at a rate of once every four years, preferably once every eight or twelve years. The second mobile is arranged to be driven by the driving member of the first mobile at a rate of once every ten years. The rotating member of the third mobile is arranged to be driven by the finger of the second mobile at a rate of once every hundred years.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the leap year cam of the first mobile comprises two diametrically opposed notches or three notches spaced 120° apart from one another. The decade cam and the centenary cam each have a single notch.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the permanent module also comprises an indexing star fixed to the first mobile and an indexing jumper spring cooperating with the indexing star to bring the first mobile into the indexed position after each passage of the finger of the months mobile.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the first lever further comprises a tooth rake arranged to engage with the toothing means of the correction device.

[0022] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a display module for displaying a year, comprising the long-lasting module described above according to any embodiment thereof, wherein the third moving member further comprises a second rotating member arranged to be driven by the driven member of the second moving member at a rate of once per decade. The third moving member further comprises a shaft fixed to the second rotating member and a tubular member arranged around the shaft and fixed to the first rotating member. The display module further comprises a units ring mounted fixed to the shaft and a tens ring arranged concentrically outside the units ring and fixed to the tubular member.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a perpetual calendar mechanism. This mechanism specifically includes a month cam comprising at least one notch having a depth corresponding to February in a non-leap year, and a correction device for limiting the depth of the at least one notch to correspond to February in a leap year. The mechanism further includes the above-described permanent module according to any embodiment thereof, such that pivoting the first lever to the second position actuates the correction device to limit the depth of the at least one notch.

[0024] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a timepiece comprising the above-mentioned display module or perpetual calendar mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Embodiments of the invention are provided in the description illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] - Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a long-lasting module arranged to be driven by a months mobile of a clockwork mechanism according to an embodiment;

[0027] - Figure 2 Graphic Figure 1 A perspective view of the permanent module from another orientation;

[0028] - Figure 3a and Figure 3b according to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Two operating sequences of the permanent module of FIG. 1 illustrate a view of the module in cross section at the cam;

[0029] - Figure 4 The diagram includes Figure 1 A top view of the long-lasting module showing the year of the device, and

[0030] - Figure 5 A simplified exploded view of a permanent module is shown according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] According to one embodiment and with particular reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2, long-lasting module 10 is arranged to engage with month mobile 100 of watch movement, and is adapted to take into account the lack of leap year every 100 years. According to an advantageous embodiment to be described later, long-lasting module 10 can also be adapted to take into account leap year that occurs every 400 years.

[0032] As is well known, a leap year is a year with 366 days instead of 365, with an extra day in February. Generally, a year that is a multiple of 4 is a leap year; however, a year that is a multiple of 100 is not a leap year, except for years that are multiples of 400, which are leap years. Thus, 2020, 2024, and 2028 are leap years, as are 2000 and 2400, but 1900, 2100, 2200, and 2300 are not leap years.

[0033] This year exists to compensate for the difference between the ordinary calendar year of 365 days and the solar year, which is the time it takes the Earth to complete one full revolution around the Sun, totaling 365.242 days. Therefore, an extra day must be added periodically to ensure that the average length of the calendar year is as close as possible to the solar year, by applying the correction according to the rules above.

[0034] To take into account the missing leap year every hundred years, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The long-lasting module 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises three mobiles 20, 30, 40 directly or indirectly engaged with a month mobile 100, and two levers 70, 80, each of which is arranged to engage with at least one of these mobiles, thereby enabling actuation of the correction mechanism to be described later every four years, in addition to every hundred years.

[0035] Month mobile 100 generally comprises a pinion 102 having twelve teeth, a jumper spring 108 engaged with pinion 102, and a first drive member 104 fixed to pinion 102 and comprising a finger 105. Pinion 102 is arranged to be driven by the watch movement to complete a 360° revolution every twelve months, preferably in successive steps of 30°. To achieve this, typically at the end of December, pinion 102, under the action of jumper spring 108, imparts an almost instantaneous rotation to finger 105, thereby driving first mobile 20 almost instantaneously in predetermined angular steps.

[0036] The first mobile member 20 comprises a driving member 27 such as a wheel, on which a cam 25, a driven member 21 and preferably an indexing star wheel 24, which are called leap year cams, are coaxially stacked. The driving wheel 27, the leap year cam 25, the indexing star wheel 24 and the driven member 21 are fixed together to form an integral block. The driven member 21 is arranged to be rotated by the finger 105 of the month mobile member 100 so that all parts of the first mobile member 20 can rotate together 360 ° every four years, particularly every eight years, according to a preferred embodiment. Therefore, the leap year cam 25 completes a complete 360 ​​° rotation every eight years.

[0037] Second mobile member 30 comprises driven member or element 37 such as wheel or pinion, is coaxially stacked with the cam that is called as ten-year cam 35 and the second driving member 31 that comprises finger 32.As first mobile member 20, driven wheel 37, ten-year cam 35 and second driving member 31 are fixed together, to form integral piece.The driven wheel 37 of second mobile member 30 meshes with the driving wheel 27 of first mobile member 20.In this example, the gear ratio between these two wheels 27,37 is 8:10, so that all parts of second mobile member 30 can complete 360 ​​° of revolutions together per decade.Therefore, ten-year cam 35 completes 360 ° of revolutions per decade.

[0038] The 3rd mobile member 40 comprises the first rotating member 41 that is arranged to be driven by the finger 32 of the second driving member 31 of the second mobile member 30, the cam 45 that is called the century cam that is fixed to the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 47 that meshes with the driven wheel 37 of the second mobile member 30.Therefore, the first rotating member 41 is driven by the finger 32 of the second driving member 31 of the second mobile member 30, to complete 360 ​​° of revolutions per hundred years.Therefore, the century cam 45 completes 360 ° of revolutions per hundred years.The gear ratio between the driven wheel 37 of the second mobile member 30 and the second rotating member 47 is 1:1, so that the latter also can complete 360 ​​° of revolutions per decade.

[0039] Therefore, the month mobile 100 and the three mobiles 20, 30, 40 of the long-term module 10 are arranged in series. The transmission between these different mobiles can be completed in various ways. For example, Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the driven member 21 of the first moving member 20 and the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 47 of the third moving member 40 can be in the form of gear shafts. As shown, these gear shafts preferably have a special toothing device containing several tooth pairs 22, 42, and the tooth pairs 22, 42 are regularly spaced around the circumference of the gear shaft to define gaps 23, 43 between the tooth pairs.

[0040] More specifically, the pinion 21 of the first mobile member 20 can, for example, have eight tooth pairs 22, and a gap 23 arranged between the tooth pairs 22. This unique toothing arrangement is obtained by a pinion with twenty-four teeth in which every third tooth has been cut off. The first drive member 104 of the month mobile member 100 has a specific shape to drive the pinion 21. This drive member comprises a disk having a circular edge 106 almost along its entire circumference, a finger 105 protruding from the circular edge 106 of the disk at a free end, and a first groove 107a and a second groove 107b positioned on both sides of the finger 105. Each groove 107a, 107b extends along the thickness of the disk, along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the month mobile member 100.

[0041] Thus, at the end of each year, the finger 105 of the month mobile 100 fits into the space formed by the tooth pair 22 of the pinion 21 of the first mobile 20, while the first tooth and the second tooth of this tooth pair are alternately fitted into the first groove 107a located downstream of the finger 105 with respect to its rotational direction, and into the second groove 107b located upstream of the finger 105. Therefore, after the finger 105 has passed, the pinion 21 continues to be temporarily driven against the second tooth of the tooth pair 22 under the action of the second groove 107b.

[0042] The indexing star wheel 24 is arranged to engage with the indexing jumper spring 28. In the illustrated example, the star wheel 24 has eight teeth, which means that the number of teeth of the star wheel 24 corresponds to the number of tooth pairs 22 of the pinion 21. The function of the indexing star wheel 24 will be described later.

[0043] Like the first moving member 20, the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 47 of the third moving member 40 can all be in the form of a gear shaft, each gear shaft having ten tooth pairs 42, which are evenly spaced over 360 ° to define a gap 43 between the tooth pairs 42. This toothing arrangement is obtained by a gear shaft having thirty teeth in which every third tooth has been cut off. Preferably, the first positioning lever spring 53 and the second positioning lever spring 54 are arranged so that their respective heads 53a, 54a rest on the bearing surface of the gap 43 between the first gear shaft 41 and the second gear shaft 47, respectively, so that the two gear shafts 41, 47 enter the indexing angle position.

[0044] When the finger 105 of the driving member 104 of the month mobile 100 engages the tooth pair 22 of the pinion 21 of the first mobile 20 (usually at the end of December each year), the first mobile 20 pivots a certain angle. Therefore, the indexing star wheel 24 is driven to rotate under the action of the finger 105, thereby causing the indexing jumper spring 28 to promote until it imparts a beat to the first mobile 20, thereby causing the first mobile 20 to enter the indexing angle position. The indexing star wheel and the jumper spring perform two functions.

[0045] The first function is to provide enough torque to the first mobile member 20, and this torque is added to the torque that is applied on the pinion 102 of month mobile member 100 by jumper spring 108, drives jumper spring 53 and 54 and lever 70 and 80, thereby allows pinion to jump one step, to guarantee that pinion 102 produces enough torque.Second function is to finish the rotation of the first mobile member 20, makes the first mobile member 20 can jump 45 ° at the end of each year.Each jumping of the first mobile member 20 all realizes the actuation of the 3rd mobile member 40 via the second mobile member 30, makes the first pinion 41 and the second pinion 47 of the 3rd mobile member can respectively jump 36 ° at the end of each decade and each year.In a preferred embodiment, this jumping also guarantees that the heads 53a, 54a of two jumper springs 53, 54 suitably engage the bearing surface of one of the gap of two pinions 41,47 of the 3rd mobile member 40, but not tooth to 42, so that after each jumping, the 3rd mobile member 40 is locked to the indexing position.

[0046] It should be noted that indexing star wheel 24 and indexing jumper spring 28 are not crucial for the normal operation of long-lasting module. In fact, the stiffness of the jumper spring of month mobile member 100 can be reduced so that the torque transmitted to this mobile member is enough to trigger the first mobile member 20 that jumps and drives long-lasting module 10.

[0047] Furthermore, the particular shape of the drive member 104 of the months mobile and of the pinion 21 of the first mobile 20 allows limiting the angular movement of the pinion 21 during the current year, between two passes of the finger 105. This is made possible by two adjacent pairs of teeth of the pinion 21, which are arranged so that, if the first wheel 20 were to move in either direction, for example due to an impact, one tooth from one pair would come to rest against the edge 106 of the disc.

[0048] Similarly, the first positioning rod spring 53 and the second positioning rod spring 54 acting on the third movable member 40 are not critical to the normal operation of the long-term module, because the unique shape of the second driving member 31 of the second movable member 30 and the first gear shaft 41 and the second gear shaft 47 of the third movable member 40 ensures a more or less stable angular position of the first gear shaft 41 and the second gear shaft 47, as explained above for the drive of the first movable member 20.

[0049] The unique shapes of the drive members 104, 31 of the first and third mobiles 20, 40, and the corresponding pinions 21, 41 they drive, advantageously allow for the reversibility of the long-lasting module. Reversibility refers to the ability to drive the first mobile 20 in either direction using the month mobile 100, thereby enabling easy correction of the year display, as will be explained later.

[0050] However, it is important to note that the specific shape of the drive members 104, 31 and the corresponding pinions 21, 41 is not essential for the proper functioning of the permanent module. Pinions with continuous toothing and suitable fingers for driving them can in fact be used together with appropriate latch springs to ensure the indexing of the mobile and its reversibility.

[0051] In addition, the gear ratio between the drive wheel 27 of the first mobile member 20 and the driven wheel 37 of the second mobile member 30 and the shape of the pinion 21 of the first mobile member can be different.For example, this gear ratio can be 12:10, and pinion 21 can have 12 teeth pairs, but not eight, so that all elements of the first mobile member 20 can be implemented together for 360 ° of revolutions in every 12 years.In this case, the leap year cam will have three recesses that are separated from each other by 120 ° of arrangements, because according to four years of circulation, each recess all represents a leap year.

[0052] As shown in the figure, especially Figure 3a and Figure 3b In the embodiment, the permanent module 10 further includes a first lever 70 and a second lever 80. The first lever 70 is specifically arranged to engage with the leap year cam 25 of the first mobile member 20 on the one hand and with the correction device on the other hand. In this regard, the first lever 70 also includes a transmission device to actuate the correction device when the first lever is brought into a specific position. In this example, the transmission device takes the form of a toothed rake 74 that engages with a toothed device of the correction device, which will be described later.

[0053] The second lever 80 is arranged to engage with the decade cam 35 of the second movable member 30 and the centenary cam 45 of the third movable member 40. The second lever 80 is positioned so as to move the first lever 70 based on the angular positions of the decade cam 35 and the centenary cam 45.

[0054] More specifically, first lever 70 comprises contact pin 72 and lever spring 78, and lever spring 78 is arranged to contact pin 72 is pressed against the profile of leap year cam 25 of first mobile member 20.In this example, the profile of this cam has two notches 26a, 26b and two circular parts 26d, 26e relative in diameter direction.Second lever 80 comprises first contact pin 81 and second contact pin 82.First contact pin 81 is arranged to the profile of the ten-year cam 35 that probes second mobile member 30.In this example, the profile of this cam comprises notch 36 and the circular part 36a that usually extends beyond 300 °.Second contact pin 82 is arranged to the profile of the century cam 45 that probes the 3rd mobile member 40.In this example, the profile of this cam comprises notch 46 and the circular part 46a that preferably extends beyond 300 °.

[0055] The second lever 80 also comprises a lever spring 86 intended to press the first contact pin 81 and the second contact pin 82 against the profiles of the corresponding cams of the second mobile element 30 and the third mobile element 40. This second lever 80 also comprises an actuating arm 83, one end 84 of which is intended to act on the actuatable portion 76 of the first lever 70.

[0056] Considering the angular positions of the decade cam 35 and the centenary cam 45 together allows for determining whether the current year is a multiple of 100, in which case it is not a leap year. Because the decade cam 35 completes a full rotation every ten years, and the centenary cam 45 completes a full rotation every hundred years, their respective notches 36, 46 align at the same angular position for each multiple of 100 years. In other words, by completing a rotation every ten years, the decade cam 35 can be considered an indicator of the units digit of the current year. Similarly, by completing a rotation every hundred years, the centenary cam 45 can be considered an indicator of the tens digit of the current year. Therefore, when both the units and tens digits of the current year are equal to zero, this corresponds to the common orientation or angular position of the notches 36, 46 of these cams relative to their axes of rotation, indicating that the current year is a multiple of one hundred.

[0057] By description Figure 3a to Figure 3b The operation of the long-term module 100 will be better understood by referring to the two operation sequences illustrated in FIG.

[0058] according to Figure 3a , the decade cam 35 and the century cam 45 of the second mobile member 30 and the third mobile member 40 are not in the same angular position. Therefore, the current year is not a multiple of 100 years. However, the angular position of the leap year cam 25 indicates that the current year is a leap year. The first lever 70 is pivoted under the action of the jump lever spring 78 so that its contact pin 72 contacts the bottom of the recess 26a. The pivoting of the first lever 70 actuates the tooth rake 74 fixed to one of the arms, thereby causing the tooth rake 74 to actuate the correction device to take into account February 29.

[0059] according to Figure 3b, the decade cam 35 and the centenary cam 45 are in the same angular position. Therefore, the current year is a multiple of 100, which means it is not a leap year. However, the leap year cam 25 is in an angular position where its notch 26a is aligned with the contact pin 72 of the first lever 70. When the first contact pin 81 and the second contact pin 82 of the second lever 80 contact the bottoms of the notches 36 and 46 of the decade cam 35 and centenary cam 45, respectively, the second lever 80 pivots under the action of the lever spring 86. The pivoting of the second lever 80 allows the free end 84 of its actuating arm 83 to act on the actuatable portion 76 of the first lever 70, positioning its contact pin 72 away from the bottom of the notch 26a of the leap year cam 25. This action prevents the contact pin 72 from contacting the bottom of the notch 26a of the leap year cam 25, or raises the contact pin 72 if it has already contacted the bottom of the notch or is in the process of pivoting toward the bottom of the notch. In the first case, the first lever 70 cannot be moved, which prevents the correction mechanism from being actuated to make an unwanted correction.

[0060] according to Figure 4 In the advantageous embodiment shown in FIG, the third mobile 40 can support the year display device 200. It comprises a units ring 210 and a tens ring 220 arranged concentrically outside the units ring 210, each ring comprising a sequence of digits from 0 to 9. Figure 1 The third moving member 40 further includes a shaft 50 fixed to the second rotating member 47 and a pipe member 44 arranged around the shaft 50 and fixed to the first rotating member 41 .

[0061] The units ring 210 includes a fastening element 212 at its center, which is fixed to the second rotating member 47 ( Figure 1 ) on the shaft 50, and a plurality of fastening arms 214 extending radially from the hub 213, with the free ends of the fastening arms 214 being fixed to the underside of the units ring 210. The tens ring 220 also includes a hub (not visible) arranged below the hub 213 of the units ring at its center, and a plurality of fastening arms 222 extending radially from the hub, with the free ends of the fastening arms 222 being fixed to the underside of the tens ring 220. The hub of the tens ring 220 is fixed to the first rotating member 41 ( Figure 1 ) pipe fitting 44.

[0062] according to Figure 5 In another embodiment illustrated in FIG, the long-term module is adapted not only to account for the lack of leap years every hundred years (as with the long-term module 100 just described), but also to treat years divisible by 400 as leap years even if they are also divisible by 100.

[0063] For this purpose, the permanent module comprises three moving parts and two levers, which are connected as previously described for Figure 1 and Figure 2The embodiment shown in FIG is identical or similar to the three moving members 20, 30, 40 and the two levers 70, 80 described. The transmission member 51 (including the finger 52) is mounted on the third moving member fixed to the first rotating member 41 so as to be driven by a 360° rotation per century. The long-term module also includes a fourth moving member 60 and a third lever 90, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown in .

[0064] The fourth moving member 60 comprises a rotating member or element 62 which is arranged to be driven by the passage of the finger 52 associated with the third moving member 40. The rotating element may be in the form of a gear shaft 62 having eight tooth pairs (e.g., a toothed shaft 62). Figure 1 The 4th mobile member 60 is connected to the pinion 62 (same as the pinion 21 of the first mobile member 20 in FIG), so that the pinion 63 can complete a rotation of 360 ° every 800 years. The cam that is called the 400-year cam 64 is connected to the pinion 62, so that this cam 64 can also complete a rotation of 360 ° every 800 years. The profile of this 400-year cam comprises two diametrically opposed notches 65a, 65b and two circular portions. The 4th mobile member 60 can adopt other forms, particularly about the number of teeth or tooth pairs of pinion 62 and the notches 65a, 65b on the cam 64. Importantly, the elements of the 4th mobile member 60 can complete a rotation of 360 ° together every multiple of four hundred years.

[0065] The third lever 90 includes a third contact pin 92, a lever spring (not shown) for forcing the third contact pin 92 to follow the profile of the leap year cam, and an actuating arm 94. The actuating arm 94 has a free end 95 intended to act on the actuatable portion 85 of the second lever 80, so that when the third contact pin 92 of the third lever 90 engages with either of the two notches 65a, 65b of the leap year cam corresponding to a multiple of 400, the second lever 80 does not act on the first lever 70. Consequently, the first lever 70 can pivot under the action of its lever spring, thereby forcing its contact pin 72 to reach the bottom of the notch 26c of the leap year cam 25.

[0066] It should be noted that in this example, the leap year cam 25 has three notches 26a, 26b, 26c arranged 120° apart from each other. In addition, the gear ratio of the driving wheel 27 of the first mobile member and the driven wheel 37 of the second mobile member is 12:10, so that when the first mobile member completes a full rotation every twelve years, the second mobile member including the ten-year cam 35 can complete a full rotation every ten years.

[0067] According to one of the above-described embodiments, the long-lasting module 10 is intended to be incorporated into a perpetual calendar mechanism preferably equipped with a month cam (not shown) with thirty-six notches or less. This is in contrast to most conventional perpetual calendars, which are equipped with a month cam with forty-eight notches, commonly known as a "48-step cam", in order to cover the four-year cycle including leap years.

[0068] The month cam's 36 notches extend toward the center of the cam and have three depths. These notches are arranged sequentially according to the length of the months, from January to December. The shallowest notch corresponds to a month with 31 days, the deepest to a month with 28 days, and the medium notch to a month with 30 days.

[0069] This month cam has the advantage of being more compact than the 48-step cam while maintaining the same width of the notches. Therefore, it represents only three consecutive years of the cycle, with the three notches spaced 120° apart, allowing for correction at the end of February in non-leap years.

[0070] To further reduce the size of the month cam, according to other embodiments, this cam could comprise only 24 notches or even 12 notches, while maintaining the same width of the notches as that of the 48-step cam.

[0071] Regardless of the number of notches on the month cam (12, 24, 36 or even 48), the month of February on such a cam will be indicated by notches corresponding to a depth of 28 days. The month cam therefore does not include any notches specifically for the correction required for February in a leap year.

[0072] To make this correction, the perpetual calendar mechanism includes a correction device designed to reduce the depth of the February notch during leap years so that the depth corresponds to a month with 29 days.

[0073] The correction device comprises a rotating member in the form of a disc, mounted coaxially with the month cam, i.e., in the same plane as the cam. This disc has a circular portion, a radial slit, and a toothing system around its perimeter. The rack 74 of the first lever 70 of the permanent module engages with the toothing system of the disc, causing it to pivot so that its radial slot aligns with the notch for February on the month cam during a common year, and conversely, it misaligns with the notch for February during a leap year.

[0074] Reference Signs List

[0075] Long-term module 10

[0076] First moving member 20

[0077] Driven member 21 (eg gear shaft)

[0078] Tooth pair 22

[0079] Gap 23

[0080] Indexing star wheel 24

[0081] Leap Year Cam 25

[0082] Notches 26a, 26b; 26a, 26b, 26c; rounded portions 26d, 26e

[0083] Driving member 27

[0084] Indexing positioning lever spring 28

[0085] Second moving member 30

[0086] Driving member 31

[0087] Finger 32

[0088] Rounded edge 33

[0089] Groove 34

[0090] Ten Years Cam 35

[0091] Notch 36

[0092] Round portion 36a

[0093] Driven member 37

[0094] The third moving member 40

[0095] First rotating member 41 (eg gear shaft)

[0096] Tooth pair 42

[0097] Gap 43

[0098] Pipe fittings 44

[0099] Centennial Cam 45

[0100] Notch 46

[0101] Round portion 46a

[0102] Second rotating member 47 (eg gear shaft)

[0103] Tooth pair 48

[0104] Notch 49

[0105] Axis 50

[0106] Transmission component 51

[0107] Finger 52

[0108] The first and second positioning lever springs 53, 54 have heads 53a, 54a

[0109] Fourth moving member 60 (eg gear shaft)

[0110] Rotating member 62

[0111] 400 Cam 64

[0112] Notches 65a, 65b

[0113] First lever 70

[0114] Contact pin 72

[0115] Tooth rake 74

[0116] Actuatable portion 76

[0117] Lever spring 78

[0118] Second lever 80

[0119] First contact pin 81

[0120] Second contact pin 82

[0121] Actuating arm 83

[0122] Free end 84

[0123] Actuatable portion 85

[0124] Lever spring 86

[0125] The third lever 90

[0126] The third contact pin 92

[0127] Actuating arm 94

[0128] Free end 95

[0129] Lever spring 96

[0130] Monthly moving parts 100

[0131] Gear shaft 102

[0132] Driving member 104

[0133] Finger 105

[0134] Rounded edge 106

[0135] Grooves 107a, 107b

[0136] Positioning rod spring 108 display module 200

[0137] Units ring 210

[0138] Fastening element 212

[0139] Hub 213

[0140] Fastening arm 214 tens ring 220

[0141] Fastening arm 222.

Claims

1. A long-term module (10) for a perpetual calendar mechanism of a watch movement, comprising a first mobile (20) comprising a drive member (27), a cam (25) referred to as a leap year cam, and a driven member (21) arranged to be rotated by a drive member (104) of a month mobile (100) of the watch movement, the leap year cam (25) and the drive member (27) being fixed to the driven member (21), a second moving member (30) comprising a driven member (37) arranged to be rotated by the driving member (27) of the first moving member (20), and a second driving member (31) fixed to the driven member (37), a third moving member (40), said third moving member (40) comprising a rotating member (41) arranged to be driven by the second driving member (31) of the second moving member (30), a cam (45) called a centennial cam fixed to said rotating member (41), and a first lever (70) comprising a stylus (72) arranged to engage with a leap year cam (25) of the first mobile member (20) to move the first lever (70) to a first position when the stylus (72) engages with a first portion of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to a non-leap year; and to move the first lever (70) to a second position when the stylus (72) engages with a second portion (26a, 26b, 26c) of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to a leap year, so as to actuate a correction device to take into account February 29 in a leap year, and It is characterized by: The second moving member (30) further comprises a cam (35) called a decade cam fixed to a follower member (37) of the second moving member, and the long-term module (10) further comprises a second lever (80), the second lever comprising a first contact pin (81) and a second contact pin (82), the first contact pin (81) and the second contact pin (82) being arranged to engage with the decade cam (35) of the second moving member (30) and the century cam (45) of the third moving member (40), respectively, the second lever (80) being arranged to act on the first lever (70) so as to prevent the contact pin (72) of the first lever (70) from cooperating with the second portion of the leap year cam (25) when the first contact pin (81) and the second contact pin (82) of the second lever (80) are positioned on portions of the cam corresponding to multiples of ten years of the decade cam (35) and multiples of one hundred years of the century cam (45), respectively.

2. The permanent module (10) according to claim 1, further comprising a finger (52) fixed to the rotating member (41) of the third moving member (40), a fourth mobile (60) comprising a rotating member (62) arranged to be driven by the passage of the finger (52) and a cam (64) fixed to the rotating member (62), referred to as a 400-year cam, A third lever (90), comprising a third contact pin (92) arranged to engage with the 400-year cam (64), the third lever (90) being arranged to pivot the second lever (80) so that when the third contact pin (92) engages with the portion (65a, 65b) of the 400-year cam (64) corresponding to a multiple of 400 years, the second lever (80) does not act on the first lever (70).

3. The permanent module (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the 400-year cam (64) comprises two diametrically opposed notches (65a, 65b).

4. A permanent module (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rotating member (41) of the third movable member (40) and the driven member (21) of the first movable member (20) each take the form of a gear shaft having several tooth pairs (42), and the tooth pairs (42) are evenly distributed around the circumference of the gear shaft and spaced apart from each other to define gaps (23, 43).

5. A long-lasting module (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the second drive member (31) of the second mobile (30) and the drive member (104) of the month mobile (100) each have a circular edge (33, 106), a finger (32, 105) whose free end projects from the circular edge (33, 106), and two grooves (34, 107a, 107b) arranged on either side of the finger (32, 105), the grooves (34, 107a, 107b) being shaped to receive the teeth of the corresponding gear shaft (41, 21), and the finger (32, 105) being shaped to engage within the tooth pair (22, 42).

6. A permanent module (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein adjacent teeth of two consecutive tooth pairs (22, 42) are shaped to abut against a circular edge (33, 106) of the drive member (31, 104) associated with the tooth shaft (41, 21) of the tooth pair so as to limit the angular play of the tooth shaft (21, 41) after each passage of the finger (32, 105) of the drive member (31, 104).

7. The permanent module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 6 further comprises a positioning lever spring (53), which is arranged to abut against a bearing zone of one of the gaps (43) of the gear shaft (41) of the third movable member (40) so as to enable the gear shaft (41) to enter an indexing angle position.

8. A permanent module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the tooth pairs of the gear shafts (21, 41) of the first mobile member (20) and the third mobile member (40) are respectively obtained from gear shafts in which every third tooth has been truncated.

9. A permanent module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein The first mobile (20) is arranged to be driven by the finger (105) of the months mobile (100) at a rate of one revolution every multiple of four years, preferably every eight or twelve years, The second mobile (30) is arranged to be driven by the drive member (27) of the first mobile (20) at a rate of one revolution per decade, and The rotating member (41) of the third mobile (40) is arranged to be driven by the finger (32) of the second mobile (30) at a rate of one revolution per hundred years.

10. A long-term module (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the leap year cam (25) of the first mobile (20) comprises two diametrically opposed notches (26a, 26b) or three notches (26a, 26b, 26v) spaced 120° apart from each other, and the ten-year cam (35) and the centenary cam (45) each have a single notch (36, 46).

11. A permanent module (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an indexing star wheel (24) fixed to the first mobile (20) and an indexing positioning lever spring (28), the indexing positioning lever spring (28) cooperating with the indexing star wheel (24) to bring the first mobile (20) into the indexing position after each passage of the finger (105) of the month mobile (100).

12. The permanent module (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first lever (60) further comprises a tooth rake (74) arranged to engage with a toothing arrangement of the correction device.

13. A display module (200) for displaying a year, comprising a long-lasting module (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the third moving member (40) further comprises a second rotating member (47) arranged to be driven by a driven member (37) of the second moving member (30) at a rate of once every ten years, a shaft (50) fixed to the second rotating member (47), and a tube (44) arranged around the shaft (50) and fixed to the first rotating member (41), the display module (200) further comprising a units ring (210) fixed to the shaft (50) and a tens ring (220) concentrically arranged outside the units ring (210) and fixed to the tube (44).

14. A timepiece comprising the long-lasting module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or the display module (200) according to claim 13.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Clockwork movement provided with a perpetual calendar mechanism

    CH653841A3

  • Date mechanism

    EP3339973A1