A special type of ratchet pawl intermittent drive mechanism and timepiece

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of pure mechanical elastic pawl movement mechanism, specifically to a kind of special type ratchet pawl intermittent transmission mechanism and clock, including ratchet wheel and reciprocating gear rotatingly arranged on ontology, and elastic pawl is rotatably connected on ontology between the ratchet wheel and reciprocating gear;The elastic pawl is provided with the tooth on one end, and the tooth is meshed with reciprocating gear, and the other end of the elastic pawl is connected with pawl by elastic member, and the pawl is meshed with ratchet wheel;The pawl is always in contact with the ratchet tooth on ratchet wheel.The utility model is high frequency, long cycle, reliable life, and structure impact is small, under the action of reciprocating gear of external load, realize special type reciprocating transmission.The utility model elastic pawl and ratchet wheel constitute elastic mechanical transmission mechanism, realize external reciprocating motion to show in clockwise motion form, replace "rigid collision" with "flexible guide", and then realize special type mechanical compensation transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a purely mechanical elastic pawl motion mechanism, which relies on the geometry, elastic deformation and matching relationship of precision mechanical components to achieve high-frequency, long-period, and highly reliable intermittent motion. Specifically, it relates to a special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism and a clock. Background Technology

[0002] Common traditional ratchet and pawl mechanisms include escapement mechanisms and lever-type one-way clutches. They mainly have limitations such as unavoidable idle angle, easy jamming, large impact, and high noise, which limit their applicability.

[0003] In fields such as watchmaking, ratchet and pawl mechanisms are widely used due to their simple structure and reliable one-way non-reverse operation. Typical examples include the wheel chock and clutch mechanisms in watch escapements and lever-type one-way clutches. However, traditional ratchet and pawl mechanisms have the following inherent limitations in practical applications: ①Unavoidable idle stroke: The pawl needs to swing at a certain angle in the ratchet tooth groove before it can contact the tooth surface and drive the ratchet to rotate. This idle stroke angle causes a delay in the mechanism's response, affecting the timekeeping accuracy and real-time performance of the watch.

[0004] ② Risk of jamming: When the pawl return spring force is insufficient or the ratchet teeth are worn, the pawl is prone to jamming at the tooth tip or in the tooth groove, leading to mechanism failure.

[0005] ③ High impact and noise: The pawl impacts the ratchet teeth under the action of spring force, which produces obvious mechanical impact and noise, which is not conducive to quiet environment and long life application.

[0006] ④ Limited applicability: The above-mentioned defects make it difficult for traditional ratchet and pawl mechanisms to meet the needs of high-frequency counting, small torque drive, low noise and high reliability scenarios.

[0007] Taking a spring-loaded mechanical watch as an example, its timekeeping mechanism often adopts a ratchet and pawl structure. In actual use, it has been found that after frequent friction or long-term operation, the pawl and ratchet teeth will wear, resulting in increased idle travel. At the same time, under vibration or impact, the pawl is prone to disengage from the ratchet teeth, further reducing the timekeeping accuracy.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a purely mechanical elastic ratchet transmission mechanism that can eliminate idle travel, avoid jamming, reduce impact noise, and adapt to wide voltage and multi-frequency counting environments, in order to replace the traditional ratchet and pawl type advance scheme. Utility Model Content

[0009] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention provides a unique ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism that avoids the drawbacks of existing product technologies, such as impact and collision, and features high frequency, long cycle, reliable lifespan, and minimal structural impact. Under the action of reciprocating gears and reciprocating transmission under external loads, it achieves this function.

[0010] This utility model discloses a special type of ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism, which includes a ratchet and a reciprocating gear rotatably mounted on the main body, and an elastic pawl rotatably connected between the ratchet and the reciprocating gear on the main body. One end of the elastic pawl is provided with teeth that mesh with a reciprocating gear, and the other end of the elastic pawl is connected to a pawl that meshes with a ratchet via an elastic element. The pawl is always in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet.

[0011] Preferably, the teeth on the reciprocating gear and the teeth on the elastic pawl are meshed at 90° to transmit external reciprocating motion, while simultaneously changing the radial motion direction to the axial motion direction.

[0012] Preferably, the reciprocating gear has four teeth, and the elastic pawl has three teeth.

[0013] Preferably, the elastic element is an arc-shaped elastic element, with the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element protruding towards the side of the elastic pawl.

[0014] Preferably, a limiting block for limiting the arc-shaped elastic element is also fixedly provided on the main body. One end of the limiting block facing the arc-shaped elastic element is the elastic element limiting end to prevent the pawl from disengaging from the ratchet, and the other end of the limiting block is the upper limiting end of the teeth. The shape of the limiting end of the elastic element matches the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the limiting end of the elastic element abuts against the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the upper limit position, the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth.

[0015] Preferably, a backstop spring is also fixedly provided on the main body. The backstop spring is fixedly provided on one side of the main body of the elastic pawl, and the backstop spring and the limiting block are respectively located on both sides of the elastic pawl. One end of the anti-reverse spring is connected to an anti-reverse plate to prevent the ratchet from reversing. The anti-reverse plate is in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet, and the other end of the anti-reverse spring is the lower limit end of the teeth. The anti-reverse spring is also provided with an anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth, the pawl abuts against the anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the tooth abuts against the lower limit end of the tooth.

[0016] A clock or watch, comprising the aforementioned special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism.

[0017] This utility model features high frequency, long cycle, reliable lifespan, and low structural impact. Under the action of reciprocating gears and reciprocating transmission under external load, it achieves a special type of reciprocating transmission.

[0018] This utility model's elastic pawl and ratchet form an elastic mechanical transmission mechanism, enabling reciprocating motion to be expressed in a clockwise direction. It replaces "rigid collision" with "flexible guidance," thereby achieving a special type of mechanical compensation transmission.

[0019] Compared with the previous rigid ratchet drive, this utility model has a smoother transmission, higher reliability, less impact force, is easier to process, and is more economical.

[0020] The elastic pawl of this invention remains in close contact with the ratchet teeth in both static and working states, thus completely eliminating transmission backlash.

[0021] This utility model's elastic pawl is made of amorphous alloy and has characteristics such as high elasticity, ultra-high strength, and corrosion resistance.

[0022] This utility model of an elastic ratchet can achieve noiseless and smooth engagement and disengagement, and is particularly suitable for highly sensitive instruments.

[0023] This invention utilizes an elastic element to ensure that the working pressure of the pawl is always within the optimal range. When the elastic pawl wears out, the position of the elastic element can be finely adjusted to maintain an effective engagement depth and extend its service life. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of force analysis in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the initial position of this utility model.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the position where the elastic pawl and the limiting block of this utility model abut against each other.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the reset of this utility model.

[0029] Reference numerals: 1-Ratchet, 2-Elastic pawl, 3-Reverse stop spring, 4-Limit block, 5-Reciprocating gear; 101-First transmission hole, 102-Second transmission hole, 103-Third transmission hole; 201-First positioning hole, 302-Second positioning hole. Detailed Implementation

[0030] This utility model discloses a special type of ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism, which includes a ratchet 1 and a reciprocating gear 5 rotatably mounted on the main body, and an elastic pawl 2 rotatably connected between the ratchet 1 and the reciprocating gear 5 on the main body. One end of the elastic pawl 2 is provided with teeth that mesh with the reciprocating gear 5, and the other end of the elastic pawl 2 is connected to a pawl that meshes with the ratchet 1 via an elastic element. The pawl is always in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet wheel 1.

[0031] In one embodiment, the teeth on the reciprocating gear 5 are meshed with the teeth on the elastic pawl 2 at a 90° angle to transmit external reciprocating motion, while simultaneously changing the radial motion direction to the axial motion direction.

[0032] In one embodiment, the reciprocating gear 5 has four teeth, and the elastic pawl 2 has three teeth.

[0033] In one embodiment, the elastic element is an arc-shaped elastic element, with the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element protruding towards one side of the elastic pawl 2.

[0034] In one embodiment, a limiting block 4 for limiting the arc-shaped elastic element is also fixedly provided on the main body. One end of the limiting block 4 facing the arc-shaped elastic element is the elastic element limiting end to prevent the pawl from disengaging from the ratchet 1, and the other end of the limiting block 4 is the upper limiting end of the teeth. The shape of the limiting end of the elastic element matches the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the limiting end of the elastic element abuts against the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the upper limit position, the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth.

[0035] In one embodiment, a backstop spring 3 is also fixedly provided on the body. The backstop spring 3 is fixedly provided on the body on one side of the elastic pawl 2, and the backstop spring 3 and the limiting block 4 are respectively located on both sides of the elastic pawl 2. One end of the anti-reverse spring 3 is connected to an anti-reverse plate to prevent the ratchet 1 from reversing. The anti-reverse plate is in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet 1. The other end of the anti-reverse spring 3 is the lower limit end of the teeth. The anti-reverse spring 3 is also provided with an anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth, the pawl abuts against the anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the tooth abuts against the lower limit end of the tooth.

[0036] A clock or watch, comprising the aforementioned special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism.

[0037] The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] See appendix Figure 1-5As shown, this utility model includes a ratchet 1, an elastic pawl 2, a backstop spring 3, a limiting block 4, and a reciprocating gear 5; The ratchet 1 is provided with a first transmission hole 101, the elastic pawl 2 is provided with a second transmission hole 102, and the reciprocating gear 5 is provided with a third transmission hole 103 for transmission and positioning. The anti-reverse spring 3 is provided with three first positioning holes 201, and the limiting block 4 is provided with two second positioning holes 302 for fixing the anti-reverse spring 3 and the limiting block 4.

[0039] The limit block 4 can be used to prevent the elastic pawl 2 from overshooting and ensure the accuracy of the elastic pawl 2 during high-frequency motion. The anti-reverse spring 3 can prevent the ratchet 1 from reversing during high-frequency motion; The elastic pawl 2 is designed with three teeth at its end and the reciprocating gear 5 is designed with four teeth at its end. This meshing method is a vertical gear meshing transmission mechanism, which changes the traditional transmission direction. The elastic pawl 2 and ratchet 1 constitute a purely mechanical special type compensation transmission, which replaces "rigid collision" with "flexible guidance" to achieve a purely mechanical special type compensation transmission. Compared with the traditional rigid pawl transmission mechanism, the transmission is smoother, without impact or collision, easier to process, and more cost-effective.

[0040] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, in the transmission process of this utility model, the reciprocating gear 5 continuously provides high-frequency periodic reciprocating pendulum motion with the third transmission hole 103 as the rotation center. The four teeth at the end of the reciprocating gear 5 mesh with the three teeth at the end of the elastic pawl 2, pushing the elastic pawl 2 to move counterclockwise with the second transmission hole 102 as the rotation center. The pawl of the elastic pawl 2 is always in frictional contact with the ratchet 1. The ratchet 1 starts to make clockwise circular motion with the first transmission hole 101 as the rotation center, and the end of the elastic pawl 2 is limited by the anti-reverse spring 3 and the limiting block 4, thereby realizing a pure mechanical special type compensation transmission.

[0041] The elastic ratchet 2 features a precision structural design in its central section, consisting of a micro-thin-walled component with a wall thickness of only 0.1mm. Despite its thin cross-section, it maintains excellent structural strength, high resilience, and superior fatigue resistance, effectively balancing lightweight design with mechanical reliability. Specifically designed for harsh operating environments, the elastic ratchet 2 can operate stably for extended periods in severe military conditions. It can withstand high-frequency reciprocating motion, complex vibrations and impacts, and variable loads. During long-term cyclic operation, its structural dimensions remain stable, with no risk of plastic deformation, crack initiation, or fracture failure, meeting the requirements for high-frequency, long-cycle, and high-reliability continuous use.

[0042] In this typical application example, the reciprocating gear 5 pushes the end of the elastic pawl 2, and the elastic pawl 2 begins to rotate around the central axis; the pawl on the elastic pawl 2 begins to mesh with the ratchet 1, and pushes the ratchet 1 to rotate. During this process, the elastic pawl 2 bears the frictional force brought by the ratchet 1; when the ratchet 1 rotates 36°, it rubs against the anti-reverse spring, and at the same time, the elastic area of ​​the elastic pawl 2 deforms to the maximum extent. According to the action and reaction forces, the ratchet 1 bears the normal force of the elastic pawl 2. At this time, the entire system is in a static state, that is, the elastic pawl 2 and the anti-reverse spring 3, as well as the elastic pawl 2 and the pawl, are always in contact. Therefore, the entire transmission process presents a three-force equilibrium state and satisfies the following formulas ① and ②. The measured contact frictional resistance torque of the working surface of the elastic pawl 2 during the reset process is 3g to 4g, which is very small, thus reducing the energy loss during the transmission process. Formula ①; Formula ②; In the formula, F1 is the force exerted by the reciprocating gear 5 on the elastic pawl 2; F2 is the force exerted by the reciprocating gear 5 on the elastic pawl 2; F 压 The positive pressure of ratchet 1 on elastic pawl 2; f is the frictional force between ratchet 1 and elastic pawl 2; θ1 is the frictional force f Angle with the vertical axis; θ2 is the normal force F 压 Angle with the vertical axis; L1 is the lever arm for the pawl to drive ratchet 1; L2 is the lever arm of the reciprocating gear 5 that drives the pawl.

[0043] The existing automatic winding mechanism in watches uses a rigid pawl. When the pendulum rotates, the pawl pushes the ratchet 1. However, when it swings in the opposite direction, the travel distance is obvious, and there is a rigid impact between the pawl and the tooth surface of the ratchet 1. This results in large energy loss, obvious noise, and easy wear of parts, which seriously affects the winding efficiency and the life of the movement.

[0044] The successful application of this invention in the automatic winding mechanism of watches proves its ability to effectively eliminate idle travel, reduce impact noise, extend lifespan, and improve transmission efficiency. This structure can also be extended to minute counter mechanisms and calendar quick-set mechanisms in chronographs, which require unidirectional stepping and high reliability, making it a typical innovative example in the field of precision transmission in mechanical watches. A comparison of the performance parameters of existing automatic winding mechanisms and those incorporating this invention is shown in the table below: Table 1. Comparison of performance parameters between existing automatic winding mechanisms and automatic winding mechanisms including this utility model. 1 Empty trip There is a significant gap (approximately 5°~10°). Near-zero backlash, elastic preload eliminates gaps 2 Impact and noise Rigid collision between the pawl and the tooth surface generates significant noise. Elastic contact, buffering and energy absorption, extremely low noise 3 Wear life Tooth surface pitting, rapid deformation of the pawl Elastic deformation replaces sliding friction, reducing wear by more than 50%. 4 On-chain efficiency One-way is effective, reverse is a waste of energy. Partial energy recovery can be achieved in both directions, improving efficiency by 20%. .

Claims

1. A special type of ratchet-pawl intermittent transmission mechanism, comprising a ratchet and a reciprocating gear rotatably mounted on a body, characterized in that, An elastic pawl is rotatably connected to the body between the ratchet and the reciprocating gear; One end of the elastic pawl is provided with teeth that mesh with a reciprocating gear, and the other end of the elastic pawl is connected to a pawl that meshes with a ratchet via an elastic element. The pawl is always in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet.

2. The special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The teeth on the reciprocating gear are engaged with the teeth on the elastic ratchet at a 90° angle.

3. The special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The reciprocating gear has four teeth, and the elastic pawl has three teeth.

4. The special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic element is an arc-shaped elastic element, with the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element protruding towards the side of the elastic pawl.

5. The special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The main body is also fixedly provided with a limiting block for limiting the arc-shaped elastic element. One end of the limiting block facing the arc-shaped elastic element is the elastic element limiting end to prevent the pawl from disengaging from the ratchet, and the other end of the limiting block is the upper limiting end of the teeth. The shape of the limiting end of the elastic element matches the middle part of the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the limiting end of the elastic element abuts against the arc-shaped elastic element. When the tooth moves to the upper limit position, the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth.

6. The special type ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The main body is also fixedly provided with a backstop spring, which is fixedly provided on the main body on one side of the elastic pawl, and the backstop spring and the limiting block are respectively located on both sides of the elastic pawl. One end of the anti-reverse spring is connected to an anti-reverse plate to prevent the ratchet from reversing. The anti-reverse plate is in contact with the ratchet teeth on the ratchet, and the other end of the anti-reverse spring is the lower limit end of the teeth. The anti-reverse spring is also provided with an anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth abuts against the upper limit end of the tooth, the pawl abuts against the anti-overshooting platform. When the tooth moves to the lower limit position, the tooth abuts against the lower limit end of the tooth.

7. A clock, characterized in that, Including a special type of ratchet and pawl intermittent transmission mechanism as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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