Free gravity escapement for pendulum clocks, especially precision pendulum clocks

Abstract

Free gravity escapement (100) for pendulum clocks with a gear wheel (40) driven by a gear train with lifting surfaces (45) and rest surfaces (43), the wheel axis of which is perpendicular to the oscillation plane of the pendulum (1) and intersects its vertical axis, and with two weight levers (60, 61) arranged symmetrically to the vertical axis and wheel axis on the left and right sides, which can swing about the same oscillation axis as the pendulum (1), wherein the weight levers (60, 61) are temporarily and alternately raised by the pendulum during its upward swing along a shorter contact path and lowered during its downward swing along a longer contact path, and with a rocker carrying two timing elements (30, 31) which are alternately brought into oppositely inclined positions by the stepwise rotating gear wheel (40), which timing elements (30, 31) thereby lift the weight levers (60, 61) and, after being released by the weight levers (60, 61) carried along by the swinging pendulum (1), move forward to open the gear wheel (40), characterized by that an armature (20) is provided which has an armature track (23) extending symmetrically to the left and right, which is oscillatory, its oscillation axis running parallel to the axis of rotation of the gear wheel (40) and intersecting the vertical axis (71) and which engages in the gear wheel (40) for opening and closing via two armature pallets (22) and which, by means of the step-by-step rotation of the gear wheel (40), alternately tilts the armature track (23) into opposite inclined positions and holds it there in the rest positions of the gear wheel (40), wherein the time elements (30, 31) are provided on the left and right sides of the armature track (23), which can be rolled along the armature track (23), following the inclined position, and the armature (20), driven by the gravitational forces of the time elements (30, 31), can be pivoted.

Description

Technical area

[0001] Free gravity escapement for pendulum clocks, especially precision pendulum clocks. State of the art

[0002] Free gravity escapements for pendulum clocks, especially precision pendulum clocks, are well known. Free gravity escapements are characterized by the fact that the pendulum's oscillation is independent of the gear train drive or the rotation of the escape wheel. Fluctuations in the torque of the escape wheel, which arise from the geometric tolerances of the gear train components or from friction effects of the bearings and gears, have no influence on the pendulum's oscillation with a free gravity escapement. This distinguishes this type of escapement from the pendulum escapements widely used today, such as the simpler Graham escapement.

[0003] The usual operating principle of known gravity escapements comprises two weight elements arranged symmetrically to the left and right of the pendulum's vertical axis. In the context of this document, "left" refers to the spatial field that lies to the left of the pendulum's vertical axis when the escapement is between the observer and the vertical axis - or to the right accordingly. With a free gravity escapement, the pendulum swings freely on two blades around an axis of swing or suspended from pendulum springs around an axis of swing. During its left ascend, the pendulum lifts the left weight element in sections from the vertical axis to its left dead center. During its right ascend, the pendulum lifts the right weight element in sections in the same way. The distance traveled during contact between the pendulum and the weight element is called the contact path. During the ascend, the weight elements extract energy from the pendulum through the lifting process.As the pendulum swings down from its dead center, the weights alternately drive the pendulum and add energy to it. To keep the pendulum moving, the weights must add more energy than they remove.

[0004] This is achieved by making the contact paths a little shorter on the upswing than on the downswing, or by making the contact paths a little longer on the downswing than on the upswing. The weight elements therefore reach a lower lower end position during the downswing than the lower end position at the beginning of their upswing.

[0005] Basically, two groups of gravity escapements can be distinguished. The first group uses weight elements that are freely supported by the pendulum during contact with the pendulum. The weight elements have no contact with other surrounding components, but only with the pendulum. In the second group, the weight elements are referred to as weight levers because they are pivotally mounted upon contact with the pendulum, with their swing axis coinciding with the pendulum's swing axis.

[0006] In the prior art, various solutions from both groups are disclosed which are suitable for controlling the lower end positions of the weight elements in such a way that the contact paths are shorter during the upswing than during the downswing.

[0007] The additional features required for a precision pendulum clock to achieve outstanding accuracy will not be discussed in detail here, as they are not essential to the disclosure of this invention. Such features include, for example, a temperature-compensated pendulum, an airtight clock case to prevent air pressure fluctuations, and a rigid mounting of the clock in a low-vibration location.

[0008] Sigmund Riefler achieved a significant developmental step with a free gravity escapement, known as patent DE 272119 A. Riefler clocks with a free gravity escapement achieve outstanding accuracy of, for example, 0.005 seconds per day and are still among the most accurate mechanical precision pendulum clocks in the world.

[0009] Two weight elements, called weight levers, are mounted on the same oscillating axis as the pendulum, each of which contains a pallet. The pallets intermittently and alternately engage a gear wheel whose axis of rotation intersects the vertical axis of the pendulum and is perpendicular to the pendulum's oscillation plane. The gear wheel is driven by a gear train, which is driven, for example, by the force of a weight. The gear wheel has an integer number of rest surfaces and just as many lifting surfaces, arranged symmetrically around its axis of rotation. Gear wheels are also known that consist of a rest wheel with rest surfaces and a lifting wheel with lifting surfaces. These gear wheels are equivalent to one-piece gear wheels. The pendulum is equipped with a driver which, through the pendulum's oscillation, intermittently raises and lowers the weight levers, thereby displacing their pallets. On the upward swing to the left dead center, the driver takes with it the left weight lever, which has already been lifted by the gear wheel, and whose pallet rests on the lifting surface and on the rest surface of the gear wheel. Due to the further pendulum oscillation, the pallet of the left weight lever is now lifted off the gear wheel, causing the gear wheel to open and begin its rotational movement. The pendulum takes the left weight lever with it until it reaches the left dead center, at which point the pendulum's movement reverses and the downward swing begins.Due to the interim rotation of the gear wheel, the pallet of the right weight lever is lifted from a lifting surface until a resting surface is reached and the gear wheel comes to rest. Since the position of the gear wheel has changed in the meantime due to its rotational movement, the left weight lever swings a little further downwards during the pendulum's downward swing until its pallet hits a lifting surface. Its contact path during the downward swing is therefore longer than during its upward swing. When the pendulum swings up to the right, the pallet of the right weight lever is lifted from the resting surface of the gear wheel in the same way as on the left side. After the gear wheel is opened by the pivoting movement of the right weight lever, the gear wheel begins to rotate, whereby the left weight lever is now lifted over its pallet from the lifting wheel until a resting surface hits the pallet and the gear wheel stops.

[0010] The left weight lever is lifted by the gear wheel without the pendulum participating in this movement (i.e., it is free), because the left weight lever is not in contact with the pendulum swinging to the right or its follower. The movement of the right weight lever during its downward swing is also stopped by its pallet resting on a lifting surface of the gear wheel. When the pendulum passes the vertical axis, the oscillation cycle is completed.

[0011] Even though Riefler's free gravity escapement, with its simple and robust design, has the great advantage of supplying energy to the pendulum through evenly acting weight levers, it still has the disadvantage that the opening of the escapement wheel is accomplished by the pendulum via the pallets. The forces required for this vary, albeit minimally, with the drive torque of the escapement wheel, because opening is only possible by overcoming the holding forces between the pallet and the resting surface. This means that energy is withdrawn from the pendulum in the brief moment during the opening of the escapement wheel, albeit only minimally. Since the period duration / precision of time is directly dependent on the energy supply to the pendulum, this version of the free gravity escapement cannot be considered entirely free.

[0012] Another gravity escapement was developed by Hermann Goertz and known as the bell escapement (source: Die Uhrmacherkunst No. 31 of July 29, 1938, pp. 412-416). In this solution, the weight elements are designed as bells, which gave the escapement its name. Cantilever arms are mounted on the left and right sides of the pendulum, at the ends of which two spikes are attached, mirror-symmetrically to the vertical axis. The bells hang loosely via eyelets on two anchor arms of an anchor. The pivot bearing of the anchor intersects the vertical axis of the pendulum and has two pallet arms with two pallets that engage with a gear wheel. When the pendulum is at rest, the spikes are below the bells without making contact with them. As the pendulum swings up to the left dead center, the left bell is lifted by a spike, causing the eyelet of the bell to lose contact with the anchor arm.

[0013] Because the eyelet of the right bell continues to hang on the anchor arm, the asymmetrical weight of the right bell causes the anchor to pivot clockwise, opening the escape wheel via the right pallet. The rotation of the escape wheel then causes the anchor to pivot counterclockwise via the left pallet, lowering the left anchor arm and causing the right anchor arm to raise the right bell. During the downswing, the spike loses contact with the left bell when its eyelet hits the left, lowered anchor arm. This means that the contact path between the bell and the pendulum is longer during the downswing than during the upswing. The processes during the right-hand ascent of the pendulum occur in the same way.

[0014] The great advantage of this solution is that the opening of the escape wheel is not triggered by the pendulum, but by a bell hanging from the anchor arm, while the other bell is freely suspended from the anchor on a pendulum spike as it swings upwards. This means that no energy is drawn from the pendulum to open the escape wheel. A disadvantage of this operating principle, however, is the high pressure load on the pallets on the escape wheel caused by the alternating one-sided weight force of the bells. The lifting of one bell by the anchor always occurs at the moment the other bell is free from the anchor, i.e. against its full weight. The high pressure load shortens the service life of the escape wheel and requires regular cleaning and maintenance of the friction surfaces.Another disadvantage is that the position of the extended contact paths during the downswing cannot be freely selected or adjusted, as the operating principle dictates that the bells are a sufficient distance from the pins (when the pendulum is at rest). This is the only way to ensure that when one bell is raised, the other bell can fall "freely" and does not hit the pin. The extended contact path in this escapement is therefore not symmetrical to the vertical axis, but is located in the downswing area, well away from the vertical axis. From a physical point of view, however, the position of the extended contact path close to the vertical axis is advantageous.

[0015] The published patent application DE 10 2007 051 292 A1 describes a device for a free gravity escapement in which no energy is extracted from the pendulum to open the escapement. In this escapement, the energy is supplied in the same way as described above, by two weight elements designed as weight levers. The pendulum is attached to the pendulum springs, and the two weight levers are each pivotably mounted on the weight lever springs, which are designed to oscillate around the same oscillation axis. This ensures that no harmful sliding friction occurs at the contact points between the pendulum and the weight levers, which could cause uncontrolled energy losses.The escapement is opened by alternately lifting the weight levers from the pendulum, thereby releasing the support levers, whereby the support levers and the ratchet wheel shafts with cutouts pivot and thus release the escapement cams, whereby the ratchet wheels of the pendulum clock's gear train are alternately opened. The energy consumption of the pendulum to the weight lever during the upswing depends solely on the design of the weight levers and is entirely independent of the mechanism of the support levers. Although the weight levers rest on the support levers until lifted by the pendulum, no energy is extracted from the pendulum to swing the support levers. Lifting the weight levers is sufficient to release them.

[0016] However, the disadvantages of this state-of-the-art technology are the high mechanical complexity and the operating principles used, which lead to increased sensitivity to wear and increased maintenance costs over years of operation. Compared to the previously mentioned state of the art, the number of escapement components is significantly increased. This complex device requires two ratchet wheels with two ratchet wheel bearings, two support levers with two ratchet wheel shafts with two cutouts, two support lever bearings and four support lever stops, two escapement cams, two return cams, two rocker cams, a rocker with two rocker springs, two lifting pins and a rocker bearing, and two weight levers with two stops and the weight lever bearings.

[0017] The weight levers are lifted via the lifting pins in the rocker, which are intermittently moved by the rocker cams. The support levers are intermittently moved by the return cams. Constant sliding friction occurs between all cams and their respective movement partners, placing the highest demands on permanently effective lubrication. Over years of continuous operation, the aging of the lubricants represents a chronic weak point of wear and failure, which can only be counteracted with regular maintenance. In this respect, the invention discloses a clever operating principle for triggering the escapement solely by the pendulum lifting the weight levers. However, this compromise requires significantly greater mechanical and maintenance costs.

[0018] DE 10 2019 008 008 B3 describes a gravity escapement with two weight elements and a rest bar. This mechanism requires no energy to be extracted from the pendulum to open the escapement wheel, allowing the pendulum to swing completely free from the fluctuating influences of the gear train. The weight elements are designed as weight levers.

[0019] Each weight lever has a lifting pin that is temporarily raised by the lifting wheel of the gear wheel. The rest beam has two rest pallets that alternately engage with the rest wheel of the gear wheel. The weight levers are raised and lowered in sections as the pendulum swings up and down. As the weight levers swing down, their contact with the pendulum is broken the moment the weight levers come into contact with the rest beam. The pendulum overtakes the descending weight lever and swings freely. The continued downswing of the weight levers now displaces the rest beam with its rest pallets, thus opening the rest wheel. The rotation of the gear wheel lifts the descending weight lever from the lifting wheel. The rotation is stopped by the engagement of a rest pallet with the rest wheel when it reaches a resting surface until the next opening.The process of opening the gear wheel is carried out by the weight levers during a period in which the pendulum swings freely.

[0020] This state of the art technology has the advantage of being simple and enabling long-term, low-maintenance operation, with no energy being drawn from the pendulum to open the gear wheel.

[0021] However, since the weight levers in this invention have two essential functions: firstly, ensuring the desired energy supply to the pendulum and secondly, driving the rest bar to open the escapement wheel, the design of the geometry and weight of this system is demanding. For example, redesigning the weight levers or the rest bar may be necessary if the clock's operation is moved from the normal environment to a vacuum chamber, which is preferred for high-precision clocks to eliminate pressure fluctuations. This is disadvantageous. The energy requirement of the pendulum when operated in a vacuum chamber is several times lower, and thus the energy supply to the weight levers must also be adjusted accordingly. DE 10 2020 000 652 B3 discloses a gravity escapement with weight levers and escapement wheel, the escapement wheel of which is opened and closed by the pallets of a rest bar.Furthermore, a rocker is provided, which is alternately tilted in opposite directions by the gear wheel. Two timing elements are supported on the left and right sides of the rocker, which can roll along it. The timing elements raise the weight levers at the moment the rocker tilts.

[0022] As the pendulum swings upwards, the weight levers are carried along and thus release the time elements, whereby they move forward, driven by gravity, following the inclination and thereby pivoting the rest bar to open the gear wheel.

[0023] The advantage of this state-of-the-art technology is that no energy is drawn from the pendulum to open the escapement wheel. Releasing the timing elements located below the weight levers does not draw any energy from the pendulum. However, the interlocking of the five moving components – escapement wheel, rest beam, timing elements, and rocker – places extremely high demands on the precision of the components and the skill required during assembly, thus limiting their industrial applicability. To illustrate the high sensitivity of the systems described above, the outstanding precision achieved with rate deviations of, for example, 0.005 seconds per day will be briefly highlighted here: In one day, the pendulum swings 86,400 times (60 s x 60 min x 24 h) and travels a distance of 80 mm at the bottom of the pendulum in one swing, i.e. a total of around 6,912 m.

[0024] A rate deviation of, for example, 0.005 seconds per day means a travel error of 0.4 mm based on the distance traveled, which corresponds to an error of 0.0000058%. Further improvements in accuracy therefore require operating principles of the highest quality and consistency over years. Object of the invention

[0025] The invention is based on the object of creating a simple, low-maintenance escapement that is reliable over many years and completely isolated from the pendulum by the pallets. Furthermore, the object is to further improve the achievable accuracy of a pendulum clock. Solution to the task

[0026] The solution to the problem is defined by the features of the claims.

[0027] According to the invention, the free gravity escapement comprises two weight elements or levers, two timing elements, an anchor with anchor pallets and anchor track, and a gear wheel. The movements of the gravity escapement are determined by the swinging of a pendulum in conjunction with the latter.

[0028] The weight elements or levers are intermittently and alternately in contact with the pendulum and participate in its upswing and downswing. The anchor pallets of the anchor engage intermittently and alternately with the gear wheel and serve to open and close it. The armature track is tilted alternately to the left and right of the vertical axis by its gradual rotation.

[0029] A right-hand timer and a left-hand timer are supported by the anchor track and are alternately lifted when the track tilts, causing the timers to alternately lift their respective weights or levers. Furthermore, the timers, through their movement along the anchor track, serve to open the escapement wheel via the anchor.

[0030] The axis of the gear wheel intersects the vertical axis of the pendulum and is perpendicular to the pendulum's oscillation plane. The gear wheel has rest surfaces and lifting surfaces. The pendulum oscillates around an oscillation axis. Knife-edge bearings or oscillating springs have proven suitable for the pendulum.

[0031] Very good accuracy is achieved with knife-edge bearings, in which the pendulum, swinging on sharp edges, rolls on a hard surface. The type of bearing used for pendulums can be considered equivalent within the meaning of the invention.

[0032] In gravity escapements with weight elements, the weight elements are only in contact with the pendulum along the contact path with the pendulum and are therefore free from other components.

[0033] In gravity escapements with weight levers, the weight levers are mounted so that their swing axis coincides with the swing axis of the pendulum. This ensures that no friction occurs at the contact point between the pendulum and the weight lever, which would cause undefined energy consumption on the pendulum.

[0034] The weight elements or weight levers are arranged mirror-symmetrically to the vertical axis of the pendulum. The escapement wheel is driven by a typical gear train with a constant drive torque. Individual shafts of the gear train can be equipped with hands, thus indicating, for example, minutes and hours. The functions of the right-hand components of the escapement correspond to those of the similar left-hand components.

[0035] The weight elements or levers, alternately lifted by the time elements, are carried along by the pendulum as it swings upwards. The alternating lifting of the time elements is in turn achieved by the tilting of the armature track into the inclined positions. The contact between the weight elements or levers and the time elements causes the time elements to clamp for a brief moment. When the pendulum begins to swing upwards, the time elements are released again and move along the inclined armature track, driven by gravity.

[0036] Since at times only one timing element is released and starts moving, while the other timing element is at rest, the torque on the armature around its oscillation axis increases due to the weight forces of the timing elements acting asymmetrically on the armature track in such a way that the forces required to open the gear wheel by the armature pallets are exceeded and the gear wheel opens as a result. As the escape wheel rotates, the armature pallets are displaced from their lifting surfaces, tilting the armature and thus the armature track into an opposite inclined position. The escape wheel stops again when a resting surface comes into contact with the armature pallet. After the pendulum reaches its dead center, the weight elements or levers alternately drive the pendulum on its downward swing until the weight elements or levers are stopped by stationary plate spikes and the pendulum continues to swing freely. The extent to which the weight elements or levers are lifted by the time elements corresponds to the shortening of the contact paths during the upward swing compared to the contact paths during the downward swing and thus determines the amount of energy supplied to the pendulum.

[0037] The entire functional sequence of the time elements and the anchor is completely isolated from the pendulum. The lifting of the weight elements or levers by the pendulum triggers the recurring functional sequence of the time elements, anchor and escapement wheel without any energy being drawn from the pendulum. When the pendulum is in contact with its surroundings, energy is only drawn away by the lifting of the weight elements or levers during the upward swing and by minimal air and bearing friction. This energy is more than compensated for by the extended contact path of the weight elements or levers during the downward swing. This operating principle eliminates the existing disadvantages of opening the escapement wheel by drawing energy from the pendulum. The essential advantage of the invention is that the energy for opening the escapement wheel comes from the time elements and not from the pendulum. The pendulum can be considered completely free, as it only moves with the weight elements or levers.-levers that are only subject to gravity. Irregularities in the gear train, the gear wheel, and the rest pallets cannot, according to the invention, be transferred to the pendulum.

[0038] The oscillation cycle is explained in more detail below: Starting with an oscillation that begins at the moment the pendulum is at the position of its vertical axis, it moves clockwise to the left at its maximum speed. The pendulum is driven by the right weight element or lever only until it strikes a stationary plate spike and loses contact with the pendulum.

[0039] On its upward swing to the left dead center, the pendulum takes with it the left weight element or lever, which has already been lifted by the left time element, and thereby breaks its contact with the time element. The left time element, resting on the armature track, now accelerates, driven by gravity, and rolls guided by the armature track in the direction of the vertical axis until it hits the left plate bracket. The displacement of the left time element thereby reduces its torque on the armature, because the lever arm of the weight force of the time element on the armature track is shortened as a result. The opening of the escape wheel by the right armature pallet occurs at the moment the torque on the armature exceeds the holding forces between the armature pallet and the escape wheel. Upon reaching a resting surface, the left armature pallet stops the rotation of the escape wheel shortly afterwards.Through the gradual rotation of the escapement wheel, the anchor and with it the anchor track tilts from its left-hand inclined position (left side facing upwards) to the right-hand inclined position (right side facing upwards). The left time element now rolls back along the anchor track to the left, while the right time element is lifted, thereby lifting the right weight element or lever. The contact force of the right weight element or lever is sufficient to prevent the right time element from rolling down the inclined anchor track. After reaching the left dead center, the downswing begins and the pendulum swings counterclockwise to the right. The pendulum only loses contact with the left weight lever when this strikes a stationary plate spike. During the upswing to the right, the pendulum picks up the right weight element or lever.-lever and thereby releases the right timer, which now begins to roll on the armature track in the direction of the plumb line, driven by gravity.

[0040] The escapement wheel is opened by the displacement of the left pallet for anchors, driven by the pivoting of the anchor, driven by the right timer. The subsequent rotation of the escapement wheel causes the anchor and thus the anchor track to tilt again, raising the left timer and thereby lifting the left weight element or lever, and causing the right timer to roll back to the right. After reaching the right dead center and swinging down to the vertical axis, the anchor and the timers remain at rest for a short time. With the pendulum beginning to swing up to the left, the recurring oscillation cycle is completed.

[0041] When using the gravity escapement with weight levers, the invention provides that the weight levers rest on two weight lever spikes supported on weight lever sockets, with the swing axis of the weight levers coinciding with the swing axis of the pendulum. Mounting the weight levers on weight lever spikes is advantageous because it has practically no measurable friction, thus eliminating the need for bearing lubrication. Decades of maintenance-free operation are easily possible.

[0042] When used in gravity escapements with weight elements that are free along the contact path with the pendulum, i.e., have no contact with other components, the invention provides that the weight elements are always supported by three contact points that span a triangle, with the center of gravity of the weight element located within the triangle. This ensures that a weight element always rests securely and its geometric position is clearly defined. Depending on the oscillation cycle, a weight element is temporarily supported by three plate spikes, or three pendulum spikes, or a timing element and two anchor spikes. The lifting of the weight elements before they are taken over by the pendulum is carried out by a time element and two anchor spikes, which are firmly mounted on the anchor track.

[0043] A further embodiment of the invention provides for individual, multiple, or all of the rods (pendulum rods, plate rods, anchor rods) to be adjustable in the axial direction, thereby achieving adjustability of the transfer locations of the weight elements or levers, and thus the length and position of the extended contact path between the pendulum and the weight elements or levers. Ultimately, this allows the degree of energy supply to the pendulum to be adjusted.

[0044] An outstanding advantage of the invention is that the angular range in which the energy supply of the weight elements or levers to the pendulum takes place can be set exactly symmetrically to the vertical axis, i.e. it starts the same distance before the vertical axis (e.g. +0.1°) as it ends after the vertical axis (e.g. -0.1°). In this way, the accelerating effect of an energy supply during the downswing is compensated by a slowing effect of an equal amount of energy supply during the upswing, thus creating optimal conditions for achieving isochronism of the pendulum.

[0045] Armature tracks consisting of two parallel rods have proven particularly advantageous. Rods with the highest straightness and surface quality made of extremely hard materials such as ceramic or carbide are available at low cost and offer the ideal, wear-free contact partner for spherical timers.

[0046] Furthermore, it has proven advantageous to provide the gear wheel with a second hand that rotates once every minute. Description of the characters

[0047] The figures used to explain the embodiments show: Fig. 1 Free gravity escapement with weight levers and pendulum in three-dimensional view. Fig. 2 Free gravity escapement with weight lever, pendulum and scale in frontal view. Fig. 3a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers and pendulum in lateral and frontal view. Fig. 4a, b, c Simplified view with weight levers and circuit board in spatial, frontal and lateral views. Fig. 5a, b Simplified view with pendulum and circuit board in spatial and frontal view. Fig. 6a, b, c Simplified view with anchor, gear wheel and plate in spatial, frontal and lateral view. Fig. 7a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum swinging to the left at a pendulum position on the vertical axis at 0°. Fig. 8a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum swinging to the left at a pendulum position of 0.2°. Fig. 9a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum swinging to the left at a pendulum position of 0.5°. Fig. 10a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum swinging to the left at a pendulum position of 1°. Fig. 11a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum position at the left dead center. Fig. 12a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum swinging to the right at a pendulum position on the vertical axis at 0°. Fig. 13a, b Free gravity escapement with weight levers with details in frontal view with a pendulum position at the right dead center. Fig. 14 Diagram sheet of a pendulum with a total oscillation range of 1.4° (±0.7°). Fig. 15a Free gravity escapement with weight elements and pendulum in three-dimensional view. Fig. 15b, c Free gravity escapement with weight elements and pendulum in frontal view and top view. Fig. 16a, b Simplified view with pendulum and circuit board in spatial and lateral view. Fig. 17a, b Simplified view with anchor, gear wheel and plate in spatial and lateral view. Fig. 18a, b Simplified view with weight elements and board in spatial and lateral view. Fig. 19 Weight element in a view of its underside. Ways of implementing the inventionFigure 1

[0048] Fig. 1 shows an escapement 100 with parts of a pendulum 1 and with the escapement wheel 40.

[0049] For greater clarity, this and subsequent figures do not depict other functionally necessary components that do not contribute to the disclosure of the invention or are obvious and already known from the prior art. These components include, for example, the case for housing and supporting the pendulum clock, a gear train for driving the escape wheel with bearings and plates, hands connected to the gear train (minute hand, hour hand) and a dial for displaying the time, and other known parts of the clockwork.

[0050] The gear wheel 40 consists of the rest wheel 42 with rest surfaces 43 and a lifting wheel 44 with lifting surfaces 45. These wheels are firmly connected to a rotatably mounted gear wheel shaft 41, on which the gear wheel 47 and the second hand 46 are also mounted. The gear wheel 47 is driven by the gear train. The gear train and the bearing of the gear wheel shaft 41 are hidden for clarity.

[0051] The pendulum 1 is only partially visible, with the pendulum rod 2 and its pendulum pin 4 resting in the pendulum head 5. The pendulum head 5 is mounted for swinging in pendulum sockets 9 via invisible pendulum blades. The pendulum weight is not visible in this figure. Pendulum spikes 8 are screwed into the ends of the pendulum arms 6. To prevent contact between the pendulum spikes 8 and the plate 15, the plate 15 is provided with recesses.

[0052] The armature with the armature arm 21 engages the gear wheel 40 via the armature pallets 22. The armature arm 21 is pivotally mounted in the armature bracket 25 via the armature joint 24. The armature bracket 25, in turn, is firmly connected to the plate 15. The armature track 23, which runs symmetrically on both sides of the vertical axis, is mounted in the lower area of ​​the armature.

[0053] The armature track 23 consists of two parallel bars which carry and guide the timing element 30 on the left side and the timing element 31 on the right side. The rolling movement of the timing elements 30, 31 along the armature track 23 is limited by the plate pins 17 and the plate brackets 18. Furthermore, two adjustable plate spikes 16 are screwed into the plate 15.

[0054] The weight levers 60, 61 are each supported by two weight lever spears 62, which are pivotally mounted in the weight lever socket 63. The swing axis 70, only partially shown, is the common swing axis for the two weight levers 60, 61 and the pendulum 1.

[0055] The step-by-step rotation of the gear wheel 40 leads to the alternating tilting of the anchor into a slight inclined position, which causes the alternating lifting of the time elements 30, 31. The inclined position of the anchor remains in the rest position of the gear wheel 40. The weight levers 60, 61 are thus alternately raised by the time elements 30, 31.

[0056] The ascending pendulum 1 alternately takes over the weight lever 60, 61 lifted by the time elements 30, 31 with its pendulum pins 8, whereby the time elements 30, 31 are released and, driven by gravity, roll along the anchor track 23 towards the anchor bracket 25. The anchor opens the escape wheel 40 after the imbalance of the lever forces of the time elements 30, 31 on the anchor has become so great that the force required to open the escape wheel 40 by the anchor pallets 22 is exceeded. Figure 2

[0057] Fig. 2 shows the escapement 100, the gear wheel 40 and the pendulum 1 in front view, with the pendulum rod 2 shown interrupted.

[0058] The pendulum 1 is at rest on the vertical axis 71. At the lower end of the pendulum rod 2 is the pendulum weight 3, which carries the pendulum tip 11 at its lower end. For easy reading of the pendulum deflection, the pendulum tip 11 points to a fixed scale 50, which has an angular scale.

[0059] Pendulum 1 rests on an invisible knife-edge bearing. Plate 15 supports the knife-edge bearing and also parts of escapement 100.

[0060] The axis of rotation of the gear wheel 40 intersects with the vertical axis 71 and is perpendicular to it. Figure 3a

[0061] Fig. Figure 3a shows the escapement 100, the escape wheel 40 and parts of the pendulum 1 in a side view.

[0062] Not all components already described in the previously disclosed figures are described again here and in the following figures in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.

[0063] Two pendulum blades 7 are mounted in the pendulum head 5, which are mounted in the pendulum sockets 9 so as to swing around the same oscillation axis 70. The right pendulum arm 6, visible in this view, extends to the escapement 100.

[0064] The weight lever 61 rests on the weight lever spikes 62, which are pivotally mounted about the same swing axis 70 as the pendulum.

[0065] The anchor pallet 22 engaging in the rest wheel 43 and the lifting wheel 44 is held by the anchor arm 21. Figure 3b

[0066] Fig. Figure 3b shows the escapement 100, the escape wheel 40 and parts of the pendulum in front view.

[0067] Visible from the pendulum are the pendulum head 5, pendulum rod 2, and the pendulum arms 6 with the pendulum spikes 8. The pendulum spikes 8 penetrate the plate 15 without touching it. A head is formed at the lower end of the pendulum spikes 8, which provides a good grip and allows for secure axial adjustment. The adjacent plate spikes 16 are of identical design.

[0068] The armature track 23 carries the two timing elements 30, 31. Barely visible, the armature track 23 assumes a slightly inclined position, in which the left timing element 30 is raised and in contact with the weight lever 60, and the right timing element 31 assumes a lower position in which there is no contact with the weight lever 61. The weight lever 61 rests on the pendulum spike 8.

[0069] The gear wheel 40 is closed by the right anchor pallet 22. Figure 4a

[0070] Fig. Figure 4a shows a three-dimensional view of the components of the weight levers and the circuit board.

[0071] The reduction of the representations to only a few components in this patent application serves to make the structure of the invention easier to understand, since the high component density would otherwise result in components and parts being optically hidden by other components.

[0072] The weight levers 60, 61 are pivotally mounted on the weight lever pins 62 and rest on the circuit board pins 16. The weight lever socket 63 is firmly connected to the circuit board 15 and accommodates the weight lever pins 62 in tapered sockets. The contact points each form a triangle, so that the weight levers rest in a stable position without the possibility of tipping. The circuit board pins 17 and the circuit board brackets 18, which serve to limit the rolling movement of the timing elements (not shown), are firmly mounted to the circuit board 15.

[0073] The circuit board 15 has recesses 19 through which components of the pendulum pass without having contact with the circuit board 15. Figure 4b

[0074] Fig. 4b shows the front view of the Fig. 4a. The symmetrical arrangement of the components is clearly visible.

[0075] The sinker pins 16 are in contact with the weight levers 60, 61 via a point contact. Figure 4c

[0076] Fig. 4c shows a side view of the Fig. 4a.

[0077] The pendulum pans 9 added here are firmly mounted on the plate 15 and shown cut in the middle so that the pan base is visible. The swing axis 70 runs in this socket base, which also runs through the socket base of the weight lever sockets 63, which are also shown in section in the middle. Figure 5a

[0078] Fig. Figure 5a shows a three-dimensional view of components of the pendulum and the circuit board.

[0079] The pendulum head 5 rests in the pendulum sockets 9, swingable via the pendulum cutting edges 7. The pendulum arms 6 projecting to the left and right sides carry the pendulum spikes 8. The pendulum spikes 8 and the pendulum rod 2 penetrate the plate 15 without touching it, since plate recesses 19 are provided. Figure 5b

[0080] Fig. 5b shows the front view of the Fig. 5a.

[0081] The pendulum spikes 8 are easily accessible from the underside of the circuit board 15 and can be easily adjusted from there. The pendulum is completely symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis 71. Figure 6a

[0082] Fig. Figure 6a shows a three-dimensional view of the armature 20, the timing elements 30, 31 and components of the circuit board 15.

[0083] The anchor 20 consists of the anchor arm 21, the anchor pallets 22, the anchor track 23, the anchor joint 24 and the anchor bracket 25. The anchor arm 21 is pivotally mounted in the anchor bracket 25 via the anchor joint 24.

[0084] The two timing elements 30, 31 are supported and guided by the armature track 23. The rolling movement of the timing elements 30, 31 is limited by the circuit board pins 17 and the circuit board brackets 18. Figure 6b

[0085] Fig. 6b shows the front view of the Fig. 6a.

[0086] The armature track 23 lies on a horizontal plane, which does not occur during operation of the pendulum clock. The timing elements 30, 31 are supported by the armature track 23 and rest on the circuit board pins 17. Figure 6c

[0087] Fig. 6b shows a side view of the Fig. 6a.

[0088] The armature pallets 22 engage with the idle wheel 42 and the lifting wheel 44 of the gear wheel 40. The right timing element 31 is carried by the armature track 23 and rests on the plate pin 17. Figures 7a to 13b

[0089] The Fig. Figures 7a to 13a show the escapement, the escape wheel, and the upper part of the pendulum in front view, as well as enlarged details thereof. In the upper left detailed view, the area of ​​the upper left anchor pallet 22 is shown at three times the magnification, the upper right correspondingly. In the lower left detailed view, the area around the timer 30 is shown at double the magnification, the lower right correspondingly with the timer 31. Fig. 7b to 13b show the lower part of the pendulum and the scale, shown in reduced size.

[0090] The Fig. 7 to 13 differ in the different positions and directions of swing of the pendulum, which serve to explain the processes of the pendulum clock along the oscillation cycle. Figure 7a and Figure 7b

[0091] The pendulum swings to the left and is currently on the vertical axis 71 at 0°, it now goes into the upswing 81.

[0092] The right anchor pallet 22 rests against the rest wheel 42, whereby the anchor track 23 is tilted so that its right end points downwards and its left end points upwards.

[0093] The timing element 30, lifted by the armature track 23, has lifted the weight lever 60 above the contact point 90. The pendulum pin 8 and the plate pin 16 have an open contact point 91 on the left side to the weight lever 60. The weight lever 61 drives the pendulum at the contact point 90 via the pendulum pin 8. The weight lever 61 has an open contact point 91 to the timing element 31 and the right plate pin 16. Figure 8a and Figure 8b

[0094] The pendulum swings to the left and is currently at an angle of 0.2° (relative to the vertical axis).

[0095] Unchanged to Fig. 7, the gear wheel is at rest. In this pendulum position, the left pendulum pin 8 just makes contact 90 with the weight lever 60 and takes over for the upward swing. The timing element 30 just makes contact 90 with the weight lever 60. A little later, the contact between the weight lever 60 and the timing element 30 breaks, and the timing element 30 is released. On the right side, the sinker pin 16 just takes over the weight lever 61 at contact 90, which is just still in contact 90 with the pendulum pin 8.

[0096] In this pendulum position, the weight lever 60 is transferred from the timing element 30 to the pendulum pin 8 on the upswinging side, and the weight lever 61 is transferred from the pendulum pin 8 to the plate pin 16 on the downswinging side. At this moment, the release of the timing element 30 causes it to roll along the armature track 23. Figure 9a and Figure 9b

[0097] The pendulum swings to the left and is currently at an angle of 0.5° (relative to the vertical axis).

[0098] Unchanged to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the gear wheel is at rest. The timing element 30 is in the rolling motion 83 and has already moved away from the circuit board pin 17; the open contact point 91 to the weight lever 60 exists. The left pendulum rod 8 lifts the weight lever 60 by its upward swing. On the right side, the weight lever 61 rests on the circuit board skewer 16; it has an open contact point 91 to the timing element 31 and the right pendulum skewer 8. Figure 10a and Figure 10b

[0099] The pendulum swings to the left and is currently at an angle of 1° (relative to the vertical axis).

[0100] The left timing element 30 is in rolling motion 83 and has already moved far away from the plate pin 17. The timing element 31 remains at rest on the plate pin 17. Due to the gravitational forces exerted on the armature track 23 by the two timing elements 30, 31, the torque of the armature around the armature joint increases so strongly that the opening forces on the armature pallet 22 exceed the holding forces between the armature pallet 22 and the idler wheel 42, opening the escape wheel.

[0101] The gear wheel has just been opened by the right-hand armature pallet 22, causing the armature track 23 to reach its maximum inclination. The left-hand armature pallet 22 is just coming into contact 90 with the lifting wheel 44. At this moment, lifting begins due to the clockwise rotation of the gear wheel. Figure 11a and Figure 11b

[0102] The pendulum is currently at its left dead center at an angle of 1.5° (relative to the vertical axis) and then goes into the downswing 80.

[0103] The gear wheel has been stopped by the left armature pallet 22 via contact 90 to the rest wheel 42 and is at rest. The weight lever 60 has reached its maximum lift by being lifted via contact 90 to the left pendulum pin 8. The timing element 30 is in contact with the plate bracket 18. The armature has been Fig. 7 to 10 are tilted, with the armature track 23 now running downward on its left side and upward on its right side. This lifts the timing element 31, and from there, via contact 90, also the weight lever 61. The left timing element 30 now begins its rolling movement 83 toward the left. Figure 12a and Figure 12b

[0104] The pendulum swings to the right and is currently on the vertical axis 71 at 0°, it now goes into the upswing 81.

[0105] The left armature pallet 22 rests against the rest wheel 42, and the gear wheel is at rest. The weight lever 60 drives the pendulum via the pendulum pin 8; it has an open contact point 91 to the left plate pin 16 and the timer 30. The weight lever 61 continues to rest on the timer 31 via the contact 90 and has an open contact point 91 to the right plate pin 16 and the right pendulum pin 8. Figure 13a and Figure 13b

[0106] The pendulum is currently at its right dead center at an angle of -1.5° (relative to the vertical axis) and then goes into the downswing 80.

[0107] Analogous to the Fig. 8 to 10, the described processes of transferring the weight levers 60, 61 and opening and closing the gear wheel have already taken place at -0.2°, -0.5° and -1°.

[0108] The gear wheel has been stopped by the right armature pallet 22 via contact 90 to the rest wheel 42 and is at rest. The weight lever 61 has reached its maximum lift by being lifted via contact 90 to the right pendulum pin 8. The timing element 31 is still in contact with the plate bracket 18. The armature has been stopped as in Fig. 7 is tilted, with the armature track 23 now running downward on the right side and upward on the left side. This lifts the timing element 30, and from there, via contact 90, also the weight lever 60. The timing element 31 now begins its rolling movement 83 toward the right.

[0109] With the downswing 80, when the pendulum reaches the vertical axis, the complete oscillation cycle is completed, which repeats itself incessantly. Figure 14

[0110] Fig. Figure 14 shows a diagram sheet 200, which shows three diagrams whose axes have the same scale. The abscissas indicate time in seconds, and the ordinates indicate the oscillation path in degrees.

[0111] The upper diagram shows the sinusoidal oscillation curve of a pendulum swing over a period of approximately 2 seconds. At a pendulum position of 0°, the pendulum is on the vertical axis. Since the vertical axis is crossed every full second, diagram sheet 200 represents a recording of a 1-second pendulum. The left dead center is reached at a pendulum swing of 0.7°, and the right dead center at -0.7°. Therefore, this diagram sheet 200 represents a recording of a pendulum adjusted differently than in the Fig. 7 to 13, where the dead points of the pendulum are at ±1.5°.

[0112] Another diagram, located below the upper diagram, shows the curve of a left-hand weight lever. When the pendulum swings 0.1° to the left, it hits the left weight lever and carries it along at the same speed as the pendulum itself. Until it reaches the left dead center at 0.7°, or after 0.5 seconds, the weight lever draws energy from the pendulum.

[0113] Only during the downswing from 0.7° to an angle of -0.1° does the left weight lever supply energy to the pendulum. The supply of energy in the angular range from 0.7° to 0.1° compensates for the energy required to raise the left weight lever from 0.1° to dead center. Only the energy supply during the downswing from 0.1° to -0.1° represents an energy surplus and serves to continuously drive the pendulum. At -0.1° the left weight lever hits a plate spike, which ends contact with the continuing swinging pendulum. The lifting of the left weight lever to an angular value of 0.1° by the left time element occurs after the pendulum has reached its right dead center after 1.5 seconds. The raised left weight lever remains at rest until the pendulum swings back up to the left.

[0114] A lower diagram shows the curve of a right weight lever, which is shifted by exactly 1 second to the curve of the left weight lever and, due to the symmetrical but reversed movement sequences, is mirrored about the abscissa.

[0115] The inventive design shown in this diagram adds energy to the pendulum every second in an angular range of 0.2° (-0.1° to 0.1° and 0.1° to -0.1°), which serves to maintain its permanent operation.

[0116] An energy supply that is uniformly distributed around the vertical axis represents an ideal, since an accelerating effect of the weight levers from 0.1° to 0° on the descending pendulum is completely compensated by the decelerating effect of the weight levers from 0° to -0.1° on the ascending pendulum, thus achieving an energy supply without changing the amplitude and the pendulum acceleration, which is the prerequisite for isochronism. Figure 15a

[0117] Fig. 15 shows an escapement 100 with parts of a pendulum 1 and with the escapement wheel 40.

[0118] The armature with armature arm 21 engages with the gear wheel 40 via the armature pallets 22. The armature arm 21 is pivotally mounted in the armature bracket 25 via the armature joint 24. The armature bracket 25 is in turn firmly connected to the plate 15. In the lower area of ​​the armature, the armature track 23, which runs symmetrically on both sides of the vertical axis, is mounted. The armature track 23 consists of two parallel rods, which carry and guide the timing element 30 on the left side and the timing element 31 on the right side. Anchor spike holders 27 are attached to the left and right sides of the armature track 23, into each of which two armature spikes 26 are screwed. The rolling movement of the timing elements 30, 31 along the armature track 23 is limited by the plate pins 17 and the plate brackets 18. Furthermore, three adjustable board spikes 16 are screwed into the board 15 on the left and right sides.

[0119] The weight elements 64, 65 rest intermittently and alternately on three plate spikes 16, three pendulum spikes 8, or on two anchor spikes 26 and the time elements 30, 31. The arrangement of the contact points is chosen such that the weight elements always rest on three points arranged in a triangle.

[0120] The step-by-step rotation of the gear wheel 40 causes the armature to alternately tilt into an inclined position, thereby alternately raising the timing elements. The inclined position of the armature remains intact when the gear wheel is in the rest position. The weight elements 64, 65 are thus alternately raised by the timing elements 30, 31 and the armature spikes 26.

[0121] The swinging pendulum 1 alternately takes over the weight elements 64, 65 lifted by the time elements 30, 31 and the anchor spikes 26 with its pendulum spikes 8, whereby the time elements 30, 31 are released and, driven by gravity, roll along the anchor track 23 in the direction of the anchor bracket 25.

[0122] The anchor opens the gear wheel 40 after the imbalance of the lever forces of the time elements 30, 31 on the anchor has become so great that the force for opening the gear wheel 40 by the anchor pallets 22 is exceeded. Figure 15b

[0123] Fig. 15b shows the escapement 100, the escape wheel 40 and parts of the pendulum in front view.

[0124] The pendulum head, pendulum rod, and pendulum arms 6 with the pendulum spikes 8 are visible. The pendulum spikes 8 penetrate the plate 15 without touching it.

[0125] The armature track 23 carries the two timing elements 30, 31. Barely visible, the armature track 23 assumes a slightly inclined position, in which the left timing element 30 and the left armature spikes 26 are raised and in contact with the weight element 64, and the right timing element 31 assumes a lower position in which there is no contact with the weight element 65. The weight element 65 rests on the three right pendulum spikes 8. Figure 15c

[0126] Fig. 15c shows the escapement 100, the escape wheel 40 and parts of the pendulum 1 in a top view.

[0127] The pendulum arms 6 engage under the weight elements 64, 65 on the left and right sides. Figure 16a

[0128] Fig. 16a shows a three-dimensional view of components of the pendulum 1 and the circuit board 15.

[0129] The pendulum head rests in the pendulum sockets 9, swingable via the pendulum cutting edges 7. The pendulum arms 6 projecting to the left and right sides each carry three pendulum spikes 8. The pendulum spikes 8 and the pendulum rod 2 penetrate the plate 15 without touching it, since plate recesses 19 are provided. Figure 16b

[0130] Fig. 16b shows the front view of the Fig. 16a.

[0131] The pendulum spikes 8 are easily accessible from the underside of the circuit board 15 and can be easily adjusted from here. Figure 17a

[0132] Fig. 17a shows a three-dimensional view of the armature 20, the timing elements 30, 31 and components of the circuit board 15.

[0133] The anchor 20 consists of the anchor arm 21, the anchor pallets 22, the anchor track 23, the anchor spike holders 27, the anchor spikes 26, the anchor joint 24 and the anchor bracket 25. The anchor arm 21 is pivotably mounted in the anchor bracket 25 via the anchor joint 24.

[0134] The two timing elements 30, 31 are supported and guided by the armature track 23. The rolling movement of the timing elements 30, 31 is limited by the circuit board pins 17 and the circuit board brackets 18. Figure 17b

[0135] Fig. 17b shows a side view of the Fig. 17a.

[0136] The armature pallets 22 engage with the gear wheel 40. The right-hand timing element 31 is supported by the armature track 23 and rests against the plate pin 17. Visible in this view, the armature spikes 26 are mounted symmetrically to the timing element 31 in the armature spike holder 27. Figure 18a

[0137] Fig. 18a shows a three-dimensional view of the weight elements 64, 65 and components of the circuit board 15.

[0138] The weight levers 64, 65 each rest on three circuit board pins 16. The contact points each form a triangle, so that the weight elements 64, 65 rest in a stable position without the possibility of tipping. The circuit board pins 17 are firmly mounted to the circuit board 15. Figure 18b

[0139] Fig. 18b shows a side view of the Fig. 18a. In the left part of the figure, the pendulum pans 9 are visible.

[0140] The sinker pins 16 are in contact with the weight lever 65 via a point contact. Figure 19

[0141] Fig.Figure 19 shows a weight element 64, which, when tilted, reveals its underside. To securely hold the weight elements on the anchor spikes, the plate spikes, and the pendulum spikes, the weight elements have weight element sockets 66 into which the spikes are inserted. This ensures that the weight elements are always stably aligned in the defined position. List of reference symbols 1 pendulum 2 pendulum rod 3 pendulum weight 4 pendulum bolts 5 pendulum head 6 pendulum arm 7 pendulum cutting edge 8 pendulum skewer 9 pendulum pan 11 Pendulum tip 15 circuit boards 16 sinker skewer 17 PCB pin 18 circuit board brackets 19 Circuit board recess 20 anchors 21 Anchor arm 22 anchor pallet 23 anchor track 24 Anchor joint 25 anchor trestle 26 anchor spike 27 anchor spike holders 30, 31 time element 40 speed gear 41 Gear shaft 42 Rest wheel 43 rest areas 44 Lifting wheel 45 lifting surface 46 second hand 47 gear 50 scale 60, 61 Weight lever 62 Weight lever skewer 63 Weight lever pan 64, 65 weight element 66 Weight element pan 70 Swing axle 71 plumb line 72 Scale marking at dead center 80 downturn 81 Upswing 83 Rolling movement 90 Contact 91 open contact points 100 Gravity Inhibition 200 diagram sheets

Claims

[1] Free gravity escapement (100) for pendulum clocks with a gear wheel (40) driven by a gear train with lifting surfaces (45) and rest surfaces (43), the wheel axis of which is perpendicular to the oscillation plane of the pendulum (1) and intersects with its vertical axis, and with two weight levers (60, 61) arranged symmetrically to the vertical axis and wheel axis on the left and right sides, which can swing about the same oscillation axis as the pendulum (1), whereby the weight levers (60, 61) are temporarily and alternately raised by the pendulum during its upward swing along a shorter contact path and lowered during its downward swing along a longer contact path, and with a rocker carrying two timing elements (30, 31) which are alternately brought into oppositely inclined positions by the stepwise rotating gear wheel (40), which timing elements (30, 31) thereby lift the weight levers (60, 61) and, after being released by the weight levers (60, 61) carried along by the swinging pendulum (1), move forward to open the gear wheel (40), characterized by , that an armature (20) is provided which has an armature track (23) extending symmetrically to the left and right, which is oscillatory, its oscillation axis running parallel to the axis of rotation of the gear wheel (40) and intersecting the vertical axis (71) and which engages in the gear wheel (40) for opening and closing via two armature pallets (22) and which, by means of the step-by-step rotation of the gear wheel (40), alternately tilts the armature track (23) into opposite inclined positions and holds it there in the rest positions of the gear wheel (40), wherein the time elements (30, 31) are provided on the left and right sides of the armature track (23), which can be rolled along the armature track (23), following the inclined position, and the armature (20), driven by the gravitational forces of the time elements (30, 31), can be pivoted. [2] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 1, characterized by that the weight levers (60, 61) are pivotably mounted in weight lever sockets (63) via weight lever spears (62). [3] Free gravity escapement (100) for pendulum clocks with a gear wheel (40) driven by a gear train with lifting surfaces (45) and rest surfaces (43), the wheel axis of which is perpendicular to the oscillation plane of the pendulum and intersects with its vertical axis, and with two weight elements (64, 65) arranged symmetrically to the vertical axis and wheel axis on the left and right sides, which are temporarily and alternately completely taken up by the pendulum (1) and are raised along a shorter contact path during its upward swing and are lowered along a longer contact path during its downward swing and are then completely released by the pendulum (1), characterized by , that an armature (20) is provided which has an armature track (23) extending symmetrically to the left and right, each with two armature spikes (26), which is pivotally mounted, with its swing axis running parallel to the axis of rotation of the gear wheel (40) and intersecting the vertical axis (71), and which has two armature pallets (22) which engage in the gear wheel (40) for opening and closing and which, through the step-by-step rotation of the gear wheel (40), alternately tilts the armature track (23) into opposite inclined positions and holds it there in the rest positions of the gear wheel (40), wherein the armature track (23) carries two timing elements (30, 31) on the left and right sides, which can be rolled along the armature track (23), driven by gravity, following the inclined position, wherein the tilting of the armature track (23) alternately lifts the timing elements (30, 31) and as a result the respective weight element (64, 65) can be lifted in conjunction with two armature spikes (26), wherein the timing elements (30, 31) can be released by the pendulum (1) alternately lifting the weight elements (64, 65) and then the armature (20) can be pivoted by the timing elements (30, 31) to open the gear wheel (40). [4] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 3, characterized by that the weight elements (64, 65) can always be carried or lifted via three contact points and its center of gravity lies within the triangle spanned by the three contact points. [5] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by that plate skewers (16) and pendulum skewers (8) are provided, of which individual, several or all are adjustable. [6] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 3, characterized by that the anchor spikes (26) are adjustable. [7] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by that the sections of the longer contact paths of the pendulum (1) during the downswing lie in an angular range symmetrical to the vertical axis on the left and right sides of the same size. [8] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 3, characterized by that the armature track (23) is formed by two parallel bars. [9] Free gravity escapement (100) according to claim 1 or 3, characterized by that the gear wheel (40) is provided with a second hand (46) which rotates once every full minute.

Images