REPETITIONING PERCENTAGE WITH INTEGRATED TRIGGER LOCK

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a new repeating striking mechanism having a special control mechanism and, in particular, being provided with a new coupled triggering and locking device.

[0002] Minute repeater striking mechanisms have been known since the Breguet era in the 18th century; they are designed to indicate the current time on demand using different tones. In the book Théorie d'horlogerie by Reymondin, Monnier, Jeanneret, and Pelaratti, pages 219-224, one of the best known examples of such a striking mechanism is illustrated. It uses two gongs, usually to strike the hours, then any quarter hours, and finally the remaining minutes. The striking mechanism is triggered by a so-called winding slide, which first winds the striking mechanism's mainspring using a rack that meshes with a pinion on the striking mechanism barrel cover. At the end of this slide's travel, the striking mechanism's operation is triggered, with the cooperation of, among other things, racks and relays determining the current time, which dictates the end of the slide's travel.

[0003] Document CH61476A discloses a watch movement with a repeating striking mechanism in which the striking mechanism is triggered by the movement of an intermediate wheel between the wheel meshing with an hour rack and a striking mechanism barrel.

[0004] Thus, unlike conventional watches with a repeater mechanism, the triggering of the striking mechanism is always linked to the winding of the modified, dedicated striking mechanism barrel, making it impossible to trigger the repeaters multiple times. The usability of such a striking mechanism is limited by the relatively high actuation force required to press the winding slide, which is typically done by a crown. The narrow shape of the slide can cause finger slippage, leading to incorrect operation.

[0005] There is no locking mechanism to prevent the striking mechanism from firing again while it is running, making its operation particularly tricky. While locking mechanisms are available for striking mechanisms, they usually have to be manually activated beforehand, for example, using a locking lever, to achieve the so-called muting function.

[0006] The present invention is based on the object of overcoming these disadvantages.

[0007] A way was sought to develop a watch with a minute repeater which, in contrast to the conventional and well-known watches with a repeater striking mechanism, allows the striking mechanism to be triggered multiple times without the mainspring of the striking mechanism having to be re-tensioned before each triggering, thus eliminating incorrect operation more efficiently.

[0008] This problem is solved starting from the preamble of claim 1 by the characterising features of claim 1.

[0009] The invention presented here makes it possible to automatically deactivate the trigger function of an actuating device after the first actuation until the striking mechanism has completed its cycle. This creates an integrated trigger lock, ensuring that a triggered sequence of the striking mechanism cannot be disrupted by any operating errors: a further triggering of the striking mechanism cannot be performed by the actuating device as long as the striking mechanism is running.

[0010] However, a watch equipped with a repeater striking mechanism according to the invention can strike this mechanism several times in succession, since its triggering is coupled with a trigger locking device, but at the same time is completely separate from the winding of a preferably dedicated striking mechanism barrel. Therefore, the mainspring of the striking mechanism only needs to be rewound after a certain number of repeating cycles.

[0011] The mainspring of the striking mechanism is tensioned by a separate device, allowing the repeater to be triggered multiple times. For haptic reasons, the triggering is preferably achieved via a pusher rather than a slider. Winding, however, may be performed via a conventional crown.

[0012] Activating the repeater with a pusher, as in chronographs, is more convenient for haptic reasons. The sliders used previously in the case required a distinct step to support the finger while winding the mainspring. If this step is not particularly clear and non-slip, it could cause the finger to slip, leading to incorrect operation. Installing a pusher into a watch case is significantly easier and requires a much simpler case construction than with a slider. Water and dust resistance are easier to achieve and guarantee with a pusher than with a slider.

[0013] By separating the tensioning of the striking mechanism barrel from the actuation of the striking mechanism, the actuation force required to actuate the barrel is significantly reduced, thus simplifying its activation. Therefore, a different winding mechanism, such as a conventional crown, can be used to wind the striking mechanism barrel, which is more suitable for this purpose than a slider.

[0014] This not only improves the reliability and robustness of the control mechanism for the percussion mechanism, but also its user-friendliness.

[0015] According to the invention, the trigger lock is implemented using a special trigger lever that is movable between a rest position and a working position and is preferably actuated by a pusher. In its rest position, the trigger lever blocks the free movement of a striking mechanism barrel, and in its working position, this movement is then enabled. Thanks to a tip attached to the trigger lever, it can be locked in its working position by a retaining pawl, thus preventing incorrect operation due to unwanted re-activations immediately after the pusher is actuated, while simultaneously triggering the striking mechanism.

[0016] According to this preferred embodiment, in the context of a minute repeater, the minute rack, which is the last to be driven by the striking mechanism control mechanism, may further comprise a release surface which cooperates with an adjusting eccentric to lift the stop pawl and thus enable the release lever to return to its rest position at the end of the striking mechanism cycle.

[0017] According to a preferred embodiment, the trigger lever further comprises a resilient element, preferably formed integrally with a main part, which, on the way between its rest position and its working position, determines the exact time to be struck by preferably rotating a ratchet cam to enable the falling of hooked racks onto their respective racks. This step then occurs independently of any winding step of a barrel, since the striking mechanism barrel is still blocked during this step.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the release lever further comprises a pin for locking the striking mechanism barrel in a blocking position. This pin preferably cooperates with another pin, preferably located on a wheel of a deceleration chain that is in the power flow path with the barrel. Thus, the locking mechanism has a modular design, requiring no modifications to the striking mechanism barrel.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, a sliding guide device provided with stop surfaces is further provided for the release lever so that the path between its rest position and its working position can be reliably repeated.

[0020] According to a preferred embodiment, two completely dedicated, separate kinematic chains are formed: one for winding the striking mechanism barrel between a winding mechanism and the striking mechanism barrel, and the other between an actuating mechanism for triggering the striking mechanism and the striking mechanism barrel. Thus, the entire control mechanism is entirely modular, and, for example, a conventional barrel and a corresponding winding mechanism for the striking mechanism could be used. Since common or conventional components can be reused, the proposed repeater striking mechanism is easier to integrate into a watch, thus reducing production costs.

[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the applied barrel no longer requires any special parts for its winding, for determining the current time, and for operating the striking mechanism. Completely separate time-determining and sequence programming devices are also designed in a modular manner, thus offering the same advantages in terms of compatibility, integration options, and reduced manufacturing costs. Because no additional elements need to be stacked on top of each other compared to conventional striking mechanism barrels, less vertical space is required on the mainplate to accommodate the entire striking mechanism module, allowing for an overall thinner movement.

[0022] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the subclaims and in the following description.

[0023] In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying figures, which relate to a new minute repeater striking mechanism and the most essential parts of the trigger and trigger locking device, in particular showing a trigger lever in its respective rest and working position at different sequences during the striking mechanism's operation, and illustrating separate trigger and winding gear chains.

[0024] The figures show in detail: Fig. 1 : a view of the winding gear chain of the striking mechanism barrel, and of the striking mechanism barrel's pay-out gear chain equipped with a pay-out regulator; Fig. 2A & 2BEach shows a view of a release lever in its rest position, highlighting the interaction of pins for the locking device of the striking mechanism barrel; and a more detailed sagittal section view along section direction AA of the pin arrangement; Fig. 3 a view of a trigger lever in its working position, with a further locking device for the trigger lock now highlighted; Fig. 4A & B: each a view of the device for releasing the various racks involved when the striking mechanism is triggered, so that they can determine the corresponding times by falling on their respective relay, and a detailed view of the relative position of the teeth of a rack with respect to the teeth of the program wheels during this process; Fig. 5: a view of the interaction of the racks with their respective program wheels during the operation of the striking mechanism, ie when the hammers are actually operated to strike the gongs; Fig. 6 a view of the same parts as Figure 4 & 5 , illustrating the release of the trigger lever as it returns to its rest position.

[0025] The following figures show the structure of the control mechanism with separate winding and triggering devices and the sequence of operations after triggering the striking mechanism, which brings this control mechanism into different states during the striking mechanism's operation.

[0026] On Figure 1On the right-hand side, a preferred embodiment of the winding device used to tension the striking mechanism is shown. By turning the winding stem 1.1 of a conventional crown 1, the winding gear chain 2 is set in a rotary motion. This winds a first mainspring 3 of the striking mechanism barrel 4. The first mainspring 3 is equipped with a slip bridle, as is known from a watch with an automatic winding mechanism. The same rotary motion also winds a second mainspring (not shown) of a movement barrel 40 of the watch; this is also equipped with a slip bridle. Thus, both mainsprings are wound by turning the winding stem until the respective slip moments are reached, and the power reserve is thus maximized, since the energy required for the striking mechanism is not reduced by the remaining power reserve.The advantage of the proposed combined winding mechanism is that the number of winding iterations is minimized; however, at the same time, the activation force required to rotate the crown is slightly increased.

[0027] The branch between the two winding chains occurs at the winding pinion 11, which serves as the intermediate link for winding both the striking mechanism and the movement. As a variant of the solution described here, it would be possible to tension the two mainsprings by rotating them in different directions on the winding shaft by inserting a freewheel mechanism on an intermediate wheel, or by creating a structure with two separate winding shafts.

[0028] On the left side of Figure 1A completely separate payback device for the striking mechanism barrel 4 is illustrated, which is completely decoupled from this winding mechanism. A driven gear 5 is directly engaged with the striking mechanism barrel 4. On this driven gear 5, aligned at a specific angle to one another, are three stacked program wheels 6, 7, and 8, which have stepped toothing and each mesh according to a different switching pattern. A payback gear chain 9, at the end of which is a payback regulator 10, is engaged with the driven gear 5. This payback regulator 10 can be a drum brake, a centrifugal governor, a magnetic governor, or another element that regulates the speed of the gear chain 9.

[0029] As on Figures 2A and 2BAs shown, thanks to the decoupling of the winding of the striking mechanism barrel and the triggering of the striking mechanism, this triggering can now be operated by a conventional pusher 0 instead of a slider. A completely separate kinematic chain compared to the other kinematic chain between Figure 1 The mechanism connecting the crown 1 shown and the striking mechanism barrel 4 has a release lever 12 which is actuated by the pusher 0 and is responsible for the operation of the striking mechanism barrel 4.

[0030] As on Figure 2A As shown, the free running of the barrel 4 in the rest position of the release lever 12 is prevented by two pins 14 and 15. The pin 14 is located in the radial movement circle of the pin 15 and thus blocks the rotation and the running of the gear chain 9. These two pins are described in detail on Figure 2Bwhich represents a sagittal section view along section direction AA of the mutual pin arrangement.

[0031] When the release lever 12 is pressed in the first direction of the arrow "a" by the push-piece 0, the pin 14 attached to the release lever 12 exits the radial movement of the pin 15, thus allowing the free running of the striking mechanism barrel 4. Such a modular arrangement of the unlocking device for the running of this barrel—i.e., the striking mechanism barrel 4—which exclusively involves elements external to the barrel, allows for continued use of conventional barrel structures that do not require any additional or modified parts. Thus, the proposed repeater striking mechanism is easier to integrate into a watch.

[0032] According to the Figure 2AIn the preferred embodiment shown, the release lever 12 further comprises two guide notches 13.1, in each of which a shoulder screw 13.2 is screwed for fastening to the work plate, and which limits the movement of the release lever 12 slidingly along the first arrow direction "a", which corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the guide notches 13.1. Thus, a sliding guide device 13 is formed between two stops, each of which defines a first so-called rest position and a second so-called working position. The rest position is on Figure 2A whereas the working position is Figure 3 shown, as indicated by the opposite position of the shoulder screw 13.2 in their respective guide notches 13.1.

[0033] Once the trigger lever 12 has reached its maximum operating position, it is held in this position by a pawl 16, which engages in a recess behind a retaining tip 12.2. Thus, the proposed control mechanism provides an additional locking device by ensuring an integrated trigger lock once the trigger 0 has been actuated. The trigger lever 12 will remain in its operating position until the end of the striking mechanism cycle, even if the trigger 0 is preferably returned to its rest position by a return spring, and could therefore be actuated again. However, such further actuation would then have no effect.

[0034] Figure 4A shows the effect of the sliding movement of the release lever 12 between its rest position and its working position. As shown in Figure 4AAs shown, the shoulder screws 13.2 are located centrally in the elongated openings of the guide notches 13.1. On the way to the maximum working position along the first arrow direction "a", the release lever 12 must overcome a restoring force exerted by the release return spring 12.3 along the second opposite arrow direction "a'". In doing so, the release lever 12 rotates a switching cam 17 in the third arrow direction "b" with a preferably integrally formed spring element 12.1, whereby the restoring force exerted by the switching cam spring 17.2 in the fourth opposite arrow direction "b'" must also be overcome. By this rotation of the switching cam 17, the three pawls lying one above the other, ie the first pawl 18, second pawl 19, and third pawl 20 are also rotated in the third arrow direction "b" and release the rakes lying one above the other, ie the first rake 21, the second rake 22, and the third rake 23.These three racks 21, 22, and 23 then fall in the direction of arrow "c," driven by a spring force, onto their respective racks. According to the preferred embodiment, the repeater strike mechanism consists of a minute repeater, and the three racks are each connected to hour, quarter, and minute indications. From the . Figure 4A Accordingly, the minute scale 24, quarter scale 25, and hour scale 26 emerge, which interact with the third rack 23, the second rack 22, and the first rack 21, respectively. According to the preferred embodiment shown, each rack is preferably provided with a hook, which is held in a locked position by a corresponding latch. Figure 4AOnly the hook 23.1 of the third rack 23 is illustrated, which interacts with the third pawl 20. The remaining hooks, which are located in other lower circuit diagrams, are hidden underneath. It can also be seen in this figure that the third rack 23 is provided with an internal toothing 23.2, which is to be driven by the minute program wheel 8, as will be explained later with the help of Figure 5 , which explains the process of the striking mechanism after determining the current time.

[0035] However, according to this preferred embodiment, the internal toothing 23.2 of the third rack 23, and indeed the internal toothing of all racks, must be able to pass the program wheels without being blocked. This is because, in this middle position of the trigger lever 12 between the rest position and the working position, the movement of the striking mechanism barrel 4 is still blocked by the pins—i.e., the first pin 14 and the second pin 15—and since the drive wheel 5 is in the power flow between the striking mechanism barrel 4 and the second pin 15, this wheel, and thus all the program wheels mounted on it, are also still blocked.

[0036] Figure 4Bshows the position in which the driven wheel 5 must be located so that neither the hour program wheel 6, nor the quarter program wheel 7, nor the minute program wheel 8 can prevent the racks from falling onto the scale. For this reason, the rest position of this driven wheel 5, depending on the rotational position of the second pin 15 and the gear ratios in the escapement gear, is already determined during assembly in such a way that no teeth are located in the lower angular segment of the program wheels. Thus, the inner teeth of the racks can never engage with the program wheels during this sequence of releasing the racks, but only later, when the striking mechanism barrel 4 is no longer blocked.

[0037] Before the release lever 12 has reached its maximum operating position, the spring element 12.1 releases the switching finger 17.1 of the switching cam 17. This finger moves due to the restoring force of the switching cam spring 17.2 shown opposite to the third arrow direction "b," i.e., in the fourth arrow direction "b'" into its rest position.

[0038] As already shown by Figure 3 As explained, the release lever 12 should be held in its maximum working position by the stop pawl 16 as soon as it has reached this position. The release lever 12 is now in such a position on the left side of Figure 5 , in which it allows the barrel to run freely.

[0039] The three program wheels mounted on the output wheel 5, i.e. the hour program wheel 6, the quarter program wheel 7 and the minute program wheel 8, transport in their rotational movement in the sixth arrow direction "d", i.e. the running direction of the striking mechanism barrel, one after the other, the first rack 21, the second rack 22, and finally the third rack 23 to their rest position, which they reach by lifting their respective first pawl 18, second pawl 19 and third pawl 20 with their hook and remain there after their engagement.

[0040] On the way to their rest position, the rakes move their respective first hammer levers 27, second hammer lever 28, third hammer lever 29 and fourth hammer lever 30, which in turn cause the first hammer 31 and the second hammer 32 to strike against the first gong 33 and the second gong 34, respectively. Such a configuration with two gongs is used on Figure 5Illustrated, where the hours are indicated by a certain first tone, then the quarter hours by a combination of the first tone with a second tone, and finally the minutes by the second tone alone. However, another configuration with, for example, only three levers, each controlled by a rack, and a dedicated hammer striking a respective gong, would also be conceivable within the scope of the present invention.

[0041] As on Figure 6As shown, an unlocking surface 23.3 arranged on the third rake 23 begins to lift the stop pawl 16 with the aid of an adjusting eccentric 35 shortly before the third rake 23 reaches its end position, where the hook 23.1 is again in engagement with the third pawl 20. For this purpose, the adjusting eccentric 35 is preferably formed on the opposite side of the pivot axis 16.1 of the stop pawl 16. The tip of the stop pawl 16 thereby moves away from the retaining tip 12.2 of the release lever 12. The release lever can then return to its rest position in the second arrow direction "a'" opposite to the first arrow direction "a", driven by the release return spring 12.3 (only partially shown here). The spring element 12.1, which drives the switching cam 17 when the striking mechanism is triggered, jumps back over the switching finger 17.1 in order to stand in front of it in the rest position of the trigger lever.

[0042] The mechanism has now returned to its original position and the repeater can be triggered again by pressing button 0.

[0043] In contrast to previously known repeaters, which, due to their design, require the mainspring of the striking mechanism to be rewound before each strike, the invention presented here makes it possible to have a clock with a repeater strike mechanism strike several times in succession. Only after a certain number of repeating cycles does the mainspring of the striking mechanism need to be rewound.

[0044] The proposed integrated trigger lock prevents the repeater from being triggered a second time while it is already striking, thus offering increased robustness and reliability, while the modular design of the trigger lock device allows the reuse of common parts of a movement (i.e. barrel & pushers), thus keeping manufacturing costs and integration costs in existing movements as low as possible.

[0045] However, those skilled in the art will understand from this description that the subject matter of the present invention encompasses other variants both for the release lock and for the decoupling between the release device and the winding device, and is not only adapted for a minute repeater but can be applied to all types of repeater mechanisms. In particular, the presented invention can be applied to all types of repeaters known in watchmaking, such as quarter repeaters or minute repeaters. Blocking the barrel could, for example, be achieved with the pivoting movement of a rocker that would engage directly with the external toothing of the barrel or another wheel, rather than through the cooperation of pins; conversely, locking the release lever in its working position could involve a pin instead of a point.The release device, which is intended to enable the release lever to return at the end of the striking mechanism's cycle, does not necessarily have to take the form of a release surface arranged on a minute rake and an adjustment eccentric, but generally has to be coupled to the very last control device actuated, so that this release only takes place after all the notes have been struck.

[0046] Activating the repeater with a conventional pusher (as in chronographs) is more convenient for haptic reasons than the sliders used previously, but other actuating mechanisms, such as a bezel that would then be rotated instead of pressed, would also be conceivable within the scope of the invention. The same consideration applies to the winding mechanism, which should not necessarily take the form of a conventional crown but could also be formed by another pusher, for example, with the sliding movement of the pusher then later being converted into a rotary movement in a gear chain.

[0047] The detailed preferred embodiment mentioned is therefore only an example and should not be interpreted as a limitation on the interpretation of the claims. LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0048] 0Pushpiece (preferred embodiment for the operating mechanism) 1Crown 1.1Winding stem 2Winding gear chain 3First mainspring (striking mechanism) 4Striking mechanism barrel 5Drive wheel 6Hour program wheel 7Quarter program wheel 8Minute program wheel 9Run-off gear chain 10Run-off regulator 11Winding pinion (intermediate link for the branch between striking mechanism and movement) 12Release lever 12.1Spring-loaded drive element (for switching cam 17) 12.2Retaining tip 12.3Release lever return spring 13Sliding guide device 13.1Guide notches 13.2Shoulder screws 14First pin 15Second pin 16Stop pawl 17Switching cam 17.1Switching finger 17.2Cam spring 18First pawl 19Second pawl 20Third latch 21First rake (hours) 22Second rake (quarters) 23Third rake (minutes) 23.1Hook 23.2Internal toothing 23.3Release surface 24Minute graduation 25Quarter graduation 26Hour graduation 27First hammer lever 28Second hammer lever 29Third hammer lever 30Fourth hammer lever 31First hammer 32Second hammer 33First gong 34Second gong 35Adjusting eccentric 40Drive barrel A-ASecuring axis for . Figure 2B aFirst arrow direction - Unlocking the barrel's travel aSecond arrow direction - Return force for the release lever bThird arrow direction - Release of the racks bFourth arrow direction - Return force for the switching cam cFifth arrow direction - Pivoting movement of the racks to their respective positions for time determination dSixth arrow direction - Striking mechanism barrel drive

Claims

1. Movement, comprising: - a repetition striking mechanism, comprising a striking mechanism barrel (4), and - a control mechanism, including: • an actuating member for releasing the said repetition striking mechanism, • a release blocking mechanism, which is automatically activated immediately after the release of the said repetition striking mechanism, and which is arranged in a kinematic chain between the said actuating member and the striking mechanism barrel (4), wherein the trigger blocking mechanism has a release lever (12) which is movable between a position of rest and a working position, and comprises a first pin (14) for blocking the running of the said striking mechanism spring housing (4) in the position of rest and for releasing the running of the said striking mechanism spring housing (4) in the working position, characterised in that the said release lever (12) is provided with at least one guide incision (13.1) into which an attachment screw (13.2) is inserted to form a sliding guide device (13).

2. Movement according to claim 1, wherein a running gear chain (9) is also arranged between the said actuating member and the striking mechanism barrel (4), characterised in that the said first pin (14) of the said release lever (12) cooperates with a second pin (15) mounted on a gear of said running gear chain (9), in order to block the running of the said striking mechanism barrel (4) in the position of rest and release the running of the said striking mechanism spring housing (4) in the working position.

3. Movement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the said release lever (12) further comprises a holding tip (12.2) which cooperates with a stop pawl (16) in order to lock said release lever (12) in the working position during the running of the striking mechanism barrel (4).

4. Movement according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the said release lever (12) further comprises a spring element (12.1) which is responsible for determining the exact time before the running of the said striking mechanism barrel (4) is enabled.

5. Movement according to claim 4, wherein the spring element (12.1) when travelling between the position of rest and the working position causes a pivoting movement of a switching cam (17) provided with pawls which are in engagement with hooks of racks in the position of rest, and thus allow the racks provided with hooks to fall onto their respective snails.

6. Movement according to claim 5, wherein the repetition striking mechanism is a minute repetition striking mechanism which allows 3 different chimes to ring respectively for the hours, quarter hours and minutes, characterised in that the control mechanism has three dedicated program gears for this purpose, namely an hour program gear (6), a quarter hour program gear (7), and a minute program gear (8), wherein the teeth of the said program gears engage respectively with the inner teeth of a first rack (21), a second rack (22), and a third rack (23), which fall respectively on an hour snail (26), quarter hour snail (25) and minute snail (24) for determining the time.

7. Movement according to claim 6, wherein the control mechanism comprises a modular driven wheel (5) which is in a power train between the striking mechanism barrel (4) and a running gear chain (9), on which the various program gears, i.e. the said hour program gear (6), the said quarter program gear (7), and the said minute program gear (8), are stacked, which each have graduated teeth and come into engagement with the inner teeth of the superimposed said first rack (21), second rack (22) and third rack (23) during a movement of the striking mechanism barrel (4), characterised in that the position of rest of the said driven wheel (5) when the striking mechanism barrel is blocked is determined depending on the position of the said first pin (14) and the transmission ratios of the said running gear train (9) such that the inner teeth of said first rack (21), second rack (22) and third rack (23) can move past the various program gears when the said racks (21, 22, 23) fall on their respective snails (24, 25, 26).

8. Movement according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the said third rack (23) has an unlocking face (23.3) cooperating with a setting eccentric (35) arranged on the stop pawl (16) as the said release lever (12) travels back from its working position to its position of rest, in order to lift the stop pawl (16) and thus allow the return of the said release lever (12) to its position of rest.

9. Movement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the control mechanism comprises completely separate kinematic chains on the one hand between the actuating member and a striking mechanism barrel (4), and on the other hand between a separate winding member and the said striking mechanism barrel (4).