Winding device for horological movement of watch

Abstract

To provide a winding device for a horological movement capable of simplifying the positioning of a watch.SOLUTION: An apparatus 10 for winding a horological movement of a watch 20 includes an electronic module 13 configured to control a motor 14 kinematically connected to a drive member intended to rotate a winding member of the watch 20. The apparatus 10 includes a support 11 for the watch 20 formed by a body having a central element 110 and at least one side element 111 that are arranged at a distance from each other so as to form a recess 118 intended to receive a strand 21 of a bracelet of the watch 20, such that the central element 110 and the side element 111 are adapted to apply opposing forces to the strand 21 so as to ensure that the strand 21 is held in the recess 118.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of watchmaking, and more particularly to a device for winding a watch movement in a wristwatch.

[0002] The winding device is designed to wind a mechanical watch movement. [Background technology]

[0003] Devices for winding the watch movement keep it running even when the watch is not worn by the user. To this end, these devices act on a winding button or an oscillating weight to tighten the mainspring during winding, depending on the type of watch movement fitted to the watch. In detail, the winding button is driven in rotation by a gripping member provided for this purpose, as described in US Pat. No. 5,399,621, or the watch case is driven in rotation to pivot the oscillating weight, as described in US Pat. No. 5,399,621.

[0004] All winding devices in the prior art require the watch whose movement is to be wound to be placed on a support provided for this purpose to ensure that the watch is held in place during winding, an operation that is typically relatively cumbersome for the user.

[0005] To do this, the user must remove the removable support, typically called a "cushion," from the bed in the device, then manipulate the watch to close and tension its bracelet around the support, and then replace the support enclosed by the watch back onto the bed.

[0006] Another drawback of existing winding devices is that the supports are not adapted to all watch bracelet lengths, which is particularly detrimental for bracelets with a folding clasp: if the bracelet is too short, it cannot close around the support, and if it is too long, the watch will not be held in place as it is not tensioned by the support.

[0007] An object of the invention is to simplify the positioning of a watch in a winding device.

[0008] Another object of the invention is that the support allows the bracelet to be easily adapted to any watch regardless of the bracelet length to which it can be tensioned. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 1220061 [Patent Document 2] European Patent Application Publication No. 1489470 Summary of the Invention

[0010] To this end, the invention relates to a device for winding a watch movement, comprising an electronic module configured to control a motor kinematically connected to a drive member intended to rotate a winding member of the watch, the device comprising a support for the watch connected to the drive member, the support being formed by a body having a central element and at least one side element arranged at a distance from each other to form a recess intended to receive a strand of a watch bracelet, said central element and said side element being adapted to apply opposing forces to said strand to ensure that said strand is held in said recess.

[0011] In particular embodiments, the invention may further include one or more of the following features, taken alone or in any technically possible combination:

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the recess is defined by an inner flank of the side element, the inner flank having a concave cross-section, and an outer flank of the central element, the outer flank having a convex cross-section.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the central element is interposed between two side elements that are arranged relative to the central element to form two recesses each intended to receive one strand of a watch bracelet, the central element and the side elements being adapted to apply a frictional force to the strand to hold it in the recess.

[0014] In a particular embodiment, the central element has an end referred to as the "rear end" opposite an end referred to as the "front end", the front end of the central element being arranged between two opposing ends of the side elements and intended to receive a watch case to be supported.

[0015] In certain embodiments, the rear end has a greater capacity for elastic deformation when compressed than the front end.

[0016] In a particular embodiment, the device includes a base on which the supports are arranged, the central element having a stopper forming a rear end, the stopper being removably attached to the base and configured to occupy at least two discrete positions, in each of the discrete positions the stopper being arranged a different distance from the front end.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the drive member is formed by a mobile part of a base arranged in a cradle, the cradle being formed by a fixed part of a base, the fixed part having an internal volume in which the electronic module and the motor are housed, the mobile part of the base being connected to the motor so as to be driven in a reciprocating rotary motion.

[0018] In a particular embodiment, the drive member is formed by a connecting member intended to rotate the winding button of a watch to wind the watch movement. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of example and not of limitation, which refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a device for winding a watch movement of a wristwatch according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention and a wristwatch inserted into said device; [Diagram 2] 2 shows a schematic top view of the support of the device of FIG 1. The support comprises a central element having a rear end which, when compressed, has a greater capacity for elastic deformation than its front end, the rear end being in a rest position. [Diagram 3] Figure 3 shows a schematic top view of the support shown in figure 2. The rear end is stressed by a watch bracelet arranged on the support. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1. The support is arranged on a base which includes a number of holes for fastening stoppers for the central element. [Diagram 5] 5 shows a perspective view of the device of FIG. 4. A stopper is fastened to one of the holes in the base. [Figure 6] Figure 2 shows diagrammatically a front view of the device shown in Figure 1. The base comprises a mobile part arranged to be rotatable in a cradle in a fixed part of the base. [Figure 7] 1 shows a schematic front view of a device according to another embodiment of the invention, the device comprising a connecting member intended to rotate the winding button of a watch.

[0021] It is noted that for reasons of clarity, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] The present invention relates to a device 10 for winding a timepiece movement of a wristwatch 20, a preferred embodiment of which is shown in FIGS.

[0023] As shown, the device 10 comprises a support 11 for a watch 20. This support 11 is intended to be fastened to a base 12 and to hold a watch 20 with a time movement to be wound. The support 11 is formed by a body having a central element 110 and at least one side element 111 arranged at a distance from each other to form a recess 118 for receiving a strand 21 of a bracelet of the watch 20. That is to say, the recess 118 extends from the base 12, which constitutes the rear side of the recess 118, to an insertion opening through which the strand 21 is intended to be engaged in order to fasten the watch 20 to the support 11.

[0024] In particular, the central element 110 and the side elements 111 are adapted to apply opposing forces to the strands 21 such that the strands 21 are securely clamped in the recesses 118. These forces are indicated by arrows in Figure 3. In other words, the strands 21 are held in the recesses 118, and thus to the support 11, by frictional forces resulting from being subjected to a clamping force.

[0025] The recess 118 is more precisely defined by the inner flank 112 of the side element 111 and the outer flank 113 of the central element 110. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner flank 112 of the side element 111 has a concave cross-section and the outer flank 113 of the central element 110 has a convex cross-section, as shown in particular in figures 2 and 3. This arrangement helps to hold the watch 20 better in a fixed position on the support 11, since it creates a lot of friction for the strand 21 engaged in the recess 118.

[0026] The side elements 111 are arranged at a specified distance from the central element 110 so that the cross section of the recess 118 is constant so that the forces that the strand 21 is intended to receive are distributed, or so as to create a local zone where the distance between the side elements 111 and the central element 110 is minimum so as to locally create a reduction in the cross section of the recess 118 so as to cause a concentration of stress on the strand 21.

[0027] Preferably, a central element 110 is interposed between two side elements 111 so as to hold in position two opposing strands 21 of the bracelet of the watch 20, as shown in Figures 1 to 7.

[0028] In particular, in FIG. 1, an arrow indicates the direction in which the strand 21 of the watch 20 engages with the recess 118 through an opening for inserting the strand 21 in order to fasten the watch 20 to the support 11.

[0029] The central element 110 preferably has an oval cross section and extends between two ends, one of which, called "rear end" 114, has a narrower shape than the other, called "front end" 115. The front end 115 is intended to support the case 22 of the watch 20, in particular the back side of the case 22, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 to 7.

[0030] Advantageously, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 3 to 7, the case 22 of the watch 20 is intended to rest in the space separating the two opposite ends of the side element 111. This feature allows the user to always observe the display member 23 of the watch 20, which shows a time value, such as the current time.

[0031] In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3, rear end 114 has a greater capacity for elastic deformation when compressed than front end 115.

[0032] In detail, the rear end 114 of the central element 110 has a relatively high elastic deformation capacity, while the front end 115 is substantially non-deformable. For the sake of illustration, Fig. 2 shows the rear end 114 diagrammatically, and Fig. 3 shows the rear end 114 diagrammatically in a position subjected to compressive stress from the bracelet of the watch 20. Thanks to the inventive features of this embodiment, the installation of the watch 20 on the support 11 is very easy, and the central element 110 can be adapted to any dimension of the bracelet of the watch 20.

[0033] In detail, to place the watch 20 on the support 11, all that is necessary is to close the bracelet of the watch 20, then compress the rear end 114 of the central element 110 with the bracelet, engaging the strands 21 in the respective recesses 118 so as to bring the case 22 of the watch 20 to rest against the front end 115 of the central element 110, as shown in Figure 3. Such an operation can advantageously be carried out with only one hand. The watch 20 is thus held by the frictional force experienced by the strands 21 and by the elastic return force generated on the bracelet by the rear end 114 tending to return to its rest position.

[0034] Thanks to the recess 118 defined by the side elements 111 and the central element 110, it is also possible to leave the bracelet of the watch 20 open, as shown in FIG. 1, in which case the watch 20 is held only by the frictional forces experienced by the strand 21.

[0035] Alternatively, in the embodiment of the invention shown in figures 4 and 5, the central element 110 may include a stopper 116 forming the rear end 114. This stopper 116 is configured to be removably fastened to the base 12 so as to occupy at least two discrete positions, one of which is further from the front end 115 than the other one. This means that the support 11, and in particular the central element 110, can be adapted to any size of a bracelet of the watch 20.

[0036] 5, the stoppers 116 are connected to a fixed portion of the central element 110, including the front end 115, via extension ties 117. The extension ties 117 are arranged on either side of the central element 110 and are formed, for example, by elastically deformable strips of material having an undulating shape.

[0037] The stopper 116 can be fastened to the base 12 by any suitable removable fastening solution. As an example, the stopper 116 can be provided with a pin intended to engage in one of a number of holes extending in the base 12, as shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the stopper 116 can occupy as many positions as the base 12 has holes. In particular, in the example shown in Fig. 4, the base 12 has three holes arranged at different distances from the front end 115 of the central element 110, so that the stopper 116 can occupy three distinct positions.

[0038] The watch 20 is placed on the support 11 in the same way as described above for the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 2 and 3. In other words, after the bracelet has been closed it is brought to bear on the stoppers 116, each of the strands 21 then being engaged in a recess 118 until the case 22 of the watch 20 is pressed against the front end 115 of the central element 110.

[0039] 2 and 3, the bracelet of watch 20 may be left open, in which case watch 20 is held together solely by the frictional forces experienced by strand 21.

[0040] In all embodiments, the present invention therefore ensures that the watch 20 is held in a constant position on the support 11 during operation of the device 10, regardless of the type of bracelet that the watch 20 includes and regardless of the length of that bracelet.

[0041] Moreover, when the watch 20 is placed on the support 11 with its bracelet closed, the bracelet is intended to be pulled by the central element 110 insofar as the size of its circumference is variable, either continuously, in the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, or discretely, in the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5. Thanks to these features, the invention thus also ensures that the watch is kept in a constant position during operation of the device 10.

[0042] The base 12 defines an internal volume for housing an electronic module 13, such as an integrated circuit, and is configured to drive a motor 14 kinematically connected to a drive member connected to the support 11 so as to rotate a winding member of the watch 20 to wind the watch movement.

[0043] In one embodiment, the drive member of the winding device 10 may be formed by a movable part 120 of the base 12, as shown in Figures 1 and 4 to 6, which is intended to rotate an oscillating weight of the watch 20 in order to wind the watch movement.

[0044] In detail, the mobile part 120 of the base 12 may be placed in a cradle having a complementary shape. This cradle is formed by the fixed part 121 of the base 12. The fixed part 121 has an internal volume in which the electronic module 13 and the motor 14 are housed. The mobile part 120 may be driven by any suitable motion transmission solution within the reach of a person skilled in the art. In this embodiment of the invention, the mobile part 120 of the base 12 is driven in rotation around an axis parallel to the central axis of the case 22 of the watch 20 when placed on the support 11, as can be seen in Fig. 6, with an angular displacement of less than 180 degrees, preferably approximately 90 degrees, alternately.

[0045] Alternatively, the drive member of the winding device 10 may be formed by a connecting member 122, for example a bell, intended to rotate the winding button of the watch 20 in order to wind the watch movement, as shown in Figure 7. In this case, it is clear that when the watch 20 is placed on the support 11, the winding button must be arranged so as to face towards the base 12 so as to be able to cooperate with the bell.

[0046] In general, it should be noted that the implementations and embodiments considered above are described as non-limiting examples, and other alternatives are possible.

[0047] In particular, central element 110 may have a circular or elliptical cross-section, with front end 115 and rear end 114 therefore being of substantially the same dimensions. In general, central element 110 may have a cross-section of any shape suitable for implementing the present invention, and in particular suitable for generating the force required to clamp one or more strands 21 in recess 118.

[0048] Finally, the invention is adapted to provide a periodic excitation vibration of precise frequency to a watch 20 mounted on a support 11, the electronic module 13 including for this purpose a speed measuring sensor arranged on the base 12, for example of the microphone type, intended to contact the winding button of the watch 20, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 6.

Claims

1. A device (10) for winding a clock movement of a wristwatch (20), comprising: an electronic module (13) configured to control a motor (14) kinematically connected to a drive member intended to rotate a winding member of said watch (20), The device (10) comprises a support (11) for the watch (20) formed by a body having a central element (110) and two side elements (111), said central element (110) is interposed between two side elements (111) arranged relative to said central element (110) so as to form two recesses (118) each intended to receive a strand (21) of a bracelet of said watch (20); said central element (110) and said side elements (111) are adapted to apply opposing forces to said strands (21) to ensure that they are retained in said recesses (118); The central element (110) has an end called the "rear end" (114) opposite an end called the "front end" (115), said front end (115) is arranged between two opposite ends of said side elements (111) and is intended to receive the case (22) of said watch (20) to be supported; The device (10), wherein the rear end (114) has a greater capacity for elastic deformation when compressed than the front end (115).

2. 2. The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the recess (118) is defined by an inner flank (112) of the side element (111) having a concave cross-section and an outer flank (113) of the central element (110) having a convex cross-section.

3. the drive member is formed by a movable part (120) of the base (12) arranged in a cradle formed by a fixed part (121) of the base (12); the fixed part (121) has an internal volume in which the electronic module (13) and the motor (14) are housed; The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the movable portion (120) of the base (12) is connected to the motor (14) so ​​as to be driven in a reciprocating rotational motion.

4. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said drive member is formed by a connecting member (122) intended to rotate a winding button of said watch (20) to wind its timepiece movement.

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