Horological movement comprising mechanism for adjusting positions of displays

Abstract

To provide a horological movement with a plurality of functions that can be easily and quickly corrected.SOLUTION: A horological movement 10 includes a driving wheel set 11 linked to drive first and second displays 20 and 30 of a time value, and a mechanism for adjusting positions of the displays 20 and 30. The mechanism for adjusting includes a control member 50 engaged with a sliding-gear assembly 40, drives the sliding-gear assembly 40 to a first correction position so as to change the position of the first display 20 when urged in a first rotation direction, and drives the sliding-gear assembly 40 to a second correction position so as to change the position of the second display 30 when urged in a second rotation direction. A click wheel 211 can move in a plane orthogonal to its rotation axis when the control member 50 is operated to change the position of the first display 20, so as to interrupt the kinematic link between the first display mechanism 200 and the driving wheel set 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watchmaking, and more particularly to a clock movement including a mechanism for adjusting the position of a display. [Background technology]

[0002] A mechanism for modifying the functioning of the watch's clock movement allows the user to change the position of one of its displays, for example the current time, by manipulating a control member of the watch.

[0003] When a clock movement includes several functions, e.g. date, second time zone, etc., each correction is typically performed using a winding stem. In particular, the prior art documents describe positioning the winding stem at a particular axial position to select the function to be corrected, and then pivoting said stem to correct the selected function.

[0004] It will be appreciated that beyond a certain number of functions, axial positioning of the winding stem can become particularly cumbersome, in particular, beyond the number of available axial positions, making it cumbersome to find the desired position.

[0005] Furthermore, when it has multiple functions, the correction mechanism is relatively complex to implement, since in each of its multiple axial positions the winding stem must be kinematically connected with a specific part of the clock movement to be able to operate in the given function. Moreover, adding specific functions to the clock movement increases its size, since each function typically has its own drive mechanism. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks by providing a clock movement with multiple functions that can be easily and quickly modified.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to simplify the movement in order to minimize its dimensions.

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a timepiece movement comprising a set of drive wheels kinematically linked to first and second display mechanisms intended to drive first and second displays of time values, respectively, and a mechanism for adjusting the position of these displays, the mechanism for adjusting comprising a sliding gear assembly and a control member adapted to assume an adjustment position in which the control member is engaged with the sliding gear assembly, when biased in a first rotational direction, the control member drives the sliding gear assembly to a first corrective position such that the sliding gear assembly is operable with a first indicating mechanism to change a position of a first indicator; When biased in a second rotational direction, the control member drives the sliding gear assembly to a second corrective position in which the sliding gear assembly is operable with a second indicating mechanism to change the position of a second indicator.

[0009] The first display mechanism includes a click mechanism having a click wheel kinematically coupling the drive wheel set and a display wheel carrying the first display so as to transmit rotation of the drive wheel set to the first display, and the click wheel is movable to interrupt the kinematic coupling between the first display mechanism and the drive wheel set in a plane perpendicular to its axis of rotation when a control member is operated to change the position of the first display.

[0010] Therefore, the user need only pivot in one direction or the other to modify the function of the clock movement.

[0011] Furthermore, thanks to the click mechanism, the number of parts in a watch movement is kept to a minimum.

[0012] In particular embodiments, the invention may further comprise one or more of the following features, which must be considered either alone or according to any technically possible combination.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the drive wheel set includes a drive wheel that resides in the same plane as the click wheel and the indicator wheel.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the click mechanism includes a return member integral with the click wheel to bias the click wheel toward a stop position where the click wheel engages the drive wheel and the indicator wheel.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the return member is disposed in the same plane as the drive wheel, the click wheel, and the indicator wheel.

[0016] In certain embodiments, when the sliding gear assembly is in the first position, it engages with the first indicating mechanism and disengages from the second indicating mechanism, and when the sliding gear assembly is in the second position, it engages with the second indicating mechanism and disengages from the first indicating mechanism.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the sliding gear assemblies are coaxially arranged. a drive wheel which can be rotated by a control member; a first adjustment wheel kinematically connected to the first indication mechanism when the control member is in the adjustment position and biased in a first rotational direction; a second adjustment wheel kinematically connected to the second indication mechanism when the control member is in the adjustment position and biased in the second rotational direction; and Includes.

[0018] In a particular embodiment, the indicator wheel is formed by a time zone wheel and the first indication mechanism comprises a transfer wheel that kinematically connects the time zone wheel and the first adjustment wheel when the control member is in the adjustment position and biased in the first rotational direction, so that the position of the first indicator changes continuously when the control member is biased in the first rotational direction.

[0019] In a particular embodiment, the second wheel of the sliding gear assembly is formed by a cam including at least one corrector finger capable of cooperating with teeth of a second indication mechanism integral with a second display so as to sequentially drive rotationally the second indicator during rotation of the sliding gear assembly when the sliding gear assembly occupies a second corrector position and when a control member is biased in a second rotational direction.

[0020] In certain embodiments, the drive wheel set includes a drive finger capable of cooperating with teeth of a second indicator mechanism to sequentially drive rotationally the second indicator during rotation of the drive wheel set.

[0021] In certain embodiments, the click mechanism includes a guide structure adapted to movably guide the click wheel when the sliding gear assembly is biased in a first rotational direction.

[0022] In certain embodiments, the guidance structure is configured to rotatably guide the click wheel about an axis passing through a center of the drive wheel set, or to translatably guide the click wheel along a linear trajectory tangential to a circle concentric with the drive wheel set, when the sliding gear assembly is biased in a first rotational direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of example and in no way limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 shows a perspective top view of a portion of a clock movement including a mechanism for adjusting the position of a display of time values ​​according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows a perspective bottom view of the movement shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the movement shown in FIG. 1, in which the position of the first indicator has been changed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the movement shown in FIG. 1, in which the position of the second indicator has been changed.

[0025] It should be noted that for purposes of clarity, the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The present invention relates to a clock movement 10 intended to be housed in a watch case and configured to drive two time indicators 20 and 30 in addition to an indicator of the current time.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, of these two time value indicators 20 and 30, the first indicator is an indicator of time in an additional time zone different from the current time indicator, and the second indicator is a date indicator.

[0028] For reasons of clarity, parts of a clock movement that are known to a person skilled in the art are not described in the text or shown in the drawings.

[0029] Figures 1 and 2 show the invention during normal operation of the clock movement 10, i.e. when displaying the current time, the time of an additional time zone, and the date. In particular, Figure 1 shows the clock movement 10 as seen from above, and Figure 2 shows the clock movement 10 as seen from below.

[0030] The clock movement 10 includes a drive wheel set 11 kinematically coupled to a motion work train for driving first and second hour value indicators 20 and 30. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the drive wheel set 11 is driven once a day by an hour wheel (not shown) of the motion work train.

[0031] Advantageously, the timepiece movement 10 includes a mechanism for adjusting the positions of these indicators 20 and 30. This mechanism includes a sliding gear assembly 40 and a control member 50. The control member 50 is intended to engage with the sliding gear assembly 40 and to assume an adjustment position capable of drivingly displacing both the first and second indicators 20 and 30 in response to a user operating the watch.

[0032] Preferably, the control member 50 is formed by a winding stem connected to the winding button, the adjustment position being embodied by a predefined axial position. The winding stem is configured such that, when the control member 50 occupies the adjustment position, it is kinematically connected to the sliding gear assembly 40 by a system of intermediate wheels well known to those skilled in the art. Such a system of intermediate wheels is shown in the figures, but will not be described in detail in this text, as it is well known to those skilled in the art.

[0033] As can be seen, the sliding gear assembly 40 includes a drive wheel 41 which can be rotated by a control member 50 via a system of intermediate wheels.

[0034] The sliding gear assembly 40 is free to rotate and translate in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which it can pivot, by engaging in a guide track, i.e. it can occupy two extreme positions in said guide track, which is formed by a through groove made in a support structure of the timepiece movement 10, such as a bridge or a plate, for example, not shown in the figures for reasons of clarity. The sliding gear assembly 40 is driven into one of these extreme positions by the control member 50, depending on the direction of rotation to which the control member is biased, when the control member 50 occupies the adjustment position. These extreme positions are referred to as "correction positions" in the remainder of the text.

[0035] In particular, the control member 50 is configured, when positioned in the adjustment position by a user and urged in a first rotational direction, to drive the sliding gear assembly 40 to a first correction position capable of cooperating with the first display mechanism 200 to correct the position of the first indicator 20.

[0036] As can be seen, the first indication mechanism 200 includes a click mechanism 210. The click mechanism 210 is configured to allow the drive wheel set 11 to be kinematically coupled to said first indication mechanism 200 when the control member 50 is not operated, and to allow the kinematic coupling to be interrupted when the control member 50 is operated.

[0037] In detail, the click mechanism 210 comprises a click wheel 211, which is capable of kinematically coupling the drive wheel set 11 and the indicator wheel 21 carrying the first indicator 20, in order to transmit the rotation of the drive wheel set 11 to the first indicator 20, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Furthermore, when the control member 50 is in the adjustment position and the click wheel 211 is biased in a first rotational direction, it is capable of translational movement in a plane perpendicular to its rotation axis or rotational movement about the axis of the drive wheel set 11, so as to interrupt the kinematic coupling between the first indicator mechanism 200 and the drive wheel set 11. This feature prevents damage to the timepiece movement 10 by transmitting forces to the gear train and oscillator.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the click mechanism 210 is provided with a click wheel 211 which meshes with the drive wheel 110 of the drive wheel set 11 and meshes with the indicator wheel 21. The drive wheel 110, the click wheel 211, and the indicator wheel 21 are in the same plane as can be seen, minimizing the thickness of the clock movement 10 while reducing the number of parts in the clock movement.

[0039] Advantageously, the click mechanism 210 may include a return member 212 integral with the click wheel 211, which forces the click wheel 211 towards a stop position where it engages the drive wheel 110 and engages the indicator wheel 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the return member 212 is configured to hold the click wheel 211 in an axial position and is arranged to apply a return force to the axle of the click wheel 211. Alternatively, the return member 212 is arranged to abut against the teeth of the click wheel 211, thus further minimizing the thickness of the movement. That is, the return member 212 is located in the same plane as the drive wheel 110, the click wheel 211 and the indicator wheel 21.

[0040] In summary, the click wheel 211 is adapted to transfer motion from the drive wheel 110 to the indicator wheel 21, but to prevent the transfer of motion from the indicator wheel 21 to the drive wheel 110. The operation of the click mechanism 210 is described in more detail below.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indicator wheel 21 is formed by a time zone wheel. The first indication mechanism 200 comprises a transfer wheel 22 which kinematically couples the indicator wheel 21 to the sliding gear assembly 40 when the control member 50 is in the adjustment position and biased in a first rotational direction.

[0042] In particular, as can be seen in the detailed view on the right side of FIG. 3, the sliding gear assembly 40 comprises a first adjusting wheel 42 which is kinematically coupled to the transfer wheel 22 when the control member 50 is in the adjusted position and biased in a first rotational direction, i.e. the transfer wheel 22 drives the indicator wheel 21 in rotation, thereby moving the time indicators of the additional time zone. The detailed view on the left side of FIG. 3 shows that during this rotation, the indicator wheel 21 causes the click wheel 211 to roll around the drive wheel 110 and to disengage from the indicator wheel 21. In particular, when the indicator wheel 21 rotates, its teeth exert a torque on the teeth of the click wheel 211, displacing the click wheel 211 and disengaging said teeth from each other, i.e. the teeth of the click wheel 211 are no longer in contact with the teeth of the indicator wheel 21.

[0043] If the click mechanism 210 includes a return member 212, the torque exerted on the teeth of the click wheel 211 opposes the return force that the return member 212 exerts on said click wheel 211. Therefore, the click wheel 211 will contact the indicator wheel 21 again in the rest position immediately after the teeth of the click wheel 211 and the teeth of the indicator wheel 21 disengage.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the click wheel 211 thus rolls like a planetary wheel, so that it moves back and forth on the drive wheel 110 as the indicator wheel 21 rotates.

[0045] Alternatively or additionally, the click wheel 211 may engage a guide track in a manner similar to the sliding gear assembly 40 to guide the click wheel 211 during its displacement when the sliding gear assembly 40 is biased in the first rotational direction. For example, a guide structure may be configured to rotatably guide the click wheel 211 about an axis passing through the center of the drive wheel set 11, or to translatably guide the click wheel 211 along a linear trajectory tangential to a circle concentric with the drive wheel set 11.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4 , the control member 50 is configured, when occupying the adjustment position and biased in a second rotational direction, to drive the sliding gear assembly 40 to a second correction position that can change the position of the second indicator 30 by the second indication mechanism 300.

[0047] It should be noted that when the sliding gear assembly 40 is in the first position, it is engaged with the indicator wheel 21 as described above, and is not engaged with the second indicating mechanism 300, as shown in Figure 3. Conversely, when the sliding gear assembly 40 is in the second position, it is engaged with the second indicating mechanism 300 and is disengaged from the indicator wheel 21, as shown in Figure 4.

[0048] The sliding gear assembly 40 includes a second adjusting wheel 43 that can be kinematically connected to the second display mechanism 300. The second adjusting wheel 43 is comprised of a cam that includes at least one, for example three, corrector fingers, as shown. The drive wheel 41 and the first and second adjusting wheels 42 and 43 are arranged coaxially.

[0049] In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, as can be seen in the detailed view of figure 4, the second display mechanism 300 comprises a tooth 301 connected to the second indicator 30, here constituted by a date disc. A corrector finger can cooperate with the tooth 301 to sequentially drive the second indicator 30 in rotation during the rotation of said sliding gear assembly 40, thanks to indexing by a jumper spring 213 arranged under the return member 212, when the sliding gear assembly 40 is in the second correcting position.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drive wheel set 11 includes a drive finger 111 capable of cooperating with a tooth 301 of a second display mechanism 300 to drive the second display 30 in one step sequential rotation for each rotation of the drive wheel set 11, as seen in FIG.

[0051] This driving finger 111 may include a safety system, as shown in detail in Figure 2, which is well known to those skilled in the art, and which allows said driving finger piece 111 to be retracted when the second indicator 30 is driven by the sliding gear assembly 40, so as not to transmit any rotational movement to the driving wheel set 11, so as not to upset the time zone indicator.

[0052] In general, it should be noted that the implementations and embodiments considered above are described as non-limiting examples, so that other alternatives are possible.

Claims

1. A clock movement (10), comprising: a set of drive wheels (11) kinematically connected to first and second display mechanisms (200, 300) intended to drive first and second displays (20, 30) of time values, respectively; A mechanism for adjusting the positions of these displays (20, 30); Including, The adjusting mechanism includes a sliding gear assembly (40) and a control member (50) adapted to assume an adjustment position engaged with the sliding gear assembly (40); when biased in a first rotational direction, said control member (50) drives said sliding gear assembly (40) to a first corrected position in which said sliding gear assembly is operable with a first indicating mechanism (200) to change the position of a first indicator (20); when biased in a second rotational direction, said control member (50) drives said sliding gear assembly (40) to a second corrected position in which said sliding gear assembly is operable with said second indication mechanism (300) to change the position of said second indicator (30); The first display mechanism (200) includes a click mechanism (210) having a click wheel (211) capable of kinematically coupling the drive wheel set (11) and a display wheel (21) carrying the first display (20) so as to transmit rotation of the drive wheel set (11) to the first display (20), and when the control member (50) is operated to change the position of the first display (20), the click wheel (211) is movable in a plane perpendicular to its rotation axis to interrupt the kinematic coupling between the first display mechanism (200) and the drive wheel set (11).

2. 2. The clock movement (10) of claim 1, wherein the drive wheel set (11) comprises a drive wheel (110) that is in the same plane as the click wheel (211) and the indicator wheel (21).

3. 3. The clock movement (10) of claim 2, wherein the click mechanism (210) includes a return member (212) integral with the click wheel (211) to urge the click wheel (211) toward a stop position in which it engages the drive wheel (110) and engages the indicator wheel (21).

4. 4. The clock movement (10) according to claim 3, wherein the return member (212) is arranged in the same plane as the drive wheel (110), the click wheel (211) and the indicator wheel (21).

5. 2. The timepiece movement (10) of claim 1, wherein when in the first position, the sliding gear assembly (40) engages with the first display mechanism (200) and disengages from the second display mechanism (300), and when in the second position, the sliding gear assembly (40) engages with the second display mechanism (300) and disengages from the first display mechanism (200).

6. The sliding gear assembly (40) comprises coaxially arranged a drive wheel (41) rotatable by said control member (50); a first adjustment wheel (42) kinematically connected to the first indication mechanism (200) when the control member (50) is in the adjustment position and biased in the first rotational direction; a second adjustment wheel (43) kinematically connected to the second indication mechanism (300) when the control member (50) is in the adjustment position and biased in the second rotational direction; The clock movement (10) of claim 1, comprising:

7. 7. The clock movement (10) according to claim 6, wherein the indicator wheel (21) is formed by a time zone wheel, and the first indication mechanism (200) includes a transmission wheel (22) kinematically connecting the time zone wheel and the first adjusting wheel (42) when the control member (50) is in the adjusting position and biased in the first rotational direction.

8. 2. The clock movement (10) according to claim 1, wherein the second adjusting wheel (43) of the sliding gear assembly (40) is formed by a cam, the cam including at least one corrector finger capable of cooperating with teeth (301) of the second indicating mechanism (300) integral with the second indicator (30) so as to sequentially rotate the second indicator (30) during rotation of the sliding gear assembly (40) when the sliding gear assembly (40) occupies the second correcting position and when the control member (50) is biased in the second rotational direction.

9. 2. The clock movement (10) of claim 1, wherein the drive wheel set (11) includes a drive finger (111) capable of cooperating with a tooth (301) of the second display mechanism (300) to drive rotation of the second display (30) during rotation of the drive wheel set (11).

10. 10. The clock movement (10) according to claim 9, wherein the second indicator (30) is formed by a date disc, which is in turn driven in rotation during the rotation of the drive wheel set (11).

11. 2. The clock movement (10) of claim 1, wherein the click mechanism (210) includes a guide structure adapted to movably guide the click wheel (211) when the sliding gear assembly (40) is urged in the first rotational direction.

12. The timepiece movement (10) of claim 11, wherein the guiding structure is configured to rotatably guide the click wheel (211) about an axis passing through a center of the drive wheel set (11) or to translatably guide the click wheel (211) along a linear trajectory tangential to a circle concentric with the drive wheel set (11) when the sliding gear assembly (40) is biased in the first rotational direction.

Images