Composite component of timepiece regulating mechanism comprising mass body

Abstract

To provide a composite timepiece component comprising a mass body allowing the inertia of a regulating mechanism to be controlled.SOLUTION: A composite timepiece component 20 of a regulating mechanism 10 of a watch includes a pallet 21 having a staff 210 on which an axial shoulder 211 is arranged. The pallet 21 includes a pallet stone 212 intended to interact intermittently with an escape wheel set 30. The composite component 20 further includes a mass body 213 fastened to the pallet 21. The mass body 213 is made of a denser material than that constituting the pallet 21. The mass body 213 has a maximum radial dimension smaller than a maximum radial dimension of the pallet 21 or identical to the maximum radial dimension of the pallet 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watch manufacturing, and more particularly to parts of a watch movement.

[0002] The present invention relates to a composite watch part including a mass body. The composite part is a part of a speed regulating mechanism.

Background Art

[0003] It is essential to control the inertia of parts of a timekeeping mechanism, particularly parts of a speed regulating mechanism. This is because the dynamic behavior of these parts depends on their inertia.

[0004] The manufacture of watch parts using microfabrication processes such as "LIGA" (derived from the German "Lithographische Galvano Abformung" and meaning "lithographic galvanic patterning") enables the production of parts with very fine geometric shapes and the optimization of functional contacts. However, these parts are very light and often require a certain degree of inertia to maintain motion, impart pulses, and perform other functions.

[0005] For example, in an adjustment mechanism that operates based on repeated impacts between an escape wheel set and a pallet, the frequency of vibration depends partly on the inertia of the pallet. Furthermore, the mechanical stress applied to the escape wheel set and the pallet becomes relatively large as a result of repeated impacts, so the selection of the material for these interacting surfaces becomes important.

[0006] Furthermore, in certain situations, it is necessary to obtain a specific inertia for the pallet while conforming to the spatial constraints in the watch movement where the pallet is intended to be placed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention relates to a compound timepiece component of a speed regulating mechanism, and the compound component includes a mass body that allows its inertia to be controlled.

[0009] Specifically, the present invention relates to a compound timepiece component of a speed regulating mechanism of a wristwatch. The compound component includes a pallet having a staff with an axial shoulder. The pallet includes pallet stones intended to interact intermittently with a going train set. The compound component further includes a mass body fastened to the pallet, the mass body being made of a material with a higher density than the material constituting the pallet, and the mass body has a radial maximum dimension smaller than or the same as the radial maximum dimension of the pallet.

[0010] That is, according to the present invention, on the one hand, it is possible to withstand the mechanical stress received by the pallet of the speed regulating mechanism, and on the other hand, it is possible to control the inertia of the compound component, yet maintain small dimensions, and thus be allowed to be used in a watch movement with large space constraints.

[0011] In a specific embodiment, the present invention may further include one or more of the following features. These features need to be considered alone or in any technically possible combination.

[0012] In a specific embodiment, the mass body is made of a material with a density greater than 15.

[0013] In a specific embodiment, the mass body is made of a material with a density greater than 19.

[0014] In a specific embodiment, the mass body is made of gold, platinum or an alloy thereof.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the mass body is arranged to abut against the axial shoulder so as to face the pallet stone.

[0016] In a particular embodiment, the mass body has a central through hole through which it is pushed onto the pallet staff.

[0017] In a particular embodiment, the mass body comprises a stack of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] The objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] The present invention relates to a composite timepiece component 20 of a speed regulating mechanism 10 of a timepiece movement. This component is pivotably arranged about a rotation axis.

[0021] Such a regulating mechanism 10 is particularly suitable for regulating the drive of the date, for example as described in Patent Document 1.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the composite component 20 includes a pallet 21 integrally formed from a single material. The pallet 21 has, for example, a staff 210 with an axially symmetric axial shoulder 211 arranged around a rotation axis D. The staff 210 extends along the rotation axis of the composite wheel set. The pallet 21 also has a pallet stone 212. The pallet stone 212 is arranged, for example, on the axial shoulder 211 and is intended to interact intermittently with the gang wheel set 30, and in particular with its tooth portion 300, as shown in FIG. 1. The interaction between the pallet stone 212 and the tooth portion 300 of the gang wheel set 30 defines an alternating impact between one or the other of the two pallet stones 212 and the teeth of the tooth portion 300. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the two pallet stones 212 can form the axial shoulder 211 and thus extend radially from the staff 210.

[0023] To mechanically resist the stress resulting from the interaction between the two pallet stones 212 and the tooth portion 300, the pallet 21 is made of a suitable material such as, for example, titanium, ceramic, cuproberyllium, etc. The pallet 21 may also have a coating such as a coating within the reach of those skilled in the art, such as nickel phosphorus, for example.

[0024] To have a suitable inertia suitable for the speed regulating function of the speed regulating mechanism 10, the composite component 20 includes a mass body 213 fastened to the pallet 21. In particular, the mass body 213 supports the axial shoulder 211 so as to be on the opposite side of the pallet stone 212. For example, the mass body 213 is pushed into the pallet 21. For this purpose, in particular, the mass body 213 has a central through hole. When the mass body 213 is being pushed in, the staff 210 of the pallet 21 is engaged with this through hole.

[0025] The mass body 213 is made of a material with a higher density than the material constituting the pallet 21. The mass body 213 is selected such that the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the mass body 213 is smaller than or the same as the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the pallet 21. In other words, the material of the mass body 213 is selected so that the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the mass body 213 does not affect the maximum radial envelope of the composite part 20, taking into account the spatial constraints of the watch movement. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the mass body 213 is preferably rotationally symmetric about the axis of rotation of the composite part 20.

[0026] The mass body 213 is preferably made of gold, but other materials with a density greater than 15 (g / cm 3 ), preferably greater than 19 (g / cm 3 ), such as platinum, or an alloy of gold or platinum, may be used.

[0027] In the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the mass body 213 is composed of a single rotationally symmetric element. However, in other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, it is also possible for the mass body 213 to include a stack of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements. This feature has the advantage that the volume of the mass body 213, and thus its mass, can be adjusted, and as a result, the inertia of the composite part 20 can be adjusted.

[0028] In summary, due to the fact that it is a composite material, that is, the fact that it is made of two different materials, the composite part 20 has the desired inertia according to the function it is to perform while occupying the smallest possible effective volume.

[0029] Advantageously, the composite part 20 serves as an alternative to a base part without a weight.

Claims

1. A composite timepiece component (20) of a speed regulating mechanism (10) of a wristwatch, characterized in that: The composite timepiece component (20) includes a pallet (21) having a staff (210) with an axial shoulder (211) disposed thereon, the pallet (21) includes pallet stones (212) intended to interact intermittently with an escape wheel set (30), the composite component (20) further includes a mass (213) fastened to the pallet (21), the mass (213) is made of a material with a higher density than the material constituting the pallet (21), and the mass (213) has a maximum radial dimension smaller than or the same as the maximum radial dimension of the pallet (21).

2. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) is made of a material having a density greater than 15.

3. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) is preferably made of a material having a density greater than 19.

4. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) is made of gold, platinum, or an alloy thereof.

5. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) supports the axial shoulder (211) so as to be on the opposite side of the pallet stone (212).

6. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) includes a central through hole and is pushed into the staff (210) of the pallet (21) through the central through hole.

7. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass (213) includes a laminate of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements. ​

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