Timepiece

Abstract

To attract the interest of a user in a timepiece 1 having a Geneva mechanism 20.SOLUTION: A timepiece 1 includes: a dial 10; and a Geneva mechanism 20 including: a driving wheel 212 rotated by power transmitted from a power source; and a driven wheel 222 intermittently driven with rotation of the driving wheel 212, the driving wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222 being arranged on a viewing side relative to the dial 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a timepiece. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a skeleton console clock in which the Geneva mechanism can be seen through a transparent plate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7252406 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inventors of the present application have been considering ways to attract users' interest in a watch having a Geneva mechanism.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to attract users' interest in a watch having a Geneva mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention disclosed in this application to solve the above problems has various aspects, and representative aspects thereof are outlined below.

[0007] (1) A timepiece having a dial, a Geneva mechanism including a drive wheel that rotates by power transmitted from a power source, and a driven wheel that is intermittently driven in accordance with the rotation of the drive wheel, wherein the drive wheel and the driven wheel are positioned on the visible side of the dial.

[0008] (2) In (1), the drive wheel includes a drive tooth that engages with the driven tooth of the driven wheel to drive the driven wheel, and the dial has a scale indicating seconds that follows the rotational trajectory of the drive tooth.

[0009] (3) In (2), the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that the engagement of the drive tooth with the driven tooth is released when the drive tooth rotates further from the position indicating 0 seconds on the scale.

[0010] (4) In any one of (1) to (3), the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that the drive tooth begins to mesh with the driven tooth between the position indicating 45 seconds on the scale and the position indicating 0 seconds.

[0011] (5) A timepiece in any one of (1) to (4), wherein the dial has a time display section showing hours and minutes, has a time hand pointing to the time display section, and the center of rotation of the drive wheel and the driven wheel is positioned at a different position from the center of rotation of the time hand.

[0012] (6) A timepiece in any one of (1) to (5), wherein the driving wheel is positioned on a line connecting the center position of the dial and the time display unit indicating 6 o'clock, and the center of rotation of the driven wheel is positioned in the area between the line connecting the center position of the dial and the time display unit indicating 6 o'clock and the line connecting the center position of the dial and the time display unit indicating 9 o'clock.

[0013] (7) A timepiece according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the portion of the dial that overlaps with the driving wheel and the driven wheel is made of an opaque material that prevents the user from seeing the back side.

[0014] (8) In (1), the drive wheel is provided with a second hand member that rotates coaxially with the drive teeth, and the dial is provided with a scale indicating seconds that follows the rotational trajectory of the second hand member.

[0015] (9) In (8), the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that the engagement of the drive tooth with the driven tooth is released when the second hand member rotates further from the position indicating 0 seconds on the scale. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the above aspects (1) to (9) of the present invention, in a watch having a Geneva mechanism, it is possible to attract the interest of users in the watch. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the appearance of a timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the timepiece according to the embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the timepiece when the driven wheel is stopped. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the timepiece in a state in which the drive teeth are engaged with the driven teeth. [Figure 3C] FIG. 1 is a plan view of the timepiece when the drive teeth are disengaged from the driven teeth. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the appearance of a timepiece according to a modified example of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The configuration of a timepiece 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 shows a schematic cross section of the timepiece 1 taken along a cutting line passing through the drive shaft 211, the driven shaft 221, and the minute hand shaft 121.

[0019] In this specification, the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 (upper side in Fig. 2) is defined as the viewing side, and the back side of the paper in Fig. 1 (lower side in Fig. 2) is defined as the back side. Also, in this specification, the position on the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 12 o'clock is defined as the "12 o'clock position," the position on the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 3 o'clock is defined as the "3 o'clock position," the position on the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 6 o'clock is defined as the "6 o'clock position," and the position on the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 9 o'clock is defined as the "9 o'clock position."

[0020] The timepiece 1 has an exterior case (not shown), a dial 10 arranged inside the exterior case, an hour hand 11, a minute hand 12, and a Geneva mechanism 20. The hour hand 11, the minute hand 12, and the driving wheel 212 and driven wheel 222 of the Geneva mechanism 20 are located on the viewing side of the dial 10.

[0021] The dial 10 is preferably an opaque material that absorbs or reflects visible light and prevents the user from seeing what is behind it. Components arranged on the visible side of the dial 10 are preferably visible to the user, while components arranged on the rear side of the dial 10 are preferably not visible to the user. A transparent cover member such as a crystal may be arranged on the visible side of the dial 10. In addition, a support plate 110 for supporting each shaft is preferably provided on the rear side of the dial 10.

[0022] The hour hand 11 and minute hand 12 are preferably provided rotatably around the center position O of the dial 10. The dial 10 is preferably provided with hour characters that serve as time display sections along its outer edge. The hour hand 11 and minute hand 12 point to the hour characters, allowing the user to recognize the hours and minutes. Note that while FIG. 1 and other figures show the dial 10 with a circular outer shape, the outer shape of the dial 10 may also be rectangular, elliptical, or the like. Furthermore, the center position O of the dial 10 need only be the center of rotation of the hour hands, such as the hour hand 11 and minute hand 12, and does not have to be the center of the dial 10.

[0023] The Geneva mechanism 20 is a mechanism capable of transmitting rotation intermittently, and includes a driving member 21 and a driven member 22. In this embodiment, the hour hand 11, minute hand 12, driving member 21, and driven member 22 move in conjunction with one another.

[0024] The driving member 21 includes a driving shaft 211 , a driving wheel 212 , and an input wheel 213 .

[0025] The input wheel 213 is a gear formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 211 and is rotatable coaxially with the drive shaft 211. Power is input to the input wheel 213 from a power source such as a battery via a motor and a wheel train (not shown).

[0026] As shown in Fig. 2, the drive shaft 211 is supported by the main plate 30 and the backing plate 110. The main plate 30 is a member to which a wheel train, motor, etc. for driving the hour hands are attached. The drive shaft 211 is provided so as to be rotatable around a central position O1 as the input wheel 213 rotates.

[0027] The drive wheel 212 is provided so as to be rotatable coaxially with the drive shaft 211. The drive wheel 212 is preferably fixed to the drive shaft 211 by a screw 25 which is a fixing tool.

[0028] The drive wheel 212 includes a retaining plate 212a and one drive tooth 212b that protrudes radially from the retaining plate 212a. The planar shape of the retaining plate 212a is preferably substantially circular except for the portion where the drive tooth 212b is provided. The drive tooth 212b has a tapered planar shape. The drive tooth 212b engages with the driven member 22 to drive the driven member 22.

[0029] The drive wheel 212 is provided on the visible side of the dial 10, and the input wheel 213 is provided on the rear side of the dial 10. In other words, of the drive member 21, only the drive wheel 212 is arranged so as to be visible to the user.

[0030] The driven member 22 includes a driven shaft 221 , a driven wheel 222 , and a driven pinion 223 .

[0031] The driven wheel 222 includes six driven teeth 222a arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each driven tooth 222a may have an arc-shaped recess formed along the outer circumferential surface of the holding plate 212a of the driving wheel 212. The position of the driven wheel 222 may be maintained by the recess of the driven tooth 222a abutting against the outer circumferential surface of the holding plate 212a. The driven wheel 222 may be fixed to the driven shaft 221 by a screw 26, which serves as a fixing device.

[0032] The driven wheel 222 is driven intermittently around the center position O2 as a rotation center by the driven teeth 222a meshing with the drive teeth 212b.

[0033] The driven shaft 221 is intermittently driven around the center position O2 as the center of rotation in accordance with the intermittent driving of the driven wheel 222. As shown in FIG.

[0034] The driven pinion 223 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the driven shaft 221 so as to be rotatable coaxially with the driven shaft 221. As shown in Fig. 2, the driven pinion 223 is engaged with the input wheel 122 which rotates together with the minute hand shaft 121 which drives the minute hand 12. With this configuration, the drive of the driven wheel 222 and the drive of the minute hand 12 are linked.

[0035] The driven wheel 222 is provided on the visible side of the dial 10, and the driven pinion 223 is provided on the back side of the dial 10. In other words, of the driven member 22, only the driven wheel 222 is arranged so as to be visible to the user.

[0036] Next, the operation of the driving wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222 in this embodiment and the specific arrangement configuration for realizing this operation will be described with reference to Figures 3A to 3C. The hour hand 11 and minute hand 12 are not shown in Figures 3A to 3C.

[0037] The drive wheel 212 is preferably disposed at the 6 o'clock position. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the center position O1, which is the rotation center of the drive wheel 212, is disposed at the 6 o'clock position.

[0038] In this embodiment, the drive tooth 212b functions as a second hand. The drive tooth 212b is preferably provided so as to face the 12 o'clock position at 60 seconds (0 seconds) of each minute. The dial 10 is preferably provided with a scale 50 indicating the seconds that follows the rotational path of the drive tooth 212b. The drive tooth 212b points to the scale 50, allowing the user to recognize the current second.

[0039] As described above, the driven wheel 222 drives the minute hand 12 by driving in conjunction with the rotation of the drive wheel 212. The driven wheel 222 drives one step while the drive wheel 212 makes one rotation. In other words, the driven wheel 222 drives once per minute.

[0040] The position of the driven wheel 222 may be set in accordance with the position of the drive wheel 212. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the center position O2, which is the rotation center of the driven wheel 222, is located in the area between the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 6 o'clock, and the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 and the hour character indicating 9 o'clock. In addition, the driven wheel 222 is preferably located so that the rotation trajectory of the driven tooth 222a does not overlap with the center position O of the dial 10.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, an arrangement is adopted in which the drive tooth 212b, which functions as the second hand, meshes with the driven tooth 222a when it reaches a position indicating 50 seconds, and disengages from the driven tooth 222a when the drive tooth 212b rotates further from the position indicating 0 seconds. With this arrangement, the driven wheel 222 and the minute hand 12 linked thereto are stationary for 50 seconds after the start of a given minute, and then move one step forward in the remaining 10 seconds. Therefore, the minute hand 12 indicates the current minute for 50 seconds, and then moves to the next minute for the remaining 10 seconds.

[0042] 3A shows the state of drive tooth 212b and driven teeth 222a1-222a6 just before 50 seconds have passed since the start of a minute. In this state, none of driven teeth 222a1-222a6 are meshing with drive tooth 212b, which is rotating clockwise. Therefore, driven wheel 222 and minute hand 12 are stopped.

[0043] 3B shows the state of drive tooth 212b and driven teeth 222a1-222a6 after 50 seconds of one minute have passed and before 60 seconds (0 seconds) is reached. In this state, drive tooth 212b, which rotates clockwise, engages with driven tooth 222a1, causing driven wheel 222 to rotate along with drive tooth 212b. As a result, driven wheel 222 rotates counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, minute hand 12, which is linked to driven wheel 222, is driven to point to the minute following the current minute.

[0044] 3C shows the state of drive tooth 212b and driven teeth 222a1-222a6 at the moment when 60 seconds of one minute is reached. As drive tooth 212b continues to rotate clockwise from this state, it disengages from driven tooth 222a1. After that, driven wheel 222 remains stationary for 50 seconds, and when the next 50 seconds is reached, drive tooth 212b engages with driven tooth 222a2. In this way, the state in which drive tooth 212b engages with driven tooth 222a to drive minute hand 12, and the state in which drive tooth 212b disengages from driven tooth 222a and minute hand 12 is stopped are repeated.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, the drive wheel 212 and driven wheel 222, which have a shape unique to the Geneva mechanism 20, are positioned closer to the viewer than the dial 10, improving the visibility of these gears. Furthermore, because the gear train other than the drive wheel 212 and driven wheel 222 is not visible, the drive wheel 212 and driven wheel 222 are particularly noticeable to the user. Furthermore, because the rotation centers of the drive wheel 212 and driven wheel 222 are positioned so as not to overlap with the rotation centers of the hour hand 11 and minute hand 12, the drive wheel 212 and driven wheel 222 overlap less with the hour hand 11 and minute hand 12, making them more visible. Furthermore, because the drive tooth 212b of the drive wheel 212 functions as a second hand that moves every second, the movement of the drive tooth 212b attracts the user's attention. These features help to attract the user's interest in the timepiece 1.

[0046] Furthermore, by driving the driven wheel 222 only for the last 10 seconds of one minute, the time that the minute hand 12, which is linked to the driven wheel 222, points to the current minute can be extended. This reduces the time that the minute hand 12 is in an odd position, allowing the user to accurately recognize the current time.

[0047] A modified example of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 4. In this modified example, an example will be described in which the drive wheel 212 is positioned at the 12 o'clock position. In this case, the center position O2, which is the rotation center of the driven wheel 222, should be positioned in the area between the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 to the hour character indicating 12 o'clock and the line segment connecting the center position O of the dial 10 to the hour character indicating 3 o'clock.

[0048] 4 is adopted, it is preferable to provide a separate second hand member 15 that rotates coaxially with the drive wheel 212. The second hand member 15 is preferably tapered. In this modified example, the second hand member 15 is provided so as to protrude in the opposite direction to the protrusion direction of the drive tooth 212b. With this configuration, when the drive wheel 212 rotates further from the position where the second hand member 15 indicates 0 seconds, the drive tooth 212b disengages from the driven tooth 222a.

[0049] The positional relationship between the drive wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 4. When a positional relationship other than that shown in Fig. 1 is adopted, it is preferable to provide a second hand member 15 as explained in the modified example. The protruding direction of the second hand member 15 may be set appropriately depending on the positional relationship between the drive wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222. It is also possible to provide the second hand member 15 overlapping the drive tooth 212b in the arrangement configuration shown in Fig. 1 so that it protrudes in the same direction as the drive tooth 212b. This allows the tapered second hand member 15 to point to the scale 50, allowing the user to more accurately know the current second.

[0050] Furthermore, the shapes of the driving wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222 included in the Geneva mechanism 20 are not limited to those shown in the figure, and may be any shapes that can realize the function of the Geneva mechanism of intermittently transmitting rotation. For example, the number of driven teeth 222a is not limited to the example shown in the figure.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the minute hand 12 is stopped for 50 seconds and driven by one step in the remaining 10 seconds, but this is not limited to this. The driven wheel 222 is preferably arranged so that the drive tooth 212b starts to mesh with the driven tooth 222a between the position indicating 45 seconds and the position indicating 0 seconds.

[0052] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the drive tooth 212b functions as a second hand, but this is not limiting, and the drive tooth 212b may function as the minute hand 12 or the hour hand 11. When the drive tooth 212b functions as the minute hand 12, the driven wheel 222 may drive the hour hand 11 one step while the drive wheel 212 makes one rotation. When the drive tooth 212b functions as the hour hand 11, the driven wheel 222 may drive the date indicator or the day of the week indicator one step while the drive wheel 212 makes one rotation.

[0053] Furthermore, the driven wheel 222 does not necessarily have to be fixed by the screw 26, but may be supported by a support plate or the like so that its position is maintained. In this case, the support plate should be provided on the viewing side of the dial 10 so that it can be seen.

[0054] Furthermore, in addition to the components described in this embodiment, other components may be provided that are located closer to the viewer than the dial 10. Furthermore, the dial 10 is not limited to being entirely opaque, and may include a partially transparent component. It is preferable that at least the portions of the dial 10 that overlap the driving wheel 212 and the driven wheel 222 are made of an opaque component that prevents the user from seeing the back side.

[0055] Furthermore, the dial 10 may be modified to attract the user's attention more. For example, the dial 10 may be provided with a design (color, pattern, etc.) that overlaps with the driven wheel 222 when stopped in a plan view. This design will be visible from between the driven teeth 222a1 to 222a6 while the driven wheel 222 is in motion. This causes the visible design to change as the driven wheel 222 is driven, drawing the user's attention to the Geneva mechanism 20.

[0056] In this embodiment, a wristwatch is used as an example of the timepiece 1, but this is not limiting and the timepiece 1 may also be a table clock or a pocket watch. The timepiece 1 may also be a mechanical timepiece powered by a mainspring, or an electronic timepiece powered by a battery. In the case of an electronic timepiece, the drive tooth 212b that functions as the second hand is not limited to a continuous, smooth movement, but may instead be a step-moving one. The drive tooth 212b may also be configured to move the second hand in multiple steps (e.g., 16 steps) per second. This increases the rotational torque of the drive tooth 212b, enabling stable drive even in a Geneva mechanism 20 that transmits rotation intermittently and has low transmission efficiency. By configuring the drive tooth 212b to move in multiple steps, a contrast can be created between the smoothly moving second hand and the intermittently moving minute hand.

[0057] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the specific configurations shown in these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art may modify these disclosed embodiments as appropriate, and it should be understood that the technical scope of the invention disclosed in this specification also includes such modifications. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 Clock, 10 Dial, 11 Hour hand, 12 Minute hand, 15 Second hand member, 20 Geneva mechanism, 21 Driving member, 211 Driving shaft, 212 Driving wheel, 212a Holding plate, 212b Driving tooth, 213 Input tooth, 22 Driven member, 221 Driven shaft, 222 Driven wheel, 222a Driven tooth, 223 Driven pinion, 25, 26 Screw, 30 Main plate, 50 Scale.

Claims

1. The dial and a Geneva mechanism including a drive wheel that rotates by power transmitted from a power source and a driven wheel that is intermittently driven in accordance with the rotation of the drive wheel; and The driving wheel and the driven wheel are disposed on the visible side of the dial. clock.

2. the driving wheel includes driving teeth that mesh with driven teeth of the driven wheel to drive the driven wheel, The dial is provided with a scale indicating seconds along the rotation locus of the drive teeth.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

3. The driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that when the driving tooth further rotates from the position indicating 0 seconds on the scale, the engagement of the driving tooth with the driven tooth is released.

3. The watch according to claim 2.

4. The drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that the drive tooth starts to mesh with the driven tooth between the position indicating 45 seconds and the position indicating 0 seconds on the scale.

4. The watch according to claim 3.

5. The dial is provided with a time display section that indicates hours and minutes, a time hand that points to the time display unit; The rotation centers of the drive wheel and the driven wheel are disposed at positions different from the rotation center of the hour hand.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

6. the drive wheel is disposed on a line connecting the center position of the dial and the time display portion indicating 6 o'clock, The rotation center of the driven wheel is located in an area between a line segment connecting the center position of the dial and the time display unit indicating 6 o'clock and a line segment connecting the center position of the dial and the time display unit indicating 9 o'clock.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

7. The portion of the dial that overlaps with the driving wheel and the driven wheel is made of an opaque material that prevents a user from seeing the back side of the portion. The timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The drive wheel is provided with a second hand member that rotates coaxially with the drive teeth, The dial is provided with a scale indicating seconds along the rotation locus of the second hand member.

2. The watch according to claim 1.

9. the drive wheel and the driven wheel are arranged so that when the second hand member rotates further from the position indicating 0 seconds on the scale, the engagement of the drive tooth with the driven tooth is released.

9. The watch according to claim 8.

Images