Secular module for perpetual calendar mechanisms in watch movements

Abstract

In a secular module that has a mechanism for correcting the transition from the end of February to March 1 in a leap year, the number of leap year and non-leap year conditions that can be handled is increased while maintaining a small size. The present invention relates to a secular module (10) for a perpetual calendar mechanism of a timepiece movement, comprising a first moving part (20) arranged to be driven by a moon wheel (100) of the timepiece movement, second and third moving parts (30, 40) mounted in series with the first moving part (20), and two levers (70, 80). The three moving parts (20, 30, 40) are each provided with a leap year cam (25), a decade cam (35), and a hundred year cam (45). The first lever (70) is arranged to cooperate with the leap year cam (25) to move to a first position when it cooperates with a first portion of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to a non-leap year, and to move to a second position when it cooperates with a second portion (26a, 26b, 26c) of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to a leap year, in order to operate the corrector in accordance with February 29th in a leap year. The second lever (80) cooperates with the decade cam and the hundred year cam, respectively, and is arranged to act on the first lever to prevent cooperation with the second portion of the leap year cam (25) when the first feeler (81) and the second feeler (82) of the second lever (80) are positioned at the cam portion of the decade cam (35) corresponding to a multiple of 10 years and the cam portion of the hundred year cam (45) corresponding to a multiple of 10 years, respectively.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a secular module for a perpetual calendar mechanism for a timepiece movement, which is intended to operate a corrector that transitions from the end of February to March 1st depending on leap years, while dealing with the absence of a 100-year leap year and maintaining a 1-year leap year every 400 years if necessary. [Background technology]

[0002] There are various mechanisms for displaying date information. These include relatively simple structures for displaying the basic date without correction, year calendar systems that can manage the transition between 30- and 31-day months and the 1st of the following month, and perpetual calendar systems with mechanical memory. Not only can they manage the transition between 30- or 31-day months and the 1st of the following month, but they can also handle leap years, managing the transition from the last day of February to March 1st. However, traditional perpetual calendars do not handle the absence of leap years, which occurs once every 100 years.

[0003] Various secular calendar mechanisms have already been described. However, maintaining an acceptable degree of compactness remains a challenge. Another aspect is the ease of incorporating a secular module that operates a correction device that manages the transition from the end of February to March 1st, while dealing with the absence of a 100-year leap year and, if necessary, maintaining a 1-year leap year every 400 years. Secular modules of this type are particularly described in US Pat. No. 5,623,997 and US Pat. No. 5,623,997. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] European Patent Application Publication No. 3339973 [Patent Document 2] Swiss Patent Application Publication No. 653841 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a secular module that activates a corrector that manages the transition from the last day of February to the first day of March according to the leap year, taking into account that there is no leap year once every 100 years.

[0006] Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to propose a secular module that can be easily modified to operate the correction device, taking into account leap years every 400 years.

[0007] Furthermore, another object of the invention is to propose a reversible secular module that allows easy correction of the year indicator both in the increasing and decreasing direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the aim is to propose a secular perpetual calendar incorporating a secular module. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] These objects are achieved, in particular, by a secular module for a perpetual calendar mechanism, which comprises three moving parts mounted in series, one of which is arranged to be driven by the month moving part. The first moving part preferably comprises a drive member, a cam called a leap year cam, and a driven member arranged to be rotated by a finger of the month moving part. The leap year cam and the drive member of the first moving part are fixed to the driven member. The second moving part comprises a driven member arranged to be rotated by the drive member of the first moving part, a cam called a decade cam, and a drive member typically equipped with a finger. The decade cam and the drive member of the second moving part are fixed to the driven member. The third moving part comprises a rotating member arranged to be driven by a finger of the drive member of the second moving part, and a cam called a century cam fixed to the rotating member.

[0010] The secular module further includes a first lever and a second lever. The first lever includes a feeler arranged to engage with a leap year cam of the first movable part to move the first lever to a first position or a second position. The first lever is in the first position when the feeler engages with a first portion of the leap year cam corresponding to a non-leap year. The first lever is in the second position when the feeler engages with a second portion of the leap year cam corresponding to a leap year. This is to activate the correction device in response to February 29th in a leap year.

[0011] The second lever includes a first feeler and a second feeler arranged to engage with the decade cam of the second movable part and the hundred-year cam of the third movable part, respectively, and is arranged to hold the first lever in the first position when the first feeler and the second feeler are located on portions of the cam corresponding to the decade portion of the decade cam and the century portion of the hundred-year cam, respectively.

[0012] In one embodiment, the secular module further includes a finger fixed to the rotating member of the third movable part, a fourth movable part, and a third lever. The fourth movable part includes a rotating member driven by the passage of the finger, and a cam, commonly known as a 400-year cam, fixed to the rotating member of the fourth movable part. The third lever includes a third feeler that engages with the 400-year cam. The third lever is arranged to pivot the second lever so that the second lever does not act on the first lever when the third feeler engages with a portion of the 400-year cam that corresponds to a multiple of 400 years.

[0013] In one embodiment, the quadricentenary cam includes two diametrically opposed recesses.

[0014] In one embodiment, the rotating member of the third movable part and the drive member of the first movable part each have the form of a pinion having a plurality of pairs of teeth evenly distributed around the circumference of the pinion and spaced apart to define a gap.

[0015] In one embodiment, the drive member of the second movable part and the drive member of the lunar movable part each have a circular edge, a finger whose free end protrudes from the circular edge, and two grooves arranged on either side of the finger, so that the fingers fit into spaces formed by pairs of teeth on the pinions of the first movable part and the third movable part, respectively, and at the same time each tooth of the tooth pair can fit alternately into a first groove located downstream of the finger and a second groove located upstream of said finger in the direction of rotation.

[0016] In one embodiment, the secular module further comprises a jumper spring arranged to abut against one bearing portion of the pinion gap of the third movable part to bring the pinion into an index angular position.

[0017] In one embodiment, the pairs of teeth of the pinions of the first and third moving parts are obtained from pinions in which every third tooth has been cut off.

[0018] In one embodiment, two pairs of adjacent teeth on each pinion are arranged so that one tooth of each pair of adjacent teeth rests against the circular edges of the drive member of the lunar moving part and the drive member of the second moving part, thereby limiting the angular movement of the pinions of the first moving part and the third moving part. Thus, each time a finger driving one pair of teeth passes, the pinions are prevented from moving from a relatively stable position until the next passage of a finger engaging the adjacent pair of teeth. This arrangement prevents unintended rotation of the driven members of the first moving part and the third moving part, even if either the first moving part or the third moving part moves in either direction, for example, due to an impact.

[0019] In one embodiment, the secular module further comprises a jumper spring arranged to bear against the bearing area of ​​one of the gaps of the pinion of the third movable part in order to bring the pinion into the index angular position.

[0020] In one embodiment, the tooth pairs of the pinions of the first and third moving parts are obtained from pinions in which every third tooth has been cut off.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first moving part is configured to be driven by the finger of the lunar moving part at a rate of one rotation per four years, preferably one rotation per eight or twelve years, the second moving part is configured to be driven by the drive member of the first moving part at a rate of one rotation per ten years, and the rotating member of the third moving part is arranged to be driven by the finger of the second moving part at a rate of one rotation per 100 years.

[0022] In one embodiment, the leap year cam of the first movable part has two diametrically opposed recesses or three recesses spaced apart by 120°, and the decade cam and the hundred year cam each have one recess.

[0023] In one embodiment, the secular module further comprises an index star fixed to the first movable part and an index jumper spring which cooperates with the index star to guide the first movable part to the index position with each pass of the finger of the lunar movable part.

[0024] In one embodiment, the first lever further comprises a rake arranged to engage with the teeth of the corrector.

[0025] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a display module for displaying years, including the secular module according to any of its embodiments, wherein the third movable part further includes a second rotating member arranged to be driven by the driven member of the second movable part at a speed of one rotation per decade. The third movable part includes a shaft fixed to the second rotating member and a tube arranged around the shaft and fixed to the first rotating member. The display module further includes a unit ring fixed to the shaft and a decade ring arranged concentrically outside the unit ring and fixed to the tube.

[0026] Another aspect of the invention relates to a perpetual calendar mechanism comprising, in particular, a month cam with at least one notch whose depth corresponds to February in a non-leap year, and a corrector limiting the depth of said at least one notch to the depth corresponding to February in a leap year, and further comprising a secular module according to any of the embodiments described above, so that when the first lever is pivoted to the second position, the corrector is activated to limit the depth of said at least one notch.

[0027] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a timepiece equipped with the above-mentioned display module or perpetual calendar mechanism.

[0028] Several embodiments of the present invention are provided in the specification, which are illustrated by the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a secular module arranged to be driven by the lunar movement of a timepiece mechanism, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the secular module of FIG. 1 from another direction. [Figure 3a] FIG. 3a shows a cross section of the cam portion of the secular module of FIGS. 1 and 2 in one of two operating sequences. [Figure 3b] FIG. 3b shows a cross section of the cam portion of the secular module of FIGS. 1 and 2 in another of two operating sequences of the secular module of FIGS. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a year indicator with the secular module of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows a simplified exploded view of a secular module according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] 1 and 2, in one embodiment, secular module 10 is positioned to engage with the lunar movement 100 of a timepiece movement and is configured to accommodate the absence of a leap year every 100 years. Secular module 10 may also be configured to accommodate a leap year every 400 years in advantageous embodiments described below.

[0031] In fact, a leap year is known as a year in which an extra day is added to February, resulting in a total of 366 days instead of 365. A year is generally a leap year if it is a multiple of 4, but not if it is a multiple of 100. However, a year is a leap year if it is a multiple of 400. Therefore, 2020, 2024, and 2028 are leap years, as are 2000 and 2400, but 1900, 2100, 2200, and 2300 are not leap years.

[0032] This type of year exists to compensate for the difference between the common calendar year, which is 365 days, and the solar year, which is 365.242 days, the time it takes for the Earth to orbit the Sun. Therefore, additional days must be added periodically to make a correction according to the rules mentioned above, so that the average length of the calendar year is as close as possible to the solar year.

[0033] To address the absence of a leap year that occurs once every 100 years, the secular module 10 shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises three movable parts 20, 30, 40 and two levers 70, 80 arranged between these movable parts and configured to engage with at least one of them, thereby activating a correction mechanism described below once every 100 years.

[0034] The lunar moving part 100 typically comprises a pinion 102 with 12 teeth, a jumper spring 108 engaging with the pinion 102, and a first drive member 104 fixed to the pinion 102 and equipped with a finger 105. The pinion 102 is driven by the clock movement and is arranged to rotate 360° every 12 months, preferably in successive 30° increments. To achieve this, typically at the end of December, the pinion 102, under the action of the jumper spring 108, imparts a nearly instantaneous rotation to the finger 105, thereby driving the first moving part 20 by a predetermined angular step almost instantaneously.

[0035] The first moving part 20 comprises a driving member 27, such as a gear, on which a cam 25, known as a leap year cam, a driven member 21, and preferably an index star 24, are coaxially stacked. The driving gear 27 (driver 27), the leap year cam 25, the index star 24, and the driven member 21 are fixed together to form a single block. The driven member 21 is arranged to be rotated by the index 105 of the month moving part 100, so that all components of the first moving part 20 can rotate 360° together every multiple of four years, preferably every eight years in the preferred embodiment. The leap year cam 25 therefore completes a full 360° rotation every eight years.

[0036] The second moving part 30 includes a driven part or element 37, such as a wheel or pinion, on which a cam, called a decade cam 35, and a second driving part 31 with a finger 32 are coaxially stacked. The driven gear 37, decade cam 35, and second driving part 31 are fixed together to form a single block, just like the first moving part 20. The driven gear 37 of the second moving part 30 meshes with the driving gear 27 of the first moving part 20. In this example, the gear ratio between these two gears 27, 37 is 8:10, so all components of the second moving part 30 complete a 360° rotation every decade. Therefore, the decade cam 35 completes a 360° rotation every decade.

[0037] The third movable part 40 includes a first rotating member 41 arranged to be driven by the finger 32 of the second driving member 31 of the second movable part 30, a cam 45 called a "centennial cam" fixed to the first rotating member 41, and a second rotating member 47 meshing with the driven gear 37 of the second movable part 30. Therefore, the first rotating member 41 is driven by the finger 32 of the second driving member 31 of the second movable part 30 and rotates 360° once every 100 years. Therefore, the centennial cam 45 rotates 360° once every 100 years. Because the gear ratio between the driven gear 37 of the second movable part 30 and the second rotating member 47 is 1:1, the second rotating member 47 also rotates 360° every 10 years.

[0038] Therefore, the lunar moving part 100 and the three moving parts 20, 30, 40 of the secular module 10 are arranged in series. The transmission between these different moving parts can be achieved in various ways. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the driven member 21 of the first moving part 20 and the first rotating member 41 and second rotating member 47 of the third moving part 40 can be pinions. As shown in the figure, these pinions preferably have a special tooth profile with multiple pairs of teeth 22, 42 regularly spaced around their circumference, forming gaps 23, 43 between the pairs of teeth.

[0039] More specifically, the pinion 21 of the first moving part 20 may have, for example, eight pairs of teeth 22 with gaps 23 disposed between the pairs of teeth 22. This unique tooth profile is obtained by cutting every third tooth from a pinion having 24 teeth. The first driving member 104 of the lunar moving part 100 has a specific shape to drive the pinion 21. This driving member includes a disk with a circular edge 106 around almost the entire circumference, a finger 105 whose free end protrudes from the circular edge 106 of the disk, and first and second grooves 107a, 107b disposed on either side of the finger 105. Each groove 107a, 107b extends along the thickness of the disk in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the lunar moving part 100.

[0040] Thus, at the end of each year, the finger 105 of the lunar moving part 100 fits into the space formed by the pair of teeth 22 of the pinion 21 of the first moving part 20, the first and second teeth of this pair fitting respectively into the first groove 107a downstream of the finger 105 in its direction of rotation and into the second groove 107b located downstream in its direction of rotation. Thus, after the finger 105 has passed, the pinion 21 continues to be temporarily driven by the action of the second groove 107b against the second tooth of the pair of teeth 22.

[0041] The index star 24 is arranged to engage an index jumper spring 28. In the example shown, the star 24 has eight teeth, the number of teeth on the star 24 corresponding to the number of pairs of teeth 22 on the pinion 21. The function of the index star 24 will be explained later.

[0042] Similar to the first movable part 20, the first and second rotating members 41, 47 of the third movable part 40 may each be a pinion having ten pairs of teeth 42 equally spaced 360° and defining gaps 43 between the pairs of teeth 42. This tooth profile is obtained from a 30-tooth pinion in which one tooth is cut out for every three teeth. Preferably, the first jumper spring 53 and the second jumper spring 54 are arranged such that their heads 53a, 54a abut against the bearing surfaces of the gaps 43 of the first pinion 41 and the second pinion 47, respectively, to bring both pinions 41, 47 into their indexed angular positions.

[0043] When the finger 105 of the drive member 104 of the lunar moving part 100 engages with the pair of teeth 22 of the pinion 21 of the first moving part 20, typically at the end of December each year, the first moving part 20 pivots by a certain angle. As a result, the index star 24 is driven to rotate by the action of the finger 105, and the index jumper spring 28 is lifted until it jumps against the first moving part 20, bringing the first moving part 20 to the index angle position. The index star and jumper spring perform two functions.

[0044] The first function is to provide sufficient torque to the first moving part 20, which, in addition to the torque exerted by the jumper spring 108 on the pinion 102 of the lunar moving part 100, generates enough torque for the pinion 102 to drive the jumper springs 53, 54 and the levers 70, 80, causing the pinion to jump one step. The second function is to complete the rotation of the first moving part 20, making a 45° jump at the end of a year. Each jump of the first moving part 20 activates the third moving part 40 via the second moving part 30, allowing the first pinion 41 and second pinion 47 of the third moving part to make a 36° jump every decade and every year, respectively. In a preferred embodiment, this jump ensures that the heads 53a, 54a of the two jumper springs 53, 54 engage with the bearing surfaces of one of the gaps of the two pinions 41, 47 of the third movable part 40, rather than the tooth pair 42, in order to fix the third movable part 40 in the index position after each jump.

[0045] It should be noted that the index star 24 and the index jumper spring 28 are not essential for the proper functioning of the secular module. In fact, the stiffness of the jumper spring of the lunar moving part 100 could be reduced so that the torque transmitted to this moving part would be sufficient to initiate the jump and drive the first moving part 20 of the secular module 10.

[0046] Furthermore, due to the unique shape of the drive member 104 of the lunar moving part and the pinion 21 of the first moving part 20, the angular movement of the pinion 21 is limited to two passes of the finger 105 during the year, since the teeth of two adjacent pairs of gears 21 are arranged in such a way that if the first gear 20 moves in either direction, for example due to an impact, one tooth of each pair will abut against the edge 106 of the disk 106.

[0047] Similarly, the unique shape of the second drive member 31 of the second movable part 30 and the unique shapes of the first pinion 41 and the second pinion 47 of the third movable part 40 ensure a substantially stable angular position of the first pinion 41 and the second pinion 47, so that the first jumper spring 53 and the second jumper spring 54 acting on the third movable part 40 are not essential for the proper functioning of the secular module.

[0048] The unique shapes of the drive members 104, 31 of the first and third moving parts 20, 40 and the respective pinions 21, 41 that they drive advantageously enable the reversibility of the secular module. Reversibility means that the month moving part 100 can be used to drive the first moving part 20 in either direction, which facilitates the correction of the year indication, as will be explained below.

[0049] Nevertheless, it is important to note that the particular shape of the drive members 104, 31 and the shape of the respective pinions 21, 41 are not essential for the proper functioning of the secular module. A pinion with continuous teeth, suitable fingers driving it and a suitable jumper spring may be used in combination to ensure indexing and reversibility of the moving part.

[0050] Furthermore, the gear ratio between the drive gear 27 of the first moving part 20 and the driven gear 37 of the second moving part 30, and the shape of the pinion 21 of the first moving part, may be different. For example, the gear ratio may be 12:10 and the pinion 21 may have 12 pairs of teeth instead of 8 pairs, allowing all components of the first moving part 20 to rotate 360° every 12 years. In this case, the leap year cam would have three recesses, spaced 120° apart, representing leap years in a four-year cycle.

[0051] As shown in particular in Figures 3a and 3b, the secular module 10 also comprises a first lever 70 and a second lever 80. The first lever 70 is arranged to engage, on the one hand, the leap year cam 25 of the first moving part 20 and, on the other hand, the corrector. In this respect, the first lever 70 further comprises a transmission means for actuating the corrector when the first lever is brought into position. In this example, the transmission means is in the form of a rake 74 which engages with the teeth of the corrector, which will be described later.

[0052] The second lever 80 is arranged to engage with the decade cam 35 of the second movable part 30 and the hundred year cam 45 of the third movable part 40. The second lever 80 is arranged to move the first lever 70 based on the angular positions of the decade cam 35 and the hundred year cam 45.

[0053] More specifically, the first lever 70 includes a feeler 72 and a lever spring 78, which press the feeler 72 against the contour of the leap-year cam 25 of the first moving part 20. In this example, the contour of the cam has two diametrically opposed recesses 26a, 26b and two circular portions 26d, 26e. The second lever 80 includes a first feeler 81 and a second feeler 82. The first feeler 81 is positioned to sense the contour of the decade cam 35 of the second moving part 30. In this example, the contour of the cam includes a recess 36 and a circular portion 36a that typically extends over 300°. The second feeler 82 is positioned to sense the contour of the hundred-year cam 45 of the third moving part 40. In this example, the contour of the cam includes a recess 46 and a circular portion 46a that preferably extends over 300°.

[0054] The second lever 80 further comprises a lever spring 86 which presses a first feeler 81 and a second feeler 82 against the respective cam contours of the first movable part 30 and the second movable part 40. This second lever 80 comprises an actuating arm 83, one end 84 of which is intended to act on the actuating part 76 of the first lever 70.

[0055] By considering the angular positions of the decade cam 35 and the hundred-year cam 45 together, it is possible to determine whether a year is a multiple of 100 years, i.e., whether it is a leap year. Because the decade cam 35 rotates once every 10 years and the hundred-year cam 45 rotates once every 100 years, the respective indentations 36 and 46 are aligned at the same angular position every 100 years. In other words, because the decade cam 35 rotates once every 10 years, it can be considered an indicator of the current year unit. Similarly, because the hundred-year cam 45 rotates once every 100 years, it can be considered a scale of the current decade unit. Therefore, when the current year unit and decade unit are both zero, i.e., when the indentations 36 and 46 of these cams are in the same direction or angular position relative to the rotation axis, it indicates that the current year is a multiple of 100.

[0056] The operation of the secular module 100 can be better understood through an explanation of the two operational sequences shown in Figures 3a-3b.

[0057] In FIG. 3a, the decade cam 35 and the hundred year cam 45 of the second moving part 30 and the third moving part 40 are not in the same angular position. Therefore, the current year is not a multiple of 100 years. However, the angular position of the leap year cam 25 indicates that the current year is a leap year. Due to the action of the jumper spring 78, the first lever 70 pivots, bringing its feeler 72 into contact with the bottom of the recess 26a. The pivoting of the first lever 70 activates a rake 74 fixed to one of its arms, which in turn activates the correction device to accommodate February 29th.

[0058] In Figure 3b, decade cam 35 and hundred-year cam 45 are in the same angular position. Therefore, the current year is a multiple of 100 years and is not a leap year. However, leap-year cam 25 is in an angular position where recess 26a is aligned with feeler 72 of first lever 70. The second lever 80 pivots under the action of the lever spring 86 when its first feeler 81 and second feeler 82 are brought into contact with the bottoms of the recesses 36, 46 of the ten-year cam 35 and the hundred-year cam 45, respectively. When the second lever 80 pivots, the free end 84 of its operating arm 83 acts on the operating portion 76 of the first lever 70 to move the feeler 72 away from the bottom of the recess 26 a of the leap year cam 25 . This action prevents the detector 72 from contacting the bottom of the recess 26a of the leap year cam 25, or lifts the feeler 72 if it is already in contact with the bottom of the recess or is in the process of pivoting to the bottom of the recess. In the former case, the first lever 70 cannot move, thereby preventing the operation of the compensation mechanism for unnecessary compensation.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the third movable part 40 is capable of supporting a year indicator 200. It comprises a unit ring 210 and a decade ring 220 arranged concentrically around the unit ring 210, each of which comprises a sequence of numbers from 0 to 9. According to Fig. 1, the third movable part 40 comprises an axle 50 fixed to the second rotating member 47 and a tube 44 arranged around the axle 50 and fixed to the first rotating member 41.

[0060] The unit ring 210 has at its center a hub 213 fixed to the shaft 50 of the second rotating member 47, for example by press fitting, and a fastening element 212 having a plurality of fastening arms 214 extending radially from the hub 213 and having their free ends fixed to the underside of the unit ring 210. The decade ring 220 also has at its center a hub (not shown) arranged below the hub 213 of the unit ring, and a plurality of fastening arms 222 extending radially from the hub and having their free ends fixed to the underside of the decade ring 220. The hub of the decade ring 220 is fixed to the tube 44 of the first rotating member 41, for example by press fitting (FIG. 1).

[0061] In another embodiment, shown diagrammatically in Figure 5, the secular module is adapted not only to handle the absence of leap years every 100 years, as in the secular module 100 just described, but also to handle leap years that are divisible by 400, even for years that are divisible by 100.

[0062] For this purpose, the secular module comprises three moving parts and two levers identical or similar to the three moving parts 20, 30, 40 and two levers 70, 80 described above for the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2. A transmission member 51 (with a finger 52) is attached to a third moving part fixed to the first rotating member 41 and is driven to rotate 360° every 100 years. Furthermore, the secular module comprises a fourth moving part 60 and a third lever 90, as shown in Figure 5.

[0063] The fourth moving part 60 comprises a rotating member or element 62 arranged to be driven by the passage of the finger 52 associated with the third moving part 40. The rotating element may be in the form of a pinion 62 having eight pairs of teeth, such as the pinion 21 of the first moving part 20 in FIG. 1, thereby enabling the pinion 63 to complete a 360° rotation every 800 years. A cam, referred to as a four-hundred-year cam 64, is connected to the pinion 62 and is also capable of completing a 360° rotation every 800 years. The profile of this four-hundred-year cam comprises two circular sections and two diametrically opposed recesses 65a, 65b. The fourth moving part 60 may take other forms, particularly with regard to the number of teeth or pairs of teeth on the pinion 62 and the number of recesses 65a, 65b on the cam 64. What is important is that the element of the fourth moving part 60 is capable of completing a 360° rotation every multiple of 400 years.

[0064] The third lever 90 comprises a third feeler 92, a lever spring (not shown) that causes the third feeler 92 to follow the contour of the leap year cam, and an actuating part 94. The latter (actuating part 94) has a free end 95 that acts on the actuating part 85 of the second lever 80 to prevent the second lever 80 from acting on the first lever 70 when the third feeler 92 of the third lever 90 engages with one of the two recesses 65a, 65b corresponding to multiples of 400 on the leap year cam. Therefore, the first lever 70 pivots under the action of its lever spring, thereby allowing its feeler 72 to reach the bottom of the recess 26c of the leap year cam 25.

[0065] It should be noted that in this example, the leap year cam 25 has three recesses 26a, 26b, and 26c arranged at 120° intervals from one another. Additionally, the drive gear 27 of the first moving part and the driven gear 37 of the second moving part have a gear ratio of 12:10, so that when the first moving part rotates once every 12 years, the second moving part rotates once every 10 years.

[0066] A secular module 10 according to any of the above embodiments is preferably intended to be incorporated into a perpetual calendar mechanism with a month cam (not shown) having 36 or fewer notches. This is in contrast to most conventional perpetual calendars that have a month cam with 48 notches, commonly referred to as a "48 cam," to encompass the four-year cycle, including leap years.

[0067] The lunar cam's 36 notches extend toward the center of the cam and are of three different depths. These notches are arranged in order according to the length of the months from January to December. The shallowest notches correspond to 31-day months, the deepest notches to 28-day months, and the notches in between correspond to 30-day months.

[0068] This lunar cam has the advantage of being more compact compared to the 48 cam, while maintaining the same width of the notches. As a result, the cam only represents a three-year cycle, with three notches spaced 120° apart to compensate for the end of February in non-leap years.

[0069] To further reduce the size of the lunar cam, in other embodiments, the cam could have only 24 notches, or 12 notches, while maintaining the same width of notches as the 48 cam.

[0070] Regardless of the number of notches in a lunar cam (12, 24, 36, or 48 notches), February on such a cam is represented by a notch of a depth equivalent to 28 days. As a result, lunar cams do not have a notch dedicated to the February correction required for leap years.

[0071] To compensate for this, the perpetual calendar mechanism is equipped with a corrector that reduces the depth of the February notch in leap years to a depth of 29 days.

[0072] The corrector device may comprise, for example, a disk-shaped rotating element mounted coaxially with the lunar cam and in the same plane as the cam. The disk has a circular portion, radial slits, and teeth on its periphery. A rack 74 of a first lever 70 of the secular module engages with the teeth of the disk to pivot the disk so that in normal years the radial slits are aligned with the February notch of the lunar cam, and in leap years the radial slits are misaligned with the February notch. [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] Secular Module 10 1st movable part 20 Driving member 21 (e.g., pinion) 22 pairs of teeth Gap 23 Index Star Car 24 Leap Year Cam 25 Recesses 26a and 26b, or recesses 26a, 26b, and 26c Circular sections 26d and 26e Driving member 27 Index Jumper Spring 28 2nd movable part 30 Driving member 31 finger 32 Circular edge 33 groove 34 Ten Year Cam 35 Recess 36 Circular section 36a Follower member 37 Third movable part 40 First rotating member 41 (e.g., pinion) 42 pairs of teeth Gap 43 tube 44 Hyakunen Cam 45 Recess 46 Circular section 46a Second rotating member 47 (e.g., pinion) 48 pairs of teeth Recess 49 Axis 50 Transmission member 51 finger 52 First and second jumper springs 53, 54 Head 53a, 54a Fourth moving part 60 (e.g., pinion) Rotating member 62 Yohyakunen Cam 64 Recesses 65a and 65b First lever 70 Feeler 72 Rake 74 Working part 76 Lever spring 78 Second lever 80 1st feeler 81 Second feeler 82 operating arm 83 free end 84 Working part 85 Lever spring 86 Third lever 90 Third Feeler 92 operating arm 94 free end 95 Lever spring 96 Moon moving part 100 Pinion 102 Drive member 104 finger 105 Circular edge 106 Grooves 107a, 107b Jumper Spring 108 Display Module 200 Unit Ring 210 Fixing element 212 Hub 213 Fixed arm 214 Ten Year Ring 220 Fixed arm 222

Claims

1. a first moving part (20) comprising a drive member (27), a cam (25) called a leap year cam, and a driven member (21) arranged to be rotated by a drive member (104) of a month moving part (100) of a timepiece movement, said first moving part (20) being fixed to said driven member (21), a second movable part (30) including a driven member (37) arranged to be rotated by the drive member (27) of the first movable part (20) and a second drive member (31) fixed to the driven member (37); A third movable part (40) comprising a rotating member (41) arranged to be driven by the second driving part (31) of the second movable part (30), a cam (45) fixed to the rotating member (41) and called a centennial cam, and a first lever (70) provided with a feeler (72), wherein the feeler (72) moves the first lever (70) a first position when the feeler (72) engages with a first portion of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to a non-leap year; In order to operate a correction device according to February 29th of a leap year, when the feeler (72) engages with the second portion (26a, 26b, 26c) of the leap year cam (25) corresponding to the leap year, the second position is The third movable part (40) and the first movable part (20) are provided so that the feeler (72) is engaged with the leap year cam (25) of the first movable part (20) to move the third movable part (40) and the first movable part (20). A secular module (10) for a perpetual calendar mechanism of a timepiece movement, comprising: The second movable part (30) further comprises a cam (35) called a decade cam, which is fixed to a driven member (37) of the second movable part; The secular module (10) further comprises a second lever (80), the second lever (80) comprising a first feeler and a second feeler (81, 82) arranged to engage with the decade cam (35) of the second movable part (30) and the hundred year cam (45) of the third movable part (40), respectively; When the first feeler and the second feeler (81, 82) of the second lever (80) are positioned at the cam portion corresponding to a multiple of 10 years of the 10-year cam (35) and the cam portion corresponding to a multiple of 100 years of the 100-year cam (45), respectively, the second lever (80) is arranged to act on the first lever (70) to prevent the feeler (72) of the first lever from cooperating with the second portion of the leap year cam (25). A secular module (10) for a perpetual calendar mechanism of a watch movement, characterized by:

2. a finger (52) fixed to the rotating member (41) of the third movable part (40); a fourth movable part (60) having a rotating member (62) driven by the passage of the finger (52); a cam (64) called a 400-year cam, fixed to the rotating member (62); a third lever (90) having a third feeler (92) arranged to engage with the four-hundred-year cam (64); 2. The secular module (10) of claim 1, further comprising: a third lever (90) arranged to pivot the second lever (80) so that the second lever (80) does not act on the first lever (70) when the third feeler (92) engages with a portion (65a, 65b) of a four-hundred-year cam (64) corresponding to a multiple of 400 years.

3. 3. A secular module (10) according to claim 2, wherein said quadricentenary cam (64) comprises two recesses (65a, 65b) diametrically opposed in the quadricentenary cam direction.

4. A secular module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rotating member (41) of the third movable part (40) and the driven member (21) of the first movable part (20) are each in the form of a pinion having a plurality of pairs of teeth (42) on their circumferential surfaces, the pairs of teeth being evenly spaced apart from one another to define gaps (23, 43).

5. The second driving member (31) of the second moving part (30) and the driving member (104) of the lunar moving part (100) each have a circular edge (33, 106), a finger (32, 105) whose free end protrudes from the circular edge (33, 106), and two grooves (34, 107a, 107b) arranged on both sides of the finger (32, 105); the grooves (34, 107a, 107b) are formed to receive the teeth of their respective pinions (41, 21); 5. The secular module (10) of claim 4, wherein the fingers (32, 105) are configured to engage within the pairs of teeth (22, 42).

6. A secular module (10) according to claim 5, wherein adjacent teeth of two adjacent tooth pairs (22, 42) are formed to abut against the circular edge (33, 106) of the drive member (31, 104) associated with the pinion (41, 21) of said tooth pair in order to limit the angular play of the pinion.

7. A secular module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a jumper spring (53) arranged to contact one of the bearing areas of the plurality of gaps (43) of the pinion (41) of the third movable part (40) in order to guide the pinion (41) into an index angular position.

8. A secular module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the tooth pairs of the pinions (21, 41) of the first movable part (20) and the third movable part (40) are each obtained from a pinion in which every third tooth is cut off.

9. said first moving part (20) being arranged to be driven by a finger (105) of said lunar moving part (100) at a rate of one revolution every four years, preferably one revolution every eight or twelve years; the second movable part (30) is arranged to be driven by the drive member (27) of the first movable part (20) at a speed of one revolution per decade; A secular module (10) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the rotating member (41) of the third movable part (40) is arranged to be driven by the finger (32) of the second movable part (30) at a speed of one rotation per 100 years.

10. The leap year cam (25) of the first movable part (20) two diametrically opposed recesses (26a, 26b) of the leap year cam or three recesses (26a, 26b, 26v) spaced 120° apart from one another; The decade cam (35) and the hundred year cam (45) each have a single recess (36, 46); A secular module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. an index star (24) fixed to the first movable part (20); an index jumper spring (28) that cooperates with the index star (24) to bring the first movable part (20) to an index position with each pass of the finger (105) of the moon movable part (100); The secular module (10) of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:

12. 12. The secular module (10) of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first lever (60) further comprises a rake (74) arranged to engage with the teeth of the corrector.

13. A display module (200) comprising a secular module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, The third movable part (40) a second rotating member (47) arranged to be driven by the driven member (37) of the second moving part (30) at a speed of one revolution per decade; a shaft (50) fixed to the second rotating member (47); a tube (44) disposed around the shaft (50) and fixed to the first rotating member (41); and wherein the display module (200) further comprises: a unit ring (210) fixed to the shaft (50); a decade ring (220) concentrically disposed outside the unit ring (210) and fixed to the tube (44); A display module (200) comprising:

14. A watch comprising a secular module (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or a display module (200) according to claim 13.

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