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Abstract

To provide a watch that greatly simplifies a structure and makes assembly less complicated.SOLUTION: A watch comprising a casing and a frame 2 that supports a speed governor 3 such as a wheel that controls the operation of the watch inside the casing, has a lever 10 for controlling the speed governor 3, where the casing is provided with a button for operating the lever 10. The lever 10 is connected to the frame 2 by at least one intermediate flexible body 12. The at least one intermediate flexible body 12 has a selected position. The lever 10 automatically returns after deviation from the selected position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2.1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a timepiece comprising a frame supporting a governor, usually a (cylindrical) wheel, which governs the operation of the timepiece, the timepiece further comprising a lever for controlling the governor, and the timepiece further comprising a casing with a (push) button, which is activated when the button is pressed. [Background technology]

[0002] A governor is any part of a watch that manages certain operations of the watch, in particular starting / stopping / resetting the stopwatch (chronograph watch), correcting the time of a particular time zone with respect to standard time, adjusting the date, synchronizing the watch with a particular GPS location, etc.

[0003] Examples of such watches include, for example, the chronograph watch, which has been known for decades, the construction of which is described in great detail in the article by Robert H. Schneider, “Clockwise Timekeeping,” vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 1111-1115, 2002.

[0004] In a traditional chronograph watch, the column wheel is a multi-layer wheel that determines the position and movement of all other parts in the chronograph. It is activated by pressing a button, which pulls a ratchet latch downwards, thereby rotating the column wheel. As it rotates, the teeth of the column wheel come into contact with the first lever, which moves outward (this first lever is the horizontal clutch, engaging the seconds wheel with the chronograph gear). At the same time, the rotation of the column wheel causes a second lever to move inward (this second lever is the brake lever, which is released to allow the chronograph hands to start moving).

[0005] Finally, a spring with a hook is used to prevent the column wheel from moving back and forth, essentially providing a stable position for the column wheel.

[0006] To stop the chronograph, the button must be pressed again, which moves the latch down and rotates the column wheel further, disengaging the horizontal clutch and acting on the brake lever.

[0007] Conventional chronograph watches have several drawbacks. In particular, the mechanism consists of many parts (>20) and requires assembly. In addition, the column wheel is a multi-layered component and is difficult to manufacture. Finally, the assembled system with the column wheel, frame and lever is non-planar, which makes the thickness of the chronograph watch relatively large.

[0008] Other operations possible on a watch and which are started or stopped by a push button acting on a lever pose similar problems: functions such as starting / stopping / resetting a stopwatch (chronograph watch), correcting the time of a specific time zone with respect to standard time, adjusting the date, synchronizing the watch based on a specific GPS position, etc.

[0009] The patent document 1 discloses a timepiece comprising a casing and a frame within the casing supporting a governor, such as a wheel, that governs the operation of the timepiece. The timepiece further comprises a lever for controlling the governor. The casing is provided with a button for actuating the lever, the lever being connected to the frame by at least one intermediate flexible body, the at least one intermediate flexible body being configured to have a preferred position to which the lever automatically returns after being deflected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 0498212 [Non-patent literature]

[0011] [Non-Patent Document 1] https: / / www.watchprosite.com / a.-lange-and-s%C3%B6hne / how-column-wheel-chronographs-work-notably-the-lange-l951-movements- / 10.1026673.7293393 / Summary of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention, a timepiece is proposed having the features according to one or more of the appended claims.

[0013] A first embodiment of the timepiece of the invention has the feature that the lever, the at least one flexible body and the frame form a single part, which is advantageous from the point of view of the manufacture and assembly of the timepiece.

[0014] Preferably, the lever is provided with at least two intermediate flexible members. Therefore It is connected to a frame. This provides a more robust structure that can withstand shock and vibration. At least two intermediate flexures can create a virtual bearing around which the lever can rotate.

[0015] Preferably, the two intermediate flexures are provided in a plane.

[0016] In another embodiment of the present invention, the governor is connected to the frame and is provided with at least two stable positions with respect to the frame, and the governor is movable between said at least two stable positions by operating a lever. Such a governor can perform the function of a conventional column wheel in a chronograph watch, greatly simplifying its structure. The governor may be used, for example, to move a gear from a non-operating position to an operating position in the watch.

[0017] In general, it is advantageous for the governor to be connected to the frame by at least two flexures, the at least two flexures being arranged in a first position and a second position, the first position and the second position corresponding to at least two stable positions for the governor.

[0018] In one suitable embodiment of the timepiece of the invention, when in the first position, the at least two flexible bodies are relaxed and when in the second position, the at least two flexible bodies are bent.

[0019] In another suitable embodiment of the timepiece of the invention, the at least two flexible bodies are bent in a first direction when in a first position, and the at least two flexible bodies are bent in a second direction opposite to the first direction when in a second position.

[0020] In another aspect of the invention, the governor, the frame and / or the lever form a single part, or these elements together form a single part, which makes the assembly of the watch less cumbersome or less expensive, and also improves the reliability and accuracy of the watch.

[0021] In a further aspect of the invention, the governor, the frame and the lever are arranged in a plane, which makes it possible to assemble and provide an ultra-thin watch.

[0022] A further preferred feature is that the governor comprises a slot arranged to cooperate with a resilient support beam connected to the frame, thereby ensuring a respective stable position for the governor.

[0023] Another notable feature is that the lever is drivingly connected to a beam that is longitudinally displaceable by operation of the lever, and that upon operation of the lever couples to a contact surface of the governor to move the governor, such that operation of the lever causes the beam to move the governor from a first stable position to a second stable position or vice versa.

[0024] In a further preferred aspect, -The regulator is the column wheel of a chronograph watch. -The governor acts as a horizontal clutch when in use. -The governor acts as a brake lever when in use. -The governor acts as a horizontal clutch and brake lever when in use. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a chronograph according to the present invention. [Figure 2.1] FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of a chronograph timepiece of the present invention with a wheel, a frame and a lever. [Figure 2.2] FIG. 13 is a top view of another embodiment of the chronograph timepiece of the present invention, which includes a wheel, a frame, and a lever. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the suspension of, in particular, the wheels within the frame. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the suspension of the wheels in the frame. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 shows a system in which the wheel combines the functions of a column wheel, horizontal clutch and brake. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings of exemplary embodiments of a chronograph watch according to the present invention, which do not limit the scope of the appended claims. However, it should be noted that the specific examples of chronograph watches described below do not limit the generality of the claims to these examples only. The claims apply to watches that have at least one or more of the functions of the appended claims and address various functions, such as starting / stopping / resetting a stopwatch (chronograph watch), correcting the time of a specific time zone with respect to standard time in a normal watch, adjusting the date in a normal watch, synchronizing a normal watch based on a specific GPS location, etc.

[0027] Whenever the same reference numbers are used in the figures, they refer to the same items.

[0028] With reference to Figure 1 and Figures 2.1 and 2.2, the basic operation of the chronograph watch shown in Figure 1 will be described insofar as it is relevant to the present invention. All the remaining parts necessary for operation in a chronograph watch are not shown because they correspond, or could correspond completely, to the structure of prior art (chronograph) watches, and therefore are not required for understanding the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows that the watch has a casing equipped with a push button A for activating a lever 10 shown in FIGS. 2.1 and 2.2.

[0030] The casing has the wheels 3, the frame 2 and the lever 10, which are completed as a single part 1, as shown in figures 2.1 and 2.2. It is also possible for only the wheels 3, only the frame 2 or only the lever 10 to be constructed as one part. It is also possible to combine these elements into one part.

[0031] When the button A at the top right of Fig. 1 is pressed, the lever 10 (see Figs. 2.1 and 2.2) is pushed down to the bottom left, and the lever 10 rotates counterclockwise around its central axis because the single flexible body 12 in Fig. 2.1 and the flexible bodies 12, 13 in Fig. 2.2 connect the lever 10 to the frame 2. This movement causes the lever 10 to push the beam 11 longitudinally toward the contact surface of the wheel 3. When the beam 11 engages with the wheel 3, the wheel 3 rotates counterclockwise and snaps from the first stable position (shown in Figs. 2.1 and 2.2) to the second stable position. This can be imagined by a person skilled in the art from the structure shown in the figure.

[0032] The stiffness of the flexures 12, 13 causes the lever 10 to return to its original position, unless the top right button A is pressed. Pressing the top right button A again achieves the same sequence, only this time the beam 11, by virtue of its engagement with the wheel 3, rotates the wheel 3 clockwise, snapping it from the second stable position back to the first stable position, which is the position shown in Figures 2.1 and 2.2.

[0033] Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the wheel 3 is connected to the frame 2 by at least two flexures 4, 5. Said at least two flexures 4, 5 are arranged to assume a first position and a second position corresponding to at least two stable positions of the wheel 3. In the first position, the at least two flexures 4, 5 are relaxed (see the left part of the figure). In the second position, the at least two flexures 4, 5 are bent (see the right part of the figure).

[0034] Figure 4 shows another embodiment in which the wheel 3 is connected to the frame 2 by means of, in this case, four flexures 14-17. Said four flexures 14-17 are arranged to assume a first position and a second position corresponding to at least two stable positions of the wheel 3. In the first position, the four flexures are bent in a first direction (see the left part of the figure), and in the second position, the four flexures 14-17 are bent in a second direction opposite to the first direction (see the right part of the figure).

[0035] 5 shows another embodiment, where the wheel 3 not only sets the position of the horizontal clutch 25 and the brake lever 24, these two levers are integrated in the wheel 3. The wheel 3 in this embodiment also has at least two stable positions to allow the gears of the running gear trains 21, 23 to mesh with the other gear train 22 of the chronograph, and to allow the brake lever 24 for the chronograph side 22 to be released.

[0036] Returning to figures 2.1 and 2.2, the wheel 3 is provided with slots 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b arranged to cooperate with protrusions provided on the elastic support beams 6, 7 connected to the frame 2. Figure 2 shows that said protrusions on the support beams 6, 7 fit into the slots 8a and 9a to secure the wheel 3 in a first stable position. When the wheel 3 moves to a second stable position, the protrusions of the support beams 6, 7 fit into the slots 8b and 9b to secure it in the second stable position.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments of the chronograph watch of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments and can be modified in many ways without departing from the present invention. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments described above should not be used to strictly interpret the scope of the appended claims on this basis. On the contrary, the above-described embodiments are intended only to explain the language of the appended claims, without intending to limit the scope of the claims to these exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted only according to the scope of the appended claims, and any ambiguity that may occur in the language of the claims shall be resolved using these exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A timepiece comprising a casing and a frame (2) supporting inside the casing a governor (3) such as a wheel that controls the operation of the timepiece, the timepiece having a lever (10) for controlling the governor (3), the casing being provided with a button (A) for operating the lever (10), the lever (10) being connected to the frame (2) by at least one intermediate flexible body (12, 13), the at least one intermediate flexible body (12, 13) having a selected position, the lever (10) being arranged so as to automatically return to its original position after being deflected from the selected position, characterized in that the lever (10), the at least one flexible body (12, 13) and the frame (2) form a single part.

2. 2. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the lever (10) is connected to the frame (2) by at least two intermediate flexures (12, 13).

3. 3. Timepiece according to claim 2, characterized in that the two intermediate flexible bodies (12, 13) are arranged in a plane.

4. A timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the governor (3) is connected to the frame (2), the governor (3) has at least two stable positions with respect to the frame (2), and the governor (3) can be moved between said at least two stable positions by operating a lever (10).

5. 5. A watch according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the governor (3), the frame (2) and the lever (10) form a single part (1) or that the permutations of these elements together form a single part.

6. 6. Timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the governor (3), the frame (2) and the lever (10) are arranged in a plane.

7. 7. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the governor (3) comprises slots (8a, 8b, 9a, 9b) arranged to cooperate with elastic support beams (6, 7) connected to the frame (2).

8. 8. Timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the lever (10) is connected to a beam (11) which is longitudinally displaceable by operation of the lever (10) in such a way as to drive the beam (11), said beam (11) being connected to a contact surface of the governor (3) in order to move the wheel when the lever (10) is operated.

9. 9. Timepiece according to claim 8, characterized in that, by operating the lever (10), the beam (11) moves the governor (3) from a first stable position to a second stable position or vice versa.

10. 10. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the governor (3) is a column wheel.

11. 10. Timepiece according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the governor (3) acts in use as a horizontal clutch (25).

12. 10. Timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the governor (3) acts as a brake lever (24) in use.

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