Zero Setting Device

Abstract

To provide a zeroing device capable of setting zero for both a minute hand and a second hand on a chronograph in a smaller installation space.SOLUTION: Provided is a zeroing device for a minute hand and a second hand on a chronograph. In the zeroing device comprising a reset button that can be operated manually, with the reset button, a minute zero setting surface 14 of a minute heart lever 13 which is separated from a minute heart 4 and turnable around a minute lever shaft 12, is turnable so as to abut on the minute hear 4 disposed on a minute shaft 3 in such a manner that relative rotation is impossible, and a second shaft 10 is turnable at a second zero setting position. A clutch pinion 1 is disposed on a clutch shaft 7 via a clutch 2 in such a manner that relative rotation is impossible; the clutch shaft 7 supports a clutch wheel 8 in such a manner that relative rotation is impossible; and the clutch wheel 8 engages with a second counter drive 9 disposed on the second shaft 10 in such a manner that relative rotation is impossible, and it is driven many times faster than a minute counter wheel 5 rotated and driven by the clutch pinion 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a zero-setting device for the minute and second hands of a chronograph, the zero-setting device comprising a manually operable reset button, by means of which a minute zero-setting surface of a minute heart lever, which is rotatable about a minute lever axis and away from the minute heart, can be swiveled into abutment against a minute heart arranged non-rotatably on the minute axis, and the second axis can be swiveled to a second zero-setting position. [Background technology]

[0002] In known zero-setting devices, the zero-setting of both the minutes and the seconds is performed via a lever assembly which requires a large installation space. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a zero-setting device which allows the zero-setting of both the minute and second hands in a chronograph of the type mentioned at the beginning to be achieved with a smaller installation space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] To solve this problem, a clutch pinion that can be rotated by the movement is arranged non-rotatably on a clutch shaft via a manually operable clutch, the clutch shaft supports a clutch wheel non-rotatably, and the clutch wheel engages with a second counter drive that is arranged non-rotatably on a second shaft, and drives the second counter drive several times faster than a minute counter wheel that is arranged non-rotatably on a minute shaft and can be rotated by the clutch pinion.

[0005] With this configuration according to the invention, the zeroing of the seconds axis is performed not via the lever assembly but via the clutch pinion, the clutch shaft, the clutch wheel and the seconds counter drive, which allows for a compact and space-saving design.

[0006] The seconds and minutes axes are conveniently adjusted together to a zero setting position.

[0007] A more compact arrangement would result if the second and minute axes were arranged coaxially with one another.

[0008] Preferably, the clutch wheel drives the seconds counter drive 60 times faster than the minutes counter drive.

[0009] The clutch shaft can rotatably support a drive wheel which can be rotatably driven by the chronograph movement.

[0010] Due to manufacturing tolerances and / or wear, the zero setting of the seconds axis may not be performed accurately. Nevertheless, in order to perform the zero setting of the seconds axis accurately, the seconds zero setting surface of the seconds heart lever, which is spaced apart from the seconds fine adjustment heart and arranged on the seconds lever shaft, can be pivoted to abut against the seconds fine adjustment heart, thereby allowing fine adjustment of the seconds axis. In this case, the seconds heart lever lock allows the abutment of the seconds zero setting surface against the seconds fine adjustment heart only at the zero setting position of the minute heart.

[0011] For this purpose, in a simple and space-saving configuration, the seconds heart lever having the seconds zero setting surface can be held by a holding device at a distance from the seconds fine adjustment heart and can be pivoted so as to abut against the seconds fine adjustment heart together with the seconds zero setting surface only at the zero setting position of the minute heart.

[0012] In this case, with a simple and space-saving construction, a sliding guide concentric with the minute axis can be arranged on the minute counter wheel or on the minute axis so as to be non-rotatable relative to it, and a control pin arranged on the seconds heart lever, which is parallel to the minute axis and spaced away from the seconds lever axis and has a radially inward spring force, abuts on the radially outer side of the sliding guide, and the sliding guide has a gap on its circumference, through which the control pin can move radially inward at the zero setting position of the minute heart, so that the seconds zero setting surface abuts against the seconds fine adjustment heart.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a zero-setting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The illustrated zero-setting device for the minute and second hands of a chronograph comprises a drive wheel 6 which is driven in rotation by the chronograph movement (not shown).

[0016] The driving wheel 6 is connected to the clutch 2 so as to be non-rotatable relative to the clutch. When the clutch 2 is open, the driving wheel 6 spins freely. When the clutch 2 is closed, the driving wheel 6 is connected to the clutch pinion 1 via the clutch 2 so as to be non-rotatable relative to the clutch pinion 1, and the clutch pinion 1 is disposed on the clutch shaft 7 which supports the clutch wheel 8 so as not to be rotatable relative to the clutch shaft 7.

[0017] Furthermore, the clutch pinion 1 engages with a minute counter wheel (minute counter wheel) 5 and drives the minute counter wheel to rotate once per hour. The minute counter wheel 5 is arranged on the minute shaft 3 so that it cannot rotate relatively thereto.

[0018] The clutch wheel 8 engages with a second counter drive 9 arranged non-rotatably on a second shaft 10, which further supports a second fine adjustment heart 11 and a second hand (not shown).

[0019] Furthermore, a minute heart 4 and a minute hand (not shown) are arranged on the minute axis 3 so as not to be rotatable relative to each other.

[0020] The minute axis 3 and the second axis 10 extend coaxially with each other.

[0021] A minute heart lever 13, which can be pivoted about a minute lever axis 12 parallel to the minute shaft 3, supports a minute zero setting surface 14 at one free end, and can be pivoted by a reset button (not shown) from a normal position away from the minute heart 4 to a position in which the minute zero setting surface 14 abuts against the minute heart 4. This causes the minute heart 4 to rotate, and in conjunction with this rotation, the minute shaft 3 to rotate to the minute zero position.

[0022] In this case, the clutch pinion 1 and by means of it the clutch wheel 8 are rotatably driven such that the seconds counter drive 9 rotates 60 times faster than the minutes counter wheel 5. This results in a zero setting of the seconds hand.

[0023] A seconds lever shaft 15 is arranged to be pivotable on the seconds lever shaft 15 which is coaxial with the minute lever shaft 12, and the seconds lever 16 has a seconds zero setting surface 19 at one free end.

[0024] Furthermore, a control pin 17 parallel to the second lever axis 15 is arranged on the second heart lever 16, and this control pin 17 abuts from the outside in the radial direction against a sliding guide 18 which is concentrically and firmly connected to the minute counter wheel 5. This keeps the second zero setting surface 19 spaced apart from the second fine adjustment heart 11.

[0025] The sliding guide 18 has a gap 20 at one point on its circumference through which the control pin 17 can move radially inwards at the zero setting position of the minute heart 4. This causes the second zero setting surface 19 to abut against the second fine adjustment heart 11, fine-adjusting the second hand, which may not already be exactly at the zero position, so that it is exactly at the zero position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 1 Clutch pinion 2 Clutch 3 minute axis 4 Minute Heart 5 minute counter car 6 Driving car 7 Clutch shaft 8 Clutch car 9 Second Counter Drive 10 second axis 11 Seconds Tweak Heart 12 minute lever shaft 13 Minute Heart Lever 14 Minute Zero Setting Surface 15 sec lever shaft 16 Second Heart Lever 17 Control Pins 18 Sliding guide 19 Second Zero Setting Surface 20. Gap

Claims

1. A zero-setting device for a minute hand and a second hand of a chronograph, the zero-setting device comprising a manually operable reset button by which a minute zero-setting surface (14) of a minute heart lever (13) rotatable about a minute lever shaft (12) away from a minute heart (4) can be pivoted to abut said minute heart (4) arranged on a minute shaft (3) in a non-rotatable manner, and a second shaft (10) can be pivoted to a seconds zero-setting position, 1. A zero-setting device comprising: a clutch pinion (1) rotatably driven by a movement, which is arranged on a clutch shaft (7) via a manually actuable clutch (2) such that the clutch shaft (7) is non-rotatably supported by a clutch wheel (8), which clutch wheel (8) engages with a second counter drive (9) arranged on the minute shaft (3) such that the second counter drive (9) is non-rotatably driven many times faster than a minute counter wheel (5) arranged on the minute shaft (3) such that the minute counter drive (5) is non-rotatably driven by the clutch pinion (1).

2. 2. A zero-setting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second axis (10) and the minute axis (3) are arranged coaxially with each other.

3. 3. A zero-setting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the clutch wheel (8) drives the second counter drive (9) 60 times faster than the minute counter wheel (5).

4. 2. A zero-setting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clutch shaft (7) rotatably supports a drive wheel (6) which can be rotated by the movement of the chronograph.

5. 2. The zero-setting device according to claim 1, characterized in that a second zero-setting surface (19) of a second heart lever (16) which is spaced from the second fine adjustment heart (11) and arranged on a second lever shaft (15) can be pivoted to abut against said second fine adjustment heart (11), and a second heart lever lock allows the abutment of said second zero-setting surface (19) against said second fine adjustment heart (11) only in the zero-setting position of the minute heart (4).

6. 6. The zero-setting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the seconds heart lever (16) having the seconds zero-setting surface (19) is held away from the seconds fine-adjustment heart (11) by a holding device and can be pivoted to abut against the seconds fine-adjustment heart (11) together with the seconds zero-setting surface (19) only in the zero-setting position of the minute heart (4).

7. 7. The zero-setting device according to claim 6, characterized in that a sliding guide (18) concentric with the minute axis (3) is arranged on the minute counter wheel (5) or on the minute axis (3) so as to be non-rotatable relative to it, a control pin (17) which is parallel to the minute axis (3), spaced apart from the seconds lever axis (15) and which abuts radially outward of the sliding guide (18) and which is arranged on the seconds heart lever (16) with a radially inward spring force abuts thereon, the sliding guide (18) having a gap (20) on its circumference, through which the control pin (17) can move radially inward at the zero-setting position of the minute heart (4), so that the seconds zero-setting surface (19) abuts on the seconds fine adjustment heart (11).

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