Winding device for a watch movement of a wristwatch

Abstract

To provide a winding device for a horological movement capable of simplifying the positioning of a watch.SOLUTION: An apparatus 10 for winding a horological movement of a watch 20 includes an electronic module 13 configured to control a motor 14 kinematically connected to a drive member intended to rotate a winding member of the watch 20. The apparatus 10 includes a support 11 for the watch 20 formed by a body having a central element 110 and at least one side element 111 that are arranged at a distance from each other so as to form a recess 118 intended to receive a strand 21 of a bracelet of the watch 20, such that the central element 110 and the side element 111 are adapted to apply opposing forces to the strand 21 so as to ensure that the strand 21 is held in the recess 118.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of watch manufacturing, and more particularly to a device for winding the watch movement of a wristwatch.

[0002] The winding device is designed to wind a mechanical watch movement.

Background Art

[0003] Devices for winding the watch movement continue to operate the movement even when the wristwatch is not worn by the user. For this purpose, these devices act on a winding button or a vibrating weight to tighten the mainspring according to the type of watch movement fitted to the wristwatch during winding. Specifically, as described in Patent Document 1, the winding button is rotationally driven by a gripping member provided for this purpose, or as described in Patent Document 2, the wristwatch case is rotationally driven to pivot the vibrating weight.

[0004] According to all the winding devices in the prior art, it is necessary to place the wristwatch whose movement is to be wound on a support provided for this purpose so as to ensure that the wristwatch is held in a predetermined position during winding. This operation is typically relatively cumbersome for the user.

[0005] To do this, a removable support, typically referred to as a "cushion", is typically removed by the user from the bed in the device, then the wristwatch is operated to close the bracelet around the support to apply tension, and then the support surrounded by the wristwatch must be returned to the bed.

[0006] Another drawback of existing winding devices is that the support is not suitable for all wristwatch bracelet lengths, which is particularly detrimental to bracelets with foldable fasteners. Specifically, if the bracelet is too short, it cannot be closed around the support, and if the bracelet is too long, the watch is not held in place because it is not pulled by the support.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to simplify the positioning of the wristwatch in the winding device.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to allow the support to be easily adapted to any wristwatch regardless of the bracelet length and to allow the bracelet to be pulled.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

[0010] Towards this end, the present invention relates to a device for winding the watch movement of a wristwatch, the device comprising an electronic module configured to control a motor kinematically connected to a drive member intended to rotate the winding member of the wristwatch. The device includes a support for the wristwatch connected to the drive member, the support being formed by a body having a central element and at least one side element arranged at a certain distance from each other so as to form a recess intended to receive a strand of the wristwatch bracelet, the central element and the side element being adapted to apply opposing forces to the strand to ensure that the strand is held in the recess.

[0011] In certain embodiments, the present invention may further include one or more of the following features, alone or in any technically possible combination.

[0012] In certain embodiments, the recess is defined by the inner flank of the side element, which has a concave cross-section, and by the outer flank of the central element, which has a convex cross-section.

[0013] In certain embodiments, the central element is interposed between two side elements. These two side elements are arranged relative to the central element so as to form two recesses each intended to receive one strand of a bracelet of a wristwatch. The central element and the side elements are adapted to apply a frictional force to the strand so as to hold the strand in the recess.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the central element has one end, referred to as the "rear end", on the opposite side of an end referred to as the "front end", and the front end of the central element is arranged between two opposite ends of the side element and is intended to receive a wristwatch case to be supported.

[0015] In certain embodiments, the rear end has a greater elastic deformation capacity when compressed than the front end.

[0016] In certain embodiments, the device includes a base on which a support is arranged, and the central element has a stopper forming the rear end. The stopper is configured to be removably attached to the base and occupy at least two discrete positions. In each of these discrete positions, the stopper is arranged at a different distance from the front end.

[0017] In certain embodiments, the drive member is formed by a movable part of a base arranged in a cradle. The cradle is formed by a fixed part of the base. The fixed part has an internal volume in which an electronic module and a motor are housed, and the movable part of the base is connected to the motor so as to be driven in a reciprocating rotational motion.

[0018] In certain embodiments, the drive member is formed by a connecting member intended to rotate the winding button of the wristwatch to wind its timepiece movement.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. This description is given by way of example and is in no way limiting.

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

[0021] Note that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for clarity.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] The present invention relates to an apparatus 10 for winding a timepiece movement of a wristwatch 20, with preferred embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0023] As shown in the figures, the apparatus 10 includes a support 11 for the wristwatch 20. This support 11 is fastened to a base 12 and is intended to hold the timepiece 20 having the timepiece movement to be wound. The support 11 is formed by a body having a central element 110 and at least one side element 111 arranged at a certain distance from each other so as to form a recess 118 for receiving a strand 21 of the bracelet of the wristwatch 20. That is, the recess 118 extends from the base 12 constituting the back of the recess 118 to the insertion opening. The strand 21 is intended to be engaged through this insertion opening so as to fix the wristwatch 20 to the support 11.

[0024] Specifically, the central element 110 and the side element 111 are adapted to apply opposing forces to the strand 21 so that the strand 21 is securely clamped in the recess 118. These forces are indicated by arrows in FIG. 3. In other words, the strand 21 is held in the recess 118 and thus in the support 11 by the frictional force resulting from receiving the clamping force.

[0025] The recess 118 is more precisely defined by the inner flank 112 of the side element 111 and the outer flank 113 of the central element 110. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as particularly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inner flank 112 of the side element 111 has a concave cross-section and the outer flank 113 of the central element 110 has a convex cross-section. This arrangement causes a lot of friction on the strand 21 engaged in the recess 118, which helps to hold the wristwatch 20 well in a fixed position in the support 11.

[0026] The side elements 111 are arranged at a prescribed distance from the central element 110 so that the cross-section of the recess 118 is constant to disperse the force intended to be received by the strand 21, or a local zone with a minimum distance between the side element 111 and the central element 110 is created to locally cause a reduction in the cross-section of the recess 118 to cause stress concentration in the strand 21.

[0027] Preferably, the central element 110 is interposed between two side elements 111 so as to hold two opposing strands 21 of the bracelet of the wristwatch 20 in a fixed position, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0028] In FIG. 1, in particular, the direction in which the strand 21 of the wristwatch 20 engages with the recess 118 through the opening for strand insertion to fasten the wristwatch 20 to the support 11 is indicated by an arrow.

[0029] The central element 110 preferably has an oval cross-section and extends between two ends. One of these two ends is referred to as the "rear end" 114 and has a narrower shape than the other, which is referred to as the "front end" 115. The front end 115 is intended to support the case 22 of the wristwatch 20, in particular the back of the case 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 7.

[0030] Advantageously, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 7, the case 22 of the wristwatch 20 is intended to rest in the space separating the two opposing ends of the side elements 111. Due to this feature, the user can always observe the display member 23 of the wristwatch 20 that shows a time value such as the current time.

[0031] In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear end 114 has a greater elastic deformation ability when compressed than the front end 115.

[0032] Specifically, the rear end 114 of the central element 110 has a relatively high elastic deformation ability, and the front end 115 is substantially non-deformable. For the sake of explanation, FIG. 2 schematically shows the rear end 114, and FIG. 3 schematically shows the rear end 114 in a position receiving the compressive stress from the bracelet of the wristwatch 20. Thanks to the features of the present invention in this embodiment, the installation of the watch 20 on the support 11 becomes very easy, and the central element 110 can be adapted to any dimension of the bracelet of the wristwatch 20.

[0033] Specifically, to install the wristwatch 20 on the support 11, as shown in FIG. 3, it is only necessary to close the bracelet of the wristwatch 20, then compress the rear end 114 of the central element 110 with the bracelet, and engage the strand 21 with each recess 118 so that the case 22 of the wristwatch 20 is stationary with respect to the front end 115 of the central element 110. Such an operation can advantageously be performed with only one hand. That is, the wristwatch 20 is held by the frictional force received by the strand 21 and the elastic return force generated in the bracelet by the rear end 114 which tends to return to the stationary position.

[0034] Thanks to the recesses 118 defined by the side elements 111 and the central element 110, as shown in FIG. 1, it is also possible to keep the bracelet of the wristwatch 20 open, in which case the wristwatch 20 is held only by the frictional force received by the strand 21.

[0035] Alternatively, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the central element 110 may include a stopper 116 forming the rear end 114. This stopper 116 is configured to be removably fastened to the base 12 so as to occupy at least two discrete positions. One of these discrete positions is farther from the front end 115 than the other position. That is, the support 11, particularly the central element 110, can be adapted to any dimension of the bracelet of the wristwatch 20.

[0036] In the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the stopper 116 is connected via an extension link 117 to a fixed portion of the central element 110 that includes the front end 115. The extension link 117 is arranged on both sides of the central element 110 and is formed, for example, by an elastically deformable strip of a material having a corrugated shape.

[0037] The stopper 116 can be fastened to the base 12 by any suitable removable fastening solution. As an example, the stopper 116 may be provided with a pin intended to engage one of a plurality of holes extending in the base 12 as shown in FIG. 4. In this case, the stopper 116 can occupy as many positions as there are holes in the base 12. Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4, since the base 12 has three holes arranged at different distances from the front end 115 of the central element 110, the stopper 116 can occupy three separate positions.

[0038] The wristwatch 20 is installed on the support 11 in the same way as described above for the embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In other words, it is arranged to be supported by the stopper 116 after the bracelet is closed, and then each of the strands 21 is engaged in the recess 118 until the case 22 of the wristwatch 20 is pressed against the front end 115 of the central element 110.

[0039] Similar to the embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bracelet of the wristwatch 20 may be left open. In this case, the wristwatch 20 is held only by the frictional force received by the strands 21.

[0040] In all embodiments, the present invention thus ensures that the wristwatch 20 is held in a fixed position on the support 11 during the operation of the device 10, regardless of the type of bracelet included in the wristwatch 20 and regardless of the length of that bracelet.

[0041] Furthermore, when the wristwatch 20 is installed on the support 11 with its bracelet closed, the bracelet is intended to be pulled by the central element 110 as long as the size of its periphery is variable, continuously in the case of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 or discretely in the case of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. That is, thanks to these features, the present invention further ensures that the wristwatch is held in a fixed position during the operation of the device 10.

[0042] The base 12 defines an internal volume for housing an electronic module 13 such as an integrated circuit and is configured to drive a motor 14 kinematically connected to a drive member connected to the support 11 so as to rotate the winding member of the wristwatch 20 to wind up the timepiece movement.

[0043] In one embodiment, the drive member of the winding device 10 may be formed by the movable part 120 of the base 12 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to 6, and the movable part 120 is intended to rotate the oscillating weight of the wristwatch 20 to wind up the timepiece movement.

[0044] Specifically, the movable part 120 of the base 12 can be arranged in a cradle having a complementary shape. This cradle is formed by the fixed part 121 of the base 12. The fixed part 121 has an internal volume in which the electronic module 13 and the motor 14 are housed. The movable part 120 can be driven by any suitable motion transmission solution within the reach of a person skilled in the art. In this embodiment of the present invention, the movable part 120 of the base 12 is alternately rotationally driven by an angular displacement of less than 180 degrees, preferably approximately 90 degrees, about an axis parallel to the central axis of the case 22 of the wristwatch 20 when installed on the support 11 as seen in FIG. 6.

[0045] Alternatively, the drive member of the winding device 10 can be formed by a connecting member 122, such as a bell, intended to rotate the winding button of the wristwatch 20 so as to wind up the clock movement, as shown in FIG. 7. In this case, when the wristwatch 20 is installed on the support 11, it is clear that the winding button must be arranged to face the base 12 so as to be able to cooperate with the bell.

[0046] In general, it should be noted that the implementation examples and embodiments considered above are described as non-limiting examples, and other alternative examples are also conceivable.

[0047] Specifically, the central element 110 may have a circular or elliptical cross-section, and the front end 115 and the rear end 114 will therefore have substantially the same dimensions. In general, the central element 110 may have a cross-section of any shape suitable for implementing the present invention, and in particular suitable for generating the force necessary to clamp one or more strands 21 in the recess 118.

[0048] Finally, the present invention is adapted to impart a periodic excitation vibration of an accurate frequency to the wristwatch 20 installed on the support 11, and for this purpose, the electronic module 13 includes a speed measurement sensor arranged on the base 12, such as a microphone type, intended to contact the winding button of the wristwatch 20, as schematically shown in FIG. 6.

Claims

1. A device (10) for winding a clock movement of a wristwatch (20), comprising: an electronic module (13) configured to control a motor (14) connected to a drive member intended to rotate a winding member of said watch (20); a support (11) for said watch (20) formed by a body having a central element (110) and two side elements (111); Including, said central element (110) is interposed between two side elements (111) arranged relative to said central element (110) so as to form two recesses (118) each intended to receive a strand (21) of a bracelet of said watch (20); said central element (110) and said side elements (111) are adapted to apply opposing forces to said strands (21) to ensure that they are retained in said recesses (118); The central element (110) has an end called the "rear end" (114) opposite an end called the "front end" (115), said front end (115) is arranged between two opposite ends of said side elements (111) and is intended to receive the case (22) of said watch (20) to be supported; The device (10), wherein the rear end (114) has a greater capacity for elastic deformation when compressed than the front end (115).

2. 2. The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the recess (118) is defined by an inner flank (112) of the side element (111) having a concave cross-section and an outer flank (113) of the central element (110) having a convex cross-section.

3. The device (10) further comprises a base (12) on which the support (11) is arranged, the drive member being formed by a movable part (120) of the base (12) arranged in a cradle formed by a fixed part (121) of the base (12), the fixed part (121) has an internal volume in which the electronic module (13) and the motor (14) are housed; The apparatus (10) of claim 1, wherein the movable portion (120) of the base (12) is connected to the motor (14) so ​​as to be driven in a reciprocating rotational motion.

4. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said drive member is formed by a connecting member (122) intended to rotate a winding button of said watch (20) to wind its timepiece movement.

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