Watches with quarter and hour repeaters

Abstract

The invention relates to a timepiece with a quarter repeater and an hour repeater, comprising a manually windable spring, the release of which allows the axis (2) to be driven in rotation from a winding position to a rest position. The timepiece according to the invention also comprises an hour rack (6) which can be driven in rotation by the axis (2) about a rack axis (7) parallel to the axis (2) by a spring in order to activate the hour hammering mechanism and which can be moved from the hour rest position to the hour winding position until it abuts against the hour snail (13). The timepiece according to the invention further comprises a quarter rack (22) which can also be driven in rotation about the rack axis in order to activate the quarter hammering mechanism and which can be moved from the quarter rest position to the quarter winding position until it abuts against the quarter snail (24) after the hour rack (6) abuts against the hour snail (13). A first end of the spring arm (39, 39') is disposed on the hour rack (6), and a second end of the spring arm (39, 39') is disposed on the quarter rack (22). The spring arms (39, 39') are released at the hour rest position of the hour rack (6) and the quarter rest position of the quarter rack (22), and can be wound up from the hour rest position to the hour winding position by moving the hour rack (6).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The invention relates to a timepiece comprising a quarter repeater and an hour repeater, and comprising a manually windable spring, the release of which allows the shaft to be driven in rotation from a winding position to a rest position, an hour rack which can be driven in rotation by the spring about a rack axis parallel to said axis in order to activate the hour hammering mechanism and which can be moved from the hour rest position to the hour winding position until it abuts against the hour snail, and a quarter rack which can also be driven in rotation about its rack axis in order to activate the quarter hammering mechanism and which, after the hour rack abuts against the hour snail, can be moved from the quarter rest position to the quarter winding position until it abuts against the quarter snail. [Background technology]

[0002] In such watches, it is known to provide, for each of the quarter racks as well as the hour rack, a fixed spring arranged to move the hour rack to drive the hour striking mechanism, and a fixed spring arranged to move the quarter rack to drive the quarter striking mechanism, which is a complex construction. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a timepiece of the type mentioned at the outset which has a simple construction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] To solve this problem, the timepiece of the present invention is characterized in that a first end of the spring arm is arranged on the hour rack, a second end of the spring arm is arranged on the quarter rack, the spring arm is released at the hour rest position of the hour rack and at the quarter rest position of the quarter rack, and the timepiece can be wound from the hour rest position to the hour winding position by moving the hour rack.

[0005] In this configuration, the movement of the hour rack and the winding of the spring driving the hour rack automatically winds up the spring arm with the hour rack. The actuation of the quarter rack utilizes the energy of the spring arm, causing the quarter rack to follow from behind until it abuts the quarter snail. The spring then moves the hour rack to its hour rest position, requiring no additional energy from the spring arm. The spring arm is at least nearly released (relaxed) in the quarter-hour rest position, and no additional force is required to wind up (tension) the spring arm and move it relative to the quarter snail for the next strike sequence of the quarter hammering mechanism.

[0006] In order to easily save space and generate sufficient force, the manually windable spring can be a spring in a spring housing, on whose axis a drive gear that engages with the toothing of the hour rack is arranged non-rotatably relative to it, the toothing extending in the direction of the movement path of the hour rack.

[0007] The quarter rack can be blocked by a blocking device at its quarter rest position, and the blocking device can be released when the hour rack reaches the hour winding position, so that when winding up a manually windable spring, the spring arm can also be easily wound up.

[0008] For this purpose, in a simple configuration, the blocking device can have a stop in the movement path of the quarter rack that can pivot to abut against a counter stop of the quarter rack, the stop being movable out of the movement path of the quarter rack by a claw arranged on the hour rack when the hour rack reaches the hour winding position.

[0009] In order to perform blocking and unblocking simply with a small number of parts and in a small space, the hour rack has an hour finger for radially abutting against the hour snail, and by abutting against the hour snail, the hour finger can move around the loose part toward the hour rest position of the hour rack against the spring force, so that the hour finger can pivot the first lever of the pawl, which is configured as a two-arm lever, around the pawl axis from the blocking position to the unblocking position, and thereby the second lever of the pawl can move the pivot lever of the blocking device out of the movement path of the quarter rack.

[0010] In this case, preferably, the stopper of the blocking device is arranged at one free end of the pivot lever, and the pivot lever is pivotable about the other end, and the pivot lever is pivotable between a blocking position in which the quarter rack is blocked at the quarter position and an unblocking position in which the quarter rack is unblocked.

[0011] To ensure that the pivot lever can return to its blocking position, the pivot lever is preferably loaded into its blocking position by a spring force.

[0012] To activate the hour hammering mechanism, a tooth row with 12 radially projecting hour teeth can extend on the hour rack in its direction of movement, by which the hour tumbler of the hour hammering mechanism can be driven in a swiveling manner.

[0013] After the final hour hammering of the hour hammering mechanism has occurred, the hour rack can be simply coupled with the quarter rack when moving from the hour winding position to the hour rest position, and the quarter rack can be brought to the quarter position by the hour rack under the operation of the quarter hammering mechanism.

[0014] In this case, in order to easily save space, four tooth spaces corresponding to the four rows of the quarter snail can be arranged sequentially on the hour rack in the direction of movement, and the hooks of the engaging claws, which are arranged on the quarter rack so as to be rotatable around an engaging axis parallel to the rack axis, can engage with each tooth space corresponding to the position read by the quarter snail.

[0015] For this purpose, the engaging claw can be configured as a two-arm lever, with a hook arranged on a first lever of the two-arm lever and a pin arranged on a second lever of the two-arm lever parallel to the engaging axis, the pin being held on a link by a second spring, the link extending parallel to the movement path of the hour rack and having a slope approaching the rack axis on the lever farther from the finger lever, the engaging claw being held so as to pivot to the disengaged position by the pin abutting against the link and pivoting to the engaged position by sliding along the slope.

[0016] To operate the quarter rack, in a simple configuration, a tooth row with three radially projecting quarter teeth can extend on the quarter rack in its direction of movement, by which two quarter tumblers of the quarter hammering mechanism can be swiveled.

[0017] The double strike by the quarter rack is achieved by arranging three quarter teeth in each of two radially projecting groups spaced apart on the quarter rack in the direction of movement of the quarter rack, with the first group of quarter teeth closer to the counter stop being able to pivotally drive the first quarter tumbler of the quarter hammering mechanism, and the second group of quarter teeth further from the counter stop being able to pivotally drive the second quarter tumbler of the quarter hammering mechanism.

[0018] The invention will be described in detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a watch having a quarter repeater with a quarter rack in the quarter rest position and an hour repeater with an hour rack in the hour rest position. [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view showing the watch of FIG. 1 with the hour rack in contact with the hour snail and in the hour winding position at 12 o'clock, and the quarter rack in the quarter rest position. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a watch with an hour repeater with an hour rack in the hour winding position and a quarter repeater in contact with the quarter snail and with the quarter rack in the three-quarter position. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the hour rack of the clock in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the timepiece of FIG. 1 with the hour rack in the hour winding position. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the timepiece of FIG. 1 with the hour rack in the hour winding position. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a further spring arm of the timepiece in FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The timepiece shown in the figure comprises a spring housing 1, on whose shaft 2 a spring configured as a mainspring is arranged. A drive gear 3 is arranged on the shaft 2 so as not to be rotatable relative to the shaft 2.

[0021] The spring in the spring housing 1 can be manually wound by means of a winding lever 4 and a gear train (not shown).

[0022] The drive gear 3 engages with a toothing row 5 of the hour rack 6, which toothing row 5 extends in an arc on the side facing the hour rack 6, parallel to the axis 2 and around a rack axis 7 on which the hour rack 6 is rotatably mounted. On the side remote from the rack axis 7 extends a toothing row with 12 hour teeth 8, by means of which an hour tumbler 9 of an hour hammering mechanism (not shown) can be driven in a pivoting manner about a tumbler axis 44. Furthermore, a first quarter tumbler 27 is arranged on the tumbler axis 44 so that it can be driven in a pivoting manner about the tumbler axis 44 by the quarter teeth 26 of the quarter rack 22.

[0023] One end of the finger lever 10 is arranged on the hour rack 6 so as to be pivotable about a finger lever axis 11 parallel to the rack axis 7, around the loose portion. At a second end, the finger lever 10 has an hour finger 12, the free end of which is oriented radially relative to the hour snail 13 and which can abut against one of the twelve steps of the hour snail 13, each step corresponding to the current hour.

[0024] The hour nail 13 can be driven to rotate by the movement of the watch (not shown) so as to rotate once every 12 hours.

[0025] In the end region remote from the free end of the hour finger 12, the hour finger 12 has a bolt (not shown) which extends relative to the finger lever axis 11 and projects into an elongated hole 14 which forms a loose portion in the hour snail 13.

[0026] A stopper 15 is disposed at the end of the bolt protruding from the elongated hole 14 .

[0027] A first lever 16 of a claw 17 configured as a two-arm lever is located on the movement path of the stopper 15 along the width of the elongated hole 14, and the claw 17 is arranged on the hour rack 6 so as to be freely rotatable around a claw axis 18 parallel to the rack axis 7.

[0028] By means of a second lever 19 of the pawl 17, a pivot lever 20 of the blocking device can be loaded to pivot from a blocking position to an unblocking position against the force of a biasing spring 21.

[0029] When the spring in the spring housing 1 is manually wound (tensioned) by the winding lever 4, the drive gear 3 is also rotated, and the drive gear 3 drives the hour rack 6 in a counterclockwise direction until the free end of the hour finger 12 abuts the hour snail 13.

[0030] The bolt, which is guided in the slot 14, is initially held against the end of the hour finger 12 closest to its free end by the action of the spring 21.

[0031] After the hour finger 12 abuts against the hour snail 13, further pivoting movement of the hour rack 6 occurs, in which case the finger lever 10 pivots so that the bolt in the long hole 14 moves from the free end of the hour finger 12 toward the end farther away.

[0032] In this case, the stopper 15 loads the first lever 16 of the pawl 17, causing it to pivot against the force of the spring 21 of the pivoting lever 20, which in turn causes the second lever 19 of the pawl 17 to move the pivoting lever 20 from the blocking position to the unblocking position.

[0033] Furthermore, an arc-shaped quarter rack 22 is mounted around the rack shaft 7 so as to be freely rotatable between a quarter rest position (see FIG. 1) and a quarter winding position (see FIG. 3).

[0034] The quarter rack 22 has a quarter finger 23 whose free end is directed radially relative to the quarter snail 24, and in the quarter winding position, the quarter finger 23 abuts against four steps on the quarter rack 24 corresponding to the current quarter (quarter) hour, and the quarter rack 24 can be driven to rotate once per hour by the movement of the watch.

[0035] The quarter rack 22 further comprises a counter stop 25 which, at each quarter position of the quarter rack 22, abuts the pivot lever 20 in its blocking position and blocks the quarter rack 22 in its rest position.

[0036] In the direction of movement of the arc-shaped quarter rack 22 on the side farther from the rack shaft 7, three quarter teeth 26 are arranged in each of two groups 28, 29 that protrude radially outward while being spaced apart from each other.

[0037] In this case, a first group 28 of quarter teeth 26, which are closer to the counter stop 25, can pivotally drive a first quarter tumbler 27 of the quarter hammering mechanism, and a second group 29 of quarter teeth 26, which are further from the counter stop 25, can pivotally drive a second quarter tumbler 27' of the quarter hammering mechanism (not shown), thus producing a double strike.

[0038] The quarter rack 22 has four tooth gaps 30 on the side closer to the rack axis 7, and a driving claw 31 having a hook 33 can engage with these tooth gaps 30. The driving claw 31 is attached to the hour rack 6 so as to be rotatable about a driving axis 32 parallel to the rack axis 7.

[0039] The engaging claw 31 is configured as a two-arm lever, with a hook 33 disposed at the free end of a first lever arm 34. A pin 36 parallel to the engaging shaft 32 is disposed at the free end of a second lever arm 35. This pin 36 protrudes beyond the hour rack 6 and slides on a fixed link 37 extending substantially parallel to the movement path of the hour rack as the hour rack 6 moves. A second spring 42 applies a force to the second lever arm 35, keeping the pin 36 in contact with the link 37.

[0040] At the end remote from the finger lever 10 , the link 37 has a slope 38 approaching the rack shaft 7 .

[0041] A first end of the arc-shaped spring arm 39 is fixed to the quarter rack 22 , and a second end of the spring arm 39 is fixed to the hour rack 6 .

[0042] As described above, the spring in the spring housing 1 is manually wound up and the hour rack 6 is driven counterclockwise until it abuts against the hour snail 13. In this case, first, the quarter rack 22 is prevented from pivoting together with the hour rack 6 by the pivot lever 20 in the blocking position and is held in the hour rest position, and then the winding up of the spring arm 39 occurs.

[0043] As described above, when the pivot lever 20 is subsequently moved from its blocked position to its unblocked position, the force of the spring arm 39 causes the quarter rack 22 to pivot from the quarter rest position to the quarter hoist position in which the quarter finger 23 abuts the quarter snail 24.

[0044] When manual loading of the winding lever 4 is terminated, the spring in the spring housing 1 is released (relaxed) and the hour rack 6 is driven clockwise, whereupon the hour tooth 8 engages with the hour tumbler 9 according to the hour read by the hour finger 12 on the hour snail 13, which then activates the hammering mechanism with the corresponding number of blows according to the read hour.

[0045] The quarter rack 22 remains in its quarter rest position.

[0046] During the return movement of the hour rack 6, the pin 36 slides along the link 37, thereby keeping the hook 33 out of engagement with the tooth gap 30, until the final actuation of the hour tumbler 9 is reached.

[0047] After the final actuation of the hour tumbler 9, the pin 36 reaches the inclined surface 38, and therefore the pin 36 can slide along the inclined surface 38 under the force of the second spring 42, which causes the engaging pawl 31 to pivot and the hook 33 to engage with one of the interdental spaces. This causes the quarter rack 22 to be coupled to the hour rack 6, and the spring force of the spring housing 1 causes it to move to the quarter rest position together with its further movement to the hour rest position.

[0048] Each tooth gap 30 where the hook 33 engages corresponds to the quarter winding position read by the quarter finger 23 on the quarter snail 24.

[0049] 7 shows a second embodiment of a spring arm 39', which in this case has two spiral portions 43 in the middle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Spring housing 2-axis 3 Drive gear 4 Winding lever 5. Dentition 6 Hour Luck 7 Rack axis 8 Hour Tooth 9 Hour Tumbler 10 Finger Lever 11 Finger lever shaft 12 Hourfinger 13 Hour Snail 14 long hole 15 Stopper 16 First Lever 17 Nails 18 Claw axis 19 Second Lever 20 Swivel lever 21 Spring 22 Quarter Rack 23 Quarter Finger 24 Quarter Snail 25 Counter stopper 26 Quarter Tooth 27 First Quarter Tumbler 27` 2nd Quarter Tumbler 28 Group 1 29 Group 2 30 Interdental 31 Entrainment Claw 32 Trailing Axle 33 Hook 34 First lever arm 35 Second lever arm 36-pin 37 Links 38 Slope 39 Spring arm 39` spring arm 40 First end 41 Second end 42 Second Spring 43 Spiral part 44 Tumbler shaft

Claims

1. A timepiece having a quarter repeater and an hour repeater, a manually windable spring, the release of which allows the shaft (2) to be driven in rotation from a winding position to a rest position; an hour rack (6) rotatably driven by the shaft (2) about a rack axis (7) parallel to the shaft (2) and by the spring for actuating the hour hammering mechanism, and movable from an hour rest position to an hour winding position until it abuts against the hour snail (13); a quarter rack (22) also rotatably drivable about said rack axis for actuating the quarter hammering mechanism and movable after said hour rack (6) has come into contact with said hour snail (13) from a quarter rest position to a quarter hoist position until it comes into contact with the quarter snail (24); In a watch comprising: A timepiece characterized in that first ends of spring arms (39, 39') are arranged on the hour rack (6), second ends of the spring arms (39, 39') are arranged on the quarter rack (22), the spring arms (39, 39') are released at the hour rest position of the hour rack (6) and at the quarter rest position of the quarter rack (22), and the timepiece can be wound from the hour rest position to the hour winding position by moving the hour rack (6).

2. 2. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the manually windable spring is a spring in a spring housing (1), and that a drive gear (3) is arranged on the axle (2) so as not to rotate relative to it, and which engages with a toothing (5) of the hour rack (6), the toothing (5) extending in the direction of the movement path of the hour rack (6).

3. 2. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that the quarter rack (22) can be blocked in its quarter rest position by a blocking device, and the blocking device can be unblocked when the hour rack (6) reaches the hour winding position.

4. 3. A timepiece according to claim 2, characterized in that the quarter rack (22) can be blocked in its quarter rest position by a blocking device, and the blocking device can be unblocked when the hour rack (6) reaches the hour winding position.

5. 4. A timepiece according to claim 3, characterized in that the blocking device has a stopper (15) in the path of movement of the quarter rack (22) that can be pivoted to abut against a counter stopper (25) of the quarter rack (22), and the stopper (15) can be moved out of the path of movement of the quarter rack (22) by a pawl (17) arranged on the hour rack (6) when the hour rack (6) reaches the hour winding position.

6. 5. A timepiece according to claim 4, characterized in that the blocking device has a stopper (15) in the path of movement of the quarter rack (22) that can be pivoted to abut against a counter stopper (25) of the quarter rack (22), and the stopper (15) can be moved out of the path of movement of the quarter rack (22) by a pawl (17) arranged on the hour rack (6) when the hour rack (6) reaches the hour winding position.

7. 6. A timepiece according to claim 5, characterized in that the hour rack (6) has an hour finger (12) for bearing radially against an hour snail (13), and the hour finger (12) is movable around the loose part in the direction of the hour rest position of the hour rack (6) against the spring force by bearing against the hour snail (13), so that the hour finger (12) can pivot a first lever (16) of a pawl (17) configured as a two-arm lever around a pawl axis (18) from a blocking position to an unblocking position, whereby a second lever (19) of the pawl (17) can move a pivot lever (20) of the blocking device out of the path of movement of the quarter rack (22).

8. 8. A timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that the stopper (15) of the blocking device is arranged at one free end of the pivoting lever (20), which is pivotable about the other end, and which is pivotable between a blocking position in which the quarter rack (22) is blocked at the quarter position and an unblocking position in which the quarter rack (22) is unblocked.

9. 8. A timepiece according to claim 7, characterized in that the stopper (15) of the blocking device is arranged at one free end of the pivoting lever (20), which is pivotable about the other end, and which is pivotable between a blocking position in which the quarter rack (22) is blocked at the quarter position and an unblocking position in which the quarter rack (22) is unblocked.

10. Timepiece according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the pivot lever (20) is loaded in its blocking position by a spring force.

11. 10. Timepiece according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that on the hour rack (6) extends, in its direction of movement, a tooth row with 12 radially projecting hour teeth (8), by which an hour tumbler (9) of the hour hammering mechanism can be driven in rotation.

12. 11. A timepiece according to claim 10, characterized in that on the hour rack (6) extends, in its direction of movement, a tooth row with 12 radially projecting hour teeth (8), by which an hour tumbler (9) of the hour striking mechanism can be driven in a swiveling manner.

13. 12. A timepiece according to claim 11, characterized in that after the last hour strike of the hour striking mechanism has occurred, the hour rack (6) can be coupled with the quarter rack (22) when moving from the hour winding position to the hour rest position, and the quarter rack (22) can be brought to the quarter position by the hour rack (6) under the operation of the quarter striking mechanism.

14. 13. A timepiece according to claim 12, characterized in that after the last hour strike of the hour striking mechanism has occurred, the hour rack (6) can be coupled with the quarter rack (22) when moving from the hour winding position to the hour rest position, and the quarter rack (22) can be brought to the quarter position by the hour rack (6) under the operation of the quarter striking mechanism.

15. 14. A timepiece according to claim 13, characterized in that four tooth gaps (30) corresponding to four steps of the quarter snail (24) are arranged in sequence on the hour rack (6) in the direction of movement thereof, and the hooks (33) of a driving pawl (31) arranged on the quarter rack (22) so as to be rotatable about a driving axis (32) parallel to the rack axis (7) can engage with each tooth gap (30) corresponding to the position read by the quarter snail (24) of the quarter rack (22).

16. 15. A timepiece according to claim 14, characterized in that four tooth gaps (30) corresponding to four steps of the quarter snail (24) are arranged on the hour rack (6) in sequence in the direction of movement thereof, and the hooks (33) of a driving pawl (31) arranged on the quarter rack (22) so as to be rotatable about a driving axis (32) parallel to the rack axis (7) can engage with each tooth gap (30) corresponding to the position read by the quarter snail (24) of the quarter rack (22).

17. 14. A timepiece according to claim 13, characterized in that the entraining pawl (31) is configured as a two-arm lever, a hook (33) is arranged on a first lever (34) of the two-arm lever, a pin (36) parallel to the entraining axis (32) is arranged on a second lever (35) of the two-arm lever, the pin (36) is held to a link (37) by a second spring (42), the link (37) extends parallel to the movement path of the hour rack (6) and has a slope (38) that approaches the rack axis (7) on the lever farther from the finger lever (10), the entraining pawl (31) is held so as to pivot to a disengaged position by the pin (36) abutting against the link (37), and pivots to an engaged position by sliding along the slope (38).

18. 15. A timepiece according to claim 14, characterized in that the entraining pawl (31) is configured as a two-arm lever, a hook (33) is arranged on a first lever (34) of the two-arm lever, a pin (36) parallel to the entraining axis (32) is arranged on a second lever (35) of the two-arm lever, the pin (36) is held to a link (37) by a second spring (42), the link (37) extends parallel to the movement path of the hour rack (6) and has a slope (38) that approaches the rack axis (7) on the lever farther from the finger lever (10), the entraining pawl (31) is held so as to pivot to a disengaged position by the pin (36) abutting against the link (37), and pivots to an engaged position by sliding along the slope (38).

19. 2. A timepiece according to claim 1, characterized in that on the quarter rack (22) in its direction of movement extends a tooth row with three radially projecting quarter teeth (26) by means of which two quarter tumblers (27) of the quarter hammering mechanism can be driven in a swiveling manner.

20. 20. A timepiece according to claim 19, characterized in that on the quarter rack (22) three quarter teeth (26) are arranged in each of two radially projecting groups spaced apart in the direction of movement of the quarter rack (22), and that a first group of quarter teeth (26) closer to the counter stop (25) is capable of driving in rotation a first quarter tumbler (27) of the quarter hammering mechanism, and a second group (29) of quarter teeth (26) further from the counter stop (25) is capable of driving in rotation a second quarter tumbler (27') of the quarter hammering mechanism.

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