Device for holding moving parts

Abstract

To provide a device for axially retaining two coaxial elements of which at least one rotates by inserting a clip in a radial direction.SOLUTION: A device is for retaining a moving part 2 of a timepiece movement 100 axially around a shaft 3, and the moving part 2 includes a barrel part 4 arranged so as to be coaxially mounted to the shaft 3. The device includes a clip 1 intended to be mounted to the barrel part 4 of the moving part 2, and the clip 1 includes resilient retaining means so as to cooperate with the barrel part 4, and grip the barrel part 4 over a part of an outer circumference of the barrel part. The clip 1 includes a lock beak that passes through an opening extending radially inward with respect to the barrel part 4, and the lock beak is arranged to retain the moving part 2 in a prescribed position axially in cooperation with a slot of the shaft 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of timepieces, in particular to the field of wristwatches, and more particularly to a device for holding and rotatably guiding the moving parts of a timepiece movement. [Background technology]

[0002] The prior art contains a large number of documents relating to devices for holding moving parts.

[0003] Methods of fastening the moving parts of the movement with screws, driving them onto axles, or using retaining rings are disclosed. For example, multiple moon phase discs are typically held in place by a screw or axle at their center, or by guide rings, which can increase the thickness of the movement.

[0004] Another traditional way of guiding a watch moving part is to make it pivot between two bearings each supported by a blank (plate, cock, retaining plate, etc.).

[0005] For functional reasons, in particular due to wear or lubrication, bearings are typically components that are assembled into a blank and therefore require assembly operations. Bearings can be made of metal or mineral; bearings made from brass or bronze, or ceramic or ruby, for example, are known.

[0006] This architecture therefore requires the manufacture and assembly of various components, which is costly both economically and in terms of the space it occupies in the movement.

[0007] A cost-effective way to overcome this problem is to simply remove one of these blanks. If the moving part in question is an hour wheel, it is inserted into a cannon pinion, which acts as a radial guide and axial stop element in only one direction (towards the gear train).

[0008] The hour wheel is not held in the other direction (towards the dial) until the dial is installed. In such cases, it is not possible to have a movement without a dial, as in so-called "skeleton" movements, since the movement would not be held in place without an axial stop on the dial side. It is also clear that inserting such a movement into a watch case is not easily possible with this type of movement.

[0009] Various solutions exist, but all have the following drawbacks: The movement must be delivered as a spare part, and as a result the extremely delicate oiling process must be performed by the case fitter (who has no experience in this field), not the movement assembler. The movement must be shipped in a protective container, the cover of which acts as a stop. If the movement in question is an hour wheel, this movement can be present in various lengths, allowing it to protrude to accommodate the thickness of the different dials that are fitted to this movement. This solution solves the oiling problem, but requires the use of protective container covers adapted to the length of each movement, making logistics very complicated. The movement must be delivered with a retaining clip. This clip must be inserted when the movement is assembled. This solution solves the problem of lubrication and the logistics of a protective container. However, this component must be manufactured and assembled just to be able to deliver the movement to the case fitter. Given the component's small size, it is difficult to clean and re-adjust, making it difficult to reuse. Finally, when removing the movement, there is a high risk that the movement will be damaged due to excessive force, for example by pulling it out from the wrong direction, or that it will be scratched by the pulling pliers.

[0010] Furthermore, none of the proposed solutions solves the problem of dialless movements, since the solutions described do not allow the movement to be delivered to a case-fitter, but do not allow the movement to remain functional once cased.

[0011] Because the prior art does not provide an affordable and easy to implement solution, there is a need to provide an alternative to the existing solutions. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by proposing a device for axially holding two coaxial elements, at least one of which rotates, by radially inserting a clip, which generates no or almost no friction torque between the first element and the second element, despite the fact that the first element is integral with the second element.

[0013] That is, the present invention relates to a device for axially holding a moving part of a timepiece movement around a shaft, the moving part comprising a cylindrical part configured to be coaxially mounted on the shaft, and the device comprising a clip intended to be attached to the cylindrical part of the moving part.

[0014] According to the invention, the clip includes a resilient retaining means adapted to cooperate with a groove formed in the cylindrical portion and be gripped by said groove, and further includes a locking beak passing through an opening extending radially inward relative to the cylindrical portion, the locking beak cooperating with a slot in the shaft to hold the movable portion in a predetermined axial position.

[0015] According to another advantageous alternative embodiment of the present invention, The cylindrical portion includes a groove formed on all or part of its outer periphery; the clip has a ring body with two arms with open ends, at least one of the two arms being elastically deformable, the arms forming a retaining means; the clip has an inner radius that is smaller than the radius of the cylindrical part or the groove, thereby obtaining an elastic deformation of the elastic holding means and ensuring that they are held without play in the cylindrical part; The clip includes a handling means; The beak is located at one of the open ends, The ring body has two arcs per arm, The lock beak is longer than the depth of the opening. The clip is made from wire, the clip has an oval shape so that only the ends of the arms are placed in the grooves against the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion and the locking beak is placed in the opening; The device includes a metal foil disposed on the movable portion, and a clip holds both the movable portion and the metal foil.

[0016] According to another aspect, the invention relates to a movement including a device according to the invention. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of example and in no way limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view of a device according to the present invention, the device being in a locked position; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the present invention, the device being in an unlocked position; [Figure 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to the present invention. [Figure 4a] 1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4b] 1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4c] 1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4d] 1 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] A device for holding an hour wheel on a barrel according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to Figures 1 to 3. A person skilled in the art will have no difficulty in adapting the device to any other type of moving part, whether or not it pivots about a rotating shaft.

[0020] According to the illustrated embodiment, the clock movement is intended to be a timepiece design including a moving part that constitutes the hour display, and therefore includes a device that drives this moving part, the structure of which is well known and will not be further described here.

[0021] It goes without saying that the invention also applies to any type of movement that pivots about a shaft, such as a movement for displaying the age of the moon, minutes, date, a lever or an intermediate wheel.

[0022] The present invention relates to a device for holding a moving part 2, such as a wheel of a timepiece movement 100, mounted on a shaft 3. The device comprises a clip 1. The clip 1 is intended to be attached to the barrel 4 of the moving part 2 and to cooperate with the shaft 3 between a first position and a second position.

[0023] Advantageously, the clip 1 comprises elastic retaining means 10, 11 in the form of two arms intended to cooperate with the barrel 4 or with a groove 40 made in said barrel, and a locking beak 12 intended to cooperate successively with an opening 41 in the barrel 4 and a slot 30 in the shaft 3 so as to hold the movable part 2 axially on the shaft in a first position and to free said movable part 2 axially in a second position, the clip 1 being intended to be able to move in translation between a first position called the locked position and a second position called the unlocked or free position in which the clip 1 can be removed.

[0024] 1, clip 1 is in the form of a ring having two open (or free) arms 10, 11. Each arm is elastically deformable so as to be gripped in a groove 40 when clip 1 is attached to barrel 4, and groove 40 extends continuously (or partially) around the circumference of barrel 4.

[0025] As shown, the clip 1 also has a locking beak 12 that is in the same plane as the plane formed by the two arms 10,11.

[0026] The clip 1 includes a locking beak 12 that passes through an opening 41 in the barrel 4. Its end fits into a slot 30 in the shaft 3 to hold the movable part 2 in the axial direction of the shaft 3. In this way, the clip 1 prevents the movable part 2 from sliding along the shaft 3.

[0027] The locking beak 12 has a length that is greater than the depth of the opening 41 and slightly less than the distance between the bottom of the slot 30 and the base of the beak 12. This prevents friction between the beak 12 and the shaft 3 and ensures that the moving part 2 is held securely on the shaft 3.

[0028] The cooperation of the elastic retaining means 10, 11 and the groove 40 allows both guiding and securely retaining the clip 1 on the movable part 2, i.e. once the clip 1 is in place, the clip 1 prevents axial movement of the movable part 2 along the shaft 3, so that the movable part 2 cannot become dislodged from the shaft 3. Such an arrangement is particularly useful when shipping the movement before it is fitted into the case, as the movable part can be attached and held in place while the movement is being shipped.

[0029] Advantageously, the clip 1 only grips the barrel 4 so that no gripping torque is transmitted to the shaft 3 .

[0030] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the clip 1 has an inner radius that is smaller than the radius of the barrel 4 or the radius of the groove 40, so that the arms 10, 11 of the clip 1 are elastically deformed and held in position in the barrel 4 without play.

[0031] The clip 1 can also be used to axially hold an element other than the movable part 2, such as the metal foil 5 arranged on the movable part 2. In other words, the clip 1 can be used to simultaneously hold multiple elements in the axial direction.

[0032] The clip 1 may be made from a material selected from among an elastically deformable plastic material or a metal.

[0033] According to an alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4a, the ring body of the clip 1 has two arcs for each arm 10, 11. This configuration allows for the creation of a stop notch and two positions that can be easily distinguished by the operator while preventing loss of the clip.

[0034] Clip 1 may further include handling means such as tabs 15 optionally provided with openings 16 to facilitate handling of clip 1, as shown in Figure 4b. Arms 10, 11 may optionally have an oval shape such that only the ends of arms 10, 11 rest in grooves 40 facing the outer periphery of shaft 2, as shown in Figure 4c, with handling means optionally provided with openings 17 to facilitate handling of clip 1.

[0035] According to yet another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4d, the clip 1 is also in the form of a ring body with two arms 10, 11 having open ends, one of which ends 10 or 11 is bent inwardly relative to the clip 1 so as to form a locking beak 12 arranged to cooperate with an opening 41 in the barrel 4.

[0036] As shown in Figure 4d, clip 1 is positioned on shaft 3 as follows: first, the bent end forming the locking beak is placed into opening 41 in barrel 4. Then, the other open end is threaded around the barrel, causing the free arm to extend along and engage groove 40 until the clip is in the locked position.

[0037] In another alternative embodiment shown in the drawings, clip 1 is positioned on shaft 3 as follows: clip 1 is first positioned on barrel 4 with locking beak facing opening 41, and arms pre-engaged in grooves 40 so that clip 1 is guided over barrel 4. The operator then pushes clip 1 against barrel 4, forcing locking beak 12 through opening 41 until it enters slot 30 in shaft 3 and until the clip assumes the locked position.

[0038] Clip 1 is removed in the opposite direction to its insertion. In the particular case of the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 4c, the inner radius of the arms is not coaxial with the radius of barrel 4 or the radius of groove 40. This allows radial stresses directed toward the center of the barrel to spread away from the open ends of arms 10, 11, facilitating clip extraction. In such a case, aperture 17 can be used to hold the end of a tool on clip 1, without the risk of the tool slipping and damaging the movement.

[0039] Thanks to these various aspects, the present invention provides a device for holding the moving part of a clock movement that is easy to install / remove and that securely holds the moving part on its shaft during transport of the clock movement.

[0040] The above description corresponds to preferred embodiments and cannot be considered limiting in any way, especially with regard to the described forms of the different structural elements or materials that make up the assembled device.

Claims

1. A device for axially holding a moving part (2) of a timepiece movement (100) around a shaft (3), said moving part (2) comprising a cylindrical part (4) arranged for coaxial mounting on said shaft (3), said device comprising a clip (1) intended to be mounted on said cylindrical part (4) of said moving part (2), It is characterized in that the clip (1) includes elastic retaining means (10, 11) arranged to cooperate with the cylindrical portion (4) and to grip the cylindrical portion (4) over a portion of its circumference; the clip (1) includes a locking beak (12) passing through an opening (41) extending radially inward relative to the cylindrical portion (4), the locking beak (12) being arranged to cooperate with a slot (30) in the shaft (3) to hold the movable portion (2) in a predetermined axial position; The clip (1) is removed before the clock movement (100) is mounted in the case. The device in.

2. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical part (4) includes a groove (40) formed in all or part of the circumference of the cylindrical part (4).

3. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the clip (1) has a ring body with two arms (10, 11) with open ends, at least one of the two arms (10, 11) being elastically deformable, the two arms (10, 11) forming the elastic holding means (10, 11).

4. 3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that the clip (1) has an inner radius that is smaller than the radius of the cylindrical part (4) or the groove (40) in order to obtain elastic deformation of the elastic holding means (10, 11) and to ensure that the elastic holding means (10, 11) are held without play in the cylindrical part (4).

5. 2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clip (1) comprises handling means (15, 16, 17).

6. 4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that said locking beak (12) is arranged at one of said open ends.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein the ring body has two arcs per arm.

8. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clip (1) is made from wire.

9. 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the clip (1) has an oval shape so that only the ends of the two arms (10, 11) are placed in the groove (40) facing the outer periphery of the shaft (2) and the locking beak (12) is placed in the opening (41).

10. 2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a metal foil (5) arranged on the movable part (2), wherein the clip (1) holds both the movable part (2) and the metal foil (5).

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