Composite components of a clock regulating mechanism including a mass body

Abstract

To provide a composite timepiece component comprising a mass body allowing the inertia of a regulating mechanism to be controlled.SOLUTION: A composite timepiece component 20 of a regulating mechanism 10 of a watch includes a pallet 21 having a staff 210 on which an axial shoulder 211 is arranged. The pallet 21 includes a pallet stone 212 intended to interact intermittently with an escape wheel set 30. The composite component 20 further includes a mass body 213 fastened to the pallet 21. The mass body 213 is made of a denser material than that constituting the pallet 21. The mass body 213 has a maximum radial dimension smaller than a maximum radial dimension of the pallet 21 or identical to the maximum radial dimension of the pallet 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of watch manufacturing, and more particularly to parts of a watch movement.

[0002] The present invention relates to a composite watch part including a mass body. The composite part is a part of a speed regulating mechanism.

Background Art

[0003] It is essential to control the inertia of parts of a timepiece mechanism, particularly parts of a speed regulating mechanism. This is because the dynamic behavior of these parts depends on their inertia.

[0004] The manufacture of watch parts using a microfabrication process such as "LIGA" (derived from the German "Lithographische Galvano Abformung" and meaning "lithographic galvanic patterning") enables the production of parts with very fine geometric shapes and the optimization of functional contacts. However, these parts are very light and often require a certain degree of inertia to maintain motion, impart pulses, and perform other functions.

[0005] For example, in an adjustment mechanism operating based on repeated impacts between an escapement wheel set and a pallet, the frequency of vibration depends partly on the inertia of the pallet. Furthermore, the mechanical stresses applied to the escapement wheel set and the pallet become relatively large as a result of repeated impacts, so the selection of the material for these interacting surfaces becomes important.

[0006] Furthermore, in certain situations, it is necessary to obtain a specific inertia for the pallet while complying with the spatial constraints in the watch movement where the pallet is intended to be placed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

[0008] The present invention relates to a composite clock component for a speed control mechanism, wherein the composite component includes a mass that allows its inertia to be controlled.

[0009] More specifically, the present invention relates to a composite watch component for a watch regulating mechanism. The composite component includes a pallet having a staff on which axial shoulders are positioned. The pallet includes a pallet stone intended to intermittently interact with an escape wheel set. The composite component further includes a mass body fastened to the pallet, the mass body being made of a material of higher density than the material constituting the pallet, and the mass body having a maximum radial dimension smaller than or equal to the maximum radial dimension of the pallet.

[0010] In other words, according to the present invention, it is possible to withstand the mechanical stress on the pallet of the speed control mechanism, and on the other hand to control the inertia of the composite components, while maintaining small dimensions, and consequently, it is permissible to use it in watch movements with significant spatial constraints.

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

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the mass is made from a material with a density greater than 15.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the mass is made from a material with a density greater than 19.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the mass body is made of gold, platinum, or an alloy thereof.

[0015] In a particular embodiment, the mass body is positioned to abut against the axial shoulder portion so as to face the pallet stone.

[0016] In a particular embodiment, the mass has a central through-hole, through which it is pushed onto the pallet staff.

[0017] In certain embodiments, the mass body includes a laminate of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] The object, advantages, and features of the present invention will become clearer upon reading the following detailed description, which is given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] [Figure 1] Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a composite clock component according to a preferred embodiment and another embodiment of the present invention, respectively. [Figure 2] Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of a composite clock component according to a preferred embodiment and another embodiment of the present invention, respectively. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] The present invention relates to a composite clock component 20 of a clock movement's regulating mechanism 10. This component is arranged to be pivotable around a rotation axis.

[0021] Such a regulatory mechanism 10 is particularly suitable for regulating the driving of the date, as described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the composite component 20 includes a pallet 21 integrally formed from a single material. The pallet 21 has, for example, a staff 210 with an axially symmetric axial shoulder 211 arranged around a rotation axis D. The staff 210 extends along the rotation axis of the composite wheel set. The pallet 21 also has a pallet stone 212. The pallet stone 212 is arranged, for example, on the axial shoulder 211 and is intended to interact intermittently with the gang gear set 30, and in particular with its tooth part 300, as shown in Figure 1. Due to the interaction between the pallet stone 212 and the tooth part 300 of the gang gear set 30, an alternating impact is defined between one or the other of the two pallet stones 212 and the teeth of the tooth part 300. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the two pallet stones 212 can form the axial shoulder 211 and thus extend radially from the staff 210.

[0023] To mechanically resist the stress resulting from the interaction between the two pallet stones 212 and the tooth part 300, the pallet 21 is made of a suitable material such as titanium, ceramic, cuproberyllium, etc. The pallet 21 may also have a coating such as a coating within the reach of those skilled in the art, such as nickel phosphorous.

[0024] To have an appropriate inertia suitable for the speed regulating function of the speed regulating mechanism 10, the composite component 20 includes a mass body 213 fastened to the pallet 21. In particular, the mass body 213 supports the axial shoulder 211 so as to be on the opposite side of the pallet stone 212. For example, the mass body 213 is pushed into the pallet 21. For this purpose, in particular, the mass body 213 has a central through hole. When the mass body 213 is pushed in, the staff 210 of the pallet 21 engages with this through hole.

[0025] The mass body 213 is made of a material with a higher density than the material constituting the pallet 21. The mass body 213 is selected such that the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the mass body 213 is smaller than or the same as the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the pallet 21. In other words, the material of the mass body 213 is selected so that the maximum dimension in the radial direction of the mass body 213 does not affect the maximum radial envelope of the composite part 20, taking into account the spatial constraints of the watch movement. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the mass body 213 is preferably rotationally symmetric about the rotation axis of the composite part 20.

[0026] The mass body 213 is preferably made of gold, but other materials with a density greater than 15 (g / cm , ,

[0029] ,

[0028] , , , , 3 , , 3 ,

[0027] ), preferably greater than 19 (g / cm 3 ), such as platinum, or made of an alloy of gold or platinum may be used.

[0027] In the preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the mass body 213 is composed of a single rotationally symmetric element. However, in other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, it is also possible for the mass body 213 to include a laminate of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements. This feature has the advantage that the volume of the mass body 213, and thus its mass, can be adjusted, and as a result, the inertia of the composite part 20 can be adjusted.

[0028] In summary, due to the fact that it is a composite material, that is, the fact that it is made of two different materials, the composite part 20 has the desired inertia according to the function it should perform while occupying the smallest possible effective volume.

[0029] Advantageously, the composite part 20 serves as an alternative to a base part without a weight.

Claims

1. A composite component (20) of the time-regulating mechanism (10) of a wristwatch, characterized in that The composite component (20) comprises a pallet (21) having a staff (210) on which an axial shoulder portion (211) is positioned, the pallet (21) comprising a pallet stone (212) intended to intermittently interact with an escape wheel set (30), the composite component (20) further comprising a mass body (213) fastened to the pallet (21), wherein the mass body (213) is made of a material of higher density than the material constituting the pallet (21), the mass body (213) is composed of rotationally symmetric elements concentric with the pallet (21), and the mass body (213) has a radial maximum dimension that is smaller than or the same as the radial maximum dimension of the pallet (21).

2. The mass body (213) has a density of 15 g / cm³. ３ The composite component (20) according to claim 1, which is made from a larger material.

3. The mass body (213) has a density of 19 g / cm³. ３ The composite component (20) according to claim 1, which is made from a larger material.

4. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass body (213) is made of gold, platinum, or an alloy thereof.

5. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass body (213) supports the axial shoulder portion (211) so as to be on the opposite side of the pallet stone (212).

6. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the mass body (213) includes a central through-hole and is pressed through the central through-hole into the staff (210) of the pallet (21).

7. The composite component (20) according to claim 1, wherein the rotationally symmetric element includes a laminate of a plurality of rotationally symmetric elements.

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