Adjustable Translation Table in Flexible Rotary Resonator Guides
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexible guides for rotary resonator mechanisms in horological movements suffer from energy losses and operating disturbances due to friction, leading to non-isochronous movements and anisochronism, as the return torque is not linear, affecting the periodicity of the balance's rotary movement.
Innovation Solution
A flexible guide with a main flexible strip and a translation table that adjusts its rigidity, allowing the strip to move in a rotary motion, featuring secondary and tertiary flexible strips and adjustment mechanisms such as pins, magnets, and eccentric screws to maintain a constant return coefficient, ensuring isochronous movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional flexible guides with straight strips are used, then the structure is simple, but the return torque is not linear causing anisochronism and energy losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the translation table's rigidity adjustable rather than fixed. The rigidity of the translation table can be modified to compensate for the non-linear return torque of the main flexible strip, enabling isochronous movement. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to maintain constant periodicity despite the inherent non-linearity of the flexible strip's elastic behavior.
2Loss of energy
If conventional flexible guides are used, then friction is eliminated, but the return torque non-linearity causes energy losses and operating disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the rigidity parameter of the translation table. By adjusting this rigidity parameter, the system compensates for the non-linear return torque of the main flexible strip, ensuring that the overall system maintains a linear torque-displacement relationship. This enables isochronous movement with constant energy characteristics throughout the oscillation cycle.
3Reliability
If the rigidity of the translation table is increased to improve isochronism, then the return coefficient becomes more constant, but the adjustment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the adjustment functionality in a specific component - the translation table - rather than distributing complexity throughout the entire mechanism. The translation table locally incorporates the rigidity adjustment capability, allowing precise control of the return coefficient while keeping the rest of the system simple and maintenance-free.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves an isochronous movement by adjusting the rigidity of the flexible guide, maintaining a substantially constant return coefficient, thereby eliminating energy losses and ensuring precise periodic rotary motion of the balance.
Implementation Method 1
at least one main flexible strip allowing the movable element to move relative to the fixed support by bending the main flexible strip(s) in a rotary movement about a centre of rotation
Implementation Method 2
the translation table comprises at least one secondary flexible strip, preferably two secondary flexible strips
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible guide for a rotary resonator mechanism, in particular of a horological movement, the guide including a fixed support, an element movable relative to the fixed support, at least one main flexible strip allowing the movable element to move relative to the fixed support by bending the main flexible strip(s) in a rotary movement about a centre of rotation, the flexible guide being arranged substantially in a plane, and includes at least a first translation table joined to one end of the main flexible strip, so that the first translation table is configured to move in translation at least in part under the effect of the bending of the main flexible strip, the flexible guide including a device for adjusting the rigidity of the first translation table.