Elastic Seconds Stop for Tourbillon Balance Wheel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stop-seconds mechanisms for watches with tourbillons cannot reliably stop the balance wheel due to the rotating pillars or arms, which can interfere with the stopping mechanism, leading to potential damage and increased mechanical effort, weight, and space requirements.
Innovation Solution
A stop-seconds mechanism that employs an elastically deformable or deflectable element, which can be brought into contact with the balance wheel and returns to its original position after stopping, allowing for reliable stopping without additional weight or space requirements, and can slide past or deflect around the tourbillon pillars.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring-loaded stop lever is used to stop the balance wheel, then the balance wheel can be stopped, but the rotating pillars or arms of the tourbillon can interfere with the stopping mechanism, leading to potential damage and increased mechanical effort
Solution Approach 1:
The stopping element is designed to be elastically deformable rather than rigid, allowing it to dynamically adapt its shape when encountering the rotating tourbillon pillars. This elasticity enables the element to deflect around obstacles and maintain contact with the balance wheel, ensuring reliable stopping without damage from pillar interference
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the stopping element from rigid to elastically deformable. This parameter change allows the element to change its geometric configuration under load, enabling it to navigate around the tourbillon pillars while maintaining its stopping function on the balance wheel
2Reliability
If additional stopping elements are added to the tourbillon, then the balance wheel can be stopped, but the mass of the tourbillon increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stopping function is extracted from the tourbillon structure itself and placed in a separate, elastically deformable element. This separation allows the tourbillon to remain lightweight while the stopping element provides the necessary stopping capability through its elastic properties rather than through additional mass in the tourbillon
3Reliability
If a stop mechanism is added to the tourbillon, then the balance wheel can be stopped, but the space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The stopping element is designed as a flexible, elastically deformable component that can conform to the available space rather than requiring dedicated space. This flexibility allows the mechanism to fit within existing gaps and spaces in the watch movement without requiring additional volume
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
Enables reliable and independent stopping of the balance wheel without increasing the tourbillon's mass or space requirements, allowing for a lighter and more efficient mechanism that can function with existing tourbillon designs.
Implementation Method 1
an element which can be advanced to the balance wheel and brought into contact with the balance wheel by stopping it, wherein the at least one element is designed in such a way that it can be elastically deformed and/or deflected
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Seconds stop (1), in particular for watches with a tourbillon (3), wherein the tourbillon is rotatable about an axis of rotation in a direction of rotation (34) and a balance wheel that can be stopped by manually controllable means is arranged inside the cage-like tourbillon, wherein the means have at least one element that can adjust the balance wheel and can be brought into contact with the balance wheel while stopping it. The seconds stop can reliably stop the balance wheel of a watch regulator, regardless of the number and position of the pillars or arms of the tourbillon, whereby the mass of the tourbillon is not increased by the seconds stop and the required installation space is minimized. The proposed seconds stop is characterized in that the at least one element is designed such that it can be elastically deformed by the tourbillon under the application of a restoring force and/or deflected in a direction tangential to the direction of rotation.