Escapement Impact Protection via Escape Wheel Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lever escapements without fixed limiting members are prone to damage during shocks, as the anchor can move beyond its rest positions, causing the impulse beak of the pallets to contact the escape wheel, leading to potential damage and disruption of the watch movement, especially when using fragile materials.
Innovation Solution
The escapement design incorporates projections on the escape wheel periphery to stop the anchor during shocks, ensuring the impulse beak remains out of contact with the wheel, using a combination of first, second, and third projections and wedge-like structures on the pallets to absorb shocks without imposing specific shapes or dimensions on the pallets, allowing for optimized design and material selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If lever escapements are designed without fixed limiting members to allow optimized pallet shapes and dimensions, then the efficiency of the escapement can be optimized, but during shocks the anchor can move beyond its rest positions causing the impulse beak to contact the escape wheel and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The escape wheel is segmented with distinct projections (first projections between teeth, second projections on rear flanks, third projections on front sides) that provide separate stopping surfaces for different shock directions, allowing the anchor to be stopped without impulse beak contact while maintaining optimized pallet geometry for normal operation efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The projections on the escape wheel act as intermediary elements that intercept the anchor during shocks before the impulse beak can contact the wheel. These projections transfer the shock force to the impulse face and reverse of the pallet without involving the impulse beak, protecting the fragile components while allowing optimized pallet design
2Reliability
If fixed limiting members such as écaux or pins are used to protect the escapement against shocks, then the anchor is prevented from moving beyond rest positions, but the design flexibility for optimizing pallet shapes and dimensions is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function traditionally provided by separate fixed limiting members is merged into the escape wheel structure itself through the addition of projections. This integration eliminates the need for separate écaux or pins, freeing the pallet design to be optimized for efficiency without being constrained by the geometry required for shock protection
Solution Approach 2:
The projections on the escape wheel serve multiple functions: they provide shock protection in multiple directions (first projections for one direction, second and third projections for opposite direction), and they enable optimized pallet design. This multi-functional element replaces multiple separate components with different specialized functions
3Reliability
If the impulse beak contacts the escape wheel during shocks, then the anchor is stopped, but significant damage can occur to the lever and escape wheel especially when made of fragile materials such as silicon
Solution Approach 1:
The projections are positioned to preemptively intercept the anchor during shocks, applying a counter-force before the impulse beak can contact the escape wheel. The first projections prevent contact in one shock direction, while second and third projections prevent contact in the opposite direction, stopping the anchor without damaging contact
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harmful contact between the impulse beak and escape wheel during shocks is converted into a beneficial non-contact stopping mechanism. The projections are designed to engage the impulse face and reverse of the pallet, transforming the shock energy into a controlled stopping action that protects rather than damages the fragile silicon components
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an escapement comprising an escape wheel (1) and a pallet (2). On the pallet (2) and/or the escape wheel (1), instead of the traditional banking or pins, the escapement comprises means (17, 18) for limiting the oscillations of the pallet (2) during the normal operation of the escapement. In order to prevent contact between the striking tip (10) of the pallet stones (6, 7) and the escape wheel (1) in the event of an impact, the escape wheel (1) comprises projections (20, 21, 22) along the periphery thereof.