Flexible Escapement Wheel Shock Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing escapement wheels in mechanical watch movements are prone to damage from shocks due to their rigid structure, which can lead to deterioration, especially when made from materials sensitive to shocks.
Innovation Solution
The escapement wheel features flexible arms that radially and tangentially bend to absorb shocks, with a design where the arms are curved and thin towards the periphery, forming the teeth at their ends, allowing for progressive tension distribution and increased flexibility without compromising mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the escape wheel is made with a rigid structure to ensure mechanical strength, then the structural robustness is improved, but the resistance to shock damage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The escape wheel is divided into a rigid central zone and flexible peripheral arms. The central zone maintains structural robustness, while the peripheral arms are designed to be flexible and bendable to absorb shock impacts, thus resolving the contradiction between overall strength and shock resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the escape wheel have different mechanical properties: the central zone is rigid for strength, while the peripheral arms are flexible for shock absorption. This local differentiation allows the structure to simultaneously achieve both robustness and shock resistance.
2Strength
If the teeth are made rigid to maintain structural integrity, then the mechanical strength is improved, but the ability to absorb shocks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The teeth are designed to be dynamic rather than static - they can bend and deflect during shock impacts. The arms are configured to flex tangentially and radially, allowing the teeth to absorb shock energy through deformation while maintaining their structural integrity during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The arms are designed with varying dimensions - wider at the base and tapering towards the teeth - to optimize both strength and flexibility. This geometric parameter variation allows the structure to be stiff where needed (near the center) and flexible where needed (at the tooth ends).
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the arms are made thin and curved to increase flexibility and absorb shocks, then the shock absorption is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arms are designed with curved geometries rather than straight lines, allowing them to bend and flex more easily during shock impacts. The curvature is progressive, with arms bending more strongly towards the periphery, which simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining flexibility.
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
This design effectively absorbs shock-induced tensions, reducing the risk of tooth damage and maintaining robustness, even when using brittle materials like glass, quartz, or silicon, while allowing for precise operation in high-end timepieces.
Implementation Method 1
the arms being flexible to allow a slight tangential displacement and/or radial of the teeth in order to absorb shocks liable to damage said teeth
Implementation Method 2
the arms are curved and gradually bend towards an orientation tangential to the rotation of the mobile
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The mobile has arms (6) radially extending from a rigid central zone (2) towards a peripheral zone comprising tooth (8), where the mobile is made of metal or alloy, or fragile material such as glass, quartz or silicon. The arms are flexible to allow a weak tangential and/or radial displacement of the tooth. The arms are curved and gradually inflected towards a orientation tangential to the rotation of the mobile, such that the thickness of the arms is decreased and the tooth are constituted by ends of the arms.