Flexible Guide Assembly for Long-Travel Rotary Resonators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical watches with Swiss lever escapements suffer from low energy efficiency due to jerky movements, backlash, and friction in conventional pivot systems, while flexible guides with uncrossed blades face issues with short angular travel and parasitic movements.
Innovation Solution
A flexible guide assembly for rotary resonators comprising three flexible guides arranged in series, extending in the same plane, with staggered centers of rotation and symmetrical blade connections, minimizing gravity effects and improving angular travel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flexible guides with uncrossed blades are used, then pivot friction is removed and quality factor is increased, but angular travel is limited to 10-20 degrees
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible guide is divided into multiple blade guides arranged in series (e.g., three blade guides), each contributing a small angular travel. The cumulative effect of multiple segments achieves the required total angular travel (300 degrees) while each individual blade maintains low amplitude rotation for good isochronism and guidance.
2Length of moving object
If several flexible blade guides are placed in series to increase angular travel, then angular travel is improved, but parasitic guide movements and gravity effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade guides are arranged with staggered centers of rotation rather than aligned centers. This asymmetric configuration helps control and minimize parasitic movements by distributing the rotational effects across different centers, reducing cumulative guidance errors and improving overall system stability.
3Length of moving object
If conventional pivot systems are used, then angular travel is sufficient, but friction causes energy losses and running disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional mechanical pivot system with physical contact and friction is replaced by a flexible blade guide system that uses elastic deformation to achieve guidance. This substitution eliminates pivot friction and the associated energy losses while maintaining sufficient angular travel through the series arrangement of multiple blade guides.
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
Enhances energy efficiency and precision by controlling parasitic movements and reducing gravity influence, allowing for a sufficient angular travel and improved isochronism in horological resonators.
Implementation Method 1
the first movable element can move by flexion of the blades of the first pair in a circular movement about a centre of rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible guide assembly (10) including a fixed support (22) and three flexible guides arranged in series, the first flexible guide including a first movable element (23) relative to the fixed support (22), a first pair of uncrossed flexible blades (26, 27) connected to the first movable element (23), the second flexible guide including a second movable element (24) relative to the first movable element (23), a second pair of uncrossed flexible blades (28, 29) connecting the second movable element (24) to the first movable element (23), the third flexible guide including a third movable element (25) and a third pair of uncrossed flexible blades (31, 32) connecting the third movable element (25) to the second movable element (24), the third movable element (25) forming a balance or a balance support of the rotary resonator mechanism.