Magnetic Escapement for Hermetic Clock Resonator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mechanical watches face challenges in maintaining a hermetically sealed case with reduced pressure, which complicates design, adjustment, and maintenance, particularly in adjusting the resonator's frequency and lubrication, leading to precision and manufacturing issues.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical clock movement with a resonator housed in a hermetically sealed chamber using a magnetic escapement with a non-contact magnetic coupling system, allowing the drive device, counter wheel train, and display to be outside the chamber, eliminating the need for oil lubrication and enabling maintenance without opening the case.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the resonator is housed in a hermetically sealed chamber with reduced pressure, then the quality factor of the oscillator is improved, but the design complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clock movement is divided into two separate parts: a hermetically sealed chamber containing the resonator operating in reduced pressure, and an external mechanism housing containing the escape wheel and other components. This segmentation allows the resonator to operate in optimal conditions while simplifying the overall design and maintenance of the complete system.
Solution Approach 2:
The escape wheel and related mechanical components are extracted from the hermetic chamber and placed outside. This extraction eliminates the need for complex sealing mechanisms for these components while maintaining the hermetic seal for the resonator, thereby reducing design and manufacturing complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the entire clock movement is housed in a hermetically sealed chamber with reduced pressure, then air friction on the resonator is reduced, but adjustment and maintenance become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into a sealed resonator chamber and an external maintenance-accessible mechanism chamber. This allows the resonator to benefit from reduced air friction while the escape wheel and other components remain externally accessible for easy adjustment and maintenance without compromising the hermetic seal.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional mechanical connection between the escape wheel and resonator is replaced with a magnetic coupling system. This substitution allows the escape wheel to remain outside the hermetic chamber while still effectively driving the resonator, thereby maintaining low air friction while simplifying maintenance access.
3Device complexity
If mechanical connections are used between the escape wheel and resonator, then the coupling is simple, but mechanical friction increases power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The direct mechanical connection between the escape wheel and resonator is replaced with a magnetic coupling system. This substitution eliminates mechanical contact and friction at the interface between these components, significantly reducing power loss while maintaining effective energy transfer from the escape wheel to the resonator.
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 solution increases the quality factor of the oscillator, reduces power consumption, and enhances the watch's precision and power reserve by minimizing mechanical friction and maintaining a sealed environment during maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
The magnetic coupling system is formed from at least one first magnetic element and a second magnetic element that exhibit a magnetic interaction at least periodically between them
Implementation Method 2
In order to reduce the air friction on a resonator in the spring balance of a mechanical clock movement in particular, it is known from document FR 2054540 to incorporate this movement entirely in an air-sealed case, inside which the pressure is reduced to below atmospheric pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A mechanical clock movement includes a resonator, an escapement linked to the resonator, and a display of at least one item of time information. The display is driven by a mechanical drive device via a counter wheel train, the work rate of which is set by the escapement. At least the resonator is housed in a chamber, in which a reduced pressure in relation to atmospheric pressure prevails. The escapement is a magnetic escapement including an escape wheel coupled directly or indirectly to the resonator via a non-contact magnetic coupling system, wherein the magnetic coupling system is formed so that a non-magnetic wall of the chamber runs through the magnetic escapement so that a first part of the escapement is located inside the chamber whereas a second part of the escapement is located outside the chamber.