Silent Pallet Fork with Elastic Bend for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional timepiece time-delay release mechanisms produce undesirable clicking sounds due to the intermittent rotation of the escapement wheel, which interferes with the acoustic signals from striking works in timepieces.
Innovation Solution
A timepiece pallet fork with elastic bends in its arms, allowing energy absorption and damping of the stop mechanism, reducing the noise impact of the clicking sounds by displacing and returning pallets in a way that minimizes the loudness of the escapement wheel stops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the escapement wheel rotates intermittently to regulate the timepiece mechanism, then the timekeeping function is achieved, but clicking sounds are produced that interfere with striking works
Solution Approach 1:
A silent pallet fork is introduced as an intermediary component between the escapement wheel and the striking works. This silent pallet fork absorbs the impact shocks that would otherwise produce clicking sounds, while still allowing the escapement wheel to rotate intermittently for timekeeping. The silent pallet fork acts as a mediator that decouples the harmful acoustic effect from the useful timekeeping function.
Solution Approach 2:
The impact shocks that cause clicking sounds are converted into a beneficial damping effect. The silent pallet fork is designed to absorb these shocks through controlled deformation or damping materials, transforming the harmful clicking noise into a silent operation while maintaining the necessary mechanical interaction for timekeeping regulation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a flexible blade connects the pallet to the pallet fork arm to reduce noise, then the clicking sound is reduced, but the device becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The silent pallet fork integrates multiple functions into a single unified component. Instead of adding a separate flexible blade connection, the silent pallet fork combines the pallet, the fork arm, and the noise-damping structure into one integrated piece. This merging approach reduces the overall device complexity while achieving the noise reduction goal.
Solution Approach 2:
The silent pallet fork incorporates flexible or elastically deformable structures that can absorb impact shocks. These flexible elements are designed with optimal thickness and material properties to provide noise damping without requiring excessive length or complexity, thus avoiding the cumbersome design of conventional flexible blade solutions.
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
The solution effectively reduces the noise impact of the clicking sounds, ensuring a substantially less loud or imperceptible operation of the escapement wheel, while maintaining the correct functioning of the timepiece pallet fork.
Implementation Method 1
an intermediate section of the first arm being located between the first fixed end and the first pallet and returning the first pallet towards the first upstream waiting position by the intermediate section being elastically deformable from a first configuration, in which the first pallet is in the first upstream waiting position, into a second configuration, in which the first pallet is in the first downstream stopping end position
Data Source
AI summary
A timepiece pallet fork for a mechanical oscillator including an arbor allowing the timepiece pallet fork to oscillate about a pivot axis, first and second pallets configured to alternatively engage with an escapement wheel when the timepiece pallet fork oscillates, the first pallet being displaceable with respect to the arbor by absorption of energy, the first pallet being displaceable from a first upstream waiting position to a first downstream stopping end position which is offset compared to the first upstream waiting position, and a first arm having an intermediate section including an elastic bend, one end of the arm being fixed with respect to the arbor to form a first fixed end, the intermediate section of the first arm being located between the first fixed end and the first pallet and returning the first pallet towards the first upstream waiting position by the intermediate section being elastically deformable from a first configuration into a second configuration.