Timepiece Display Mechanism Counter Pivot Arrangement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In timepieces with multiple displays, the installation of counters in congested areas, such as near the time-setting control stem, leads to a remote gear train arrangement, which is inefficient and prone to wear, as described in prior art.
Innovation Solution
The counter is housed close to the time-setting control mechanism and made independent of the going train by arranging its pivot axis in a first stone with a first external surface driven into the plate and a second bearing surface guiding a time-setting return wheel, allowing for improved pivoting and compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the counter is installed close to the time-setting control stem, then the display diameter coverage is maximized, but the gear train becomes remote from the finishing train
Solution Approach 1:
A stone is introduced as an intermediary component between the plate and the counter's pivot axis. The stone has a first bearing surface that guides the counter's pivot axis and a second bearing surface that contacts the time-setting return wheel, serving as a mediator that connects the counter mechanism to the time-setting control while maintaining proper gear train arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The stone is positioned at a different vertical level (height) relative to the plate, creating a multi-level arrangement. The first bearing surface is at a first level and the second bearing surface is at a second level, allowing the counter to be close to the stem while maintaining proper connection to the finishing train through vertical displacement.
2Reliability
If the counter is made independent of the going train, then the mechanical integrity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stone serves multiple functions: it guides the pivot axis of the counter, supports the time-setting return wheel, and provides a connection point for the gear train. By making the stone multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate components for each function, thereby reducing the overall device complexity while maintaining independence from the going train.
Data Source
AI summary
The movement (100) has a time-setting stem (2) movable longitudinally and in rotation along a stem axis (T) in a bottom plate (3). A display control mechanism i.e. chronograph mechanism includes a counter (1) with an arbor (4) pivoting about a pivot axis, where the arbor is secant with the stem axis, and pivots in a jewel. The jewel includes an external shoulder (61) driven into the bottom plate, and another external shoulder (62) pivotally guiding the bore of an intermediate time-setting wheel (7) controllable via the stem, where the shoulders are cylindrical and have the same diameter.