Sympathique Watch Coupling for Low-Friction Hand Setting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Sympathique watches have complex horological movements requiring mechanisms for both sympathique functions and user-controlled functions, complicating their design and manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A sympathique watch with a horological movement featuring a going train, display train, and a coupling device that allows the going train to be uncoupled from the display train for user-controlled hand-setting, eliminating the need for indenting or friction drive wheels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional hand-setting mechanisms are used in sympathique watches, then the hands can be set on the display, but the design becomes complex requiring indenting of the cannon-pinion or friction drive wheels
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the hand-setting function from the traditional complex mechanisms (indenting of cannon-pinion or friction drive wheels) and implements it through a simplified coupling device that disconnects the display train from the going train, allowing independent hand setting without requiring complex modifications to the cannon-pinion structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the horological movement into distinct functional modules: the going train and the display train are separated through the coupling device, allowing the display train to be independently operated for hand-setting purposes without affecting the going train, thereby simplifying the overall design
2Ease of operation
If traditional hand-setting mechanisms with friction drive wheels are used, then the hands can be set on the display, but friction and mechanical play increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the traditional friction-based mechanical hand-setting mechanism with a coupling device that uses direct mechanical disconnection and reconnection of gear trains, eliminating the need for friction drive wheels and thereby reducing energy loss through friction and mechanical play
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
Simplifies the design and assembly of the horological movement by reducing friction and mechanical play, enhancing ease of hand-setting operations.
Implementation Method 1
a flange interposed between the disc and the friction spring such that said friction spring applies to said flange a force that tends to force the flange into bearing, via a friction surface, against the disc
Data Source
AI summary
A sympathique watch (10) including a horological movement including a going train (20), a display train (30) connected to at least one display of a time value, a sympathique hand-setting mechanism and a crown (13) operated hand-setting mechanism. The sympathique hand-setting mechanism includes a coupling device (40) interposed between the going (20) and display (30) trains, the coupling device (40) being configured to adopt an uncoupled state in which it disengages the going train (20) from the display train (30) so as to allow the hands to be set on the display by means of the sympathique hand-setting mechanism, and a coupled state in which it establishes a kinematic link between the gear trains, the link allowing for sliding enabling the hands to be set on the display by means of the crown (13) operated hand-setting mechanism.