Watch Striking Mechanism With Flexible Guide for Cleaner Hammer Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing striking mechanisms in watches face challenges in controlling and maximizing the normal component of forces applied by the hammer on the vibrating element, leading to inefficiencies in sound production and potential mechanical backlashes.
Innovation Solution
A horological movement with a striking mechanism featuring a flexible guide composed of elastic blades that guide and drive the hammer, ensuring accurate positioning and minimizing tangential forces, thereby enhancing the normal component of the impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a traditional striking mechanism is used, then the hammer can strike the vibrating element, but the normal component of forces cannot be maximized and mechanical backlashes occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical guide system with a magnetic field-based guidance system. The hammer is equipped with a magnet that interacts with magnetic guides in the support structure, eliminating the need for physical contact guides and reducing mechanical backlashes while maintaining precise positioning control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the guidance mechanism from mechanical contact to magnetic field interaction. This parameter change allows the hammer to be guided without physical contact, maximizing the normal component of forces during striking while minimizing tangential forces and mechanical backlashes.
2Manufacturing precision
If the hammer is constrained by a rigid guide, then positioning is stable, but tangential forces increase reducing impact effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes rigid mechanical guides with a magnetic field guidance system. The magnet in the hammer interacts with magnetic guides in the support structure, providing precise positioning control without physical contact, thereby eliminating tangential friction forces while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic field acts as a flexible, contactless guide that conforms to the motion requirements of the hammer. This flexible magnetic guidance system provides the necessary constraints for accurate positioning without the rigidity that causes tangential forces in traditional mechanical 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
The flexible guide system improves sound production by maximizing the normal component of forces, reduces mechanical backlashes, and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining consistent energy transfer.
Implementation Method 1
a hammer (121) fastened cantilevered to a structure (100) of the horological movement through at least two elastic blades (122) forming a flexible guide
Data Source
AI summary
A horological movement includes a striking mechanism of a watch including a vibrating element and a device for striking the vibrating element including a hammer fastened cantilevered to a structure of the horological movement through blades of a flexible guide. The blades are arranged so as to extend according to directions parallel to an axis T tangent to the vibrating element.