Watch Winding Machine with Parallel Orbital Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing watch winding machines are inefficient due to long loading times and substantial operating times, often taking over thirty minutes to wind an automatic calibre twenty-four hours, and increasing speed can lead to incorrect winding of movements further from the axis of rotation due to centrifugal acceleration.
Innovation Solution
A machine with motorization means that moves supports in a parallel path with constant angular speed and radial acceleration greater than gravity, ensuring all objects follow the same circular path and are wound uniformly, utilizing an orbital winding mechanism with a fixed and planetary wheel geartrain to achieve high-speed winding while maintaining consistent acceleration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the speed of rotation is increased to wind more quickly, then the productivity is improved, but the manufacturing precision deteriorates because movements further from the axis of rotation may no longer carry out the winding correctly due to centrifugal acceleration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the support movable rather than stationary. The support translates along a path while maintaining a fixed orientation, creating a dynamic winding system that eliminates centrifugal acceleration effects. This allows high-speed operation (improving productivity) while maintaining precise and uniform winding conditions for all movements (preserving manufacturing precision).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional rotational mechanical system with a translational linear system. Instead of rotating the support and relying on centrifugal force, the support moves linearly along a defined path. This substitution eliminates the harmful centrifugal acceleration while maintaining the necessary winding motion, resolving the contradiction between speed and precision.
2Loss of time
If traditional winding devices are used, then the device complexity is low, but the loss of time increases due to long loading times and substantial operating times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the winding system into multiple independent supports that can be individually positioned and moved along separate paths. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple movements simultaneously, dramatically reducing the total time required to wind batches of watches while keeping each individual support mechanism relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal support structure that can accommodate multiple types of movements and watches. The support system is designed to be adaptable and interchangeable, allowing the same basic mechanism to serve multiple functions and different configurations, thereby reducing overall device complexity while improving efficiency.
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
Enables rapid winding of automatic calibres in three minutes, ensures identical winding conditions for all movements, and allows for parallel winding of large batches, enhancing certification fairness and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the motorisation means being arranged to impart a movement greater than a gravity acceleration to each support
Implementation Method 2
the movements furthest from the axis of rotation may no longer carry out the winding correctly because of the centrifugal acceleration
Data Source
AI summary
A winding machine includes motorization means arranged to move a support, carrying at least one watch or one horological movement, along a path in a plane. The motorization means are arranged to move each support parallel to a starting position corresponding to the loading or unloading of a watch or of a movement on the support, the axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to the support always remaining parallel to the oriented directions that the axes occupy in the starting position.