HK1202654B - Timepiece mechanism structure - Google Patents

Description

Clockwork assembly

Technical Field

The invention relates to a clockwork assembly for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set.

The invention also concerns a mechanical timepiece movement including at least one device of said type.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a clockwork assembly of the type described for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set.

The present invention relates to the field of horological mechanisms, and in particular to a movement integrating a functional ready-to-use module intended to be equipped with pivoting wheel sets requiring high-quality geometry and positioning.

Background

The relative positioning and geometry, and in particular the parallelism, of the pivoting wheel set arbour determines the precision, operation and life of the clockwork.

The use of modular components requires particularly great precision because of the stacked, individually pre-assembled subassemblies.

The concept of extremely high precision modules or mould boxes allows for mass production of high quality products.

Modular subassemblies for timepiece movements are therefore known from european patent applications EP11193173.9 and EP11193174.7 of ETA SA. The mechanical modules disclosed in these patent applications are irreversibly preconditioned and assembled to ensure the durability of their arrangement.

However, in conventional embodiments, the modules do not always allow to reduce the number of parts, which reduces the production costs and simplifies the assembly plan, enabling the medium-skilled technicians to assemble and adjust the most complex functions while ensuring the required geometrical precision.

Japanese patent JP S5149063 discloses a wheel set comprising an end pivot pivoted in a bearing made in a U-shaped plate. A similar configuration is disclosed in Watson's dutch patent NL 11224C.

U.S. patent application US580046A to Harrington discloses a similar configuration with a U-shaped plate and parallelism adjustment using screws.

U.S. patent application No. 2582162a to Baermann discloses an electromagnetic counting bearing comprising a U-shaped frame containing two bearings in alignment, in which an alignment counting wheel set pivots.

Swiss patent application CH 488169a to Rego discloses a pivot device for a compass having a cup-shaped socket carrying two bearings.

German patent application DE 2218663a1 by Mueller Schlenker FA discloses a balance half bearing with a vertical arbour for the lateral assembly of the balance, said balance being closed by a plate comprising a groove cooperating with a projection of the balance turning member.

French patent application FR 2807160a1 by Denso Corporation discloses a watch case comprising aligned bores in which a spindle is guided, said spindle having on one side a trunnion made of a resin material and on the opposite side a hard metal trunnion having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the resin trunnion.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention therefore proposes to provide an assembly, particularly but not exclusively for use in a module or a mould box, with a reduced number of components and a high-quality geometry with respect to the core axis.

Thus, the present invention preferably utilizes new technologies such as MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), "LIGA (photo-lithography electroforming injection)" and similar technologies to fabricate micro-components to optimize the fabrication of such components.

The invention therefore concerns a clockwork assembly for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set, characterized in that it comprises at least one inseparable one-piece structure comprising at least one inseparable one-piece frame comprising pivot receptacles aligned in pairs in an alignment direction for receiving pivots of the arbour of at least one pivoting wheel set, each of said pivot receptacles being an open receptacle formed by a half-bearing or two-sided structure and having at one end a stop bearing surface in said alignment direction.

According to a feature of the invention, the assembly further comprises at least one cover arranged to cooperate with the at least one frame to limit each spindle of each pivoting wheel set included in the assembly with minimal clearance when the at least one cover on the at least one frame is in the closed position, the assembly comprising a flexible clearance elimination mechanism on the at least one frame and/or the at least one cover for limiting each spindle without clearance.

The invention also concerns a mechanical timepiece movement including at least one assembly of the type described.

The invention also concerns a method for manufacturing a clockwork assembly for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set, characterized in that said inseparable one-piece structure is equipped with an integrated elastic return mechanism integral therewith for holding without clearance at least one arbour of said at least one pivoting wheel set and/or for forming at least one elastic shock absorber and/or for adjusting the position of a bearing member, said inseparable one-piece structure being made of silicon, said integrated elastic return mechanism contained in the one-piece structure being prestressed in the state of silicon oxide. The advantage of a component, in particular made in one piece with the plate or the clamping plate, is that the number of parts is reduced and assembly problems are avoided.

The present invention benefits from integrated/monolithic components that are manufactured with high precision (typically, the components are made of silicon, for example, and thus have micron-scale precision).

The main advantages of the monolithic structure are the guarantee of the distance between the centres and the guarantee of forming a ready-to-use mechanism, in particular an oscillator in the preferred application.

The invention comprises in particular a flexible guide member which has the following advantages:

-guaranteed accuracy;

-minimal or zero friction;

-there is no hysteresis in the movement due to the absence of friction or at least minimal friction;

-no lubrication;

-no gaps;

no wear.

The manufacture of the flexible guide member imposes limitations, in particular limited travel, low restoring forces and limited loads. However, these limitations do not inhibit the number of timepiece functions, particularly those related to adjustment.

These limitations are adequately compensated by the high precision of the distance between the centres, the small number of parts to be manufactured and therefore the reduced complexity and assembly time. The assembly according to the invention has great industrial advantages/industrial advantages: the mechanism, in particular the oscillator, associated with the assembly of the type described forms a component ready to be assembled in the movement. Furthermore, the entire movement can be designed in the form of a device according to the invention.

Drawings

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of an assembly according to the invention, comprising a non-deformable one-piece frame comprising pairs of aligned receptacles forming ends for receiving the spindles of a pivoting wheel set.

Figures 2 and 3 are top views showing the cooperation of the cover for immobilizing the end of the spindle with said frame, in the open position and in the closed position, respectively. Fig. 4 shows an advantageous variant of a cover with a flexible gap-eliminating strip.

Fig. 5 shows, in a similar way to fig. 1, a variant in which at least one of the pivoting wheel sets mounted into the device is pivoted at least one of its ends in a carrier member connected to the integrated frame by an integrated elastic return mechanism and can be clamped in place.

Figure 6 shows a plan view of a monolithic assembly of the type described, comprising a position adjustment mechanism of the load-bearing member integrated in the assembly, which can be locked in position by means of a clamping mechanism; the adjustment mechanism comprises a comb for immobilizing the indices located at the end of the flexible strip, which comb is pressed against said indices by a strip-like elastic grip, which in turn is immobilized by the locking fingers.

Figure 7 shows a section through a mandrel with shock absorber carrier integral with the integrated frame, through a specific pivot.

Figure 8 is a schematic view of a timepiece movement including a device according to the invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to the field of horological mechanisms, and more particularly to a movement integrated with a module of the functional ready-to-use type.

The invention concerns a clockwork assembly/structure 1 for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set 10 comprising at least one arbour 47 comprising at least one pivot guiding support. Of course, this type of wheel set 10 may only include end guide bearings that do not have a lever portion throughout their length, however the present specification uses the term "spindle 47" to refer to the guide bearing or pivot included in pivoting wheel set 10 for the sake of brevity.

According to the invention, said assembly 1 comprises at least one inseparable one-piece structure 11 comprising at least one inseparable one-piece frame 17 comprising a pair of aligned pivot receptacles/housings 12 for receiving the pivots of arbour 47 of at least one pivoting wheel set 10.

Each of said pivot receptacles 12 is an open receptacle formed by a half-bearing or a two-sided structure and comprises at one end a stop bearing surface 120 in the alignment direction a.

For the sake of brevity, the present description is carefully limited to a particularly preferred example of such a pivot guide support for a pivoting wheel set. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the advantages of the present invention may be used in other applications, particularly for applications where non-pivoting components confined in a non-deformable structure are stationary.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the figures, inseparable unitary structure 11 comprises at least one inseparable unitary frame 17 comprising pivot receptacles 12 forming a top support 44 and a bottom support 45, said pivot receptacles being aligned in pairs to receive the pivots of at least one pivoting wheel set 10.

In the advantageous embodiment of fig. 2 to 4, assembly 1 also comprises at least one cover 18, arranged to cooperate with said at least one frame 17, to limit, with minimum clearance/play, each of said arbours 47 of each of said pivoting wheel sets 10 included in assembly 1 when said at least one cover located on said at least one frame 17 is in the closed position. For reasons of ease of assembly, or to leave a functional interface passage with the rest of the movement, for example to allow the passage of a gear train or the like, it is necessary to juxtapose a plurality of covers 18 on the same non-deformable one-piece structure/frame 17 or vice versa, or to connect a plurality of structures/frames 17 by means of a plurality of covers 18.

In a particular variant, at least one cover 18 is made in one piece with the frame 17, said cover being connected to said frame by flexible fasteners and being folded down onto said frame after insertion of the pivoting wheel set(s) 10 or the like.

Advantageously, cover 18 is irreversibly fixed to frame 17 by welding, soldering, laser welding, gluing, riveting or other means, to form together an inseparable one-piece structure 11 once wheel set 10 has been assembled constrained in position within pivot receptacle 12.

In a particular embodiment (not shown), the assembly 1 comprises a plate and/or at least one clamping plate forming the frame 17 or inseparably attached thereto. The frame 17 may be independent of and fixed to the plate or the cleat, or to both the plate and the cleat.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 and 5, the frame 17 is a closed frame, in particular, a closed rectangular frame.

Advantageously, assembly 1 comprises a flexible play-eliminating mechanism 18A for constraining each of said spindles 47 of each of said pivoting wheel sets 10 contained in magazine 1 without play. Fig. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of the cover 18 with a resilient lip 18A performing clearance elimination. The flexible gap elimination mechanism may be mounted to the frame 17 or equally to the cover 18.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1-4, at least one pivot receptacle 12 is a two-sided structure 460.

Fig. 7 shows a specific example in which assembly 1 comprises at least one pivot receptacle 12 comprising a swivel shoulder 46 for radially retaining spindle 47 of pivoting wheel set 10, stop bearing surface 120 being front shoulder 49 for axially limiting the end of spindle 47, said swivel shoulder 46 and/or said front shoulder 49 being carried by at least one elastic shock absorber 48. In fig. 7, the pivoting shoulder 46 and/or said front shoulder 49 are jointly carried by at least one elastic shock-absorbing member 48.

In a variant not shown, the return shoulder 46 or said front shoulder 49 are carried by their respective shock-absorbing members.

In a variant not shown, the pivoting shoulder 46 and the front shoulder 49 are each carried by a shock absorber, which may be a common shock absorber having two bearing surfaces, or a plurality of shock absorbers, each of which is carried by their respective shock absorber.

In another variant, the swivel shoulder 46 and the front shoulder 49 are carried together by a resilient shock absorber 48.

In a particular variant embodiment, said elastic shock-absorbing member 48 is made in one piece with the inseparable one-piece structure 11 and in particular with the frame 17.

In another particular variant embodiment, the swivel shoulder 46 and/or the front shoulder 49 are made in one piece with the frame 17.

In a further particular variant embodiment, the elastic shock-absorbing member 48, the shoulder 46 and/or the front shoulder 49 of the swivel element are all made integral with the inseparable one-piece structure 11 and in particular with the frame 17.

In one embodiment, the inseparable unitary structure 11 is made of silicon, and the integrated elastic return mechanism contained in the unitary structure is pre-stressed in the silicon oxide state.

In a specific embodiment, the frame 17 is made of silicon, and the integrated elastic return mechanism contained in the frame is pre-stressed in the silicon oxide state.

The pivots 44, 45 may be formed by conventional pivots or flexible guide supports.

The design of the assembly 1 according to the invention, comprising the non-separable integral member 17, also optimizes the pivoting of the plurality of wheel sets and ensures their parallelism as required, or conversely allows at least one end of the spindle of the wheel set to move to perform setting adjustments on a micrometer scale.

The action on the pivot receptacle allows to adjust, in particular, the centre distance between the wheel sets, to adjust the penetration of the toothing and/or of the pallet-stone. The adjustment of the center distance can be done in unison with the plate or clamping plate. This principle of adjusting the distance between centers applies to all inter-center distances in the die.

In the embodiment of fig. 5 and 6, one of said pivot receptacles 12 is made in one piece with a carrier member 13, which is connected to the frame 17 by means of elastic return means 14 and 83, respectively.

In a particular embodiment, the pivot receptacle 12 has a constant position with respect to at least one inseparable one-piece structure 11.

In another embodiment, at least one pivot receptacle 12 is suspended, in particular capable of absorbing energy from shocks and returning to the working position.

Fig. 5 thus shows an elastic return mechanism 14 which is sufficiently rigid to ensure the precise positioning of the pivot receptacle 12 at rest and which is designed to absorb any shock and then return the spindle to position. In the variant of fig. 5, at least one pivoting wheel set 10 pivots at least one of its ends in a pivot 45 forming a receptacle 460, said pivot being housed in a carrier member 13. Said load-bearing members 13 are connected to the frame 17 by means of an integrated elastic return mechanism 14, preferably made in one piece with the frame 17 and the respective load-bearing member 13.

Of course, variants are also conceivable in which the parts are pivoted at both ends in a suspended carrier member.

The elastic return mechanism 14, which preferably is associated with a post-adjustment position locking device, an example of which is given in the specific embodiment of fig. 6 of the present description, allows a range of adjustments. Advantageously, the position locking mechanism is also made in one piece with the frame 17 and the respective load-bearing member 13.

In a particularly advantageous application of such a mechanism, in particular a reversibly adjustably lockable mechanism but which can also be immobilized (in particular irreversibly) after initial adjustment, the assembly 1 comprises a position adjustment mechanism 80, preferably on the frame 17, as shown in fig. 6.

Fig. 6 thus shows a specific arrangement in which the carrier member 13 is mounted integrally with the position adjustable component and can be locked in place after adjustment. In this variant, the inseparable integrated structure 11 comprises a position-adjustment mechanism 80 of a position-adjustable component 82 comprising a bearing member 13 connected to the frame 17 by an elastic return mechanism 83. The position adjustment mechanism 80 includes a rigid structure 81 preferably formed by the frame 17. The rigid structure 81 carries, by means of at least one elastic strip, a position-adjustable part 82, here comprising the carrier member 13 and in turn comprising an indexing mechanism 84, arranged to cooperate with a complementary indexing mechanism 91 comprised in the adjustment mechanism 90. The complementary indexing mechanism 91 is removably mounted to the indexing mechanism 84. The indexing mechanism may also be locked in the engaged position by a clamping mechanism 94 resiliently fixed to the rigid structure 81. The gripping means 94 are elastically fixed to the rigid structure 81 by at least one flexible element 96 and are in turn subjected to the action of a locking mechanism 98 which allows the gripping means 94 to occupy either a disengaged position in which the adjustment mechanism 90 is in the free state or an engaged position in which the gripping means 94 obstruct the adjustment mechanism 90.

The locking mechanism comprises at least one flexible element 98 forming a flexible jump (jumper) and being resiliently fixed to the structure 81, the at least one flexible element 98 herein comprising a beak (peak) 99 cooperating with a beak 97 of the fixture 94 to keep the fixture detached during position adjustment or to cooperate with a complementary stop surface 95 of the fixture 94 when position adjustment is performed for safety reasons of the fixture.

Fig. 6 shows a mechanism of this type, which has a comb 91 fixing the indices 84 at the end of the flexible strip, the comb 91 being pressed onto the indices 84 by a strip-like elastic grip 96 belonging to a gripping mechanism 94, while said grip is in turn fixed by a locking finger 99 mounted on at least one flexible strip 98, said finger 99 cooperating with a stop face 97 of the strip-like elastic grip 96.

As seen above, the specific application given here, suitable for adjusting the position of the bearing, such combined adjustment, clamping and locking mechanisms, for example to perform a slight correction of the operation of the adjustment mechanism, can also be applied in many fields of application: locating bearings, stops or other elements.

In an advantageous embodiment, the assembly 1 and/or the frame 17 are made of silicon. The pivot receptacle 460 is formed, for example, by anisotropic (KOH) etching in a silicon substrate. Solutions with assemblies of jewel bearings or shock absorbers are also possible. A significant advantage is the very precise positioning (distance from center, perpendicularity) of the pivot receptacle. Note that placing the cap 18 in place does not interfere with the positioning of the multiple mandrels.

For a particular application for an escapement, assembly 1 comprises, depending on the configuration of the escapement, all or part of the guide bearings/supports for the arbour of the wheel set:

two pivot receptacles of the pallet-fork and all the bottom bearings/supports of the other wheel sets;

two pivot receptacles of the balance and of the pallet-fork and all the bottom bearings/supports of the other wheel sets;

two pivot receptacles of the balance and all the bottom bearings/supports of the other wheel sets

In another particular embodiment of the invention, the frame 17 forms a non-separable integral member having at least one shock absorber support for receiving the pivot of a component included in the assembly 1, in particular in the escapement.

The shock absorber can thus be made partially or entirely inside the frame 17: the shock absorbing elastic member may be made to be connected to the frame 17. One (or both) of the two jewel bearings is made in connection with the plate. The pivoting thus takes place directly in the silicon. The pivot receptacle 12 may be made directly in a silicon substrate with a DLC (diamond-like carbon coating) or other surface coating. It is therefore no longer necessary to position the jewel bearings and the rotation point very precisely.

In a particular embodiment, the assembly 1 comprises separable elements that facilitate the assembly of the structure in a larger assembly, these separable elements therefore only need to be separated to give at least one degree of freedom to certain components of the structure.

In an advantageous embodiment of the cartridge 1 according to the invention, the assembly 1 is made of micro-machinable material or silicon oxide, and the integrated elastic return mechanism contained in the structure is pre-stressed in the silicon oxide state. Other materials in MEMS or "LIGA" technology may also be employed. Quartz, diamond-like carbon (DLC), at least partially amorphous materials, or metallic glasses may be used for these applications, but the listed materials are not limiting.

The particular configuration of the assembly 1 makes it possible to compensate for the effects of expansion of these structural elements or of the parts of the mechanism with which they are assembled. For example, for uniformity, the plate may be fabricated from silicon and then oxidized.

The invention also concerns a mechanical timepiece movement 100 including at least one assembly 1 of said type.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a clockwork assembly 1 of the type for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set 10. According to the invention, the inseparable one-piece structure 11 is provided with an integrated elastic return mechanism integral therewith for holding without play at least one spindle 47 of at least one pivoting wheel set 10 and/or for forming at least one elastic shock absorber 48 and/or for adjusting the position of the load-bearing member 13. The inseparable one-piece structure 11 is made of silicon, said integrated elastic return mechanism being prestressed in the silicon oxide state.

In a variant, the pivot receptacle 12 is made directly in the silicon substrate, with a DLC surface coating.

In a variant, the non-separable single-piece assembly 11 is made of at least one non-separable single-piece frame 17 comprising pairs of aligned pivot receptacles 12 for receiving the pivots of at least one of said pivoting wheel sets 10, these pivot receptacles 12 being made in a silicon substrate by anisotropic etching.

In a variant, the inseparable one-piece assembly 11 is formed by a frame 17 and a cover 18 which together constrain wheel set 10 in position in pivot receptacle 12, frame 17 and cover 18 being reversibly fixed to each other by welding or brazing or riveting or laser welding to form the inseparable one-piece assembly.

The high precision provided by the invention allows the components and therefore the movement to be thin. The invention is therefore particularly suitable for making movements that are ultra-flat.

Claims (17)

1. Timepiece movement assembly (1) for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set (10), characterized in that it comprises at least one inseparable one-piece structure (11) comprising at least one inseparable one-piece frame (17) comprising pivot receptacles (12) aligned in pairs in an alignment direction (a) for receiving pivots of spindles (47) of said at least one pivoting wheel set (10), each pivot receptacle (12) being an open receptacle formed by a half-bearing or two-sided structure and having at one end a stop bearing surface (120) in said alignment direction (a).

2. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said assembly (1) further comprises at least one cover (18) arranged to cooperate with said at least one frame (17) to constrain each spindle (47) of each pivoting wheel set (10) comprised in said assembly (1) with minimum clearance when said at least one cover (18) on said at least one frame (17) is in a closed position, and a flexible clearance-eliminating mechanism (18A) on said at least one frame (17) and/or said at least one cover (18) for constraining each spindle (47) without clearance.

3. Assembly (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said inseparable one-piece structure (11) is formed by said frame (17) and said cover (18) jointly limiting the position of said pivoting wheel set (10) in said pivot receptacle (12), said frame (17) and said cover (18) forming an inseparable one-piece assembly.

4. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said frame (17) is a closed frame.

5. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pivot receptacle (12) is a two-sided structure (460).

6. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one pivot receptacle (12) comprises a revolving shoulder (46) for radially retaining said spindle (47), said stop bearing surface (120) being a front shoulder (49) for axially limiting the axial end of said spindle (47), said revolving shoulder (46) and/or said front shoulder (49) being carried by at least one elastic shock absorber (48).

7. Assembly (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said pivoting shoulder (46) and said front shoulder (49) are jointly carried by the same at least one elastic shock-absorbing member (48).

8. Assembly (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said at least one elastic shock absorber (48) is made in one piece with said inseparable unitary structure (11).

9. Assembly (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said revolving shoulder (46) and/or said front shoulder (49) are made in one piece with said inseparable monolithic structure (11).

10. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one pivot receptacle (12) is made in one piece with a bearing member (13) connected to said frame (17) by means of an elastic return mechanism (14).

11. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said pivot receptacle (12) has a constant position with respect to said at least one inseparable unitary structure (11).

12. Assembly (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one inseparable one-piece structure (11) comprises an inseparable one-piece frame (17) and a position adjustment mechanism (80) for a position adjustable component (82) comprising a carrying member (13) connected to said frame (17) by an elastic return mechanism (83), said position adjustment mechanism (80) comprising a rigid structure (81) carrying said position adjustable component (82) by at least one elastic strip, the position adjustable component further comprising an indexing mechanism (84) arranged to cooperate with a complementary indexing mechanism (91) comprised in an adjustment mechanism (90), said complementary indexing mechanism (91) being detachably mounted to said indexing mechanism (84) and lockable in a cooperating position by a clamping mechanism (94) elastically fixed to said rigid structure (81), the gripping means (94) are in turn subjected to a locking mechanism (98) which allows the gripping means (94) to occupy either a disengaged position in which the adjustment means (90) are in a free state or an engaged position in which the gripping means (94) obstruct the adjustment means (90), the locking mechanism (98) also being elastically fixed to the rigid structure (81).

13. A mechanical timepiece movement (100) comprising at least one assembly (1) according to claim 1.

14. Method for forming a clockwork assembly (1) for receiving and guiding at least one pivoting wheel set (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said non-separable unitary structure (11) is equipped with an integrated elastic return mechanism for at least one arbour (47) holding said at least one pivoting wheel set (10) without clearance and/or for forming at least one elastic shock absorber (48) and/or for adjusting the position of the bearing member (13), wherein said non-separable unitary structure (11) is made of silicon and said integrated elastic return mechanism comprised in the unitary structure is prestressed in the state of silicon oxide.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the pivot receptacle (12) is made directly in a silicon substrate with a diamond-like carbon surface coating.

16. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that the inseparable one-piece structure (11) is made of at least one inseparable one-piece frame (17) comprising pivot receptacles (12) aligned in pairs for receiving pivots of at least one of the pivoting wheel sets (10), wherein the pivot receptacles (12) are made by anisotropic etching in a silicon substrate.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein a non-separable one-piece structure (11) is formed by said frame (17) and cover (18) which together constrain the wheel set (10) in position in the pivot receptacle (12), said frame (17) and said cover (18) being irreversibly fixed to each other by welding or soldering or riveting or laser welding to form a non-separable one-piece assembly.