Timepiece comprising a device for switching a timekeeping mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10037010-B2
Application number	US-201715614884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 6, 2017
Priority date	Jul 1, 2016
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

The timepiece comprises a timekeeping mechanism and a switching device arranged to switch this timekeeping mechanism between two states. The switching device comprises a movable switching organ and a rotary control organ arranged to be stepwise driven in order to successively occupy a plurality of distinct angular positions about its axis of rotation. The movable switching organ and the rotary control organ respectively support a first magnetic structure and a second magnetic structure arranged so that, in a first angular position of the rotary control organ, a first magnetic force acts on the switching organ in a given direction, and so that, in a second angular position of the rotary control organ, a second magnetic force acts on the switching organ in the opposite direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece comprising:
a timekeeping mechanism able to switch between a first determined state and a second determined state;
a switching device arranged to switch the timekeeping mechanism between said first state and said second state, this switching device comprising a movable switching organ and a rotary control organ, the rotary control organ being arranged to be stepwise driven in a given direction of rotation in order to successively occupy a plurality of distinct angular positions about an axis of rotation, the switching device being arranged so that a stepwise rotation of the rotary control organ in said direction of rotation causes a reciprocating movement of the movable switching organ substantially in a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation between two stable radial positions for at least one part of this movable switching organ, said organ being transferred from a first to a second of the two stable radial positions, in order to trigger a first switching of the timekeeping mechanism, when the rotary control organ is placed in a first angular position from among the plurality of distinct angular positions, and the movable switching organ being returned to the first of the two stable radial positions, in order to trigger a second switching of the timekeeping mechanism, when the rotary control organ is placed in a second angular position from among the plurality of distinct angular positions,
wherein the movable switching organ and the rotary control organ respectively support a first magnetic structure and a second magnetic structure arranged in order to have a mutual magnetic interaction that allows the timekeeping mechanism to be switched between said first and second states on command, one of the first and second magnetic structures comprising at least one first magnetic pole and the other of the two magnetic structures comprising at least one second magnetic pole and a third magnetic pole with opposite polarities and being able to successively interact with the first magnetic pole, the first and second magnetic structures being arranged so that, in the first angular position of the rotary control organ, a first magnetic force, which is generated by a magnetic interaction between the first and second magnetic poles, acts on the switching organ in order to transfer said organ to the second of said two stable radial positions and so that, in the second angular position of the rotary control organ, a second magnetic force, which is generated by a magnetic interaction between the first and third magnetic poles and is in the opposite direction to the first magnetic force, acts on the switching organ in order to return said organ to the first of said two stable radial positions.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein said first magnetic pole forms part of said first magnetic structure, whereas said second and third magnetic poles form part of said second magnetic structure.

3. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein the rotary control organ is arranged to complete steps that each correspond to pivoting by 180°, so that the second magnetic structure is caused to alternately occupy two distinct angular positions about said axis of rotation, said second magnetic structure being formed by a bipolar magnet, the two poles of which form the second and third magnetic poles, said axis of rotation passing between these second and third magnetic poles.

4. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein the rotary control organ is arranged to complete steps each corresponding to pivoting by an angle π/N, with N>1, so that the second magnetic structure is caused to successively occupy 2N distinct angular positions about said axis of rotation, said second magnetic structure comprising N second magnetic poles and N third magnetic poles radially oriented outwards and evenly distributed about said axis of rotation, the second and third magnetic poles being alternately arranged so that each second magnetic pole is interposed between two third magnetic poles.

5. The timepiece according to claim 4 , wherein the second magnetic structure is made up of a radial multipolar magnet comprising 2N alternated external poles, said axis of rotation substantially passing through the centre of the multipolar magnet.

6. The timepiece according to claim 4 , wherein the second magnetic structure comprises 2N bipolar magnets radially oriented and evenly distributed about said axis of rotation, the bipolar magnets being alternately magnetically oriented in one direction and in the other direction.

7. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the first magnetic structure is made up of a bipolar magnet, one of the two poles of which forms said first magnetic pole.

8. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein said first magnetic pole forms part of said second magnetic structure belonging to the rotary control organ, whereas said second and third magnetic poles with opposite polarities form part of said first magnetic structure belonging to the movable switching organ.

9. The timepiece according to claim 8 , wherein the rotary control organ is arranged to complete steps each corresponding to pivoting by an angle π/N, with N>1, so that the second magnetic structure is caused to successively occupy 2N distinct angular positions about said axis of rotation, wherein said second and third magnetic poles are arranged on the movable switching organ on the periphery of the rotary control organ and, as seen from said axis of rotation of the control organ, they are angularly spaced apart by approximately π/N, and wherein the second magnetic structure comprises N bipolar magnets radially oriented in the same direction and evenly distributed about said axis of rotation.

10. The timepiece according to claim 8 , wherein the first magnetic structure is made up of a pair of bipolar magnets arranged substantially radially relative to said axis of rotation of the control organ and with their polarities inverted.

Assignees

• Montres Breguet Sa

Inventors

• Legeret Benoit
• Junod Benoit

Classifications

• G04B11/005

  with magnetic elements · CPC title

• G04F7/0842 Primary

  with start-stop control mechanisms · CPC title

• G04F7/0814

  with double hammer, i.e. one hammer acts on two counters · CPC title

• G04F7/0847

  with column wheel · CPC title