Timepiece movement including an analogue display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054907-B2
Application number	US-201715399204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

The timepiece movement is provided with an analog display device for an item of information whose value varies periodically or intermittently, this analog display device including an indicator for said information provided with a toothing and a mechanism for the periodic or intermittent driving of the indicator, this mechanism comprising a rotating wheel set whose pinion, in a meshing relationship with the toothing, is formed of two pins which are diametrically opposite relative to the rotational axis of the rotating wheel set, these two pins being configured to alternately penetrate successive hollows in the toothing and to form a self-locking system when the timepiece movement is subjected to shocks. Each of the two pins has, in a general plane of the toothing perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotating wheel set, a transverse profile having a first outer portion substantially in the arc of a circle centered on the axis of rotation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece movement provided with an analogue display device for an item of information whose value varies periodically or intermittently, said analogue display device including an indicator for said information provided with a toothing and a mechanism for the periodic or intermittent driving of the indicator, said mechanism comprising a rotating wheel set whose pinion, in a meshing relationship with said toothing, is formed of two pins which are diametrically opposite relative to a rotational axis of the rotating wheel set, these two pins being configured to alternately penetrate successive hollows in said toothing and to form a self-locking system when the timepiece movement is subjected to shocks, at least when the pinion is in either of the two tangential positions where the two pins are oriented substantially tangentially to the indicator toothing, each of the two pins having, in a general plane of said toothing perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotating wheel set, a transverse profile having a first outer portion substantially in an arc of a circle centered on the axis of rotation, the two pins of said pinion being configured with respect to said indicator toothing such that there is a dead angle for the driving of said indicator by said pinion in at least one direction of rotation from each of said two tangential positions of the pinion, said rotating wheel set thus does not drive the indicator in two dead angle zones defined inside an angular marker connected to the timepiece movement and centered on the axis of rotation of the rotating wheel set, said two dead angle zones including at least said dead angle respectively from the two tangential positions of the pinion, the first outer portion of the transverse profile of the two pins extending over an angular distance substantially equal to or greater than said dead angle.

2. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said dead angle is substantially equal to or greater than fifteen degrees.

3. The timepiece movement according to claim 2 , wherein the first outer portion of the transverse profile of the two pins extends over an angular distance comprised between 3/2 multiplied by said dead angle and substantially two times said dead angle.

4. The timepiece movement according to claim 3 , wherein each hollow of said toothing has an opening, at ends of two adjacent teeth, having a dimension smaller than a width of said hollow in a region of contact thereof with the two pins during the driving of said indicator by the rotating wheel set.

5. The timepiece movement according to claim 4 , wherein each pin has a radial dimension relative to the axis of rotation of said rotating wheel set and a tangential dimension, perpendicular to the radial dimension, whose value is substantially equal to two times that of the radial dimension or greater.

6. The timepiece movement according to claim 2 , wherein said item of information is a first item of information, said analogue display is a first analogue display and said indicator is a first indicator, wherein said timepiece movement includes a second analogue display including a second indicator kinematically connected to said mechanism driving the first indicator, said second display being arranged such that the second indicator is driven by the mechanism for periodic or intermittent driving to indicate a second item of information, while the rotating wheel set remains in one or other of the two dead angle zones.

7. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein, in the event of a shock, the two pins of said pinion lock said first indicator when the rotating wheel set is angularly within either of the two dead angle zones.

8. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein the second analogue display and the mechanism for periodic or intermittent driving are arranged such that the second indicator can make a rotation of at least 360° while said pinion is subjected to a rotation inside said dead angle from either of its two tangential positions.

9. The timepiece movement according to claim 8 , wherein the second analogue display is a display of a measured time interval.

10. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein said indicator is a date ring.

11. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein said pinion and said toothing are arranged such that, when the pinion is in either of its two tangential positions, said indicator has an angular play that is smaller than or substantially equal to thirty-five microns.

12. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein said pinion and said toothing are arranged such that, when the rotating wheel set is subjected to a rotation over all of either one of the two dead angle zones, said indicator has an angular play that remains smaller than or substantially equal to forty microns.

13. The timepiece movement according to claim 6 , wherein said mechanism for periodic or intermittent driving includes a drive source which is formed by a bidirectional electrical motor controlled by an electronic unit.

14. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said dead angle is substantially equal to or greater than twenty-five degrees.

15. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said indicator is a date ring.

16. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said pinion and said toothing are arranged such that, when the pinion is in either of its two tangential positions, said indicator has an angular play that is smaller than or substantially equal to thirty-five microns.

17. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said pinion and said toothing are arranged such that, when the rotating wheel set is subjected to a rotation over all of either one of the two dead angle zones, said indicator has an angular play that remains smaller than or substantially equal to forty microns.

18. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein said mechanism for periodic or intermittent driving includes a drive source which is formed by a bidirectional electrical motor controlled by an electronic unit.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Gruenig Daniel

Classifications

• G04B19/253

  Driving or releasing mechanisms · CPC title

• G04B19/247

  disc-shaped {(G04B19/24306 takes precedence; for electrically driven timepieces G04C17/0058)} · CPC title

• G04B31/02 Primary

  Shock-damping bearings {(shock damping in the case G04B37/052, G04B37/055, G04B37/0418)} · CPC title

• G04C17/0058

  with date indication · CPC title

• G04C17/0066 Primary

  electromagnetically driven, e.g. intermittently (clocks incorporating a stepping motor G04C3/14) · CPC title