Monolithic timepiece regulator, timepiece movement and timepiece having such a timepiece regulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10133238-B2
Application number	US-201515526493-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2015
Priority date	Nov 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Monolithic timepiece regulator made in a single plate, having an external rigid element, an internal rigid element, and elastic suspensions connecting the external rigid element to the internal rigid element and enabling oscillatory rotating movements between them. The internal rigid element has arms which are rigidly connected with one another, leaving between each other free angular spaces, and the elastic suspensions are located in these free angular spaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monolithic timepiece regulator made in a single plate, comprising:
an external rigid element,
an internal rigid element surrounded by said external rigid element,
a plurality of elastic suspensions connecting the external rigid clement to the internal rigid element and enabling oscillating rotational movements between the external rigid element and the internal rigid element, around an axis of rotation which is perpendicular to the plate,

wherein the internal rigid element comprises a plurality of arms which are rigidly connected with one another, said arms being distributed around the rotation axis and leaving between them free angular spaces which are radially external to the internal rigid element, the elastic suspensions being respectively located in said free angular spaces.

2. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of elastic suspensions includes at least three elastic suspensions and said plurality of arms includes at least three arms.

3. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein said plurality of elastic suspensions consists in three elastic suspensions and said plurality of arms consists in three arms.

4. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein said elastic suspensions are regularly distributed angularly around the axis of rotation.

5. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein said internal rigid element further includes a rigid hub, said arms of the internal rigid element extending each from said hub to an outer end relatively close to the external rigid element.

6. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein each elastic suspension includes a plurality of elastic branches which are disposed substantially radially with regard to the axis of rotation and which extend each between an inner end and an outer end, said elastic branches being connected together either at their respective inner ends, or at their respective outer ends.

7. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein each elastic suspension comprises at least one first elastic branch and at least two second elastic branches,
said first elastic branch having an outer end connected to the external rigid element and an inner end connected to a rigid intermediate element separate from the internal rigid element, the two second elastic branches having inner ends connected to said intermediate rigid element and outer ends connected respectively to two adjacent arms of the internal rigid element.

8. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein each elastic suspension comprises at least one first elastic branch, at least two second elastic branches, at least two third elastic branches and at least two fourth elastic branches, said first elastic branch having an outer end connected to the external rigid element and an inner end connected to a first rigid intermediate element separate from the internal rigid element,
the two second elastic branches having inner ends connected to said first intermediate rigid element and outer ends connected respectively to two outer arms of a V-shaped, second rigid intermediate element, said second rigid intermediate element being separate from the internal rigid element and from the first rigid intermediate element and having a base disposed between the first rigid intermediate element and the axis of rotation,
the two third elastic branches having outer ends connected to said second intermediate rigid element and inner ends connected respectively to a third rigid intermediate element, said third rigid intermediate element being separate from the internal rigid element and from the first and second rigid intermediate elements and being disposed between the second rigid intermediate element and the axis of rotation,
the two fourth elastic branches having inner ends connected to said third intermediate rigid element and outer ends connected respectively to adjacent arms of the internal rigid element.

9. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , wherein the arms of the inner rigid element are T shaped and include an outer head extending in a substantially angular direction relative to the axis of rotation, said outer head having two ends connected respectively to outer ends of two elastic branches of two adjacent elastic suspensions.

10. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , having an off-axis stiffness of at least 60 N/m.

11. The monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 , having a rotational stiffness of at most 5 10 −4 Nm/rad.

12. A timepiece movement having the monolithic timepiece regulator according to claim 1 .

13. The timepiece movement according to claim 12 , wherein the internal rigid element is fixed to a support and the external rigid element is free to oscillate around the axis of rotation, with respect to the support.

14. The timepiece movement according to claim 12 , wherein the external rigid element is fixed to a support and the internal rigid element is free to oscillate around the axis of rotation, with respect to the support.

15. The timepiece movement according claim 12 , wherein one of the internal and external rigid elements is fixed to a support and the other one of the internal and external rigid elements is a regulating member which is free to oscillate around the axis of rotation, the timepiece movement further comprising a blocking mechanism which is controlled by the regulating element to regularly and alternatively hold and release a rotary energy distribution wheel so that said energy distribution wheel rotates by rotational steps, of a constant angular travel at each rotational step, said blocking mechanism being further adapted to regularly release energy to the regulating member for maintaining oscillation of said regulating member.

16. A timepiece having the timepiece movement according to claim 12 .

Assignees

• Lvmh Swiss Mft Sa

Inventors

• Semon Guy
• Van Zoest Wouter Pieter
• Tolou Nima

Classifications

• G04B17/04 Primary

  Oscillators acting by spring tension · CPC title

• G04B17/045

  with oscillating blade springs (mechanical oscillations maintained by electro-magnetic means, e.g. tuning forks G04C3/10) · CPC title

• G04B17/10 Primary

  Oscillators with torsion strips or springs acting in the same manner as torsion strips, e.g. weight oscillating in a horizontal plane {(electrically driven torsion pendulum G04C3/033)} · CPC title