Mechanical part, timepiece, and method of manufacturing a mechanical part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10761483-B2
Application number	US-201815977503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2018
Priority date	May 16, 2017
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a mechanical part, a timepiece having the mechanical part, and a method of manufacturing a mechanical part that suppresses separation and rotation of a rotating member to a staff member, and can be manufactured at a competitive cost. A escape wheel and pinion 35 as an example of a mechanical part has a staff member 102; an escape wheel 101 with a hole 115 to which the staff member 102 is inserted, and ribs 112 that extend toward the staff member 102; and an annular fastening member 130 that affixes the escape wheel 101 to the staff member 102. The fastening member 130 is disposed touching the ribs 112 and deforming to protrude into the hole 115.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanical part for a timepiece, the mechanical part comprising:
a pinion;
a wheel including a first hole and a rib, the pinion being inserted in the first hole, and the rib extending toward the pinion; and
an annular fastening member configured to affix the wheel to the pinion,
the fastening member being disposed in contact with the rib, a part of the fastening member being deformed and protruding into the first hole adjacent the pinion.

2. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the first hole is formed surrounded by a plurality of the ribs; and
the fastening member is formed so that part of the fastening member overlapping the first hole of the wheel protrudes in the axial direction when seen in plan view from the axial direction of the pinion.

3. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
a Vickers hardness of the fastening member is less than a Vickers hardness of the wheel.

4. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the pinion has, on the opposite side of the wheel as the fastening member, a protrusion configured to protrude to an outside in a radial direction; and
a diameter of a first surface of the fastening member that contacts the rib is less than or equal to a diameter of a surface of the protrusion that contacts the wheel.

5. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 4 , wherein:
a diameter of a second surface of the fastening member on the opposite side as the first surface is greater than or equal to a diameter of the first surface.

6. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the wheel has a rim part including a plurality of teeth, and a flexible part and a second hole disposed between the rib and the rim part.

7. A timepiece comprising a mechanical part described in claim 1 .

8. A manufacturing method of a mechanical part for a timepiece, the method comprising:
a process of forming a wheel having a rib and a first hole, the rib extending toward a center of the wheel, and the first hole being enclosed by the rib;
a process of inserting a pinion into the first hole of the wheel;
a process of inserting the pinion into a hole in a fastening member disposed annularly about the pinion so that the fastening member contacts the rib of the wheel; and
a process of pressing the fastening member to deform part of the fastening member to protrude into the first hole of the wheel.

9. The manufacturing method of the mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 8 , wherein:
in the process of inserting the pinion into the hole in the fastening member, the inside diameter of the hole in the fastening member is smaller than the outside diameter of the pinion.

10. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the fastening member includes a hole, a diameter of the hole being smaller than an outside diameter of a press-fit part of the pinion, and
when the fastening member is pushed onto the press-fit part of the pinion, the diameter of the fastening member is forced to expand in an outward radial direction and the fastening member is affixed to the press-fit part of the pinion.

11. The mechanical part for the timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the wheel contains silicon.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Shibuya Munehiro
• Funakawa Takeo

Classifications

• G04B15/14 Primary

  Component parts or constructional details, e.g. construction of the lever or the escape wheel {(assembly and manufacture of the spring G04B1/145; assembly and manufacture of components, e.g. pinions, spindles G04B13/02; lubrication of clockwork bearings G04B31/008; oils for clockwork bearings in general G04B31/08)} · CPC title

• G04B13/022

  with parts made of hard material, e.g. silicon, diamond, sapphire, quartz and the like · CPC title

• G04B13/026 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic