Timepiece movement including a device for detecting an angular position of a wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11016445-B2
Application number	US-201816052735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2018
Priority date	Aug 4, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

A timepiece movement includes an analogue display, including a rotary indicator and a wheel that rotates as one with the rotary indicator. The wheel includes a plate with a locating element. The timepiece movement also includes a device for detecting at least one angular position of the locating element, which includes a board that is fixed with respect to the plate, extending substantially parallel to the plate, and on which a first electrode, a second electrode, and a common electrode are arranged. The electrodes are planar and are arranged such that, in one angular position of the wheel, the locating element is located over at least a portion of each electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece movement comprising:
an analogue display, including a rotary indicator and a wheel that rotates as one with said rotary indicator, said wheel including a plate comprising a locating element;
a device for detecting at least one angular position of the locating element, comprising a board that is fixed with respect to the plate, extending substantially parallel to the plate, and on which a first electrode, a second electrode and a common electrode are arranged, the electrodes being planar and being arranged such that, in one angular position of the wheel, the locating element is located over at least a portion of each electrode, the common electrode including:
a first edge extending radially facing a lateral edge of the first electrode;
a second edge extending radially facing a lateral edge of the second electrode;
a central portion via which at least one point of the first edge and at least one point of the second edge are linked,

wherein the central portion extends partly facing a circumferential edge of the first electrode and partly facing a circumferential edge of the second electrode, the terms radial and circumferential being understood with respect to a circle that would be centred on the intersection between the axle of the wheel and the board.

2. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein the common electrode includes a first branch to which the first edge belongs, a second branch to which the second edge belongs, the central portion linking the ends of the first branch and of the second branch that are closest to the axle of the wheel, referred to as lower ends.

3. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein the common electrode includes a first branch to which the first edge belongs, a second branch to which the second edge belongs, the central portion linking the ends of the first branch and of the second branch that are furthest from the axle of the wheel, referred to as upper ends.

4. The timepiece movement according to claim 2 , wherein the common electrode includes a median branch extending radially between the first electrode and the second electrode, said median branch being linked to the central portion.

5. The timepiece movement according to claim 2 , wherein the central portion extends in the shape of an arc of a circle centred on the intersection between the axle of the wheel and the board.

6. The timepiece movement according to claim 2 , wherein the first electrode and the second electrode take the shape of two sectors of a ring centred on the intersection between the axle of the wheel and the board.

7. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein the central portion of the common electrode takes the shape of a sector of a ring centred on the intersection between the axle of the wheel and the board, and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode surround the common electrode.

8. The timepiece movement according to claim 7 , wherein the first electrode includes a radial branch to which the lateral edge of the first electrode belongs, the second electrode includes a second radial branch to which the lateral edge of the second electrode belongs, and each of the first electrode and of the second electrode includes two circumferential branches that are positioned on either side of the common electrode and linked to the radial branch to which the circumferential edge belongs.

9. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein the locating element is an opening through the plate of the wheel.

10. The timepiece movement according to claim 1 , wherein the locating element is made of a material having a dielectric permittivity that is different from that of the rest of the plate and from the air.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Rufener Rene

Classifications

• G04B47/06 Primary

  with attached measuring instruments, e.g. pedometer, barometer, thermometer or compass {(in combination with a tachometer which winds up the clockwork G04B5/206)} · CPC title

• G01D5/2412 Primary

  by varying overlap · CPC title

• G04C3/14

  incorporating a stepping motor (G04C3/02 - G04C3/12 take precedence {; generating commutating pulses in primary clocks G04C13/0463}) · CPC title

• G04C3/00 Primary

  Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means (clocks driven by synchronous motors G04C15/00) · CPC title