Timepiece oscillator structure with a divisible element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262702-B2
Application number	US-201816027799-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2018
Priority date	Jul 7, 2017
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A timepiece oscillator structure includes at least one divisible unit, which includes at least one component which includes at least one flexible blade or at least one blade with necks, joining two main units, each more rigid than the flexible blade or blade with necks, where the divisible unit includes at least one protection unit adjacent to at least one main unit to which it is connected by at least one divisible linkage which is designed in order to make possible the detachment of this protection unit from the component when the component is fixed, with at least the particular main unit which is adjacent to the protection unit, to a more rigid external element than the flexible blade or than the necks of the blade with necks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a timepiece mechanism comprising at least one component, which comprises at least one flexible blade or blade with necks joining two main units, each of the two main units being more rigid than said at least one flexible blade or blade with necks, the method comprising:
producing one divisible unit which includes the at least one component, at least one protection unit, and at least one divisible linkage associated with the at least one protection unit,
assembling said divisible unit with other constituents of said timepiece mechanism,
then separating all said protection units by breakage of each of the at least one divisible linkage, and
eliminating sacrificial parts constituted by all said protection units in order that only said at least one component remains in said mechanism.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein
assembling of said constituents of said timepiece mechanism is effected on a board or tooling equipment,
said board or respectively said tooling equipment are fitted with connection means which comprise at least one assembled rivet and/or one screw-nut assembly and/or at least one component fixed by clamping, and/or an adhesive, for assembling with clamping and/or gluing of a stack of said constituents along the direction of stacking, and
the clamping and/or gluing of said connection means is implemented before implementing breaking of each divisible linkage.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two main units form a free inertial mass.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein all the protection units are removed each time the method is performed.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Mallet Daniel
• Cusin Pierre
• Courvoisier Raphael
• Winkler Pascal

Classifications

• G04D3/0035

  for components of the regulating mechanism · CPC title

• 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

• G04B17/045 Primary

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

• G04B17/06

  Oscillators with hairsprings, e.g. balance {(electrically driven balances G04C3/04; contacts actuated by a balance G04C13/065)} · CPC title

• G04B31/02

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