Acoustic radiation membrane, and striking watch equipped with the acoustic membrane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11360434-B2
Application number	US-201816130000-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2018
Priority date	Sep 14, 2017
Publication date	Jun 14, 2022
Grant date	Jun 14, 2022

Abstract

The striking or musical watch includes a watch case having a case middle and a back attached to the case middle in a sealed manner and in a detachable manner, a glass closing the case in a sealed manner, a watch movement or a watch electronic module retained in the interior of the watch case and equipped with a sonic vibration generator to be activated during specific periods in order to produce a sound or music. The watch includes at least one acoustic radiation membrane made at least in part of wood or a wood composite material and attached to a part of the case in order to radiate the sound produced by the sonic vibration generator towards the exterior of the case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An acoustic radiation membrane for a striking or musical watch and configured to be mounted in a case of the striking or musical watch,
wherein the acoustic radiation membrane is configured to be attached to a support of the case, the support being positioned between a case middle and a case back,
wherein the support includes an interior edge in the form of a corner for the attachment of the acoustic membrane thereto such that each of a top surface and a side surface of the acoustic radiation membrane is in contact with the support, and the support includes an exterior edge in the form of a periphery of the support, the periphery of the support being crimped between the case middle and an interior rim of the back of the case, and
wherein at least one part of the acoustic membrane is made of wood or a wood composite material.

2. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is made of solid wood, the solid wood being one of mahogany, oak or birch.

3. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is made of a wood composite comprising a plurality of species of wood bonded together.

4. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 3 , wherein the membrane is made of lightweight and very nervous wood using a homogeneous densified wood.

5. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is made of a wood composite comprising a polymeric matrix, into which fibres and/or particles of wood are introduced.

6. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 5 , wherein the particles of wood are associated with organic particles, the organic particles being one of natural vegetable fibres or inorganic particles, the inorganic particles being graphene or carbon nanotubes.

7. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is an assembly or adhesive bonding of a plurality of layers one on top of the other, and wherein the layers comprise different species of wood.

8. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is an assembly or adhesive bonding of a plurality of layers one on top of the other having a relative orientation of the different fibres between each successive layer.

9. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is an assembly or adhesive bonding of a plurality of layers one on top of the other, and wherein at least one of the layers is made of wood and is associated with other layers made of graphene or natural fibres or glass fibres.

10. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein a protective layer or a protective lacquer is deposited on the acoustic membrane in order to protect it from environmental conditions.

11. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic membrane is impregnated with a protective substance in order to protect it from environmental conditions.

12. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic membrane is impregnated with nano-cellulose in order to reinforce its mechanical properties.

13. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic membrane is stained with a colour.

14. The acoustic radiation membrane according to claim 1 , wherein the acoustic membrane is coated or impregnated with at least one protective layer, which comprises an inorganic layer, the inorganic layer being one of a metallic layer or an oxide layer.

15. A striking or musical watch comprising:
a watch case, the watch case having a case middle and a back attached in a sealed manner and in a detachable manner to the case middle;
a glass closing the case in a sealed manner;
a watch movement or a watch electronic module retained in the interior of the watch case and equipped with a sonic vibration generator configured to be activated during specific periods in order to produce a sound or music;
at least one acoustic radiation membrane, which is made at least in part of wood or a wood composite material, and is attached to a part of the case in order to radiate the sound produced by the sonic vibration generator towards the exterior of the case; and
a support positioned between the middle and the back, the support including an interior edge in a form of a corner, and an exterior edge in the form of a periphery of the support,
wherein a periphery of the acoustic radiation membrane is attached to the interior edge such that each of a top surface and a side surface of the acoustic radiation membrane is in contact with the interior edge, and
wherein the periphery of the support is crimped between the case middle and an interior rim of the back of the case.

16. The striking or musical watch according to claim 15 , wherein the sonic vibration generator is a striking mechanism equipped with at least one gong configured to be struck by at least one hammer, or with at least one pin-barrel having a set of tongues, which may be raised and then released by pins that are integral with a cylinder or with a rotating disc.

17. The striking or musical watch according to claim 15 , wherein the acoustic membrane is disposed in the interior of the watch case between the back of the case and the watch movement or the watch electronic module with the sonic vibration generator constituting a double back thereof.

18. The striking or musical watch according to claim 17 , wherein the acoustic membrane is retained on an interior rim of the back of the case and a part of the case middle.

19. The striking or musical watch according to claim 18 , wherein the watch movement or the watch electronic module is disposed on an annular support.

20. The striking or musical watch according to claim 19 , wherein the acoustic membrane has a dished shape, an annular sealing gasket being positioned between the rim of the back and the annular edge of the membrane, and wherein a central part of the acoustic membrane is not in contact with the support and an interior surface of the back of the case in order to define a space so as to be able to oscillate freely.

21. The striking or musical watch according to claim 17 , wherein the acoustic membrane is of plane circular form and is attached to the support by adhesive bonding, and
wherein a peripheral edge of the support is retained by crimping by means of a sealing gasket between the case middle and the back.

22. The striking or musical watch according to claim 17 , wherein the back of the case comprises at least one aperture in the side or in the back in order to permit the vibrating acoustic membrane to produce sound radiation towards the exterior of the watch case.

23. The striking or musical watch according to claim 17 , wherein a plurality of acoustic membranes are attached to the watch case and are spaced apart one from the other or are superposed.

24. The striking or musical watch according to claim 15 , wherein the glass is attached to a bezel of the watch case, which is mounted in a sealed manner on the case middle of the watch case, and wherein the acoustic membrane is mounted in the form of a watch dial or above or below a traditional watch dial.

25. The striking or musical watch according to claim 15 , wherein the glass is attached to a bezel of the watch case, which is mounted in a sealed manner on the case middle of the watch case, and wherein the acoustic membrane is produced or mounted in a part of t

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Favre Jerome
• Spaetti Maude
• Duvoisin Gilles
• Marlot Doerr Agnes

Classifications

• G04B21/08 Primary

  Sounding bodies; Whistles; Musical apparatus (with electro-acoustical transmitters G04C21/00, {G04B23/08; sounding arrangements in alarm clocks G04B23/028; cases with arrangements for enhancing sound production G04B37/0075; carillons and sounding boards G10F1/08, G04B1/10, G10D13/08}) · CPC title

• G04B37/0075

  with means to enhance sound transmission (sonorous means for chimes G04B21/08; for alarm clocks G04B23/028; clockworks combined with musical devices G04B47/025) · CPC title

• G10K13/00

  Cones, diaphragms, or the like, for emitting or receiving sound in general (for electromechanical transducers H04R7/00) · CPC title

• G04B23/028

  Sounding bodies; boxes used as sounding cases; fixation on or in the case (sounding bodies G04B21/08; case enhancing transmission of sound waves G04B37/0075) · CPC title

• A44C5/14

  characterised by the way of fastening to a wrist-watch or the like · CPC title