Mechanism for a timepiece and timepiece comprising such a mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11460811-B2
Application number	US-201716084459-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2017
Priority date	Mar 14, 2016
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A timepiece mechanism comprising a regulator, an energy distributing member a pallet fork controlled by the regulator to alternate in locking and releasing the energy distributing member, and a decoupling member elastically connected to the pallet fork and to the regulator. The decoupling member is arranged so as to oscillate between two stop elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mechanism for a timepiece comprising:
a regulator comprising a regulating member adapted to oscillate with a certain nominal amplitude and a certain period of oscillation;
an energy distributing member provided with teeth and intended to be biased by an energy storage device;
a pallet fork engaging with the teeth of the energy distributing member, said pallet fork being controlled by the regulator to periodically and alternately lock and release the energy distributing member so that said energy distributing member is biased by the energy storage device to move in incremental steps in a cycle of repetitive motion, and said pallet fork being adapted to transfer mechanical energy to the regulator during this cycle of repetitive motion;
said mechanism comprising:
a decoupling member elastically connected to the pallet fork by a first elastic link and to the regulating member by a second elastic link, said decoupling member being arranged to oscillate with a certain amplitude between first and second extreme positions and with the same period of oscillation as the regulating member;

motion limiting means for imposing said extreme positions.

2. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the motion limiting means comprise two stop elements between which the decoupling member oscillates.

3. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork and the energy distributing member are shaped so that, whenever the energy distributing member moves, said energy distributing member supplies an impulse to the pallet fork in order to transfer mechanical energy to the first elastic link just before being relocked by the pallet fork.

4. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork is mounted on an elastic suspension.

5. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork and the first elastic link are designed so that the pallet fork only releases the energy distributing member when the decoupling member is in one of the first and second extreme positions.

6. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the energy distributing member is an escape wheel and the pallet fork comprises first and second stop members arranged one on each side of the escape wheel along an escape direction, the first and second stop members being adapted to alternate in locking the teeth of the escape wheel, the pallet fork being mounted and shaped so as to occupy first and second rest positions respectively when the first and second stop members lock the teeth of the escape wheel, and to oscillate between two extreme oscillation positions located one on each side of the two rest positions along the escape direction.

7. The mechanism according to claim 6 , wherein the decoupling member is movable along the escape direction between said first and second extreme positions, the first elastic link being designed to move the pallet fork in a first direction along the escape direction by distancing the first stop member from the escape wheel when the decoupling member is in the immediate vicinity of the first extreme position, the first elastic link being designed to move the pallet fork in a second direction opposite to the first direction along the escape direction by distancing the second stop member from the escape wheel when the decoupling member is in the immediate vicinity of the second extreme position, the first extreme position being offset along the first direction relative to the second extreme position.

8. The mechanism according to claim 7 , wherein the pallet fork and the eseape wheel are shaped such that, whenever the escape wheel moves, said escape wheel supplies an impulse to the pallet fork in order to transfer mechanical energy to the first electric link just before being relocked by the pallet fork, and wherein the escape wheel and the pallet fork are designed so that at the end of each impulse, the first elastic link is in a state of elastic deformation dictated geometrically either by the first rest position of the pallet fork and the second extreme position of the decoupling member or by the second rest position of the pallet fork and the first extreme position of the decoupling member.

9. The mechanism according claim 6 , wherein the pallet fork and the escape wheel are shaped such that, whenever the escape wheel moves, said escape wheel supplies an impulse to the pallet fork in order to transfer mechanical energy to the first elastic link just before being relocked by the pallet fork.

10. The mechanism according to claim 9 , wherein the escape wheel is designed to rotate in a single direction of rotation and each tooth of the escape wheel has a convex front edge, oriented in the direction of rotation, which is adapted to act as a cam on either the first stop member or the second stop member in order to supply said impulse to the pallet fork, said convex front edge extending in an angular direction that is opposite to the direction of rotation, to a stop edge adapted to abut against either the first stop member or the second stop member in order to lock the escape wheel.

11. The mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the amplitude of the decoupling member is less than the nominal oscillation amplitude of the regulating member.

12. The Mechanism according to claim 11 , wherein the amplitude of the decoupling member is less than 25% of the nominal oscillation amplitude of the regulating member, and the amplitude of the decoupling member is greater than 10% of the nominal oscillation amplitude of the regulating member.

13. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the amplitude of the decoupling member is greater than 5% of the nominal oscillation amplitude of the regulating member.

14. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the motion limiting means are adapted to keep the decoupling member motionless for a certain stop time at each of the extreme positions, the decoupling member being immobilized during each period of oscillation for a total stop time which is greater than 75% of the period of oscillation.

15. The mechanism according to claim 14 , wherein the total stop time is less than 95% of the period of oscillation.

16. The mechanism according to claim 14 , wherein said total stop time is greater than 80% of the period of oscillation, and the total stop time is less than 90% of the period of oscillation.

17. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling member is rigid.

18. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the regulator, the pallet fork, and the decoupling member constitute an integral one-piece system formed in a same plate and are designed to move substantially within a central plane of said plate.

19. The mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the decoupling member is guided by an elastic suspension connecting said decoupling member to a fixed support.

20. A timepiece comprising a mechanism as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Lvmh Swiss Mft Sa

Inventors

• Semon Guy
• Mercier Thomas
• N'Guyen Thuy-Anh
• Lustig Maarten Pieter

Classifications

• G04B1/22

  Compensation of changes in the motive power of the mainspring (by mechanical shaping of the mainspring G04B1/14 {; automatic regulation of the pendulum G04B18/003; of the regulator G04B19/28}) · CPC title

• G04B15/02

  permanently in contact with the regulating mechanism · CPC title

• G04B15/06

  Free escapements · CPC title

• B81B2201/037

  Microtransmissions · CPC title

• B81B5/00

  Devices comprising elements which are movable in relation to each other, e.g. comprising slidable or rotatable elements · CPC title