Balance of a timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11720062-B2
Application number	US-201916671313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2019
Priority date	Nov 5, 2018
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A balance of a timepiece including an adjustment face provided with at least one recess provided for receiving a projected material for an implementation of an adjustment of the rate of the timepiece notably by the modification of the inertia and of the unbalance of the balance, the recess including an opening and a back notably a solid back or a back fully or partially forming an orifice, the back being at most partially visible from a position defined above the opening notably on a central axis of the opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A balance of a timepiece comprising:
an adjustment face provided with at least one recess provided for receiving a projected material for an implementation of an adjustment of a rate of said timepiece by modification of the inertia and of the unbalance of the balance, said recess including an opening in the adjustment face and a back that is recessed with respect to the opening, said back being a solid back, said back being wider than said opening such that said back is at most partially visible from a position defined above said opening on a central axis of the opening.

2. The balance according to claim 1 , wherein the opening includes an edge defining a surface that is smaller than or substantially smaller than a surface of the back of the recess.

3. The balance according to claim 1 , wherein the recess extends in a direction forming with the central axis of the opening an acute angle.

4. The balance according to claim 1 , wherein the recess has a vertical cross-section of essentially rectangular, square, circular, or even trapezoidal shape.

5. The balance according to claim 1 , wherein the recess includes an inner wall provided with a bulge extending substantially horizontally or fully or partially horizontally over a portion of a surface of said wall.

6. The balance according to claim 1 , comprising a felloe, a hub intended to be mounted pivoting on a staff balance, and at least one arm connecting the felloe to the hub, the felloe of the balance comprising at least one recess.

7. The balance according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of arms at least one of which includes said at least one recess.

8. The balance according to claim 6 , wherein said at least one recess includes a plurality of recesses that are distributed regularly or irregularly on a periphery of the felloe.

9. The balance according to claim 6 , wherein said at least one recess includes at least three recesses that are regularly distributed on a periphery of the felloe, each recess extending in an arc of circle of an angle varying between 40° and 60°.

10. A method for adjusting the rate of a timepiece comprising the balance according to claim 1 , the method comprising the following steps:
measurement of the rate of the timepiece;
determination of a correction value to be applied to the inertia and/or to the unbalance of the balance in order to obtain a corrected rate of said timepiece, and
application of a material in said at least one recesses arranged on the balance in order to modify the inertia of the balance according to said correction value.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the application step includes a projection of the material into one or more of said recesses.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the projection includes a phase for selective projection of the material into one or more of said recesses.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein during the projection one or more types of material are projected on the balance.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the method comprises a step for arranging a horological movement including the balance in a middle part of a case of the timepiece.

15. A timepiece comprising the balance according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Csem Ct Suisse Delectronique Microtechnique Sa Rech Developpement

Inventors

• Lani Sebastien
• Maier Frederic
• Dupas Emmanuel
• Conus Thierry

Classifications

• G04B17/00 Primary

  Mechanisms for stabilising frequency {(for setting frequency G04B18/00; magnetic G04C5/005; in striking mechanisms G04B21/06; stopping and regulating of the running G04B23/023; electrically driven mechanical regulation G04C3/165; electrical and thermo-electric regulating mechanisms G04C5/00)} · CPC title

• G01M1/32

  by adding material to the body to be tested, e.g. by correcting-weights · CPC title

• G04B17/063 Primary

  Balance construction (balances with frequency adjustment screw G04B18/006; balances with temperature compensation G04B17/222; balancing devices G04B17/28) · CPC title

• G04B17/20

  Compensation of mechanisms for stabilising frequency · CPC title

• G04B17/28

  for the effect of imbalance of the weights, e.g. tourbillon · CPC title