Machine for winding a watch and/or horological movement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11853012-B2
Application number	US-202017259716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2020
Priority date	Mar 8, 2019
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A winding machine includes motorization means arranged to move a support, carrying at least one watch or one horological movement, along a path in a plane. The motorization means are arranged to move each support parallel to a starting position corresponding to the loading or unloading of a watch or of a movement on the support, the axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to the support always remaining parallel to the oriented directions that the axes occupy in the starting position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A machine for winding at least one of a watch and a horological movement, comprising:
at least one support configured to carry at least one object consisting of a watch or an automatic winding horological movement including at least one oscillating mass,
wherein
the machine is configured to move each support parallel to a surface with a starting position corresponding to one of a loading and an unloading of the at least one object on the at least one support, and
axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to each support always remain parallel to oriented directions that the axes occupy in the starting position.

2. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine is configured to impart to each support a movement such that a value of an acceleration imparted to the support is at any time greater than a value of an acceleration of gravity.

3. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein
a movement of a point of the support is in a plane, and
the machine is configured to move each support along a path in the plane about a median axis.

4. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein
a movement of each point of each support is a circular movement in a plane of a radius and travelled at a frequency, and
a radial acceleration is greater than a value of an acceleration of gravity.

5. The winding machine according to claim 4 , wherein the plane of each point of each support is a horizontal plane, perpendicular to a direction of a gravity field.

6. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein
a frequency of movement of each point is greater than or equal to 100 revolutions per minute, and
a minimum radial value of a path relative to a median axis is greater than or equal to 5 millimeters.

7. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support includes several parallel levels for receiving the at least one object.

8. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support is a prism including at least ten parallel levels, each level being configured to carry at least ten rows of at least ten of the objects.

9. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein each support that the machine includes is driven by the same kinematics, so as to impart the same movements to all the objects carried by each support at any time.

10. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine is configured to pilot and ensure automatic winding of each object carried by the winding machine, and to manage a duration of the automatic winding.

11. The winding machine according to claim 10 , wherein the machine is configured to control running of each object carried and piloted by the winding machine.

12. The winding machine according to claim 10 , wherein the machine includes optical state control means for controlling a state of each object carried and piloted by the winding machine.

13. The winding machine according to claim 10 , wherein the machine is configured to measure at least one of compliance of running or a state of each object carried by the winding machine relative to a frame of reference, and to send results thereof to a production management system that is one of included in and integrated into the winding machine.

14. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine is configured to at least one of load or unload the objects one of on or off the supports.

15. The winding machine according to claim 14 , wherein
the machine includes at least one pallet configured to carry a plurality of the objects at least one of loaded on or unloaded from the winding machine, and
the machine is configured for at least one of loading or unloading the pallets one of on and off the supports at least at the starting position.

16. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein the machine includes an orbital winding mechanism, including a fixed wheel centered on a median axis, and a planet carrier which is rotated by the machine about the median axis and which carries a geartrain including a planetary wheel carrying the support and driven by at least one intermediate wheel meshing with the fixed wheel.

17. The winding machine according to claim 16 , wherein a radius of the planetary wheel is equal to a radius of the fixed wheel.

18. The winding machine according to claim 16 , wherein the geartrain includes a single intermediate wheel a radius of which is equal to a radius of the planetary wheel.

19. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein
the machine is configured to move each support parallel to the surface with the starting position corresponding to one of the loading or unloading of the at least one object on the at least one support in a plane, each support moving in the plane with a planetary movement along a closed curvilinear path surrounding a median axis,
the axes of a three-dimensional frame of reference specific to the support always remain parallel to the oriented directions that the axes occupy in the starting position, and
the machine is configured to impart to each support a movement such that a value of an acceleration imparted to the support during an evolution of the support along a path of the support is at any point greater than a value of an acceleration of gravity.

20. The winding machine according to claim 1 , wherein an orientation of a plane is maintained constant relative to a frame of reference in a space constituted by a vertical, a meridian, and a parallel of the space.

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Helfer Jean-Luc
• Decosterd Cédric
• Loetscher Nicolas
• Schneider Philipp

Classifications

• G04C1/065 Primary

  by continuous rotating movement · CPC title

• G04D7/009 Primary

  with regard to the functioning of the automatic winding-up device · CPC title