Horological movement comprising an escapement provided with a toothed wheel and a stopper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11934150-B2
Application number	US-202117221429-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2021
Priority date	May 13, 2020
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

A horological movement includes a resonator and an escapement wheel with flexible teeth, and an anchor formed of two mechanical pallets capable of abutting, when the anchor switches between its two rest positions, with any one of the flexible teeth depending on the angular position of the escapement wheel. Each flexible tooth is arranged to bend by undergoing an elastic deformation under a radial force that can be exerted by one of the two mechanical pallets abutting against this flexible tooth while the escapement wheel has an unfavourable angular position and the resonator is braked by the anchor. Each tooth has an elastic capacity to elastically absorb, in a radial direction, most of a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator may have during normal operation of the horological movement, to avoid breakage or deterioration of the escapement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A horological movement comprising:
a mechanical resonator; and
an escapement which is associated with said mechanical resonator and which comprises an escapement wheel, having a plurality of projecting parts, and a stopper, said stopper comprising two mechanical pallets, respectively forming two mechanical abutments for the plurality of projecting parts, and a fork arranged to cooperate with the mechanical resonator via a periodic engagement of a pin, integral with said mechanical resonator, between two horns of the fork, the mechanical resonator being coupled to the stopper so that, during normal operation of the horological movement, the stopper undergoes a reciprocating movement between first and second rest positions wherein said stopper alternately remains during successive time atervals;
wherein the escapement is arranged so as to allow, during normal operation of the horological movement, absorption of kinetic energy of the escapement wheel by successive impacts, between the plurality of projecting parts and alternately the two mechanical pallets, respectively at an end of successive steps of a step-by-step rotation of the escapement wheel;
wherein the escapement is arranged so that, when the stopper is switched from the first rest position to the second rest position while the escapement wheel has any angular position in a plurality of ranges of angular positions corresponding respectively to the plurality of projecting part, one of the two mechanical pallets abuts against one of the projecting parts corresponding to the concerned range of angular positions before the stopper can reach an angular position of disengagement of the pin on a side of the second rest position, said one of the tyro mechanical pallets then exerting on said projecting part a radial force, relative to an axis of rotation of the escapement wheel, an intensity of which depends on said any angular position of the escapement wheel;
wherein the projecting parts of the escapement wheel are flexible and each is arranged so as to be able to bend, in a general plane perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the stopper, undergoing an elastic deformation under the action of said radial force, each projecting part having an elastic capacity allowing it the projecting part to elastically absorb, during said elastic deformation under the action of the radial force, most of a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator can have during normal operation of the horological movement; and
wherein the escapement comprises a magnetic system magnetically coupling the escapement wheel and the stopper, the magnetic system including a magnet supported at each of the two mechanical pallets, and a periodic magnetized structure arranged on a disk, the periodic magnetized structure being provided on the escapement wheel.

2. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of rigid parts, integral with the escapement wheel, are respectively arranged behind the plurality of flexible projecting parts, relative to a normal direction of the step-by-step rotation of the escapement wheel, so that each flexible projecting part is retained by the corresponding rigid part during an impact, among said successive impacts, which may occur between said projecting part and either one of the two mechanical pallets, to prevent or limit a recoil of said projecting part during said impact in a tangential direction, relative to said axis of rotation of the escapement wheel, and allow dissipation of a portion of a kinetic energy that the escapement wheel has at the beginning of said impact.

3. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the escapement or a mechanism for driving the escapement wheel is arranged so that, in normal operation of the horological moveinent, the escapement wheel supplies pulses to the stopper for sustaining an oscillation of the mechanical resonator, the sustaining pulses having a constant energy as long as the horological movement is operating normally.

4. The horological movement according to claim 3 , wherein said magnetic system is arranged so as to generate, during normal operation of the horological movement, magnetic pulses which form said constant energy sustaining pulses.

5. The horological movement according to claim 4 , wherein said magnetic pulses are generated at the two mechanical pallets supporting the magnets forming two magnetic pallets; and wherein the stopper is arranged so as to be able, during normal operation of the horological movement, to substantially transmit a torque of magnetic fbrce generated by each of the magnetic pulses to the fork in order to sustain an oscillation of the mechanical resonator.

6. The horological movement according to claim 4 , wherein the projecting parts are arranged so as to allow a self-starting of the assembly formed of the mechanical resonator and the escapement when the barrel spring is reset, following a stop of the horological movement, and the escapement wheel is again rotated.

7. The horological movement according to claim 4 , wherein the the plurality of projecting parts are arranged in a general plane parallel to the disk and distant therefrom; and wherein the plurality of rigid parts are fixed to the disk and rise therefrom in the direction of said general plane.

8. The horological movement according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of rigid parts is formed of a plurality of pegs fixed to said disk.

9. The horological movement according to claim 4 , wherein the projecting parts are formed by teeth arranged at a periphery of a plate forming the escapement wheel.

10. The horological movement according to claim 9 , wherein, during said elastic deformation of any tooth of the plurality of teeth, bending of said tooth is limited by a corresponding abutment comprised in the escapement wheel.

11. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the stopper has an elastic capacity to elastically absorb, when said one of the two mechanical pallets abuts against a projecting part while the escapement wheel is positioned within said corresponding range of angular positions and the mechanical resonator is then braked by the stopper, part of a mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator has at a beginning of such an event, the anchor and the corresponding projecting part together haying an elastic capacity allowing the anchor and the corresponding projecting part to elastically absorb, during said event, a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator can have during normal operation of the horological movement.

12. The horological movement according to claim 4 . wherein the stopper has an elastic capacity to elastically absorb, when said one of the two mechanical pallets abuts against a projecting part while the escapement wheel is positioned within said corresponding range of angular positions and the mechanical resonator is then braked by the stopper, part of a mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator has at the beginning of such an event, the anchor and the corresponding projecting part together having an elastic capacity allowing the anchor and the corresponding projecting part to elastically absorb, during said event, a maximum mechanical energy that the mechanical resonator can have during normal operation of the horological movement.

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Di Domenico Gianni
• Surmely Gérard
• Stranczl Marc

Classifications

• 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

• G04B15/08 Primary

  Lever escapements · CPC title

• G04B17/30

  Rotating governors, e.g. centrifugal governors, fan governors (for striking mechanism G04B21/06 {; electrically driven G04C3/0335}) · CPC title

• G04B43/002

  Component shock protection arrangements (shock damping bearings G04B31/02; shock-damping in the case G04B37/04; protection of the pendulum or chime during transport G04B41/00) · CPC title

• G04B35/00

  Adjusting the gear train, e.g. the backlash of the arbors, depth of meshing of the gears {(adjusting the escapement G04B15/12)} · CPC title