Smart automatic watch winding-mechanism with watch identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12066792-B2
Application number	US-202117399692-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2021
Priority date	Nov 12, 2020
Publication date	Aug 20, 2024
Grant date	Aug 20, 2024

Abstract

Winding device ( 1000 ) including motorisation means ( 2 ) driving a watch holder ( 1 ) carrying at least one automatic watch ( 100 ) with a movable oscillating mass, and measuring means ( 3 ) measuring the amplitude of the resonator of each watch ( 100 ), and watch ( 100 ) identification means ( 300 ), providing the identification of a particular watch ( 100 ) to control means ( 200 ) including an internal database ( 400 ) with the history of the amplitude measurements of the resonator of this particular watch ( 100 ) and/or the value of its nominal amplitude, and/or communication means ( 500 ) communicating with an external database ( 600 ) for extracting these values.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A winding device ( 1000 ) for an automatic watch ( 100 ) with a movable oscillating mass ( 10 ), including a watch holder ( 1 ) arranged to carry said automatic watch ( 100 ), and including control means ( 200 ) arranged to control motorisation means ( 2 ) for driving said watch holder ( 1 ) for winding said watch ( 100 ), said device ( 1000 ) including measuring means ( 3 ), interfaced with said control means ( 200 ), and which are arranged to measure an amplitude of a resonator of said watch ( 100 ) based on the coiling performed by said motorisation means ( 2 ) to provide amplitude measurements,
wherein said winding device ( 1000 ) includes means ( 300 ) for identifying said watch ( 100 ), which are arranged to provide said control means ( 200 ) with the identification of a particular watch ( 100 ), and
wherein said control means ( 200 ) include:
an internal database ( 400 ) with a history of the amplitude measurements of the resonator of said particular watch ( 100 ) and a value of a nominal amplitude of the resonator, if known, and/or
communication means ( 500 ) arranged to communicate with an external database ( 600 ) and to extract therefrom the history of the amplitude measurements of the resonator of said particular watch based on its identification and the value of the nominal amplitude of the resonator, if known, of said particular watch ( 100 ) based on its identification,

wherein the control means determines the nominal amplitude if the nominal amplitude is known and determines an oldest maximum amplitude value in the history of said watch ( 100 ) if the nominal amplitude is unknown.

2. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said control means ( 200 ) are arranged to compare a maximum amplitude measured by said measuring means ( 3 ) and the oldest maximum amplitude value in the history of said watch ( 100 ) if the nominal amplitude is unknown, to determine the wear of said watch ( 100 ).

3. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) include optical means ( 310 ), combined with shape recognition means ( 320 ) arranged to decipher a marking ( 321 ) of said watch ( 100 ) or of a bracelet ( 110 ) included in said watch ( 100 ), and/or to capture a contour in planar projection of said watch ( 100 ), said optical means ( 310 ) and said shape recognition means ( 320 ) being interfaced with said internal database ( 400 ) and/or said communication means ( 500 ) with said external database ( 600 ) in order to extract therefrom the nominal amplitude of the resonator of said watch ( 100 ) corresponding to said marking ( 321 ) and/or to said contour in planar projection.

4. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 3 , wherein said watch holder ( 1 ) includes a transparent support ( 102 ) supporting a back ( 101 ) of said watch ( 100 ), and under which said optical means ( 310 ) include a camera ( 311 ) arranged to capture an image of the marking ( 321 ) of said watch ( 100 ) or of a bracelet ( 110 ) included in said watch ( 100 ), and/or the contour in planar projection of said watch ( 100 ).

5. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 4 , wherein said optical means ( 310 ) are arranged to follow the oscillating mass ( 10 ) of said watch ( 100 ) carrying a transparent back ( 101 ), and to determine an angular position of said oscillating mass ( 10 ) between a dead angle corresponding to an uncoiled state of said watch ( 100 ) and a limit coiling angle corresponding to a fully coiled state of said watch ( 100 ), and in that said optical means ( 310 ) are arranged to send a stop signal to said motorisation means ( 2 ) when said limit coiling angle is reached.

6. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) include acoustic means ( 330 ) combined with signal processing means ( 340 ) arranged to record an acoustic signature of said watch ( 100 ), said acoustic means ( 330 ) and said signal processing means ( 340 ) being interfaced with said internal database ( 400 ) and/or said communication means ( 500 ) with said external database ( 600 ) to extract therefrom the nominal amplitude of the resonator of said watch ( 100 ) corresponding to said acoustic signature.

7. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) include near-field communication means ( 350 ) arranged to cooperate with complementary near-field communication means ( 360 ) to identify said watch ( 100 ).

8. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) and/or said control means ( 200 ) include means for communication with a user ( 370 ) for the identification of said watch ( 100 ) by the user.

9. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) and/or said control means ( 200 ) include field measuring means ( 390 ), which are arranged to measure an intensity and/or an orientation of a field generated by a field generator ( 391 ), housed in said watch ( 100 ) or in a bracelet ( 110 ) included in said watch ( 100 ), which field is a permanent electrostatic field, generated by electrets, or a permanent magnetic field, generated by a magnet housed in said bracelet ( 110 ).

10. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) include means for determining a mass ( 380 ) arranged for determining a mass of said watch ( 100 ).

11. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) include means for evaluating an amount of metal ( 385 ), arranged to evaluate the amount of metal present on said watch holder ( 1 ).

12. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said identification means ( 300 ) are arranged to determine a presence or absence of a watch ( 100 ) on said watch holder ( 1 ).

13. The winding device ( 1000 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said internal database ( 400 ) and/or said external database ( 600 ) includes the nominal amplitude of the resonator of said watch ( 100 ), and/or a maximum number of coiling turns recommended for said watch ( 100 ).

Assignees

• Swatch Group Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Favre Jérôme
• Imboden Matthias
• Cristoni Romano
• Kalbermatter Stefan

Classifications

• H04B5/20

  characterised by the transmission technique; characterised by the transmission medium · CPC title

• H04B5/72

  for local intradevice communication · CPC title

• G04B5/00

  Automatic winding up {(normal winding up by hand or mechanically G04B3/00; automatic winding in combination with hand winding G04B7/00; electrical winding of mechanical clockworks G04C1/00; advertising by making use of vibrations or shocks of land vehicles G09F21/045)} · CPC title

• G06V10/255

  Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes · CPC title

• G06V10/44

  Local feature extraction by analysis of parts of the pattern, e.g. by detecting edges, contours, loops, corners, strokes or intersections; Connectivity analysis, e.g. of connected components · CPC title