Timepiece comprising a rotating bezel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12174587-B2
Application number	US-202117519108-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2021
Priority date	Dec 24, 2020
Publication date	Dec 24, 2024
Grant date	Dec 24, 2024

Abstract

A timepiece including a rotating bezel, mounted on a middle with N stable angular positions, and a magnetic device ( 20 ) composed of a first set of Z1 magnets ( 22 ) carried by the rotating bezel and of a second set of Z2 magnets ( 24 ) carried by the middle. The first and second sets of magnets are each arranged circularly in such a way as to have between them a magnetic interaction engendering on the rotating bezel a resisting magnetic torque, over at least a part of an angular pitch, when this rotating bezel is driven in rotation from any one of the N stable angular positions. The numbers Z1 and Z2 are greater than one and less than N. The Z1 and Z2 magnets are distributed angularly so the resisting magnetic torque has a variation according to the stable angular position of the rotating bezel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A timepiece, comprising:
a rotating bezel mounted on a part of external parts of the timepiece and which can be actuated in rotation by a user, the rotating bezel having N given stable angular positions, N being an integer greater than two, which have between them an angular pitch (α) equal to 360° divided by N (α=360°/N); and
a magnetic device ( 6 ) including a first set of first polar parts carried in a fixed manner by the rotating bezel and of a second set of second polar parts carried in a fixed manner by the part of external parts, the first set of first polar parts and the second set of second polar parts each being arranged circularly in such a way that the first polar parts have a magnetic interaction with the second polar parts that engenders on the rotating bezel a resisting magnetic torque, over at least a part of the angular pitch, when the rotating bezel is driven in rotation, at least in one given direction, from any one of the N stable angular positions towards a following stable angular position,
wherein a number Z1 of first polar parts in the first set is greater than one and less than N (1<Z1<N) and a number Z2 of second polar parts in the second set is also greater than one and less than N (1<Z2<N),
wherein the first set of the Z1 first polar parts is distributed among N first angular positions, linked to the rotating bezel and having between them the angular pitch, with at most one first polar part per first angular position, and the second set of the Z2 second polar parts is distributed among N second angular positions, linked to the part of external parts and having between them the angular pitch, with at most one second polar part per second angular position, in such a way that the resisting magnetic torque has a variation according to the stable angular position of the rotating bezel, among the N stable angular positions, at least according to the given direction for the rotation of the rotating bezel,
wherein the first polar parts have a same polarity as each other and the second polar parts have a same polarity as each other, and wherein the numbers Z1 and Z2 are selected and the distribution of the first set of the Z1 first polar parts, among the N first angular positions, as well as the distribution of the second set of the Z2 second polar parts, among the N second angular positions, are carried out so that the variation in the resisting magnetic torque is periodic, and
wherein the periodic variation in the resisting magnetic torque has an angular period equal to an integer K of angular pitches, the integer K being greater than one and selected so that the division of the integer N by the integer K is equal to a positive integer M.

2. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the numbers Z1 and Z2 are selected and the distribution of the first set of Z1 first polar parts as well as the distribution of the second set of Z2 second polar parts are carried out so that the variation in the resisting magnetic torque has, at least for the given direction of rotation of the rotating bezel, substantially two non-zero distinct values.

3. The timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein the number N is equal to sixty (N=60) and the integer K is equal to five (K=5).

4. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein one of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to M and the M corresponding polar parts ( 24 ) are distributed regularly while having between them the angular period (β), while the other of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to M+[K−1]·Y, where Y is a positive integer smaller than M, and a subset of M corresponding polar parts ( 22 ) is placed into a first series (SO) of M angular positions having between them the angular period, the [K−1]·Y remaining corresponding polar parts being distributed into K−1 other series of M angular positions, having between them the angular period, in such a way that each comprises Y polar parts, these K−1 other series and the first series each being offset angularly by the angular pitch (α) relative to the two adjacent series.

5. The timepiece according to claim 4 , wherein the number M is an even number and the number Y is equal to M/2, the Y polar parts placed in each of the K−1 other series being preferably distributed regularly while having between them intervals equal to two times the angular period (2·β).

6. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the number N is equal to sixty (N=60) and the integer K is equal to five (K=5), and wherein one of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to 2·M, or to twenty-four, and the twenty-four corresponding polar parts ( 24 ) are disposed in a first series (S 5 ) and a second series (S 6 ) each of twelve angular positions having between them the angular period (β), these first and second series being offset by the angular pitch (α), whereas the other of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to or greater than 3·M, or thirty-six, and three subsets each of twelve corresponding polar parts ( 22 ) are respectively placed into a third series (SO), a fourth series (S 1 ) and a fifth series (S 3 ) each of twelve angular positions having between them the angular period, the third and fourth series being offset by the angular pitch (α) while the fifth series is offset by two angular pitches (2·α) relative to each of these third and fourth series, a sixth series (S 2 ) and a seventh series (S 4 ), adjacent to the fifth series, each comprising the same number W of polar parts, the number W being smaller than the number M, or less than twelve.

7. The timepiece according to claim 6 , wherein the number W is equal to zero.

8. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the number N is equal to sixty (N=60) and the integer K is equal to five (K=5), and wherein one of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to 2·M, or to twenty-four, and the twenty-four corresponding polar parts are disposed in a first series and a second series each of twelve angular positions having between them the angular period (β), these first and second series being offset by two angular pitches (2·α), whereas the other of the two numbers Z1 and Z2 is equal to or greater than 3·M, or thirty-six, and three subsets each of twelve corresponding polar parts are respectively placed into a third series, a fourth series and a fifth series each of twelve angular positions having between them the angular period, these third, fourth and fifth series being offset between them by the angular pitch (α), a sixth series and a seventh series adjacent and located between the fifth series and the third series each comprising the same number W of polar parts, the number W being smaller than the number M, or less than twelve.

9. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of first polar parts and the second set of second polar parts are formed from materials engendering a magnetic attraction between the first set and the second set, and wherein the N stable angular positions of the rotating bezel are each defined by a positioning of first polar parts respectively facing second polar parts.

10. The timepiece according to claim 9 , wherein the first set of first polar parts and the second set of second polar parts are both formed by permanent magnets.

11. The timepiece according to claim 9 , wherein one set from among the first set of first polar parts and the second set of second polar parts is formed by permanent magnets, while the other set from among the first set of first polar parts and the second set of second polar parts is formed by parts made of ferromagnetic material.

12. The timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the first set of first polar parts and the second of second polar parts are formed by permanent magnets e

Assignees

• Montres Breguet Sa

Inventors

• Stranczl Marc

Classifications

• G04B19/283 Primary

  on rotatable rings, i.e. bezel (for graduations on the bezels G04B19/18) · CPC title

• G04B1/20 Primary

  Protecting arrangements against rupture or overwinding of the mainspring located in the barrel or attached to the barrel (in connection with keys or the like G04B3/06, G04B3/10; in connection with automatic winding devices G04B5/24 {; protecting arrangements in which the spring and the spring cylinder are connected by friction G04B1/185; protecting arrangements G04B9/02; calibers with arrangements affording protection of the clockwork against damage as a consequence of a rupture of the mainspring G04B33/16; electric winding arrangements with protection against overwinding of mechanical clockworks G04C1/10; driving mechanisms for gramophones G11B19/22, G11B19/28}) · CPC title