Horological movement comprising a movable member provided with means for variably adjusting the inclination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12429819-B2
Application number	US-202218074114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2022
Priority date	Dec 10, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

A horological movement including a plate ( 33 ) configured to support other parts of the movement, such as a movable member, the member extending at least in part along a second plane and including drive means provided with a gear train ( 98 ), an activation toothing, and variable adjustor ( 30, 40, 130 ) for variably adjusting the inclination of the member relative to the plate ( 33 ), so that the second plane forms an angle of variable value with the first plane of the plate ( 33 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A horological movement comprising:
a plate ( 33 ) extending substantially in a first plane and being configured to support other parts of the movement including a movable member extending at least in part along a second plane;
drive means provided with a gear train ( 98 ), said member including an activation toothing enabling actuation thereof; and
variable adjustment means ( 30 , 40 , 130 ) for variably adjusting an inclination of the member relative to the plate ( 33 ), so that the second plane forms an angle of variable value with the first plane of the plate ( 33 ),
wherein the variable adjustment means ( 30 , 40 , 130 ) includes a transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ) arranged on the plate ( 33 ) to cooperate with the activation toothing of the member,
wherein the transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ) is configured to rotate relative to the plate ( 33 ) due to the drive means, and
wherein the transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ) has a concave peripheral face including substantially spherical toothing ( 32 , 81 , 181 ) provided on the concave peripheral face for meshing with the toothing of the member, so as to actuate the member regardless of the orientation of the member relative to the plate ( 33 ).

2. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ) includes double-cut teeth, combining a concave spherical cut and a straight cut.

3. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the variable adjustment means ( 30 , 40 , 130 ) for variably adjusting the inclination of the member ( 1 , 10 , 100 ) comprise a carriage ( 2 , 55 , 102 ) inside which the member ( 1 , 10 , 100 ) is arranged.

4. The horological movement according to claim 3 , wherein the carriage ( 55 ) comprises an external toothing ( 77 ) which acts as the activation toothing of the member, the external toothing ( 77 ) being arranged to engage with the first transmission gear ( 80 ), regardless of the inclination of the regulating member ( 10 ), the first transmission gear ( 80 ) actuating the rotation of the carriage ( 55 ).

5. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the variable adjustment means ( 30 , 130 ) include a radial gear-wheel ( 29 , 129 ) arranged on the member, the radial gear-wheel ( 29 , 129 ) being provided with a peripheral toothing ( 34 , 182 ) which acts as the activation toothing of the member, the substantially spherical toothing ( 32 , 181 ) of the concave peripheral face of the first transmission gear ( 31 , 131 ) being engaged with the radial gear-wheel ( 29 , 129 ), regardless of the inclination of the member ( 1 , 100 ).

6. The horological movement according to claim 5 , wherein the peripheral toothing ( 34 , 182 ) is inclined in order to cooperate with the toothing ( 32 , 181 ) of the transmission gear ( 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ).

7. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the drive means include a gearing wheel ( 20 ) of the transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ), the gearing wheel ( 20 ) cooperating with a straight-toothed zone ( 23 , 131 ) of the transmission gear ( 80 , 131 ) or first transmission gear ( 31 ).

8. The horological movement according to claim 3 , wherein the variable adjustment means comprise a second transmission gear ( 35 ) arranged on the plate ( 33 ), the second transmission gear ( 35 ) being capable of rotating relative to the plate ( 33 ) thanks to the drive means, the second transmission gear ( 35 ) having a concave peripheral face provided with a substantially spherical toothing ( 37 ), the carriage ( 2 ) comprising an external toothing ( 36 ) arranged to engage with the second transmission gear ( 35 ), regardless of the inclination of the member, the second transmission gear ( 35 ) restraining the rotation of the carriage ( 2 ).

9. The horological movement according to claim 8 , wherein the second transmission gear ( 35 ) comprises double-cut teeth, combining a concave spherical cut and a straight cut.

10. The horological movement according to claim 8 wherein the drive means include a crown ( 38 ) with an internal toothing ( 24 ) arranged around the member so as to mesh with the second transmission gear ( 35 ).

11. The horological movement according to claim 8 , wherein the two transmission gears ( 31 , 35 ) are actuated simultaneously by the drive means.

12. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the angle of inclination of the member relative to the plate ( 33 ) is in the range of 0° to 90°.

13. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the variable adjustment means ( 30 , 40 , 130 ) for variably adjusting the inclination of the member comprise an inclining bridge ( 7 , 57 , 107 ) on which the member is mounted, the inclining bridge ( 7 , 57 , 107 ) inclining relative to the plate ( 33 ).

14. The horological movement according to claim 13 , further comprising means for actuating the inclination of the inclining bridge ( 7 , 57 , 107 ).

15. The horological movement according to claim 1 , wherein the member is a regulating member ( 1 , 10 , 100 ) provided with an inertial mass ( 3 , 56 , 103 ), a guide and an elastic return element ( 4 , 68 , 104 ) for the inertial mass ( 3 , 56 , 103 ) configured to cause it to oscillate in the second plane, as well as an escapement mechanism ( 25 , 69 , 125 ) cooperating with the inertial mass ( 3 , 56 , 103 ), the regulating member ( 1 , 10 , 100 ) being arranged on the plate.

16. A timepiece including a horological movement according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Blancpain Sa

Inventors

• Membrez Anthony

Classifications

• G04B17/285 Primary

  Tourbillons or carrousels · CPC title

• G04B13/028 Primary

  wheels in which the teeth are conic, contrate, etc; also column wheels construction (start-stop mechanisms with column wheels G04F7/0847) · CPC title

• G04B29/025

  Cocks · CPC title

• G04B15/00

  Escapements ({in striking mechanisms G04B21/06;} electric or magnetic means for converting oscillatory to rotary motion in electromechanical time-pieces {G04C5/005}) · CPC title

• G04B13/02

  Wheels; Pinions; Spindles; Pivots (bearings G04B31/00 {; chain wheels, spindles for chain wheels, also chains and driving weights G04B1/08}) · CPC title