Horology component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449768-B2
Application number	US-202017026330-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2020
Priority date	Sep 24, 2019
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A horology component based on a fragile material, wherein said component comprises at least one surface part of fragile material covered with a coating ( 10 ) comprising at least two layers CE of elastic material ( 11 ) separated by a layer CR of a material ( 12 ) stronger than the elastic material ( 11 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A horology component based on a fragile material,
wherein the component comprises at least one surface part of fragile material covered with a coating,
wherein the coating comprises at least two layers each made of a respective elastic material and separated by an intermediate layer made of a material stronger than the elastic material,
wherein a respective material of each of the at least two layers of elastic material is selected from the group consisting of parylene, PTFEs, acrylic resins, silicone, and polymers from the urethane family,
wherein the stronger material has an elastic modulus greater than or equal to an elastic modulus of the elastic material of each of the adjacent layers made of elastic material increased by 50%,
wherein the elastic modulus of the stronger material is lower than an elastic modulus of the fragile material,
wherein the layer of stronger material has a thickness greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 150 nm.

2. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elastic materials of the two layers of elastic material are a same material.

3. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elastic material of the two layers of elastic material has an elastic modulus less than or equal to 10 GPa.

4. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the layers of elastic material has a thickness greater than or equal to 0.05 μm.

5. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stronger material has an elastic modulus greater than or equal to 30 GPa.

6. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stronger material is a metal or an alloy or an oxide or a nitride.

7. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coating has at least one of the following characteristics:
the coating extends over an entire surface of a periphery of the fragile material;
each layer of elastic material has a constant thickness;
the layer or layers of stronger material has or have a thickness that is constant;
the coating comprises an alternation of layers of elastic material and of layers of stronger material;
the coating comprises at least three layers of elastic material and at least two layers of stronger material;
the coating comprises a first, inner, layer of elastic material and a last, outer, layer of elastic material.

8. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fragile material is selected from the group consisting of silicon, silicon covered with oxide, quartz, glass, silicon carbide, alumina-based ceramics, zirconia-based ceramics, diamond, sapphire, and fragile amorphous metals.

9. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of toothed wheels, escapement wheels, hands, impulse pins, pallets, levers, pallet stones, flat springs, flexible-blade systems, and other components having a spring function.

10. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the component has a mean bending strength at breakage greater than or equal to 6000 MPa.

11. A horology movement, wherein the movement comprises a horology component as claimed in claim 1 .

12. A timepiece, wherein the timepiece comprises a horology component as claimed in claim 1 .

13. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elastic materials of the two layers of elastic material are different materials.

14. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the elastic material of each of the two layers of elastic material has an elongation at break greater than or equal to 10%.

15. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sum of the thicknesses of the various layers of elastic material of the coating is greater than or equal to 0.1 μm.

16. The horology component as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the stronger material is silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

17. The horology component as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a total thickness of the layer or layers of stronger material of the coating is greater than or equal to 15 nm.

18. A horology component based on a fragile material,
wherein the component comprises at least one surface part of fragile material covered with a coating,
wherein the coating comprises at least two layers each made of a respective elastic material and separated by an intermediate layer made of a material stronger than the elastic material,
wherein the stronger material has an elastic modulus (i) greater than or equal to an elastic modulus of the elastic material of each of the adjacent layers made of elastic material increased by 50%, and (ii) lower than an elastic modulus of the fragile material,
wherein the layer of stronger material has a thickness greater than or equal to 15 nm and less than or equal to 150 nm,
wherein the stronger material is silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

19. A horology component based on a fragile material,
wherein the component comprises at least one surface part of fragile material covered with a coating,
wherein the coating comprises at least two layers each made of a respective elastic material and separated by an intermediate layer made of a material stronger than the elastic material,
wherein the stronger material has an elastic modulus greater than or equal to an elastic modulus of the elastic material of each of the adjacent layers made of elastic material increased by 50%,
wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of toothed wheels, escapement wheels, hands, impulse pins, pallets, levers, pallet stones, flat springs, flexible-blade systems, and other components having a spring function,
wherein a respective material of each of the at least two layers of elastic material is selected from the group consisting of parylene, PTFEs, acrylic resins, silicone, and polymers from the urethane family.

20. The horology component as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the elastic material of the two layers of elastic material has an elastic modulus less than or equal to 10 GPa.

21. The horology component as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the component has a mean bending strength at breakage greater than or equal to 6000 MPa.

22. The horology component as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the elastic material of the two layers of elastic material has an elongation at break greater than or equal to 10%.

23. The horology component as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the elastic materials of the two layers of elastic material are a same material.

Assignees

• Rolex Sa

Inventors

• Favez Denis
• Hénin Stefano

Classifications

• G04B13/02

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

• G04B17/066

  Manufacture of the spiral spring (locking of the spiral spring by the regulating lever G04B18/026; spiral spring with temperature compensation G04B17/227; fixation of the spiral spring on the collet G04B17/32; mainspring G04B1/14) · CPC title

• G04B17/045

  with oscillating blade springs (mechanical oscillations maintained by electro-magnetic means, e.g. tuning forks G04C3/10) · CPC title

• G04B13/021

  elastic fitting with a spindle, axis or shaft · CPC title

• G04B18/08

  Component parts or constructional details {(G04B17/32 takes precedence)} · CPC title