Fast correction mechanism for timepieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9229432-B2
Application number	US-201514708821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	May 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 5, 2016
Grant date	Jan 5, 2016

Abstract

A lever for transmitting motion from an input wheel set pivoting about a first axis on a pivoting plate of the lever, to a receiver wheel set, the input wheel set permanently transmitting its motion to an output wheel set carried by the plate and pivoting under the action of the input wheel set about a second axis whose angular position is variable relative to the first axis, and the lever includes a first friction connection between a first friction surface of the input wheel set and a second friction surface of the plate, this first friction connection is weaker or stronger than a second friction connection between a third friction surface of the output wheel set and a fourth friction surface of the plate included in the lever.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece lever including a pivoting plate carrying an input wheel set mounted to pivot about a first pivot axis, and at least one output wheel set pivoting about a second pivot axis remote from said first pivot axis, said input wheel set fully transmitting its motion, directly or indirectly, to said output wheel set which the input wheel set moves in a pivoting motion about said second pivot axis, said lever including at least a first friction connection between a first friction surface of said input wheel set and a second friction surface of said pivoting plate, and a second friction connection between a third friction surface of said output wheel set and a fourth friction surface of said pivoting plate, wherein one of said first friction connection and said second friction connection is weaker than the other.

2. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said first friction surface is a bearing surface of revolution of said transmitter wheel set and wherein said second friction surface includes the lateral surfaces of a groove bordered by at least one elastic strip and comprised in said pivoting plate.

3. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said third friction surface is a bearing surface of revolution of said output wheel set, and wherein said fourth friction surface includes the lateral surfaces of a groove bordered by at least one elastic strip and comprised in said pivoting plate.

4. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said first friction surface is elastic and wherein said second friction surface is rigid.

5. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said first friction surface is elastic and wherein said second friction surface is elastic.

6. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said first friction surface is rigid and wherein said second friction surface is elastic.

7. The lever according to claim 1 , wherein said output wheel set includes at least one corrector wheel plate whose hub carries said third friction surface of said output wheel set.

8. The lever according to claim 7 , wherein said input wheel set includes at least one intermediate wheel engaging with said corrector wheel plate.

9. The lever according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one first intermediate wheel pivots about an arbor which carries said first friction surface of said input wheel set.

10. A fast correction mechanism between a transmitter wheel set arranged to cooperate directly or indirectly with control means, and at least one receiver wheel set, said transmitter wheel set and said at least one receiver wheel set being arranged on a plate comprised in said fast correction mechanism, wherein said fast correction mechanism includes a lever according to claim 1 , mounted to pivot about said first pivot axis, and wherein at least one said receiver wheel set pivots about a third pivot axis distinct from said first pivot axis and is arranged to cooperate with at least one said output wheel set carried by said lever which constitutes a sliding friction gear.

11. The fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 , wherein said fast correction mechanism includes, on either side of said lever, a first said receiver wheel set and a second said receiver wheel set having distinct pivot axes, and only one of which at most is in mesh, at a given time, with one output wheel set of said lever.

12. The fast correction mechanism according to claim 11 , wherein said first receiver wheel set and said second receiver wheel set are wheels arranged to cooperate, one at a time, with a sliding wheel comprised in said output wheel set.

13. The fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 , wherein said output wheel set includes at least two stages and carries at least, on two different planes, one corrector finger-piece and one intermediate corrector wheel.

14. The fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 , wherein said fast correction mechanism includes, between said main plate and said lever, at least one elastic return means for subjecting said lever to a force tending to pivot the lever in a preferred direction or for returning the lever to a rest position.

15. The fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 , wherein said fast correction mechanism includes means for controlling the motion of said at least one receiver wheel set arranged to impart a motion, either to said pivoting plate of said lever, or to said input wheel set comprised in said lever.

16. A date mechanism including at least one fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 , wherein said first receiver wheel set is a date wheel set or a date correction wheel set, and wherein said second receiver wheel set is a month display or a month display correction wheel set.

17. The date mechanism according to claim 16 , wherein said date mechanism is an annual calendar mechanism and includes an intermediate wheel including, on parallel stages, a first intermediate wheel cooperating with an annual wheel comprised in said date mechanism, said annual wheel is controlled by a date drive wheel set controlled in turn by an hour wheel of a timepiece movement, a second intermediate wheel cooperating, at the end of each month, with a lug comprised in a second stage of a date indicator ring driven at a first stage by said date drive wheel set, and a third wheel including teeth cooperating with a month star wheel mounted for free rotation on said annual wheel, and said corrector finger-piece cooperating with said date indicator ring for correction of the date, and said intermediate corrector wheel cooperating with said second intermediate wheel for correction of the month.

18. A timepiece movement including an hour wheel driving at least one fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 .

19. A timepiece or watch including at least one fast correction mechanism according to claim 10 .

Assignees

• Eta Sa Mft Horlogere Suisse

Inventors

• Ruefenacht Christian
• Courvoisier Raphael
• Merino Antonio
• Cappadona Giuseppe

Classifications

• G04B19/25 Primary

  Devices for setting the date indicators manually · CPC title

• G04B27/06

  with rocking bar {(support and displacement of the winding stem through the case, means preventing the stem from going too far, fixation G04B37/06)} · CPC title

• G04B18/02 Primary

  Regulator {or adjustment} devices; Indexing devices {, e.g. raquettes} · CPC title

• G04B19/2538

  automatically corrected at the end of months having less than 31 days · CPC title

• G04B13/00

  Gearwork {(gearwork for driving the hands G04B19/02; calibers G04B33/00; dispositions and components for transmission in general F16H)} · CPC title