CH714111A2 - Device for the orientation of a valve for a timepiece. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a valve device (1) whose angular orientation of the valve head (2a) (2) relative to the watch case is adjustable. A device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head (2a) (2) comprises a friction ring (13) which can be arranged between the valve head (2a) (2) and the upper bearing (7a). ). The friction ring (13) is integral in rotation with the central rod (3) and free in translation relative to the central rod (3). The friction ring (13) comprises a cylindrical outer friction surface in frictional contact with an inner wall (8a) of the tube (4). The central rod (3) comprises in its distal portion means for actuating in rotation (12a) thereof for pivoting the valve (2) to adjust the angular orientation of the valve head (2a) which carries a logo (L) or mark.

Description

Description: The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the orientation of a valve of a device with a screwed or expelled valve on a watch case and more particularly for automatic helium valve devices in which the valve comprises a motif or logo on their end face and in which the motif can be oriented as desired.

Helium valve devices, also called helium valves, are present on certain diving watches to evacuate the helium infiltrated into the watch case during so-called saturation dives where the divers breathe a gaseous mixture containing l helium and oxygen. This allows them to stay for several days inside a bell or underwater station. During this time, helium can seep into the watch. In the absence of such a valve, the internal overpressure generated by the infiltrated helium can during the decompression phase generate damage to the watch, such as for example the loss of the glass which loses its focus or breaks.

An automatic valve device comprises a valve having a cylindrical head secured to a central rod housed so as to be able to perform a translation along its longitudinal axis in a tube screwed or driven into a lateral part of the box of the shows. The tube has an internal shoulder defining an upper reach and a lower reach. The inner shoulder defines a first upper space in which the valve head is housed and a second lower space defining a passage connected to the interior of the box and in which extends part of the central rod. An annular seal is placed around the central rod between the valve head and the upper seat of the tube. The head is held in abutment against the seal by means of a return spring surrounding the rod portion housed in the passage and extending between the lower seat and a nut screwed onto the free end of the valve rod. Thus, the seal is likely to lift against the return force of the spring when the pressure prevailing inside the box becomes higher than that prevailing outside. It follows the evacuation of gas from the inside of the watch to the outside.

The manufacture and assembly of these valve devices, screwed or driven on watch cases are well known. However, the methods of mounting these valve devices are ill-suited to these devices when the valve bears on the end face of its head an inscription or a motif, for example a logo, a trademark or a similar sign. In fact, the known mounting methods generally do not allow the valve head to be brought into a precise angular orientation with respect to the case when the valve device is mounted by screwing or driving the tube onto the watch case. This therefore harms the aesthetics of the watch when an inscription is affixed to the end face of the valve head. This situation is of course unacceptable when these valve devices are fitted to luxury and high quality products.

The present invention aims to remedy the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior art by providing a screwed or driven valve device, in particular an automatic helium valve device of simple and economical construction and the valve head of which comprises on its end face a pattern such as a logo or a mark and in which the position of the logo or mark affixed on the end face of said head can easily be adjusted in a precise position or angular orientation determined.

To this end, the invention relates to an adjustable valve device comprising:

a valve provided at a proximal end with a valve head secured to a central rod ending in a distal end, the front face of said head comprising a logo or a mark, a tube intended to be assembled a watch case by example by screwing or driving, the rod being arranged so as to be able to perform a translation along its longitudinal axis in said tube, the tube comprising an internal shoulder defining an upper span and a lower span and delimiting a first upper space in which is housed the valve head and a second lower space defining a passage connected to the interior of the watch case and in which extends a part of the central rod, a seal surrounding the central rod to guarantee sealing between the central rod and an inner screen of the tube, and preferably arranged between the valve head and the upper seat tube, a return spring surrounding the rod portion housed in the passage and extending between the lower seat and a stop member provided at the distal end of the valve rod so as to hold the valve head resting against the seal and a device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head relative to the watch case, characterized in that said device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head comprises a friction ring arranged concentrically around the central rod, between the valve head and the stop member, in that the friction ring is integral in rotation with the rod and free in translation relative to the rod, in that the friction ring includes an outer friction surface, for example cylindrical, in friction contact with an inner wall of the tube.

and in that said device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head comprises means for actuating it in rotation making it possible to pivot the valve against the friction forces induced by the friction ring in order to adjust the angular orientation of the valve head, said actuating means being preferably provided in the distal part of the stem.

[0007] In accordance with other advantageous aspects of the invention:

• the actuating means also form the stop member of the return spring.

• the actuating means is a nut.

• the actuating means comprises a slot, • the slot is arranged in the distal end of the rod or in the nut.

• the friction torque generated by the friction ring inside the tube is greater than the torque for screwing the nut onto the rod.

• the friction ring is arranged between the seal and the upper seat.

• the friction ring comprises an opening of polygonal shape and the rod has a polygonal section complementary to said opening in order to make the rod integral in rotation with the ring.

• the stop ring can be placed either in the first upper space or in the second lower space.

The invention also relates to a watch case comprising a valve device as described above. Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear in the following description of a preferred embodiment, presented by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a top view of an adjustable valve device, provided with a logo on the external face of the valve head according to the invention;

fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the swiveling valve device according to the invention according to line II-II of FIG.

1;

fig. 3 shows a section of the adjustable valve device according to the invention, along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

fig. 4 shows a section of the adjustable valve device according to the invention, along the line IV — IV of FIG. 2 In fig. 1 and 2, we see an automatic valve device designated by the general reference 1 and intended to be mounted by driving or screwing in the side wall of a watch case middle (not shown).

In FIG. 1, which is a top view of the valve device 1, we can distinguish the logo L "He", arranged on the external face of a valve 2, inside which is housed the device for adjusting the orientation described later with the aid of figs. 2 to 4. For aesthetic reasons, this logo L is adjusted to a perfectly horizontal position preferably corresponding to the plane of the middle part of the watch on which the valve is mounted.

The valve device 1 comprises a valve 2 provided with a valve head 2a secured to a central rod

3. The front face 2b of the head 2a comprising the logo L.

The device 1 further comprises a tube 4 intended to be driven out by its lower part 4a into an opening in the middle of a watch case. The tube 4 has an upper part 4b of larger diameter than that of the lower part 4a. The tube 4 comprises in the lower zone of its upper part an annular groove 5 in which is housed an O-ring 6 ensuring its sealing at the level of the middle part.

According to the embodiments, the tube 4 can either be terminated by an emerging upper portion of the middle part 4 or be embedded in the middle part.

The tube 4 has an inner shoulder 7 defining an upper reach 7a and a lower reach 7b as well as an opening 7c of reduced diameter. The inner shoulder 7 also delimits a first upper space 8 in which the valve head 2 is housed and a second lower space defining a passage 9 connected to the interior of the watch case.

The central rod 3 is arranged inside the tube 4 so as to be able to translate along its longitudinal axis A and to be able to rotate freely in the opening 7c.

The device further comprises an annular seal 10 surrounding the central rod and disposed below the head 2a between the latter and the upper surface 7a.

We also see that the device 1 further comprises a helical return spring 11 which surrounds the portion of the central rod 3 extending or housed in the passage 8. The spring 11 is mounted compressed between the lower bearing 7b and a stop member 12, integral in translation with the central rod 3 and arranged at the distal end of the central rod 3.

In the example illustrated the stop member 12 is a nut screwed onto the distal part of the rod in abutment against a shoulder 3a thereof. The head 2a is thus held in abutment by its rear face 2c against the annular seal 10 thanks to the return spring 11.

The device further comprises a device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head 2 relative to the watch case. The adjustment device comprises a friction ring 13 disposed between the valve head 2a and the upper surface 7a and in the example illustrated the friction ring is more particularly arranged between the annular seal 10 and the upper surface 7a. The friction ring 13 has a cylindrical outer surface 13a whose diameter is adjusted tightly on the inner wall 8a of the upper space 8 of the tube 4, therefore in friction contact with this wall 8a.

It goes without saying that in a variant the friction ring 13 could be disposed between the annular seal 10 and the rear face 2c of the valve head or according to another variant in the lower space 9 for example between the 'upper end of the spring 11 and the lower bearing 7b. In the latter case, the cylindrical outer surface 13a of the friction ring 13 has a diameter which is tightly fitted on the inner wall 9a of the lower space 9 of the tube 4, and is therefore in frictional contact with this wall 9a.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the friction ring 13 comprises a central opening 13b of polygonal shape in this case hexagonal and the central rod 3 has a polygonal section complementary to the opening 13b in order to make the rod 3 integral in rotation with the ring 13 while allowing the rod to maintain a free translational movement in the opening 13b.

It will be noted that the nut 12 comprises in its distal face a slot 12a intended to come to cooperate with the end of a tool to be screwed onto the distal part of the rod in abutment on the shoulder 3a. Once in abutment against the shoulder 3a, and as the friction adjustment of the friction ring 13 on the inner wall 8a of the upper space 8 is chosen so that the friction torque generated by the friction ring at l inside the tube is greater than the screwing torque of the nut 12 on the central rod 3. The nut 12 therefore acts as a means of actuating the valve 2 in rotation, which makes it possible to rotate it and thereby ability to adjust the angular orientation of the valve head 2 in a determined angular position. It will be noted in this connection that the surface of the inner wall 8a and / or the cylindrical outer surface 13a of the ring can be textured to adjust the appropriate friction torque.

It will be noted that in this embodiment, the nut 12 has a double function, namely that it forms, on the one hand, the stop member of the return spring 11 and, on the other hand, the valve 2 actuation means for pivoting and angularly orienting it. However, in variant embodiments not shown, it could be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention to provide, for example, an elastic ring inserted in an annular groove in the distal part of the central rod 3 as a stop member and a slot arranged directly in the face of the distal end of the central rod 3 as a means of actuating the valve.

The method of mounting the valve device and orienting the valve is as follows. The valve device 1 fully assembled with the nut 12 screwed into abutment against the shoulder 3a of the stem is driven out or screwed into an opening in the middle of the watch case. Once expelled or screwed, the tube 4 thus immobilized in the middle part, the nut can then be screwed by means of a tool inserted in the slot 12a from the inside of the middle part and driving the valve head in rotation . In doing so, the valve head in turn drives the friction ring 13 via the connection by polygonal section between the opening 13a and the section of the central rod 3 in the desired angular orientation. The ring rotates in the tube 4 against the retained friction torque present between the outer surface 13a of the friction ring 13 and the inner wall 8a of the upper space of the tube which is lower than the torque applied by the tool on the nut when the nut 12 abuts against the shoulder 3a.

According to an alternative embodiment, it can be envisaged that the means of actuation in rotation are provided in the proximal part of the valve and in particular one could for example provide that the front face 2b of the head 2a of the valve comprise housings to receive the ends of an operating tool. Alternatively, it could be envisaged that the valve head protrudes slightly from the outside end face of the tube and has a non-circular lateral surface, for example hexagonal, so that it can be grasped by an appropriate tool.

Claims (13)

claims 1. Device with adjustable valve comprising. a valve provided at a proximal end with a valve head secured to a central rod ending in a distal end, the front face of said head comprising a logo or a mark, a tube intended to be assembled to a watch case , the rod being arranged so as to be able to perform a translation along its longitudinal axis in said tube, the tube having an internal shoulder defining an upper bearing and a lower bearing and delimiting a first upper space in which is housed the valve head and a second lower space defining a passage connected to the interior of the watch case and in which extends a part of the central rod, a seal surrounding the central rod to guarantee the seal between the rod and a inner wall of the tube, a return spring surrounding the portion of rod housed in the passage and extending between the lower bearing ure and a stop member provided at the distal end of the valve stem so as to keep the valve head in abutment against the seal and a device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head relative to the watch case, characterized in that said device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head comprises a friction ring disposed concentrically around the central rod between the valve head and the stop member, in that the friction ring is integral in rotation with the rod and free in translation relative to the rod, in that the friction ring comprises an external friction surface in friction contact with an inner wall of the tube, and in this that said device for adjusting the angular orientation of the valve head comprises means for actuating the valve head in rotation making it possible to pivot the valve against the friction forces induced by the friction ring to adjust the angular orientation of the valve head. 2. Valve device according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating means are arranged in the distal part of the central rod. 3. Valve device according to claim 2, characterized in that the actuating means also form the stop member of the return spring. 4. Valve device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the actuating means is a nut. 5. Valve device according to claim 1 to 4, characterized in that the actuating means comprises a slot. 6. Valve device according to claim 5, characterized in that the slot is arranged in the distal end of the rod or in the nut. 7. Valve device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the friction torque generated by the friction ring inside the tube is greater than the torque for screwing the nut onto the rod. 8. Valve device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the friction ring is arranged between the seal and the upper surface. 9. Valve device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the friction ring comprises an opening of polygonal shape and in that the rod has a polygonal section complementary to said opening in order to make the rod integral in rotation with the Ring. 10. Valve device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the friction ring is arranged in said first upper space. 11. Valve device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the friction ring is arranged in said second lower space. 12. Valve device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the seal is disposed between the valve head and the upper surface of the tube. 13. Watch case comprising a valve device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.