EP0987609A1 - Annual calendar mechanism for clockwork-movement - Google Patents

Abstract

The mechanism has a date disc (14) fitted with a first interior disc (18) having 31 teeth, on which are placed 31 numerals, for the date. The disc is driven by a moving part with a finger that drives the disc one tooth step a day. The disc has a second interior disc (22) with teeth designed to drive a part of the watch mechanism at the end of each month, using a gear train, and a month cam having five teeth, corresponding to the 31 day months . Each of the teeth of the second interior disc is arranged so that they are positioned, at the end of a thirtyone day month, in the path of the tip (54) of a swinging lever (56) mechanism. The lever mechanism is linked to a mobile correction drive (28) fitted with a correction finger (30) designed to co-operate with the first or second teeth on the inner discs (18,22), at the month end so as to drive the date disc a supplementary step when the lever mechanism pivots following the passage of its tip (54) onto the teeth of the month cam.

Description

The present invention relates to a mechanism for annual calendar for watch movement, that is to say a date mechanism to display the day of exact month by making a single correction per year of one or two days to bring to the end of February the date March 1st.

We know annual calendar mechanisms for watch movement such as that described in the document JP-A-39 534/75. According to this document, the mechanism has a date disc with thirty-one inner teeth located on a first level and on which are affixed thirty-one corresponding digits each with an indication of the calendar of the month, these figures appearing successively through a window in a dial. A mobile coach of the disc of calendar, equipped with a driving finger, rotates twenty-four hours and is likely to cause the one-step calendar disc once a day through its internal toothing to order the date display.

This mechanism further comprises a device serving to correct the indication of the date at the end of each months with less than thirty-one days. These measures has an intermediate wheel driven in the direction clockwise by a second toothing integral with the disc of dates and located on a second level. A star of month is driven counterclockwise by the wheel intermediate and wears a month cam whose profile is made up of successive merlons and notches. A articulated jumper rocker and recalled by a spring is controlled by the cam for months to drive the disc dates by acting on a third toothing integral with the date disc and located at a third level.

At the end of months less than thirty-one days, a rocker control spout enters a notch of the month cam so that the rocker pivots in the counterclockwise and acts through a spout drive on the date disc to do this take one more step and pass it from the thirty-first of a month to the first of the following month without have to perform manual correction. To this end, the spout includes at its free end a plane inclined drive designed to push in the direction hourly the flank of a tooth of the third toothing of the date disc. More precisely when the spout control is located on a merlon, the drive spout presses against the top of the tooth flank it should push, and as soon as the control spout enters a indentation, the spout training plan is supposed slide on the side of the tooth in question by pushing it to move the disc forward by one step.

However, such a mechanism presents many disadvantages.

First of all this mechanism requires an adjustment complex and delicate of the respective slopes of the plan for training the beak and the flank of the teeth of the third set of teeth. And even with a fine adjustment, the mechanism still presents a high risk of blocking the movement due to the important phenomena of friction due to the direction of the forces involved between this training plane and this flank when the tooth is pushed.

This mechanism therefore requires the provision of a force important available on the center wheel to ensure the date disc drive, which increases energy consumption of the movement and leads to a reduction of at least 20% of the autonomy of its source of energy. This drawback is further amplified in the extent that the available force must be sufficient to overcome the strength of three positioning necklaces, know the strength of the classic positioning jumper disc of the dates, that of the jumper of the seesaw and that of a positioning jumper the intermediate wheel.

In addition, the presence of three teeth on the disc dates, distributed over three different levels, increases the overall height of this mechanism. That represents a significant disadvantage because the trend current is the realization of movements having a ever smaller footprint, and in particular having as small a thickness as possible.

Furthermore, at the end of a month of thirty days, the third toothing must be pushed to the inclined blank of the drive spout, which requires that the wheel which drives the disc thirty one teeth ahead of 1/31 tower. This mechanism cannot therefore be used with an instantaneous or quasi-date device classic snapshot.

The main object of the present invention is therefore to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art above, by providing a date mechanism annual with a more reliable construction than that of the prior art, of reduced height and which does not affect not the autonomy of the movement it equips.

To this end, the invention relates to a mechanism for annual calendar for a timepiece including a date disc with first teeth interior with thirty-one teeth and on which thirty-one digits are affixed each corresponding to an indication of a date of the month, said indications appearing successively through a counter pierced in a dial, and a mobile coach of date making a turn in twenty-four hours, said mobile comprising a finger capable of causing a not once a day said date disc by a teeth of the inner teeth to order the date display, this mechanism being characterized by what the date disc includes a second internal teeth intended to train, via a train gear, a month cam with at least five teeth corresponding to months of less than thirty-one days, each of these teeth being arranged to be, at the end of the month of less than thirty-one days, on the path of the beak of a rocker and in that said rocker carries a correction mobile equipped with a finger correction likely to cooperate with said second teeth at the end of the months mentioned to drive the disc dates by one additional step at the end of the said steps month when the scale rotates due to the passage of its beak on a tooth of the month cam.

Thanks to these characteristics, a mechanism is produced which operates reliably, which allows the passage of the thirty-one of a month less than thirty-one days to the first of the next month almost instantaneous and which also has a space requirement greatly reduced height. As an indication this passage lasts approximately 2 hours with the mechanism of the invention.

This mechanism does not require the use of necklace other than that which ensures the positioning of the date disc, so that it does not cause any additional energy consumption.

• la figure 1 est une vue en plan d'une montre équipée d'un mécanisme de quantième annuel selon l' invention;
• la figure 2 est une vue en plan du mécanisme de quantième annuel équipant la montre de la figure 1, cette figure illustrant la situation des rouages le 30 d'un mois de moins de trente et un jour à 21 heures;
• les figures 3 et 4 sont des vues analogues à celles de la figure 2, la situation des rouages étant représentée respectivement le 30 de ce même mois à minuit et le ler du mois suivant à 2 heures 30 minutes;
• la figure 5 une vue en plan du mécanisme de quantième annuel équipant la montre de la figure 1, cette figure illustrant la situation des rouages le 30 d'un mois de trente et un jour à 21 heures;
• les figures 6 et 7 sont des vue analogues à celles de la figure 5, la situation des rouages étant représentée respectivement le 31 de ce même mois à 21 heures et le 1er du mois suivant à 21 heures;
• la figure 8 est une coupe selon la ligne VIII-VIII de la figure 2; et
• la figure 9 est une vue en plan agrandie de la came des mois et de la bascule de correction qui explicite la fonction de la came des mois par rapport aux mois de l'année.

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:

• Figure 1 is a plan view of a watch equipped with an annual calendar mechanism according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a plan view of the annual calendar mechanism fitted to the watch of Figure 1, this figure illustrating the situation of the cogs on the 30th of a month less than thirty-one days at 9 pm;
• Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to those of Figure 2, the situation of the cogs being shown respectively on the 30th of that same month at midnight and the 1st of the following month at 2 hours 30 minutes;
• Figure 5 a plan view of the annual calendar mechanism fitted to the watch of Figure 1, this figure illustrating the situation of the cogs on the 30th of a month of thirty-one days at 9 pm;
• Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to those of Figure 5, the situation of the cogs being shown respectively on the 31st of this same month at 9 pm and on the 1st of the following month at 9 pm;
• Figure 8 is a section along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 2; and
• FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the month cam and of the correction scale which explains the function of the month cam with respect to the months of the year.

The plan view of FIG. 1 illustrates a watch with annual calendar fitted in particular with hour hands 1, minutes 2, seconds 4 and an indicator date in the form of a date 6 appearing on the through a window 8 pierced in a dial 10. The setting the time can be set via a crown 12.

If we now rid this watch of its dial and that we only keep the useful elements in order to implement the invention, one ends in particular to the plan views of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 which show the mechanism of annual calendar of the invention to three different times when passing a month less than thirty-one days the following month, in the example illustrated during the passage from September 30 to October 1.

Examination of figure 2 and the section of figure 8 will allow to understand the functioning of the mechanism annual calendar according to the invention. This mechanism includes a date disc 14 formed by a disc lower annular 16 having a first toothing inner 18 and an upper annular disc 20 bearing a second internal toothing 22. The first toothing 18 includes thirty-one teeth 18a while the second toothing 22 includes two teeth 22a and 22b. The face upper of the annular disc 20 carries thirty-one numbers each corresponding to an indication of a calendar of the month. These numbers appear successively through the window 8 shown in Figure 1. The teeth 18 and 22 therefore extend in two planes different, the teeth 18 extending below the toothing 22.

In Figures 2 to 4 also see that a jumper 24 recalled by a spring 26 is applied against the toothing 18 of disc 16 for angularly positioning the date disc 14 when it is not activated, allowing perfect indexing of the date disc 14 opposite the window 8.

A designated date coach mobile generally by reference 28 is fitted with a finger 30 likely to take one step and once a day date disc 14 by its internal toothing 18a. In the particular case shown in FIG. 2, the finger 30 has just come into contact with a tooth 18a and therefore goes advance disc 14 by one step from 30 to 31 like this is shown in Figure 3. As seen in the figures 2 to 4 and also in FIG. 8, the driving mobile 28 has a driving wheel 32 which is connected by through an intermediate mobile 34 at the wheel of 36 hours of a clock movement (not shown here) classic which can be mechanical or electronic.

What has just been described, except for the structure of the date disc 14, is well known from the state of the art. It’s actually the classic drive of a date disc, this disc which can be reset by date rapid correction device (not shown) in engagement with teeth 1a using the crown 12 (Figure 1) when the latter is in a determined position. According to this classic system, a date reset is necessary at the end of months with less than thirty-one days, at know the months of February, April, June, September and November.

We will describe below what has been added to this mechanism to transform it into a date mechanism annual in the sense that, except for the end of the month of February, the date jumps from 30 to 1 at the end of the months less than thirty-one days.

As already mentioned above, the disc calendars 14 according to the invention differs from a disc of the classical calendar in that it includes the toothing additional 22 provided with two juxtaposed teeth 22a and 22b separated from each other by a thirty-first of tower. It will also be noted that the teeth 22a and 22b can be superimposed on two successive teeth 18a of the disc lower ring 16.

Tooth 22 and more particularly tooth 22a drives, once a month, a wheel 38 which carries a 40 month cam, via a deflection wheel 42 and an intermediate wheel 44. The wheel 38 pivots freely on the barrel 46 of the hour wheel 36 and is positioned by a jumper 48 recalled by a spring 50 to angularly position the cam for 40 months when it is not activated. Return wheel 42 and the intermediate wheel 44 are pivoted respectively around axes 42a and 44a fixed on a bridge P for example by crimping (figure 8).

The month cam 40 is arranged to be actuated at the end of each month by the tooth 22a and to rotate in one year. To this end, the month cam wheel 38 has 24 teeth and the return wheel 42 has 12 teeth. The month cam 40 comprises five teeth 40a-40e distributed successively at 60 °, 60 ° 90 °, 60 ° and 90 ° at its periphery, these five teeth 40a-40e corresponding respectively to the five months of the year having month of thirty and one day. The teeth 40a-40e respectively comprise inclined flanks 40a _i -40e _i and straight flanks 40a _d -40e _d (Figure 9).

Note that the 40 month cam does not need to be coaxial with the 36 hour wheel and could in another embodiment to be found elsewhere at the center of the movement.

According to a preferred embodiment, the month cam 40 comprises, on its face directed towards the dial 10, indications 50 (figure 9) identifying the months of the year and appearing successively through a window 52 drilled in the dial 10. In the example illustrated, the window 52 is arranged at 3 o'clock and is juxtaposed at the window 8. It goes without saying that this window could be located in any other place, for example, the counter 8 of date at 12 o'clock and the window 52 for the month just below.

The teeth 40a-40e are moreover arranged to be find, at the end of months with less than thirty-one days, on the way to a spout 54 of a pivoted rocker 56 around an axis 58 driven on the plate 59 of the movement (partially shown), and thus order the pivoting of the scale 56.

The rocker 56 further comprises an arm 60 which carries at its end a mobile correction trainer 62 comprising a drive wheel 64 carrying a finger correction 66. The correction mobile 62 is pivoted on flip-flop 56 around an axis 68 fixed to it by example by crimping. This axis 68 extends in the direction of the plate 59 from the rocker 56 and its end free rests on a retaining plate 70 secured to the movement plate 59.

The lever 56 also includes a nose 72 which cooperates with a return spring 74, which forces the spout 54 towards the 40 month cam so that the beak is in permanent contact with this cam 40, either with the surface 76 of the carne 40 being set back between the teeth 40a-40e, or with the teeth themselves. In the example illustrated, the rocker is recalled by spring 74 in counterclockwise symbolized by arrow A, cam 40 turning it clockwise symbolized by the arrow H.

The correction mobile 62 is driven from the hour wheel 36 via the wheel 78 an intermediate mobile 80 whose pinion 82 meshes with the drive wheel 62, the intermediate mobile being pivoted about the axis 58 between the rocker 56 and the plate 59, the engagement being maintained when the rocker pivots around this same axis 58.

The correction training mobile 62 is arranged, as is the date driving mobile 28, to take a ride in 24 hours. On the other hand, during its rotation, the correction finger 66 is likely to cooperate with tooth 22b at the end of months less than thirty-one days to train the date disc 14 an additional step at the end of the said months to change the date from 30 to 31 when the scale 56 pivots following the passage of the spout 54 on a tooth 40a-40e from the 40 month cam.

The various constituent elements of the invention having been defined above, it remains to explain the operation of the annual calendar mechanism. Of them can be presented depending on whether it is a month less thirty-one days or thirty-one days. The passage from 30 to the first day of the following month in the case of a month of thirty days is illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

In Figure 2, we have shown the mechanism as it present on September 30 (month of thirty days) at 9 p.m. hours. At this instant, the date visible through the window 8 is 30 and the month indication visible at across from window 52 is September. The training finger 30 is in contact with a tooth 18a of the annular disc 16 and is about to drive the disc 14 a step for the switch from 30 to 31. The spout 54 is at the base of tooth 40c, on the side of its inclined flank, and neither the wheel 42 nor the correction training finger 66 are not yet engaged in the teeth 22.

In Figure 3, we see the same mechanism on September 30 at midnight. The driving finger 30 has driven one step, clockwise, through the tooth 18 the date disc 14 which then displays the date 31 through the window 5. During the movement of the disc 14 the tooth 22a has meshed with the wheel 42 and advanced the cam 40 1 / 24th of a turn in the direction of the arrow H, so that the beak 54 of the rocker 56 slid on the side 40c _i of the tooth 40c to the top of this one. Simultaneously, the rocker 56 has pivoted clockwise and the corrective training finger 66 has come to push the tooth 22b to begin to drive the disc 14 with an additional step. The leading teeth 22 which it was by the tooth 22a has become driven by its tooth 22b under the action of the finger 66, which drives the date disc 14 with a correction step.

In Figure 4, we see the same mechanism at 2 hours and 30 minutes on October 1. The date disc 14 has been driven one step by the correction finger 66 and now displays the first of October. The beak 54 has passed the top of the tooth 40c and, under the effect of the spring 74, has slid along the right flank 40c _d of the tooth 40d to release the correction finger 66 from the trajectory of the teeth 22 to the next month of thirty days. The disc 14 displays the number 1 at the end of the race. Once this phase is complete the correction finger 66 is completely disengaged from the teeth 22a and 22b and the date disc 14 can continue its rotation day after day.

The passage from the 30 to the first day of the following month in the case of a thirty-one day month is illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7.

In Figure 5, we have shown the mechanism as it present on August 30 (month thirty-one days) at 9 p.m. hours. At this instant, the date visible through the window 8 is 30 and the month indication visible at across from window 52 is August. Coaching finger 30 is in contact with a tooth 18a of the annular disc 16 and is about to drive disc 14 to do it go from 30 to 31. The spout 54 is at the base of the tooth 40c on the side of its right side and neither the wheel 42 nor the correction hand finger 66 are not yet engaged in toothing 22.

In Figure 6, we see the same mechanism as it is present on August 31 at 9 p.m. In this configuration, the changeover from 30 to 31 took place and the driving finger 30 is in the same position as that described in link with figure 5, but this time to do play disc 14 from 31 to 1st. During the passage of 30 to 31, disc 14 has advanced one step and tooth 22a has driven the wheel 42 and thus advanced the cam 1 / 24th turn 40 months. The spout 54 then rests on the surface 76 of cam 40 substantially equidistant from teeth 40c and 40d thereof. Correction finger 66 remains clear of the teeth 22.

In Figure 7, we see the same mechanism as it appears on September 1 at 9 p.m. In this configuration, the passage from 31 to 1st has taken place and the driving finger 30 is found in the same position as that described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, but this time to move the disc 14 from 1st to 2. During the passage from the 31st to the 1st the disc 14 advanced by one step, the tooth 22b drove the wheel 42 and thus advanced the cam of the months 40 by 1 / 24th of a turn. The spout 54 then rests on the surface 76 at the base of the inclined flank 40d _i of the cam 40. The correction finger 66 remained disengaged from the toothing 22 during the entire change of month. Between the 30th and the 1st of a month of thirty-one days, the spout 54 only moved on the surface 76 between two teeth of the cam 40 and the rocker 56 was therefore not actuated.

It goes without saying that the mechanism which has just been described may undergo modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. As an example, one could plan to replace teeth 40a-40e with hollows, it would then be necessary to reverse the pivot point of the rocking.

Claims (14)

Annual date mechanism for a coin timepiece comprising a date disc provided a first internal toothing comprising thirty-one teeth and on which thirty-one digits are affixed each corresponding to an indication of a date of the months, said indications appearing successively at through a window pierced in a dial, and a mobile calendar trainer, said mobile comprising a finger likely to cause one step once a day said date disc by one of the teeth of the first internal teeth to control the display of the date, characterized in that the date disc includes a second internal toothing provided for train at the end of each month, via a train gear, a month cam with at least five teeth or trough corresponding to months under thirty-one days, each of these teeth being arranged to find, at the end of months less than thirty-one days, on the way to the beak of a seesaw and in that said scale carries a mobile correction coach equipped a correction finger capable of cooperating with the first or second toothing at the end of the mentioned months to train the date calendar by one step additional at the end of said months when the scale has rotated following the passage of its beak on a tooth of the cam months. Date mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the second toothing comprises two teeth cooperating respectively with said train gear and correction finger secured to the mobile correction coach. Date mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that the two teeth are spaced apart on the other, a thirty-first turn. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the mobile correction coach is trained from the hour wheel via a mobile intermediate Date mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that the mobile correction coach is trained to take a turn by twenty-four hours. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that includes a spring that recalls the tilting spout toward the month cam. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the teeth of the month cam include an inclined flank and a right flank. Date mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that the correcting finger engages on the first or second toothing when sliding of said beak on said inclined blank of the teeth of the cam of the months and emerges from said toothing when said beak, recalled by the rocker return spring, slide the along the right flank of said teeth. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the first and second teeth of the date disc extend respectively in different planes. Date mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that the first toothing extends to the below the second toothing. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the date disc includes an annular disc lower bearing the first toothing and supporting a upper annular disc carrying the second toothing, the upper face of said upper annular disc bearing in turn the indications of the date of the month. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that long necklace is placed between two successive teeth of the first toothing of the date disc. Date mechanism according to one of the previous claims characterized in that the cam of months includes five teeth distributed successively to 60 °, 60 °, 90 °, 60 ° and 90 ° and is trained to make a full turn per year. Date mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that indications identifying the months of the year are affixed to the month cam, these indications appearing through a window pierced in the dial

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