EP2230571B1 - Radial gripping system for a timepiece component - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a radial clamping system for a watch component and more, particularly, such a system for securing said component to a support member such as, for example, a pivot axis.

Background of the invention

It is known to secure watchmakers by driving their central hole through a pivoting axis between a bridge and the plate. This configuration is widespread with metallic materials, however, it is not applicable for brittle materials whose plastic deformation zone is substantially non-existent.

The document FR 382 860 discloses a friction-fit metal roadway on an axis which has slotted portions to provide resilience.

Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome all or part of the disadvantages mentioned above by providing a clock component whose radial clamping system uses only the elastic deformation zone of the material to become integral with its support member.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a watch component comprising an opening intended to receive a support element and comprising a clamping system intended to exert a radial stress enabling said watch component to be integral with said support element characterized in that that the clamping system has a radial pinch device comprising a ring gear intended to exert said radial stress and a concentric blind recess spaced from said opening intended to allow said crown to be deflected and the clamping system further comprises a deflection device comprising a second concentric blind recess; radially spaced from said first blind recess and located on the face opposite said first recess to provide more degrees of freedom to said ring relative to said support member.

• ladite couronne est crénelée permettant de former plusieurs lames indépendantes autour de ladite ouverture ;
• la section intérieure de la couronne est tronconique afin d'augmenter localement ladite contrainte radiale ;
• ladite section est plus faible au niveau de l'extrémité libre de la couronne afin d'exercer une contrainte radiale maximale au niveau de l'extrémité libre de chaque lame contre ledit élément de support ;
• les deux évidements comportent des largeurs identiques et/ou des profondeurs identiques et/ou leur fond sont situés sensiblement dans le même plan ;
• le composant horloger est de forme généralement discoïdale et comporte une denture circonférentielle afin de former un mobile.

According to other advantageous features of the invention:

• said ring is crenellated to form a plurality of independent blades around said opening;
• the inner section of the crown is frustoconical to locally increase said radial stress;
• said section is lower at the free end of the ring to provide maximum radial stress at the free end of each blade against said support member;
• the two recesses comprise identical widths and / or identical depths and / or their bottom are located substantially in the same plane;
• the watch component is of generally discoidal shape and has a circumferential toothing to form a mobile.

The invention also relates to a timepiece characterized in that it comprises at least one watch component according to one of the preceding variants.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une représentation en perspective d'un composant horloger monté sur un élément de support selon l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une section d'un composant horloger selon l'invention ;
• la figure 3 est une représentation agrandie d'une partie de la figure 2;
• la figure 4 est une représentation vue de dessus d'un composant horloger selon l'invention.

Other particularities and advantages will become clear from the description which is given below, by way of indication and in no way limiting, in preference to the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 is a perspective representation of a watch component mounted on a support member according to the invention;
• the figure 2 is a section of a watch component according to the invention;
• the figure 3 is an enlarged representation of some of the figure 2 ;
• the figure 4 is a top view of a watch component according to the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

As illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 the invention relates to a generally annotated watch component 1 intended to cooperate with a support element 3. In the example used below, the watch component 1 is a substantially discoidal mobile and the support element 3, a cylindrical axis with circular section, however, they can not be limited.

In the example visible at figure 1 a watch component 1 mounted on a support element 3 can be seen. Preferably, the support element 3 comprises an axis 2 formed integrally with a pinion 4. The watch component 1 comprises a hub 5 comprising an opening 7, four arm 9 and a toothed serge 11. Advantageously according to the invention, the watch component 1 is mounted on the support member 3 by means of a clamping system 13 located around the opening 7 passing through said component.

The clamping system 13 is intended to exert a radial stress on the axis 2 to secure the watch component 1 with the support member 3. The clamping system 13 is an alternative to driving that is not always possible for materials such as crystallized silicon, silicon carbide, crystallized silica or crystallized alumina.

The clamping system 13 preferably comprises a radial clamping device 15 and a deflection device 17. The clamping device 15 mainly comprises a ring 6 and a recess 8. The ring 6 is intended to clamp the outer surface of the axis 2 It is preferably crenellated and comprises several blades 12 whose section inner 14 forms the edge of the opening 7 to better locally manage the movement of the crown 6. Thus, advantageously according to the invention, each blade 12 is independent and moves elastically according to the own stress that is subject to it.

As visible at figure 3 , the inner section 14 is frustoconical at an angle α in order to locally increase the pinch stress. In the example shown in Figures 1 to 4 , the upper section of the opening 7 is thus smaller than the lower section. According to the invention, the angle α may be between substantially 0 and 5 degrees. It is therefore understood that the clamping stress of the ring 6 of the clamping device 15 will be maximum at its free end, that is to say at the end of the blades 12.

The recess 8 is intended to allow a clearance of the crown 6. According to the invention, the recess 8 is preferably blind and communicates between each blade 12 with the opening 7. Each blade 12 can thus glide independently between the recess 8 and the opening 7.

The deflection device 17 is intended to offer more degrees of freedom to the ring 6 relative to the axis 2. Thus, it not only allows a greater amplitude of displacement of the blades 12 but it also allows to modify more generally the direction of the inner section 14. The deflection device 17 thus comprises a second recess 10.

Preferably, the second recess 10 is blind, concentrically spaced from the first recess 8 and located on the opposite face of the watch component 1 relative to the first recess 8 as visible to the Figures 2 and 3 . In these examples, the depth and width of the recesses 8 and 10 are substantially equivalent. In addition, the bottom of each recess 8, 10 are located in the same plane.

According to the invention, depending on the application of the watch component, the recesses may have a depth of between 5 and 85% of the thickness of the watch component.

Preferably, the watch component 1 is made of micro-machinable material so as to obtain a precision less than one micron. Such materials may be, for example, but not exclusively silicon carbide, crystallized silicon, crystallized alumina or crystalline silica. Indeed, such materials can be etched according to the required accuracy, in particular by means of a deep reactive ion etching process (DRIE).

Of course, the present invention, which is defined by the claims, is not limited to the example shown but is susceptible of various variations and modifications that will occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, depending on the intended applications and / or the material used, the depths and widths of the recesses 8 and 10 may differ as their spacing relative to the opening 7 or the membership of their bottom to the same plane.

Claims (9)

1. Timepiece component (1) that has an aperture (7) for receiving a support element (3) and includes a clamping system (13) for exerting radial force for securing said timepiece component to said support element, the clamping system (13) having a radial clamping device (15) that includes a crown (6) for exerting said radial force and a concentric, blind recess (8), spaced apart from said aperture, to allow a travel for said crown, and characterized in that the clamping system (13) also has a device allowing a travel (17) that includes a second, concentric blind recess (10) radially spaced apart from said first blind recess (8) and located on the opposite surface to said first recess, thus allowing said crown a greater degree of freedom relative to said support element.
2. Timepiece component (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said crown (6) is notched to form several independent strips (12) around said aperture.
3. Timepiece component (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the inner section (14) of the crown (6) is truncated to increase said radial force locally.
4. Timepiece component (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said section (14) is smaller at the free end of the crown (6) to exert a maximum amount of radial force at the free end of each strip (12) against said support element.
5. Timepiece component (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the width of the two recesses (8, 10) is identical.
6. Timepiece component (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the depth of the two recesses (8, 10) is identical.
7. Timepiece component (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bottoms of the two recesses (8, 10) are located in approximately the same plane.
8. Timepiece component (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is of generally discoid shape and has a circumferential toothing to form a wheel set.
9. Timepiece characterized in that it includes at least one timepiece component (1) according to any of the preceding claims.

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