Horological carriage-stop with carriage stop strip

A limiting device including an oscillator and capable of blocking this oscillator carried by the carriage of a tourbillon or karussel, which carriage includes a carriage wheel driven by an energy source of the watch or of a movement with a gear train, and carries an escapement mechanism engaging with the oscillator and including an escape pinion, this device includes a control rod, engaging with a control member external to this tourbillon or karussel, in order to push, substantially radially relative to the carriage axis, a resilient strip arranged so as to bear tangentially against the carriage wheel in order to stop the carriage upon passage of the control member from a rest position to an active position, and so as to remain remote from the carriage wheel when the control member is in the rest position thereof.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 19187811.5 filed on Jul. 23, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a horological limiting device for a watch, comprising an oscillator, and comprising means for limiting the variation of rate of this oscillator in the different positions of said watch in space, said device comprising at least one tourbillon or a karussel, which comprises a carriage which is mounted such that it pivots about a carriage axis relative to a plate, which carries a fixed wheel when said limiting device comprises a tourbillon, which carriage carries said oscillator and comprises a carriage wheel arranged so as to be driven by an energy source of the watch or of a movement by way of a gear train, and which carriage carries an escapement mechanism arranged so as to engage with said oscillator, and comprising an escape pinion meshing with said fixed wheel when said limiting device comprises a tourbillon or meshing with a third wheel or a fourth wheel, comprised in said gear train, when said limiting device comprises a karussel.

The invention further relates to a watch comprising a horological movement comprising energy storage means, an oscillator, hand-setting means, and such a limiting device comprising this oscillator.

The invention relates to the field of mechanical watches with high chronometric precision equipped with tourbillons or karussels, and so-called second-stop or carriage-stop mechanisms arranged so as to finely adjust the state of the watch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

British patent No. 674764 filed by HEPTINSTALL discloses a spring-finger for blocking a balance.

European patent No. 1617305B1 filed by MONTRES BREGUET discloses a control for manually stopping, via the stem, pad levers for blocking a balance.

European patent No. 2787400B1 filed by CHOPARD discloses a stop element, integral with a carriage such that it rotates therewith, and which is a disc coaxial to this carriage, axially displaced for axial friction with a balance.

European patent No. 2085832B1 filed by FREDERIC PIGUET discloses a friction clutch mechanism, by radially placing clutching elements at the ends of star-shaped arms in a cylindrical surface of a driving plate, under the axial effect of a clutch spring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention proposes stopping a tourbillon or karussel carriage when setting the hands so as to adjust a watch to the nearest second.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a horological limiting device for limiting the variation of rate of an oscillator comprised in a watch, according to claim1.

The invention further relates to a watch comprising a horological movement comprising energy storage means, an oscillator, hand-setting means, and such a limiting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention relates to the field of mechanical watches with high chronometric performance levels.

Known methods of improving insensitivity to the positions of a watch1000involve equipping it with a horological limiting device100, comprising an oscillator200, and comprising means for limiting the variation of rate of this oscillator200, in the different positions of the watch1000in space.

This device100comprises at least one tourbillon300or a karussel which, in either case, comprises a carriage10which is mounted such that it pivots about a carriage axis D relative to a plate900.

This plate900carries a fixed wheel210when the limiting device100comprises a tourbillon300.

The carriage10carries the oscillator200, and comprises a carriage wheel5, which is arranged so as to be driven by an energy source400of the watch1000or of a movement800comprised in the watch, by way of a gear train. This energy source400can in particular comprise at least one barrel or similar element.

The carriage10further carries an escapement mechanism700, which is arranged so as to engage with the oscillator200, and which comprises an escape pinion201. The carriage10comprises a lower bridge11and an upper bridge12. The upper carriage bridge12protects both the oscillator200, the escapement mechanism700, and the mechanism according to the invention.

This escape pinion201meshes with the fixed wheel210when the limiting device100comprises a tourbillon, or meshes with a third wheel or a fourth wheel, comprised in the gear train, when the limiting device100comprises a karussel.

The mechanism according to the invention allows the karussel or tourbillon carriage to be stopped when setting the hands.

According to the invention, the device100comprises a control rod30, which is arranged to engage with a control member external to the tourbillon300or karussel, in order to push, substantially radially relative to the carriage axis D, a resilient strip4which is arranged so as to bear substantially tangentially against the carriage wheel5in order to stop the carriage10upon passage of the control member from a rest position to an active position, and so as to remain remote from the carriage wheel5when the control member is in the rest position thereof.

More particularly, the device100comprises hand-setting means500, which constitute or which control the control member, which is arranged so as to move the control rod30in a first activation direction upon the passage of the hand-setting means500from a rest position T1to an activated position T2, and to move the control rod30in a second direction opposite the first direction upon the passage of the hand-setting means500from the activated position T2to the rest position T1.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown inFIGS.1to4, the strip spring comprises a smooth bearing surface, having a cylindrical portion, the radius whereof is the same as the outer diameter of the carriage wheel5.

In another alternative embodiment, as shown inFIG.5, the resilient strip4comprises a toothing41arranged so as to engage by meshing with the toothing of the carriage wheel5.

More particularly, the resilient strip4extends in the cantilever position relative to the fastening thereof on the control rod30.

In an alternative embodiment, the resilient strip4has a convex surface on the carriage10side.

In another alternative embodiment, the resilient strip4has a concave surface on the carriage10side.

More particularly, the oscillator200is a sprung balance assembly.

The invention further relates to a watch1000comprising a horological movement800comprising energy storage means400, an oscillator200, hand-setting means500, and such a limiting device100.

More particularly, the tourbillon300or karussel constitutes a display member of the watch1000, or is arranged so as to drive at least one display member of the watch1000, and the hand-setting means500constitute or control the control member.

In the non-limiting alternative embodiment shown in the figures, hand-setting means500constitute or control the control member, and comprise a conventional winding and setting stem1, and which operate as follows:in position T1, the winding and setting stem1positions the pull-out piece2, on which a large stud24is driven. This stud24is in contact with the control rod3via a loop34. The control rod3is guided by the engagement of two pins320and330fastened to the plate900and two oblongs32and33comprised in the rod3, in order to move in a linear manner. It carries a strip spring4which lies in the same plane as the carriage wheel5. This carriage wheel5is integral with the carriage10. The system is fixed in the position below in T1;when passing from T1to T2, the winding and setting stem1causes the pull-out piece2to pivot, which itself lowers the control rod3towards the carriage10. The strip spring4then comes into contact with the toothing of the carriage wheel5, which causes the carriage to stop.

The system is designed to stop the tourbillon, or respectively the karussel, when setting the hands.

The system rests against the carriage wheel with a strip spring which exerts sufficient pressure to stop the carriage.

To summarise, the invention allows:a tourbillon or karussel carriage to be instantly stopped;the time to be set to the nearest second.

This mechanism with integrated stop wheel is compact, the manufacture thereof requires conventional technology and the cost thereof is thus low.