CONSTRUCTION OF TIMEPIECE

Abstract: Atime piece consists of an external operation lever (2), an operation lever (5), wheels (6,7,14) a reset pin (16) and a rotor (15). The rotor (15) is driven electrically, the speed being reduced by the wheels (4,6,7,14). Time is displayed in seconds, minutes or hours. When time setting is required, the external operation lever is pulled out in the axial direction. This brings the operation lever into contact with the reset pin and, at the same time, disengages the third wheel from the second wheel. This enables the position of the hour and minutes hands to be changed without affecting the second hand. /13

Description: This invention relates to a timepiece construction and, although it is not so restricted, it relates in particular to a timepiece construction in which a gear train is formed of plastics material. In a known timepiece, a gear train comprises a centre wheel having a resilient portion which is held and supported by a centre wheel arbor. When the time indication is corrected, the centre wheel is subjected to sliding and runs idle over the centre wheel arbor, thereby preventing transmission of rotation of the gear train from being transmitted to a seconds hand (fourth wheel and pinion). Further, in a setting mechanism, a clutch wheel is moved by a winding stem, a setting lever, a yoke, and so on. The clutch wheel is fitted onto the members of the gear train, and in this case time correction is carried out by an externally operating member. However, the known timepiece construction has the following problems since a sliding means is employed which utilizes the elastic portion of the centre wheel in order to correct the time. 1: The centre wheel sliding torque is unstable. When the sliding torque is high, wheel members which move for time correction, such as a centre wheel pinion, a minute wheel, and a clutch wheel tend to be worn and broken. Further, since the initial state of a second wheel sliding torque is relatively high, the above members which move for time correction must be formed on very hard metallic materials (hardened carbon steel), thereby causing high costs in the processing of the materials. Plastics materials and molding techniques have recently been improved and a gear train construction made of all plastics materials has been investigated. However, it was impossible to produce a gear train made of all plastic members in the case of a gear having a sliding mechanism. 2: When the centre wheel sliding torque is very low, a minute hand is individually rotated by fine vibration, light impact or the like in normal operating conditions, e.g. that in which the stem is pushed into the inside of the timepiece (hereinafter referred to as the normal operating condition). As a result, the time indication tends to be wrong. 3: In a setting mechanism, a clutch wheel must be made of metallic materials in order to ensure resilience. When the time indication is corrected, a clutch wheel must be engaged with a stem constituting an external control member to transmit rotation. In the normal operational condition, the clutch wheel must be removed from the engagement with the gear train members. Therefore, metallic materials such as a setting lever and a yoke are required in a conventional timepiece in order to move the clutch wheel. This invention solves such problems and an object of the invention is to obtain a smooth time correcting mechanism without a sliding mechanism formed of wheels by removing one part of the gear train when the time indication is corrected. Another object of the invention is to provide a timepiece in which a plastics material may be used not only for a gear train mechanism but also for a setting mechanism, instead of conventional requirement such as a setting lever, a yoke or the like. In CH-B-632,373, there is disclosed a timepiece construction comprising a stepping motor transducer; a driving gear train driven by the transducer; a time-displaying gear train which is driven by said driving gear train and on which the hour and minute hands are mounted; an externally operable member which is axially movable between a plurality of positions including a time-correction position; a time correction member which is engaged and connected to the externally operable member and to the time-displaying gear train when the externally operable member is in the time-correction position; and an operating lever having a support portion for supporting a pivot of a driving gear of the driving gear train, the operating lever being mounted for rotation on a support and having an engagement portion which directly or indirectly engages the externally operable member. According to the present invention, there is provided a timepiece construction comprising a stepping motor transducer; a driving gear train driven by the transducer; a time-displaying gear train which is driven by said driving gear train and on which the hour and minute hands are mounted; an externally operable member which is axially movable between a plurality of positions including a time-correction position; a time correction member which is engaged and connected to the externally operable member and to the time-displaying gear train when the externally operable member is in the time-correction position, and an operating lever having a support portion for supporting a pivot of a driving gear of the driving gear train, the operating lever being mounted for rotation on a support and having an engagement portion which directly or indirectly engages the externally operable member characterised in that the said driving gear has another pivot which is mounted in fixed structure, movement of the externally operable member into the time-correcting position causing movement of the operating lever to a position in which the said driving gear is tilted so that it does not engage any gear of the time-displaying gear train. The invention is illustrated, merely by way of example, in the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a timepiece construction according to the present invention in a normal position thereof; Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views of a part of the timepiece of Figure 1, Figure 3 showing the components thereof in their time correcting positions; Figure 4 is a plan view of a part of the timepiece of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a broken-away side view of structure shown in Figure 4; Figures 6 and 7 are schematic sectional views of a portion of the timepiece of Figure 1, Figure 7 showing the components thereof in their time correcting positions; Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of one part of the timepiece of Figure 1; Figure 9 is a broken-away plan view of one part of the timepiece of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a plan view of one part of the timepiece of Figure 1; Figure 11 is a sectional view of one part of the timepiece of Figure 10; and Figures 12 and 13 are plan views of a second embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1 there is shown a timepiece construction comprising a main plate 1 which is a frame for a timepiece movement. A stem 2 constitutes an externally operable control member. The stem 2 has a click portion 2-a which is engageable with a resilient portion 3-a of a positive terminal 3 of a power source for positioning the stem 2. A frictionally engageable convex portion 2-b is provided on the end portion of the stem 2, a time correcting clutch wheel 4, which is described later, being mounted on the said end portion. The stem 2 is movably mounted in the main plate 1. The clutch wheel 4 is made of plastics materials and has a small shoulder between a central portion or a centre hole 4-a and a gear portion 4-b. A minute wheel 8 is formed of plastics materials and comprises a wheel and a pinion. The construction of the clutch wheel 4 and of the minute wheel 8 will now be described in detail. In the axial direction of the clutch wheel 4, the clutch wheel rim 4-c is loosely engaged in and guided by a concave portion or opening 1-a of the main plate 1, thereby guiding the clutch wheel 4 to the given position. In the radial direction of the clutch wheel 4, the central portion 4-a thereof and the gear portion 4-b thereof which is engaged with the minute wheel 8 are loosely engaged with and guided by an axial portion 2-c and the convex portion 2-b of the stem 2, respectively. In the radial direction of the minute wheel 8, the shaft of the minute wheel 8 is mounted in a hole in the main plate 1. In the axial direction of the minute wheel 8, the lower surface of the minute wheel 8 is guided by a projection of the main plate 1, and the minute wheel 8 is mounted in a clearance in a gear train bridge 11. As is clear from Figure 2, since the clutch wheel 4 and the minute wheel 8 are guided by the main plate 1 which is constituted by one single member, there is little variation in the amount of engagement in the radial direction of the minute wheel 8. Therefore, a stable engagement state is obtained. The convex portion or projection 2-b of the stem 2 is closely fixed with interference in the centre hole 4-a of the clutch wheel 4. When the stem 2 is fixed in the centre hole 4-a of the clutch wheel 4, and when the stem 2 is rotated after the fixing thereof, even if the clutch wheel 4 is loaded by the convex portion 2-b of the stem 2, the rim 4-c of the clutch wheel 4 is contacted by the concave portion 1-a of the main plate 1 so as to guide the clutch wheel 4 into the given position and to prevent the destruction of the gear portion 4b of the clutch wheel 4. When the time shown by the timepiece is to be corrected, the stem 2 is pulled out and the convex portion 2-b is frictionally engaged by the clutch wheel central hole 4-a to transmit the rotary force of the stem 2. The reference numeral 5 stands for an operating lever. A gear train guide/hold portion 5-e supporting the lower pivot 6-d of a third wheel and pinion 6 is provided on the operating lever 5, and the lever 5 is rotatable, by an amount which depends on the device of movement of the stem, around a shaft 1-b which is provided on the main plate 1. A minute hand (not shown) is mounted on the end portion of a centre wheel and pinion 7. The minute wheel 8 is ordinally engaged with the centre pinion 7 and with the gear portion 4-d of the clutch wheel 4. An hour hand (not shown) is mounted on the end portion of an hour wheel 9. A seconds hand (not shown) is mounted on the end portion of a fourth wheel and pinion 10. A driving gear train comprising the third wheel and pinion 6 also comprises a fifth wheel and pinion 14 and a rotor 15 of a stepping motor. A gear train bridge 11 provides a mounting for the fifth wheel and pinion, the fourth wheel and pinion 10, the third wheel and pinion 6 and the upper pivot of the minute wheel 8. The rotor 15 is rotated by electrical signals and the number of rotations of the rotor is reduced by the said driving gear train. Each of the wheels 10, 7, 9 operates as usual for displaying seconds, minutes and hours respectively in analog fashion, and simultaneously the clutch wheel 4 is engaged with the minute wheel 8 for rotation by the stem 2. The operation of time correcting will now be explained. When the stem 2 is pulled out, the operating lever 5 is rotated around its axis, the holding portion 5-e for guiding the lower pivot 6-d is moved, the third wheel and pinion 6 is thus tilted while the upper pivot 6-c of the third wheel and pinion 6 is supported by the gear train bridge 11, and then the pinion of the third wheel and pinion 6 is removed from engagement with the centre wheel and pinion 7. In association with the above movement, the centre hole 4-a of the clutch wheel 4 is closely engaged with the convex portion 2-b of the stem 2. Rotation of the stem 2 is transmitted from the clutch wheel 4 to the minute wheel 8, from the minute wheel 8 to the centre wheel and pinion 7, and from the minute wheel 8 to the hour wheel 9. Thus the time shown by the timepiece can be corrected while the seconds hand is fixed. Figures 4 and 5 show the detailed construction of the operating lever 5. Figure 4 is a plan view and Figure 5 is a sectional view showing the portion 2e of the stem 2 with which the operating lever 5 is in contact. The stem 2 is an externally operable member. In the normal operation condition, the stem 2 is loosely engaged with the clutch wheel 4. For time correcting, the stem 2 is pulled out and is frictionally engaged with the clutch wheel 4, thereby enabling the rotation of the stem 2 to be transmitted to other parts. The stem 2 has a concave and convex portion 2-a functioning as a click, the portion 2-a being engageable with a resilient portion 3-a of the battery positive terminal 3, thereby determining the position of the stem 2. The operating lever 5, which has the gear train guide/hold portion 5e for the lower pivot 6-d of the third wheel and pinion 6, is rotatably mounted on the shaft 1-b on the main plate 1. In the normal condition, a resilient portion 5-a of the operating lever 5 is in direct contact with the end portion 2-e of the stem 2. An end portion 5-b of the operating lever 5 is in direct contact with the main plate, thereby effecting positioning of the operating lever 5. The centre wheel 7-a is engaged with the third pinion 6-b. The centre wheel and pinion 7, which comprises the said wheel and pinion 7-b, has the minute hand (not shown) mounted on the end portion thereof. The minute wheel 8 is always engaged with the centre pinion 7-b and with the clutch wheel 4. The hour wheel 9 is engaged with the minute pinion 8-a, and the hour hand (not shown) is mounted on the end portion of the hour wheel 9 (see Figure 2). The driving gear train comprises the fifth wheel and pinion 14, and the rotor 15 besides the third wheel 6. The gear train bridge 11 provides a mounting for the rotor 15, the fifth wheel and pinion 14, the fourth wheel and pinion 10, the third wheel and pinion 6, and the upper pivot of the minute wheel 8. The lower pivot of each wheel and pinion except for the third wheel and pinion 6 is mounted in the main plate 1. The rotor 15 is rotated by electrical signals, the number of rotations of the rotor 15 is reduced by the said driving gear train, and the wheels and pinions of the time displaying gear train 10, 7, 9 have hands which respectively display seconds, minutes and hours in analog fashion, thereby functioning as a conventional timepiece. When the stem 2 is pulled out, the operating lever 5 is released from the position controlled by the end portion 2-e of the stem 2. The operating lever 5 is rotated clockwise by a U-shaped resilient portion 5-c around the shaft 1-b, and consequently an end portion 5-d is brought into contact with a reset pin 16 on the main plate. The third wheel and pinion 6 is tilted under the control of the upper pivot 6-c by the gear train bridge 11, and the third pinion 6-b is removed from engagement with the centre wheel and pinion 7. It is because the lower pivot 6-d is normally guided and holded by the operating lever 5 that the operating lever 5 is moved as mentioned as above. Accompanied with the above motion, the clutch wheel 4 is closely engaged with the convex portion 2-b of the stem 2. The rotation of the stem 2 is thus transmitted from the minute wheel 8 to the centre wheel and pinion 7 and from the minute pinion 8-a to the hour wheel 9. Thus time correction for the hour or minute hand can be completed without movement of the seconds hand. The operating lever 5 for guiding or holding the third wheel and pinion 6 provides improved stability of positioning. In the normal operational condition, the amount of engagement between the centre wheel 7 and the third wheel 6 is about 0.1 to 0.15 mm, and the operating lever 5 must be always guided in the fixed position in order to obtain stable efficiency of the driving gear train. The operating lever 5 is engaged with the end portion 2-e of the stem 2, and the edge 5-b of the operating lever 5 is in direct contact with a portion 1-c of the main plate 1, thereby effecting positioning. The operating lever 5 which directly contacts the end portion 2-e of the stem 2 has the resilient portion 5-a for allowing for the shift of the end portion 2-e of the stem 2. The resilient force exerted by the portion 5-a is larger than that of the U-shaped resilient portion 5-c. As is clear from the drawings, the operating lever 5 determines the position for engagement of the centre wheel and pinion 7 and the third wheel and pinion 6, using only the rigid portion 5-e thereof. The operation of the lever 5 relies on the resilience of the moving portion 5-c of the operating lever 5. The engagement between the third wheel and pinion 6 and the centre wheel and pinion 7 will now be described in detail in reference with Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 schematically shows the third wheel and pinion 6, the centre wheel and pinion 10, the operating lever 5 and the stem 2 shown in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 6 is a sectional view of the wheels and pinions shown in Figure 1. The third wheel and pinion 6 comprises the wheel 6-a and the pinion 6-b which are engaged with pinion 10-a of the fourth wheel 10 and the wheel 7-a of the centre wheel 7, respectively. The reduction rate from the fourth wheel 10 to the centre wheel 7 is 1/60 as is well-known. Figure 7 is a sectional view of the third wheel and pinion 6 and shows the condition for hand correction by controlling the externally operable member 2. Here, it is important to remove only the pinion 6-b from the centre wheel 7. This construction is required to prevent the hands from shifting by the interference between the outer portions of the gears of the wheels when the third wheel and pinion 6 is in the hand correcting position. If the pinion 6-b of the third wheel and pinion 6 is removed from wheel 7-a of the centre wheel and pinion 7, a hand shift of the fourth wheel and pinion 10 never occurs. Further, the hand shift caused by the difference of the circular pitches between the third pinion 6-b and the centre wheel 7 can be reduced to a fine range because the amount of hand shift is larger in the external circumference of the centre wheel 7. This fact can be clearly understood compared with the hand shift when the third wheel and pinion 6 is removed from the fourth pinion 10-a. In order to complete this construction, the ratio m/ℓ of the distance m from the upper pivot 6-c to the lower pivot 6-d to the distance ℓ from the upper pivot 6-c to the bottom of the third wheel 6-a should be as large as possible, and at least twice as great. Figure 9 is a plan view showing the engagement condition of the wheel 7-a of the centre wheel and pinion 7 and the pinion 6-b of the third wheel and pinion 6. The amount of engagement of the wheels and pinions used in the timepiece is about 0.2 mm in the wheel pitch, the wheel thickness is 0.09 mm, and the backlash is about 0.04 mm. Unless these dimensions are maintained, the backlash of each wheel and pinion or the multiplication of errors in the configuration of the gears causes an increase in the positional errors of the hours hand, minute hands, and seconds hands, so that the hands wrongly indicate the time. When the wheels and pinions having the dimensions mentioned above are removed from engagement, there is little problem from their dimensions. The movement of the lower pivot 6-d due to the control of the stem 2 is relatively rough. Should the position of the minutes hand be wrong due to the rotation of the centre wheel 7, thereafter time correction for the hours and minutes is operated, namely there is rotation of the wheels from the centre wheel and pinion 7 to the clutch wheel 4. However, after the completion of time correction, when the stem 2 is put back in the normal condition so that the wheels are engaged together, it is necessary to engage the third wheel and pinion 6 with the centre wheel and pinion 7 without rotary force in order to engage the end portion of the third pinion 6-b with the centre wheel 7-a at a speed of 10 msec. In this case, it is necessary to engage the wheels by movement along the centre line from the shaft of the centre wheel and pinion to the shaft of the third wheel and pinion 6 as shown in Figure 8. It is necessary that the shaft 1-b on which the operating lever is rotatably mounted is transversely disposed with respect to the centre line of the centre wheel and pinion 7, and the third wheel and pinion 6. Further, in order to provide clearance on the upper pivot side, the embodiment is described with reference with Figures 10 and 11. Figure 11 is a sectional view of Figure 10 taken along the line A-B′. The embodiment provides clearance for the upper pivot 6-c of the third wheel and pinion 6, wherein the upper pivot 6-c is supported by the gear train bridge 11 as a guide, and the lower pivot 6-d is moved and tilted by the operating lever 5. When the time is corrected, the third wheel and pinion 6 is tilted using the upper pivot 6-c, so that the wheel and pinion 6 is removed from engagement with the centre wheel and pinion 7. Therefore, if clearance determining members 11-a, 11-b are provided on a gear train having the 0.005 to 0.1 mm clearance necessary for rotary movement of the wheels, when the third wheel and pinion 6 is tilted and moved, the clearance determining members 11-a, 11-b and the upper portion of the wheel 6-a touch each other, thereby deforming the wheel 6-a or the upper pivot 6-c. As a result, the movement is defective. Therefore, the clearance determining members 11-a, 11-b should be provided on only one part of the circumference of the upper pivot 6-c and not on all of it. As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the clearance determining members 11-a and 11-b for the gear train bridge 11 should be provided along the centre line, where there is the least variation in the tilt of the third wheel and pinion 6, between the centre of the pivot 6-c, and the centre of rotation 1-b of the operating lever 5. Figures 12 and 13 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 12 being a plan view of a timepiece construction according to the present invention in its normal operating condition, and Figure 13 being a plan view of the timepiece of Figure 12 in a time-correcting condition. In Figures 12 and 13 there is shown a timepiece having a main plate 101. A stem 102 acts as an externally operable member. The stem 102 has a concave portion 102-a, a convex portion 102-b and a click portion. The concave portion 102-a is loosely engaged with a clutch wheel 104 in the normal operating condition The convex portion 102-b is frictionally engaged with the clutch wheel 104 in the time-correcting condition. The clutch wheel 104 is positioned by a battery positive terminal. The clutch wheel 104 is loosely engaged with the stem 102 and is made of plastics materials. An operating lever 105 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 101-b which is mounted in the main plate 101. The operating lever 105 has a portion 105-a which contacts the end portion of the stem 2, and a resilient portion 105-b which urges the operating lever 105 to rotate about the shaft 101-b in the anticlockwise direction, 105-b. A holding portion 105-c of the operating lever 105 guides and holds a lower pivot of a third wheel and pinion 106. Further, the holding portion 105-c has a projection 105-e for controlling a fifth wheel and pinion 114. The third wheel and pinion 106 are made of plastics materials in which the wheel and the pinion are formed in one body. In the vicinity of the third wheel and pinion guide and the holding portion 105-c of the operating lever 105, a contact portion for contacting the projection of the main plate is provided to reduce the variation of the accuracy of the engagement distance of the gear train. A centre wheel and pinion 107 is made of plastics materials in which the wheel and pinion are formed as one body. A minute wheel 108 is constituted by a plastics wheel and pinion in which the wheel and the pinion are formed as one body. The minute wheel 108 is always engaged with the above mentioned centre pinion 107 and with the wheel of the clutch wheel 104. Namely, the clutch wheel 104 is driven by the minute wheel 108. In the normal operating condition, the clutch wheel 104 rotates the stem 102. A fourth wheel and pinion 110 is made of plastics materials in which the wheel and the pinion is formed as one body. The fifth wheel and pinion 114 is made of plastic materials in which the wheel and the pinion is formed as one body in the same manner as the gear train. A fifth wheel and pinion 114 is formed as one body with a control cam. A rotor 115, which is made of plastics materials, is provided with a magnet and has a pinion. A gear train bridge provides a mounting for the rotor 115, the fifth wheel and pinion 114, the fourth wheel and pinion 110, the third wheel and pinion 106, and the upper pinion of the minute wheel 108. All the members of the gear train function as known in the normal operational condition. In the time-correction condition, which is achieved by pulling out the stem 2, the end portion of the stem 2 is removed from the engaging portion 105-a of the operating lever 105 and the operating lever 105 is rotated anticlockwise around the shaft 101-b. Therefore, the gear train holding portion 105-c is moved, the third wheel and pinion 106 are tilted as a result of being held by the gear train bridge pivot, and the third pinion is removed from engagement with the centre wheel and pinion 107. The clutch wheel 104 is frictionally engaged with the convex portion 102-b of the stem 102 and is interlocked with the movement of the stem 102. Thus, since the clutch wheel 104 and the stem 102 are closely fixed together, the clutch wheel 104 is elastically deformed, thereby obtaining a given constant torque. When the time indication is corrected in this condition, the rotation of the minute wheel 108 is transmitted to the centre wheel (and pinion) 107, and the rotation of the pinion is transmitted to the clutch wheel 104 to enable the time correction for hours, minutes and seconds to be effected. Thus by removing the centre wheel and pinion 107 from engagement with the third wheel and pinion 106, sliding-resisting means are not necessary in the gear train, and the rotary torque is applied when the time indication is corrected. Therefore, all the gear train members can be formed of plastics materials in contrast to a conventional timepiece which uses metallic materials for a gear train and, more specifically, for the gear train members for the time-correcting mechanism. Accordingly, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the cost of members can be reduced. In the above embodiments, the operating lever is directly moved by an external controlling member but it may be moved via another member. Further, the engagement is released between the centre wheel and pinion and the third pinion, but it can be released between the third wheel and pinion and the fourth pinion.

Claims: 1. A timepiece construction comprising a stepping motor transducer (15); a driving gear train (6,14) driven by the transducer (15); a time-displaying gear train (7,9) which is driven by said driving gear train (6,14) and on which the hour and minute hands are mounted; an externally operable member (2) which is axially movable between a plurality of positions including a time-correction position; a time correction member (4) which is engaged and connected to the externally operable member (2) and to the time-displaying gear train (7,9) when the externally operable member (2) is in the time-correction position; and an operating lever (5) having a support portion (5-e) for supporting a pivot (6-a) of a driving gear (6) of the driving gear train (6,14), the operating lever (5) being mounted for rotation on a support (1-b) and having an engagement portion (5-a) which directly or indirectly engages the externally operable member (2) characterised in that the said driving gear (6) has another pivot (6-c) which is mounted in fixed structure (11), movement of the externally operable member (2) into the time-correcting position causing movement of the operating lever (5) to a position in which the said driving gear (6) is tilted so that it does not engage any gear of the time-displaying gear train (7,9). 2. A timepiece construction as claimed in claim 1 characterised in that the gears of the driving gear train (6,14) and the time-displaying gear train (7,9) are made of plastics material. 3. A timepiece construction as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which m/ℓ ≧ 2, where m is the distance from the said other pivot (6-c) to the first-mentioned pivot (6-a), and ℓ is the distance from the said other pivot (6-c) to the most distant surface of a wheel portion (6-a) of the said driving gear (6).

Inventors: HIRAGA, IMAO, NISHITANI, TADASHI, YAMADA, TAKEHIDE, YAMAZAKI, SATOSHI
Applicants: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G04B27
IPC codes: G04B27, G04B13