G04B17/045

SHOCK PROTECTION OF A RESONATOR MECHANISM WITH ROTARY FLEXURE BEARING

A horological resonator mechanism, including a structure carrying, via a flexible suspension, an anchor unit from which is suspended an inertial element oscillating about a pivot axis extending in a first direction Z, in a first degree of rotational freedom RZ, under the effect of the return forces of a flexure pivot including longitudinal elastic strips, each fixed to the inertial element and to the anchor unit, the flexible suspension allowing the anchor unit to move in five degrees of freedom, this resonator is a composite assembly made of at least two different materials, on the one hand for the flexure pivot, and on the other hand for the flexible suspension.

Timepiece oscillator structure with a divisible element

A timepiece oscillator structure includes at least one divisible unit, which includes at least one component which includes at least one flexible blade or at least one blade with necks, joining two main units, each more rigid than the flexible blade or blade with necks, where the divisible unit includes at least one protection unit adjacent to at least one main unit to which it is connected by at least one divisible linkage which is designed in order to make possible the detachment of this protection unit from the component when the component is fixed, with at least the particular main unit which is adjacent to the protection unit, to a more rigid external element than the flexible blade or than the necks of the blade with necks.

Rotating resonator with flexure bearing maintained by a detached lever escapement

Timepiece regulator (300) comprising a detached lever (7) escapement mechanism (200), and a resonator (100) with a quality factor Q including an inertia element (2) comprising an impulse pin (6) integral with an inertia element (2) and cooperating with a fork (8) of the lever (7), this inertia element (2) being subjected to the action of elastic return means (3) directly or indirectly fixed to the plate (1) and being arranged to cooperate indirectly with an escape wheel set (4) comprised in the escapement mechanism (200), this resonator mechanism (100) is a resonator with a virtual pivot rotating about a main axis (DP), with a flexure bearing subjected to the return force of at least two flexible strips (5) attached to the plate (1), defining together a virtual pivot with a main axis (DP), the lever (7) pivoting about a secondary axis (DS), and the fork (8) is enlarged in comparison to the fork of a conventional Swiss lever.

Mechanical clock movement with magnetic escapement

A mechanical clock movement includes a resonator, an escapement linked to the resonator, and a display of at least one item of time information. The display is driven by a mechanical drive device via a counter wheel train, the work rate of which is set by the escapement. At least the resonator is housed in a chamber, in which a reduced pressure in relation to atmospheric pressure prevails. The escapement is a magnetic escapement including an escape wheel coupled directly or indirectly to the resonator via a non-contact magnetic coupling system, wherein the magnetic coupling system is formed so that a non-magnetic wall of the chamber runs through the magnetic escapement so that a first part of the escapement is located inside the chamber whereas a second part of the escapement is located outside the chamber.

METHOD FOR MAINTAINING AND REGULATING THE FREQUENCY OF A TIMEPIECE RESONATOR

A method for maintaining and regulating frequency of a timepiece resonator mechanism around its natural frequency, the method including: at least one regulator device acting on the resonator mechanism with a periodic motion, to impose a periodic modulation of resonant frequency or quality factor or a position of a point of rest of the resonator mechanism, with a regulation frequency between 0.9 times and 1.1 times the value of an integer multiple of the natural frequency, the integer being greater than or equal to 2 and less than or equal to 10, and the periodic motion imposes a periodic modulation of the quality factor of the resonator mechanism, by acting on losses and/or damping and/or friction of the resonator mechanism.

TIMEPIECE RESONATOR MECHANISM

Watch or movement including a timepiece resonator movement including two RCC flexural pivots mounted in series about an intermediate rotary support and having the same virtual pivot axis, each comprising two straight flexible strips of the same length, whose clamping points opposite to this pivot axis are at the same distance with respect to this axis, and which define linear directions, forming angles, in pairs, with this virtual pivot axis, whose value expressed in degrees is comprised between:


109.5+5/[(D/L)−(2/3)] and 114.5+5/[(D/L)−(213)],

or more particularly between 107+5/((D/L)−(2/3)) and 112+5/((D/L)−(2/3)), this timepiece resonator mechanism is in an advantageous variant a one-piece temperature-compensated silicon resonator.

Timepiece regulating mechanism with articulated resonators

A timepiece regulating mechanism including primary resonators each with an inertial weight suspended by flexible strips to a fixed structure with respect to which this weight pivots, and mechanical device of synchronizing the primary resonators which include, between the inertial weights, an articulated connection which, under normal conditions, allows pivoting of the inertial weights in opposite directions of rotation and with close rotation angles, and during a shock, prevents pivoting thereof in the same direction of rotation, the mechanism including an oscillator with a frictional rest escapement mechanism arranged to cooperate alternately with the primary resonators, on pallet stones of the inertial weights.

Shock protection for a strip resonator with RCC pivots

A timepiece resonator mechanism including a structure and an inertia element oscillating about an axis, subjected to return forces exerted by a RCC flexure pivot with elastic resonator strips, which are each fixed to the structure and to the inertia element and essentially deformable in a plane perpendicular to the axis, straight and extending in parallel or coincident planes, the crossing, in projection onto a plane perpendicular to the axis, of their directions defining this axis, these strips are fixed on the inertia element side to a stiff element, comprised in an anti-shock element and on which are fixed the strips and which is integral with anti-shock flexible elements arranged to keep suspended the inertia element, the anti-shock element providing shock protection for the strips of the flexure pivot.

TIMEPIECE RESONATOR MECHANISM

Timepiece resonator mechanism with a pivoting weight pivoting about a virtual axis, and comprising a flexure pivot mechanism and a first and second fixed support to which is attached, by a first resilient assembly and respectively a second resilient assembly which together define the virtual axis, a rotary support carrying the pivoting weight, this flexure pivot mechanism is planar, the first resilient assembly includes, on either side of the virtual axis, a first outer flexible strip and a first inner flexible strip, joined to each other by a first intermediate strip stiffer than each of the latter, together defining a first direction passing through the virtual pivot axis, and the second resilient assembly includes a second flexible strip defining a second direction passing through the virtual pivot axis.

Method for making a flexure bearing mechanism for a mechanical timepiece oscillator

A method for making a flexure bearing for an oscillator with an inertial element oscillating in a plane supported by flexible strips fixed to a stationary support returning it to a rest position includes: forming the bearing with basic strips in superposed levels, each having an aspect ratio of less than 10; breaking down the number of basic levels into a plurality of sub-units, each including one or two strips joining a basic support and a basic inertial element, which are made by etching substrates; assembling the sub-units by joining their basic inertial elements; and fixing the basic supports to the support, directly or via translational tables along one or two in-plane translational degrees of freedom, of lower translational stiffness than that of the sub-unit.