ESCAPEMENT SYSTEM AND MEASURING DEVICE COMPRISING SAID ESCAPEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

The present invention relates to an escapement system that can be used, for example, in a measuring device such as in a timepiece. The escapement system comprises a drive axle and at least one escape wheel that has at least one impulse tooth. The at least one impulse tooth is connected to the drive axle via at least one spring element and has a starting position in which it is fixed such that the spring element has a preload torque.

Claims

1. An escapement system comprising: a drive axle; and at least one escape wheel that has multiple impulse teeth, wherein each of the impulse teeth is connected to the drive axle via at least one spring element, respectively, and has a starting position in which it is fixed such that the spring element has a preload torque.

2. The escapement system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising: at least one balancing element that has at least one tensioning surface that moves the impulse teeth from the starting position into a tensioning position on a rotation of the escape wheel.

3. The escapement system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the impulse teeth can be pressed against the at least one tensioning surface by rotating the escape wheel such that they are moved out of the starting position into the tensioning position and the preload torque of the corresponding spring element is increased in this process.

4. The escapement system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the at least one balancing element is designed as at least one of: an anchor, a balance lever, or as part of a balance spring.

5. (canceled)

6. The escapement system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one escape wheel has multiple abutments that fix the impulse teeth in their starting position.

7. The escapement system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the escapement system has one or more balance teeth.

8. The escapement system in accordance with one claim 1, wherein at least one escape wheel is designed in two parts, and comprises as a first part an impulse wheel that has the impulse teeth and as a second part a balance wheel, with the impulse wheel and the balance wheel being fixed in a fixed position with respect to one another and with a running off of a drive train at the balance wheel being controllable.

9. The escapement system in accordance with claim 8, wherein at least one escape wheel is designed in one part and in two planes, with one of the two planes having the impulse teeth and with the running off of a drive train at the balance wheel being controllable.

10. (canceled)

11. A measuring device comprising an escapement system, the escapement system comprising: a drive axle; and at least one escape wheel that has multiple impulse teeth, wherein each of the impulse teeth is connected to the drive axle via at least one spring element, respectively, and has a starting position in which it is fixed such that the spring element has a preload torque.

12. The measuring device in accordance with claim 11, further comprising: a power regulator.

13. The measuring device in accordance with claim 11, wherein the measuring device is a time measuring device.

14. The measuring device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the time measuring device is a timepiece.

Description

[0043] The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the following examples and Figures without restricting it to the specific embodiments and parameters shown here.

[0044] The function of the escapement system in accordance with the invention will be explained in the following with reference to the Figures by way of example in a “constant energy escapement” similar to the “Swiss anchor escapement”.

[0045] A special embodiment of the escapement system in accordance with the invention is first shown in FIG. 1. The escapement system here comprises a drive axle 11 and an escape wheel that has a plurality of impulse teeth 1, 8, with the impulse teeth 1, 8 being connected to the drive axle 11 via spring elements.

[0046] Each of the impulse teeth 1, 8 is here respectively connected to the drive axle 11 via a spring element. It is alternatively also possible, however, that one, more, or all of the impulse teeth are connected to the drive axle via one or more spring elements. As shown in FIG. 1a, the impulse teeth have a starting position that they can adopt, as can be seen by way of example at the impulse tooth 8. The impulse tooth is fixed in this starting position such that the spring element via which the balance tooth is connected to the drive axle has a preload torque. The impulse teeth can, however, also adopt a tensioning position such as can be seen by way of example at the impulse tooth 1.

[0047] The escape wheel shown in FIG. 1 is designed in two parts. It comprises as a first part an impulse wheel that has the impulse teeth 1, 8 and as a second part a balance wheel that has balance teeth 3, 9. Both parts are shown before the assembly of the escape wheel in FIG. 2a. The spring elements connected to the impulse teeth are here in a relaxed state. In FIG. 2b (as also in FIG. 1), the two parts are shown after the assembly and after a rotation of the hubs with respect to one another. The impulse wheel and the balance wheel are fixed to one another in a fixed position here. In addition, the impulse teeth are pressed against abutments 12, 13, located on the balance wheel so that the impulse teeth are fixed in the starting position in which they have a preload torque.

[0048] In addition, the escape wheel shown in FIG. 1 has a balancing element 5, with the latter being designed as an anchor. The balancing element 5 has two tensioning surfaces 2, 7 that move the impulse teeth 1, 8 from the starting position into the tensioning position on a rotation of the escape wheel. In this process, the respective impulse tooth 1 is pressed against the tensioning surface 2 by a rotation of the escape wheel with a torque that is greater than the preload torque of the spring element in the starting position of the impulse tooth 1 such that it is moved out of the starting position into the tensioning position and the preload torque of the spring element is increased in so doing as is shown in FIG. 1 for the example of the impulse tooth 1.

[0049] FIGS. 3a to 6a and 3b to 6b now show the function of the escapement system during the rotation of the escape wheel by the drive axle. Figures a and b of the same number here show the escapement system in each case at the same time from different perspectives, once from the front and once from the back.

[0050] In FIGS. 3a and 3b, the impulse tooth 1 is tensioned by the tensioning surface 2 at the starting anchor side to a higher torque M.sub.H. At the same time, the drive axle 11 of the escape wheel is arrested by the contact between the balance tooth 3 and the balance surface 4. The difference between the drive torque M.sub.A and the preload torque M.sub.H is supported via this.

[0051] If now the balance spring moves the anchor 5, there is initially a release of the impulse tooth 1 as soon as it no longer rests on the tensioning surface 2. After release of the impulse tooth 1, it impacts the lifting surface 6 and drives the anchor 5 as is shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b. In this process, the impulse tooth 1 relaxes from its high preload level M.sub.H to its low level M.sub.L. Toward the end or after the energy output, the tensioning surface 7 has been moved in front of the impulse tooth 8 by the anchor movement. The balance surface 4 now releases the escape wheel for the retensioning in that it releases the balance tooth 3.

[0052] There is now—while the balance spring performs its complementary arc—a movement of the drive axle 11 until the balance tooth 9 is incident on the balance surface 10, as is shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. During this process, the impulse tooth 8 is now preloaded by the tensioning surface 7 at the input side anchor side from the torque level M.sub.L to M.sub.H.

[0053] If now the balance spring again moves the anchor 5, there is a release of the impulse tooth 8 as soon as it no longer rests on the tensioning surface 7. After release of the impulse tooth 8, it impacts the lifting surface at the input side of the anchor and drives the anchor 5 as is shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b. In this process, the impulse tooth 8 relaxes from its high preload level M.sub.H to its low level M.sub.L. The balance surface 10 now releases the balance tooth 9 of the balance wheel, which triggers the preloading of the next impulse tooth.

[0054] From here onward, the routines repeat as soon as the balance spring performs a further passage of the balance position.

[0055] It is necessary for a correct routine that the drive axle 11 of the escape wheel outputs a higher torque MA than is required to tension the impulse tooth 1, 8. The efficiency of the escapement increases decisively due to a low preload torque M.sub.L different from 0 Nm since more of the energy required for the tensioning (Δα.Math.MA) can be stored. This is also illustrated by FIG. 7 that shows the energy diagram of the escapement. It is shown there that due to the high preload level M.sub.L of the impulse teeth in the starting position, the amount of transmitted energy 14 is very high in comparison with the amount of lost energy 15. It can thus easily be seen from the diagram that a preload torque M.sub.L of the pulse teeth that is as high as possible in the starting position decisively contributes to the efficiency of the escapement system in accordance with the invention. Without a preload in the starting position, in contrast, a maximum of 50% of the available energy could be used.