CA1190754A - Planetary gear for date mechanism in a wristwatch - Google Patents
Planetary gear for date mechanism in a wristwatchInfo
- Publication number
- CA1190754A CA1190754A CA000436701A CA436701A CA1190754A CA 1190754 A CA1190754 A CA 1190754A CA 000436701 A CA000436701 A CA 000436701A CA 436701 A CA436701 A CA 436701A CA 1190754 A CA1190754 A CA 1190754A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- gear
- date
- watch
- button
- ring
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G04—HOROLOGY
- G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
- G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
- G04B19/24—Clocks or watches with date or week-day indicators, i.e. calendar clocks or watches; Clockwork calendars
- G04B19/243—Clocks or watches with date or week-day indicators, i.e. calendar clocks or watches; Clockwork calendars characterised by the shape of the date indicator
- G04B19/247—Clocks or watches with date or week-day indicators, i.e. calendar clocks or watches; Clockwork calendars characterised by the shape of the date indicator disc-shaped
- G04B19/25—Devices for setting the date indicators manually
Abstract
PLANETARY GEAR FOR DATE MECHANISM IN A WRISTWATCH
ABSTRACT
A wristwatch with a stepping motor driving the hands through a normal gear train also includes a supplementary gear train driving a circumferential date ring showing the calendar date. The gear train includes a planetary gear assembly, which may also be selectively operated by an exterior manually rotatable button to change the date without interfering with the normal driving of the date ring from the stepping motor. Preferably the manually rotatable button is operable from the back of the watch using a ball-point pen or the like.
ABSTRACT
A wristwatch with a stepping motor driving the hands through a normal gear train also includes a supplementary gear train driving a circumferential date ring showing the calendar date. The gear train includes a planetary gear assembly, which may also be selectively operated by an exterior manually rotatable button to change the date without interfering with the normal driving of the date ring from the stepping motor. Preferably the manually rotatable button is operable from the back of the watch using a ball-point pen or the like.
Description
PLANETARY 6EAR FOR DATE MECHANISM IN A W~ISTWATCH
BACKGR0llND OF THE INVENTION
This ~nvention relates generally to a wristwa~:ch with hands and calendar date rlng driven ~y the watch motor. More particularly~ it relates ~o an improved mecnan~sm for manuall~y changing the date without interfering with the nonnal t~mekeep~ng or date advancing functions of the watch .
Calendar watches are well known ~n the art wh~ h, ~n addit~on to no~al time indicating hands, ~nclude a circumferential ring of number~ showing the cal endar date. Such watches usual ly requi re manual adj ustment of the disp1ayed date for months having fewer ~han 31 d~ys. Illustrai;ive of the prior art are the following paten~s which are exemplary, but not intended to be all inclusive:
Issue Da~e Patentee U.S, Patent No. . .
3,413,800 12/3J68 &. Dubois et al.
3, 645 ~ 086 2/29/72 E . N~ zni k 39716,983 2/20/73 Tanaka et al.
4,2913397 9l22/81 Wuthnich et al~
Such caleildar watehes, which include means to Inanually chan8e the date ~ndica~ion~ normally ~nclude an external actuator which may be operated to advance the da~e. Usually khe date ~ay be manually advanced, but not retarded or moved in ~he ~pposi~e d~rect~onO
One of the common problems w~th such systems ~s that, ~f there is an attempt tQ manually advance the d~te at the prec~se t~me when the normal timekeeping mechanism is also advancing ~he date, damage can result ~o the delicate internal mechanism of the watch. One effort to avoid such damage is illustrated in German Offenlegun~schrlft DE 3046569Al in the names of Schwartz and Skwarek9 laid open on July 15, 1982, and assigned to the present asslgnee. ~ ~`
The present invention incoporates a planetary gear. Plane~ary or epicyclic gears have preYiously been suggested in watches3 for example in gearing driving the hands for normal ti~ekeeping; as 1n U.S. patent 3,722,207 issued March 27, 1973 to Challandes; U.S patent 3,184,909 issued May 25, 1965 to Lohf et al,; and U.S. patent 4,~54,493 issued March 3, 1981 to A. Billet, the latter assigned to the present asslgnee. Planetary years have also been sugges~ed for the winding mechanism of mechanical watches by PO Wuthrich in U.S. patent 3,104,517 issued September 24, 1963, assigned to the present assignee.
The advent of the quartz analog stepping motor watch has imposed more severe requirements upon the drive mechanism which advances the calendar date ri ng . Si nce ~he power to drive ~he ring is derived from a tiny stepping motor driven by electronic pulses from an integrated circuit, rather than from a spring motor, a drive mech~nism which conserves ~attery life is essential. Also, there is an eYer increasing tendency toward thinner and thinner watches, which nevertheless must continue to employ r economic construction, simplicity of assembly, and fewer parts. Plastic materials for gear members o-ffer many advantages in cost and in the ability to produce complex shapes~
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved calendar watch with means to adjust the date indication without disturbing the normal function of the wa~ch or causing damage.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved quartz analog stepping motor calendar wa~ch which is thln and incorporates a manually adjustable calendar drive mechanism of low cost plastic parts.
Another objec~ of the invention is to provide an improved calendar wateh wi~h a planetary gear mechanism for changing ~he ~ate indication in either direction from outside the watch without damage.
~ ~, DRAWING
The inventionJ both as to organization and method of practice, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an elevation drawing, par~ly in section, of a portion of a wristwatch illustrating the invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the watch shown in cross section in Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of ~he exterior front and exterior rear of a watch respectively, and Fig. 5 is an elevation drawing, partly în section, of a modified form of the invention.
S~lMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly sta~ed, in a watch with a motor driving hands through a normal timekeeping gear train, and also having a date ring advanced periodically by a supplementary gear train, the improvement comprising a planetary gear asse~bly forming a portion of th~ supplementary gear train, and a ma~ually ro~a~able bu~on access~ble from ou~side o~ the watch opera~ively connected ~o ~he plane1;ary gearlng ~o independently advance or retard the da~e ring.
Preferably the planetary ~ear ~s~embly inc~udes ~irst and second c~axial ~ears, a plane~ gear ro~a~ably ~ountecl ~n a planet carrier and meshing wi~h the first ~nd second gears, the plane~ carYier be~ng driven9 ~he~ se~ond gear advancing the date ring, and the first gear coupled to be driven by the r~atable but~on.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED B~BODIMENT
Referring now ~Q Fig. 1 of th drawing, a thin quartz analog stepping motor calendar wateh ~ncludes an outer housing comprising a bezel 1, a ~ransparent 1 ens or crystal 29 and a caseback 3, preferably of thi n stainless steel adhered ~o an inner frame member 4 by means of adhesiYe 5.
~he normal timekeeping mechanism includes an hour hand 6 and ~inute hand 7 supported on coaxial sleeves B, 9 respectively disposed around a fixed cen~er post 10. Sleeve 9 is f~a(ed ~o a cen~er wheel 11, which ls driven directly at the rim by a step~ping mo~or p~nion 12 (Fig. 2)~ The center wheel 11 and Ini nll~e hand 7 ~re thereby dri ven ~oge~her di rectly by the stepping motor ~n the manner previously shown and described in acsignee~ s U.S. Patent Mumher 4,376,~96, I~sued ~arch 15, 1983 ln the name of Paul Wuthrich.
In order to rotate th~ hour hand at a reduced rate, a nonnal ~imekeeping gear tra~n includes a m~nute wheel 13 a~tached tQ a ~ninute pinion 14 rotatably mounted on a post 15 secured in the frame member 4~
The minute wheel 13 meshes with teetlh 16 on sleeve 9 and pin~on 14 meshes ~i~h an h~ur wheel 17 alttached t~ s1eeve 8~ th~reby ~o provide a reduction and acl; ~s a nornal gear train iFor t~mekeeping~
., ~
q~
i In order to indicate the date, the watch is provided with a circumferential date ring rotatably mounted around a number of circumferentially spaced fixed studs, such as 19. The date ring has date numerals printed on the upper surface thereof, which are vlewable through a window 20 in a dial 21 in the conventional manner. The date ring ha~ tee~h 22 on its underside which mesh with a first set of ~eeth 23 onJ'a date indexing pinion 24. Date indexing pinion is preferably molded ~f plastic material to include a second set of specially shaped teeth 25 and is rotatably mounted on a fixed pos~ 26.
In order to periodically advance the date r~ng by rotRting the date indexing pinion 24, a supplementary gear train is employed which is driven by the stepping motor via the minute pinion 14. The supplementary gear ~rain includes an intenmed~a~e wheel and pinion shown generally at 27 ro~atably mounted on a fixed pos~ 28~ The intermed~ate wheel and pin~on is preferably made of plastic, with a first set of teeth 29 meshing with minute pinion 1~ and a second set of tee~h 30.
The elements preYiously described may be basically found in known calendar watch mechanisms. In accordance with the presen~ invention, a planetary gear mechanism 31 forms a portion of the supplementary gear train and is in~erposed between inte ~ediate wheel 27 and date indexi ng pi ni on 24 and adapted to periodically rotate the date indexing pinion 24. The planetary gear assembly 31 is also arranged to be actuated externally by means of a manually rotatable date button shown generally at 32. The date button i5 journaled on a stem 33 extending through a hole 34 in the frame member 4 and through a larger hole 35 in the caseback 3. A seal is provided by an O-ring gaske~ 36. An eccentric hole 37 in a circumferential flange 38 of the date button 32 prov~ des means for rotating it using a stylus9 ball point pen or the like~ A button date wheel 39 is locked to the inner end of the stem 33. The button date wheel 39 has teeth engaging .~ .
3~
wi~h ~he plane~ary gear llssembly 31 so ~s to ro~ate portions of ~ when the external da~e button ~ s manual ly rot~ted. The bu~on date sYheel i s detented ~nd held in preferred posi~ions by a detent spring 41.
Although the planetary gear mechanism ma~y take severàl fonns, In its preferred embodimen~ as shown ~n Fig~ includes a first or Usu~ ear 42, a second or "rlng" gear 43~ ~nd a pl~ne~ carr~*r 44 w~th a s~ngle "planet" pinion 45 no~atably mounted ~n ~he plane~ carr~er. The firs~ and second gears and the c~rr~er 44 are all coaxially dispo~ed and rota~ably nlounted on a Pixed post 46. The planet carrier 44 has ext rnal teeth dr~ven by ~eeth on the Inte7med~e wheel ~7. ~he f~rst or sun gear has p~ ni on teeth engaged wi ~h those on the button date wheel 39. The second ring gear 43 includes a single tooth 4~ on ~ts outer periphery which serves to advance the date indexing pin~on 24 by two tee~h upon each revolution.
The ~econd ring gear 43 has in~ern~l gear tee~h meshing wi~h those of ~he planet pinion 45~ which also meshes with the f~rs~ sun ge3r 42.
The first gear~ serond gear~ planet carrier and planet gear are preferably all moulded of plastic material~ Pl~s~ic gear ~embers are comtemplated in the preferred fonm of the ~nvention, because di~f k ult gear shapes, may be easily moulded. Such shapes include ~h~ date indexing pinion 24, ~he intenmedia~e wheel 271 ~he planetary outer ~ear 43 with ~nternal teeth ~nd a single advancing tooth 48. The date r~ng 18 may also ~dvan~ageously be made of plast~c, so ~hat ~he entire supplementary gear ~rain from ~ntenmediate wheel 27 to r~ng gear 18 may be of low cost construetion. In order to h~ld all of the aforesaid gear 0embers in place and to control "endshake" ~r axial movemen~ of ~he gears on ~he fixed posts~ a spring clamp 49 ~s secured to the frame 4~ as ~ndicated at 49a and 49b by retai ni n~ tabs. A sim~ 1 ar arrangement for control 1 i ng endshake i 5preYiously descr~bed fully in ~ss~gnee' s u.s. Patent No. 4,382,695, issued May 10, lg83 in the names of Rinaldi and Wuthrich.
~7~
I
The front side and back side of a typical watch using the invention further illustrate the invention~ The front view shown in F~g. 3 is typical of a calendar watch with the date window 20 being located at the 6:00 o'clock position. The back view in Fig~ 4 shows that the caseback 3 is secured to the bezel by means of screws 50 in each corner w~ a recessed push button 51 may be used to set the h~nds~ A cover 52/allows access to an energy cell. The manually rotatable date button 32 ~ith small eccen~ric hole 37 ~o rota~e it with a stylus or ball-point pen or the~like is seen to be accessible from the rear of the watch, MODIFICATION
Fig. 5 is an elevation drawing of a modi~f~ed fonm of the invention. In this arrangement, the date button and the first gear are both disposed on a cvmmon axis rather than disposed on two axes and ~eared together. A date ring 118 is located beneath a viewing hole 120 in a dial 121, and driven by a date Indexing pinion 124 as before. The date ring is periodically advanced by a supplementary gear assembly train comprising an intenmediate whee1 127 and a planetary gear shown generally at 131. The watch case is constructed as before with a thin caseback 103 and frame member 104 laminated thereto wlth adhesive. An external manually rotatable date button 132 with flange 138 and sealing gasket 136 has a stem 133 projecting into the wateh case.
A first or lower gear 142 is keyed to the stem to rotate therewith and mesh a firs~ set of teeth on a planet gear 145. Planet 145 is rotatably mounted in a planet carrier 144, which in turn is rotatably disposed around the s~em 133. The planet 145 a7so has a second set of teeth meshing with the tee~h o~ a second or upper gear 143. Gear 143 al so has khereon a single tooth 1489 which once each revolution serves to advance the date ~ndexing pinion 1~4~ The gear members of ~he supplementary gear train are held in place by a spring clamp 14g, simi~ar to spring clamp 49 previously descri bed. , ~.
OPERATION
The operation o~ ~he preferred embo~iment of the invention shown in Figs 1 and 2 is as follows~
Duri ng nonmal advancing of the date ri ng 18, ~he mi nute pi ni on 14 drives intermediate pinion 27, which in turn drives the planet carrier 44 by less than one turn per day ~depending on the transmission~. The ~irst or sun gear 42 is locked in place by meshing with the button date wheel 39, held by detent spri ng 41. The pl anet gear 45 therefore travels around the sun gear 42 as the planet carrier 44 rotates~ being driven by the locked sun gear 42. The plane~ gear drives the second or ring gear 43 once per day. The single tooth 48 of ~he ring gear turns the da~e index pinion 24 once per day at midnight by two teeth, which advances the date ring 18 by F one step.
During ~he manual date setting function, date button 32 is rotated using a ball-point pen in the eccentric hole 37 of the date button. Either directiQn of rotation (advance or reverse) is possible, The date button 32 rotates the date bu~ton wheel 39 and the sun gear 42~ The planet carrier 44 is for all practical purposes locked by the gear train friction of the in~enmediate wheel 27 and other gear train members. The sun gear 42 rotates ~he planet pinion 45 around its axis in the fixed planet carrier 9.
44, thereby drivi ng the outer gear 43 once for one complete rotation of the date button 32. The single tooth 48 of the rin~ gear 43 turns the date indexing pinion 24 by two teeth per revolution, which advances or reverses the date ring 18 by one step~
The operation oF the modiflcation shown in Fig. 5 is similar. ;ow~ver due to the fact that the first or lower gear 142 is directly mounte~ to the date button, and the fact that the teeth on the second or upper; gear 143 are located on the inner circumference and since there are different~èar ratios, it is necessary to ~urn the date button 132 only one half revolution to advance the date by one step. ~he modification shown in Fig~
5 is somewha~ more difficult to assemble and has less faYorable gear ratios than the preferred embodiment.
The advantages of the foregoing construction are that the date can be set in either direction, and it can also be set during time when the date ring is being advanced through the supplementary gear train by ~he stepping motor. Nothing can be damaged and ~he setting mechanism remains functional during all 24 hours of the d~y. The planetary mechanism provides great saving of space for the necessary gear ratlo reduc~ion and is designed for a simple assembly of parts. ~ost of the necessary parts can be made of plastic, seven gear members In the preferred embodiment and six gear members in ~he modified form of the invention.
p While there has been disc7osed what is considered herein ~o be the preferred embodiment of the invention, and one modification thereof, other modifica~ions will occur to those skilled in ~he art, and it is desired to include in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
BACKGR0llND OF THE INVENTION
This ~nvention relates generally to a wristwa~:ch with hands and calendar date rlng driven ~y the watch motor. More particularly~ it relates ~o an improved mecnan~sm for manuall~y changing the date without interfering with the nonnal t~mekeep~ng or date advancing functions of the watch .
Calendar watches are well known ~n the art wh~ h, ~n addit~on to no~al time indicating hands, ~nclude a circumferential ring of number~ showing the cal endar date. Such watches usual ly requi re manual adj ustment of the disp1ayed date for months having fewer ~han 31 d~ys. Illustrai;ive of the prior art are the following paten~s which are exemplary, but not intended to be all inclusive:
Issue Da~e Patentee U.S, Patent No. . .
3,413,800 12/3J68 &. Dubois et al.
3, 645 ~ 086 2/29/72 E . N~ zni k 39716,983 2/20/73 Tanaka et al.
4,2913397 9l22/81 Wuthnich et al~
Such caleildar watehes, which include means to Inanually chan8e the date ~ndica~ion~ normally ~nclude an external actuator which may be operated to advance the da~e. Usually khe date ~ay be manually advanced, but not retarded or moved in ~he ~pposi~e d~rect~onO
One of the common problems w~th such systems ~s that, ~f there is an attempt tQ manually advance the d~te at the prec~se t~me when the normal timekeeping mechanism is also advancing ~he date, damage can result ~o the delicate internal mechanism of the watch. One effort to avoid such damage is illustrated in German Offenlegun~schrlft DE 3046569Al in the names of Schwartz and Skwarek9 laid open on July 15, 1982, and assigned to the present asslgnee. ~ ~`
The present invention incoporates a planetary gear. Plane~ary or epicyclic gears have preYiously been suggested in watches3 for example in gearing driving the hands for normal ti~ekeeping; as 1n U.S. patent 3,722,207 issued March 27, 1973 to Challandes; U.S patent 3,184,909 issued May 25, 1965 to Lohf et al,; and U.S. patent 4,~54,493 issued March 3, 1981 to A. Billet, the latter assigned to the present asslgnee. Planetary years have also been sugges~ed for the winding mechanism of mechanical watches by PO Wuthrich in U.S. patent 3,104,517 issued September 24, 1963, assigned to the present assignee.
The advent of the quartz analog stepping motor watch has imposed more severe requirements upon the drive mechanism which advances the calendar date ri ng . Si nce ~he power to drive ~he ring is derived from a tiny stepping motor driven by electronic pulses from an integrated circuit, rather than from a spring motor, a drive mech~nism which conserves ~attery life is essential. Also, there is an eYer increasing tendency toward thinner and thinner watches, which nevertheless must continue to employ r economic construction, simplicity of assembly, and fewer parts. Plastic materials for gear members o-ffer many advantages in cost and in the ability to produce complex shapes~
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved calendar watch with means to adjust the date indication without disturbing the normal function of the wa~ch or causing damage.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved quartz analog stepping motor calendar wa~ch which is thln and incorporates a manually adjustable calendar drive mechanism of low cost plastic parts.
Another objec~ of the invention is to provide an improved calendar wateh wi~h a planetary gear mechanism for changing ~he ~ate indication in either direction from outside the watch without damage.
~ ~, DRAWING
The inventionJ both as to organization and method of practice, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an elevation drawing, par~ly in section, of a portion of a wristwatch illustrating the invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the watch shown in cross section in Fig. 1, Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of ~he exterior front and exterior rear of a watch respectively, and Fig. 5 is an elevation drawing, partly în section, of a modified form of the invention.
S~lMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly sta~ed, in a watch with a motor driving hands through a normal timekeeping gear train, and also having a date ring advanced periodically by a supplementary gear train, the improvement comprising a planetary gear asse~bly forming a portion of th~ supplementary gear train, and a ma~ually ro~a~able bu~on access~ble from ou~side o~ the watch opera~ively connected ~o ~he plane1;ary gearlng ~o independently advance or retard the da~e ring.
Preferably the planetary ~ear ~s~embly inc~udes ~irst and second c~axial ~ears, a plane~ gear ro~a~ably ~ountecl ~n a planet carrier and meshing wi~h the first ~nd second gears, the plane~ carYier be~ng driven9 ~he~ se~ond gear advancing the date ring, and the first gear coupled to be driven by the r~atable but~on.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED B~BODIMENT
Referring now ~Q Fig. 1 of th drawing, a thin quartz analog stepping motor calendar wateh ~ncludes an outer housing comprising a bezel 1, a ~ransparent 1 ens or crystal 29 and a caseback 3, preferably of thi n stainless steel adhered ~o an inner frame member 4 by means of adhesiYe 5.
~he normal timekeeping mechanism includes an hour hand 6 and ~inute hand 7 supported on coaxial sleeves B, 9 respectively disposed around a fixed cen~er post 10. Sleeve 9 is f~a(ed ~o a cen~er wheel 11, which ls driven directly at the rim by a step~ping mo~or p~nion 12 (Fig. 2)~ The center wheel 11 and Ini nll~e hand 7 ~re thereby dri ven ~oge~her di rectly by the stepping motor ~n the manner previously shown and described in acsignee~ s U.S. Patent Mumher 4,376,~96, I~sued ~arch 15, 1983 ln the name of Paul Wuthrich.
In order to rotate th~ hour hand at a reduced rate, a nonnal ~imekeeping gear tra~n includes a m~nute wheel 13 a~tached tQ a ~ninute pinion 14 rotatably mounted on a post 15 secured in the frame member 4~
The minute wheel 13 meshes with teetlh 16 on sleeve 9 and pin~on 14 meshes ~i~h an h~ur wheel 17 alttached t~ s1eeve 8~ th~reby ~o provide a reduction and acl; ~s a nornal gear train iFor t~mekeeping~
., ~
q~
i In order to indicate the date, the watch is provided with a circumferential date ring rotatably mounted around a number of circumferentially spaced fixed studs, such as 19. The date ring has date numerals printed on the upper surface thereof, which are vlewable through a window 20 in a dial 21 in the conventional manner. The date ring ha~ tee~h 22 on its underside which mesh with a first set of ~eeth 23 onJ'a date indexing pinion 24. Date indexing pinion is preferably molded ~f plastic material to include a second set of specially shaped teeth 25 and is rotatably mounted on a fixed pos~ 26.
In order to periodically advance the date r~ng by rotRting the date indexing pinion 24, a supplementary gear train is employed which is driven by the stepping motor via the minute pinion 14. The supplementary gear ~rain includes an intenmed~a~e wheel and pinion shown generally at 27 ro~atably mounted on a fixed pos~ 28~ The intermed~ate wheel and pin~on is preferably made of plastic, with a first set of teeth 29 meshing with minute pinion 1~ and a second set of tee~h 30.
The elements preYiously described may be basically found in known calendar watch mechanisms. In accordance with the presen~ invention, a planetary gear mechanism 31 forms a portion of the supplementary gear train and is in~erposed between inte ~ediate wheel 27 and date indexi ng pi ni on 24 and adapted to periodically rotate the date indexing pinion 24. The planetary gear assembly 31 is also arranged to be actuated externally by means of a manually rotatable date button shown generally at 32. The date button i5 journaled on a stem 33 extending through a hole 34 in the frame member 4 and through a larger hole 35 in the caseback 3. A seal is provided by an O-ring gaske~ 36. An eccentric hole 37 in a circumferential flange 38 of the date button 32 prov~ des means for rotating it using a stylus9 ball point pen or the like~ A button date wheel 39 is locked to the inner end of the stem 33. The button date wheel 39 has teeth engaging .~ .
3~
wi~h ~he plane~ary gear llssembly 31 so ~s to ro~ate portions of ~ when the external da~e button ~ s manual ly rot~ted. The bu~on date sYheel i s detented ~nd held in preferred posi~ions by a detent spring 41.
Although the planetary gear mechanism ma~y take severàl fonns, In its preferred embodimen~ as shown ~n Fig~ includes a first or Usu~ ear 42, a second or "rlng" gear 43~ ~nd a pl~ne~ carr~*r 44 w~th a s~ngle "planet" pinion 45 no~atably mounted ~n ~he plane~ carr~er. The firs~ and second gears and the c~rr~er 44 are all coaxially dispo~ed and rota~ably nlounted on a Pixed post 46. The planet carrier 44 has ext rnal teeth dr~ven by ~eeth on the Inte7med~e wheel ~7. ~he f~rst or sun gear has p~ ni on teeth engaged wi ~h those on the button date wheel 39. The second ring gear 43 includes a single tooth 4~ on ~ts outer periphery which serves to advance the date indexing pin~on 24 by two tee~h upon each revolution.
The ~econd ring gear 43 has in~ern~l gear tee~h meshing wi~h those of ~he planet pinion 45~ which also meshes with the f~rs~ sun ge3r 42.
The first gear~ serond gear~ planet carrier and planet gear are preferably all moulded of plastic material~ Pl~s~ic gear ~embers are comtemplated in the preferred fonm of the ~nvention, because di~f k ult gear shapes, may be easily moulded. Such shapes include ~h~ date indexing pinion 24, ~he intenmedia~e wheel 271 ~he planetary outer ~ear 43 with ~nternal teeth ~nd a single advancing tooth 48. The date r~ng 18 may also ~dvan~ageously be made of plast~c, so ~hat ~he entire supplementary gear ~rain from ~ntenmediate wheel 27 to r~ng gear 18 may be of low cost construetion. In order to h~ld all of the aforesaid gear 0embers in place and to control "endshake" ~r axial movemen~ of ~he gears on ~he fixed posts~ a spring clamp 49 ~s secured to the frame 4~ as ~ndicated at 49a and 49b by retai ni n~ tabs. A sim~ 1 ar arrangement for control 1 i ng endshake i 5preYiously descr~bed fully in ~ss~gnee' s u.s. Patent No. 4,382,695, issued May 10, lg83 in the names of Rinaldi and Wuthrich.
~7~
I
The front side and back side of a typical watch using the invention further illustrate the invention~ The front view shown in F~g. 3 is typical of a calendar watch with the date window 20 being located at the 6:00 o'clock position. The back view in Fig~ 4 shows that the caseback 3 is secured to the bezel by means of screws 50 in each corner w~ a recessed push button 51 may be used to set the h~nds~ A cover 52/allows access to an energy cell. The manually rotatable date button 32 ~ith small eccen~ric hole 37 ~o rota~e it with a stylus or ball-point pen or the~like is seen to be accessible from the rear of the watch, MODIFICATION
Fig. 5 is an elevation drawing of a modi~f~ed fonm of the invention. In this arrangement, the date button and the first gear are both disposed on a cvmmon axis rather than disposed on two axes and ~eared together. A date ring 118 is located beneath a viewing hole 120 in a dial 121, and driven by a date Indexing pinion 124 as before. The date ring is periodically advanced by a supplementary gear assembly train comprising an intenmediate whee1 127 and a planetary gear shown generally at 131. The watch case is constructed as before with a thin caseback 103 and frame member 104 laminated thereto wlth adhesive. An external manually rotatable date button 132 with flange 138 and sealing gasket 136 has a stem 133 projecting into the wateh case.
A first or lower gear 142 is keyed to the stem to rotate therewith and mesh a firs~ set of teeth on a planet gear 145. Planet 145 is rotatably mounted in a planet carrier 144, which in turn is rotatably disposed around the s~em 133. The planet 145 a7so has a second set of teeth meshing with the tee~h o~ a second or upper gear 143. Gear 143 al so has khereon a single tooth 1489 which once each revolution serves to advance the date ~ndexing pinion 1~4~ The gear members of ~he supplementary gear train are held in place by a spring clamp 14g, simi~ar to spring clamp 49 previously descri bed. , ~.
OPERATION
The operation o~ ~he preferred embo~iment of the invention shown in Figs 1 and 2 is as follows~
Duri ng nonmal advancing of the date ri ng 18, ~he mi nute pi ni on 14 drives intermediate pinion 27, which in turn drives the planet carrier 44 by less than one turn per day ~depending on the transmission~. The ~irst or sun gear 42 is locked in place by meshing with the button date wheel 39, held by detent spri ng 41. The pl anet gear 45 therefore travels around the sun gear 42 as the planet carrier 44 rotates~ being driven by the locked sun gear 42. The plane~ gear drives the second or ring gear 43 once per day. The single tooth 48 of ~he ring gear turns the da~e index pinion 24 once per day at midnight by two teeth, which advances the date ring 18 by F one step.
During ~he manual date setting function, date button 32 is rotated using a ball-point pen in the eccentric hole 37 of the date button. Either directiQn of rotation (advance or reverse) is possible, The date button 32 rotates the date bu~ton wheel 39 and the sun gear 42~ The planet carrier 44 is for all practical purposes locked by the gear train friction of the in~enmediate wheel 27 and other gear train members. The sun gear 42 rotates ~he planet pinion 45 around its axis in the fixed planet carrier 9.
44, thereby drivi ng the outer gear 43 once for one complete rotation of the date button 32. The single tooth 48 of the rin~ gear 43 turns the date indexing pinion 24 by two teeth per revolution, which advances or reverses the date ring 18 by one step~
The operation oF the modiflcation shown in Fig. 5 is similar. ;ow~ver due to the fact that the first or lower gear 142 is directly mounte~ to the date button, and the fact that the teeth on the second or upper; gear 143 are located on the inner circumference and since there are different~èar ratios, it is necessary to ~urn the date button 132 only one half revolution to advance the date by one step. ~he modification shown in Fig~
5 is somewha~ more difficult to assemble and has less faYorable gear ratios than the preferred embodiment.
The advantages of the foregoing construction are that the date can be set in either direction, and it can also be set during time when the date ring is being advanced through the supplementary gear train by ~he stepping motor. Nothing can be damaged and ~he setting mechanism remains functional during all 24 hours of the d~y. The planetary mechanism provides great saving of space for the necessary gear ratlo reduc~ion and is designed for a simple assembly of parts. ~ost of the necessary parts can be made of plastic, seven gear members In the preferred embodiment and six gear members in ~he modified form of the invention.
p While there has been disc7osed what is considered herein ~o be the preferred embodiment of the invention, and one modification thereof, other modifica~ions will occur to those skilled in ~he art, and it is desired to include in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (10)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. An improved date setting mechanism in a watch of the type having a normal timekeeping gear train for driving watch hands from a motor, and also having a supplementary gear train for periodically advancing a date ring, wherein said improvement comprises:
a planetary gear assembly making up a portion of the supplementary gear train, having a first gear, a coaxial second gear, a planet carrier coaxial with said first and second gears, said carrier having teeth driven as part of said supplementary gear train, and at least one planet gear rotatably mounted in the carrier member and meshing with the first and second gears, the second gear adapted to periodically advance means driving the date ring, and a manually rotatable date button accessible from the outside of the watch and coupled to drive the first gear, whereby the first gear may drive the second gear through the planet gear to advance or retard the date ring without disturbing the normal date advancing function.
a planetary gear assembly making up a portion of the supplementary gear train, having a first gear, a coaxial second gear, a planet carrier coaxial with said first and second gears, said carrier having teeth driven as part of said supplementary gear train, and at least one planet gear rotatably mounted in the carrier member and meshing with the first and second gears, the second gear adapted to periodically advance means driving the date ring, and a manually rotatable date button accessible from the outside of the watch and coupled to drive the first gear, whereby the first gear may drive the second gear through the planet gear to advance or retard the date ring without disturbing the normal date advancing function.
2. The improvement according to claim 1, and further including spring detent means adapted to hold the date button in preferential detented positions.
3. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein the supple-mentary gear train, including the planetary gear assembly comprises members molded of plastic material.
4. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said means driving the date ring comprises a date indexing pinion coupled to the date ring, and wherein said second gear member includes a single date advancing tooth periodically engaging said date indexing pinion.
5. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said date button is affixed to a date button wheel inside the watch which is coupled to drive said first gear.
6. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said date button includes a stem with said first gear fixedly mounted thereon.
7. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said first gear comprises a sun gear, wherein said second gear comprises a ring gear with internal teeth, and wherein said planet carrier comprises a wheel disposed around the first gear and having a planet gear eccentrically mounted therein meshing between the first gear teeth and the second gear internal teeth.
8. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said supplementary gear train includes an intermediate wheel driving the planetary gear assembly, and a date indexing pinion coupled to the date wheel driven by the planetary gear assembly, said driving and driven gears being molded of plastic and rotatably disposed on fixed posts in the watch case.
9. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said first and second gears have external teeth, and wherein said planet gear has two sets of teeth meshing with those of the first and second gears respectively, and wherein the date button and the first and second gears are coaxially disposed on a single axis of rotation.
10. The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said date button has a circumferential flange accessible outside the watch, with an eccentric hole therein for manually rotating the date button using a stylus, ball-point pen, or the like.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US06/427,055 US4443112A (en) | 1982-09-29 | 1982-09-29 | Planetary gear for date mechanism in a wristwatch |
| US427,055 | 1982-09-29 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1190754A true CA1190754A (en) | 1985-07-23 |
Family
ID=23693307
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000436701A Expired CA1190754A (en) | 1982-09-29 | 1983-09-14 | Planetary gear for date mechanism in a wristwatch |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4443112A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS5983080A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1190754A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3335215A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2541005B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2127991B (en) |
| HK (1) | HK25286A (en) |
| SG (1) | SG7786G (en) |
Families Citing this family (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS623085U (en) * | 1985-06-24 | 1987-01-09 | ||
| GB2176913B (en) * | 1985-05-01 | 1988-08-10 | Casio Computer Co Ltd | Movement of electronic watch of analog display type |
| US4647218A (en) * | 1985-09-16 | 1987-03-03 | Timex Corporation | Small stepping motor driven watch |
| US4853909A (en) * | 1987-04-09 | 1989-08-01 | Casio Computer Co., Ltd. | Time correction mechanism for an analog timepiece using plastic gears for transmitting the rotation of the manual operation member to the hands |
| CH673371B5 (en) * | 1988-10-10 | 1990-09-14 | Ebauchesfabrik Eta Ag | |
| GB9014213D0 (en) * | 1990-06-26 | 1990-08-15 | Talbot Edward B | Astronomical clock |
| CH680325B5 (en) * | 1991-02-25 | 1993-02-15 | Ebauchesfabrik Eta Ag | |
| CH686019B5 (en) * | 1994-02-18 | 1996-06-14 | Nouvelle L Mania S A | Mechanism perpetual calendar watch piece. |
| JP2011089847A (en) * | 2009-10-21 | 2011-05-06 | Seiko Instruments Inc | Calendar mechanism and analog timepiece including the same |
| CN103092053B (en) * | 2011-10-27 | 2015-04-01 | 天津海鸥表业集团有限公司 | Turn-around moon phase mechanism of mechanical watch |
| EP2615506B1 (en) | 2012-01-10 | 2014-06-25 | Montres Breguet SA | Device for rapid correction of a display system |
| EP3029531B1 (en) * | 2014-12-02 | 2018-08-01 | Blancpain SA. | Device for displaying periods forming an annual cycle |
| EP3316048B1 (en) | 2016-10-28 | 2020-03-18 | Rolex Sa | Clockwork mechanism for displaying and correcting a plurality of information |
| CH714267A1 (en) * | 2017-10-24 | 2019-04-30 | Richemont Int Sa | Correction device for a timepiece. |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BE533311A (en) * | ||||
| US3645090A (en) * | 1969-06-19 | 1972-02-29 | Citizen Watch Co Ltd | Day-date quick-adjuster for calender timepiece |
| CH524175A (en) * | 1970-05-22 | 1972-02-15 | Centre Electron Horloger | Timepiece fitted with a universal time indicating device |
| US3930131A (en) * | 1974-02-14 | 1975-12-30 | Tamura Electric Works Ltd | Timer for controlling the operation of electrical devices |
| CH617815GA3 (en) * | 1978-09-04 | 1980-06-30 |
-
1982
- 1982-09-29 US US06/427,055 patent/US4443112A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
1983
- 1983-09-12 GB GB08324343A patent/GB2127991B/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-14 CA CA000436701A patent/CA1190754A/en not_active Expired
- 1983-09-29 JP JP58181754A patent/JPS5983080A/en active Pending
- 1983-09-29 DE DE19833335215 patent/DE3335215A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1983-09-29 FR FR8315538A patent/FR2541005B1/en not_active Expired
-
1986
- 1986-01-27 SG SG77/86A patent/SG7786G/en unknown
- 1986-04-10 HK HK252/86A patent/HK25286A/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE3335215A1 (en) | 1984-03-29 |
| US4443112A (en) | 1984-04-17 |
| GB2127991A (en) | 1984-04-18 |
| FR2541005A1 (en) | 1984-08-17 |
| FR2541005B1 (en) | 1986-05-23 |
| GB2127991B (en) | 1985-11-13 |
| GB8324343D0 (en) | 1983-10-12 |
| SG7786G (en) | 1986-08-01 |
| JPS5983080A (en) | 1984-05-14 |
| HK25286A (en) | 1986-04-18 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA1190754A (en) | Planetary gear for date mechanism in a wristwatch | |
| JP3140700B2 (en) | Multifunction clock | |
| US4766579A (en) | Timepiece having a control stem correcting mechanism with at least two setting positions | |
| US6685352B1 (en) | Timepiece power reserve indicator device | |
| JP4453645B2 (en) | Clock display device, movement, and clock | |
| US6010241A (en) | Watch | |
| JP2007121098A (en) | Watch equipped with fan-like form watch hand displaying mechanism | |
| US4382690A (en) | Ultra-flat electronic watch | |
| US7266050B2 (en) | Device for date indication | |
| CN110941173B (en) | Movement and electronic timepiece | |
| US3888077A (en) | Mechanical watch movement | |
| US20080013408A1 (en) | Case for a watch movement | |
| US3895485A (en) | Timepiece click device | |
| JPH0452706Y2 (en) | ||
| JPH0648459Y2 (en) | Rotational position regulation structure of gears in watches | |
| US5253227A (en) | Time-piece | |
| US4611925A (en) | Timepiece with calendar | |
| JP2502668Y2 (en) | Reference display mechanism for thin watches | |
| JP4531534B2 (en) | Pointer drive mechanism | |
| US8982674B2 (en) | Device for correcting a timepiece display mechanism | |
| USRE29486E (en) | Timepiece | |
| JP2017096814A (en) | Movement and timepiece | |
| JPS59681A (en) | Timepiece | |
| EP1684134B1 (en) | Watch | |
| JPH0648458Y2 (en) | Pointer type clock |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEC | Expiry (correction) | ||
| MKEX | Expiry |