Mechanical watch with a carillon striking mechanism
AssigneeBlancpain SA
InventorsJulien Behra, Mehdi Denden, Julien Peter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Timepiece movement with a carillon striking mechanism, striking the hours and quarter-hours with different melodies, the striking mechanism including a quarter surprise-piece coaxial to and superposed on the quarter-snail, in a limited angular travel with respect to the quarter-snail, arranged to ensure the sequential playing of the melodies of the four quarter-hours on the full hour, in the first minute of the new hour, and further including, in the plane of the quarter surprise-piece, a quarter surprise-piece jumper, arranged to drive and/or to lock this quarter surprise-piece.
Claims19
A timepiece movement including a carillon striking mechanism, arranged to strike at least hours and quarter-hours, with, for each one-hour period, a different melody for each quarter-hour and for the full hour, said movement including a first drive means arranged to drive at least a quarter-snail, and said striking mechanism including:
- an hour-snail, which is carried by an hour-star wheel held by an hour-jumper and positioned every hour by a quarter-pin integral with said quarter-snail,
- a quarter-rack drive pinion driven by a strike train, and arranged to drive a pivoting quarter-rack, whose pivoting travel is limited by a quarter-feeler integral with said quarter-rack and which is arranged to come to rest on said quarter-snail,
- a pivoting minute-rack, pivoting travel of the minute-rack being limited by a minute-feeler which is integral with said minute-rack and arranged to come to rest on a minute-snail driven by said drive means of said movement,
- said quarter-rack comprising a second drive means arranged for driving drive teeth of said minute-rack,
- a minute surprise-piece coaxial to and superposed on said minute-snail, integral in rotation with said quarter-snail, and at least partially free to pivot with respect to said minute-snail, cooperating with a minute surprise-piece jumper and arranged to extend a zero minute step comprised in said minute-snail, immediately after a change of quarter-hour and during a first minute after the quarter-hours,
- wherein said striking mechanism includes a quarter surprise-piece coaxial to and superposed on said quarter-snail, and at least partially free to pivot in a limited angular travel with respect to said quarter-snail, arranged to ensure sequential playing of melodies of the four quarter-hours on the full hour, in a first minute of the new hour,
- and further includes, in a plane of said quarter surprise-piece, a quarter surprise-piece jumper, arranged to at least one of drive or lock said quarter surprise-piece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.