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US 11,169,489 B2Granted
Dynamic chronometric testing
AssigneeMontres Breguet S.A.
InventorsMarc Stranczl, Rene Piguet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dynamic chronometric testing of a movement or of a watch, control device fine controlling a predefined or random cycle of movements via standardised chronometric testing positions, the rate parameters are also measured in dynamic positions where the acceleration and velocity are different to zero and which correspond to additional dynamic chronometry criteria, defined to qualify the rate during a continuous movement applied to the movement or respectively to this watch.
Claims14
A device configured for dynamic chronometric testing of a watch movement or watch, said device comprising
- at least one receptacle arranged to hold, up to a given acceleration threshold, at least one movement or a watch, and including multi-axis handling means arranged to handle each said receptacle spatially, arranged to apply to each said receptacle at least one predefined or random cycle in respect of a path thereof and dynamic evolution thereof along the path under the control of a fine control circuit including a clock or connected to an external time base, said cycle including passage via standardised static chronometric testing positions, wherein
- said multi-axis handling means are arranged for continuous spatial handling of each said receptacle, and
- said device includes rate sensor means for the continuous and dynamic recording of rate parameters of each movement placed in said receptacle during at least one of a movement and an acceleration, correlated with an environment sensor for continuous recording, relative to said recording of the rate parameters, of physical conditions of the environment wherein said chronometric testing takes place, and
- said device includes the fine control circuit interfaced with said rate sensor means, and said environment sensor, and arranged to evaluate behaviour upon wearing of each said movement or respectively of each said watch, to issue a testing certificate in the case where all values measured comply with predefined tolerances, or to resume an iterative rate setting correction and testing process otherwise, for both dynamic positions and said standardised static chronometric testing positions where the acceleration and velocity are different than zero and which correspond to additional dynamic chronometry criteria, defined in order to qualify the rate during continuous motion applied to said movement or respectively to said watch,
- said multi-axis handling means are configured to simulate movements of at least one of an arm, forearm and of a right-handed or left-handed user, with angular amplitudes limited to natural angular amplitudes at a level respectively of a shoulder, elbow, wrist, and
- said multi-axis handling means are configured to switch, at random times of said at least one predefined cycle, to apply to said movement or respectively to the watch a path according to at least one of a random velocity a random acceleration, random modulus, random direction, and random direction movement vectors, along travels limited to a predefined envelope volume.
3 more elements
A method for dynamic chronometric testing of a watch movement, or of a watch, comprising:
- applying movements to said movement, or respectively to said watch, including at least one predefined or random cycle in respect of a path thereof and dynamic evolution thereof along the path under fine control based upon a clock or an external time base, said at least one cycle including a passage via standardised chronometric testing positions,
- measuring rate parameters of said movement or respectively of said watch in said standardised positions and in at least one of further programmed and random intermediate positions, wherein continuous chronometric testing of said movement or respectively of said watch is carried out,
- recording the rate parameters of said movement or respectively of said watch continuously and dynamically,
- comparing said rate parameters with set-point values,
- issuing a testing certificate if all values measured comply with predefined tolerances, or an iterative rate setting correction and testing process is resumed otherwise,
- measuring acceleration applied to said movement or respectively to said watch, to distinguish static positions where the acceleration and the velocity are zero and among which are said standardised chronometric testing positions, and dynamic positions where the acceleration and the velocity are different than zero and which correspond to additional dynamic chronometry criteria, defined to qualify the rate during a continuous movement applied to said movement or respectively to said watch, and
- generating random movements of said movement or respectively of said watch in order to perform, at said dynamic positions, additional dynamic chronometry testing.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.