JP7401259B2 - Gears, gear train mechanisms, watch movements and watches - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to gears, wheel train mechanisms, timepiece movements, and timepieces.

Clock gears are often manufactured by cutting a workpiece. However, in the case of cutting, there are many processing steps and processing time, which tends to increase manufacturing costs. Therefore, there is also known a method of manufacturing timepiece gears using drawing, pressing, etc. instead of cutting.

For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a method of manufacturing an hour wheel, which is one of the gears for a timepiece, by subjecting a metal plate material to drawing and pressing.
Specifically, the drawing process is repeated multiple times on the plate material to form a flat flange part and a covered cylindrical protrusion part, and the lid part of the protrusion part is punched out by press working to form the hour wheel. A method for manufacturing an hour wheel includes the steps of forming a cylindrical portion and punching the flange portion into a gear shape by press working to form a plurality of teeth on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion. Disclosed.
In particular, the flange portion of the hour wheel manufactured by this manufacturing method maintains almost the same thickness as the plate material, so it has a flat shape with a constant thickness throughout.

Patent No. 3052748

Generally, when the hour wheel is incorporated into a timepiece movement, it is appropriately positioned in the axle direction using, for example, a dial washer while being sandwiched between timepiece components.
Specifically, the hour wheel is assembled so that the flange portion is located between the hour wheel retainer and the main plate. A dial washer is arranged between the hour wheel holder and the flange portion. The dial washer is a disc spring having a predetermined spring property, and urges the flange portion toward the main plate side with a predetermined pressure (back pressure) caused by an elastic restoring force. As a result, the hour wheel is appropriately pressed against the base plate in the axle direction, and is assembled in a state in which inclination with respect to the rotational axis is suppressed, that is, in a state in which tilting is suppressed.

By the way, in the case of the above conventional manufacturing method of manufacturing hour wheels from metal plate materials, for example, the outer diameter and inner diameter of the protruding part formed by drawing, the thickness of the flange part, or the capacity of the press machine (for example, the number of processing steps) The thickness of the plate material that can be subjected to drawing and press processing is limited by various factors such as the upper limit value of
Therefore, the hour wheel tends to have a thin flange portion, and a large gap tends to occur between the flange portion and the hour wheel retainer when it is assembled into a timepiece movement. Such a tendency becomes more noticeable when the movement is of a different design, the thickness of the movement is thick, and the distance between the hour wheel holder and the main plate is large. However, in this case, it is difficult to obtain the appropriate back pressure from the dial washer, so when a shock is applied to the watch movement, for example, there is a possibility that the hour wheel may tilt with respect to the axis of rotation. . Therefore, for example, there is a risk that the hour hand connected to the hour wheel may interfere with other timepiece components (for example, the minute hand, dial, etc.).

Therefore, if a plate material with a thick initial thickness is used in order to obtain appropriate back pressure, the number of processing steps will increase in proportion to the plate thickness, resulting in inconveniences such as exceeding the capacity of the press machine. Also, as the deformation resistance of the plate material increases, the load acting on the punch, die, etc. increases, which may cause problems such as wear and breakage.
In particular, in this case, the hour wheel has a flange portion that is uniformly thick over the entirety, so the mass of the hour wheel increases and the moment of inertia of the hour wheel itself increases. Therefore, for example, the load on the motor that is the drive source of the watch increases, which leads to a reduction in battery life.

As described above, in an hour wheel having a flat flange portion having a constant thickness throughout, there is a limit to the thickness of the plate material, so the hour wheel tends to have a thin flange portion. As a result, the hour wheel cannot obtain appropriate back pressure from the dial washer, which may cause interference with other timepiece components. Moreover, if a plate material with a thick initial plate thickness was used, the moment of inertia of the hour wheel itself would increase.

It should be noted that it is not easy to change the distance between the hour wheel retainer and the main plate (i.e. the installation space for the flange) in accordance with the thickness of the flange, and such design changes are considered difficult in practice. . Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate the hour wheel in consideration of the installation space of the flange portion, which is predetermined depending on the type of timepiece movement. Therefore, the various inconveniences mentioned above occur.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a gear that can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost, and that can suppress inclination with respect to the axis of rotation and suppress the moment of inertia. , a wheel train mechanism, a watch movement, and a watch.

(1) The gear according to the present invention includes a plate-shaped flange portion formed in an annular shape centered on a rotation axis, and a tooth portion provided on the flange portion, and the flange portion includes the rotation It is characterized by a drawn portion that is plastically deformed in the axial direction.

According to the gear according to the present invention, since the drawn portion is formed on the plate-shaped flange portion provided with the teeth, unlike the flat flange portion having a constant thickness as in the past, the flange portion For example, the axial height of the flange portion can be defined using the drawn portion without changing the thickness of the flange portion itself. Therefore, the gear can be arranged in accordance with a predetermined installation space, and can receive appropriate back pressure from components such as the dial washer. Therefore, the gear can be rotated while the inclination with respect to the rotation axis is suppressed.
Furthermore, since there is no need to increase the thickness of the flange part itself, the moment of inertia of the gear can be suppressed, and the gear can be rotated efficiently. Furthermore, it is possible to process the external shape of the flange portion using press work instead of cutting, and also to form the tooth portion and the drawn portion. Therefore, gears can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost.

(2) The drawn portion may be formed in an annular shape over the entire circumference of the flange portion.

In this case, since the drawn portion is formed in an annular shape, the weight balance of the flange portion can be made uniform in the circumferential direction. Therefore, a gear with excellent rotational characteristics can be obtained. Furthermore, since the drawn portion is formed in an annular shape, it is possible, for example, to bring the drawn portion into contact with other parts over the entire circumference. Thereby, the attitude of the gear can be made more stable, and the inclination with respect to the axis of rotation can be further suppressed.

(3) The drawn portions may be formed in a part of the flange portion at intervals in the circumferential direction of the flange portion.

In this case, the drawn portion can be formed in a part of the flange portion, for example, so as to locally bulge or recess. Therefore, in forming the drawing part, it is only necessary to plastically deform a part of the flange part, so it is easy to perform press working or the like. In addition, even in this case, since the drawn parts are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the flange part, it is easy to balance the rotation of the flange part, and it is possible to create a gear with excellent rotational characteristics. be.

(4) A plurality of the tooth portions may be formed on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion at intervals in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference of the flange portion.

In this case, since a plurality of teeth are formed on the outer periphery of the flange, it can be used as a general gear rather than a special gear with one or several teeth. Therefore, the gear can be made more versatile and easier to use.

(5) A bending portion that adjusts the height position of the tooth portion in the direction of the rotation axis may be formed in a portion of the flange portion that is located closer to the outer peripheral edge than the drawing portion. .

In this case, the height position of the tooth portion can be adjusted by the bending portion. Therefore, the meshing position of the teeth with respect to other parts can be adjusted, and for example, gears can be set to achieve optimal meshing according to the relative positional relationship with other parts, the shape of other parts, or the purpose. I can do it. Therefore, power can be efficiently transmitted to the gear, leading to improvement in the rotational characteristics of the gear.

(6) The flange portion may have an axial height along the rotational axis direction defined by the drawing portion.

In this case, since the axial height of the flange part can be defined using the drawing part, the gear can be more appropriately and stably arranged in accordance with the predetermined installation space. Therefore, appropriate back pressure can be reliably received from parts such as the dial washer.

(7) an hour wheel body formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the rotational axis, disposed radially inward of the flange portion, and to which an hour hand is attached; the flange portion and the hour wheel body are the same; It may be formed integrally with the plate material.

In this case, since it is provided with an hour wheel main body to which an hour hand is attached, it can be used as an hour wheel which is one of the gears for a clock. In particular, as mentioned earlier, the gear can be set while suppressing its inclination with respect to the rotation axis, so it can be set smoothly without causing the hour hand to wobble or interfering with the minute hand or dial. You can make the hands move.
Note that since the hour wheel main body and the flange portion can be integrally formed by pressing the same plate material, the hour wheel gear can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost.

(8) The gear train mechanism according to the present invention includes the gear, a first support component, and a second support component disposed in the rotation axis direction with respect to the first support component with the gear interposed therebetween. , is equipped with.

According to the wheel train mechanism according to the present invention, the gear can be stably rotated between the first support component and the second support component while suppressing inclination with respect to the rotation axis, and the moment of inertia can be suppressed. The gear can be rotated in this state. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wheel train mechanism with stable operating performance and improved power transmission efficiency.

(9) A timepiece movement according to the present invention includes the wheel train mechanism.
(10) A timepiece according to the present invention includes the timepiece movement described above.

In this case, since the above-described wheel train mechanism is provided, a high-quality timepiece movement and timepiece with stable operating performance and improved power transmission efficiency can be obtained.

According to the present invention, a gear can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost, and can also suppress inclination with respect to the rotation axis and moment of inertia.

1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, and is an external view of a timepiece. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the movement shown in FIG. 1, mainly showing the relationship between the rotor and the fifth wheel. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the movement shown in FIG. 1, mainly showing the relationship among the fourth wheel, third wheel, second wheel, minute wheel, and hour wheel. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hour wheel shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hour wheel shown in FIG. 4; It is a partial sectional view of a movement when a conventional hour wheel is applied. FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a movement in which another conventional hour wheel is applied. It is a figure which shows the modification of an hour wheel, Comprising: It is a partial sectional view of a movement. It is a figure which shows another modification of an hour wheel, Comprising: It is a partial sectional view of a movement. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a movement in which a gear according to the present invention is applied to a fifth wheel.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
Note that this embodiment will be described using a quartz wristwatch as an example of a timepiece.

(Basic configuration of the clock)
Generally, the mechanical body that includes the driving parts of a timepiece is called a "movement." When a dial and hands are attached to this movement and the watch is placed inside a watch case, the finished product is called a ``complete'' watch. The glass side of the watch case (i.e., the dial side) with respect to the main plate that constitutes the base plate of the watch is referred to as the "back side" of the movement. Furthermore, the case back side of the watch case relative to the main plate (that is, the side opposite to the dial) is referred to as the "front side" of the movement.
In this embodiment, the direction from the dial to the case back cover is defined as the upper side, and the opposite side is defined as the lower side.

As shown in FIG. 1, the complete watch 1 of this embodiment includes a watch case 3 having a case back cover and a glass 2 (not shown), a movement (watch movement according to the present invention) 10, a dial plate 11, and a pointer. 12 (hour hand 13, minute hand 14 and second hand 15). The dial 11 and each pointer 12 are arranged so as to be visible through the glass 2.

(movement)
The movement 10 is arranged between a dial 11 and a case back cover (not shown).
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the movement 10 includes a base plate 20 constituting a base plate of the movement 10, and a train wheel bridge 21 disposed on the front side of the base plate 20. On the back side of the main plate 20, a dial 11 is arranged so as to be visible through the glass 2. On the front side of the main plate 20, a battery (not shown), a crystal unit (not shown) that constitutes the source vibration of the timepiece 1, a wheel train mechanism 23, etc. are arranged.

The crystal unit has an internal crystal resonator (not shown) that oscillates at a predetermined frequency, and is connected to a circuit board (not shown) formed on the front side of the base plate 20 . The positive electrode of the battery and the positive pattern of the circuit board are electrically connected through a battery positive terminal (not shown), and the negative electrode of the battery and the negative pattern of the circuit board are electrically connected through a negative battery terminal (not shown).

An integrated circuit (IC) (not shown) is mounted on the circuit board. The integrated circuit is composed of, for example, C-MOS or PLA, and includes an oscillator that outputs a reference signal based on the vibration of a crystal resonator, and a frequency divider that divides the output signal of the oscillator. , and a drive section (driver) that outputs a motor drive signal for driving the step motor 24 based on the output signal of the frequency dividing section.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the front side of the main plate 20, a coil block 25 including a coil wire wound around a magnetic core, a stator 26 arranged so as to be in contact with both end portions of the magnetic core of the coil block 25, A rotor 27 is disposed in a rotor hole of the stator 26 and has a rotor magnet 27c incorporated therein.
Note that the coil block 25, stator 26, and rotor 27 function as the step motor 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotor 27 includes an axle 27a, a rotor pinion 27b and a rotor magnet 27c integrally formed on the axle 27a, and rotates around the first axis O1 with respect to the main plate 20 and the gear train bridge 21. Rotatably supported. The rotor 27 is rotatable around the first axis O1 by the movement of the rotor magnet 27c due to the magnetization of the stator 26.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, on the front side of the main plate 20, there is a fifth wheel & pinion 30 that rotates around the second axis O2 based on the rotation of the rotor 27, and a third axis that rotates based on the rotation of the fifth wheel & pinion 30. The fourth wheel & pinion 40 rotates around O3, the third wheel & pinion 50 rotates around the fourth axis O4 based on the rotation of the fourth wheel & pinion 40, and the third wheel & pinion 50 rotates around the third axis O3 based on the rotation of the third wheel & pinion 50. a second wheel and pinion 60 that rotates, a second wheel 70 that rotates around a fifth axis O5 based on the rotation of the second wheel 60, and a cylinder that rotates around a third axis O3 based on the rotation of the second wheel 70. A car 80 is arranged.
Each of the above-mentioned cars constitutes a wheel train mechanism 23 which is a front wheel train.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fifth wheel & pinion 30 has an axle 31, a fifth gear 32 and a fifth pinion 33 integrally formed on the axle 31, and is connected to the main plate 20 and the train wheel bridge 21. On the other hand, it is rotatably supported around a second axis O2. The fifth gear 32 meshes with the rotor pinion 27b. Thereby, the fifth wheel & pinion 30 rotates around the second axis O2 as the rotor 27 rotates.
Further, the fifth wheel & pinion 30 includes a regulating ring 34 which is arranged below the fifth gear 32 and is integrally formed with the axle 31. A regulating lever 92, which will be described later, is arranged on the radially outer side of the regulating ring 34 so as to be able to press against the outer peripheral surface of the regulating ring 34.

As shown in FIG. 3, the fourth wheel & pinion 40 includes an axle 41, and a fourth gear 42 and a fourth pinion 43 formed on the axle 41. The axle 41 is inserted into the center wheel & pinion 60 with the fourth pinion 43 rotatably placed on the upper open end of the center wheel & pinion 60. Thereby, the fourth wheel & pinion 40 is rotatably supported by the main plate 20 via the center wheel & pinion 60 and a cylindrical portion 65 which will be described later.
Note that the upper tenon portion 41a of the axle 41 is supported by a mortise hole 45a of a bearing 45 held in the train wheel bearing 21. Note that, as the bearing 45, for example, a hole stone made of ruby or the like can be used.

The lower end of the axle 41 protrudes below the center wheel & pinion 60. A second hand 15 is attached to the lower end portion 41b of the axle 41. Thereby, the second hand 15 is arranged below the hour hand 13 and the minute hand 14, that is, on the glass 2 side.
The fourth gear 42 meshes with the fifth pinion 33 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the fourth wheel & pinion 40 rotates around the third axis O3 as the fifth wheel & pinion 30 rotates. Note that the fourth wheel & pinion 40 is configured to rotate once per minute.

The third wheel 50 has an axle 51, a third gear 52 and a third pinion 53 that are integrally formed on the axle 51, and rotates around the third axis O3 with respect to the main plate 20 and the gear train bridge 21. is rotatably supported. The third gear 52 meshes with the fourth pinion 43. As a result, the third wheel & pinion 50 rotates around the fourth axis O4 as the fourth wheel & pinion 40 rotates.

The center wheel & pinion 60 includes a cylindrical center wheel & pinion main body 61, a center pinion 62 integrally formed at the upper end of the center wheel & center wheel main body 61, and a center wheel & pinion 62 integrally assembled with the center wheel & center wheel main body 61. A pinion gear 63 is provided, and is arranged coaxially with the third axis O3 of the fourth wheel & pinion 40.
Specifically, the center wheel & pinion 60 is rotatably disposed inside the cylindrical portion 65 while being rotatably placed on the upper open end of the cylindrical portion 65 held by the main plate 20 . This allows the center wheel & pinion 60 to stably rotate around the third axis O3 while being guided by the cylindrical portion 65.

Note that the second wheel main body 61 and the second gear 63 are combined with each other while maintaining a predetermined pressing force (frictional force). Therefore, when a relative rotational force that exceeds the pressure contact force (frictional force) is applied between the center wheel main body 61 and the second gear 63, such as when setting the time, the center wheel main body 61 It is possible to cause the second gear 63 to slip.
Further, the cylindrical part 65 is a part called a so-called center pipe, and is disposed coaxially with the third axis O3, and the lower end part 65a thereof is arranged so as to protrude below the main plate 20 and the dial plate 11. It is formed.

The second gear 63 is arranged below the second pinion 62 and meshes with the third pinion 53. Thereby, the second wheel & pinion 60 rotates around the third axis O3 as the third wheel & pinion 50 rotates. Note that the second wheel & pinion 60 is configured to rotate once per hour.
The lower end 61a of the second wheel & pinion main body 61 protrudes lower than the lower end 65a of the cylindrical portion 65, and is arranged above the lower end 41b of the axle 41 in the fourth wheel & pinion 40. The minute hand 14 is attached to the lower end 61a of the center wheel main body 61. Therefore, the minute hand 14 is located closer to the dial 11 than the second hand 15 attached to the fourth wheel & pinion 40.

The sun wheel 70 has an axle 71, a sun gear 72 and a sun pinion pinion 73 integrally formed on the axle 71, and has a fifth wheel gear 72 and a sun pinion pinion 73, which are connected to the main plate 20 and the train wheel bridge 21. It is rotatably supported around an axis O5. The reverse gear 72 meshes with the second pinion 62. As a result, the minute wheel 70 rotates around the fifth axis O5 as the center wheel 60 rotates.
Note that the pinion 73 is formed at the lower end of the axle 71 and is arranged between the main plate 20 and the hour wheel retainer 75.

The hour wheel (gear according to the present invention) 80 includes a cylindrical hour wheel main body 81 to which the hour hand 13 is attached to the lower end 81a, and a plate-shaped hour wheel body 81 that is integrally formed with the hour wheel main body 81 and meshes with the hour hand pinion 73. The cylindrical gear (flange portion according to the present invention) 82 is disposed coaxially with the third axis O3 of the fourth wheel & pinion 40. Thereby, the hour wheel 80 rotates around the third axis O3 based on the hour wheel 70. Note that the hour wheel 80 is configured to rotate once every 12 hours.

The lower end portion 81a of the hour wheel main body 81 protrudes below the lower end portion 65a of the cylindrical portion 65, and is disposed above the lower end portion 61a of the center wheel main body 61. Therefore, the hour hand 13 is located closer to the dial 11 than the minute hand 14 attached to the center wheel 60.
Note that the hour wheel 80 will be explained in detail later.

The above-mentioned date wheel 70 is configured to rotate also when setting the time using the crown 90 shown in FIG. For example, when the turning wheel 70 is rotated with the winding stem 91 pulled out through the crown 90, power is transmitted through a wheel (not shown), etc., and the wheel rotates around the fifth axis O5. It is considered possible. Thereby, the second wheel 60 and the hour wheel 80 can be rotated with the rotation of the minute wheel 70, and the time of the minute hand 14 and hour hand 13 can be set.

Note that when adjusting the time, the operation of the integrated circuit is reset. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a regulation lever 92 is disposed between the main plate 20 and the train wheel bridge 21, and is operated in response to an operation to pull out the winding stem 91.
The regulation lever 92 is arranged so as to be able to move toward and away from the regulation ring 34 of the fifth wheel 30, and can come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the regulation ring 34 so as to press strongly against it when setting the time. . Thereby, when setting the time, rotation of the fifth wheel & pinion 30 around the second axis O2 is restricted by the pressing force from the restriction lever 92. Therefore, rotation of the fourth wheel & pinion 40 meshed with the fifth wheel & pinion 30 is restricted.
As a result, by rotating the crown 90 when setting the time, the second gear 63 can be slipped against the second wheel main body 61 as described above, without rotating the second hand 15. It is possible to adjust the time by rotating only the minute hand 14 and hour hand 13.

(hour wheel)
The hour wheel 80 will be explained in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the hour wheel main body 81 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the third axis O3, and is disposed inside the cylindrical gear 82 in the radial direction. As described above, the hour hand 13 is attached to the lower end portion 81a of the hour wheel main body 81 in a state where the hour hand 13 is located closer to the dial 11 than the minute hand 14.

The cylindrical gear 82 is formed in an annular shape centered on the third axis O3, and is integrally formed with the upper end portion 81b of the hour wheel main body 81. On the outer peripheral edge of the cylindrical gear 82, a plurality of cylindrical tooth portions (tooth portions according to the present invention) 83 that mesh with the pinion pinion 73 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference of the cylindrical gear 82. There is.

Further, the cylindrical gear 82 is formed with a drawn portion 84 that is plastically deformed in the third axis O3 direction. The drawn portion 84 is formed in a central region of the cylindrical gear 82 located between an inner peripheral edge side connected to the main body of the cylindrical gear 82 and an outer peripheral edge side where the cylindrical tooth portion 83 is formed. ing. Specifically, the drawn portion 84 is formed in an annular shape so as to bulge upward and continuously extend around the entire circumference of the cylindrical gear 82 .

Therefore, the cylindrical gear 82 includes an annular base 85 extending radially outward from the upper end 81b of the hour wheel main body 81, and an annular base 85 extending radially outward from the outer peripheral edge of the base 85. an annular first inclined part 86; an annular bulged part 87 extending radially outward from the upper end of the first inclined part 86; A second inclined part 88 having an annular shape extending downward and an outermost peripheral part 89 having an annular shape extending radially outward from the lower end of the second inclined part 88, which are arranged in series. It is made up of.

The drawing portion 84 is constituted by the first inclined portion 86, the bulged portion 87, and the second inclined portion 88 described above. The base portion 85 is located on the inner peripheral edge side of the cylindrical gear 82, and the outermost peripheral portion 89 is located on the outer periphery side of the cylindrical gear 82. Therefore, a plurality of cylindrical tooth portions 83 are formed at the outermost peripheral portion 89.
Further, in this embodiment, the drawn portion 84 is formed such that the outermost peripheral portion 89 is located above the base portion 85 and below the bulged portion 87.

Since the drawn portion 84 is formed on the cylindrical gear 82 as described above, the entire cylindrical gear 82 is formed with a step in the direction of the third axis O3. The cylindrical gear 82 is defined by the drawing portion 84 so that the axial height H1 along the third axis O3 direction is a predetermined height.
Note that the axial height H1 in this embodiment is the interval between the lower surface of the base portion 85 and the upper surface of the bulging portion 87 along the third axis O3 direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hour wheel 80 configured as described above is located between the main plate (the first support component according to the present invention) 20 and the hour wheel retainer 75 (the second support component according to the present invention). The cylindrical gear 82 is positioned at the cylindrical gear 82. The hour wheel retainer 75 is disposed between the main plate 20 and the dial 11, and is assembled to the main plate 20 from below.

In particular, the hour wheel 80 is arranged such that the bulge 87 of the drawn portion 84 is in contact with the base plate 20 from below. The shaft height H1 of the cylindrical gear 82 is formed to be smaller than a predetermined interval H2 between the main plate 20 and the hour wheel retainer 75, and a predetermined distance between the hour wheel holder 75 and the hour wheel holder 82 is formed. It is set so that there is a gap between.

A dial washer 95 is arranged in the gap thus secured.
The dial washer 95 is an extremely thin disc spring having a predetermined spring property, and uses its elastic restoring force to urge the cylindrical gear 82 upward. Specifically, the dial washer 95 is bent into a curved shape that is convex upward (toward the cylindrical gear 82 side), so that the dial washer 95 comes into contact with the base 85 of the cylindrical gear 82 from below. This urges the cylindrical gear 82 upward.

Note that the dial washer 95 is made of metal, for example, made of various metal materials such as stainless steel or copper. However, the dial washer 95 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be formed of a material other than metal.

The hour wheel 80 is pressed against the main plate 20 by the back pressure (up-up force) received from the dial washer 95 described above. Thereby, the hour wheel 80 can rotate around the third axis O3 while its posture is maintained stably.

By the way, the hour wheel 80 composed of the hour wheel main body 81 and the cylindrical gear 82 is integrally formed by pressing the same plate material.
Specifically, the hour wheel main body 81 is formed by repeatedly drawing a metal plate material several times, for example, by pressing using a known press machine (including punches, dies, etc.) (not shown). A cylindrical body with a lid is formed. Next, press working is performed again to punch out the lid portion of the cylindrical body to form the hour wheel body 81, and at the same time punch out the plate material surrounding the hour wheel body 81 to form the cylindrical gear 82. At this time, a plurality of cylindrical tooth portions 83 and drawn portions 84 can be formed simultaneously by press working.

As a result, the hour wheel 80 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be manufactured. In particular, since the hour wheel main body 81 and the cylindrical gear 82 having the drawn portion 84 can be integrally formed using press work instead of cutting, the hour wheel 80 can be formed efficiently and at low cost. can be manufactured.

(effect of clock)
Next, the operation of the timepiece 1 configured as described above will be explained.
In the movement 10 shown in FIG. 1, when the crystal resonator in the crystal unit oscillates at a predetermined frequency, the oscillation section built in the integrated circuit outputs a reference signal based on the vibration of the crystal resonator, and also divides the frequency. The oscillator divides the output signal from the oscillator. Then, the drive section outputs a motor drive signal for driving the step motor 24 based on the output signal of the frequency dividing section. When a motor drive signal is input to the coil block 25, the stator 26 is magnetized and the rotor 27 is rotated around the first axis O1.

As the rotor 27 rotates, the fifth wheel & pinion 30 can be rotated around the second axis O2 as shown in FIG. 2, and the fourth wheel & pinion 40 can be rotated around the third axis O3 as shown in FIG. can be done. Further, by the rotation of the fourth wheel & pinion 40, the second wheel & pinion 60 can be rotated around the third axis O3 via the third wheel & pinion 50. Further, by the rotation of the center wheel 60, the hour wheel 80 can be rotated around the third axis O3 via the minute wheel 70.

In this way, the rotation of the fourth wheel 40, second wheel 60, and hour wheel 80 causes the second hand 15 to rotate once per minute, the minute hand 14 to rotate once per hour, and the hour hand 13 to rotate once every 12 hours. and can keep accurate time.

In particular, the timepiece 1 of this embodiment includes an hour wheel 80 on which a drawn portion 84 is formed as a gear forming the wheel train mechanism 23. Therefore, compared to the conventional hour wheel, the hour wheel 80 can be rotated with the tilting with respect to the third axis O3 suppressed, and the hour hand 13 can be prevented from interfering with the minute hand 14, dial 11, etc. It is possible to move the hands smoothly without any problems. Furthermore, the moment of inertia of the hour wheel 80 can be suppressed, and the hour wheel 80 can be rotated efficiently.
The effects of the hour wheel 80 will be described in detail below.

The hour wheel 80 of this embodiment has a drawn portion 84 formed on a plate-shaped cylindrical gear 82 provided with a cylindrical tooth portion 83, so it is different from a flat cylindrical gear having a constant thickness like the conventional one. Differently, the axial height H1 of the cylindrical gear 82 can be defined using the drawn portion 84 without changing the thickness of the cylindrical gear 82 itself.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. Appropriate back pressure can be received.

On the other hand, when a conventional hour wheel 100 having a flat cylindrical gear 101 having a certain thickness is incorporated into the movement 10 as shown in FIG. Since the thickness of the plate material that can be press-worked is limited depending on factors, the thickness of the cylindrical gear 101 tends to become thinner. Therefore, in this case, a large gap H3 is created between the hour gear 101 and the hour wheel retainer 75.
In this case, the amount of axial deformation of the dial washer 95 decreases, and the pushing up force based on the elastic restoring force decreases. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the hour wheel 100 to obtain appropriate back pressure from the dial washer 95. As a result, for example, when an impact or the like is applied to the movement 10, the hour wheel 100 may be tilted with respect to the third axis O3.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the present embodiment, the hour wheel 80 can receive appropriate back pressure from the dial washer 95 as described above, so that the inclination with respect to the third axis O3 The hour wheel 80 can be rotated with (tilt) suppressed. Therefore, the hour hand 13 can be moved smoothly without wobbling or interfering with the minute hand 14, dial 11, etc.

Furthermore, according to the hour wheel 80 of the present embodiment, the shaft height H1 of the cylindrical gear 82 can be defined by using the drawing part 84, so even if the shaft height H1 is to be large, for example, the cylindrical gear There is no need to increase the thickness of 82 itself. Therefore, the moment of inertia of the hour wheel 80 can be suppressed, and the hour wheel 80 can be rotated efficiently.

On the other hand, when a flat cylindrical gear with a constant thickness is used as in the past, it is necessary to increase the tooth thickness so as to obtain a positional relationship in which appropriate back pressure can be obtained. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a conventional hour wheel 110 is applied to the movement 10, which is a flat cylindrical gear 111 having a constant thickness, and the thickness of the cylindrical gear 111 is uniform throughout. This makes it possible to obtain appropriate back pressure. However, since the mass of the hour wheel 110 as a whole increases and the moment of inertia increases, for example, the load on the step motor 24, which is the drive source of the timepiece 1, increases. Therefore, an inconvenience may occur that the movement 10 cannot be properly driven unless the driving conditions are changed. Specifically, it may be necessary to lengthen the drive pulse width or increase the drive current. As a result, this leads to a reduction in battery life.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of the present embodiment, the moment of inertia can be suppressed as described above and the hour wheel 80 can be rotated efficiently, so that the load on the step motor 24 can be reduced. It is possible to suppress the increase in Therefore, it is possible to prevent the battery life from decreasing.

As described above, the hour wheel 80 of the present embodiment can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost, and can also suppress inclination with respect to the third axis O3 and suppress the moment of inertia.
Furthermore, according to the wheel train mechanism 23 of this embodiment, the hour wheel 80 can be rotated stably between the main plate 20 and the hour wheel retainer 75 while suppressing the moment of inertia, so that the operating performance is stable. , resulting in a wheel train mechanism with improved power transmission efficiency.
Furthermore, since the movement 10 and the timepiece 1 of this embodiment are equipped with the above-mentioned wheel train mechanism 23, they can also be used as high-quality movements and watches with stable operating performance and improved power transmission efficiency. Become.

Furthermore, in the hour wheel 80 of this embodiment, the drawn portion 84 is formed in an annular shape over the entire circumference of the cylindrical gear 82, so that the weight balance of the cylindrical gear 82 can be made uniform in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the hour wheel 80 can have excellent rotational characteristics. Furthermore, since the drawn portion 84 is formed in an annular shape, the bulging portion 87 of the drawn portion 84 can be brought into contact with the base plate 20 over the entire circumference of the drawn portion 84 . Thereby, the posture of the hour wheel 80 can be made more stable, and the inclination with respect to the third axis O3 can be further suppressed.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments and their modifications include, for example, those that can be easily imagined by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are equivalent.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the quartz type watch 1 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this case, and the present invention may be applied to, for example, a mechanical type watch. Further, in the above embodiment, the hour hand 13, minute hand 14, and second hand 15 are rotated by transmitting the power of one step motor 24, but the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, a step motor that generates power to rotate the hour hand 13, a step motor that generates power to rotate the minute hand 14, a step motor that generates power to rotate the second hand 15, etc. A configuration including a motor may also be used.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the drawn portion 84 is formed into an annular shape, but the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, the drawn portions 84 that locally expand or recess may be formed so as to be arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical gear 82.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the drawing part 84 is configured by the first slope part 86, the bulging part 87, and the second slope part 88, but the invention is not limited to this case. A molded portion may be formed.

Further, although the drawn portion 84 is formed to bulge upward in a convex manner, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical gear (flange portion according to the present invention) 121 The hour wheel (gear according to the present invention) 120 may be formed such that the drawn portion 122 bulges downward.

The cylindrical gear 121 in this case includes an annular base 125 extending radially outward from the upper end 81b of the hour wheel main body 81, and an annular base 125 extending radially outward from the outer peripheral edge of the base 125. an annular first inclined part 126 extending radially outward from the lower end of the first inclined part 126; Therefore, it includes an annular second inclined part 128 extending upward, and an annular outermost circumferential part 129 extending radially outward from the upper end of the second inclined part 128, which are connected in series. It consists of: Note that the drawing portion 122 is configured by the first inclined portion 126, the bulged portion 127, and the second inclined portion 128 described above.
Even with the hour wheel 120 configured in this way, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be achieved.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the height position of the cylindrical tooth part 83 is adjusted in the third axis O3 direction at the outermost peripheral part 129 of the cylindrical gear 121, which is located closer to the outer peripheral edge than the drawn part 122. The hour wheel 120 may have a bent portion 130 formed thereon. The bending part 130 can be formed by press working at the same timing as the drawing part 122, and is formed in a stepped shape with the outermost peripheral part 129 facing upward.
In addition, in FIG. 9, the case where the drawing part 122 is formed so that it swells convexly toward the downward direction is taken as an example.

In the case of the hour wheel 120 configured in this way, the drawing part 122 is used to define the axial height of the cylindrical gear 121, while the bending part 130 is used to adjust the height position of the cylindrical tooth part 83. can do. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the meshing position of the cylindrical tooth portion 83 with the pinion 73 can be adjusted to shift toward the proximal end (root side) of the pinion 73. Therefore, the pinion pinion 73 and the cylindrical tooth portion 83 can be more stably engaged, and power can be transmitted to the hour wheel 120 more efficiently, leading to improvement in the rotational characteristics of the hour wheel 120. can.
In this manner, by using the bending portion 130, the hour wheel 120 can be set for optimum meshing.

Further, in the above embodiment, the gear according to the present invention is applied to an hour wheel, but the invention is not limited to the hour wheel, and may be applied to other timepiece gears. .
For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the gear according to the present invention may be applied to a fifth wheel & pinion 140 disposed between the main plate 20 and the gear train bridge 21. In this case, the train wheel bridge 21 becomes the first support component, and the base plate 20 becomes the second support component.

The fifth wheel 140 in this case includes an axle 31, a fifth pinion 33, and a plate-shaped fifth gear (flange portion according to the present invention) 141 formed in an annular shape centered on the second axis O2. .
The fifth gear 141 is formed with a drawn portion 142 that is plastically deformed in a stepped manner upward. Specifically, the fifth gear 141 includes an annular base 145 connected to the axle 31, and a bulge extending upward from the outer peripheral edge of the base 145 and surrounding the fifth pinion 33 from the outside in the radial direction. 146, and an annular outermost circumferential portion 147 extending radially outward from the upper end of the bulging portion 146, which are arranged in series.
In the outermost peripheral portion 147, a plurality of fifth tooth portions (tooth portions according to the present invention) 148 that mesh with the rotor pinion 27b are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference.

Even with the fifth wheel & pinion 140 configured in this manner, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the fifth wheel & pinion 30 in the above embodiment. In addition, since the fifth gear 141 can be formed by press working, it can be manufactured efficiently and at low cost, and the moment of inertia can be suppressed. Therefore, the fifth wheel & pinion 140 can have excellent rotational characteristics, and the power from the rotor 27 can be transmitted more efficiently.

Note that even when the fifth wheel 140 is configured in this way, the regulation lever 92 can be pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the bulge 146, so the second hand 15 can be rotated as in the above embodiment. It is possible to set the time without having to do so.

Furthermore, in the gear according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of teeth on the flange portion, and a special gear having, for example, one or several teeth may be used. However, by forming a plurality of teeth on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion, the gear can be used as a so-called general gear, so that versatility can be increased and the gear can be made easy to use.

H1...Shaft height O3...Third axis (rotation axis)
1...Clock 10...Movement (clock movement)
13...Hour hand 20...Main plate (first support part, second support part)
21... Gear train bridge (first support part)
23... Wheel train mechanism 75... Hour wheel holder (second support part)
80, 120... Hour wheel (gear)
81... Hour wheel body 82, 121... Cylindrical gear (flange part)
83...Cylinder tooth part (tooth part)
84, 122, 142...Drawing section 130...Bending section 140...Fifth wheel (gear)
141...Fifth gear (flange part)
148...Fifth tooth part (tooth part)

Claims (8)

a plate-shaped flange portion formed in an annular shape centered on the rotation axis;
A tooth portion provided on the flange portion,
A drawn portion that is plastically deformed in the direction of the rotational axis is formed in the flange portion ,
The gear is characterized in that the drawn portions are formed in a part of the flange portion and are spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the flange portion . a plate-shaped flange portion formed in an annular shape centered on the rotation axis;
A tooth portion provided on the flange portion,
A drawn portion that is plastically deformed in the direction of the rotational axis is formed in the flange portion,
A plurality of the tooth portions are formed on the outer peripheral edge of the flange portion at intervals in the circumferential direction over the entire circumference of the flange portion,
A bending portion for adjusting the height position of the tooth portion in the direction of the rotation axis is formed in a portion of the flange portion located closer to the outer peripheral edge than the drawing portion. gears . a plate-shaped flange portion formed in an annular shape centered on the rotation axis;
A tooth portion provided on the flange portion,
A drawn portion that is plastically deformed in the direction of the rotational axis is formed in the flange portion,
The flange portion has an axial height along the rotational axis direction defined by the drawing portion, and
The gear, wherein the flange portion is formed by the drawing portion so that the shaft height is greater than the thickness of the flange portion itself . The gear according to claim 2 or 3 ,
The drawing part is a gear formed in an annular shape over the entire circumference of the flange part . The gear according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
an hour wheel body formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the rotational axis, arranged radially inside the flange portion, and to which an hour hand is attached;
The flange portion and the hour wheel main body are integrally formed of the same plate material . The gear according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
a first support component;
A wheel train mechanism, comprising: a second support component disposed in the rotation axis direction with respect to the first support component with the gear interposed therebetween. A timepiece movement comprising the train wheel mechanism according to claim 6. A timepiece comprising the timepiece movement according to claim 7.

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