US 11,841,684 B2
Timepiece display mechanism comprising at least one resilient hand
Marc Stranczl, Nyon (CH); Patrice Golay, Le Sentier (CH); Pierre Cusin, Villars-Burquin (CH); and Alexandre Fussinger, Wavre (CH)
Assigned to Montres Breguet S.A., L'Abbaye (CH)
Appl. No. 16/979,685
Filed by Montres Breguet S.A., L'Abbaye (CH)
PCT Filed Jul. 24, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/069968
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/025428, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 6, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 18186552 (EP), filed on Jul. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0048782 A1, Feb. 18, 2021
Int. Cl. G04B 13/00 (2006.01); G04B 19/04 (2006.01); G04B 19/02 (2006.01); G04B 45/00 (2006.01); G04B 9/00 (2006.01); G04B 13/02 (2006.01); G04B 19/08 (2006.01)
CPC G04B 19/02 (2013.01) [G04B 9/005 (2013.01); G04B 13/001 (2013.01); G04B 13/007 (2013.01); G04B 13/008 (2013.01); G04B 13/021 (2013.01); G04B 19/042 (2013.01); G04B 19/048 (2013.01); G04B 19/082 (2013.01); G04B 45/0061 (2013.01); G04B 13/02 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A timepiece display mechanism comprising:
at least one variable-geometry resilient hand which comprises a first drive pipe integral with a first end of a flexible strip, and a second drive pipe integral with another end of said flexible strip, and comprising a display index which, in an unstressed free state of said resilient hand wherein both said first pipe and said second pipe are not subjected to any stress and are remote from one another, is remote from said first pipe and from said second pipe, the operating position of said resilient hand being a stressed position where said first pipe and said second pipe are coaxial to one another about an output axis;
first means for driving said first pipe about said output axis and second means for driving said second pipe about said output axis, said first drive means and second drive means being arranged so as to deform said flexible strip, by varying the angular position of said second pipe relative to the angular position of said first pipe about said output axis, and so as to vary the radial position of said display index relative to said output axis, said resilient hand comprising at least one first flexible segment between said first pipe and said index with a first web having a substantially constant section, and a second flexible segment between said second pipe and said index with a second web having a substantially constant section,
wherein:
said first flexible segment comprises first discontinuous elements projecting from said first web and extending substantially parallel to a plane perpendicular to said output axis and defining, along said first web, an alternation of sections, the stiffnesses thereof per unit of length are different from one another, and
said second flexible segment comprises second discontinuous elements projecting from said second web and extending substantially parallel to a plane perpendicular to said output axis and defining, along said second web, an alternation of sections, the stiffnesses thereof per unit of length are different from one another,
wherein said first elements and said second elements are inertial elements, each having an inertia that is greater than the inertia of resilient sections of said first web, respectively of said second web, inserted between said first successive elements and respectively said second successive elements, and
wherein in the direction of said output axis, said first elements are arranged at a first level that is far enough away from a second level at which said second elements are arranged, so as to allow the superimposition thereof and the remote crossover thereof during the elongation or contraction of said resilient hand.