IP Library Granted Patent US 8,591,101
Granted Patent B2
US 8,591,101 · App. 12/706,246 · Granted Nov 26, 2013

Escapement governor, mechanical watch, pallet fork (incomplete) manufacturing method, and roller manufacturing method

Inventors: Masashi Hiraoka (Chiba, JP); Takashi Niwa (Chiba, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Instruments
G04B15/14
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,591,101
App. No.
12/706,246
Granted
Nov 26, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed are an integrally molded type pallet fork (incomplete) with a safety pin and a roller table that are formed with high precision by a simple process, a thin escapement governor including the pallet fork (complete) and the roller table, and a method of manufacturing the pallet fork (complete) and the roller table. The pallet fork (complete) of the escapement governor includes a pair of entry horn and exit horn extending from the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward the rotation axis of a balance with hairspring and adapted to transmit the power of an escape wheel to an impulse pin; and a safety pin which is provided in a side surface of the pallet fork (complete) between the pair of entry horn and exit horn, which extends from the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward the rotation axis of the balance with hairspring, which is situated at a position nearer to the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) than the pair of entry horn and exit horn, which enters a passing hollow to thereby cause the pallet fork (complete) to make normal rotation or reverse rotation with respect to the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete), and which abuts a portion of a roller other than the passing hollow to thereby prevent erroneous rotation of the pallet fork (complete); and the roller is formed in a single layer.

Claims (28)

1. An escapement governor comprising: an escape wheel;

a balance with hairspring including a roller having a passing hollow, and an impulse pin provided on the roller; and

a pallet fork (complete) transmitting the power of the escape wheel to the impulse pin to thereby cause the roller to make normal rotation or reverse rotation,

wherein the pallet fork (complete) comprises: a pair of entry horn and exit horn extending from a rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward a rotation axis of the balance with hairspring and adapted to transmit the power of the escape wheel to the impulse pin; and

a safety pin which is provided between the pair of entry horn and exit horn, which extends from the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward the rotation axis of the balance with hairspring, which is formed to be shorter than the pair of entry horn and exit horn, which enters the passing hollow to thereby cause the pallet fork (complete) to make normal rotation or reverse rotation with respect to the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete), and which abuts a portion of the roller other than the passing hollow to thereby prevent erroneous rotation of the pallet fork (complete); and

the roller is formed in a single layer.

2. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein an upper surface and a lower surface of the safety pin are situated so as to be flush with an upper surface and a lower surface of the pallet fork (complete).

3. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) comprises: a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn; and at least one through-hole extending through the pallet fork (incomplete).

4. An escapement governor according to claim 3 , wherein the through-hole is provided by a side of the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete).

5. An escapement governor according to claim 3 , wherein the pallet fork (incomplete) is equipped with a lever connected to the safety pin and the pair of entry and exit horn and extending from the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward the rotation axis of the balance with hairspring; and

the through-hole is provided at an end portion of the lever.

6. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) is equipped with a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn;

the pallet fork (incomplete) is equipped with a lever connected to the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn and extending from the rotation axis of the pallet fork (complete) toward the rotation axis of the balance with hairspring; and,

of both end portions of the lever, the width of an end portion nearer to the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn has a length not less than 1 time and not more than 2.5 times the width of a central portion between the two end portions.

7. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) is equipped with a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn; and the pallet fork (incomplete) has a portion other than the safety pin which is formed to be thinner than the safety pin.

8. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) is equipped with a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn; and

the pallet fork (incomplete) is formed of the same material as the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn.

9. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) is equipped with a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn; and

the pair of entry horn and exit horn are formed of a second material different from the material of which the pallet fork (incomplete) is formed.

10. An escapement governor according to claim 1 , wherein the pallet fork (complete) is equipped with a pallet fork (incomplete) having the safety pin and the pair of entry horn and exit horn; and

the safety pin is formed of a second material different from the material of which the pallet fork (incomplete) is formed.

11. An escapement governor according to claim 9 , wherein the second material is of a lower density than the material forming the pallet fork (incomplete).

12. An escapement governor according to claim 9 , wherein the second material has a friction coefficient lower than that of the material forming the pallet fork (incomplete).

13. An escapement governor according to claim 9 , wherein the second material is of a higher hardness than the material forming the pallet fork (incomplete).

14. A mechanical watch equipped with an escapement governor as claimed in claim 1 .

15. A mechanical watch equipped with an escapement governor as claimed in claim 11 .

16. A mechanical watch equipped with an escapement governor as claimed in claim 12 .

17. A mechanical watch equipped with an escapement governor as claimed in claim 13 .

Assignments (2)
NUNC PRO TUNC ASSIGNMENT Recorded Oct 17, 2024
From: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
To: SEIKO WATCH CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 069183/0051 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2010
From: HIRAOKA, MASASHI; NIWA, TAKASHI
To: SEIKO INSTRUMENTS INC.
Reel/Frame 023942/0913 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2009-034325 · Feb 17, 2009 · national
JP 2010-010351 · Jan 20, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100208555A1 · Aug 19, 2010