U.S. patent application number 09/746329 was filed with the patent office on 2002-09-26 for winder for mechanical watches.
Invention is credited to Agnoff, Charles.
Application Number | 20020136095 09/746329 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25000362 |
Filed Date | 2002-09-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020136095 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Agnoff, Charles |
September 26, 2002 |
WINDER FOR MECHANICAL WATCHES
Abstract
A winder for mechanical manually-wound watches is described that
includes a housing, with a watch support in front of the housing
front wall to support a watch with its stem aligned along a first
given longitudinal axis. A support shaft extending from the housing
front wall has an outer end attached to the watch support and is
moveable along a parallel second given longitudinal axis. A
rotatable shaft having a front end with a crown collet extends from
the front wall along the first longitudinal axis to attach the
watch crown to the crown collet. The rotatable shaft is rotated on
a timed sequence by a motor that is in a circuit with a
potentiometer which detects when the motor load increased,
indicating that the watch spring is fully wound. A controller
disconnects the motor when the potentiometer detects that the watch
is fully wound.
Inventors: |
Agnoff, Charles;
(Wilmington, NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WILLIAM J. MASON
MACCORD MASON PLLC
POST OFFICE BOX 1489
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
NC
28480
US
|
Family ID: |
25000362 |
Appl. No.: |
09/746329 |
Filed: |
December 21, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
368/206 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G04D 7/009 20130101;
G04B 3/006 20130101; G04C 1/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
368/206 |
International
Class: |
G04F 007/00; G04C
001/00; G04B 003/00; G04B 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A watch winder for winding a mechanical stem-wound watch having
a stem with a crown, said winder comprising: a) a rotatable shaft
attachable to said stem; b) a motor in communication with a power
source and said shaft to rotate said stem; c) a sensor to detect
when said watch is fully wound; and d) a controller in a circuit
with said motor and said power source to disconnect power to said
motor when said sensor detects that said watch is fully wound.
2. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said sensor is a
potentiometer.
3. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said motor communicates
with said shaft through a detachable shaft connector.
4. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said rotatable shaft has a
longitudinal axis, and said winder further includes a watch to
support said watch with said stem aligned with said longitudinal
axis.
5. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said rotatable shaft
includes radially expandable crown collet to grip said crown.
6. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said power source is a
battery.
7. The watch winder of claim 1, wherein said controller includes a
timer circuit to close said circuit for a predetermined period of
time, unless said sensor detects that said spring is fully
wound.
8. A watch winder for winding mechanical manually-wound watches
having a stem with a crown, said winder comprising: a) a watch
support for supporting said watch with said stem and crown aligned
along a first given longitudinal axis; b) a support shaft having an
outer end attached to said watch support, and an inner end, said
support shaft being moveable along a second given longitudinal axis
parallel to said first given axis; c) a rotatable shaft having an
front end attachable to said stem, said shaft being aligned along
said first given longitudinal axis, said support shaft being
moveable along said second longitudinal axis to connect said crown
to said rotatable shaft outer end; d) a motor in communication with
a power source and said rotatable shaft to rotate said stem; e) a
sensor to detect when said watch is fully wound; and f) a
controller in a circuit with said motor and said power source to
disconnect power to said motor when said sensor detects that said
watch is fully wound.
9. The watch winder of claim 8, wherein said support shaft has
inner and outer positions, said winder further including a spring
to urge said support shaft toward said inner position, and an
adjustable stop limiting the inner movement of said support
shaft.
10. The watch winder of claim 8, further including a housing with
front and back sides, said support shaft projecting from said front
side, and said rotatable shaft having a front end projecting from
said front side and a rear end projecting from said rear side.
11. The watch winder of claim 8, wherein said rotatable shaft has
radially expandable gripping jaws at its front end.
12. The watch winder of claim 8, further including a slip clutch
connecting said motor to said rotatable shaft.
13. A watch winder for winding mechanical manually-wound watches
having a stem with a crown, said watch comprising: a) a housing
having front and back walls and a top wall; b) a watch support in
front of said front wall for supporting said watch with said stem
aligned along a first given longitudinal axis; c) a support shaft
extending from the housing front wall, said support shaft having an
outer end attached to said watch support, and an inner end, said
support shaft being moveable along a second given longitudinal axis
parallel to said first given axis between inner and outer
positions; d) a rotatable shaft having a front end extending from
said front wall, said rotatable shaft having a front end including
a crown collet attachable to said crown, said shaft being aligned
along said first given longitudinal axis, said support shaft being
moveable along said second longitudinal axis to connect said crown
to said rotatable shaft outer end; e) a motor in said housing in
communication with a power source and said rotatable shaft to
rotate said stem; f) a potentiometer to detect when said spring is
fully wound; and g) a controller in a circuit with said motor and
said power source to disconnect power to said motor when said
potentiometer detects that said spring is fully wound.
14. The watch winder of claim 13, further including a milliammeter
mounted to said top wall to visually indicate when said spring is
fully wound.
15. The watch winder of claim 13, further including a low battery
indicator.
16. A watch winder for winding mechanical manually-wound watches
having a stem with a crown, said winder comprising: a) a rotatable
shaft attachable to said stem; b) a motor in communication with a
power source and said shaft to rotate said stem; c) a detachable
shaft connector joining said motor to said rotatable shaft, said
connector detaching said motor from said shaft when said watch is
fully wound.
17. The watch winder of claim 16, wherein said rotatable shaft has
a longitudinal axis, and said winder further includes a watch
support to support said watch with said stem aligned along said
longitudinal axis.
18. The watch winder of claim 16, wherein said connector is an
adjustable slip clutch.
19. The watch winder of claim 16, further including a timer circuit
for activating said motor for a predetermined period of time.
20. The watch winder of claim 16, further including a sensor to
determine when said watch is fully wound.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] (1) Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to an electronic
watch winder, and in particular to a watch winder that is useful in
winding stem-wound watches.
[0003] (2) Description of the Prior Art
[0004] In mechanical watches, as opposed to battery-powered
watches, a mainspring exerts a force against a series of
interconnected gears, balance wheels and escapements that rotate
the watch hands and other components. The two basic types of
mechanical watches are automatic or self-winding watches, and
manually-wound watches. The mainsprings in automatic watches are
wound by rotating or oscillating an attached weight by normal
movement of the user's wrist. Springs in manually-wound watches are
wound by rotation of a stem or crown that has an inner end in
operative communication with the mainspring and an outer end
projecting from the watch case to be grasped by the user.
[0005] The mainspring of an automatic watch is wound sufficiently
to continue watch operation so long as the user wears the watch.
However, the watch will stop if it is not worn for a period of
time, requiring the user to reset the watch to the correct time
when the watch is again worn. Manual-winding mechanisms are often
used in watches, which include additional mechanisms, known as
complications, to provide other information, e.g., the date or moon
phases, in addition to the time. The complexity of these watches is
such that resetting the watch is a complicated task, in some cases
even requiring the services of a jeweler to reset the watch.
[0006] Various mechanisms called watch winders have been designed
to wind the springs of self-winding watches when the watches are
not being worn. Basically, these watch winders are comprised of a
watch support to hold the watch at a desired orientation on the
winder and a means for moving the watch support in a predetermined
pattern, usually at periodic intervals. The movement pattern is
preferably designed to simulate the movement of a user's wrist,
thereby rotating or oscillating the weight in accordance with the
watch's design to keep the spring wound. Examples of such devices
are described in the following U.S. patents:
1 U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) 2,863,345 Fiechter 2,917,955 Leger
2,926,519 Setterberg 3,620,007 Kauffman 4,057,958 Wuntch 5,608,693
Richards
[0007] The devices described in the above patents, while being
suitable to varying degrees in the winding of self-winding watches,
are of no use in the winding of stem-wound watches that require
rotation of the watch crown relative to the watch case. U.S. Pat.
No. 5,988,871 to Bonnet, on the other hand, describes a device that
is designed to address the need to wind mechanical crown-wound
watches. The Bonnet device is basically comprised of a watch holder
that supports the watch with the watch stem aligned along a given
longitudinal axis; a gripping assembly that includes a shaft
aligned along the given longitudinal axis, with multiple claws at
the end of the shaft toward the watch holder for gripping the crown
of the watch; and an electric motor for intermittently rotating the
collet shaft while the stem crown is gripped by the claws, thereby
winding the watch spring.
[0008] Different brands and styles of manually-wound watches, and
even manually-wound watches of the same brand or style, require
different numbers of stem rotations, e.g., from about 20 to about
80 rotations, to fully wind the watch spring. Also, the number of
rotations needed to fully wind a given watch will depend on the
extent to which the watch has been unwound when winding is
initiated. Therefore, a winding device cannot simply wind all
watches for the same number of rotations. If so, some watches would
be overwound, risking damage to the watch mechanism, while other
watches would be underwound, resulting in the watch ultimately
stopping.
[0009] Bonnet recognizes this problem and attempts to solve it by
requiring the user to manually set the Bonnet watch winder to the
characteristics of the specific watch to be wound. That is, when
using the Bonnet winder, the user first winds the watch by hand
while counting the number of turns required to fully wind the
watch. The winder is then set with an adjustment wheel to provide a
number of crown rotations approximating the number counted. Each
time the watch is worn, the wearer must fully wind the watch before
it is placed back on the winder. In order to prevent overwinding,
the Bonnet crown grabber is spring loaded and designed to act as a
clutch, so that the claws slip in the sleeve of the winding
apparatus.
[0010] The solution proposed by Bonnet to address the variations in
watch design and the resultant needs of manually-wound watches for
differing numbers of rotations is time consuming and less than
satisfactory. Setting of the Bonnet for a single watch requires the
wearer to correctly estimate the number of crown rotations required
to fully wind the watch, an exercise prone to error since the
number of turns counted will vary depending on whether the user
begins winding the watch when it is fully or only partially
unwound. Then, the wearer must set the winder to simulate the
correct number of turns, which is often a trial and error
activity.
[0011] Also, even if the winder is correctly set, the procedure
renders the winder useful for winding only a single watch. If the
wearer owns two or more manually-wound watches, as is often the
case, a separate winder must be purchased for each watch, or the
winder must be reset each time a different watch to be wound.
Furthermore, the safety mechanism proposed to prevent overwinding
allows the motor to keep running even after the watch if fully
wound.
[0012] Thus, there is still a need for a winder for mechanical
manually-wound watches, including both wrist watches and pocket
watches, that automatically compensates for differences in watch
designs, permitting the winder to be used for more than a single
watch without manual resetting, as well as for a watch winder that
will automatically stop when the watch is fully wound, preventing
possible damage to the watch and/or the winder. A watch winder
meeting these requirements which could also be used to wind
self-winding watches in addition to manually-wound watches would be
of particular utility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention addresses these needs by providing a
mechanical watch winder that is generally comprised of a watch
holder assembly to position a watch with the stem aligned along a
given longitudinal axis, a crown collet that includes a rotatable
shaft aligned along the longitudinal axis and a spring-loaded crown
collet passing through the shaft that is toward the watch holder
assembly, a DC motor operatively connected to rotate the shaft, a
control assembly to disconnect the motor from the power source when
the watch is fully wound, and a housing enclosing the other winder
components. Additional features may be included to control the
operation of the motor, and to provide information to the user.
[0014] The watch holder assembly includes a watch support to hold a
watch so that the watch stem is aligned along a first given
longitudinal axis. Various types of supports may be used. For
example, the support can be in the form of cylinder, with the watch
band being attached around the cylinder. Alternatively, the support
can include clamping jaws that can be clamped onto the watch case.
In this latter design, the jaws may be spring loaded.
[0015] The watch support is preferably carried on a support shaft
that is aligned along a second given longitudinal axis parallel to
the first given longitudinal axis along which the stem is oriented,
with the shaft being moveable to set locations between inner and
outer positions along the second given longitudinal axis. The shaft
may also include a spring or other biasing means may be used to
urge the shaft toward one of the positions, and a stop to limit the
extent to which the shaft can be moved toward the inner and/or
outer position.
[0016] The crown collet grips the watch crown and rotates the watch
stem when the motor is energized, and includes a rotatable shaft
that is aligned along the first given axis referred to above. The
collet shaft has an outer end toward the watch support and an
opposed inner end. A crown collet, which may be comprised of a
plurality of cooperative radially expandable jaw sections, is
mounted through the shaft. The crown collet may be moved from a
closed position to an expanded position by moving the collet shaft
in the direction of the watch support. A spring may be used to urge
the shaft in the direction of the inner end.
[0017] The motor, which is preferably a DC motor powered by a 6V
battery or a 6V AC/DC transformer, is operatively joined to the
gripping assembly shaft to rotate the shaft when the motor is
energized. Preferably, the motor and shaft are connected through a
slip clutch that can be adjusted to halt shaft rotation when the
shaft torque exceeds a predetermined value, even if the motor is
energized. A continuous drive belt or drive gear will normally be
used to connect the motor to the shaft or clutch.
[0018] A load measurement means may be used to determine when the
watch spring is fully wound, with the load measurement means being
connected in a circuit with the motor and the power source, e.g.,
the battery, and a controller. When the load measurement means
determines that a predetermined load value is reached, indicating
that the watch is fully wound, the controller opens the circuit
between the motor and the power source.
[0019] The control circuit can also include a timer circuit to
close the circuit at predetermined intervals for predetermined time
periods. For example, the timer circuit can close the motor circuit
every 3 to 4 hours for from 45 to 90 seconds. A control switch can
also be included if it is desired to manually disconnect the
circuit, or change the predetermined time interval of the timer
circuit. Visual indicators, such as a milli ammeter scale to
visually indicate when the load on the motor is exceeded, and an
LED or other means to indicate when the battery is low, can also be
positioned within the winder circuit. By operating every 3 to 4
hours, the mainspring tongue is virtually constant, an important
feature for maintaining the timekeeping accuracy of the watch in
question.
[0020] The winder is used by mounting a watch onto the watch
support so that the stem is aligned along the first given
longitudinal axis, and the crown collet is locked over the crown.
The winder can then be started manually by a switch, or by the
timing mechanism. When the winder is started, the control circuit
closes to energize the motor to rotate the shaft and crown collet,
thereby winding the watch spring.
[0021] If the load on the motor is maintained below a preset value,
winding continues for a predetermined time, after which the circuit
is opened. The control circuit then closes again after a
predetermined rest period to restart the cycle. If the watch
approaches fully wound during a cycle, the mainspring will resist
further turning of the shaft, placing a load on the motor, i.e.,
increases torque on the motor shaft, and thereby increasing the
current flow to the motor. This increase in amperage is detected by
a potentiometer in the control circuit, which is designed to open
the circuit when a preset amperage value is reached, thereby
disconnecting the motor and exertion of force against the shaft and
other watch components. Thus, damage to the mainspring or other
parts of the watch mechanism is prevented.
[0022] Some manually-wound mechanical watches are constructed so
that the crown screws down into the watchcase to prevent water from
entering into the case through the stem opening. Before winding
these watches, the crown is unscrewed and slightly withdrawn from
the case so that the stem can be rotated. After winding, the crown
is pushed inwardly and rotated in a clockwise manner to lock the
crown into the case.
[0023] In order to wind watches with locking crowns, it is
necessary to prevent the collet from pressing inwardly on the watch
during winding. Otherwise, the gripping assembly, which is designed
to rotate the stem in a clockwise direction, will force the crown
back into the locked position. This problem is prevented in the
present invention by providing a stop on the watch holder shaft as
noted earlier.
[0024] Thus, when winding watches of this design, the watch crown
is unlocked and the watch is mounted onto the watch support. The
watch holder assembly is then moved inwardly until the gripping
member grips the unscrewed crown. The stop is then adjusted on the
shaft to prevent further inward movement of the watch holder
assembly. Therefore, when the watch stem is wound, the gripping
assembly and the watch holder assembly are maintained in a constant
spaced relationship, preventing the crown from being returned to
the locked position. Alternately, a non-metallic clip can be
snapped in place over the threaded winding stem to prevent the
crown from moving in and threading itself.
[0025] As an additional safety precaution, the collet shaft may be
connected to the motor through an adjustable slip clutch. For
example, the shaft can be attached to the clutch, and a belt or
gear train can connect the motor to the clutch. The slip clutch is
designed so that slippage will occur between the drive part of the
clutch, i.e., the part connected to the motor, and the driven part,
i.e., the collet shaft, when the torque on the shaft exceeds a
predetermined value. Thus, when the spring is fully wound, further
rotation of the shaft will be resisted, increasing the torque, and
causing the clutch to slip. The slip tongue is adjustable, set by
varying spring pressure against the clutch elements.
[0026] Therefore, the winder can include two safety mechanisms for
preventing damage due to over winding of a watch. With either
measure, rotation of the part of the winder that contacts the watch
is halted when the spring is fully wound, thereby preventing damage
to the watch and to the components of the winder in contact with
the watch. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that an
improved winder can be made using either one of these safety
mechanisms alone. However, since many mechanical watches are very
valuable, the use of the safety mechanisms in combination is
preferred.
[0027] Self-winding watches may also include a stem that can be
used as an alternative way to wind the watch. However, unlike
stem-wound watches, self-winding watches are designed so that they
cannot be over wound. Therefore, while the above-described safety
mechanisms are not required when winding self-winding watches, it
will be apparent to one skilled in the art after reading the
description, that the present winder can also be used to wind
self-winding watches. In doing so, the watch is mounted on the
watch support as noted above, with the watch crown being held by
the crown collet. The winder is then activated at predetermined
periodic intervals to wind the self-winding watch. Since the fully
wound spring does not exert a resistance to shaft rotation, the
winder will remain activated for the predetermined time, and then
will stop until the next timed cycle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the watch winder.
[0029] FIG. 2 is top view of the watch winder of FIG. 1.
[0030] FIG. 3 is a side view of the watch winder of FIG. 1 with a
side wall removed to show the relationship of some of the interior
components.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a schematic of the components connected in circuit
with the watch winder motor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0032] In the following description, terms such as horizontal,
upright, vertical, above, below, beneath, and the like, are used
solely for the purpose of clarity in illustrating the invention,
and should not be taken as words of limitation. The drawings are
for the purpose of illustrating the invention and are not intended
to be to scale.
[0033] As illustrated in the drawings, a preferred embodiment of
the mechanical watch winder, generally 10, is comprised of watch
holder assembly, generally 12, stem gripping assembly, generally
14, DC motor 16, controller 18, and housing 20. Controller 18 is in
communication with a microprocessor and potentiometer 22 and a
switch 24.
[0034] Watch cradle assembly 12 includes a watch support, generally
26, to hold a watch W so that the watch stem is aligned along a
first given longitudinal axis with the watch crown toward housing
20. Watch support 26 is comprised of a pair of non-metallic
laterally adjustable retainers 27, and a watch platform 29, that
includes a felt pad to prevent scratching. Watch support 26 is
carried on the outer end of support shaft 28 that is aligned along
a second given longitudinal axis parallel to the first given
longitudinal axis, and extends to an inner end within housing 20.
Spring 30 surrounds the inner end of shaft 28 to urge shaft 28
inwardly. Threaded stop 32 is moveable along shaft 28 and abuts the
exterior of housing 20 to limit inward movement of shaft 28.
[0035] Stem collet assembly 14 includes a rotatable collet shaft 34
aligned along the first given axis. Gripping shaft 34 has a front
end toward the watch support and an opposed rear end that projects
from the opposite side of housing 20. Crown gripper 36 is mounted
on the front end of shaft 34. Crown gripper 36 is opened by
pressing on the rear end of shaft 34. Gripping shaft spring 38
urges shaft 34 towards its rear end. Motor 16, powered by 6 V
battery 46, is adapted to rotate collet shaft 34 through gear 46
connected through slip clutch 44, which includes spring adjustment
collar 49.
[0036] Controller 18, in the form of a printed circuit board, is
connected in a circuit with motor 16, battery 48, potentiometer 22,
an ammeter 40, switch 24, and a low battery indicator LED 50.
Controller 18 includes a timer circuit to close the circuit at
predetermined intervals for predetermined time periods, and will
open the circuit when the time expires, or when the current
measured by potentiometer 22 exceeds a predetermined value,
whichever occurs first.
[0037] In use, watch W is positioned on watch support 26 and crown
collet 36 is locked over the crown. Switch 24 is moved from the
center "off" to the 45 sec. or 90 sec. position, closing the
control circuit to energize motor 16 for the selected time. Motor
16 then rotates shaft 34 and crown gripper 36 to wind the watch
spring.
[0038] If the watch spring is fully wound before the preset time
expires, rotation of shaft 34 will be resisted, increasing the load
on motor 16. As a result, current flow to motor 16 increases. If
the amperage increases above a preset value, as measured by
microprocessor and trim potentiometer 22, controller 18 will open
the circuit to motor 16, preventing damage to the spring or other
parts of watch W. As an additional safety feature, the load on
shaft 34 will also cause slip clutch 44 to disengage if the
electronic circuit fails.
[0039] Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those
skilled in the art upon a reading of the foregoing description. It
should be understood that all such modifications and improvements
have been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and
readability but are properly within the scope of the follow
claims.
* * * * *