The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd

Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Omega Sa

Patek Philippe Sa Geneve

Ecole Polytechnique Féderale De Lausanne (epfl)

Mohammad Hussein Kahrobaiyan

Jean-Jacques Born

Gianni Di Domenico

Pascal Winkler

Jean-Luc Helfer

Dominique Lechot

Yvan Ferri

Baptiste Hinaux

Lionel Paratte

Billy Nussbaumer

Simon Henein

Charles Baur

Ilan Vardi

Alexandre Didier

Grégory Musy

Florent Cosandier

Mohamed Zanaty

Etienne Thalmann

A regulating member () for a horological movement including a balance, a balance spring including a flexible strip () coiled on itself in several turns, the strip () having a predefined rigidity to enable the balance to perform a rotary oscillatory movement, the strip including an outer end (). The regulating member () includes a resilient device for compensating the direction of gravity with respect to the regulating member (), the resilient device adapting its stiffness according to gravity to compensate for the effect of gravity on the regulating member, the resilient device including a resilient element () connecting the outer end () to a first non-movable support () with respect to the horological movement, as well as prestressing means () for applying a variable force or torque on the resilient element () according to the direction of gravity with respect to the regulating member ().

Timepiece regulating member with a balance spring provided with means for gravity compensation

A horological resonator mechanism, including a structure carrying, via a flexible suspension, an anchor unit from which is suspended an inertial element oscillating about a pivot axis extending in a first direction Z, in a first degree of rotational freedom RZ, under the effect of the return forces of a flexure pivot including longitudinal elastic strips, each fixed to the inertial element and to the anchor unit, the flexible suspension allowing the anchor unit to move in five degrees of freedom, this resonator is a composite assembly made of at least two different materials, on the one hand for the flexure pivot, and on the other hand for the flexible suspension.

Shock protection of a resonator mechanism with rotary flexure bearing

A flexible guide for a rotating resonator mechanism, in particular of a horological movement, the guide including a fixed support, an element that is capable of moving relative to the fixed support, at least one main flexible blade allowing the movable element to move relative to the fixed support by bending the one or more main flexible blades via a rotary motion about a centre of rotation, the flexible guide being arranged substantially in one plane, and includes at least one translation table joined to one end of the main flexible blade, the main flexible blade and the translation table forming a pair connected to the fixed support, to the movable element, or to an intermediate movable part, such that the translation table is configured to move in translation at least in part under the effect of the bending of the main flexible blade.

Flexible guide with translation table for a rotating resonator mechanism, in particular for a horological movement

The invention relates to a rotary resonator mechanism () comprising an oscillating mass (), a flexible guide comprising at least two flexible blades () connecting a stationary support () to the oscillating mass (), the resonator mechanism () extending substantially in the same plane to allow the oscillating mass to perform a rotary movement around a virtual pivot, the flexible guide () extending along a main axis of symmetry (), characterised in that the mechanism () comprises a translation table () arranged between the flexible guide and the oscillating mass (), the translation table () being joined to the flexible blades () and/or to the oscillating mass (). The invention also relates to a horological movement comprising such a resonator ().

Timepiece resonator mechanism provided with a translation table

A flexible guide for a rotating resonator mechanism, in particular of a horological movement, the guide including a fixed support, an element that is capable of moving relative to the fixed support, at least two main flexible blades allowing the movable element to move relative to the fixed support by bending the main flexible blades via a rotary motion about a centre of rotation, the flexible guide being arranged substantially in one plane, the flexible guide including at least two translation tables, each joined to one end of a main flexible blade, such that each translation table is configured to move in translation at least in part under the effect of the bending of the corresponding main flexible blade, the flexible guide including at least one tertiary flexible blade connecting the two translation tables.

A device () for guiding a pivoting mass in rotary pivoting, in particular for a horological movement comprising, arranged in series substantially in the same plane, a first support (), a first pair of uncrossed strips (), a second support (), a pair of crossed strips (), and a third support (), the pair of uncrossed strips including, a first () and a second () flexible strip connecting the first support () to the second support () without crossing each other, the pair of crossed strips including a third () and a fourth () flexible strip connecting the second support () to the third support (), the third () and fourth () flexible strips crossing each other between the second () and the third () support.

Pivoting guide device for a pivoting mass and timepiece resonator mechanism

Device and method for measuring contact force exerted by an object on a probe comprising a lever and said probe for contacting the object is provided. The lever is pivotably coupled to a body by a coupling module. The device comprising a fixed frame coupled to the body. The body is designed to be moved with respect to the object to put the probe in contact with the object to create force pivoting said lever with respect to the body around a pivot axis. The device comprising a sensor for measuring displacement of the lever with respect to the body upon pivoting. The coupling module comprises control stiffness module, so that when the probe contacts the object, the displacement of the lever is proportional to the force exerted by the probe on the object. Such control stiffness module is tunable so that accuracy and sensitivity of measured force is controlled.

Device for measuring a force exerted on an object

Growing community of inventors

Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Mohammad Hussein Kahrobaiyan