US681006A - Chronometer-escapement. - Google Patents

Description

No. 68|,006. Patented Aug. 20, I901.

J. F. THIN.

CIIBOIIOIETEII ESGAPEIEIT.

Amman m In. so, 1001.)

(In Nodal.)

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FEIoE.

JOIIAN F. TI-IIM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHRONOM ETER-ESCAPEM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 681,006, dated August 20, 1901.

Application filed March 20,1901. Serial No. 52,118. (No model.)

To CbZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHAN F. THIM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chronometer-Escapements, of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, is a full and complete description, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to which it pertains to understand, make, and use the same.

This invention relates to and is an improvement upon the chronometer-escapement invented by Arnold and improved by Earnshaw and Dent.

In the chronometer-escapement embodying this invention the operation is substantially the same as in chronometer-escapements of the kind named heretofore made. As the balance oscillates in the direction of the arrow 1, Figure 1 of the drawings, its unlockingroller jewel comes in contact with the secondary spring, (usually termed the gold spring or the gold unlocking-spring,) which is mounted on the detentspring (sometimes called the spring-lever) of the escapement and presses or lifts the detent-spring, so that its locking-jewel is freed from the tooth of the escape-wheel in contact therewith and the impulse-roller jewel receives the impact of another tooth of the escape-wheel and the balance receives its impulse thereby. Further, as the balance returns its unlockingroller jewel passes the secondary spring (the gold unlocking-spring) without moving the detent spring, which rests against a stop, such secondary spring being so pliable as to allow the unlocking-roller jewel to pass freely by it. The impulse is therefore in the escapement embodying this invention communicated from the escape-wheel direct to the balance-arbor. It therefore occurs that in the escapement embodying my invention, as well as in the ordinary escapement of the kind named, the stroke which moves the detent-spring withdraws the locking-jewel (or detent) from the tooth of the escape-wheel, and at the same time that this tooth escapes another tooth of such escape-wheel strikes a pallet (the impulse-roller jewel) on the arbor of the balance and restores to the balancewheel the force lost during a vibration.

In chronometer-escapements of the kind named as the same have been heretofore constructed the blow from the tooth of the escape-wheel is received by the detent-spring striking the locking-jewel of such detentspring in a direction toward the blade or spring of such detent-spring and tends to compress or buckle such blade or spring portion of such detent-spring, and,further, the escapewheel is not open to observation in the operation of the same; and the principal object of this invention is to so construct and combine the several parts constituting the escapement that the blow received by the detent-spring shall tend to subject the same to a tension strain, (andnot to compression,) such blow being given in a direction from the blade or spring part of the detent-spring, and so tending to pull or stretch such blade or spring part.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification and hereinbefore referred to, Fig. l is a top plan view of a portion of the upper plate of a chronometer with an escapement embodying this invention attached thereto, but with the balance and the impulse-roller removed from the arbor of the balance; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 3, a top plan view, on an enlarged scale, of the unlocking-roller and jewel engaging with the gold unlocking-spring of the escapement and of the detent-spring with such parts in the same relative position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4, a vertical sectional View on line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the impulse-roller and the teeth of the escape-wheel.

A reference-letter applied to indicate a given part is used to designate such part throughout the several views wherever the same appears.

A is the upper plate of the chronometer,

having an escapement embodying this invention attached thereto. Plate A is provided with a slot a, in which slot the detent-spring D, hereinafter described, is placed. Slot a is of sufficient width to admit of the necessary theop'eration thereof.

B is the balance-wheel of the chronometer,

and b is the arbor of such balance-wheel.

B is the potance of arbor?) and is attached to the under side of plate A by screw 5 passing through bridge I)" of such potance and into, the plate.

B is the bridge of arbor 6 and is attached to the plate A by screw b 0 is the escape-wheel of the chronometer.

O is a recess in the upper side of the up per plate A, in which recess the escaperwheel O is placed.

C is the arbor of escape-Wheel O.

O is the escape-wheel bridge, and O is the screw bywhich the bridge is attached to the plate A.

D is the detent-spring of the escape-merit. The detent spring D comprisesthe-part d, by which such detent-spring is attached to the plate A, as by means-of'screw D, part 01?; forming a spring (i extending from spring part 01 to curved part d and part d Curved part d extends around arbor b of the balancewheel 13. Parts (1 61 and d constitute the body part. of the detent-spring D.

d isajewel or tooth mounted on part 01 of detent-spring D.

-E F are rollers on arbor b of balancewheel B.

e is a jewel or tooth on unlocking-r0ller E, and f is a jewel or tooth on impulse-roller F. G is asecondary spring mounted on part d of detent-spring D, as byscrew g. Secondary spring G is ordinarily made of gold and is termed in the art the gold spring of the es capement or the unlocking gold spring.

In the operation of this escape-ment one of the teethof the escape-wheel Gpressesagainst the locking-jewel or pallet don detent-spring D, such escape-wheel having at all times a tendency to. turn to the right, as isindicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 1. Any one of the teeth of. the escape-wheelbeing in contact with thelocking-jewel at, when thebal-ance-wheel B, unlocking-roller E, and impulse-roller F turn. in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, sothat the unlocking-jewel e comes in contact with the gold unlocking-spring G,:

such unlocking-jewel or verge-tooth forces the detent-spring F back until the palletor locking-jewel d'isfree from engagement with such tooth of the escapement-wheel, at which time the impulse-roller F on arborb is in position relative to the escape-wheel O,-so-that the jewel frecei-ves an impulse from oneof the teeth of the escape-wheel which is adjacent theretov by the movement of the escape-wheel immediately following the disengagement of the pallet or locking-jewel d from the-tooth of theescape-wheel incontact therewith. An impulse-is thus. given tobalance-wheel B in thedirection indicated by arrow 1:, and this roller F is termed the impulse-roller. Asdetentsspring D is forced back or lifted by unlocking-jewel e in the manner above described immediately after the locking-jewel d is released from engagement with the tooth of the escapement-whecl C, which is in con-' tact therewith, unlocking jewel passes around beyond the end of the gold unlockingspring G- because of the continued movement of the balance-wheel B and arbor I), and the detent-spring D is immediately returned to its initial position by the resilience of spring part (1 thereof. Such return of detent-spring D is so quickly made that the pallet or look ing-J Qwel cl receives thereon the tooth of the scape-wheel O, succeeding the one last released, as above described. On the return movement of the balance-wheel B, arbor b, unlocking-roller E, and impulse-roller F gold unlocking-spring G- is so pliable that the unlocking-jewel e on roller E passes by it withoutmoving the detentsp-ri-ng D, and the escape-wheel O is then in such position relative to impulse roller F-and the impulse-jewel f thereon that such impulse-jewel passes betweenthe teeth of the escape-wheel adjacent thereto without coming in contact therewith. Theoperation of the escapement is, i-twill be observed, substantiallythesame as theoperation of like escapements of this class as heretofore made, except that the impact recei ved by'the pallet or locking-jewel d in the i escapement embodying my invention produces tension on spring part 01 of the detent spring, and not compression, as-is done in the escapemen-ts of this kind heretofore made. Hence I am ableto-make such spring part d thinner than the same has heretofore been made. Further, it will be observed that the fulcrum on which the--detent-spring turn-s that is, spring (1 of detent-spring Dis on thesame side of the locking-jewel d as is'the arbor b, which constitutes the fulcrum of the unlockingjewel e, and henceengagement of 'the unlocking jewel ewi-th gold spring G is less so farasslippage is concerned, and less friction is obtained than is as the'samehave been heretofore constructed, while inthe return movement of the unlocking-jewel the fulcrum of the unlocked gold spring Gis-substantial-lyinthe same relation to the fulcrum of suchunlocking jewel as in the escapements heretofore constructed, and a quicker releas-- ing of the-engagement between theunlockingjewel and thegold spring-in the return movement of the unlocking-jewelis obtained.

Having thus described myinvention audits operation, what I claim asnew, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, 1s-

1. Ina chro-nometer-escapement, a detentspringprovided with aspring portion adjacent to theend thereof arranged to be attached tothe'plate of the-ch-ronometcr, means for securing a secondary spring to-the free end of' the detent-spring, a curved portion, i arranged toextend around the balance-arbor iof the chronometer, between the spring porltion of the detent-spring and the point of attachment of the secondary spring thereto,

a locking-j ewel mounted on the detent-spring between the curved portion thereof and the point of attachment of the secondary spring thereto, and a secondary spring attached at one end thereof to the free end of the detentspring; substantially as described.

2. A detent-spring comprising a part arranged to be attached to a plate of a chronometer, a spring portion adjacent to such attachable part, a curved part arranged to extend around a balance-arbor and a body part arranged to have attached thereto a locking-jewel for an escape-wheel and a secondary spring for an unlocking-jewel, in combination with a secondary springattached at one end thereof to the free end of the detent-spring and extending to the curved portion of such detent-spring, and a lockingjewel, whereby when an unlocking-jewel, of an escapement whereof the detent-spring, the locking-jewel and the secondary spring are elements, lifts the secondary spring in one direction, carrying therewith the detent-sprin g, the fulcrum of such secondary spring is at the spring end of the detent-sprin g, and when such unlocking jewel lifts the secondary spring in the other direction the fulcrum of the secondary spring is at the other end of the detent-spring; substantially as described.

3. In a chronometer-escapement, a detentspring, attachable at one end to a chronometer-plate and provided with a spring portion adjacent to the attachable end and a body part adjacent to the spring portion, the attachable portion, the spring portion and the body portion of the spring being integral, in combination with a locking-jewel mounted on the body portion of the detent-spring for an escape-wheel, and a secondary spring attached at one end thereof to the free end of the detent-spring, the secondary spring extending along the detent-spring so that the end thereof operated on by the unlockingjewel of the escapernent is between the locking-jewel and the spring portion of the dedent-spring; substantially as described.

J OHAN F. THIM. \Vitnesses:

CHARLES TURNER BROWN, CORA A. ADAMS.

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