Mechanical-electric energy converter and watch part comprising this energy converter

• US 6,041,022 A
• Filed: 06/15/1999
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Priority Designs
• Original Assignee: Patek Philippe SA
• Inventors: Tu, Mai Xuan, Schwab, Michel, Musy, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): MISKA, VIT W
• Application Number:
  US09/319,988
• Time in Patent Office: 280 Days
• Field of Search: 368/64, 368/66, 368/203, 368/204, 310/75 R, 310/75 A, 310/156, 310/319, 310/328, 310/329
• US Class Current: 368/64
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 16/00 Machines with more than one rotor or stator machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1853 driven by intermittent forces

Abstract

A mechanical-electric energy converter comprising a wheel for transmitting energy which rotates at a low speed. The teeth of the driving wheel shift the rotor of the generator from its position of equilibrium, causing it to oscillate around the wheel. This converter can produce high angular velocities without a speed-increasing gear train.

Claims

1. Mechanical-electrical energy converter comprising mechanical energy transmission means, comprised by at least one toothed wheel, means for transforming mechanical energy into electrical energy, comprised by at least one electromagnetic generator having at least one rotor driven by said mechanical energy transmission means, characterized by the fact that each rotor of each electromagnetic generator has a positioning couple which determines its rest equilibrium position in the absence of external couples, by the fact that the drive of the rotor or rotors by the mechanical energy transmission means is active only over a limited angle α

0 of the rotor, such that the rotor or rotors cannot turn by a complete revolution, but oscillate about their rest equilibrium position.

2. Energy converter according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it comprises means to rectify and multiply the voltage of the generator and means to store the electrical energy produced by the generator.

3. Energy converter according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the generator is constituted by a permanent magnetic rotor, by a magnetic circuit of soft magnetic material and a winding coupled with the flux created by the magnet of the rotor.

4. Converter according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the drive of the rotor by the mechanical energy transmission means is intermittent, these transmission means driving the rotor beyond its rest position;

and by the fact that as soon as the mechanical drive connection of the rotor is interrupted, the latter returns to its rest position by oscillating about the latter at high speed under the influence of the magnetic reluctance couple of the converter.

5. Converter according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that the production of electrical energy is obtained during free oscillations of the rotor.

6. Converter according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the toothed wheel engages with a pinion with two teeth secured to each rotor.

7. Converter according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that it comprises two generators whose rotors are driven by the same toothed wheel.

8. Converter according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that each generator comprises several rotors engaging with the same toothed wheel.

9. Electrical apparatus comprising an energy converter according to claim 1.

10. Electrical apparatus according to claim 9, constituted by a timepiece comprising a coil spring coupled with the mechanical energy transmission means of the converter, means to supply a time base, means for measuring the mean speed of rotation of the mechanical energy transmission wheels, means for regulating the mean speed of rotation of the transmission wheels, means for displaying the mean speed of the transmission wheels, characterized by the fact that said regulation means for the mean speed of rotation are constituted by an electromagnetic brake whose mean braking couple is adjusted by a control member as a function of a reference speed.

11. Electrical apparatus according to claim 10, the electromagnetic brake being constituted by a permanent magnet rotor, a magnetic circuit of soft magnetic material and a winding coupled with the flow created by the rotor magnet, characterized by the fact that the mean breaking couple is adjusted by a control member as a function of a reference speed by connecting the terminals of the brake winding to a resistance whose value is variable.

12. Electrical apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the means for measuring the mean speed of rotation of the transmission wheels comprise a circuit for measuring the voltage at the terminals of the generator, a circuit for comparing the measured voltage and a reference voltage supplied by a logic signal of level 1 at its output when the measured voltage exceeds the reference voltage and a logic signal of level 0 in the contrary case, a counting circuit permitting determining the time between two successive passages of the logic signal from level 0 to level 1.

13. Electrical apparatus according to claim 12, said counting signal comprising a time base, comprising a quartz oscillator and shaping and division circuits, characterized by the fact that the time base is not permanently active but only during the mean speed of rotation measuring phase of the energy transmission wheels.