EP1163960B1 - Washing device for small-sized pieces - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for washing small parts, in particular timepieces, these parts having essentially two faces substantially parallel located at a relatively short distance from each other, this distance defining the side of the part, said device being intended to be inserted in a container filled with washing or rinsing liquid and it includes at least a tray immersed in this liquid to support the parts to be washed, this tray being driven at least in a rotational movement around an axis passing through it.

It is a common operation to wash small parts after their manufacture. In watchmaking it is mainly applied to parts including stones used as a landing. These are in general pieces presenting essentially two parallel faces located at a relatively short distance from each other, as plates, bridges provided with stone (s) or pendulums provided with pivots. Generally drilled with laser and polished, the stones present inside the hole machining residues which, after mounting the pivot and a fairly short period of functioning, form a deposit which accumulates outside the hole and at the periphery of it latest. This deposit either surrounds the pivot or is inserted between the stone and the range presented by the pivot to brake the latter. When it comes to anchor bridges for which oil is generally prohibited, it will be understood that to avoid any drop in amplitude by the phenomenon which has just been mentioned, the hole in the stone must present great cleanliness. If it is mobile pivots where the oil is used, the latter can mix with the residues in question to modify its viscosity, this which leads to braking of the mobile and therefore higher energy consumption driving. Finally, it should be noted that the problem of cleanliness also exists for balance springs which have manufacturing residues following in particular various heat treatments or spiral shaping.

The need to wash the parts - operation generally followed by a rinsing then spinning - requires the use of special devices including several can be obtained on the market and which satisfy broadly to the definition given in the first paragraph of this introduction.

It has been proposed for a long time to deposit the parts to be washed in bulk in a basket pierced with holes, this basket being immersed in a washing liquid at detergent properties, as described in particular in document DD-B-120 952. This basket is rotated to which is sometimes added a movement of going and come in an upward direction. This procedure is not satisfactory because parts can either attach to each other thus leaving areas not affected by the cleaning fluid, or get tangled to each other and collide in such a way that they come out of the charged bath faults. The basket itself, usually made of wire mesh, is not free of defects: the welds connecting the various parts of which it is formed are degrading to pollute the washing bath.

In addition, a trellis forms a barrier for a flow of liquid, which tends to limit the passage of washing liquid between the outside and inside of the basket once the latter submerged. To wash turntables or gear bridges with dimensions similar, it is known to integrate into a wire mesh basket a structure in plastic formed by several radial plastic walls defining housings individual for these plates or bridges which are held by these radial walls in a non-fixed, substantially vertical and radial position. The walls have only a few circular holes of relatively small diameter. In addition to the disadvantage of the aforementioned wire mesh basket, washing liquid or rinsing tends to stagnate in the housings and the radial walls limit strongly the flow of liquid which can arrive on the large faces of the parts when the basket is rotated. As a result, the pieces are not or are few subjected to a flow of liquid during the rotational movement, which has for consequence of at least partially neutralizing the effect of the basket rotation. Gold, the Applicant has observed that a flow of liquid generated by a movement of rotation of a support for parts to be washed greatly increases the effect of washing if the flow of liquid reaches the parts directly.

It is known practice to use the device for washing balance springs marketed by the company JEMA SA and represented here in FIG. 1, which is a partial cut of said device. This prior art is an apparatus for washing timepieces then rinse and spin them. The device consists of a plurality of trays 100, 101 stacked on top of each other in an openwork cage by which the plates can be rotated. The trays bathe in a washing liquid and each support a certain amount of parts including two parts 103 and 106 are shown in the figure. Exhibit 103 rests horizontally in a housing consisting of a sort of funnel 104 followed by a hole 105, made in the tray 100. As it is necessary that the part is held in place when the plate turns, a second plate 101 has been provided located above the plate 100, this second plate being arranged to maintain in places the pieces 103 arranged on the first plate, said second plate bringing to turn other parts 106 held in place by a third plate (not shown), etc. Figure 1 also shows that parts 103 and 106 are placed one on the other as well as the holes 105 and 107 whose diameters are sufficiently large to allow washing liquid to flow vertically.

The apparatus which has just been described has several drawbacks.

On the one hand the fact of having to keep the parts in place in their housing requires reducing the space (p) between the plates, which then reduces the flow of liquid from washing and therefore causes poor horizontal circulation of this liquid. Any way this horizontal flow has trouble reaching the room since it found confined in a housing located below this flow. We thus obtain a unsatisfactory washing as well as imperfect rinsing, spinning and drying.

On the other hand, the proximity of the plates results in the maintenance by capillarity of a certain amount of washing or rinsing liquid when the appliance is emptied. same spinning and drying cannot clear the appliance and the parts which there are liquid residues which are shown in Figure 1 by drops 109. Thus after spinning and / or drying, parts which are not completely dry, with spots.

The present invention makes it possible to avoid all the disadvantages which have just been cited. For this purpose, the washing process and the device according to the invention are distinguished other methods and devices known in that the parts are arranged on at minus a plateau so that their large faces rise appreciably perpendicular to the plate (s), being oriented substantially radially by relative to the axis crossing (s) and around which this plate is capable of turning, these parts being held in this position by vertical walls which basically extend only over a small height, at the base of these parts, relatively distant separating a plate which supports them from an upper plate neighbor or cover.

The present invention gives very good results, in particular for balance springs mounted in their entirety, with the two plates and the ellipse.

• la figure 1 représente un art antérieur dont il a été fait mention ci-dessus,
• la figure 2 est une vue schématique et en perspective du dispositif de l'invention qui présente une pluralité de plateaux sur lesquels reposent les pièces à laver,
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus d'un des plateaux montré en figure 2,
• la figure 4 est une vue de dessus du plateau se trouvant immédiatement dessous le plateau de la figure 3,
• la figure 5 est une vue en perspective d'une partie d'un des plateaux montrés en figure 2,
• la figure 6 est une vue de dessus d'une pièce introduite dans un des logements dont est pourvu un des plateaux montrés en figure 2, et
• la figure 7 est une vue de profil de trois plateaux montrés en figure 2, deux de ces plateaux portant une des pièces à laver.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following description, made with the aid of the appended drawing given without any limitation being implied, of an advantageous embodiment of the invention, drawing in which:

• FIG. 1 represents a prior art which has been mentioned above,
• FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the device of the invention which presents a plurality of plates on which the parts to be washed rest,
• FIG. 3 is a top view of one of the plates shown in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 4 is a top view of the tray located immediately below the tray of FIG. 3,
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of one of the plates shown in FIG. 2,
• FIG. 6 is a top view of a part inserted into one of the housings with which one of the plates shown in FIG. 2 is provided, and
• Figure 7 is a side view of three trays shown in Figure 2, two of these trays carrying one of the parts to be washed.

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the device according the invention, intended for washing parts 1 of small volume, in particular parts watchmaking. These parts 1 are essentially characterized by two faces 2 and 3 substantially parallel located at a relatively small distance (a) from each other as best shown in Figure 6, the distance (a) defining what will be called below the flank 4 of part 1. As already mentioned above, this part can be a pendulum, with or without its hairspring, a cog composed of a wheel with its pinion, a reference, a plate provided with stones, a bridge with its stone, whether it be a balance bridge or an anchor bridge or any other part having a main plane extended relative to the thickness separating the two faces forming this main plane. Figure 2 shows again a device comprising a container 5 filled with washing liquid 6 and at least one tray 7 immersed in this liquid to support the parts to be washed 1. The plate 7 is driven at least in a rotational movement, materialized by arrow A, by means motor not shown.

Contrary to what is known in the prior art (Figure 1) where large faces of the balance springs are parallel to the plane of the plate, the apparatus of the present invention is remarkable in that these parts which it is intended to wash are arranged on the board so that the large faces they define stand perpendicular to said plate, being oriented radially towards the shaft 8 passing through it at its center. This is shown in Figure 2 where the balance spring 1 rests on the plate 7 with its faces 2 and 3 substantially erected perpendicular to said plate 7. The faces 2 and 3 are oriented at least substantially radially with respect to the axis of rotation. The decisive advantages brought by this new provision will appear below as the development of this description.

The device of FIG. 2 comprises a plurality of trays, i.e. the trays 7, 9, 10 and 11. The trays are separated by a distance (b) greater than a space for which the washing liquid 6 can stagnate there by capillarity. So unlike what has been explained about the apparatus of the prior art (Figure 1), there is no risk here of seeing liquid droplets remaining on the device after spinning. Of more, the washing or rinsing liquid can circulate freely on the trays to reach the pieces. Figure 2 also shows that the upper plate 11 is capped by a cover 12 separated from the plate 11 by the same distance (b). The distance (b) is defined here by a minimum below which it must not be lowered. In reality this distance (b) is generally greater than this minimum since in in most cases most of the parts are located between two shelves.

FIG. 2 also shows that, in the device taken as an example, the plates are kept at a distance from each other only by a limited number of spacers arranged so as to leave essentially free the space separating two plates neighbors in the region where the parts to be washed are arranged. Only the spacers 13, 14 and 15 separating the last plate 11 from the cover 12 have been referenced here. These spacers also serve as relative positioning means for two trays neighbors.

FIG. 2 finally shows that the shaft 8 is a rod passing through the cover 12 and trays. This rod has at its first end a conical head 16 which comes to rest on the cover 12 and at its second end (this is not shown, but easily understandable), a thread screwed into a thread practiced in the lower plate 7. It will be noted that an assembly by means of the shaft 8 is not essential and that the trays can be placed in a cage openwork which is coupled to the motor means of the washing device. Preferably, this basket does not have a trellis arranged at the periphery.

We said above that the parts to be washed are arranged on the tray such so that their faces stand at least substantially perpendicularly to said plate and oriented radially towards the shaft passing through it. To allow this particular arrangement, Figure 2 shows that the balance spring 1 is arranged in a housing 17 made in the plate 7. This housing comprises means to immobilize the part 1 not only to hold it in the required position but still to keep it in this position when the tray is driven in rotation. It will indeed be understood that, due to this rotation, the part must resist the flow of liquid which is exerted on its perpendicular faces to this flow. It will be noted here that to ensure good washing efficiency, we arrange the housing so that at least part (s) of room 1 requiring a particularly effective washing emerges (s) from the tray on which it rests.

We will now describe a preferred way of making the housing 17 we just talked about. For this, reference is made to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of the plate 7 shown in FIG. 2. There are two housings 17 each allowing to hold in place a balance-spring 1 (only the pendulum being drawn). The housing 17 consists of a circular hole 18 passing through the plate 7 and in a channel 19 diametrically crossing the hole 18 according to a radial direction relative to the axis of rotation of the device. Channel 19 is therefore oriented towards the shaft 8 passing through the plate 7 through a hole 30. FIG. 5 shows that the housing 17 has two edges 20 and 21 formed at the places where the bottom 22 of the channel 19 opens into hole 18. As can be seen in FIG. 7 (which is a view in profile of three plates 7, 9 and 10 carrying, the first two, parts 1), each part rests by its side 4 on the edges 20 and 21 which have just been defined. This provision therefore makes it possible to satisfy the conditions required by the invention, namely that the pieces are erected at least substantially perpendicular to the while being oriented radially towards the shaft passing through it. This provision also makes it possible to limit as much as possible the contact surfaces between the part and the tray. Here this contact surface is reduced to the two edges 20 and 21 in contact with side 4 of part 1.

If we now refer to Figure 6 which is a top view of a room 1 introduced into its housing formed by the hole 18 and the channel 19, we see that gave the channel 19 a width (e) slightly greater than the width (a) of the sidewall 4 of part 1. This procedure allows the washing liquid to reach also the parts of the room that would otherwise be closed by the walls of the laughs and therefore not affected by the cleaning flow and allow an installation easy to wash rooms.

Returning to FIG. 7, it will be noted that the parts to be washed are held vertically between two shelves. Of course, it's about keeping them there when the trays are moving and therefore preventing them from coming out of their respective accommodation. For this purpose, the part 1 enters the hole 18 beyond the bottom (22) of the channel 19, the depth (P) of this channel and the distance (D) of penetration beyond the bottom of this channel being substantially greater than the distance (d) which separates the top of the piece 1 from the tray 9 located above. Thanks to that layout, the part will never manage to come out of its housing, nor to roll along of the channel, nor to turn in the hole 18.

Figures 3 and 4 show in plan two identical plates equipping the washing device, the plate 9 of FIG. 3 being above the plate 7 of FIG. 4. The plates of FIGS. 3 and 4 are connected by four spacers 31 to 34. These figures highlight the circular arrangement of the housings 17. We see that these dwellings and therefore the parts which find place there are arranged circularly on each plate in at least one circle (C) having the axis of rotation for center. In the example chosen, the pieces are arranged in five circles concentric which allow to place 68 pieces per tray. If the device has four trays as shown in Figure 2, we can wash 272 pieces in same time, while 5 trays can support 340 pieces. As shown in again in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plates 7 and 9 have the same number of holes 18 also arranged. The holes located on the same radius are crossed radially by a single channel 19. Only two channels 19 have been shown in Figures 3 and 4 so as not to weigh down the drawing. The tray 9 is located above the tray 7. The plate 9 is angularly offset - in this case by an angle of 11.25 ° - by relative to the plate 7 so that the right projection of the top of the pieces supported by this plate 7 falls on zones free of holes in the plate 9. In the present example, this condition is met because the angular offset between two adjacent holes on the same circle is at least 22.5 °, twice the angular offset between two neighboring shelves.

Thus the description which has just been given clearly shows that the apparatus for the invention makes it possible to wash, rinse, spin and then dry small parts with great care and this for a large number of parts simultaneously. This is primarily due to the vertical arrangement of the parts on the shelves and their radial orientation, as well as the fact that the essential parts to be washed emerge from the tray on which they rest. So the flow of washing liquid will reach transversely the large faces of these parts when the plates are driven in rotation. The same will apply to the rinse aid. Similarly, after spinning and the drying operation, no droplet of liquid will remain, the trays being distant from each other so as not to retain this liquid by capillarity. We also note that the holes provided in the plates at the locations of the parts allow a flow of liquid through these holes, especially during movement along the direction of the axis of rotation.

The description above also shows that the parts are correctly held by their base in the housings described. They will therefore not be moved or overturned by the flow of liquid they receive on their main faces. Of even the parts will be well held in place during the spin during which they are driven at high speed.

The parts shown here to illustrate the invention are balance springs (see figures 2, 6 and 7). We mentioned above that plates and bridges can also be washed in the same appliance. In the case of a bridge wash anchor, we will conform the positioning housings so that the stone of the bridge is well in the space separating two plates so that it fully receives the cleaning flow.

It is clear, however, that the accommodation in the trays will have to conform to the parts to be washed and that a tray prepared for example for a arm will not normally be suitable for washing other parts.

Although Figure 2 does not show it, advantageously we will drill the cover 12 of holes distributed similarly to those of the trays 7 to 11 in omitting the gutters. It will be understood that these holes, angularly offset by relative to the holes of the plate 11 to ensure the maintenance in position of the parts which it supports, will allow a better circulation of the washing or rinsing liquid in particular in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation.

It will finally be noted that the dwellings and their distribution can be different in other embodiments. For example, it is not necessary, although preferred, to machine channels connecting the holes on the same shelf radius. In a simplified variant, the housings are made by simple milling radials of width somewhat greater than the distance separating the two faces external parallels of the parts intended to be introduced into these millings. In another variant, the channels are kept but the holes have a non-circular profile, for example rectangular with a width greater than or equal to that of the channels.

Claims (15)

1. Washing device for small-sized pieces (1), in particular timepieces, said pieces defining two large substantially parallel faces (2, 3), located at a relatively small distance (a) from each other, and having a flank (4) at their periphery, this device including at least a first plate (7) for supporting parts to be washed and intended to be introduced into a receptacle (5) filled with a washing or rinsing liquid (6), said first plate being driven at least in a rotational movement (A) about a rotational axis which is substantially perpendicular thereto, characterised in that said first plate is arranged such that the pieces that it supports are arranged on the latter with their two large faces standing substantially perpendicularly to said first plate and oriented substantially radially with respect to said axis, said pieces being held in this position by housing means (17), which are defined by the first plate and which receive their respective lower parts, said housing means extending essentially only over a small height relative to the distance separating the first plate from an adjoining upper plate or from an adjoining cover, said adjoining upper plate or cover being arranged such that said lower parts of the pieces cannot come out of said housing means.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the pieces (1) are arranged circularly on each plate in several circles (6) of different diameters having said axis as their centre.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the distance (b) separating a plate (7,11) from the adjoining upper plate or cover (12) is determined by a limited number, particularly three, spacers (13, 14, 15) arranged so as to allow the space separating two adjoining plates essentially free in the area where the pieces to be washed are arranged.
4. Device according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that it includes several plates (7, 9, 10, 11) arranged coaxially one on top of the other and separated by a distance (b) greater than a space for which the washing or rinsing liquid can stagnate via capillary action between two adjoining plates, the upper plate (11) being capped by said cover (12).
5. Device according to claim 4, characterised in that a shaft (8) is provided, formed by a rod passing through the cover and the plates, said rod including at its first end a head (16) resting on the cover (12) and at its second end a screw thread screwed into a female thread in the lower plate (7), so as to hold the plates together.
6. Device according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each of said pieces (1) is arranged in a housing (17) made in the thickness of a plate, said housings defining said vertical walls and being arranged such that the piece part or piece parts to be washed requiring particularly efficient washing and/or rinsing can be located outside the plate on which they rest.
7. Device according to claim 6, characterised in that each housing (17) consists of a hole (18) passing through a plate (7) and a channel (19) passing through said hole radially to said axis, said hole and said channel being dimensioned such that the piece introduced into the housing (1) rests via its flank (4) on two edges (20, 21) formed at the locations where the bottom (22) of the channel (19) opens into the hole.
8. Device according to claim 7, characterised in that the width (e) of the channel (19) is slightly greater than the distance (a) separating said two planes of the provided piece (1), the latter penetrating the hole (18) beyond the bottom (22) of the channel (19), the depth (P) of the channel and the distance (D) of penetration beyond the bottom of said channel being both substantially greater than the distance (d) that separates the top of said piece (1) from the adjoining upper plate (9) or adjoining cover.
9. Device according to claims 4 and 7 or 8, characterised in that the plates (7, 9, 10, 11) include the same number of holes (18) arranged equally and in that said plates are offset angularly such that the straight forward projection of the highest points of the pieces supported by any particular plate (9) on the plate (10) above said particular plate falls into zones free from holes.
10. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said pieces are mounted sprung balances.
11. Apparatus for washing pieces, including a receptacle (5) for a washing or rinsing liquid, a device for holding said pieces and motor means for at least driving said device in rotation, characterised in that said device is a device according to any of claims 1 to 10.
12. Method for washing timepieces, using a receptacle containing a washing or rinsing liquid and a device acting as a support for said pieces, said device including at least one plate supporting at least a part of said pieces and being capable of being driven in rotation about a rotation axis that is perpendicular to said plate, said method being characterised in that said pieces arranged on said at least one plate each define two large substantially parallel faces, which are substantially perpendicular to said plate and oriented substantially radially with respect to said axis, said pieces being covered by an adjoining upper plate or cover, said device being arranged such that said liquid can flow essentially freely above said at least one plate in the region where said pieces are arranged, particularly when the device is being driven in rotation, and such that said pieces are essentially subjected to a flux of liquid that substantially traverse to their large faces during such driving in rotation.
13. Method according to claim 12, characterised in that said at least one plate and said adjoining upper plate or said cover are separated by a distance greater than a space allowing said liquid to stagnate via capillary action between them, said two plates or said plate and the cover being held at a distance by a limited number, particularly three, of spacers arranged so as to leave the region where said pieces are arranged essentially free.
14. Method according to claim 12 or 13, characterised in that said pieces are held in their respective positions by vertical walls which extend essentially only over a small height, at the base of said pieces, relative to the distance separating the plate which supports them and the adjoining upper plate or adjoining cover.
15. Method according to claim 14, characterised in that said pieces are arranged in respective housings made in the thickness of the plate or plates that support them, said housings defining said vertical walls for holding said pieces in a vertical position.

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