US-12622511-B2 - Forearm support for a watchmaker's bench and watchmaker's bench

US12622511B2US 12622511 B2US12622511 B2US 12622511B2US-12622511-B2

Abstract

Forearm support for a watchmaker's bench, comprising: a coupling portion, arranged to be coupled to a watchmaker's bench, a first arm linked to the coupling portion, a second arm linked to the first arm, a forearm support pad, linked to the second arm, and arranged to support a forearm of an operator, characterized in that the forearm support comprises an articulation system comprising at least: a first ball joint, arranged between the coupling portion and the first arm and connecting the coupling portion and the first arm, a second ball joint, arranged between the first arm and the second arm and connecting the first arm and the second arm.

Inventors

Maxime BARBÉ
Guillaume GERVY

Assignees

ROLEX SA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240228
Priority Date: 20230301

Claims (14)

1 . A forearm support for a watchmaker's bench, comprising: a coupling portion, arranged to be coupled to a watchmaker's bench, a first arm linked to the coupling portion, a second arm linked to the first arm, a forearm support pad, linked to the second arm, and arranged to support a forearm of an operator, characterized in that the forearm support comprises an articulation system comprising at least: a first ball joint, arranged between the coupling portion and the first arm and connecting the coupling portion and the first arm, a second ball joint, arranged between the first arm and the second arm and connecting the first arm and the second arm.
2 . The forearm support according to claim 1 , wherein: the first arm comprises a first end linked to the coupling portion, and a second end, the second arm comprises a first end linked to the second end of the first arm, and a second end, linked to the forearm support pad, wherein the first arm comprises: at the first end: a first male ball joint, or a first housing for receiving a first male ball joint, and at the second end: a second male ball joint, or a second housing for receiving a second male ball joint.
3 . The forearm support according to claim 1 , wherein the articulation system comprises a first sliding link, or a first sliding pivot link, arranged between the second arm and the forearm support pad.
4 . The forearm support according to claim 1 , wherein the forearm support pad is mounted removably on the second arm.
5 . The forearm support according to claim 1 , wherein the articulation system comprises a carriage or a runner or a slide or a slideway, arranged on the coupling portion to allow sliding link coupling between the coupling portion and a watchmaker's bench.
6 . The forearm support according to claim 1 , comprising at least one locking device connected to at least one articulation of the articulation system comprising at least the first ball joint and the second ball joint, and arranged to impose on said at least one articulation of the articulation system: an unlocked state, wherein said at least one articulation of the articulation system can be freely moved, a locked state, wherein said at least one articulation of the articulation system is blocked, and comprising at least one locking control device with a man-machine interface intended to allow actuating at least one locking device.
7 . The forearm support according to claim 6 , wherein the locking device comprises: at least two half-shells arranged around one of the first ball joint and of the second ball joint, a clamping member, arranged to exert a clamping force on the two half-shells in the locked state and the release the clamping force on the two half-shells in the unlocked state.
8 . The forearm support according to claim 6 , wherein the locking device comprises a movable brake arranged to block relative movement between the second arm and the forearm support pad in the locked state, and to allow relative movement between the second arm and the forearm support pad in the unlocked state.
9 . The forearm support according to claim 6 , wherein the locking device is pneumatic and/or hydraulic, and/or electric.
10 . The forearm support according to claim 6 , wherein the locking device is connected to a plurality or to the totality of the articulations of the articulation system, to lock or unlock them in a centralized and/or simultaneous manner.
11 . A watchmaker's bench, comprising: a work table, arranged to receive timepieces, a frame, supporting the work table, defining at least one work face or one work station on the work table for an operator and arranged to rest on a workshop floor, characterized in that the watchmaker's bench comprises at least one mounting rail, particularly arranged below the work table and facing the work face or the work station, and arranged to receive at least one work module to be coupled to the watchmaker's bench in a position that is adjustable along said at least one mounting rail, and comprising a forearm support according to claim 1 , forming at least one work module to be coupled to said at least one mounting rail of the watchmaker's bench in a position that is adjustable along said at least one mounting rail.
12 . The watchmaker's bench according to claim 11 , comprising at least one work module to be coupled to said at least one mounting rail forming: a table nosepiece, forming an overhang of the work table toward the operator, or a table edge or a raised shoulder, arranged protruding relative to a work plane defined by the work table, or an instrument support, particularly for an optical reader, arranged to support an instrument, in particular an optical reader, or a shock-absorbing cushion, or a tool holder, arranged to support work tools, or a drawer.
13 . The watchmaker's bench according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one working module to be coupled to said at least one mounting rail comprises a coupling portion on said at least one mounting rail comprising: a runner or a carriage, removable and lockable on said at least one mounting rail, or a runner or a carriage, with at least one elastic portion arranged to allow reversible elastic interlocking on said at least one mounting rail, or a runner or a carriage, arranged to be engaged on said at least one mounting rail in a rotation movement around an axial direction of said at least one mounting rail.
14 . The watchmaker's bench according to claim 11 , wherein said at least one mounting rail is flush or recessed with respect to a peripheral edge of the work table and/or a peripheral edge of the frame.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority to European Application No. EP23159283.3 filed with the European Patent Office on Mar. 1, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally relates to workstations for operators carrying out operations of assembly, adjustment, rework or decoration of timepieces. In other words, the invention relates to watchmaker's benches, and in particular watchmaker's benches comprising forearm supports to allow the operators to rest their forearms or to prop their forearms for the purpose of carrying out minute and precise operations. PRIOR ART The present application claims priority to European Application No. EP23159283.3 filed with the European Patent Office on Mar. 1, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes. In the prior art of watchmaker's benches, document CH-715504 B1 is known for example, which discloses a watchmaker's bench with articulated forearm supports. However, the solutions proposed do not allow the operator to adjust his workstation for all needs, nor in an easy manner. In other words, watchmaker's benches like those disclosed in the aforementioned document can limit the adjustment possibilities, particularly as relates to forearm supports, and can also not be very easy or ergonomic to configure. The result can be working discomfort for the operator, time losses in trying to find a configuration that is comfortable and suited to the upcoming work operations. All this can lead to disadvantages which should be avoided, such as for example degraded work experience and/or musculoskeletal disorders. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION One object of the present invention is to respond to the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above, and in particular to propose a forearm support for a watchmaker's bench which allows the operator to control his workstation optimally, rapidly and easily to perform with precision any work operation in complete comfort and without imposing a posture which could lead in the long term to a degraded work experience. Another aspect of the invention is to propose a watchmaker's bench which pursues the same objects. To this end, a first aspect of the invention relates to a forearm support for a watchmaker's bench, comprising: a coupling portion, arranged to be coupled to a watchmaker's bench,a first arm linked to the coupling portion,a second arm linked to the first arm,a forearm support pad, linked to the second arm, and arranged to support a forearm of an operator, characterized in that the forearm support comprises an articulation system comprising at least: a first ball joint, arranged between the coupling portion and the first arm and connecting the coupling portion and the first arm,a second ball joint, arranged between the first arm and the second arm and connecting the first arm and the second arm. The forearm support according to the implementation described above comprises a first arm linked, on the one hand, to the bench (via the coupling portion) and on the other hand to the forearm support pad (via the second arm) by two ball joints. Such ball joints allow adjusting with complete freedom the position of the forearm support pad with respect to the watchmaker's bench. In fact, a ball joint allows leaving free three degrees of freedom (in this case three rotations) between the two parts linked or firmly connected by the ball joint. Consequently, it is possible to pivot the first arm relative to the watchmaker's bench in three rotations around orthogonal axes, and to do the same between the second arm and the first arm. The possibilities for adjusting the position in space of the forearm support pad relative to the watchmaker's bench are increased both in position along the axes X, Y or Z of an orthogonal coordinate system and in inclination relative to these axes. According to one embodiment: the first arm can comprise a first end connected to the coupling portion, and a second end,the second arm can comprise a first end linked to the second end of the first arm, and a second end linked to the forearm support pad, the first arm can comprise: at the first end: a first male ball joint element, or a first housing for receiving a first male ball joint element, andat the second end: a second male ball joint element, or a second housing for receiving a second male ball joint element. In other words, the first arm can comprise two male ball joint elements, or two housings each intended to receive a male ball joint element. Alternatively, the first arm can comprise a male ball joint element at one end and a housing at another end. According to one embodiment, the first male ball joint element can be identical to the second male ball joint element, or the first housing can be identical to the second housing, so that the first arm is symmetrical. According to the implem