JP3584778B2 - Equipment with external operation members - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device having an external operation member, and more particularly to a structure suitable as a timing device having an external operation member.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, in a timepiece, a timepiece, an operation switch, an operation switch, and the like are used to perform timekeeping setting (time setting, alarm setting, and the like) of the timekeeping device and to perform mode switching for switching a plurality of functions provided in the timekeeping device. An external operation member such as a button is provided.
[0003]
In this case, if static electricity is applied to the external operation member at the time of operation or the like, or if the static electricity is already charged, a large voltage or a large current is applied to electronic components disposed inside the timepiece due to the static electricity. There is a problem that the electronic components may flow or be destroyed electrically. For this reason, in the case of a wristwatch, for example, static electricity from the winding stem is released to an exterior case (body, back cover, etc.) via a plurality of built-in components. For example, in an analog electronic wristwatch, the winding stem is electrically connected to a circuit holding plate via a mandrel or kanuki connected to the winding stem, and a winding path is provided by pressing a part of the circuit holding plate against an outer case. Really charged static electricity is released to the outer case.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-mentioned conventional wristwatch, since a plurality of components including a winding stem, a mandarin duck, a canker, a circuit holding plate, and the like are used as a conduction path to discharge static electricity, conduction is caused by contact resistance between the components. Since the resistance value of the path is high, static electricity cannot be satisfactorily released, and in the above-mentioned conductive path, there is a contact portion or a sliding portion where the contact pressure changes between each component, so that the conductive path Has a problem in that the resistance value becomes unstable and static electricity cannot be reliably released. For this reason, static electricity often does not pass through the conduction path and flows into the electronic circuit inside the timepiece, or discharge occurs in the timepiece to generate electric noise, which often adversely affects the electronic circuit. Was.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and the problem is to provide a device having an external operation member, which has a low resistance value and forms a stable conduction path, thereby sufficiently and reliably discharging static electricity. It is intended to provide a structure that can escape.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an apparatus provided with an external operation member according to the present invention includes an outer case, an electronic module housed in the outer case, and an external operation projecting from inside the electronic module to the outside of the outer case. A member, and an elastic member made of a conductive material mounted on the electronic module, wherein the elastic member has a first contact portion that resiliently presses the external operation member, and a second contact portion that represses the external case. Wherein the static electricity invading from the external operation member is discharged to the outer case via the elastic member, and the first contact portion is in a state where the second contact portion is separated from the outer case. Are configured to be separated from the external operation member .
[0007]
According to the present invention, since the elastic member made of the conductive material mounted on the electronic module is provided with the first contact portion for pressing the external operation member and the second contact portion for pressing the external case, the external operation member It is not necessary to provide a separate component to form a conduction path for releasing static electricity from the device, and static electricity can be released from the external operation member only through the elastic member, so that the conduction resistance is low and the stability is improved. As a result, the sneak of static electricity or the like hardly occurs, and the static electricity can be sufficiently and surely released. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for each part such as the electronic module inside the device to be affected by the static electricity, and in particular, it is possible to prevent the electronic components arranged in the electronic module from being damaged.
Furthermore, since the first contact portion does not contact the external operation member when the electronic module is not housed in the outer case, it is possible to easily perform an assembling operation and a maintenance operation such as an attaching and detaching operation of the external operating member.
[0008]
The electronic module includes a circuit board and a conductive board pressing member that presses the circuit board, the board pressing member is configured as the elastic member, and the board pressing member contacts the external operation member. It is preferable that an elastically deformable elastic region including a first contact portion to be contacted and a second contact portion to be in contact with the outer case is integrally provided.
[0011]
In each of the above inventions, it is preferable that the elastic member has a narrow width extending shape projecting on the external operation member.
[0012]
According to the present invention, the elastic member has a narrow width extending shape protruding above the external operation member, so that the elastic member has sufficient elasticity for exerting a sufficient pressing force against the external operation member and the outer case. Flexibility can be easily imparted, and the effect on other parts of the electronic module can be reduced by limiting the conduction path for discharging static electricity.
[0013]
In each of the above inventions, the outer case includes a case body having an opening, and a lid member for closing the opening of the case body, and the second contact portion is configured to contact an inner surface of the lid member. Preferably, it is configured.
[0014]
According to the present invention, the internal component can be enclosed by housing the internal component in the case body and attaching the lid member. In particular, in the structure of the third aspect, the first contact portion does not contact the external operation member until the lid member is attached, so that the external operation member can be easily attached and detached.
[0015]
In this case, the lid member is configured to be attached by screwing to the case body, and the elastic member has an extended shape oriented in a rotating direction when the lid member is attached to and detached from the case body. Is desirable.
[0016]
According to the present invention, since the elastic member has an extended shape oriented in the rotation direction of the lid member, when the lid member is rotated when the lid member is attached to the case body, the elastic member comes into contact with the lid member. The second contact portion receives the stress in the rotational direction, but since the elastic member is formed in an extended shape oriented in the rotational direction, the elastic member is hardly deformed in the rotational direction. The press-contact state of the part can be reliably obtained.
[0017]
In each of the above inventions, the external operation member is configured to be movable in the axial direction, and the first contact portion has curved corners at both ends in the axial direction of a contact surface with the external operation member. Is preferred.
[0018]
According to the present invention, since the curved corner portion is formed in the first contact portion, the elastic member is less likely to be caught even when the external operation member moves in the axial direction. The deformation of the elastic member can be prevented.
[0019]
In each of the above inventions, it is preferable that the external operation member is configured to be movable in the axial direction, and the elastic member is configured to extend in the axial direction of the external operation member.
[0020]
According to the present invention, since the elastic member is formed to extend in the axial direction of the external operating member, the elastic member is hardly deformed even when the external operating member moves in the axial direction. .
[0021]
In each of the above inventions, it is preferable that the device is a timing device. There are clocks, pocket watches, wristwatches, stopwatches, various timers, etc., which are usually provided with external operation members such as winding stems, operation switches, push buttons, and the like. Or an internal circuit including an internal circuit board, a motor, a solar cell, a secondary battery, a battery, an integrated circuit, and the like. In this case, particularly when the base plate used for the movement inside the timepiece is made of a synthetic resin, a great effect is exhibited as a measure against static electricity. In this case, the outer case includes a body case and a back cover, and it is preferable that the back cover is pressed against the second contact portion. In addition, in the case where the timekeeping device is one in which an integrated circuit is mounted on the circuit board, the antistatic measures of the present application are particularly effective.
[0022]
In this case, it is preferable that the external operation member is a winding stem. In this case, the winding stem is attached to the timepiece movement accommodated in the outer case, is configured to be able to protrude and retract in the axial direction with respect to the outer case, and is configured to be rotatable around the axis. For this reason, static electricity can be reliably released by pressing the first contact portion to the outer peripheral surface of the winding stem.
[0023]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a timing device according to the present invention will be described in detail.
[0024]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective plan view of a movement of an electronic wristwatch, which is a timing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the back cover side. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing shown by the state cut | disconnected along II line.
[0025]
The electronic wristwatch of the present embodiment is a wristwatch with a solar cell, and a main plate 13 is arranged on the dial side of the movement 10. The base plate 13 is made of a synthetic resin, and the structure of the present embodiment is particularly effective when such a base plate 13 is formed of an insulator. A circuit board 16 made of a flexible board indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 1 is arranged on the back cover side of the base plate 13. Further, on the back cover side of the circuit board 16, a circuit holding plate 17, which is a metal board holding member indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1, is disposed. The circuit board 16 and the circuit holding plate 17 are fixed to the ground plate 13 by a fixing portion 18. , 19 are fixed by screws.
[0026]
The movement 10 is provided with a secondary battery 11 such as a capacitor for storing power generated by a solar battery or a chemical secondary battery. The negative electrode of the secondary battery 11 is connected via a lead terminal plate 12 shown by a dotted line in FIG. As a result, it is conductively connected to the circuit board 16 by conduction between the contact terminal portion 12b and the contact pattern portion 16b. Here, the extension portion 17b of the circuit holding plate 17 presses the contact pattern portion 16b of the circuit board 16 against the contact terminal portion 12b. The positive electrode of the secondary battery 11 is pressed into contact with the power supply terminal 17a of the circuit pressing plate 17 and is grounded to an external case (body or back cover) (not shown) via the circuit pressing plate 17.
[0027]
The integrated circuit 20 has a built-in clock circuit, and performs a clocking operation according to a clock signal of the crystal oscillator 21. The control of the integrated circuit 20 causes the timekeeping step motor 22 to operate, and the operation of the step motor 22 drives the hands (not shown) via the timepiece train 23. The metal winding stem 24 is configured to be detachable from the watch wheel train 23 by protruding and retracting in the axial direction, and is not shown by being rotated around the axis while being engaged with the watch wheel train 23. The pointer is configured to be manually driven. The switching circuit on the circuit board 16 is switched by the retracting operation of the winding stem 24, so that the display mode of the timepiece can be changed. The conductive connection terminals 16c and 16d are terminals for conductive connection with the solar cell substrate.
[0028]
The circuit pressing plate 17 is provided with a protruding region 17e that protrudes toward the back cover side of the winding stem 24 and has a resiliency (is elastically deformable) and has a narrow band shape in plan view. The overhanging region 17e is formed with a winding true contact portion 17f that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the winding stem 24 by being bent toward the dial near the base portion. A back cover contact portion 17g that bends to the side and contacts the inner surface of the back cover 25 shown in FIG. 2 is formed. When the movement 10 is installed inside the body 26 and the back cover 25 is not attached, the overhang region 17e is not restricted by the back cover contact portion 17g as shown by a dashed line in FIG. It is configured to largely protrude upward in the figure due to the elasticity of the circuit pressing plate 17. In this state, the winding stem contact portion 17f of the overhang region 17e is configured not to contact the winding stem 24. Here, when the back cover 25 is mounted on the body (not shown), the back cover contact portion 17g is pressed down in the figure while being pressed against the inner surface of the back cover 25, and at the same time, the winding stem contact portion 17f is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the winding stem 24. Is pressed against. In addition, what is shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 2 shows the shape of the overhang region 17e when the back cover is attached without attaching the winding stem 24 to the movement 10. The back cover 25 and the body 26 are made of metal, have a conductive property such as mixing a conductive material in a plastic material, or disposing (arranging) a metal plate on the inner surface of the plastic material.
[0029]
FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial plan view showing the contact structure between the winding stem 24 and the circuit pressing plate 17 viewed from the back cover side, and FIG. 4 shows the contact structure between the winding stem 24 and the circuit pressing plate 17. It is an enlarged partial side view. The overhang region 17e is formed in a narrow band shape, and the surface of the winding stem contact portion 17f on the side in contact with the winding stem 24 is viewed in the axial direction of the winding stem 24 as shown in FIG. Curved surface ends 17f-1 and 17f-2 each having a corner formed on the curved surface are formed. Due to the curved end portions 17f-1 and 17f-2, even when the winding stem 24 is operated in the axial direction and moves in the left-right direction of FIG. It slides smoothly without being caught on the outer peripheral surface. The opening 17h shown in FIG. 3 is for inserting the fixing screw of the fixing part 18.
[0030]
In this embodiment, the back cover 25 is attached to the body (not shown) that accommodates the movement 10, so that the back cover contact portion 17 g formed in the overhang region 17 e of the circuit holding plate 17 is pressed against the inner surface of the back cover 25. Since the winding stem contact portion 17f formed in the overhang region 17e is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the winding stem 24, even if static electricity enters from the winding stem 24, Since it can escape to the back cover 25 via the overhang area 17e, the inside of the timepiece can be protected from static electricity. In this case, since the static electricity travels to the back cover 25 only through the overhang region 17e, the resistance of the conduction path becomes smaller than before, and the failure, malfunction, or internal discharge of the integrated circuit 20 can be prevented. In addition, since it is possible to immediately escape from the winding stem 24 to the exterior without passing through the inside of the timepiece, even if a large amount of static electricity is applied to the winding stem, the inside of the timepiece is hardly affected. Further, since the overhang area 17e is formed as a part of the circuit holding plate 17, the number of components does not increase. In particular, in a state where the back cover 25 is not mounted, the overhang region 17e is configured to be separated from the winding stem 24, so that the attaching and detaching operation of the winding stem is not hindered by the overhang region 17e. Therefore, assembling and maintenance are facilitated, and there is no possibility that the overhang area 17e is deformed at the time of attaching / detaching the winding stem 24. Further, since the overhang region 17e is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the winding stem 24 in a structure extending in the rotation direction, the overhang region 17e slides smoothly even when the winding stem 24 rotates. However, the conduction resistance value is less likely to be unstable, and static electricity can be reliably released.
[0031]
(Modification 1)
Next, a modified example of the embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this modification, an electronic wristwatch similar to the above is provided with the same circuit pressing plate 17 ′ as described above, and the circuit pressing plate 17 ′ has an arc-shaped overhang region 17 curved toward the center of the movement. 'e is formed. The overhang region 17'e includes a winding stem contact portion 17'f and a back cover contact portion 17'g substantially similar to the overhang region 17e of the above-described embodiment along the overhang direction. The opening 17'h shown in FIG. 5 is for receiving the fixing screw of the fixing part 18 shown in FIG.
[0032]
In this modified example, since the overhang region 17'e is formed in an arc shape so as to extend in a direction substantially equal to the rotation direction when a back cover (not shown) is screwed to the body, the back cover is attached and detached. When the back cover is rotated in some cases, even if the back cover contact portion 17'g formed at the tip of the overhang region 17'e receives stress from the back cover in the direction of rotation of the back cover, the overhang region 17 ' Since 'e receives a force only in the direction in which it extends, there is an effect that the overhang region 17'e is less likely to be deformed.
[0033]
(Modification 2)
Next, another modified example according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this modification, a circuit holding plate 27 is fixedly mounted. The circuit pressing plate 27 has an overhang region 27e extending in the axial direction of the winding stem 24. The overhanging region 27e includes a winding stem contact portion 27f that contacts the winding stem 24, and a back surface (not shown). A back cover contact portion 27g that contacts the inner surface of the cover is provided. The opening 27h is for receiving a fixing screw in the fixing portion 18 as described above.
[0034]
In this modified example, since the overhang region 27e is configured to extend in the axial direction of the winding stem 24, the sliding resistance generated with respect to the axial movement of the winding stem 24 always causes the overhang region 27e. Is exerted in the extending direction of the winding stem 24, so that the overhanging region 27e is less likely to be deformed depending on the movement of the winding stem 24.
[0035]
It should be noted that the timekeeping device of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example described above, and it is needless to say that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0036]
For example, in the above-described embodiment and its modifications, in each case, the overhang region that protrudes from the circuit holding plate is supported in a cantilever manner. The region may be supported in a bilateral manner. Also, in the overhang region, the winding stem contact portion is first formed when viewed from the base portion, and the back cover contact portion is formed ahead of it, but conversely, the back cover contact portion is formed, and A winding stem contact portion may be formed. Further, in the above embodiment, the conduction path for the winding stem is configured, but the present invention can be applied to an external operation member other than the winding stem, for example, an operation switch, a push button, and the like. Although the circuit pressing plate is in contact with the back cover, the circuit pressing plate may be in conductive contact with another portion of the outer case such as the body case.
[0037]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the elastic region including the first contact portion contacting the external operation member and the second contact portion contacting the outer case is provided on the elastic member made of the conductive material of the electronic module. Since it is formed integrally, it is not necessary to provide a separate part for forming a conduction path for releasing static electricity from the external operation member, and static electricity can be released from the external operation member via only the elastic member. Since the conduction resistance is low and can be stabilized, the sneak of static electricity or the like does not easily occur, and the static electricity can be sufficiently and reliably released. Accordingly, it is possible to make it difficult for each part in the device to be affected by static electricity, and in particular to prevent damage to electronic components in the electronic module.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan perspective view showing the structure of a movement of an electronic wristwatch according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the back cover side.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure along the line II-II in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a partial side view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate according to a modification of the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a partial side view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate according to a modified example of the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a partial plan view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate according to still another modification of the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a partial side view showing a relationship between a winding stem and a circuit holding plate according to still another modification of the embodiment.

Claims (8)

An outer case, an electronic module housed in the outer case, an external operation member protruding from the inside of the electronic module to the outside of the outer case, and an elastic member made of a conductive material mounted on the electronic module. And
The elastic member includes a first contact portion that presses against the external operation member and a second contact portion that presses against the external case, and static electricity that has entered from the external operation member receives the external case via the elastic member. An external operating member, wherein the first contact portion is configured to be separated from the external operating member when the second contact portion is separated from the outer case. Equipment with. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member has a narrow width extending shape protruding on the external operation member. The outer case according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the outer case includes a case body having an opening, and a lid member that closes the opening of the case body, and the second contact portion is provided on an inner surface of the lid member. A device provided with an external operation member, which is configured to be in contact with the device. In claim 3 , the lid member is configured to be attached to the case body by screwing, and the elastic member has an extended shape facing a rotation direction when the lid member is attached to and detached from the case body. A device provided with an external operation member, comprising: 5. The external operation member according to claim 1 , wherein the external operation member is configured to be movable in an axial direction thereof, and the first contact portion includes both ends of the contact surface with respect to the external operation member in the axial direction. 6. A device provided with an external operating member, characterized in that the portion has a curved corner. The external operation member according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the external operation member is configured to be movable in an axial direction thereof, and the elastic member is configured to extend in an axial direction of the external operation member. A device provided with an external operation member characterized by the above-mentioned. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the device is a clock device. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the external operation member is a winding stem.

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