EP0439724B2 - Autonomous radio-controlled clock - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an autonomous radio clock according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such an autonomous radio-controlled watch designed in the format of a wristwatch with a long-wave receiver is known from EP 0 348 636 A1. A core penetrating the antenna coil is e.g. B. made of flexible highly permeable material, so that there is a flexible connection to the clock, which can also be designed as a watch strap. The antenna cable between the antenna coil in the bracelet and the receiver in the watch case is preferably a multi-layer laminated ribbon cable that can be integrated into the watch band, so that a relatively narrow conductor running in the middle is electrically shielded by wider conductive foils extending above and below it. The end of the ribbon cable which is remote from the antenna coil can be equipped with plug-in means at the entrance to the watch case. A soft elastic encapsulation of the antenna core expediently also includes the course of the ribbon cable up to the plug-in means positioned in the watch case, so that a clamp-fixing of the bracelet bezel at the entry into the watch case serves at the same time for mechanical fastening and moisture sealing of connectors. This soft-elastic enclosure of the flexible antenna is expediently designed as a bracelet for this purpose. In order to be able to replace a defective wristband easily and inexpensively, provision can also be made for the actual antenna to be designed as a flexible hollow body through which the actual wristband is threaded in order to be able to replace it, without also exchanging the antenna and thus subsequently the receiver to have to readjust. Such an antenna block that can be moved on the wristband - even if it is flexible over its longitudinal extent - would become the usual wearing habits Affect wristwatch significantly, and in addition, an antenna coil that is displaceable relative to the receiver in the wristwatch would jeopardize the electrical antenna connection. The flexible encapsulation of the antenna, designed as a bracelet, on the other hand only allows a plastic bracelet design that is not compatible with high-quality wristwatches; and, as mentioned, causes new adjustment requirements after the replacement of the wristband antenna unit.

A wristwatch with a wristband antenna is also known from GB 2 201 266 A, designed there for a personal radio information system (pager). An electrical dipole antenna or a single-turn magnetic loop antenna is represented by the copper laminate on a flexible carrier, which is framed in the middle of a sandwich plastic bracelet, which can be cast in one piece with the watch case, or at the entrance in a watch case slot for mechanical fixing in the opposite direction Directions is crimped. The antenna then extends in the watch case directly to the substrate of the integrated receiver circuit and is bonded there. Therefore, the entire pager watch can no longer be used after the bracelet has been removed.

From the Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol. 11, No. 4 (E-468) January 7, 1987 to JP-A-61 181 203, it is known to integrate a thin flexible metal strip as a single-turn magnetic antenna into the plastic wristband, which, with its respective front end, is attached to the wrist linkage the wristwatch housing is extended, tongue-shaped to below the central area of the housing and engages there by means of a contact pin in a tuning circuit which is elastically mounted in a rear recess of the wristwatch housing. In such a constructive solution, however, the bridging area of the antenna conductor from the bracelet via its housing linkage to the rear central housing area is at high risk of breakage; and a replacement with a bracelet made of a higher quality material or only the replacement of the bracelet without replacing the antenna, because of their integration into the plastic bracelet, is not possible with such a solution.

EP 0 279 054 A1 also shows a wristwatch with a transceiver device for VHF frequencies, ie for pager operation; with the special feature that, as a single-layer loop antenna, a fabric made of copper braid is now spread into a tubular bracelet in order to be able to stretch the bracelet in the longitudinal direction by constricting the braided fabric. The woven strand is at its ends with clips on it metallic watch case connected, namely directly at one end and at the other end via a tuning capacitor; there, branching a conductor between the strand and the capacitor, which leads into the interior of the housing and is connected to the high-frequency circuit. This high-frequency feed line, which leads directly into the housing, is again at risk of breakage in the area in which it crosses the connection of the bracelet to the housing. Any measures for simple but reliable and in particular also moisture-resistant connection between the high-frequency feed line and the high-frequency circuit part are not provided.

EP 0 186 804 A provides an antenna conductor which is again hermetically cast into the plastic bracelet. The conductor is now connected to a circuit in the housing by means of a type of push button with a special longitudinal section geometry to also ensure contact pressure in the plug-in direction. However, the push button function requires a large installation cross section; and an exchange of the wristband while using the antenna is again not possible.

Nothing at all to do with the problem of the reliable and removable connection of a wristband antenna to the wristwatch in such a way that the antenna once tuned to the receiving circuit can also be used when the wristband is exchanged, if according to CH-PS 335 888 Watch case is equipped with an elastic-self-clamping clip bracelet, the clamping force of which is exerted by a clasp-like metal spring band that runs under the watch case and on both sides of which extends into a curved case, with stiffening of these cases by means of inserts, which with end hooks into the usual Housing bars are attached. These stocking-shaped sleeves made of leather or plastic expand towards their open ends and thus towards the watch case in order to form a gradual, aesthetically advantageous transition to the watch case and at the same time accommodate a curved slide for the shape retention of these sleeves.

In order to be able to record medical information for emergencies, it is known from CH-PS 455 366 to slit open a two-layered soft bracelet in the vicinity of the croissant through the usual looping of the croissant bridge, thereby inserting or inserting an elongated, flexible message carrier into the bracelet to be able to pull out of it. However, this message carrier cannot be very long or not very soft, because otherwise it would compress when pushed in and would then no longer be able to be accommodated in the bracelet.

The present invention, on the other hand, is based on the object of equipping a radio-controlled watch of the generic type - that is, an autonomously working wristwatch, which is additionally equipped with a long-wave receiver for the periodically transmitted radio telegrams of the coded absolute time information - with a functional and inexpensive wristband antenna, which in particular is small but mechanically reliable attachable to the watch case and does not have to lead to the loss of the actual, electrically tuned antenna if a worn bracelet is to be replaced; since a wristwatch of a higher category does not use a wear-resistant plastic injection-molded bracelet, but a textile or leather bracelet that should be easy to replace, without losing the coordinated magnetic long-wave antenna.

This object is achieved in that the generic autonomous radio clock is equipped with an antenna bracelet, the equipment and removable mechanical and electrical connection to the watch case is designed according to the characterizing part of the main claim.

This solution opens up a functionally optimized case-bracelet combination in that, in the case of an antenna bracelet that is worn out due to the wear and tear, only the tubular outside of the band has to be replaced as such, the electrically active antenna (to which the input circuit of the receiver in the watch case is matched is) but still remains usable. For this purpose, the part of the bracelet that serves as a sheath for the coil and core of the long-wave antenna is, contrary to the conventional bridge linkage, not attached directly to the watch case, but to a connector located in front of the hose opening for the exit of the antenna cable, which is designed for strain-relieved and watertight mechanical and electrical connection to the housing with at least one connecting pin leading to the receiver of the clock circuit. The tubular bracelet for receiving the flexible magnetic antenna (consisting of a bendable stack core wrapped by an antenna coil) can end in two lips of different lengths for connection to the plug, the shorter of which lies on the outside of the bottom of the bracelet and is directly attached a connector holding bar is connected; while the longer lip is on the inside and can end on a carrier strip that can be positively connected to the back of the connector if the connector is secured by screwing to the watch case.

The socket carrier holding web also expediently takes a strip-shaped antenna carrier on which has a pulling eye on the opposite side so that it can be pulled into the interior of the bracelet tube through a narrow mounting opening on the inside of the bracelet by means of a thin tool. The flexible insulating material carrier of a laminated antenna cable, on which a flat oscillating-coil tuning capacitor is mounted in front of the front of the antenna coil, with electrical antenna cable shielding by means of parallel printed ground paths, can serve directly as the antenna carrier. A centering between the antenna core and the antenna coil on the one hand and the antenna carrier on the other hand in the longitudinal direction of the carrier is expediently carried out by a waist of the carrier and the core stack, with the coil being applied in the tapered waist region around a coil carrier, the side flap on the antenna carrier being folded around the waist region is formed. If the laminated flex carrier is arranged on the inside of the curvature of the antenna core stack and the socket holding web, no sharp edges or other kinks occur, so that with a few components and connection points, that is to say in a few work steps, an electrically and mechanically extremely reliable, easy-to-use and service-friendly connection between the antenna bracelet and radio-controlled watch case is achieved.

Fig. 1

im längsschnitt eine als Armbanduhr ausgebildete autonome Funkuhr mit flexibler magnetischer Antenne bei abgebrochener Darstellung der an das Uhrengehäuse angelenkten Armbänder,

Fig. 2

einen senkrecht zur Schnittebene der Fig. 1 orientierten Querschnitt durch den Bereich der SteckerVerbindung vom Armbanduhren-Gehäuse zum Antennenarmband,

Fig. 3

(bestehend aus Fig. 3a, Fig. 3b, Fig. 3c) einen Sandwich-Aufbau eines gegenüber Fig. 1 abgewandelten, durch eines der Armbänder verlaufenden, Antennenträgers und

Fig. 4

nach Art eines vereinfachten einpoligen Blockschaltbildes eine Armbanduhr-Funkuhr nach Fig. 1.

Additional alternatives and further developments as well as further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the further claims and, also taking into account the explanations in the summary, from the following description of the drawings which are somewhat abstracted but approximately enlarged to different extents to the extent that are limited to the essentials Realization examples for the solution according to the invention. It shows:

Fig. 1

in longitudinal section an autonomous radio-controlled watch designed as a wristwatch with a flexible magnetic antenna, with the bracelets hinged to the watch case broken off,

Fig. 2

1 cross section oriented perpendicular to the sectional plane of FIG. 1 through the area of the plug connection from the wristwatch housing to the antenna bracelet,

Fig. 3

(consisting of Fig. 3a, Fig. 3b, Fig. 3c) a sandwich construction of a modified compared to Fig. 1, extending through one of the bracelets, and

Fig. 4

in the manner of a simplified single-pole block diagram, a radio-controlled wristwatch according to FIG. 1.

The autonomous radio-controlled watch 11 shown in section has a wristwatch housing 12 in which the time display 14 (digital or analog and designed as an electromechanical display system or as an electro-optical display) is visible under a watch glass 13. The clock circuit 15 arranged next to and / or below it, which in the case of the radio clock 11 is essentially a coordinated time telegram receiver 71 with a demodulator and memory comparison circuits of a display control circuit 75 (see FIG. 4), is made up of at least one button cell battery 15 fed, which is held and contacted by means of a removable housing bottom 17 under the clock circuit 15.

The receiver-side connection of a flexible magnetic antenna 18 to the clock circuit 15 is a contact spring 20 attached to the circuit carrier 19 in abutment against a contact pin 21 which is held in an Isolieratoff bushing 22 which extends approximately from the housing interior 23 through the housing wall 24 . The contact pin 21 has the shape of an angled hook, the longer leg of which rests approximately parallel to the visible housing surface 27 against the contact spring 20, while the shorter leg parallel to the height of the housing 12 from an indentation 28 on the underside of the housing wall 24 as freely accessible Pin 29 emerges (see FIG. 2). Mass plug-in pins 29 ′ arranged on either side of it are anchored directly in the housing wall 24

In this laterally accessible housing indentation 28, a connector 30 engages with the pins 29, 29 'geometrically and locally assigned coupling sockets 31, 31', which are anchored in a retaining web 35. This protrudes laterally over the width of the connection indentation 28, so that it can be secured by means of screw connections 33 on the wristwatch housing 12 when the pin-socket pair 29-31 / 29'-31 'is plugged together in addition to the indentation 28 in the plug-in direction. The retaining web 35 is equipped at the rear with at least one spacer 34, behind which a bracelet connecting strip 32 follows (see below). This strip 32 expediently also protrudes beyond the transverse dimension of the plug-in indentation 28, so that the screw connections 33 ultimately brace the layer structure of the rearward connection strip 32, spacers 34 and retaining web 35 against the housing wall 24. A potting body bar 38 equipped on the front with insertion funnels 37 for the pins 29, 29 'and their mounting base extends on both sides along the holding web 35 and provides a form-fitting, moisture-tight closure of the plug connection.

The tubular antenna bracelet 39 ends on the housing side with two tongue-like lips 42, 42 'one above the other, of which the outer one is looped around a shaft 43 in ear flanges 41 on the retaining web 35 for the sockets 31, 31' in the insulating material bar 38. The lip 42 'on the bottom side, that is to say inside the curvature, wraps around the connecting strip 32 which is geometrically adapted to the sealing bar 38. The connection strip 32 experiences a positive connection in the assembled state by means of pins 44, which are formed opposite to the plug-in direction on the ground contact sockets 29 'and which engage through the lower lip 42' in receiving holes 45 of the strip 32, as can be seen from the illustration in FIG. 2. The central area 46 of the lip 42 'wrapping around the connecting strip 32 is expediently recessed in order to have more casting material available here behind the antenna pin socket 29 in the casting body bar 38 for sheathing the rear side of the antenna socket 31, which is socketed here by means of an insulating socket 36.

A flexible antenna carrier 47 is fastened directly on the holding web 35, or, if present, as shown in FIG. 1, on a bulge 40 which is molded onto it and bent off. If it extends directly to the retaining web 35, the tensile mechanical fixing can take place by holes 48 (FIG. 3) being penetrated by the plug sockets 29 and 29 ', that is to say the fastening end 49 in the plastic bar 38 is set on the retaining web 35. If, for example, the antenna carrier 47 according to FIG. 1 is, for example, a fabric strip, this is expediently fixed to the holding web 35 by looping it through an opening 50 around the web bulge 40 protruding into the flat tube of the antenna bracelet 39 is sewn or glued.

In any case, the antenna carrier 47 extends from the front of the connector holding web 35 between the bracelet lips 42, 42 'into a blind-shaped or tubular flat channel 51 as far as under the flexible core 52 of the antenna coil 53. Opposite the retaining web 35, the antenna carrier 47 has an eyelet 54 for engaging a traction tool (not shown), for example a wire with a hook on the end, in order to pull the antenna carrier 47 through a narrow inner mounting opening 55 at the blind hole end 56 into the tubular channel 51 can. Thus, when a worn antenna bracelet 39 is replaced, the antenna 18 itself is not lost. Beyond the blind hole end 56, the antenna bracelet 39 then (see FIG. 4) merges into the usual multi-layer, perforated flat band for connecting or engaging a watch band fastener 70 (FIG. 4).

The electrical connection of the antenna 18 to the input of the receiver 71 of the electronic clock circuit 15 can take place according to FIG. 1 by a discrete coaxial antenna line 26, which runs loosely along the antenna carrier 47 and is thereby relieved of strain. However, the antenna line 26 'can also (according to FIG. 3) be integrated in the antenna carrier 47', for example in the manner of a line 26 'laminated onto a flexible insulating material strip. For shielding, it is sufficient to laminate further conductor tracks 57 parallel to the antenna line 26 'onto the material of the carrier 47', preferably closely parallel to the antenna line 26 on both sides and enclosing them in a U-shaped manner in the connection area 58. The antenna connection of the line 26 'as well as the one-sided ground connection of the two shielding conductor tracks 57 connected in series is then carried out in the vicinity of the fastening holes 48 to the plug sockets 31, 31' and thus via the plug pins 29, 29 'to the electronic clock circuit 15 (see Fig. 1). The opposite end of such an insulating material carrier 47 'laminated with conductor tracks 26', 57 is expediently also laminated in the vicinity of the pulling eyelet 54 with a metal layer as reinforcement 59, in order to have a larger one when it is drawn into the channel 51 of the bracelet tube To achieve protection against pulling out.

Preferably, the film 60 printed with conductor tracks (FIG. 3a) on a Kapton base is covered over its laminated surface by means of a flexible thin insulating material cover 61 (FIG. 3b), which is adapted to the strip-like geometry of the antenna carrier 47 'for a short time extends in front of the mounting and connection holes 48, but beyond the conductor tracks in front of the connection area 58 has two tab-shaped tabs 62 projecting at a constriction 63 transversely to the longitudinal extent. These are looped around a geometrically corresponding waist 69 of the strip-shaped sheet-metal stack antenna core 52, which is arranged opposite the laminated surface of the film, to thereby, together with the side edges of the constriction 63 in the carrier film 60, its cover 61 and the core 52 to serve as a coil former for the antenna coil 53 then to be wound around it. Through a cutout 64 in the cover film 61, the conductor connection area 58 is on the core 52 in front of the coil end (FIG. 3c), better still (according to FIG. 4) in front of the core 52 (that is, offset to the fastening end 49) accessible to connect the coil wires and possibly also a resonant circuit tuning capacitor 65 (see FIG. 1 mechanically and electrically), for example by soldering on. Protective hoods are expediently pushed over the ends of the lamellar core 52 in order on the one hand to lift them off the curved carrier 47 and on the other hand to prevent chafing of the covered bracelet tube (not shown in the drawing).

Opposite the flat tube of the antenna bracelet 39, which is connected to the watch case 12 by means of the plug 30, a conventional but shorter half-arm strap 66 is articulated to the case 12 in a conventional manner, for example by looping around a hinge shaft 68 held between croissants 67 (FIG. 1).

When the watch 11 is worn, the antenna bracelet 39 has a curved course in the longitudinal direction according to the production-related bending direction of the core lamellae, which is oriented with its inside of the arch toward the carrier 47. Due to the limited restoring force of the layer core 52, the mere opening of the bracelet clasp 70 (cf. FIG. 4) not automatically straightened out again. Therefore, the demodulator receiver 71 of the clock circuit 15 is appropriately tuned on the input side to resonance conditions that correspond to the antenna inductance at a mean bending radius of the core 52, so that there is optimum reception sensitivity if (FIG. 4) the receiver 71 periodically from the autonomous time holding circuit 72 is switched on via a control line 73 for checking and possibly correcting the time display 14. However, if this switch-on takes place while the watch 11 is stored with the antenna bracelet 39 consciously stretched, this results in a detuning of the input circuit of the receiver 71 with a correspondingly reduced reception sensitivity. It is therefore expedient to form an electrically tunable input resonance circuit 74 in the receiver 71, as expressed in FIG. 4 by the symbol for a self-equalizing capacitance. As a result, the reception sensitivity is optimized for the curvature-dependent instantaneous antenna inductance at the time of reception.

With regard to the function of the display control circuit 75, which is set by the absolute time information received via radio and is operated until the next reception from the autonomous time-keeping circuit 72, reference is made to our own earlier applications, in particular to EP 0 242 717 A2.

Claims (7)

1. An autonomous radio-controlled timepiece (11) in the form of a wristwatch with radio receiver (71), designed as a long-wave receiver, and flexible, magnetic, long-wave aerial (18) which is connected to this in the wristwatch casing (12) by means of a plug (30) and is designed as a flexible core (52) with aerial coil (53) and tuning capacitor (65) on a flexible aerial carrier (47), this long-wave aerial (18) extending together with aerial lead (26') and with shieldings in the form of further conductor tracks (57) through a flexible watchstrap (39),
   characterized in that,
   in a flat, hose-shaped watchstrap (39), a blind-hole channel (51) is provided which, opening towards the casing (12), terminates in two lips (42, 42'), whereby a plug holding web (35) together with injection-moulded sealing beam (38 ) is provided for connection with one lip (42') and with the casing (12), for screw connection of the plug (30) with the casing (12), and whereby the blind-hole channel (51) has opposite, at the blind-hole end, a narrow assembly aperture (55), lying on the inside of the watchstrap (39), for the introduction of the replaceable aerial carrier (47) with the serial (18) from the lips (42, 42') of the blind-hole towards this assembly aperture (55), for which purpose the aerial carrier (47) is there equipped with a pull eye (45) surrounded by a reinforcement (59), whereby opposite, on the plug holding web (35) to be screwed to the casing (12), the aerial carrier (47) is mechanically fixed so as to be resistant to pull.
2. A radio-controlled timepiece according to Claim 1,
   characterized in that
   a plug pin (29) is accessible transversely to the surface (27) of the watch casing in an indentation (28) below the sidewall (24) of the casing for a plug-in bush (31), which is accessible from a sealing body beam (38) with pin introduction funnel (37) for a tight sealing of the plug region.
3. A radio-controlled timepiece according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a holding web (35) is equipped with tenons (44), jutting out counter to the plug-in direction, for a form-locking connection with a strap connection strip (32).
4. A radio-controlled timepiece according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a plug-contact holding web (35) is equipped with ear flanges (41) for the reception of a shaft (43) around which a part of the hose-shaped strap (39) is looped.
5. A radio-controlled timepiece according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a plug-contact holding web (35) is equipped with a cranked bulge (40), projecting into the interior of the hose-shaped aerial strap (39), for fixing a strip-shaped elastic aerial carrier (47).
6. A radio-controlled timepiece according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the aerial carrier (47') is designed as a flexible circuit carrier, backed in single-layer manner, with shielding conductor tracks (57) on both sides of an aerial lead (26').
7. A radio-controlled timepiece according to one of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that,
   with the foil core (52) curved, it is tuned to a time-telegram transmitter, and in that its receiver (71) is equipped with an electrically tunable capacitor for a retunable resonant circuit (74) as a function of the instantaneous curvature-dependent aerial core inductance during reception-readiness of the receiver (71).

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