Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04G—ELECTRONIC TIME-PIECES
  • G04G21/00—Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
  • G04G21/04—Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces using radio waves
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/0075—Cases with means to enhance sound transmission
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B47/00—Time-pieces combined with other articles which do not interfere with the running or the time-keeping of the time-piece
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04C—ELECTROMECHANICAL CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04C3/00—Electromechanical clocks or watches independent of other time-pieces and in which the movement is maintained by electric means
  • G04C3/001—Electromechanical switches for setting or display

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a waterproof portable device, such as a wristwatch, comprising an electroacoustic transducer.
• a waterproof portable device comprises a housing in which is mounted an electroacoustic transducer separated in a fluid-tight manner by a deformable membrane of an inlet cavity, which is formed in the housing and in direct communication with the outside.
• Such portable devices are known from the prior art, in particular from document EP 0 899 635 filed in the name of the present Applicant and incorporated here by reference.
• This document describes a waterproof portable device 1, represented in FIG. 5, comprising a box 2 in which a sound transducer 21 is mounted so as to communicate in a fluid-tight manner with the outside of the box 2 via energy. sound.
• the sound transducer 21 is integral with a deformable membrane 15, sealingly separating it from an inlet cavity 11 formed in the housing and in direct communication with the outside.
• Such a structure nevertheless has several drawbacks.
• the control circuit housed in the housing on a printed circuit board or PCB includes in particular an amplifier with integrated voltage multiplier, which must be adapted to the transducer, and whose design on the PCB is more complex and therefore requires a larger surface.
• connection between the piezoelectric transducer and the PCB is carried out by means of electrical wires, which require delicate operations of mounting the transponder as well as welding operations of these wires.
• sealing of the structure shown is ensured here only for the elements located above the deformable membrane. No device is provided for sealing electrical or electronic components possibly placed in the bottom of the case.
• the idea according to the invention is to produce a waterproof portable device comprising a simple transducer structure occupying a reduced thickness in the housing of the device.
• an advantageous embodiment of the invention relates to a waterproof portable device as defined in the preamble to the description, characterized in that the electroacoustic transducer and the inlet cavity are arranged collaterally so that at at least a portion of determined thickness of the transducer, respectively of the cavity are present in the same section of the housing and in that an acoustic channel connects the transducer to the membrane to transmit acoustic vibrations.
• Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a portable device at its electroacoustic transducer according to a first embodiment
• Figure 2 shows a sectional view of a portable device at its electroacoustic transducer according to a second embodiment
• Figure 3 shows a top view at the level of the electroacoustic transducer
• Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a dynamic speaker
• the various embodiments of the invention will be illustrated in their application to a wristwatch. It is clear, however, that any other portable device of small dimensions, comprising an electroacoustic transducer and capable of being immersed in a liquid such as water to a determined depth can be the subject of the present invention.
• the electroacoustic transducer is a loudspeaker, while a transducer, such as a microphone, can also be advantageously used with these different embodiments.
• FIG. 1 a sectional view of a wristwatch 1 which is guaranteed to be watertight to a determined depth of water, for example a depth of 30 meters, which is a value often expected in practice.
• watch 1 in Figure 1 the case 2, the crystal 3, the hands 4 and 5, the dial 6, the miniature motor 7, the printed circuit or PCB 8 for the watch. All these elements, as well as those sketched out, or even not visible in this figure, such as quartz, the train, the integrated circuit, etc. are conventional and will therefore not be described here. It will be noted that the watch advantageously forms a portable telephone comprising a second printed circuit 9 for the telephone.
• the housing comprises a bottom 10 which is tightly secured to the housing by any means, for example by gluing, screwing or clipping.
• the bottom 10 and the housing 2 can optionally be formed by a single molded part.
• the housing 2 has an inlet cavity or chamber 11 preferably of generally circular shape and placed in direct communication with the outside through an inlet channel 12 which opens out laterally.
• the housing 10 Around the cavity 11, the housing 10 has a peripheral rib 13 with a rounded edge and contiguous with an annular groove 14 located outside relative to the rib 14.
• a membrane 15 formed from a circular disc which came from forming a peripheral rim 16 housed in the groove 14 and the outer surface of which is attached to a peripheral wall 17 formed around the groove 14.
• the membrane 15 is crushed by an annular bearing surface 18 of a protective member 19, for example a circular grid, fixedly mounted in the housing 2, for example by means of screws 20. It will be noted that the membrane 15 can be held by mounting rings, not shown, serving as a bearing surface, the protection 19 is not necessary. Thus, the membrane 15 seals the interior of watch 1 vis-à-vis the exterior.
• the membrane 15 is made of a deformable material impervious to fluids and gases, for example silicone.
• the bottom 10 has a through passage 29 having a shoulder 30 against which is disposed a pressure compensation pad 31. This is impermeable to the , but breathable.
• This structure is connected to the acoustic channel 24 through air passages inside the housing 2. All of these elements 29, 30 and 31 form pressure balancing means to balance the slow variations in the differential pressure on either side of said deformable membrane.
• the deformable membrane 15 can be designed in such a way that it fulfills the function of pressure compensation in place of the above-mentioned circuit.
• the membrane 15 must be made of a flexible material impervious to fluids but permeable or semi-permeable to gases whose static pressure varies at very low frequency.
• An electroacoustic transducer 21 is fixedly mounted in a housing of the housing 2 provided for this purpose and connected by simple electrical contact 38 to the printed circuit 9.
• the transducer 21 and the input cavity 11 are arranged collaterally so that at least a portion of determined thickness of the transducer 21, respectively of the cavity 11 are arranged in the same section 28 of the housing.
• slice is meant the part of an object lying between two parallel planes.
• the cavity 11 is dimensioned so that its thickness is less than or equal to that of the transducer 21, the thickness of the edge 28 of the housing advantageously corresponding to that of the transducer 21.
• a channel can also be provided 39 inside the housing 2 so as to ensure identical pressure above and below the transducer 21.
• the electroacoustic transducer 21 is a dynamic loudspeaker, a schematic view of which and the operation is given in relation to FIG. 4.
• This transducer advantageously has an additional vibrating function as is also explained in connection with FIG. 4.
• the control of such a dynamic transducer is conventional and carried out by means of a simple control circuit comprising in particular a standard amplifier, this control circuit being easily integrated on a reduced space of the printed circuit 9.
• the transducer 21 comprises a membrane 22 of elastomeric material serving for the loudspeaker in the range of audible frequencies.
• the additional vibrator function is carried out by a vibrating element, not visible in this figure, for a determined frequency allowing good vibration of watch 1, for example 140 Hertz. It will be noted that preferably the vibrating element is directed towards the interior of the case so as to obtain a better vibration of the watch 1, and that the flexible membrane 22 is directed towards the bottom 10 of the case.
• acoustic channel 24 which comprises a first chamber 25 arranged opposite the membrane 22 of the transducer, a second chamber 26 arranged opposite the deformable membrane 15 and a connecting pipe 27 between the two chambers 25 and 26.
• the second chamber 26 corresponds to the zone situated between the deformable membrane 15 and the protective member 19 or the bottom of the housing 10, in the absence of a protective body.
• the behavior of the membrane 15 is as follows. When the watch 1 is worn out of the water, the membrane 15 has a flat configuration in which it is free to deform to transmit outwards the acoustic vibrations produced by the transducer 21.
• the membrane 15 when the watch 1 comes to be immersed, the membrane 15 will deform due to an abrupt variation in the differential pressure which prevails on its two sides. It will then assume a domed shape towards the bottom 10, the pressure compensation path through the circuit intended for this purpose, or through the membrane itself in the case of hydrophobic membrane, not being able to balance the difference quickly enough. pressures. From a certain hydrostatic pressure value, the deformation of the membrane 15 will be such that it will be applied against the bottom 10 or against the protective member 19, which thus provides effective support preventing any deterioration of the membrane 15.
• Figure 2 shows a sectional view similar to that of Figure 1, according to a second embodiment of the invention.
• the numerical references of the elements common with Figure 1 have been kept identical.
• At least one electrical or electronic component 32 preferably large, such as an accumulator.
• other components may also be present, such as for example a printed circuit 33 making it possible to connect electrically the accumulator 32 to other electrical and electronic components of the watch 1 located in the housing 2.
• a hatch 34 can be provided according to a first variant, closing the bottom 10 in a sealed manner, or according to a second advantageous variant, a removable bottom capable of being dismantled for possible replacement of the components it contains. In the latter case, provision is preferably made to mount the protective member 19 already shown in FIG. 1.
• the latter then has a double function, it is capable on the one hand of supporting the deformable membrane 15 when a pressure exterior greater than a predetermined value is applied to it and on the other hand to protect this membrane 15 when the bottom of the housing 10 is dismantled.
• this protective member 19 is made to extend along the acoustic channel 24 so as to cover and therefore also to protect the flexible membrane 22 of the dynamic loudspeaker 21.
• FIG 3 is a top view of certain elements of the portable device according to the first two embodiments presented above. The elements common with the previous figures are designated with the same reference numerals.
• the inlet cavity 11 is placed in direct communication with the outside, advantageously through two inlet channels 12a and 12b which open out laterally. It will be noted that these two channels have different orientations which has the effect of improving the emission, respectively the reception in the case of a microphone, of the acoustic vibrations towards the outside, respectively from the outside.
• the watch comprises control members, such as for example two push buttons 35a and 35b arranged on either side of a time-setting member 36.
• control members such as for example two push buttons 35a and 35b arranged on either side of a time-setting member 36.
• the operating detail of these control members is conventional and will not be not described here.
• the channel 12a is arranged to open out between a push button, for example the button 35a, and the time-setting device 36, the other channel 12b being eccentric so as to open out from the other side of button 35a.
• a housing 37 located substantially in the same section as the transducer 21, to receive a SIM card.
• the latter preferably comprises a speaker and a microphone, the two being as far apart as possible from one another in the housing.
• FIG. 4 shows a schematic sectional view of a dynamic electroacoustic transducer.
• dynamic transducer is understood to mean a transducer with a movable conductor, in which the movable element is a conductor traversed by a current supplied by a source external to the transducer or induced by a magnetic field external to the transducer.
• Such a dynamic transducer a loudspeaker in the case shown, comprises a housing 101, preferably circular, connected to a magnetic circuit 102 by means of springs 103.
• An annular groove 104 formed in the magnetic circuit 102 allows a coil to be placed there. induction 105.
• a membrane 106 attached to the housing 101 and to the coil 105 makes it possible to transmit acoustic vibrations 107 in the vertical direction symbolized by an arrow.
• the transducer is advantageously a dynamic dual-function transducer, speaker and vibrator.
• the coil 105 is current controlled by an external control circuit, not shown, the control current flowing through the coil then induces a magnetic field through the coil, which interacts with the magnetic field created by the magnetic circuit 102.
• the membrane 106 cannot vibrate sufficiently at low frequency, the coil is controlled in current so that the interaction between the field induced in the coil and the field of the magnetic circuit 102 causes the housing 101 of the transducer to vibrate at a resonant frequency for example of 140 Hz, which then drives the assembly of the watch.
• This type of dynamic electroacoustic transducer is available in particular from the Japanese company Namiki ®.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Electric Clocks (AREA)
• Electromechanical Clocks (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=32748891

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (21)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2003
  • 2003-12-18 DE DE60336684T patent/DE60336684D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-18 EP EP03799586A patent/EP1584001B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-18 US US10/541,534 patent/US7414922B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-18 WO PCT/EP2003/051047 patent/WO2004066041A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2003-12-18 JP JP2004566832A patent/JP4310791B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-12-18 AU AU2003299253A patent/AU2003299253A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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