EP1679562B1 - Hand, axis or axis cover of an analog timepiece comprising a transponder at least partially integrated therein - Google Patents

Abstract

The watch has a clock movement housed inside a watch case (2) and coupled to a time display unit formed by minute, second and hour hands (6, 7, 8) in rotation around a hand stem. The hands or the stem includes a transponder (9) constituted by an integrated circuit chip and an antenna. The transponder is placed on or in the hands or the stem in a position permitting the identification and reading and/or writing by an external reader.

Description

The present invention relates to a watch, in particular an analog wristwatch which comprises a transponder at least partially integrated in a display needle minutes, hours or seconds, or whose axis of a needle carries said transponder. The essential features of the definition of the invention are contained in claim 1. The transponder consists of an antenna and a chip of integrated circuit (chip) and is placed in the needle or carried by the axis d a needle in a position for identification by at least one external reading and / or writing apparatus using RFID identification technology.

The objective of the present invention is to use advances obtained in the field of radio frequency identification systems (RFID), in order to improve the protection of the watch and its components against imitations, counterfeits, the gray market or fraud, or allowing the tracking and / or traceability of the watch throughout its life from manufacture to sale, or to use the data for quality control, service after-sales, repair or warranty, inventory management or advertising and marketing, or offering non-watch developments and applications, such as access control or identity control of the carrier of the watch, electronic key, electronic payment card, credit card, etc.

Numerous examples of watches equipped with RFID technology are already known and it is well known to equip watches, generally transponder wristwatches for storing information which includes a chip connected to an antenna and which can communicate via radio signals broadcast with an external reading device. Transponders, also commonly called electronic tags, are often of the passive type, the energy being supplied to them by the radio frequencies emitted by the external reader. According to the prior art and the numerous disclosures published to date, such as patents or patent applications CH692069A5 , CH689360A5 , CH694111A5 , US6484947B1 , CH690525A5 , CH691094A5 , DE19613491A1 , EP1113346A1 EP1420477 , JP2004325315 , JP2001006007 , JP2001042068 , EP1378805A1 , EP1398676A1 , EP1318437A1 , EP0741433A1 , EP1213629A1 , EP0884662A2 , the transponder is integrated in the case, in the telescope, in the middle-bezel, under the dial, in the movement case, on or in the cover of the bottom of the case of the watch, in the control organ like the crown, in the watch strap, or built-in on, in or under the watch glass, etc. However, none of the disclosures nor the state of the art known to date, has the idea of using a display needle minutes, hours or seconds, or the axis of a needle, as support to attach an RFID transponder that carries data that can be picked up by one or more external readers. The present invention fills this gap as defined in the claims. According to the multiple possible embodiments, it is possible to imagine that the display needle of minutes, hours or seconds, or the axis of the needles comprises a transponder.

The object of the present invention is not only to make the needle or the axis of a needle integral with a transponder, but the invention is also intended to solve the problem that arises for the integration of a transponder. very small size in the wristwatch and which is able to be detected at a short distance only by an external reader.

Many disclosures published to date seek to solve the problem of reflection and / or absorption of radio signals caused by the metal components of a watch or the human body, and offer integration solutions of a transponder with an antenna, which is often very bulky, for receiving and / or transmitting the radio frequencies through the metal components of a watch. In particular, prior art watches include transponders consisting of integrated circuits coupled to a bulky antenna which necessarily requires integration inside the case of the watch. Therefore, an additional space for housing the antenna in the mechanical part is to be expected, which requires an adaptation in the Architectural structure of the watch and an additional process to add to the production line. It also makes any change difficult once the watch is finished. As for the fact of an integration of the transponder in the wristband of a watch, as proposed in other known solutions, it can pose on the one hand the problem of the absorption of radio frequencies by the human body in general and perspiration, and on the other hand the bracelet is subject to wear if it is made of soft material such as leather or rubber. On the other hand the transponder can be easily damaged or destroyed, because of the flexibility of the bracelet which makes it too easy to twist or fold the transponder and thus break it; if the bracelet is made of metal, the problem of transmission of radio frequencies through the metal persists. In addition to these disadvantages, the bracelet is not an integral part of the watch case and can be too easily replaced by unauthorized or malicious people, so that the transponder in the bracelet is not a sufficient guarantee to ensure the protection. of the watch and its components against imitations, counterfeits, the gray market or fraud, for example. However, the major disadvantage of the prior art is that radio frequencies are particularly sensitive to the reflection effects of the metal parts of the watch or to absorption by the human body, which explains the necessarily large size of the antenna, It is essential to overcome these kinds of problems and consequently leads to heavy equipment and significant production costs. The solutions proposed by the prior art can then give only partially satisfactory results, because the large size of the antenna attached to the integrated circuit constituting the transponder, the high price and the problematic integration of the transponder in the watch case or the bracelet are annoying aesthetic, economic and technical barriers. The object of the present invention is also to solve these aforementioned problems as defined in the claims.

One of the advantages sought from the present invention is the possibility of easily adding or replacing said transponder, while being able to give the guarantee of a high authentication of the watch, because the watch case must first be opened to access the needles, respectively to the axis of a needle for an addition or replacement of the transponder. The watch described in the present invention may be equipped with a transponder at any time during its life, during its serial production, optionally and on command, or subsequently by a skilled person such as the watchmaker. The exchange then takes place by extracting the needle, integrating the new watch hand equipped with a transponder into the existing watches, or by adding a watch hand equipped with a transponder in the watch. during its manufacture. Other variants are imaginable. Another advantage sought is that of the arrangement of the transponder in the watch itself, a problem that can be subtly solved, thanks to the location of the transponder outside the housing containing the movement. As a result, the watch retains its original mechanical, architectural and aesthetic integrity, as there will be no foreign electronic bodies inside the watch case. An advantage that is very important for luxury watches called mechanical or luxury. In addition, a very important advantage of the present invention is that offered by the possibility of using transponders of very small size, able to be detected at short distance only. Already already, there are transponders available on the market, which have a size equal to or less than 2.5mm x 2.5mm and which soon will already be smaller than 0.5mm x 0.5mm, and will be more or very difficult to see. naked eye, but still needs to find a strategic location and a propitious environment in the watch, allowing it to act with attenuation of the reduced waves to a minimum and a reading distance between the transponder and the nearest external reader possible. The present invention also solves this problem because the transponder can be discreetly attached to the minute, hour, or second display needle, or carried by the axis of a needle, and thus is very near imminent with the external reader and the problem related to the reflection or absorption of radio signals by the metal parts of the watch or the human body is practically solved because the radio frequencies pass through the ice (which is the only obstacle between the external reader and the transponder), almost without attenuation. Another advantage of the invention is finally able to be machined using simple conventional machines and tools, intended for mass production. To achieve this objective the present invention uses the minute, hour or seconds display needle, or the axis of a needle as a support for integrating or affixing a transponder, thus providing an ideal solution for solving any problem. the aforementioned problems and also offering the advantage of an aesthetic, functional and economical integration of the transponder in the wristwatch. For the sake of clarity, we decided that the term 'transponder' was sufficient to understand our invention, and not to use the term 'micro-transponder', although its current small size and potential for miniaturization future would designate it with the prefix 'micro-'.

• la fig. 1 est une vue de dessus simplifiée de la montre-bracelet de type analogique selon l'invention.
• la fig. 2 est une coupe agrandie simplifiée dans la montre-bracelet selon un mode d'exécution de l'invention et deux variantes d'intégration possibles du transpondeur.
• la fig. 3.1 est une vue de dessus simplifiée d'une aiguille d'affichage des minutes, des heures ou des secondes comprenant le transpondeur selon une première variante de réalisation de l'invention.
• la fig. 3.2 montre sous une forme très schématique une vue de dessus d'un axe d'une aiguille qui porte un transpondeur sur son axe centrale, avec ou sans un couvercle de fixation d'un axe d'une aiguille, selon une deuxième variante préférentielle de réalisation de l'invention.
• les fig. 4.1 et 4.2 représentent schématiquement un transpondeur vu de face et de coupe, composé d'une puce de circuit intégré et d'une antenne.

The invention will now be understood from the description which follows and from the drawing which illustrates it, given by way of non-limiting example and in which:

• fig. 1 is a simplified top view of the analog type wristwatch according to the invention.
• fig. 2 is a simplified enlarged section in the wristwatch according to one embodiment of the invention and two possible integration variants of the transponder.
• fig. 3.1 is a simplified top view of a minute, hour or seconds display needle comprising the transponder according to a first embodiment of the invention.
• fig. 3.2 shows in a very schematic form a top view of an axis of a needle carrying a transponder on its central axis, with or without a cover for fixing an axis of a needle, according to a second preferred embodiment of FIG. embodiment of the invention.
• figs. 4.1 and 4.2 schematically represent a transponder seen from the front and from the section, composed of an integrated circuit chip and an antenna.

1 =

montre-bracelet de type analogique

2 =

boîtier de montre

3 =

moyens de commande / couronne

4 =

cadran

5 =

bracelet

6 =

aiguille des minutes

7 =

aiguille des secondes

8 =

aiguille des heures

9 =

transpondeur / micro-transpondeur / étiquette électronique

9.1 =

puce de circuit intégré

9.2 =

antenne

10 =

glace

11 =

axe d'une aiguille

12 =

couvercle de fixation d'un axe d'une aiguille / chapeau

For reasons of clarity, we decided to define in advance the terminology used in the present description of an embodiment with the following numbering:

1 =

Analog type wristwatch

2 =

watch case

3 =

control means / crown

4 =

dial

5 =

bracelet

6 =

minute hand

7 =

second hand

8 =

hour hand

9 =

transponder / micro-transponder / electronic tag

9.1 =

integrated circuit chip

9.2 =

antenna

10 =

ice cream

11 =

axis of a needle

12 =

cover fixing a pin of a needle / hat

Although the invention is obviously not limited to the embodiment shown below, the following description is made in the case where the transponder 9 whose minute display needle 6, hours 8, or seconds 7, or the axis of a needle 11 can be equipped, is provided for storing information concerning the watch itself or that are intended for other applications that are not related to the watch for be placed at a small distance (a few millimeters to several centimeters) from the transmitting and receiving antenna of an external reading and / or writing device, not shown in the drawing with which it is required to communicate . Said data transmission technology on which the present invention is based, commonly uses the radio frequency identification (RFID) which will not be described here, because it is part of the state of the art and is known for a long time already and widely used in industry. However, for the sake of precision, the minute display hand 6, hours 8 or seconds 7, or the axis of a needle 11 which is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3.1 and FIG. finished product a transponder 9 which consists of an integrated circuit chip 9.1 connected to an antenna 9.2, as shown schematically in Figure 4.1 and Figure 4.2. Figures 1 and 2 show in simplified form a wristwatch of analog type according to the invention, represented here by the general reference 1. The wristwatch 1 comprises in addition to the conventional components of a watch, a watch case 2 with control means 3 such as the crown, a mirror 10, a 4 and a wristwatch 5. The wristwatch 1 further comprises a watch movement not shown in the drawing, which is housed inside the watch case 2 and which is coupled to the display means of the wristwatch. time respectively formed by a second hand 7, a minute hand 6 and a hour hand 8. According to a first possible variant of the present invention, the second hand 7, the minute hand 6, or the hour hand 8 contains a transponder 9, consisting of an integrated circuit chip 9.1 connected to an antenna 9.2. Said transponder 9 is positioned in a position enabling it to communicate by broadcast radio signals with at least one external reading and / or writing device not shown in the drawing. Said transponder 9 can be placed, placed, glued, fixed, integrated, or incorporated by any known bonding or fixing means on the outer surface of the watch hand. For example, the transponder 9 can be glued directly on the outer surface of the needle 6, 7, 8 or in a recess in the needle intended to receive the transponder, by means of an adhesive or an epoxy-based resin, mixed with a hardener or accelerator and photo-initiator chemicals sensitive to light radiation to effect the polymerization, and then exposed to light radiation, especially ultraviolet radiation, to seal the transponder 9 in the recess; hardening the resin, making the surface thus treated, quickly hard and smooth, comparable to that of the watch hand. Other fixing solutions or integration means of the transponder 9 are obviously possible. According to a second possible variant which is also a preferred embodiment of the present invention and according to FIG. 1, the transponder 9 can be carried by the axis of a needle 11 by incrustation or by attachment or by any other means of gluing or known fixation. But one can also imagine that the transponder 9 is housed on or in a fixing cover of an axis of a needle 12 provided for this purpose, which is fixed on the central axis of the axis of a Needle 11 such a hat or as a decorative element or finish. This solution offers the advantage of interchangeability and removability which makes it possible to remove the fixing cover from an axis of a needle 12 comprising the transponder 9 as required, for example to remove the watch hands from their axis for repair, replacement or service etc. The transponder 9 can have different shapes, characteristics and dimensions and can be housed in or on said cover for attaching an axis of a needle 12 in a visible or concealed manner. But of course, one can also imagine other forms of attachment, bonding, or integration of said transponder 9 on the axis of a needle 11. The second hand 7, the minute hand 6, the the hour hand 8, the needle axis 11, or the cover for attaching an axis of a needle 12, should preferably be non-metallic and made of an electrically insulating material to avoid creating a magnetic shield around the antenna 9.2 of the transponder 9, such as plastic or synthetic material to facilitate the transmission of radio frequencies between the transponder 9 and the external reader. However, it is possible to manufacture them in any material, even metallic and not to disturb the operation of the antenna 9.2 of the transponder 9 just cover the imminent part or which is surrounding or in direct contact with the transponder 9 an electrically insulating material, or a protective film for example. In another case and for aesthetic reasons for example, or to reduce the size of the transponder 9 fixed on the hand of a watch, or simply to make invisible said transponder 9, one can also imagine that the needle 6, 7 or 8 has a recess or a cavity ready to receive the transponder 9 by gluing or by any other known fastening means. In addition, for aesthetic reasons, the needle containing the transponder 9 may simply be covered with a decorative pattern which may be a layer of film or any other two-dimensional decorative pattern and which for example trompe-l'oeil, mimics the original design or pattern representing a classic needle. Other solutions are obviously possible and the processes and products used for the bonding or attaching the transponder 9 to the watch hand 6, 7, 8, on the axis of a watch hand 11, or on or in the cover for fixing an axis of a needle 12, and the methods grinding, polishing, etching, ultrasonic machining, laser drilling or abrasion of the recess receiving the transponder 9, and the appropriate machines or instruments for carrying out these products and processes will not be described because they are processes and products well known and also used for a long time in the industry, in particular for the mass production of parts. It is understood that the watch hand 6, 7, 8 or the axis of a needle 11 which has just been described according to the embodiment and its various variants, can still undergo other modifications for integration. optimal transponder 9 in said needle or axis of a needle and thereby be in other variants, obvious to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As regards the transponder 9, it consists of an integrated circuit chip 9.1 connected to an antenna 9.2, as shown schematically in FIG. 4.1 and FIG. 4.2. It can present for example the appearance of a wafer with a size of 2.5mm x 2.5mm or even 0.5mm x 0.5mm only. A rigid substrate carries a sensor segment that acts as an antenna and a programmable segment that represents the storage medium of data. This data carrier is in fact an integrated circuit 9.2 which includes a ROM, or EEPROM. When the transponder 9 is placed in the field of an external radio frequency transmitter not shown in the drawing, the latter can identify the data stored on the transponder 9. It has been found that micro-transponders able to be detected at a short distance, could be made in smaller and smaller dimensions. Under these conditions the implementation of a transponder 9 in a needle or on the axis of a watch hand suddenly becomes possible according to the present invention. On the other hand it can be seen that the ice 10 allows radio frequencies emitted by the transmitter to be passed almost without attenuation and as the only obstacle between the external reader and the transponder 9 and significantly increases the possible reading field of the transponder 9. This is why the location provided according to the invention, allows a transponder 9 can be very small in a wristwatch. Finally, other developments and applications are also conceivable with respect to the transponder technology 9 that is used in the present invention. It may finally be noted that the structure and the conventional functionalities of the watch, in particular of the wristwatch 1, the minute hand 6, the hours 8 or the seconds 7, of the axis of a needle 11, and the transponder 9 have not been discussed in detail, since these concepts are well known to those skilled in the art and do not relate directly to the subject of the present invention.

Claims (14)

1. Hand of the seconds (7) or hand of the minutes (6) or hand of the hours (8) or any other hand or axis of a hand (11) or axis cover (12) for an analog timepiece, characterized in that it contains a transponder (9) consisting of an integrated circuit chip (9.1) and an antenna (9.2) at least.
2. Analog watch (1) including a watch movement that is located inside the watch-case (2) and that is coupled to time display means formed by hands (6,7,8) rotating around an axis of hands (11), characterized in that it comprises at least a hand (6,7,8) or axis of a hand (11) according to claim 1.
3. Analog watch (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one hand of the seconds (7), one hand of the minutes (6), one hand of the hours (8), or any other hand is equipped with a transponder (9).
4. Analog watch (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the axis of hands (11), respectively the axis of a hand (11) includes an axis cover (12) that contains a transponder (9).
5. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is put, affixed or embedded on or in a hand of the seconds (7), a hand of the minutes (6), a hand of the hours (8), or any other hand, an axis of a hand (11) or an axis cover (12) by gluing or by any other means of fixing or fastening known.
6. Analog watch (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is affixed, glued, fixed, embedded or incorporated by means of gluing or fastening known on the external surface of the hand (6,7,8).
7. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is sealed in a cavity located in the hand (6,7,8), in the axis of a hand (11) or in the axis cover (12), envisaged to receive the transponder (9), by means of a glue, of a resin or of a resin on epoxy base.
8. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the hand (6,7,8), the axis of a hand (11), or the axis cover (12) that contains the transponder (9) is made of a nonmagnetic or a dielectric substrate to avoid to create parasitic magnetic fields around the antenna (9.2) of the transponder (9).
9. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the hand (6,7,8), the axis of a hand (11), or the axis cover (12), that contains the transponder (9) is covered by an dielectric and/or nonmagnetic matter, such as a protective film, or a layer or an insulating coating, or any other insulating substrate, to not disrupt the functioning of the antenna (9.2) of the transponder (9).
10. Analog watch (1) according to any of the claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is of technology using the identification by radio frequency RFID.
11. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 10, characterized in that the transponder (9) is a small sized micro-transponder, consisting of an antenna (9.2) segment and of an integrated circuit chip (9.1) segment, both segments being supported by a same substrate.
12. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 11, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is two-dimensionally covered by a film, a layer or a decorative matter.
13. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 12, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is a micro-transponder that uses a photovoltaic cell for the reception of the data and an antenna coupled to a radio circuit for the emission of a radio signal.
14. Analog watch (1) according to one of the claims 2 to 13, characterized in that the aforementioned transponder (9) is a 'Light-Powered Micro-transponder' using means of reading by light and/or laser in combination with means of emission by radio frequency RFID.

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