JP2001013268A - Timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a structure for positioning a timepiece capable of sharing many parts for a variety of products, give variation of design of the timepiece and reduce a production cost. SOLUTION: A support member 5 is provided with a positioning protrusion 5d passing the outside of a reception ring 7 and projecting to the front side, and with this positioning protrusion 5d, a dial 8 is positioned in the rotational direction and radial direction that is, the plane direction. By this, a change of a plane shape and dimensions of the timepiece case and the dial can be responded only by changing the shape and dimensions of the support member without changing the internal structure and so common use of internal parts of the timepiece other than the support member can be attained for the timepieces with various appearance, a multitude of design variety can be realized and a production cost can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a timepiece, and more particularly, to a timepiece.
The present invention relates to a positioning structure for a watch component housed in a watch case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a wristwatch has an outer case (body),
The watch is roughly composed of a watch case including a back cover and the like, a watch movement housed inside the watch case, and a dial disposed on the front side of the watch movement.
The timepiece movement is positioned and fixed in a timepiece case by a support member called a middle frame, and the dial is positioned with respect to a front side portion (for example, a part of the main plate) of the timepiece movement by an engagement structure including a projection and a concave portion. Is done.

Some wristwatches have a built-in solar cell, and an example thereof is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-4631. This publication describes a portable timepiece with a solar cell in which a solar cell substrate is fixed on a receiving ring engaged with a movement. In the timepiece with a solar cell disclosed in this publication, the solar cell substrate itself is configured as a dial, and the light receiving surface of the solar cell substrate is exposed to the time display unit. In recent years, the design of the time display unit of the solar cell substrate has been improved. In order to increase the number, a dial plate having translucency is often arranged on the surface of the solar cell substrate. In this case, the translucent dial may be positioned by a receiving ring for holding the solar cell substrate.

[0004]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional wristwatch, it is common practice to prepare a variety of products using a certain watch movement in common, and to appropriately change the shape of a watch case, a dial and the like. The method of making a series is adopted. For example, watch cases and dials have various shapes such as a round shape and a square shape, and many sizes are commercially available, from relatively large to small. For example, there is a subtle difference in not only the size but also the watch case and the dial between the men's and women's.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional wristwatch, when the shape and size of the watch case and the dial are changed,
It is necessary to change the shape of the support member that positions and supports the watch movement in the watch case, but it is also necessary to change the shape and dimensions of the watch movement base plate and receiving ring that engage with the dial. Therefore, except for the watch movement, almost all products need to be prepared separately for each product. Therefore, there is a problem that even if the timepiece movement is shared, the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost is limited. In particular, in the case of a timepiece with a solar cell, the dial may be positioned and supported by a receiving ring in order to share the timepiece movement, but even in this case, if the outer case or the dial is changed, the receiving ring may be changed. It is necessary to change the shape and dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a timepiece positioning structure capable of sharing many parts with various kinds of products.
The aim is to diversify watch designs and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a timepiece according to the present invention comprises a timepiece case, an internal structure housed in the timepiece case, and a front side of the internal structure. A timepiece having a dial and a support member for positioning and supporting the internal structure in the watch case,
The internal structure and the dial are configured not to engage in a planar direction, and the support member is provided with an engagement structure for positioning the dial at least in the planar direction. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, the dial is not engaged in the planar direction by the internal structure, but is positioned in the planar direction by the engaging structure of the support member, so that the timepiece case and the character When changing the planar shape and dimensions of the board, it is possible to respond by changing only the shape and dimensions of the support member without changing the internal structure, so various common use of watch built-in parts other than the support member Can be applied to a watch with the appearance of
Manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Here, the plane direction refers to a direction on an imaginary surface parallel to the time display surface of the timepiece (for example, a dial rotating direction, a radial direction, etc.). The internal structure refers to an assembly such as a timepiece movement, a solar cell substrate, and a receiving ring positioned by a support member inside the timepiece case. Further, the watch case refers to a case body including an exterior case (body), a transparent window material, a back cover, a glass edge, and the like.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the dial is supported by a front surface of the internal structure.

According to the present invention, since the dial is supported by the front surface of the internal structure, the support member need only perform positioning of the dial in the planar direction. The structure can be easily configured without complicating the structural relationship between the and the internal structure and other structures.

In the present invention, the support member is provided with a positioning projection which passes outside the internal structure and protrudes toward the front side and engages with the dial in a plane direction as the engagement structure. Is preferred.

According to the present invention, since the positioning member is provided on the support member so as to pass through the outside of the internal structure and protrude toward the front side, the shape of the internal structure and the dial is almost changed from the conventional one. It can be configured without.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a front side portion of the internal structure is formed of a dial receiving member for supporting the dial.

According to the present invention, since the dial is supported by the dial receiving member constituting the front side portion of the internal structure, the support member need only perform positioning of the dial in the plane direction. It is possible to easily configure the structure without complicating the engagement structure of the support member, the structural relationship between the support member and the internal structure, and other structures.

In the present invention, a solar cell is mounted on a front portion of the internal structure, the dial is made of a translucent material, and light is applied to the solar cell through the dial. In some cases.

In the present invention, the solar cell may be held by a holding member with respect to another portion of the internal structure.

In the present invention, the holding member may be a dial receiving member for supporting the dial.

In the present invention, the support member may be formed in an annular shape so as to surround the internal structure.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the engaging structures are dispersedly arranged at a plurality of positions in a circumferential direction of the support member.

According to the present invention, the engagement structure of the annularly formed support member with respect to the dial is distributed and arranged at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, so that the dial can be reliably positioned and fixed.

The positioning of the dial by the support member may be performed in either the rotational direction or the radial direction. Therefore, the engagement structure may be provided at only one place, but the dial is reliably positioned on a plane. Is preferably provided at two or more positions in the circumferential direction. In this case, it is preferable that the positions of the engaging structures are dispersed and arranged in the circumferential direction in order to increase the positioning accuracy. It is also possible to form three or more engagement structures unequally (biased in the circumferential direction) in order to prevent the dial from being mixed upside down.

The supporting member corresponds to a middle frame.
The dial receiving member corresponds to a receiving ring. The holding member preferably has a pressing portion for holding the solar cell substrate from the front side, and further preferably has an engaging portion for engaging with the internal structure, for example, a hook portion.
It is desirable that this holding member be a dial receiving member at the same time. In this case, it is preferable that the surface of the pressing portion of the holding member supports the dial.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a timepiece according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views showing the structure of a wristwatch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a sectional view in the 12:00 or 6 o'clock direction. FIG. 1B shows a cross section in the 8:00 or 2:00 direction,
FIG. 2 shows a cross section in the 3 o'clock direction. The front side of the outer case (body) 1 (the upper side in the figure, the front side refers to the time display surface side, and the back side refers to the opposite side to the time display surface) is made of a translucent material such as glass. A window material 2 is attached, and a timepiece movement 3 is housed inside the outer case 1. A back cover 4 is attached to the back side of the outer case 1. An annular protrusion 4a is formed on the inner surface side of the back cover 4, and the annular protrusion 4a and the engaging portion on the inner surface of the outer case 1 are configured to fit each other.

A ring-shaped support member (middle frame) 5 made of synthetic resin is arranged inside the outer case 1. The support member 5 is positioned so as to be pushed up to the front side by a plurality of push-up protrusions 4b formed at a plurality of circumferential positions at the distal end of the annular protrusion 4a of the back cover 4. The support member 5 is engaged with the timepiece movement 3,
The timepiece movement 3 is supported from below under the state of being supported by the push-up projection 4b, and is brought into contact with the inner surface of the outer case 1 so that the timepiece movement 3 is moved in a plane direction (parallel to a front surface of a dial described later). (In any direction along the virtual plane).

On the front side of the timepiece movement 3, a solar cell substrate 6 is arranged. The solar cell substrate 6 has, for example, a laminated structure of a semiconductor layer made of silicon or the like and a transparent electrode layer on a stainless steel substrate. Further, it may be formed on an insulating substrate such as a film substrate or a ceramic substrate. The solar cell substrate 6 is held on the timepiece movement 3 by a receiving ring 7 made of synthetic resin. The receiving ring 7 is provided with a pressing portion 7a abutting on the front surface of the peripheral portion of the solar cell substrate 6, and a plurality of hook portions 7b formed at a plurality of positions in the circling direction thereof. (The main plate at the bottom).

The front surface of the receiving ring 7 is formed to be substantially flat, and a dial 8 having translucency is placed on this surface. A through hole 8a is formed at the center of the dial 8, and a pointer mounting portion 9 protruding from the timepiece movement 3 is inserted into the through hole 8a. The dial attachment 8 includes a dial 8
(Hour hand, minute hand, etc.) 9a arranged on the front surface of the camera are attached.

FIG. 3 is a plan view (a) showing the plan shape of the support member 5, a side view (left side from the center) viewed from the 3 o'clock side, and a cross-sectional view along the 3 o'clock direction (right side from the center). )
FIG. In FIG. 3A, a part of the outer shape of the timepiece movement 3 is shown by a dotted line in the drawing, and an outer shape of the receiving ring 7 is shown by a broken line in the drawing. The support member 5 is provided with a pair of positioning pins 5a, 5a at two positions substantially opposite to each other in the circumferential direction. Thus, the clock movement 3 is configured to be positioned in the rotation direction and the radial direction. On both sides in the circumferential direction of each positioning pin 5a, a contact surface (mechanical falling surface) 5b that contacts the peripheral portion of the timepiece movement 3 is formed. In the vicinity of the contact surface 5b, a hook 7b of the receiving ring 7 (FIG. 1)
In order to avoid (a), a hook avoiding portion 5c is formed so as to be recessed toward the rear side.

The supporting member 5 has a pair of positioning projections 5 arranged at two locations facing each other in the circumferential direction.
d and 5d. A first lower portion is formed around the positioning projection 5d so as to be lower by one level to receive the dial 8.
An avoidance surface 5e is formed, and further inside the first avoidance surface 5e, a second avoidance surface 5f formed in an annular shape and further lowered to receive the receiving ring 7 is formed. The positioning protrusion 5d passes outside the outer peripheral portion of the receiving ring 7 and protrudes toward the front side, and engages with a notch 8b formed on the outer peripheral portion of the dial 8 as shown in FIGS. At the same time, the dial 8 is positioned in the rotation direction and the radial direction (that is, the plane direction). As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of cutouts 8b are formed on the dial 8 at positions facing the outer peripheral edge. It is formed so as to fit with the positioning projection 5d.

At the end of the support member 5 in the 3 o'clock direction, a winding stem avoiding portion 5g for avoiding the winding stem connected to the crown is formed. A portion 5h is formed. On the outer peripheral surface of the support member 5, curved anti-rattle protrusions 5i are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. These rattling preventing projections 5i abut on the inner surface of the outer case 1 to position the support member 5 in the plane direction. On the back side of the support member 5, a flat surface 5j with which the tip of the push-up protrusion 4b abuts is formed.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along the line BB' shown in FIG. FIG. 4C shows a cross section taken along the line CC ′ shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4D shows a cross section taken along the line DD ′ shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 4 (e) shows a cross section along the line FF, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section along the line FF 'shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 (f) shows a view in the direction of the white arrow G shown in FIG. 3, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the support member 5 is pushed up from the back side to the front side by the push-up projection 4b of the back cover 4, and the watch movement 3 is moved from the back side inside the watch case 1 by the support member 5. Supported. The watch movement 3 engages with the receiving ring 7,
The solar cell substrate 6 is held on the front surface of the timepiece movement 3 by the receiving ring 7. Pressing portion 7a of receiving ring 7
The dial 8 is placed on the front surface of the case 1, and the front surface of the peripheral portion of the dial 8 is pressed against the inner surface of the outer case 1. The clock movement 3 is positioned relative to the support member 5 in the rotation direction and the radial direction, that is, in the plane direction by the positioning pins 5a. The support member 5 has a positioning projection 5d that passes outside the receiving ring 7 and protrudes to the front side, and the dial 8 is positioned in the rotation direction and the radial direction, that is, the plane direction by the positioning projection 5d.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a supporting member 15 corresponding to a rectangular outer case and a dial, instead of the above-mentioned supporting member 5. Here, the positioning pin 15a, the contact surface 15b, the hook avoiding portion 15c, the positioning protrusion 15d,
A first avoiding surface 15e, a second avoiding surface 15f, a connecting portion 15h,
The backlash prevention protrusion 15i has the same function as that of the support member 5 of the above embodiment. In this support member 15, the timepiece movement 3 and the receiving ring 7, which are exactly the same as those of the above embodiment, can be positioned and fixed in the same manner. The positioning projection 15d fits into a notch or a hole formed in a substantially rectangular dial (not shown), and positions the dial in a planar direction.

FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along the line AA 'shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line BB' shown in FIG. FIG. 7C shows a cross section taken along the line CC ′ shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7D shows a cross section taken along the line DD ′ shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 (e) and FIG. 7 (g) show a view taken in the direction of the outline arrow F shown in FIG. 6, respectively. Here, the flat surface 15j comes into contact with the push-up protrusion 4b of the back cover 4 similarly to the flat surface 5j.

With the above configuration, in the present embodiment, when the outer case 1 and the dial 8 are changed,
The supporting members 5 and 15 serving as the inner frames are positioned in contact with the outer case 1, and the receiving ring 7 supports the dial 8 but positions the dial 8 in the plane direction. Since the supporting member 5 is a middle frame, only the shapes and dimensions of the supporting members 5 and 15 are changed to change the shape and dimensions of the other members, that is, the timepiece movement 3 and the receiving ring 7. Can be handled without change. Therefore, without changing the shapes and dimensions of the timepiece movement 3, the solar cell substrate 6, the receiving ring 7, etc. constituting the internal structure at all, the various exterior cases 1, the back cover 4 are not changed.
It is possible to cope with a change in the planar shape of the timepiece case or the dial 8 made of the same.

The timepiece of the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, but may be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The dial is not engaged in the plane direction depending on the internal structure, but is positioned in the plane direction by the engagement structure of the support member. In this case, it is possible to cope with the problem by changing only the shape and dimensions of the support member without changing the internal structure, so that the components with built-in timepieces other than the support member are shared for watches having various appearances. Therefore, diversification of design variations can be achieved, and at the same time, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows the structure of an embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention,
It is sectional drawing (a) of a 2 o'clock direction or 6 o'clock direction, and sectional drawing (b) of an 8 o'clock direction or 2 o'clock direction.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same embodiment at 3 o'clock.

3A is a plan view of the support member (middle frame) of the embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a side view as viewed from the 3 o'clock side and a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section along the 3 o'clock direction.

4A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section along the line AA ′ shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section along the line BB ′, and FIG. Sectional view (c) showing a section,
Sectional view (d) showing a section along the line DD ′, EE ′
FIG. 3E is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along a line, FIG. 4F is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section along a line FF ′, and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the dial of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of another support member different from the support member of the embodiment.

7A is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section along the line AA ′ shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-section along the line BB ′, and FIG. Sectional view (c) showing a section,
Sectional view (d) showing a section along the line DD ′, EE ′
It is sectional drawing (e) which shows the cross section along the line, and figure (f) seen from the direction of arrow F.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Exterior case 2 Translucent window material 3 Watch movement 3a Notch part 4 Back cover 4a Annular projection part 4b Push-up protrusion 5,15 Support member (middle frame) 5a, 15a Positioning pin 5b, 15b Contact surface 5c, 15c Hook Avoidance portions 5d, 15d Positioning protrusions 5e, 15e First avoidance surface 5f, 15f Second avoidance surface 5g Winding avoidance portions 5h, 15h Connecting portions 5h 5i, 15i Rattle prevention convex portions 6 Solar cell substrate 7 Receiving ring 7a Pressing portion 7b Hook section 8 Dial 8a Through hole 9 Pointer mounting section 9a Pointer

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A timepiece case, an internal structure housed in the timepiece case, a dial disposed on a front side of the internal structure, and positioning and supporting the internal structure in the timepiece case. A timepiece having a supporting member that is configured so that the internal structure and the dial do not engage in a planar direction, and that the supporting member has the dial at least in a planar direction. A timepiece provided with an engagement structure for positioning. 2. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the dial is supported by a front surface of the internal structure. 3. The positioning member according to claim 1, wherein the support member has a positioning projection that protrudes toward the front side through the outside of the internal structure and engages with the dial in a plane direction. A timepiece provided as the engagement structure. 4. One of claims 1 to 3
2. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein a front side portion of the internal structure is formed of a dial receiving member that supports the dial. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein:
In the paragraph, a solar cell is attached to a front side portion of the internal structure, the dial is formed of a translucent material, and the solar cell is irradiated with light through the dial. A watch characterized by being made. 6. The timepiece according to claim 5, wherein the solar cell is held by a holding member with respect to another portion of the internal structure. 7. The timepiece according to claim 6, wherein the holding member is a dial receiving member that supports the dial. 8. One of claims 1 to 7
2. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the support member is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the internal structure. 9. The timepiece according to claim 8, wherein the engagement structures are distributed at a plurality of positions in a circumferential direction of the support member.