JP2002243868A - Case for self-winding watch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a case for a self-winding watch whose dimensions do not differ much from those of an ordinary case, in which the watch can be housed and in which a plurality of self-winding watches are housed so as to surely wind and tighten their springs. SOLUTION: The case 1 for the self-winding watch is provided with a case body 2, a rotating body 4 which is attached and removed freely with reference to the case body 2 and on which the self-winding watch 3 is mounted, a follower gear 6 installed at the rotating body 4, and a rotating-body drive means which is installed at the case body 2 and which is coupled to the follower gear 6 so as to drive the rotating body 4 when the rotating body 4 is mounted on the case body 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a self-winding wristwatch case for housing a self-winding wristwatch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A case disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-218581 is known as a case for a self-winding wristwatch in which a mainspring is automatically wound by swinging. In this self-winding wristwatch case, a frustoconical rotating body inclined about 30 degrees with respect to the floor surface is rotatably provided on the case body, and the frustoconical rotating body is mounted on the frustoconical rotating body. By rotating the rotating body, the mainspring of the self-winding wristwatch is wound up. An openable / closable cover that covers the frusto-conical rotator is provided on the upper part of the case body. Also, a wristwatch screw winding device having substantially the same structure as that disclosed in the above publication and having no cover is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1976.
No. 54 discloses this.

[0003]

The technology disclosed in each of the above publications has a structure in which a frusto-conical rotating body is erected on the main body, so that it is too large to be used as a wristwatch case. When displayed at a store, a large space is required as compared with a normal case, which has a problem in appearance. When a plurality of self-winding wristwatches are stored, only one wristwatch is fixed to the frusto-conical rotator because the wristwatch mounting portion is conical. It will be in a raised state. Even if the frusto-conical rotator is rotated in this state, the raised wrist watch idles and has a problem that the mainspring in the watch cannot be wound. The present invention solves the above problems, and can store a wristwatch in a size not much different from a normal case, and can store a plurality of self-winding wristwatches and securely wind and wind these springs. The case is provided.

[0004]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A case body, a rotating body that is detachably attached to the case body and to which the self-winding wristwatch is mounted, a driven gear provided on the rotating body, and the rotating body provided on the case body and mounted on the case body. And rotating means for driving the rotating body in connection with the driven gear.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the case for the self-winding wristwatch according to the first aspect, the rotating body has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is mounted substantially horizontally to the case body. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the case for the self-winding wristwatch according to the first or second aspect, the rotating body driving means further comprises a rotating direction switching means for timely rotating the rotating body forward and reverse. It is characterized by having.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the case for the self-winding wristwatch according to the first, second or third aspect, the case body further has an opening / closing lid for covering the rotating body, The driving means includes a power disconnection means for driving the rotating body when the opening / closing lid is closed, and stopping the driving of the rotating body when the opening / closing lid is opened.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the case of the self-winding wristwatch according to the fourth aspect, the opening / closing lid further includes a transparent portion through which the self-winding wristwatch mounted on the rotating body can be seen. Features.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the case of the self-winding wristwatch according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the power disconnecting means is further provided with the rotating body driving means in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the opening and closing lid. Characterized in that it is a power switch for turning on or off the power supply.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the case for the self-winding wristwatch according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the rotating body driving means further comprises an operation continuation of the self-winding wristwatch. The intermittent operation is performed by a timer capable of setting a stop time not exceeding the time.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the case for the self-winding wristwatch according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the self-winding wristwatch is further mounted on the rotating body. Only the rotator driving means operates.

[0012]

1 is a schematic perspective view of a self-winding wristwatch case employing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a case 1 for a self-winding wristwatch includes a case body 2, a self-winding wristwatch 3
And a rotating body driving means built in the case 2 and an opening / closing lid 5 made of a transparent material and attached to the case body 2 so as to be openable and closable. I have. The upper surface of the case body 2 is formed with a concave portion 7 for receiving the lower half of the rotating body 4. Recess 7
When the self-winding wristwatch 3 mounted on the rotating body 4 rotates together with the rotating body 4, the main body or the band of the self-winding wristwatch 3 is formed so as not to contact the wall surface thereof. The opening / closing lid 5 attached to the upper part of the case main body 2 is formed with a concave portion (not shown) for receiving the upper half of the rotating body 4. The recess (not shown) is formed to have the same size as the recess 7.

A rotating body 4 composed of a cylinder having a diameter just suitable for mounting the self-winding wristwatch 3 has a driven gear 6 at one end thereof.
Are provided integrally and coaxially, and a pressing member 10 for pressing the band of the self-winding wristwatch 3 against the rotating body 4 is provided on a part of the peripheral surface thereof. The pressing member 10 has one end 10a swingably supported on the peripheral surface of the rotating body 4 and is provided with an urging force for pressing against the peripheral surface of the rotating body 4 by urging means such as a leaf spring (not shown). I have. The rotating body 4
The peripheral groove 8a of the support shaft 8 implanted at the center of both end faces is dropped into a groove of a pair of bearings 9 fixed to the case main body 2, so that the peripheral groove 8a is detachably and rotatably attached to the case main body 2. It is indicated in a substantially horizontal state.

The rotating body driving means incorporated in the case main body 2 includes a gear mechanism described below for driving the driven gear 6, a motor for driving the gear mechanism, switches for opening and closing a power supply circuit to the motor, a power supply, and the like. Be composed. A power switch 11 is provided on a side surface of the case main body 2, and a lid switch 12 as a power disconnection means which is opened and closed by the open / close lid 5 is provided on an upper surface edge.

FIG. 2 shows the rotating body driving means described above. The drive gear 15 meshing with the driven gear 6 when the rotating body 4 is mounted on the case main body 2 is rotatably supported on a shaft 18 by a shaft 18 at a swing member 17 pivotally mounted inside the case main body 2 by a shaft 16. ing. A sensor switch 20 is disposed on the free end 17 a side of the swing member 17, and the free end 17 a
a contacts the actuator 20a of the sensor switch 20 to open and close the contact of the sensor switch 20. The other end of the torsion coil 21 having one end fixed inside the case body 2 is attached to the base of the swing member 17.
Is applied in a direction of pushing upward. The strength of the elasticity of the torsion coil 21 is set to a strength capable of lifting the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is not mounted. In the vicinity of the free end 17a inside the case main body 2, a stopper 22 for restricting the rotation of the swinging member 17 by the torsion coil 21 is provided. With this configuration, when the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is mounted is mounted on the case main body 2, the swinging member 17 swings against the biasing force of the torsion coil 21 due to the gravity of the self-winding wristwatch 3, and the free end 17a is the actuator 20a
And the contact of the sensor switch 20 is closed.

The drive gear 15 meshes with an intermediate gear 23 rotatably supported on a shaft 16, and the intermediate gear 23 meshes with a pinion 24. The pinion 24 is attached to the motor shaft 25 that has been reduced in speed, and the rotational force from the motor shaft 25 is transmitted to the drive gear 15 via the intermediate gear 23. The sensor switch 20 is connected between the polarity switch 27 of the power supply 26 and the timer T, and swings as described above when the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is mounted is mounted on the case body 2. The member 17 is pushed down and turned on.

The timer T operates to continuously supply power to the motor M for a time period during which the mainspring of the self-winding wristwatch 3 is completely wound, for example, 30 minutes, and does not exceed the operation duration time of the self-winding wristwatch 3 thus wound. The operation of stopping power supply for a period of time, for example, 20 hours, is alternately repeated. The polarity changeover switch 27 switches the polarity of the power supply 26 every one rotation or half rotation of the rotating body 4 to rotate the motor M in the forward and reverse directions, thereby rotating the rotating body 4 in a timely manner. The polarity changeover switch 27 intermittently switches its operation by a cam (not shown) which rotates in synchronization with the motor M.

According to the above-described configuration, the power switch 11 is turned on, and the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is mounted is mounted on the case main body 2 so that the sensor switch 20 is turned on and the opening / closing lid 5 is further closed. By lid switch 1
When the motor 2 is turned on, power is supplied to the motor M via the timer T, and the motor M operates for the time set in the timer T, transmitting torque from the pinion 24 to the driven gear 6 to rotate the rotor 4. Reciprocating rotation drive. Thereby, a turning force is applied to the self-winding wristwatch 3 attached to the rotating body 4,
The mainspring inside is wound up. And the timer T
When the motor M is driven for the time set in (1), the drive is stopped. Also, while the motor M is being driven, the opening / closing lid 5
Is opened, the lid switch 12 is turned off, and the operation of the motor M is stopped.

When the opening / closing lid 5 is closed, the rotating body 4 with the self-winding wristwatch 3 is attached to the case body 2 and the opening / closing lid 5.
, Completely covered by self-winding watch case 1
Is similar to a normal watch case. At this time,
The rotating body 4 is formed in a size that is just right for mounting the self-winding wristwatch 3, and the case body 2 and the opening / closing lid 5 are formed in a size that is just right for covering the rotating body 4,
Since the rotating body 4 is mounted substantially horizontally on the case body 2, space can be saved.

FIG. 3 shows a rotation direction switching mechanism used in a modification of the present invention. This rotation direction switching mechanism,
It is used to switch the rotating direction of the rotating body 4 to cause the rotating body 4 to perform reciprocating rotation, and is used instead of the polarity switch 27 in the above embodiment. A gear 31 driven to rotate in one direction by a motor (not shown) has a shaft 31
A planetary gear 33 rotatably supported is meshed with one end of an L-shaped switching lever 32 whose bending portion is swingably supported. The planetary gear 33 includes the driven gear 6 and
The driven gear 6 is rotatably supported by the case body 2 and
The rotating body 4 integrated with the driven gear 6 is normally and reversely rotated. An eccentric cam 35 driven by a motor (not shown) is provided near the other end of the switching lever 32, and the other end 32 a of the switching lever 32 is formed in a U-shape that covers the eccentric cam 35.

With the above arrangement, the rotation of the eccentric cam 35 causes the switching lever 32 to swing between the solid line position and the broken line position in FIG. 3, and the planetary gear 33 to selectively mesh with the driven gear 6 or the intermediate gear 34. Thus, the rotating body 4 is rotationally driven in the forward and reverse directions. When this rotation direction switching mechanism is employed, the polarity switching switch 27 shown in FIG. 2 is unnecessary, and an AC motor using a commercial power supply can be used as the motor M.

FIG. 4 shows a rotation direction switching mechanism used in another modification of the present invention. A one-way rotational driving force from a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the drive shaft 131 rotatably supported by the case body 2 after being reduced.
Two sector gears 132 and 133, each having an opening angle set to less than 180 degrees, are fixed to the drive shaft 131 in such a manner that the center lines of the opening angles coincide with each other and each gear portion faces outward. ing.

Above the drive shaft 131, a driven shaft 137 rotatably supported by the case body 2 is provided.
The driven shaft 137 has a forward gear 13 meshed with the driven gear 6.
4 and a reverse gear 136 meshed with an intermediate gear 135 rotatably supported below the driven shaft 137. The forward rotation gear 134 is arranged at a position where it can mesh with the sector gear 132, and the intermediate gear 135 is arranged at a position where it can mesh with the sector gear 133. The sector gear 133 and the intermediate gear 135 are separated, and while the sector gear 133 and the intermediate gear 135 are engaged, the sector gear 132 and the forward rotation gear 134 are separated. The gear ratio between the sector gear 132 and the forward gear 134 and the gear ratio between the sector gear 133, the intermediate gear 135 and the reverse gear 136 are set to be the same. According to the above configuration, when the drive shaft 131 rotates in the direction of arrow A, each sector gear 132, 133 and each gear 134, 13
5, 136 rotate in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, respectively,
Are rotated forward and backward at the same peripheral speed.

FIG. 5 shows an opening and closing mechanism of a sensor switch 120 used in still another modification of the present invention. This modified example is different from the above-described embodiment in that a bearing member 109 is used in place of one of the bearing portions 9 and a sensor switch 120 is used in place of the sensor switch 20. The bearing member 109 that supports one end of the shaft 8 of the rotating body 4 has two long holes 110 and one notch 111, respectively, and has three steps screwed to the inner surface of the case body 2. It is vertically movably supported by an attached screw 112. The bearing member 109 has a receiving portion 109a bent to the left of the lower end thereof, and a compression spring 113 is disposed below the receiving portion 109a.
Also, the bearing member 1 is located to the right of the lower end of the bearing member 109.
09 and contacts the actuator 120a of the sensor switch 120 disposed below the sensor switch 120.
A contact portion 109b that opens and closes 0 is provided. The strength of the elasticity of the compression spring 113 is set to a strength capable of lifting the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is not mounted. With the above-described configuration, the power switch 11 is turned on, and the rotating body 4 on which the self-winding wristwatch 3 is mounted is mounted on the case main body 2 so that the sensor switch 120 is turned on. be able to.

FIG. 6 shows a rotating body used in still another modification of the present invention. The rotating body 104 differs from the rotating body 4 only in that the rotating body 104 is formed to have a length capable of mounting two self-winding wristwatches 3, and the other configuration is the same. By using the rotating body 104, the two self-winding wristwatches 3 can be securely fixed, and the mainspring in each self-winding wristwatch 3 can be securely wound. The case body 2 to which the rotating body 104 is attached is also a rotating body 10.
Needless to say, it is formed in such a size that it can accommodate 4. Furthermore, the length of the rotating body 104 and the case body 2
It is of course possible to mount three or more self-winding wristwatches 3 by appropriately deflecting the size of.

In the above embodiment and each modified example, the rotating body 4
When the drive gear 104 is mounted on the case body 2, the drive gear 15,
Planetary gear 33, intermediate gear 34, or forward gear 134
It is also possible to provide the driven gears 6 meshing with the rotating members 4 and 104 at both ends thereof. In this case, the driven gear 6
Each of the gears meshing with the automatic wristwatch 3 is arranged two by two.
120 is a spindle 8 provided at both ends of the rotating bodies 4 and 104
In this case, any one of the vertical movements may be detected. As means for detecting attachment of the self-winding wristwatch 3 to the rotating bodies 4 and 104, in addition to the existing sensor switches 20 and 120 using the gravity of the self-winding wristwatch 3,
It is also possible to employ a detection sensor or the like for detecting the presence or absence of the self-winding wristwatch 3 on the rotating bodies 4 and 104 with a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

In the above-described embodiment and each of the modified examples, the configuration is such that the substantially cylindrical rotating bodies 4 and 104 are used. Includes actual pillars. Further, in the above-described embodiment and each of the modified examples, the rotating bodies 4 and 104 have circular cross sections. However, the rotating bodies are not limited to circular cross sections, and are easy to mount a timepiece and have Various shapes such as a polygonal cross section and an elliptical cross section are possible from the viewpoint of style and the like.

[0028]

According to the present invention, since the rotating body to which the self-winding wristwatch is mounted is detachable from the case body, the self-winding wristwatch can be easily attached to and detached from the rotating body. In addition, since the rotating body is mounted substantially horizontally with respect to the case body, the size of the case can be reduced, thereby saving space during display. Also,
Since the rotating body is rotated forward and backward in a timed manner, the mainspring of the self-winding wristwatch can be efficiently wound. In addition, the power disconnecting means automatically stops the operation of the rotating body when the opening / closing lid is opened, so that the self-winding wristwatch can be easily attached / detached and safety can be improved. Further, since the opening / closing lid has a transparent portion, the self-winding wristwatch mounted on the rotating body can be visually observed, and the self-winding status can be observed. Further, since the rotating body driving means performs the intermittent operation based on the stop time set by the timer, useless automatic winding operation can be eliminated, and energy can be saved. Further, since the rotating body driving means operates only in a state where the self-winding wristwatch is mounted on the rotating body, useless idling of the self-winding operation can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a self-winding wristwatch case employing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotating body driving unit used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotation direction switching mechanism used in a modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a rotation direction switching mechanism used in another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an opening / closing mechanism of a sensor switch used in still another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a rotating body used in still another modification of the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case for self-winding wristwatch 2 Case body 3 Self-winding wristwatch 4,104 Rotating body 5 Opening / closing lid 6 Follower gear T Timer

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A case body, a rotating body detachably mounted on the case body and to which an automatic watch is mounted, a driven gear provided on the rotating body, and a rotating body provided on the case body. A case for a self-winding wristwatch, comprising: rotating body driving means for driving the rotating body by being connected to the driven gear when mounted on the case body. 2. The self-winding wristwatch case according to claim 1, wherein said rotating body has a substantially cylindrical shape and is mounted substantially horizontally on said case body. 3. The self-winding wristwatch case according to claim 1, wherein said rotating body driving means has a rotating direction switching means for rotating said rotating body forward and backward in a timely manner. 4. The case body has an opening / closing lid for covering the rotating body, and the rotating body driving means drives the rotating body when the opening / closing lid is closed, and when the opening / closing lid is opened. 4. The self-winding wristwatch case according to claim 1, further comprising a power disconnection means for stopping driving of the rotating body. 5. The self-winding wristwatch case according to claim 4, wherein said opening / closing lid has a transparent portion through which said self-winding wristwatch mounted on said rotating body can be seen. 6. A power switch according to claim 4, wherein said power disconnecting means is a power switch for turning on / off a power supply of said rotating body driving means in conjunction with an opening / closing operation of said opening / closing lid.
Or a case for a self-winding wristwatch according to claim 5. 7. The rotating body driving means is operated intermittently by a timer capable of setting a stop time not exceeding the operation duration time of the self-winding wristwatch. The self-winding wristwatch case according to any one of the above. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body driving means operates only when the self-winding wristwatch is mounted on the rotating body. Automatic watch case.