JP2003315475A - Timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a timepiece provided with a new antenna structure capable of achieving compactness and thinness for the timepiece even if an antenna is housed inside. <P>SOLUTION: A window material 102 is mounted to an external case 101, and the antenna 110 is formed on the inner surface of the outer circumferential part of the window material 102. The antenna 110 has a structure in which conductor layers are laminated via insulating bodies and is constituted as a whole in a shape moving around the outer circumference of the window material 102. A terminal part 111 of the antenna 110 is electrically conductively connected to an electricity conducting pad 107a of a circuit board 107 provided in a movement 104 via a continuity member 108. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a timepiece, and in particular,
The present invention relates to a structure of a watch provided with an antenna suitable as a structure of a radio-controlled watch or a watch having a communication function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a timepiece, a movement is housed inside an outer case, and a dial and a pointer, or a display portion such as a display screen of a liquid crystal panel is provided on the front side of the movement. A window member made of transparent glass, quartz, sapphire, or the like is attached on the display unit, and the display unit can be viewed through the window member.

In particular, in the case of a portable timepiece such as a wristwatch or a pocket watch, in addition to the display section and the window member similar to the above being provided on the front side of the outer case, a back cover provided on the back side of the outer case and the like. A transparent window material may be provided on the bottom of the case. In this way, the window material provided on the back side of the exterior case is
This is mainly for constructing a skeleton structure in which the inside of the outer case is configured to be at least partially transparent for design reasons.

On the other hand, the timepiece has a so-called radiowave timepiece configured to acquire time information by receiving a predetermined radio wave and correct the time, and communication for exchanging data at a short distance by wireless communication. A clock having a function is known. These watches are provided with receiving, transmitting, or transmitting / receiving antennas. As the antenna, a bar antenna mounted on a circuit board incorporated in the movement, a loop antenna configured as a wiring pattern on the circuit board, or an antenna case fixed to an exterior case is provided inside the antenna case. There is a bar antenna housed in it.

[0005]

However, in the timepiece having the above-mentioned conventional antenna, the timepiece becomes large by accommodating the antenna inside, and particularly in the case of a portable timepiece, the outer case is made smaller and thinner. There is a problem that it is difficult to do.

In particular, when a bar antenna is constructed,
Since the volume becomes large because it is necessary to wind the winding around the magnetic core, in order to configure an antenna with sufficient sensitivity, the outer case of a normal mobile phone is likely to lack storage space, It may be necessary to use a special outer case. Further, even in a loop antenna formed on a circuit board or the like, it is necessary to lengthen the conductor pattern in order to obtain sufficient sensitivity or transmission output, so that the circuit board becomes large, and as a result, the entire watch becomes large. There is a case.

Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide a timepiece having a novel antenna structure which can ensure the miniaturization and thinning of the timepiece even if the antenna is housed inside. Especially. Another object of the present invention is to provide a timepiece having an antenna structure capable of ensuring transmission / reception performance even when housed inside a case.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, the timepiece of the present invention is provided with an antenna in which a conductor layer formed in a thin film is laminated on the surface of a constituent member via an insulator. It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, since the antenna has a structure in which the conductor layers formed in a thin film form are laminated with the insulator interposed therebetween, the entire length of the conductor layers can be secured even if the conductor layer is made compact by the laminated structure. Therefore, it is possible to achieve both reduction of the accommodation space of the antenna and transmission / reception performance. Therefore, even if sufficient antenna performance is secured, the timepiece can be made compact and thin. Further, since the antenna is formed on the surface of the constituent member, the antenna can be easily manufactured,
Assembling work can be easily performed.

Here, in the above-mentioned antenna, it suffices that portions of the conductor layers are laminated with each other or a plurality of conductor layers are laminated with an insulator interposed therebetween. A layer may be provided. Further, the above-mentioned constituent members refer to various members (parts) constituting the timepiece. Therefore, it may be a member exposed to the outside or a member arranged inside the exterior case. In particular, by making the constituent members exposed to the outside, the transmitting and receiving action of the antenna is less likely to be disturbed by surrounding members,
The antenna performance can be improved. In addition, since it has a structure in which thin films are laminated, there is an advantage that it can be manufactured according to the shape of the case or glass of the watch, and there is no restriction in design.

The constituent member is preferably made of an insulating material such as glass, ceramics or synthetic resin. If the constituent member itself is an insulator as described above, the conductor layer can be directly provided on the surface thereof. If the constituent member is a conductor or an elastic body, the conductor layer can be provided separately via an insulator.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the conductor layer as a whole has a swirl structure in which the laminating direction is the axial direction.

According to the present invention, the conductor layer as a whole has a swirl structure in which the laminating direction is the axial direction (that is, a structure that circulates at a certain place), for example, a spiral shape (coil shape),
By having a shape such as an arc shape, the total length of the antenna can be configured to be longer than the occupied area, so that the accommodation space of the antenna and the transmission / reception performance can be made compatible at a higher level. it can.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an outer case and a window member attached to the outer case are provided, and the antenna is provided on the window member.

According to the present invention, since the window member is provided with the antenna, it is unlikely to be affected by the outer case or the like, and the deterioration of the antenna performance can be suppressed. Further, by providing the antenna on the window material exposed to the outside, the outer case can be made of a conductor such as metal or a magnetic material, so that restrictions on the external design can be reduced and, for example, a timepiece with a high-class appearance can be constructed. Furthermore, since window materials are often composed of ideal insulators such as glass, quartz, and sapphire, it is easy to form a conductor layer and the window material does not interfere with antenna performance. it can.

Here, the antenna is preferably formed on the inner surface of the window member. By forming the antenna on the inner surface of the window member, it is possible to prevent the antenna from being corroded or damaged by rubbing, getting wet, or the like. Further, it is preferable that the antenna is provided inside the window member. By providing the antenna inside the window member, it is possible to prevent the antenna from being corroded or damaged due to rubbing or getting wet not only after assembling but also before or during assembling. Further, in this case, when the window material has a double structure including an inner window material and an outer window material, it is desirable that an antenna is arranged between the inner window material and the outer window material. . Furthermore, it is desirable to connect the antenna arranged between the inner member and the outer member and the movement to each other by a conductive path that passes through the outer edge of the window member.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the antenna is formed in a shape that circulates along the outer peripheral portion of the window member.

According to the present invention, since the antenna is formed in a shape that circulates along the outer peripheral portion of the window member,
Since the antenna is not present in the central part of the window material, the visibility of the inside of the timepiece through the window material is not reduced, and since the circumference diameter of the antenna can be made large,
It also becomes easy to secure the length of the conductor layer of the antenna.

In the present invention, the antenna preferably has a core on the inner peripheral side of the conductor layer.

According to the present invention, since the core, that is, the magnetic core (soft magnetic material) is provided on the inner peripheral side of the conductor layer, the magnetic flux can be concentrated on the inner peripheral side of the conductor layer. Therefore, the antenna performance can be improved.

In the present invention, the antenna is preferably provided on the back cover.

According to the present invention, since the back cover is provided, the influence of the outer case on the antenna performance can be reduced. Here, it is desirable that the back cover is made of an insulating material such as glass, synthetic resin, or ceramics. Further, a part of the back cover may be made of the above-mentioned insulator, and the antenna may be provided at this insulator. Further, a window member may be provided on a part of the back cover, and the window member may be provided with an antenna.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the movement includes a circuit board, and that the movement has a conductive member that electrically connects the circuit board and the antenna.

According to the present invention, the antenna and the circuit board are conductively connected by the conductive member. Here, as the conductive member, a conductive pin configured to obtain a contact pressure by an elastic member such as a spring, a flexible wiring board, or the like can be used.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of a timepiece according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, each of the embodiments described below shows a structure suitable for being configured as a mobile timepiece such as a wristwatch or a pocket watch, but the present invention is not limited to the mobile timepiece and can be applied to various timepieces. It can be applied.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view partially showing the structure of a timepiece according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this watch 100, a window member 102 is attached to the front side of an outer case 101. The window member 102 is press-fitted and fixed to the outer case 101 via a packing 103 made of, for example, a synthetic resin. A movement 104 is housed inside the outer case 101. A back cover 105 is attached to the back side of the outer case 101 to seal the movement 104. A display plate 106 is arranged on the front side of the movement 104. This display board 1
06 is positioned by an inner edge portion (dial ring) 101a formed integrally with or separately from the outer case 101. The display board 106 is a dial in the case of an analog display timepiece, and the hands are attached to the pointer attaching portion of the movement 104 provided through the dial. In the case of a digital display clock, it is a display body such as a liquid crystal panel.

A circuit board 107 is provided on the movement 104. The contact pad 10 is provided on the circuit board 107.
7a is provided, and the conductive member 108 positioned on the inner edge portion 101a is in conductive contact therewith. The conducting member 108 is a conducting pin that is configured to be expandable and contractible in the illustrated example. Further, the conductive member 108 is insulated from the inner edge portion 101a by an insulating material 109 formed of an insulating pipe or the like.

An antenna 110 is formed on the inner surface of the window member 102. 2A is an inner view showing the inner surface structure of the window member 102, and FIG. 2B is an end view of the window member 102.
(C) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the antenna forming portion of the end view (b). The antenna 110, as shown in FIG.
A shape (annular shape) that surrounds the outer peripheral portion of the window member 102 as a whole
Is configured. The antenna 110 has a structure in which conductor layers 110A formed in an arc shape are stacked with an insulating layer 110B interposed therebetween. The conductor layer 110A is made of aluminum, copper,
It is composed of a thin film of a conductor such as silver. Conductor layer 110A
Is, for example, a vapor deposition method of a conductor, a sputtering method, a CV
It can be easily formed by forming a film by the D method or the like. It may be formed by printing or plating. The insulating layer 110B is made of metal oxide, synthetic resin, glass or the like. The insulating layer 110B can be formed by printing in addition to the vapor deposition method, the sputtering method, the CVD method.

More specifically, in the antenna 110, the conductor layer 110A formed in a curved shape is connected to each other by the connecting portion 110C configured to penetrate the insulating layer 110B, so that the stacking direction as a whole is obtained. Is provided with a conductor that has a turning structure with the axis of as the axial direction, and is formed in the shape of, for example, a spiral coil. Both ends of this conductor are terminal portions 11 formed on the inner surface of the window member 102.
1, 112 are connected.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the description will be continued. The conductive member 108 is in conductive contact with the terminal portions 111 and 112 formed on the inner surface of the window member 102. here,
In the figure, the conductive member 108 is in conductive contact with the terminal portion 111.
However, in practice, another conductive member 108 that is in conductive contact with the terminal portion 112 is provided.
08 is also in conductive contact with another conductive pad of the circuit board 107.

In the present embodiment, since the conductor layer 110A has a structure in which the conductor layer 110A is laminated via the insulating layer 110B, the antenna 110 can be significantly downsized as compared with the conventional antenna having windings. Further, since the occupied area of the antenna 110 can be made smaller than that of the loop antenna configured as a conductor pattern on the circuit board, the structure of the timepiece 100, especially its appearance is corrected by providing the antenna 110. The need can be reduced. Therefore, for example, the antenna 110 can be directly formed on a normal watch.

In this embodiment, the antenna 110 is provided on the window member 102, so that the antenna 11
The problem of accommodation space due to the provision of 0 can be almost eliminated, and since the window member 102 is made of an insulator such as glass, the conductor layer 110A can be easily formed and the window member 102 can be easily formed. By antenna 11
The influence of 0 on the antenna performance can be almost eliminated. Further, by being formed on the inner surface of the window member 102, it is possible to prevent the antenna 110 from being corroded or damaged.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the timepiece 100 of this embodiment is basically almost the same as that of the first embodiment, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the window member 122 is attached to the outer case 101. The window material 122 includes an inner window material 122A and an outer window material 122B that are adhesive 122C.
It is made by pasting together. For example, the inner window material 122A is made of normal inorganic glass, and the outer window material 122B is used.
By using quartz or sapphire, the surface is less likely to be scratched.

In this embodiment, the antenna 120 is formed between the inner member 122A and the outer member 122B on the outer peripheral portion of the window member 122. This antenna 120
Has the same structure as the antenna 110 of the first embodiment. In the antenna 120, both ends of the conductor inside the antenna 120 extend to the outer edge of the window member 122,
Terminals 121 and 122 (122 not shown) are formed on the inner surface of the window material 122 (inner window material 122A) by wrapping around from the outer edge of the window material 122 (inner window material 122A) to the inner surface. These terminal portions 121 and 122 are in conductive contact with the conductive member 108 similar to that of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the antenna 122 is arranged inside the window member 122. Therefore, the antenna 122 can be arranged outside the case of the first embodiment, the antenna performance (transmission / reception performance) can be enhanced, and damage or corrosion due to rubbing, wetting, or the like can be prevented.

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the timepiece 200 of this embodiment, the window member 202 is attached to the front surface side of the outer case 201 via the packing 203. A movement 204 is housed inside the outer case 201 and is sealed by a back cover 205. A display plate 206 positioned by the inner edge portion 201a is arranged on the front surface side of the movement 204.

The circuit board 2 is provided inside the movement 204.
07 are arranged. A conductive pad 207a is provided on the circuit board 207, and a conductive member 208 is in conductive contact with the conductive pad 207a. Also in this embodiment,
The conducting member 208 is a conducting pin similar to that of the first embodiment.

The back cover 205 has a support frame portion 205A formed in an annular frame shape and the like, and a window member 205B attached to the support frame portion 205A. Window material 205B
Is press-fitted and fixed to the support frame portion 205A via a packing 205E made of, for example, a synthetic resin. Window material 205
B is composed of an insulator such as glass, quartz, sapphire, or ceramics. The antenna 210 is provided on the inner surface of the outer peripheral portion of the window member 205B. This antenna 2
Basically, 10 has a structure in which conductor layers are laminated with an insulator interposed therebetween as in the above-described embodiments. In addition, both ends of the conductor formed of the conductor layer have terminal portions 211, 212 (2
12 is not shown. ) And these terminal parts 21
1, 212 are in conductive contact with the conducting member 208.

In this embodiment, the window member 20 is attached to the back cover 205.
5B is provided. Thereby, for example, the back cover 20
A skeleton structure capable of visually recognizing the inside of the outer case 201 through 5 is configured. The antenna 210 is formed on the inner surface of the window member 205B. Therefore,
The same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the present embodiment, the window member 205 may be provided with the magnetic core 215 which is the above-mentioned core made of a magnetic material in an annular shape or the like. It is preferable to use a soft magnetic material such as electromagnetic soft iron for the magnetic core 215. This magnetic core 21
5 may be manufactured by stacking thin films together with the antenna 210 by a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method. The magnetic core 215 is arranged on the inner peripheral side of a conductor layer (not shown) provided in a circular shape of the antenna 210. As a result, the magnetic flux associated with the radio waves can be concentrated on the inner peripheral side of the antenna 210, so that the antenna performance can be improved. The planar shape of the core (magnetic core) is preferably a closed loop. For example, it is a ring shape, a rectangular frame shape, or the like. The magnetic core as described above can be similarly provided in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and the fourth embodiment described later.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the timepiece 200 of this embodiment, the same parts as those in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the window member attached to the support frame portion 225A of the back cover 225 has a double structure in which the inner window member 225B and the outer window member 225C are attached by the adhesive 225D. There is. The antenna 220 is arranged between the inner window material 225B and the outer window material 225C on the outer peripheral portion of the window material. The antenna 220 has a structure in which conductor layers are laminated with an insulator interposed therebetween, as in the above embodiments. Both ends of the conductor in the antenna 220 extend to the outer edge of the window member, and the window member (inner window member 225B)
Around the inner surface from the outer edge of the window material (inner window material 225
B) terminal portions 221, 222 formed on the inner surface (22)
2 is not shown. )It is connected to the. Terminal parts 221,
22 is in conductive contact with the conducting member 208.

Also in this embodiment, window members 225B and 225C are provided on the back cover 225. Thereby, for example, a skeleton structure that allows the inside of the outer case 201 to be visually recognized through the back cover 225 is configured. And the antenna 220 is arrange | positioned inside the said window material. Therefore, this embodiment basically has the same effect as that of the second embodiment.

The timepiece of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned illustrated example, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the antennas of the above-described embodiments are all provided on or inside the window member, but they may be formed, for example, on the outer peripheral end face of the window member. Further, it may be formed on a member constituting various watches other than the window member.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the antenna and the circuit board are connected by the conductive member configured as a conductive pin, but the conductive member may be, for example, a flexible wiring board.

Further, in the third and fourth embodiments described above, the window material is provided on the back cover and the antenna is provided on the window material. For example, a simple cover body such as a back cover (that is, an integrated cover body). ), The antenna of each of the above embodiments may be similarly provided. In this case, if the lid is made of an insulating material such as glass, ceramics, or synthetic resin, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to achieve both the transmission / reception performance of the antenna and the downsizing and thinning of the watch.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a partial structure of a first embodiment of a timepiece according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view (c) showing an inside view of the window material of the first embodiment (a), a cross-sectional view (b) of the window material, and an antenna formation region shown in the cross-sectional view (b) in an enlarged manner. is there.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a partial structure of a second embodiment of the timepiece according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a partial structure of a third embodiment of the timepiece according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view schematically showing a partial structure of a fourth embodiment of the timepiece according to the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100, 200 ... Clock, 101, 201 ... Exterior case, 102, 122, 202 ... Window material, 103,
203 ... packing, 104, 204 ... movement, 105, 205 ... back cover, 205B ... window material, 106, 206 ... display plate, 107, 207 ...
・ Circuit board, 108, 208 ... Conductive member, 110,
120, 210, 220 ... Antenna, 110A ...
-Conductive layer, 110B ... Insulating layer, 110C ... Connection part, 111, 112, 121, 211, 221 ... Terminal part

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01Q 7/06 H01Q 7/06 F term (reference) 2F002 AA01 AA02 AB02 AB03 AB04 AB06 AC01 AC04 BB02 BB04 GA06 2F082 AA00 BB00 EE02 EE03 EE08 FF01 FF10 5J047 AA07 AB11 EF02

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A timepiece comprising an antenna formed by laminating thin film conductor layers with an insulator interposed on the surface of a constituent member. 2. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the conductor layer has a swirl structure in which the stacking direction is an axial direction as a whole. 3. An outer case, and a window member attached to the outer case, wherein the antenna is provided on the window member. clock. 4. The timepiece according to claim 3, wherein the antenna is formed in a shape that circulates along an outer peripheral portion of the window member. 5. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a core on the inner peripheral side of the conductor layer. 6. The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is provided on a case back. 7. The circuit board is included in the movement, and the movement has a conductive member for conductively connecting the circuit board and the antenna, according to any one of claims 1 to 6. clock.