JP2006105784A - Electronic watch of hand type - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic watch into which a light-receiving element for optical communication is incorporated and which has a round and small watch case, suitable for a women's quartz watch of hand-worn type. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic watch includes the annular case having an inner circumferential wall of a round contour; a transparent cover plate for closing the front opening of the annular case; a back lid for closing the back opening of the annular case; an electronic watch movement disposed inside the annular case and between a dial and the back lid; and the light-receiving element for the optical communication disposed inside the annular case and in a vacant space between the electronic watch movement and the case inner circumferential wall of the round contour. The light-receiving element is disposed within a range, having an opening angle of 60 degrees with the central axis of a straight line that passes through the center of the dial and connecting the three o'clock position and the nine o'clock position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a pointer-type electronic wristwatch incorporating a light receiving element for optical communication, and more particularly to a pointer-type electronic wristwatch suitable as a small wristwatch such as a ladies' wristwatch.

  An electronic wristwatch that has a crystal oscillation circuit that generates a reference clock based on a crystal oscillator and a clock circuit that generates time information by counting the reference clock obtained from the crystal oscillation circuit is commonly known as a “quartz-type wristwatch”. As is well known in the art.

A quartz wristwatch and a quartz clock with a radio wave correction function based on a standard time radio wave (JJY radio wave) are connected via optical communication, and the time information is automatically acquired from the clock with accurate time information acquired via optical communication. A timepiece system to be corrected is also well known (see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-113647

  Quartz-type wristwatches used in this type of timepiece system must incorporate a light receiving element (such as a phototransistor or a photodiode) for optical communication in a timepiece case. In the case of a digital display-type quartz wristwatch, there is no great restriction on the outer shape of the case and the arrangement of components in the case, so that a considerable degree of freedom is recognized in the arrangement of the light receiving elements in the case.

  However, in the case of an analog display type (pointer display type) quartz wristwatch, most of the watch parts including the hand drive motor constitute an electronic watch movement that is a standardized part housed in a single case. Therefore, there were many restrictions on the outer shape of the case and the arrangement of components in the case, and it was found that considerable arrangement was required for the arrangement of the light receiving elements in the case.

  In particular, for a women's quartz watch that prefers a small and circular watch case, how the light receiving element is incorporated in the gap between the watch case and the electronic watch movement has a large effect on the outer diameter of the watch case. Therefore, sufficient consideration is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described technical background, and the object of the present invention is to incorporate a light receiving element for optical communication, and to have a circular shape suitable as a female pointer-type quartz wristwatch or the like. An object is to provide an electronic wristwatch having a small watch case.

  Other objects and operational effects of the present invention will be easily understood by those skilled in the art by referring to the following description and drawings.

  The pointer-type electronic wristwatch of the present invention includes an annular case having an inner wall with a circular contour, a transparent cover plate that closes the front opening of the annular case, a back cover that closes the rear opening of the annular case, and a character inside the annular case. An electronic timepiece movement disposed between the panel and the back cover, and a receiving element for optical communication disposed in a space between the electronic timepiece movement and the circular inner peripheral wall in the annular case. Have. The light receiving element for optical communication is arranged within a range of an opening angle of 60 ° centering on a straight line passing through the center of the dial and connecting the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position. To do.

  According to such a configuration, the inner peripheral wall of the watch case has a circular contour, whereas the contour of the electronic watch movement has a straight line connecting the 12 o'clock position and the 6 o'clock position as the long axis, the 3 o'clock position, and the 9 o'clock position. Since it has a substantially jade shape with the straight line connecting the positions as the short axis, the range of the opening angle 60 ° passing through the center of the dial and having the straight line connecting the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position as the central axis is Since the space has the most margin, by arranging the light receiving element here, the diameter of the annular case can be made the minimum determined by the size of the light receiving element.

  At this time, the light receiving element is supported with its light receiving surface facing the back cover side, and the back cover corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element is covered with a window plate transparent to the wavelength used. A window may be formed. Here, “transparent to the wavelength used” is intended to include not only visible light but also invisible light such as infrared rays. According to such a configuration, it is difficult for light to enter normally from the light receiving window while the wristwatch is worn, and therefore, there is an advantage that the countermeasure against disturbance light is simplified in the light receiving circuit.

  The light receiving element is supported with its light receiving surface facing the inner peripheral wall of the case, and the inner peripheral wall of the case corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element is covered with a window plate that is transparent to the wavelength used. A window may be formed. According to such a configuration, since the light receiving window is located on the side surface of the case, there is an advantage that the light projecting window and the light receiving window can be easily aligned even when the wristwatch is worn.

  The light receiving element may be supported with its light receiving surface facing the dial side, and a light receiving window may be formed on the dial corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element. According to such a configuration, since the light receiving window is covered with the transparent cover plate that covers the dial, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to separately cover the light receiving window with the dedicated window glass. In addition, if the light receiving window is formed at the “hour” scale on the dial, the light receiving window is also used as the “hour” scale on the dial. There is an advantage of not disturbing.

  According to the present invention, while the inner peripheral wall of the annular case has a circular contour, the outer diameter of the electronic timepiece movement is aligned with the straight line connecting the 12 o'clock position and the 6 o'clock position, and its short axis Is aligned with a straight line connecting the 9 o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position, so that the straight line passing through the center of the dial and connecting the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position is the central axis. Within the range of 60 ° opening angle, there is a space with the most margin, and by arranging the light receiving element here, an annular case with the minimum diameter according to the size of the light receiving element is realized. A pointer-type electronic wristwatch suitable for a small wristwatch and incorporating a receiving element for optical communication can be provided.

  In the following, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the pointer-type electronic wristwatch according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing an arrangement example of light receiving elements and light receiving windows. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic wristwatch 1 includes an annular case 101 having a circular contour inner peripheral wall 101 a, a cover glass 102 that closes the front opening of the annular case 101, and a back cover that closes the rear opening of the annular case 101. 103, an electronic timepiece movement 105 disposed in the annular case 101 between the dial 104 and the back cover 103, and an electronic timepiece movement 105 in the annular case 101 and a case inner peripheral wall 101a having a circular outline. And a light receiving element 108 for optical communication disposed in a space 119 therebetween. In this example, the light receiving element 108 is supported by the circuit board 112 with its light receiving surface facing the back cover 103. A light receiving window 106 covered with a window glass 107 is formed on the back cover 103 corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element 108. In addition, in the figure, 109 is a watch band, 110 is a reception start button, and 111 is a time setting button. Operations based on the operation of these buttons will be described in detail later with reference to a flowchart.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing an example of the arrangement of the light receiving elements and the light receiving windows of the pointer-type electronic wristwatch 1 according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, even in this electronic wristwatch 1, an annular case 101 having a circular contour inner peripheral wall 101a, a cover glass 102 for closing the front opening of the annular case 101, and a rear opening of the annular case 101 are provided. A closed back cover 103, an electronic timepiece movement 105 disposed in the annular case 101 between the dial 104 and the back cover 103, and an electronic timepiece movement 105 in the annular case 101 and in a circular contour case. And a light receiving element 108 for optical communication disposed in a space 119 between the peripheral wall 101a. In this example, the light receiving element 108 is supported by the circuit board 112 with its light receiving surface facing the dial 104 side, and a light receiving window 116 is provided on the dial 104 located in front of the optical axis of the light receiving element 108. Is formed. As shown in FIG. 2A, in this example, the light receiving window 116 is provided at the “10 o'clock” scale position on the dial so that the light receiving window 116 is inconspicuous. ing. In addition, 109 is a watch band, 110 is a reception start button, 111 is a time setting button, 113 is an hour hand, 114 is a minute hand, and 115 is a second hand.

  Next, FIG. 3 shows a third example of the arrangement of the light receiving elements and the light receiving windows of the pointer-type electronic wristwatch 1 according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, even in this electronic wristwatch 1, an annular case 101 having an inner peripheral wall 101a having a circular outline, a cover glass 102 for closing the front opening of the annular case, and a rear opening of the annular case 101 are closed. A back cover 103, an electronic timepiece movement 105 disposed between the dial 104 and the back cover 103 in the annular case 101, and between the dial 104 and the back cover 103 in the annular case 101. The electronic timepiece movement 105 is disposed, and the light receiving element 108 for optical communication is disposed in a space 119 in the annular case 101 between the electronic timepiece movement 105 and the case inner peripheral wall 101a having a circular outline. ing. In this example, the light receiving element 108 is supported by the circuit board 112 with its light receiving surface facing the case inner peripheral wall 101a, and on the case inner peripheral wall 101a corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element 108. A light receiving window 117 closed by a transparent window glass 118 is formed. In addition, in the figure, 109 is a watch band, 110 is a reception start button, 111 is a time setting button, 113 is an hour hand, 114 is a minute hand, and 115 is a second hand.

  Among the three examples described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the light receiving window 106 is provided on the back cover 103. In the wearing state, the light receiving window 106 is closed, and disturbance light does not enter from the light receiving window 106 in the meantime. Therefore, there is an advantage that disturbance light incident countermeasures can be reduced when designing the light receiving circuit. . In addition, when the wristwatch is worn, the light receiving window 106 is not exposed to the surface at all, so that there is an advantage that the design of the watch is not disturbed at all.

  In the example shown in FIG. 2, since the light receiving window 116 is formed in the dial 104 and is closed by the cover glass 102, it is not necessary to separately fit the window glass into the light receiving window 116. There is an advantage that it takes less time to process the light receiving window 116. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2A, since the light receiving window 116 is provided so as to overlap the “10 o'clock” position on the dial 104, the light receiving window 116 also serves as the “hour” display scale. Although the light receiving window 116 is provided on the clock face 104, it is relatively inconspicuous, and there is an advantage that the design of the clock face is not disturbed.

  Further, in the example shown in FIG. 3, since the light receiving window 117 is formed in the side surface of the case 101, there is an advantage that the light receiving window 117 is not conspicuous at all from the front, and a wristwatch is worn. However, there is also an advantage that it can be easily aligned with the light emitting window on the transmission side separately.

  Next, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of the light receiving elements and the case inner diameter. This example corresponds to an example in which the light receiving window 116 is provided on the dial 104 shown in FIG. As is apparent from the figure, the inner peripheral wall 101a of the annular case has a true circular outline. On the other hand, the outer diameter of the movement 105 has a first axis a1 connecting the 9 o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position on the dial as a short axis, and a second axis a2 connecting the 12 o'clock position and the 6 o'clock position. It has a substantially jasper shape with a long axis as a major axis. More specifically, the outer peripheral contour of the movement 105 has a radius r01 and a first arc c1 corresponding to an opening angle θ1 centered on the second axis a2 and a radius r02 and is centered on the first axis a1. The second arc c2 having the opening angle θ2 is connected by a straight line b, and has a shape expressed as a pear-like shape or a jade-like shape as a whole. Therefore, the void 119 generated between the case inner peripheral wall 101a and the outer peripheral contour of the movement 105 is most marginal in a region having an opening angle of 60 ° with the first axis a1 as the center, as shown in FIG. 4B. By disposing the light receiving element 108 here, it is possible to adopt an annular case having a minimum diameter corresponding to the size of the light receiving element 108, thereby incorporating the light receiving element 108 for optical communication and reducing the size. In addition, an electronic wristwatch (particularly suitable for women) having a circular case can be manufactured.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the light receiving element 108 is arranged on the first axis a1, which is a straight line connecting the 9 o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position on the dial, The minimum inner diameter of case 1 is R1. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the same light receiving element 108 is disposed at the boundary of the region having an opening angle of 60 ° centered on the first axis a1, the minimum inner diameter of the case 1 is again R1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the light receiving element 108 is disposed at a position slightly deviated from the region having the opening angle of 60 °, the minimum inner diameter of the case 1 is R2 (> R1). The minimum inner diameter of the case increases compared to the examples shown in (a) and (b). Further, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the light receiving element 108 is arranged on the second axis a2 that is a straight line connecting the 12 o'clock position and the 6 o'clock position, the minimum radius becomes R3 (> R2> R1). A significant increase in the minimum inner diameter will occur. As is clear from this example, if the light receiving element 108 is arranged within the range of the first axis a1 that is a straight line connecting the 9 o'clock position and the 3 o'clock position and having an opening angle of 60 °, the case 1 It will be appreciated that the minimum inner diameter can be maintained at R1, realizing a pointer-type electronic wristwatch that incorporates the light receiving element 108 and has a circular and small case.

  The pointer-type electronic wristwatch with a built-in light receiving element according to the present invention can be applied not only to time correction but also to various optical communications. For example, a configuration for realizing time correction is shown in FIG. 5 and subsequent drawings. I will explain. A front view showing a state in which the wristwatch 1 is set on the radio wave table clock 2 is shown in FIG. 5, and an external configuration diagram of the radio wave table clock is shown in FIG.

  As is clear from these figures, this timepiece system includes a pointer-type electronic wristwatch 1 in which the light receiving element 108 described above is incorporated, and a radio wave table clock 2 that is capable of optical communication with the electronic wristwatch 1. have. As shown in FIG. 6, the radio-controlled table clock 2 includes a pedestal portion 201, a support column portion 202, and a main body portion 203. As shown in FIG. 5, a transmission indicator lamp 204, a time display unit 205, a date display unit 206, a transmission start button 207, a time setting button 208, and a forced reception button 209 are displayed on the front surface of the main body unit 203. And are provided. Further, a mounting table 211 for mounting the electronic wristwatch 1 is provided on the upper surface of the radio-controlled table clock 2, and a transmission window 212 (see FIG. 6A) is formed on the upper surface of the mounting table 211. Has been. A light emitting element (not shown) is incorporated inside the transmission window 212. When the electronic wristwatch 1 is placed on the mounting table 211 of the radio wave table clock 2 as shown in FIG. 5, the transmission window 212 on the radio wave table clock 2 side. And the light receiving window 106 on the electronic wristwatch 1 side are aligned or opposed to each other, thereby enabling optical communication between the two. In FIG. 6 (a), reference numeral 213 denotes a constricted portion for holding the watch band 109, 109 on the electronic wristwatch 1 side, thereby facilitating the mounting position alignment between the electronic wristwatch 1 and the radio-controlled table clock 2. Is.

  Next, a circuit diagram showing the electrical hardware configuration of the timepiece system is shown in FIG. This circuit diagram includes a part corresponding to the electronic wristwatch 1 and a part corresponding to the radio wave table clock 2. First, the portion corresponding to the radio wave table clock 2 will be described. The circuit corresponding to the radio wave table clock 2 includes a battery 21, an antenna 22, a capacitor 23, a front end circuit 24, a microcomputer 25, a transmission transistor 26, a transmission LED 27 that is a transmission light emitting element, and a transmission. A transmission display LED 204a corresponding to the indicator lamp 204, push button switches 207a, 208a, and 209a respectively corresponding to a transmission start button 207, a time setting button 208, and a forced reception button 209 are included.

  The antenna 22 and the capacitor 23 constitute a resonance circuit for receiving standard time radio waves (JJY radio waves). The front end circuit 24 includes an amplifier circuit that amplifies the reception output of the antenna 22, a detection circuit that reproduces a JJY encode signal by detecting an envelope of the output of the amplifier circuit. The microcomputer 25 includes a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, and the like. By executing various system programs stored in the ROM, various functions necessary for the radio wave table clock 2 are realized. Is configured to do. The transistor 26 is supplied with an encode signal output from the microcomputer 25, thereby driving the transmission display LED 204 a and the transmission LED 27.

  Of the system program stored in the ROM of the microcomputer 25, portions corresponding to the present invention will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Next, a circuit portion corresponding to the electronic wristwatch 1 will be described. The circuit portion corresponding to the electronic wristwatch 1 controls energization of the light receiving circuit including the battery 11, the microcomputer 12, the phototransistor 108 a functioning as a light receiving element for optical communication, and the phototransistor 108 a and the resistor 14. The transistor 13 includes push button switches 110a and 111a corresponding to the reception start button 110 and the time setting button 111, respectively. The microcomputer 12 includes a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, an input / output interface, and the like, and implements various functions as an electronic wristwatch by executing various system programs stored in the ROM. Has been made. Of the system programs stored in the ROM, portions related to the present invention will be described in detail later with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing on the radio-controlled timepiece side, FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing on the quartz wristwatch side, and FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a pointer display mode during reception operation. The operation of the timepiece system to which the electronic wristwatch of the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to those drawings.

  On the radio-controlled timepiece 2 side, when the battery 21 is attached and the power is turned on, the first reception operation (step 801) and the time adjustment operation (step 802) are executed to perform processing as a known radio-controlled timepiece. , Initial setting of time. Thereafter, while repeatedly executing a clock (clocking) process (step 803) for counting time by counting a reference clock generated using the crystal resonator as a reference, time information obtained as a result is displayed on the time display unit 205 and The date is displayed on the date display unit 206 (step 803-1) and waits until the transmission start button 207 is pressed. In addition, after waiting for a preset automatic reception time (step 803-2), a JJY radio wave reception operation (step 801) and time correction processing based on current time information obtained by decoding the JJY signal ( Step 802) is performed periodically.

  On the other hand, on the electronic wristwatch 1 side, when the battery 11 is turned on and the power is turned on, the electronic timepiece 1 is set to 12 o'clock (step 901) for the initial setting of the clock time and the display time, and then the crystal A clock (clocking) process (step 902) by counting a reference clock generated based on the vibrator is executed, and time information obtained as a result of the execution is executed by a time display process (step 902-1). A process for adjusting the display time to the timekeeping time by operating a pointer driving device (not shown) is repeated.

  In the normal operation of the radio wave table clock and the electronic wristwatch described above, when the transmission start button 207 is operated on the radio wave table clock 2 side and the reception start button 110 is operated on the electronic watch 1 side, the radio wave wrist watch is operated. On the second side, it is determined that the transmission start button 207 has been pressed in the flowchart of FIG. 8 (step 803-3 YES), while on the electronic wristwatch 1 side, the reception start button in the flowchart of FIG. It is determined that 110 has been pressed (step 902-2 YES).

  Thereafter, on the radio-controlled table clock 2 side, if the automatic reception operation has been in progress (YES in step 804), the reception operation is interrupted or stopped (step 805), and then a timer that defines the transmission time is started. (Step 806) After that, until the operation of the timer is completed (NO in Step 807), the time measured in the clock (timekeeping) process (Step 803) is driven by driving the transmission LED 27 through the transistor 26. The light is transmitted cyclically and the transmission display LED 204a is driven to light (flash) the monitor lamp (transmission display lamp 204). If the timer has completed the operation (YES in step 807), it is determined whether or not the automatic reception operation is interrupted (step 809). If the automatic reception operation is interrupted (YES in step 809), After returning to the state, the receiving operation (step 801) and the time adjusting operation (step 802) are executed again, and thereafter the processing returns to the clock (timekeeping) processing (step 803). On the other hand, if it is determined that the automatic reception operation is not being performed (NO in step 809), the process immediately returns to the clock (timekeeping) process (step 803) without performing the reception operation and the time adjustment operation.

  As described above, according to the radio-controlled timepiece of this embodiment, the accurate time is always measured by using a so-called radio wave correction function, while waiting for the transmission start button 207 to be pressed, After the time information is encoded in accordance with a predetermined code system, the transistor 26 is driven to transmit light from the transmission window 212.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the reception start button 110 has been pressed on the electronic wristwatch 1 side (step 902-2 YES), the specified time has elapsed since the previous signal reading was completed without immediately shifting to the reception operation. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (step 903). This determination process (step 903) is to prevent the battery 11 from being consumed unnecessarily by frequent reception operations. Here, if it is determined that the specified time has not elapsed since the completion of the previous signal reading (YES in step 903), the shift to the optical reception and time adjustment operation is performed for the first time.

  First, after moving the second hand to the 30-second position, the hand movement is stopped for a predetermined time in that state (step 904). Thereafter, a timer start process (step 905) and a reception circuit energization process (step 906) for determining the reception time are executed, and then a received signal decoding process (step 908) is executed. Here, the receiving circuit energization process (step 906) is always in a non-energized state with respect to the optical receiving circuit (configured by the phototransistor 108a and the resistor 14), and only during a period of actually performing optical reception. By energizing the optical receiver circuit, wasteful consumption of the battery 11 is reduced. This energization control is realized by turning on or off the transistor 13 by executing a reception circuit energization process (step 906) and a reception circuit de-energization process (steps 910 and 914). While reading the received signal (step 908), if the signal reading is completed (YES in step 909), the receiving circuit de-energization process (step 910) is executed to execute the optical receiving circuit (phototransistor 108a and resistor 14). The time adjustment process (step 911) is performed and the clock (timekeeping) process (step) is performed using the accurate current time information sent from the radio wristwatch 2 side. The time counted in 902) is corrected. After that, the second hand is moved to the 0 second position and stopped for a certain time (step 912), and after the display time is set to the time measurement time (step 913), the process returns to the clock (time measurement) processing (step 902). .

  On the other hand, when the received signal is being decoded (step 908) and before the completion of signal reading (NO in step 909), if the timer completes operation (YES in step 907), the receiving circuit de-energization process (step 914) is executed to execute the optical receiving circuit (step 914). The power supply to the phototransistor 108a and the resistor 14) is cut off, and after the processing for adjusting the display time to the timekeeping time without performing the timekeeping time correction processing thereafter (step 915), the clock is set as before. The process returns to the (timekeeping) process (step 902).

  In this way, on the electronic wristwatch side, the current time is corrected based on accurate time information sent from the radio timepiece clock, so that the receiving antenna and large capacity battery required for the function as the radio timepiece are corrected. Therefore, it is possible to measure and display an accurate time with the same accuracy as a radio timepiece. In addition, in this embodiment, even if the reception start button 110 is operated, if the specified time has not elapsed since the previous signal reading was completed (step 903 NO), the shift to the optical reception operation is performed. Therefore, even when the reception start button 110 is frequently pressed, there is an advantage that the battery 11 is not consumed wastefully.

  Finally, the pointer display mode during the above reception operation is shown together in the explanatory diagram of FIG. In other words, if the current time is “1:25:20” and the normal hand movement is in progress, the reception start button 110 is operated (0-0). After moving to the second position, the hand movement is stopped for a certain time (1-0). When the internal clock and the hand display coincide with each other, the normal hand movement is restored (1-1). On the other hand, when it is not received within the specified time, the second hand moves to the 30-second position and stops moving for a predetermined time (2-0). Thereafter, if the reception is successful, the second hand moves to the 0 second position and stops for a certain time (3-0). After the hand display is set at the received time, the normal hand movement state is restored again. (3-1). On the other hand, if reception fails, the hand display is set to the internal clock and then the normal hand movement is restored (2-1).

  As described above, in this embodiment, whether the operation of the reception start button 110 has been accepted, the reception operation has been started, and whether it has succeeded or failed are all determined by the behavior of the second hand. Can be visually confirmed, so that the receiving operation for time correction can be executed without anxiety.

  According to the pointer-type electronic wristwatch of the present invention, the light receiving element for optical communication is disposed in a space between the electronic timepiece movement and the circularly contoured case inner peripheral wall in the annular case. Since it is arranged in the range of 60 ° opening angle with the straight line passing through the center of the board and connecting the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position as the central axis, the inner diameter of the annular case is minimized and the case is miniaturized. As a result, it has become possible to manufacture an electronic wristwatch having a circular and small watch case that incorporates a light receiving element for optical communication and is suitable as a female quartz wristwatch.

It is FIG. (1) which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of a receiving element and a light-receiving window. It is FIG. (2) which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of a light receiving element and a light receiving window. FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 3) illustrating an arrangement example of light receiving elements and light receiving windows; It is explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between arrangement | positioning of a light receiving element, and a case internal diameter. It is a front view which shows the state by which the wristwatch was set to the radio wave clock. It is an external appearance block diagram of a radio wave clock. It is a circuit diagram which shows the electric hardware constitutions of a timepiece system. It is a flowchart which shows the process by the side of a radio wave clock. It is a flowchart which shows the process by the side of the quartz wristwatch. It is explanatory drawing of the pointer display mode at the time of receiving operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pointer-type electronic wrist watch 2 Electronic table clock with radio wave correction function 11 Battery 12 Microcomputer 13 Current control transistor 14 Resistor 21 Battery 22 Antenna 23 Capacitor 24 Front end circuit 25 Microcomputer 26 Drive transistor 27 Light transmission LED
101 ring case 101a inner peripheral wall 102 cover glass 103 back cover 104 dial 105 electronic clock movement 106 light receiving window 107 window glass 108 light receiving element 108a light receiving phototransistor 109 watch band 110 reception start button 110a, 111a push button switch 111 time setting button 112 circuit board 113 hour hand 114 minute hand 115 second hand 116 light receiving window 117 light receiving window 118 window glass 119 space 201 pedestal part 202 column part 203 main body part 204 transmission indicator lamp 204a LED for light transmission display
205 Time display unit 206 Date display unit 207 Transmission start button 207a, 208a, 209a Push button switch 208 Time setting button 209 Forced reception button 210 Empty space 211 Placement unit 212 Transmission window 213 Constriction unit a1 First axis a2 Second axis c1 First arc c2 second arc θ1 first arc opening angle θ2 second arc opening angle r01 first arc radius r02 second arc radius R1 to R3 inner diameter of annular case

Claims (5)

An annular case having an inner wall with a circular outline, a transparent cover plate that closes the front opening of the annular case, a back cover that closes the rear opening of the annular case, and is placed in the annular case between the dial and the back cover An electronic timepiece movement, and a light receiving element for optical communication disposed in a space between the electronic timepiece movement and the circular inner peripheral wall in the annular case, and the light receiving element is a character A pointer-type electronic wristwatch characterized by being arranged within a range of an expansion angle of 60 degrees centering on a straight line passing through the center of the board and connecting the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position.   The light-receiving element is supported with its light-receiving surface facing the back cover, and a light-receiving window is formed on the back cover corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light-receiving element. The pointer-type electronic wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein   The light-receiving element is supported with its light-receiving surface facing the inner wall of the case, and a light-receiving window that is covered with a window plate that is transparent to the used wavelength is formed on the inner wall of the case that corresponds to the front of the optical axis of the light-receiving element. The pointer-type electronic wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the pointer-type electronic wristwatch is formed.   The light receiving element is supported with its light receiving surface facing the dial side, and a light receiving window is formed on the dial corresponding to the front of the optical axis of the light receiving element. The pointer type electronic wristwatch.   5. The pointer-type electronic wrist watch according to claim 4, wherein the light receiving window is formed at a “hour” scale position on the dial.

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