JP2006300787A - Lighted analog timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighted analog timepiece capable of illuminating a pointer part efficiently without using a light guide member by arranging an LED used as a light source directly near the base end of the pointer part, reducing the number of components, and reducing power consumption. <P>SOLUTION: In this lighted analog timepiece 21 equipped with a timepiece unit 22, a dial 23 for analog display placed on the timepiece unit 22, one or two or more pointer parts 24 rotating around the center part of the dial 23, and an illumination part 30 for illuminating the pointer parts 24, the illumination part 30 is provided near the base ends 25a, 26a of the pointer parts 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an illuminated analog timepiece having an illumination function.

  Conventionally, there are many relatively low-priced illuminated analog clocks such as alarm clocks that are provided with a phosphorescent substance on the dial or pointer to make it easier to check the time even at night or in the dark. Such a phosphorescent material has a drawback that the luminance decreases with time. On the other hand, a watch that is built into a dashboard of an automobile has a light source for illuminating the dial and the pointer because it needs to be turned on simultaneously with the headlight when the surroundings become dark. Yes. As such a light source, a light emitting diode (LED) is often used, and there is a method in which the light source is arranged directly on the back of the dial or is intensively guided to a place where illumination is required via a light guide plate. FIG. 6 shows an illuminated analog timepiece 1 using the LED and the light guide plate and configured to illuminate around the pointer portion (see Patent Document 1).

In the illuminated analog timepiece 1, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 4 as light sources are arranged on the outer periphery of a substrate 3 on which a timepiece unit 2 is disposed, and light emitted from the LEDs 4 is guided in a U-shaped cross section. The optical member 5 guides light from the lower surface of the dial 6 along the rotation shaft 7 to which the pointer portion 8 is attached. In addition, in order to guide the light emitted from each LED 4 to the vicinity of the rotation shaft 7, an inclined portion 10 is provided in the vicinity of the hole 9 through which the rotation shaft 7 passes, and the light guided from below is transmitted to the rotation shaft. 7 is raised along.
JP 2000-292558 A

  However, in the illuminated analog timepiece 1 as shown in FIG. 6, the LED 4 that illuminates the pointer portion 8 is disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the dial 6, and near the rotation shaft 7 via the light guide member 5. Since the structure is such that the light is guided, there is a problem that light is weakened before reaching the rotating shaft 7 and a sufficient amount of light for illuminating the pointer portion 8 cannot be obtained.

  Further, in order to efficiently guide light from the LED 4 to the vicinity of the central axis of the pointer portion 8, the corner portion of the light guide member 5 is formed in a curved surface shape, or an inclined portion 10 for reflection is provided inside. Therefore, the structure of the light guide member 5 is complicated. In order to increase the amount of light taken into the light guide member 5, a plurality of LEDs 4 must be arranged uniformly along the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 3. For this reason, there is a problem that the power consumption increases and the product cost increases due to an increase in the number of parts.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to directly illuminate the pointer portion without using a light guide member by directly arranging an LED serving as a light source in the vicinity of the base end portion of the pointer portion, and to reduce the number of parts. It is an object to provide an illuminated analog timepiece with reduced power consumption.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an illuminated analog timepiece according to the present invention includes a timepiece unit, an analog display dial placed on the timepiece unit, and a center rotating around the center of the dial. Alternatively, in an illuminated analog timepiece including two or more pointer portions and an illumination portion that illuminates the pointer portions, the illumination portion is provided in the vicinity of a proximal end portion of the pointer portion.

  According to the illuminated analog timepiece of the present invention, since the illumination unit is provided in the vicinity of the base end that is the rotation center of the pointer unit, the entire pointer unit can be directly illuminated by the light emitted from the illumination unit. it can. This makes it possible to evenly illuminate the pointer that rotates on the dial with a single light source. It can be illuminated for a long time in the night or in the dark, as well as in-vehicle analog watches that illuminate when the headlights are turned on. Lighting effects suitable for analog watches used for such purposes.

  Moreover, since the said illumination part uses the light emitting diode for a light source, and this light emitting diode is provided in the front-end | tip part of the pillar part standing toward the center part of a dial from the timepiece unit, the said pointer part is directly illuminated. It can be easily adjusted to the height position.

  Embodiments of an illuminated analog timepiece according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the illuminated analog timepiece 21 of the present invention includes a mechanical timepiece unit 22, a dial 23 placed on the timepiece unit 22, and a minute hand 25 rotating on the dial 23. The pointer portion 24 includes an hour hand 26 and an illumination portion 30 that illuminates the entire pointer portion 24 from the proximal end portion of the pointer portion 24.

  The timepiece unit 22 is composed of a mechanism portion composed of a shaft, gears, and the like for rotating the minute hand 25 and the hour hand 26, and an electric component and an electric circuit for driving the mechanism portion, and is accommodated in a case 38. . In the central portion of the timepiece unit 22, a column portion 31 for arranging the illumination unit 30 is provided so as to penetrate therethrough. The timepiece unit 22 and the pillar portion 31 are installed on the mother board 39.

  The column portion 31 is a hollow cylindrical body formed of plastic or metal material, and is provided so that the tip thereof protrudes from the upper surface of the timepiece unit 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the illumination unit 30 includes a light emitting diode (LED) 33 mounted on the upper end portion of the column portion 31 via a substrate, and a transparent sealing body 34 that covers the upper side of the LED 33. Has been. The LED 33 is a light emitting element including an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, and is mounted by wire bonding after die bonding on the electrode pattern of the substrate. The LED 33 is provided with a signal line for supplying a voltage supplied from the timepiece unit 22 through the hollow portion of the column portion 31. The sealing body 34 is made of a transparent acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin, and is molded in a hemispherical form on the LED 33 or is formed as a cap body that can be attached to the LED 33. By forming the sealing body 34 in a hemispherical shape, light is emitted radially from the LED 33, and the pointer portion 24 can be illuminated uniformly. In addition, the light emission direction and light emission intensity from the said LED 33 can also be changed by making the said sealing body 34 into a cone shape, square shape, or polygonal shape.

  The pointer portion 24 is supported by a minute hand drive shaft 35a that rotates about the pillar portion 31 and an hour hand drive shaft 36a. The minute hand drive shaft 35a is provided along the outer peripheral portion of the column portion 31, and the hour hand drive shaft 36a is rotatably disposed along the outer periphery of the minute hand drive shaft 35a. The minute hand drive shaft 35a and the hour hand drive shaft 36a are connected to a minute hand drive gear 35b and an hour hand drive gear 36b, respectively, which are set to have a predetermined rotation ratio. The minute hand drive gear 35b and the hour hand drive gear 36b. Are rotated by an electromagnetic coil 37a and a rotor 37b installed in the timepiece unit 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pointer portion 24 includes a minute hand 25 and an hour hand 26 formed by a light guide member such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin. The minute hand 25 and the hour hand 26 are attached to the minute hand drive shaft 35 a and the hour hand drive shaft 36 a so as to be interlocked with the minute hand drive shaft 35 a, and the base end portions 25 a, 26 a toward the outer peripheral portion of the dial 23. It is formed integrally with the extending plate-shaped instruction portions 25b and 26b. The proximal end portion 25a of the minute hand 25 is provided with a substantially hemispherical concave portion 25c for accommodating the illuminating portion 30, and the light incident on the inner peripheral surface of the concave portion 25c is transmitted to the indicating portion. Light is guided toward 25b. The light incident on the concave portion 25 c is also guided to the instruction portion 26 b through the proximal end portion 26 a of the hour hand 26. Each of the indicating portions 25b and 26b is formed such that the tip portion is formed in an acute angle toward the outer peripheral portion of the dial plate 23, and the thickness is gradually reduced. In addition, a light refracting portion 27 that is inclined toward the distal end of the indicating portion 25b is formed at the proximal end portion 25a of the minute hand 25. This light refracting unit 27 is provided to guide the light emitted upward from the illumination unit 30 in the direction in which the instruction unit 25b extends, so as to change the course of the light in a substantially perpendicular direction. The inclination is set to about 45 degrees. In addition, by disposing a metal film having a high light reflectance on the outer surface of the light refracting unit 27, the light emitted from the illumination unit 30 is prevented from passing upward, and accordingly, The light guide amount with respect to the direction indicated by the instruction unit 25b can be increased.

  Further, when the pointer portion 24 is formed of a metal member having a high reflectance, the entire pointer portion 24 can be brightened by the reflecting action of the light emitted from the illuminating portion 30 to improve visibility.

  The illumination unit 30 is supplied with an electrical signal from the mother board 39 by a signal line composed of an anode and a cathode passing through the hollow part of the column part 31, but as shown in FIG. It is also possible to cause the illumination unit 40 to supply an electrical signal via the elongated flexible substrate 45 extending in the direction. The flexible substrate 45 is provided with a pair of electrode portions including an anode and a cathode for mounting the LED 43 at a place placed on the upper end surface of the column portion 41, and extends from the electrode portion toward the mother board 39 side. An electrode pattern is formed. By using such a flexible substrate 45, not only a hollow member such as the column portion 31, but also a column portion 41 made of a rod-like or columnar column can be formed.

  Further, as in the illumination unit 50 shown in FIG. 5, a bullet-type LED 53 provided with a pair of lead wires 54 composed of an anode electrode and a cathode electrode can be disposed directly on the upper end portion of the column portion 51. Since the column portion 51 has a hollow shape, the hollow portion can be connected to the mother board 39 through the lead wire 54.

  Moreover, the illumination part of embodiment shown above is multicolor comprised by LED of each luminescent color, such as white and red, or the light emitting element which consists of red blue green according to the illumination effect in the pointer part 24, for example. A light emitting LED can be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the dial 23 is formed of a disk-shaped thin plate member or sheet member having a time display such as numerals and symbols on the outer peripheral portion, and the column portion 31 is formed at the center. A circular hole through which it passes is provided. The dial 23 is placed on the upper surface of the case 38 containing the timepiece unit 22 with the tip of the column 31 protruding from the hole.

  Next, the illumination action of the illuminated analog timepiece 21 by the illumination unit 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. The illumination unit 30 emits light when a voltage is applied from the mother board 39. This light emission operation is performed by turning on an illumination switch provided in a watch body (not shown) in which the watch unit 22 is incorporated. When the clock unit 22 is used by being incorporated in a dashboard of an automobile, the mother board 39 is connected to a board in which instruments, an operation panel, etc. in the dashboard are incorporated, and the headlight is turned on / off. Turns on or off in conjunction with. By such an operation, the light emitted from the illuminating unit 30 is emitted radially from the center of the dial 23 in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the proximal ends of the minute hand 25 and the hour hand 26, respectively. Light is guided from 25a and 26a toward the instruction units 25b and 26b. In addition, since the upper surface of the proximal end portion 25a of the minute hand 25 is provided with an inclined surface and a light refracting portion 27 provided with a reflecting member on the inclined surface, the light emitted from the illuminating portion 30 is directly emitted. The light can be guided toward the distal end portions of the indicating portions 25b and 26b of the minute hand 25 and the hour hand 26 without leaking to the outside.

  As described above, according to the illuminating unit 30 provided in the illuminated analog timepiece 21 of the present invention, the LED 33 constituting the illuminating unit 30 is directly disposed through the column portion 31 at the center of rotation of the pointer unit 24. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to arrange a plurality of LEDs serving as a light source or use a light guide plate in order to increase the illumination intensity. For this reason, the whole pointer part 24 can be efficiently illuminated equally with respect to the rotation direction by the minimally configured illumination part 30 composed of a single LED 33.

It is sectional drawing of the illumination type analog timepiece which concerns on this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the illumination part of the said illumination type analog timepiece. It is a top view of the said illumination type analog timepiece. It is principal part sectional drawing of the illumination part comprised using the flexible substrate. It is principal part sectional drawing of the illumination part comprised using bullet-type LED. It is sectional drawing of the conventional illumination type analog timepiece.

Explanation of symbols

21 Illuminated Analog Clock 22 Clock Unit 23 Dial 24 Dial 24 Pointer 25 Minute Hand 25a Base End 26 Hour Hand 26b Base End 27 Light Refraction Unit 30 Illumination Unit 31 Column 33 LED (Light Emitting Diode)
34 Sealing body 39 Motherboard

Claims (6)

A clock unit, an analog display dial placed on the clock unit, one or more pointers rotating around the center of the dial, and an illumination unit for illuminating the pointer In illuminated analog timepiece with
The illumination type analog timepiece, wherein the illumination unit is provided in the vicinity of a proximal end portion of the pointer unit. 2. The illuminated analog timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating unit is provided at a front end portion of a pillar portion standing from the timepiece unit toward a central portion of the dial. The illuminated analog timepiece according to claim 2, wherein the illuminating unit is placed on a front end portion of the column portion that slightly protrudes from the dial surface. The said illumination part is equipped with a light emitting diode and the substantially hemispherical sealing body for making the light emitted from this light emitting diode radiate | emit radially from the base end part of the said pointer part, It is comprised. Illuminated analog clock. 2. The illuminated analog timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the pointer portion is formed by a light guide member having a base end portion and an instruction portion extending from the base end portion toward an outer peripheral portion of the dial. The illuminated analog timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the pointer portion is provided with a light refracting portion for directing light emitted from the illumination portion toward a tip portion of the pointing portion.

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