JP2007163337A - Wrist watch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wrist watch allowing recognition of display even under a dark environment without requiring extra electric power or luminous paint. <P>SOLUTION: A stress luminescent material is arranged on a part of the wrist watch, for example, on the windshield glass or dial plate. The stress luminescent material emits light by application of force such as impact or pressure. By applying the force to the arranged stress luminescent material to emit light, the recognition of display is allowed under the dark environment without a lighting means or the luminous paint, and the power consumption is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to wristwatch illumination, and more particularly to a technique that allows a user to recognize the display of a wristwatch even in a dark environment without requiring electric power.

  Since wristwatches have many opportunities to be used even in a dark environment, various methods have been used in the past so that the display on the wristwatch can be recognized even in a dark environment. For example, a method of illuminating the display unit by disposing a light source such as an LED near a display unit and turning on a switch, or a method using a backlight such as an EL for a digital display wristwatch is used. Moreover, as mentioned in Patent Document 1, for example, timepiece information can be obtained by forming a luminous paint on the dial of the wristwatch or the hands of the wristwatch and recognizing the afterglow in a dark environment. The method of recognition is mentioned.

JP-A-7-55958 (FIG. 1)

  However, the above-described conventional techniques have the following problems. In the method of illuminating the display unit of the wristwatch with the LED or EL, electric power is required to drive the LED or EL. In a wristwatch, the power required to move the hands is as low as several μW. Compared with this power, the power required to drive the LED and EL is very large. For this reason, driving the LED or EL causes the consumption of the battery to become violent, requiring frequent battery replacement and charging. In addition, regarding the method of forming a nocturnal paint on the dials and hands on the dial, there are problems in that light is not emitted unless light is first irradiated and that the afterglow time is limited. In addition, when forming the luminous paint on the hands of the watch, it is very difficult to control the thickness, and due to the variation in thickness, a single weight of the hands occurs, leading to an increase in power consumption. Furthermore, it may be necessary to enlarge the needle in order to recognize the luminous paint on the needle, which leads to an increase in power consumption and design restrictions.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a wristwatch capable of recognizing a display even in a dark environment without requiring extra power or nocturnal paint in order to solve the above-described problems caused by the prior art.

  In order to solve these problems, the wristwatch according to the present invention employs the following means. That is, the wristwatch of the present invention is characterized in that a stress luminescent material is partially provided and illumination is performed by applying an external force to the stress luminescent material.

  The stress-stimulated luminescent material in the present invention is more useful when applied to the windshield surface.

  Moreover, it is preferable to arrange | position a protective film on the stress light-emitting material in this invention.

  In the wristwatch according to the present invention, the windshield is composed of two glasses, two transparent plastics or one glass and one transparent plastic, and the two glasses, two transparent plastics or one glass. It is preferable to hold the stress-stimulated luminescent material in the gap between the transparent plastic and one sheet of transparent plastic.

  In addition, the shape of the gap of the present invention is preferably changed by an external force.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the wristwatch of the present invention has a push button that places the stress luminescent material on the outer periphery of the dial and applies pressure to the stress luminescent material arranged on the outer periphery of the dial.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the wristwatch of the present invention has a push button that places a stress luminescent material on a dial and applies pressure to the stress luminescent material arranged on the dial.

(Function)
In a wristwatch, for example, by placing a stress luminescent material on the windshield or around the dial, and applying a force such as impact or pressure to the stress luminescent material, the stress luminescent material can emit light and illuminate the watch display, The display can be recognized even in a dark environment. In this method, a force such as impact or pressure can be directly converted into light, so that conversion from an electric signal to an optical signal is not required, and illumination can be performed without power consumption. Further, the structure for illumination such as LED is not required, which leads to simplification of the wristwatch design. Furthermore, since no luminescent paint is used, it is possible to eliminate the wristwatch design restrictions such as the size of the hands.

  As described above, the wristwatch of the present invention has the effects described below.

  In a wristwatch, a stress luminescent material is placed near the display, such as the surface of the windshield or the outer periphery of the dial, and the stress luminescent material emits light by applying a force such as impact or pressure to the stress luminescent material. Can illuminate. According to this method, since the display can be recognized even in a dark environment without using illumination means such as LEDs and nocturnal paint, nocturnal paint is applied to the power for driving the illumination means and the clock hands. Does not require increased power by painting. In addition, since the stress luminescent material can directly convert a force such as impact or pressure into light, the display of the wristwatch can be illuminated without power consumption.

  In addition, when stress-stimulated luminescent material is used to recognize the display of the watch in a dark environment, the structure for lighting such as an LED is not required, which leads to simplification of the wristwatch design. However, there is a limit in the afterglow time and the design is restricted due to the need to paint the needle with nocturnal paint. Absent.

  For example, when a stress light emitting material is arranged on the windshield, when it is desired to recognize the display in a dark environment, the display unit can be illuminated by an operation such as hitting a wristwatch, and illumination is performed with a very simple operation. Can do.

  Hereinafter, an optimal embodiment of a wristwatch using the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the wristwatch is attached to the wrist of the user. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the wristwatch in FIG. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the drive / display unit 103 is arranged on the wrist of the user by a band 104. A windshield 102 is disposed on the display surface of the drive / display unit 103. The windshield glass 102 is disposed so as to cover the display surface of the wristwatch, and is intended to prevent dust from entering the wristwatch and breaking it by touching the watch hands directly. In order to recognize the display of time information and the like through it, a device having a high light transmittance is generally used.

  In the present embodiment, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is applied to the surface of the windshield glass 102. Here, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is a luminescent material that emits light in response to a stimulus of a mechanical external force such as a frictional force, a shearing force, an impact force, or a pressure, and a luminescent intensity according to the strength of the external force. It also has the feature that changes. Examples of the stress luminescent material 101 include a material obtained by adding a transition metal luminescence center to a base material made of an inorganic piezoelectric oxide, sulfide, carbide, nitride, or the like having a wurtzite structure. Here, as the stress luminescent material 101, various materials can be cited as the base material and the luminescent center, and the luminescent intensity, the luminescent time, and the like vary depending on the combination and the like.

  In addition, wristwatches are not limited to use in bright conditions such as daytime or under illumination, but are often used in nighttime or dark environments. Therefore, an impact or pressure is applied to the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 in order to recognize the display on the wristwatch even in this dark environment. As described above, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 emits light when an impact or pressure is applied. At this time, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is disposed on the windshield glass 102 that covers the display surface of the wristwatch. The display surface can be illuminated by the light emission of 101. Here, as a method of applying an impact or pressure to the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101, for example, a method of hitting or pushing the wristwatch with a hand not wearing the wristwatch is conceivable. For example, a wristwatch is attached to the left wrist. When the user wants to recognize the time in a dark environment, the stress light emitting material 101 applied to the windshield 102 emits light by lighting the windshield 102 with the right hand, and illuminates the display of the wristwatch. Here, the method of applying an external force to the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is not limited to the method of hitting or pushing.

  By using the above-described method, it is possible to recognize the display of the wristwatch even in a dark environment without requiring power other than driving the wristwatch, nocturnal paint, etc., and to perform illumination with zero power consumption. In addition, since a structure for illumination such as an LED is not required, the design of the wristwatch is simplified. In addition, since no luminescent paint is used, it is possible to eliminate wristwatch design restrictions such as the size of the hands.

  In addition, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 can also adjust the light emission amount and the light emission time by changing the applied force, and can be used according to the situation, such as tapping lightly when it is desired to emit light a little.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is disposed on the surface of the windshield glass 102. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 101 can also be transmitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, a method of arranging a protective film or the like on the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 on the windshield 102 is also conceivable in order to prevent the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 from being damaged.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and shows a cross-sectional view of a wristwatch. In FIG. 3, the drive / display unit 103 is connected to a band 104 for placement on the user's wrist. A windshield 303 is arranged on the display surface of the drive / display unit 103. The windshield 303 is arranged so as to cover the display surface of the wristwatch, and prevents dust or the like from entering the inside of the wristwatch or breaking it by directly touching the hands of the watch.

Here, in this embodiment, the windshield 303 is comprised by two glass, and it arrange | positions in the state which accumulated the 2nd windshield glass 302 on the 1st windshield glass 301. FIG. At this time, a spacer 304 or the like is disposed between the first windshield glass 301 and the second windshield glass 302 to provide a gap between the two windshield glasses. Here, the spacer 304 is elastic, and when the second windshield 302 is pressed, the gap between the two windshields is reduced. The stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is disposed in the gap between the first windshield glass 301 and the second windshield glass 302.

  Here, as in the first embodiment, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 emits light when an impact or pressure is applied, and can illuminate the display surface of the wristwatch. Here, for example, the spacer 304 is crushed by an operation such as hitting or pushing the second windshield glass 302 of the wristwatch with the hand of the user who is not wearing the wristwatch, and the first windshield 301 and The gap between the second windshields 302 is changed, so that an impact or pressure can be applied to the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101, and the display on the wristwatch can be recognized even in a dark environment. By using the above-described method, it is possible to recognize the display of the wristwatch even in a dark environment without requiring electric power other than driving the wristwatch or nocturnal paint. Further, the structure for illumination such as LED is not required, which leads to simplification of the wristwatch design. Furthermore, since no luminescent paint is used, it is possible to eliminate the wristwatch design restrictions such as the size of the hands.

  In this embodiment, since the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is covered with the second windshield glass 302, it is possible to emit light without damaging the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101. In the present embodiment, the stress-stimulated luminescent material 101 is sandwiched between two windshields. However, the windshield 303 is not limited to this, and a transparent plastic is used instead of the second windshield 302. It is also possible to use a protective film or the like.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the drive / display unit 103 is connected to a band 104 for placement on the user's wrist. Further, a windshield is disposed on the display surface of the drive / display unit 103 as in the above-described embodiment. In the present embodiment, a ring 401 is arranged on the outer periphery of the dial 402. The ring 401 is obtained by applying a stress luminescent material on the surface, and the stress luminescent material applied to the ring 401 emits light when a force is applied to the ring 401 and the shape of the ring is deformed.

  A push button 403 is provided on the side surface of the drive / display unit 103. When the push button 403 is pushed, the force is transmitted to the ring 401, and when the wristwatch user pushes the push button 403, pressure is applied to the ring 401 to be deformed. Emits light. At this time, since the stress luminescent material is arranged around the dial 402, the dial is illuminated from the entire surroundings, so that it can be illuminated efficiently and the display of the watch can be recognized even in a dark environment. It becomes. By using the above-described method, it is possible to recognize the display of the wristwatch even in a dark environment without requiring electric power other than driving the wristwatch or nocturnal paint. Moreover, since the structure for illumination, such as LED, becomes unnecessary like the above-mentioned embodiment, it leads to simplification of a wristwatch design.

  In the present embodiment, the stress light emitting material is applied to the ring 401 arranged around the dial 402 and light is emitted by deforming the ring. However, the present invention is not limited to this method. A method of applying a stress to the dial itself by applying a stress luminescent material is also conceivable.

In the embodiment described above, the stress-stimulated luminescent material is disposed on the windshield of the wristwatch or the outer periphery of the dial. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the stress-stimulated luminescent material is disposed on any part of the wristwatch. By applying power to the luminescent material, it is possible to emit light and perform illumination with zero power consumption even in a dark environment to recognize the display.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the wristwatch in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the wristwatch in 1st embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the wristwatch in 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the wristwatch in 3rd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Stress luminescent material 102 Windshield glass 103 Drive | display / display part 104 Band 301 1st windshield 302 Second windshield 303 Windshield 304 Spacer 401 Ring 402 Dial 403 Push button

Claims (7)

A wristwatch in which a stress luminescent material is partially provided and illumination is performed by applying an external force to the stress luminescent material. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the stress-stimulated luminescent material is applied to a windshield surface. The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein a protective film is disposed on the stress-stimulated luminescent material. The windshield is composed of two glasses, two transparent plastics or one glass and one transparent plastic, the two glasses, the two transparent plastics or the one glass and one transparent The wristwatch according to claim 1, wherein the stress-stimulated luminescent material is held in a gap between plastics. The wristwatch according to claim 4, wherein the shape of the gap is changed by an external force. The wristwatch according to claim 1, further comprising a push button for arranging the stress luminescent material on an outer periphery of the dial and applying pressure to the stress luminescent material arranged on the outer periphery of the dial. The wristwatch according to claim 1, further comprising a push button that places the stress luminescent material on a dial and applies pressure to the stress luminescent material arranged on the dial.

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