JP2009250669A - Electronic timepiece of built-in antenna type - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic timepiece of a built-in antenna type capable of improving efficiently reception sensitivity of a radio wave in a limited space in an exterior case. <P>SOLUTION: This electronic timepiece of the built-in antenna type is equipped with an antenna 21 arranged in the exterior case, for receiving external radio information. The antenna 21 has a core 211, and a coil 212 wound on the core 211, and the core 211 is constituted of a straight line part 211C provided inside the coil 212, and ends 211A extended to both sides. The lamination number of amorphous foils 2110, 2111 at each end 211A is set larger than the lamination number of amorphous foils 2110 at the straight line part 211C, and thereby a magnetic flux entering the coil 212 from the back lid side can be collected easily, and a magnetism collection effect of the core 211 is heightened. Consequently, the limited space can be utilized effectively, and the reception sensitivity of the radio wave can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an antenna built-in type electronic timepiece represented by a radio-controlled timepiece that receives external wireless information including time information and performs processing such as time correction.

  Conventionally, an electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna such as a radio-controlled timepiece that receives time information from the outside and corrects the time is known. In this electronic timepiece with built-in antenna, there is a strong demand to further improve the antenna characteristics. For example, the reception sensitivity is improved by providing amorphous thin films at both ends of the core case that houses the core in the antenna device. (See Patent Document 1). Specifically, when the antenna device is viewed in plan from the back cover, an amorphous thin film is provided so that the core is extended outward from the both ends of the core case in a plane, and the antenna is Alternatively, it is easy to receive radio waves via the back cover.

JP 2007-184894 A (FIG. 3)

However, as in Patent Document 1, when an amorphous thin film is provided so that the core is planarly extended from both ends of the core case, it is sufficient due to restrictions on the planar arrangement of other components in the outer case. An amorphous thin film with a large area cannot be provided, and there is a limit in improving the reception sensitivity. In addition, when a motor or the like is disposed at a position overlapping the amorphous thin film in a plan view, the motor or the like affects the reception sensitivity of the antenna, and thus there is a problem that a new arrangement restriction occurs.
Such a problem is not limited to the radio-controlled timepiece, and is a problem common to various electronic timepieces with a built-in antenna for wireless communication.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna that can efficiently improve radio wave reception sensitivity in a limited space in an exterior case.

  An electronic timepiece with built-in antenna of the present invention includes an exterior case, an antenna that is disposed in the exterior case and receives external wireless information, a receiving means that processes external wireless information received by the antenna, and a time display means. The antenna built-in type electronic timepiece includes a core and a coil wound around the core, and the core includes a coil portion provided inside the coil. And extending portions respectively extending on both sides of the coil portion, and the coil portion and the extending portion are made of a thin film magnetic body laminated along the thickness direction of the watch. The number of the thin film magnetic bodies stacked in at least a part of the extended portion is larger than the number of the thin film magnetic bodies stacked in the coil portion, and the extended portion in the direction along the thickness direction of the watch. The thickness dimension of the at least a portion, and greater than the thickness dimension of the coil portion.

In the conventional antenna, the thickness dimension of the portion corresponding to the coil portion is larger than the thickness dimension of the portion corresponding to the extending portion by the amount of winding of the coil, and a step corresponding to the thickness of the coil However, it occurred at the boundary between the coil portion and the extended portion. The space created by this level difference was sometimes used for the placement of circuit boards for antennas, but it was difficult to use for placement of other components, etc., and was effective in placing various members in the outer case. In many cases, it was not used. Therefore, the inventor attempted to improve the radio wave reception sensitivity and effectively use the space in the outer case by increasing the thickness of the extending portion of the core.
Here, the part in which the dimension (thickness dimension) in the thickness direction of the extension part (the same direction as the thickness dimension of the watch) is larger than the thickness dimension of the coil part is the whole extension part. Alternatively, it may be a part of the extended portion. Moreover, a thick part may be set with respect to the extension part of both sides, and a thick part may be set only to the extension part of one side.

According to the present invention, the radio wave reception sensitivity can be improved by making the thickness dimension of at least a part of the extending part of the core larger than the thickness dimension of the coil part. That is, the magnetic flux entering the coil from the thickness direction of the watch is easily collected, and the magnetic flux collecting effect of the core is enhanced. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use a limited space and improve radio wave reception sensitivity.
If a conductive member is used for at least a part of the outer case, such as when a metal cover is attached to the plastic case, the radio wave reception sensitivity is improved as described above. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of the electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna.

Here, the exterior case may have a back cover formed of a non-conductive member. In this case, the thickness dimension of the extending portion is at least the thickness dimension of the coil portion of the core. It is preferably set so as to increase toward the back cover side. If it does in this way, it will become easy to receive the electric wave which enters from a back cover side, for example, even when it is a case where a conductive member (including the case where a dial is a conductive member) is arranged on the dial side, The radio wave receiving sensitivity can be improved by increasing the magnetism collecting effect from the back cover side.
Further, the outer case may have a dial plate formed of a non-conductive member. In this case, the thickness dimension of the extending portion is at least a character with respect to the thickness dimension of the coil portion of the core. It is preferably set so as to increase toward the plate side. In this way, it is easy to receive radio waves entering from the dial side. For example, even when a back cover of a conductive member is arranged, the magnetic flux collecting effect from the dial side increases, so The reception sensitivity can be improved.
The exterior case may be a one-piece type in which the body and the back cover are integrated.

  As the thin film magnetic body, a foil (thin plate) made of cobalt-based amorphous metal, iron-based amorphous metal, or the like can be used. Further, as the core, for example, a first thin film magnetic body having a shape corresponding to both the coil portion and the extending portion, and a shape corresponding to only a part of the extending portion, the first thin film magnetic body You may comprise from the 2nd thin film magnetic body with a small plane area. And after laminating | stacking several 1st thin film magnetic bodies, a core may be formed by further laminating | stacking a 2nd thin film magnetic body in the part which wants to enlarge the thickness dimension of the extending part.

Thus, since the thin film magnetic material is used for the core, the cross-sectional area in the direction in which the magnetic flux flows can be reduced, eddy currents caused by the change in magnetic flux can be suppressed, and the iron loss can be reduced. Thereby, the magnetic field produced by an eddy current can be suppressed and the radio wave reception sensitivity can be improved.
Further, by forming a portion where the number of thin film magnetic bodies in at least a part of the extension portion is larger than the number of thin film magnetic bodies in the coil portion, the extension portion collects magnetic flux in the thickness direction of the watch. And the reception sensitivity of radio waves can be improved.
Furthermore, since it is only necessary to laminate the thin film magnetic body along the thickness direction of the watch, it is possible to increase the number of thin film magnetic bodies of the extending portion partially and relatively easily. The thickness dimension can be easily changed.

  In the present invention, the antenna has a core holding member made of a non-conductive member in which a storage portion capable of storing at least one of the extension portions of the core is formed, and a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the coil It is preferable that a cross-sectional shape of the storage portion is formed in a substantially U shape or a substantially L shape.

According to the present invention, since the core is held by the core holding member, the antenna can be reliably supported and fixed to the ground plate or the like via the core holding member, and the antenna can be easily incorporated into the watch.
Further, since the core is stored in the storage unit, the core is protected from an impact caused by dropping or the like, and the durability of the core can be improved. In particular, when a core is formed by stacking heat-treated amorphous foils, the heat-treated amorphous foil is fragile and easily broken, so that the effect of protection by housing the core in the housing portion is great.
Furthermore, when the cross-sectional shape of the storage part is formed in a substantially U-shape, the depth dimension of the storage part that stores the core should be sufficient so that a part of the stored core does not jump out in the thickness direction of the watch. It can be set deeply, and the effect of protecting the core can be enhanced. Further, when the cross-sectional shape of the storage portion is formed in a substantially L shape, at least one side surface along the core stacking direction is covered, so at least the core stack end portion is protected and the thin film magnetic body is protected. The effect which prevents peeling etc. is acquired.
Moreover, since the coil is wound around the core holding member, it is possible to prevent the conductive wire constituting the coil from being damaged and cut at the edge of the core.
In addition, as a core holding member, the plate-shaped member provided so that the bottom face parallel to each thin film magnetic body of a core may be sufficient. Moreover, the substantially L-shaped member which covers the bottom face of a core and one side surface along the lamination direction of a core may be sufficient. Or the substantially U-shaped member which covers the bottom face of a core and both the side surfaces along the lamination direction of a core may be sufficient. Furthermore, it may be a member having a shape covering the bottom surface, both side surfaces, and the top surface of the core.

  In the present invention, the exterior case has a back cover, and a ground plate that supports the time display means is disposed in the exterior case so as to face the back cover, and the surface of the ground plate on the back cover side. Preferably, the antenna is fixed and a core groove portion that can accommodate at least a part of the extended portion is formed.

Here, when the antenna is fixed to the ground plane, the thickness dimension of the entire timepiece is increased only by increasing the thickness dimension of the extending portion of the core toward the dial side (ground plane side).
On the other hand, according to the present invention, since a part of the core of the extending portion is accommodated in the core groove portion of the main plate, the arrangement space in the antenna thickness direction is not increased without increasing the thickness dimension of the entire watch. Can be secured. Further, although the ground plate supports the time display means and the like, since the shape of the conventional ground plate can be adopted as it is for the portions other than the core groove portion, the design change can be reduced. Furthermore, by storing a part of the core of the extending portion in the core groove portion of the base plate, the core is protected from impact. In addition, it is preferable that the ground plane is comprised with the nonelectroconductive member.

  In the present invention, in the thickness direction of the timepiece, a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the timepiece is provided in the ground plate that overlaps at least a part of the coil, and the thin film magnetic body is the coil portion. It is preferable that the extended portion that is stacked more than does not protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the coil.

  According to this invention, since the through hole is provided in the ground plane, when the antenna is disposed in the exterior case, a part of the coil can be inserted into the through hole in the thickness direction of the timepiece. Therefore, even if the antenna is arranged in the exterior case, an increase in the thickness dimension of the watch can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the portion where the number of laminated thin film magnetic bodies is larger than that of the coil portion in the extended portion of the core does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the coil, the timepiece is formed by laminating a large amount of thin film magnetic material on the extended portion. An increase in the thickness dimension of can be avoided.

  In the present invention, it comprises a circuit board on which the receiving means is mounted, the circuit board does not overlap the coil in the thickness direction of the timepiece, and at least a part of the core in the thickness direction of the timepiece It is preferable that it is formed so as to overlap.

According to the present invention, since the circuit board is provided so as not to overlap the coil in the thickness direction of the watch, for example, the thickness dimension of the watch is increased compared to the case where the circuit board and the coil overlap each other. Therefore, the watch can be thinned.
Here, the circuit board is provided so as to overlap with at least a part of the extended portion of the core, but the increase in the thickness dimension of the watch is small compared with the case where the circuit board overlaps with the coil, The circuit board overlapping the extended portion can be used for mounting elements and the like, and the space in the outer case can be effectively used.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the receiving sensitivity of an electromagnetic wave can be improved efficiently in the limited space in an exterior case.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a timepiece 1 that is an electronic timepiece with built-in antenna according to the present embodiment as viewed from the back cover 33 (FIG. 2), and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. In FIG. 1, the upper direction is the 12 o'clock direction of the timepiece 1, the lower direction is the 6 o'clock direction, the left direction is the 3 o'clock direction, and the right direction is the 9 o'clock direction.
The timepiece 1 has the same configuration as a general radio wave correction timepiece, and accommodates a receiving means 2 that receives and processes a radio wave (external wireless information) including time information, a movement 4, and the movement 4. An exterior case 3 is provided.

[1. Exterior case structure)
The exterior case 3 is detachably attached to a casing (body portion) 31 formed in a substantially ring shape, a cover glass 32 attached to an opening on the front surface side of the casing 31, and an opening on the back surface side of the casing 31. The back cover 33 is provided. The casing 31 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, brass, or titanium.
A dial 35 is attached to the surface of the movement 4, and a second hand 351, a minute hand 352, and an hour hand 353 attached to a train wheel driven by a stepping motor are arranged at the approximate center of the dial 35. Has been. Further, a ring-shaped date dial (not shown) is provided on the back surface of the dial plate 35, and a date printed on the outer periphery of the date dial is displayed from a window formed on the dial plate 35.

In the present embodiment, the dial plate 35 is composed of a non-conductive member (electrical insulator) having translucency such as glass or transparent plastic. Further, on the back side of the dial plate 35, a solar panel 36 is provided so as to overlap the dial plate 35. The solar panel 36 is formed of a flexible substrate made of polyimide that transmits radio waves.
A circular glass plate 331 that is a non-conductive member is used for a part of the back cover 33. The glass plate 331 is fitted in a metal outer ring which is the main body of the back cover 33.

[2. Structure of receiving means]
Next, a structure for receiving time information will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, the time information receiving means 2 is processed by an antenna 21 for receiving radio waves, a tuning circuit 22 for tuning to the received radio waves, and a receiving circuit 23 for processing time information obtained from hour hand radio waves. And a time data storage circuit 24 for storing the time information.

  The tuning circuit 22 includes two capacitors 22A and 22B connected in parallel to the antenna 21, and one capacitor 22B is connected to the antenna 21 via a switch 22C.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the antenna 21 is configured by winding a coil 212 around a magnetic core 211 and, if necessary, is insulated by cationic electrodeposition coating having excellent corrosion resistance. It is a thing. 4 is a plan view of the antenna 21, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna 21 as viewed from the side.
As shown in FIG. 5, the core 211 has a planar rectangular straight portion (coil portion) 211 </ b> C provided inside the coil 212, and extends in a substantially arc shape at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the straight portion 211 </ b> C. The end portion (extended portion) 211 </ b> A is integrally formed.
Here, the end portions 211A are formed substantially symmetrical with respect to the center line C1 intersecting the axial direction of the coil 212 in the plan view of FIG. 4 and the center line C2 of the sectional view of FIG. Yes.

6A and 6B are diagrams showing the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 constituting the core 211, FIG. 6A is a plan view showing the amorphous foil 2110 on the dial side, and FIG. 6B shows the amorphous foil 2111 on the back cover side. FIG.
The core 211 is a laminated core formed by laminating a plurality of amorphous foils as thin film magnetic bodies along the thickness direction of the watch (the vertical direction in FIG. 5). The core 211 has two types, an amorphous foil 2110 formed in a substantially U shape with a flat planar shape, and an amorphous foil 2111 having a planar area smaller than that of the amorphous foil 2110 and formed in a substantially arc shape. Made of amorphous foil.
The substantially U-shaped amorphous foil 2110 has a shape corresponding to the linear portion 211C and both end portions 211A of the core 211, and the substantially arc-shaped amorphous foil 2111 corresponds to only one end portion 211A of the core 211. It has a shape (see FIG. 5).

The core 211 is accommodated in an antenna frame 213 as a core holding member in order to reinforce the laminated amorphous foils 2110 and 2111.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the antenna frame 213 is formed in a flat, substantially U shape that is slightly larger than the planar shape of the amorphous foil 2110. The antenna frame 213 includes storage portions 216 and 217 in which a cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the central axis of the coil 212 is formed in a substantially U shape.
The storage units 216 and 217 include a storage unit 216 in which the straight portion 211C is stored, and a storage unit 217 in which each end 211A is stored deeper than the storage unit 216. That is, the storage unit 217 can store more amorphous foil on the back cover 33 side than the storage unit 216. The antenna frame 213 is made of a nonconductive member such as a synthetic resin injection molded product. Further, the thickness of the portion corresponding to the two end portions 211 </ b> A in the antenna frame 213 is set so as not to protrude from the coil 212 toward the back cover. That is, as the thickness of the antenna 21, the thickness of the coil 212 portion is the maximum.

A plurality of substantially arc-shaped amorphous foils 2111 are stacked and stored in the deep-bottom storage portion 217, and a plurality of substantially U-shaped amorphous foils 2110 are stacked thereon to form the core 211. . That is, the number of laminated amorphous foils laminated on both end portions 211A is larger than the number of laminated layers in the straight portion 211C.
Since the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 are stacked inside the storage portions 216 and 217, the antenna frame 213 extends along the surface of the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 on the back cover 33 side and the longitudinal direction of the core 211. The laminated side surfaces on both sides of the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 and the laminated end surfaces of the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 at both ends of the core 211 are covered. The depths of the storage portions 216 and 217 for storing the core 211 are set sufficiently deep so that a part of the stored core 211 does not protrude from the storage portions 216 and 217 to the ground plane (upper side in FIG. 5). Has been.
By accommodating the core 211 in the antenna frame 213 in this way, the core 211 can be protected from disturbances such as vibration and impact, the winding work of the coil 212 is facilitated, and the coil 212 is prevented from being unwound. it can.
Depending on the strength of the core 211, the antenna frame 213 may be unnecessary.

  The core 211 is formed by punching an amorphous foil (eg, cobalt-based amorphous foil of Co 50 wt% or more) 2110, 2111 with a mold or by etching and laminating about 10 to 30 sheets, and performing heat treatment such as annealing. This stabilizes the magnetic characteristics. As an adhesive for bonding the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111, an adhesive which does not apply stress to the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 when cured is selected and used.

The amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 constituting the core 211 have a thickness dimension of about 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm. For example, when 30 sheets are stacked, the thickness dimension in the stacking direction is 0.3 mm to 1. It is about 5 mm.
Further, since the amorphous material has a small coercive force of about 0.32 A / m and better magnetic properties than ferrite, a smaller and thinner antenna 21 can be realized. And since the antenna characteristics are affected by the volume of the antenna, it is necessary to increase the plane area or the antenna length (the length of the core and the coil) in order to maintain the antenna characteristics by making the antenna thinner. There is. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the width of the core 211 is, for example, about 0.5 to 3.0 mm, and the length is about 15 to 30 mm.
If the thickness of the amorphous foil is greater than 0.05 mm, it is difficult to quickly cool the central portion of the amorphous foil, and the metal is crystallized without being amorphized. That is, in order to produce an amorphous material, it is necessary to cool quickly before the metal is crystallized, and for this purpose, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the metal. Further, when the thickness of the amorphous foil is smaller than 0.01 mm, the strength of the amorphous foil is lowered and easily deformed during assembly work.

The coil 212 requires an inductance value of about 10 to 50 mHz when receiving a long wave standard radio wave (40 to 77.5 kHz). For this reason, in this embodiment, a uremet wire having a diameter of about 0.1 μm is wound as the coil 212 for several hundred turns. In the present embodiment, the coil 212 is wound around the straight portion 211C of the core 211 and is not wound around the end portions 211A in order to facilitate the winding work of the coil 212 and prevent winding.
Further, the winding method of the coil 212 is not particularly limited, and random winding may be used, but aligned winding is particularly preferable. If the aligned winding is employed, there is no useless space between the coil wires, and the coil volume for obtaining the same inductance value can be reduced. The coil 212 is wound around the outer periphery of the antenna frame 213 in which the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 are housed.

[3. Circuit board configuration]
The capacitors 22A and 22B, the receiving circuit 23, and the storage circuit 24 shown in FIG. 3 are mounted on the circuit board 40 on the back cover 33 side as a tuning element 481, a receiving IC 482, and a RAM, respectively, as shown in FIG. Has been. In addition, a CPU 491, a reference vibrator 492, and the like are mounted on the circuit board 40.

  Here, the antenna 21 and the receiving IC 482 are connected to each other by two wires via a tuning element 481. That is, the antenna 21 and the receiving IC 482 are electrically connected by pulling out a conducting wire from one end of the coil 212 and soldering it to the circuit board 40. When a flexible substrate made of polyimide or the like is provided on the antenna frame 213, the coil is connected to the flexible substrate, and the flexible substrate is screwed to the circuit substrate 40, and the antenna is connected via the flexible substrate and the screw. 21 and the circuit board 40 may be electrically connected.

[4. (Parts placement in the outer case)
In FIG. 2, the movement 4 housed in the outer case 3 includes a train wheel (not shown), a base plate 37, a dial plate 35, a circuit board 40, a battery, a pointer, a motor for driving the date dial, and the like, and the antenna 21 described above. Is incorporated.
Incidentally, the antenna 21 of the present embodiment is characterized in that a large amount of amorphous foil is laminated on the back cover 33 side of the end portion 211A of the core 211, and the thickness dimension of the end portion 211A is larger than the thickness dimension of the linear portion 211C. Shape. Hereinafter, the arrangement of the antenna 21 in the outer case 3 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the antenna 21 is arranged close to the 9 o'clock direction of the inner peripheral surface 31 </ b> A of the casing 31, and both end portions of the core 211 are close to the inner peripheral surface 31 </ b> A. Whereas the antenna 21 is arranged in the 9 o'clock direction in the casing 31, the battery 452 is arranged in the approximately 1 o'clock direction, and the antenna 21 and the battery 452 are arranged relatively far apart in the casing 31. Has been. Note that a lithium-ion battery, which is a high-capacity secondary battery, is adopted as the battery 452, and the electric power generated by the solar panel 36 is accumulated in the battery 452.
The reference vibrator 492 is disposed in the 6 o'clock direction, and is disposed farther from the antenna 21 than the CPU 491 or the like. The drive coils 422 and 432 of the motors 421 and 431 are disposed away from the antenna 21 in the 3 o'clock direction and the 4 o'clock direction, respectively.
Note that a spacer (not shown) made of a plastic disk is provided between the antenna 21 and the movement 4 as a cushioning material.
Further, a plastic ring-shaped inner frame 39 is provided between the inner peripheral surface 31 </ b> A of the outer case 3 and the antenna 21.

In FIG. 2, the antenna 21 is screwed to the surface on the back cover 33 side of the base plate 37 by screws 215 inserted into the holes 214 at both ends of the antenna frame 213, and is fixed in the casing 31. . In the thickness direction of the timepiece 1, a portion of the ground plate 37 that overlaps at least a portion of the coil 212 is provided with a through hole 371 that penetrates in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1, and a portion of the coil 212 on the dial plate 35 side is formed. It is in a state of being inserted into the through hole 371.
In addition, it replaces with screwing and the front-end | tip part of each edge part 211A of the core 211 may each be adhere | attached on the periphery of the ground plane 37 using a thermoplastic resin (hot melt), an ultraviolet curing epoxy, etc. For fixing the antenna 21, an elastic sealing material may be used as a buffer material.

  Further, since the amorphous material of the core 211 has a coercive force of about 0.32 A / m, which is smaller than that of ferrite, even if the end portion 211A of the core 211 is disposed close to the inner peripheral surface 31A, the magnetic material from the casing 31 is Not easily affected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ring line width of the middle frame 39 is set to about several millimeters, and the distance between the end 211A and the inner peripheral surface 31A is very small.

As shown in FIG. 1, the circuit board 40 incorporated on the back cover 33 side has a notch 401 formed at a position where one end portion 211 </ b> A and the straight portion 211 </ b> C of the core 211 are arranged. That is, the circuit board 40 is formed so as not to overlap the coil 212 and the one end 211A of the core 211 in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1 but to the other end 211A of the core 211. And from this notch 401, the coil 212 and one edge part 211A are exposed to the back cover 33 side.
In addition, rectangular cutouts 402 are formed in the circuit board 40 at positions corresponding to drive coils 412, 422, and 432 provided on a ground plate (not shown). 412, 422, and 432 are exposed.

When the antenna 21 receives a radio wave such as a long wave standard radio wave, the magnetic field component of the radio wave passes from one end 211A to the other end 211A in the core 211 of the antenna 21. Then, an alternating current is induced in the coil 212 wound around the core 211, and accordingly, an alternating voltage is generated at both ends of the coil 212. This AC voltage is sent to the receiving circuit 23 as an analog received signal.
The analog reception signal is subjected to processing such as amplification, demodulation, and decoding by the reception circuit 23 to obtain digital time data, and this time data is stored in the storage circuit 24.

The antenna 21 usually has directivity that reacts to a magnetic field in the direction of the extension line connecting the end portions 211A of the core 211 (the axial direction of the core 211 and the coil 212). That is, since the direction in which the coil 212 and the magnetic field interlink is the maximum sensitivity direction, if the metal casing 31 is disposed close to or in the axial direction of the core 211 or the coil 212, the coil 212 is The interlinkage magnetic field is hindered and the reception sensitivity of the antenna 21 is lowered.
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the thickness dimension of the end portion 211A of the core 211 is larger than the thickness dimension of the linear portion 211C, and the core 211 is expanded toward the back cover 33 at the end portion 211A. Therefore, the radio wave reception sensitivity is improved. That is, the magnetic flux entering the coil 212 from the back cover 33 side is easily collected, and the magnetic flux collection effect of the core 211 is enhanced, so that the radio wave reception sensitivity is improved.

This magnetic flux collecting effect will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 7B is a schematic view of a comparative antenna having a core formed by simply laminating a plurality of amorphous foils 2110 as viewed from the side. On the other hand, in FIG. 7A, the core is configured using two types of amorphous foils 2110 and 2111, and the thickness dimension of both end portions 211 </ b> A of the core is larger than the thickness dimension of the core inside the coil 212. It is the schematic which looked at the antenna of this embodiment formed large from the side. And the arrow of the both sides of a core shows the magnetic flux line which generate | occur | produces with the radio wave reception with an antenna. That is, if both end portions 211A of the core are made thicker than the central portion of the core, more magnetic flux lines pass through the coil 212, and radio wave reception sensitivity is improved. In particular, by thickening both end portions 211A of the core, the antenna can easily collect magnetic flux lines from the thickness direction of the watch (for example, the dial side or the back cover side).

  On the other hand, regarding the planar arrangement of the antenna 21, the end portion 211A formed in an arc shape as described above is arranged along the inner peripheral surface 31A. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the distance D1 from the end surface 211B of the core 211 to the inner peripheral surface 31A of the metallic casing 31 arranged in the axial direction of the end portion 211A can be made relatively large. The reception sensitivity can be improved. The distance D1 is determined by the diameter of the casing 31 and the like. For example, if the diameter of the casing 31 is about 30 mm and the width of the antenna core is about 3 mm, the distance D1 is about 6.5 mm. .

  And since the battery 452 is arrange | positioned away from the antenna 21, the influence on the linkage magnetic field of the antenna 21 by the battery 452 provided with metal cases, such as stainless steel, can be avoided. Further, since the reference vibrator 492 is also arranged away from the antenna 21, a noise signal is mixed into the antenna 21 by the reference vibrator 492 using a 32.768 kHz crystal vibrator close to the long wave reception frequency (40 kHz). The time information can be received well. Furthermore, the drive coils 422 and 432 are also arranged away from the antenna 21, and the magnetic influence on the antenna 21 by the drive coils 422 and 432 is reduced.

According to such 1st Embodiment, the following effects are acquired.
(1) The reception sensitivity of radio waves can be improved by increasing the number of laminated amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 at the end 211A to be larger than the number of laminated amorphous foils 2110 at the straight part 211C. That is, the magnetic flux entering the coil 212 from the back cover 33 side is easily collected, and the magnetic flux collecting effect of the core 211 is enhanced. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use a limited space and improve radio wave reception sensitivity.

(2) Since the receiving sensitivity of the antenna 21 is high even when the metallic casing 31 is used, the core 211 is brought as close as possible to the inner peripheral surface 31A of the casing 31 to improve the planar space efficiency in the casing 31. It can be greatly improved. Thereby, size reduction of the timepiece 1 can be promoted. In addition, the metallic casing 31 can provide a high-quality appearance design as compared with the case where the exterior case is made of plastic or the like, and can thereby provide the timepiece 1 with less design restrictions.

(3) By simply laminating the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111, the thickness dimension of the end 211A can be easily changed relatively easily, and the reception sensitivity of the antenna 21 can be easily adjusted.

(4) Since the core 211 is stored in the storage portions 216 and 217 having a U-shaped cross-sectional shape, the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 that are easily broken by heat treatment can be protected from impact due to dropping or the like. The durability of the core 211 can be improved.

(5) Since the base plate 37 has the through hole 371, when the antenna 21 is disposed in the exterior case 3, a part of the coil 212 on the dial plate 35 side can be inserted into the through hole 371. Therefore, even if the antenna 21 is disposed in the exterior case 3, an increase in the thickness dimension of the timepiece 1 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the antenna frame 213 that houses the end portion 211A thickened by the number of laminated amorphous foils 2111 does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the coil 212 on the back cover 33 side, the end portion 211A of the core 211 is thickened. An increase in the thickness dimension of the timepiece 1 can be avoided.

(6) Since the circuit board 40 does not overlap the coil 212 in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1, for example, an increase in the thickness dimension of the timepiece 1 is suppressed as compared with a case where the circuit board 40 and the coil 212 overlap each other. Therefore, the watch 1 can be thinned. On the other hand, the circuit board 40 is overlapped with the other end 211A of the core 211. On this part of the circuit board 40, for example, an element such as a tuning element 481 is mounted or a wiring pattern is formed. Thus, the space in the outer case 3 can be effectively used.

(7) As a result of improving the space efficiency in the casing 31, the layout of the battery 452, the receiving IC 482, the reference vibrator 492, the motors 411, 421, 431, etc. disposed inside the outer case 3 is limited. Therefore, the antenna 21 having a relatively large or a large number of turns can be used. Thereby, the sensitivity of the antenna 21 can be improved synergistically with the space efficiency in the casing 31.

(8) Since the amorphous foils 2110 and 2111 are used for the core 211, the cross-sectional area in the direction in which the magnetic flux flows can be reduced, eddy currents caused by the magnetic flux change can be suppressed, and the iron loss can be reduced. Then, the magnetic field generated by the eddy current can be suppressed, and as a result, the receiving sensitivity of the antenna 21 can be improved.

(9) Since the end portion 211A of the core 211 is formed in a planar arc shape and disposed along the inner peripheral surface 31A of the casing 31, the end surface 211B of the core 211 (FIG. 1) and a position facing the end surface 211B A distance D1 (FIG. 1) with a certain inner peripheral surface 31A can be made relatively large. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the casing 31 from disturbing the magnetic field of the standard radio wave that links the coil 212 through the core 211. That is, the receiving sensitivity of the antenna 21 is excellent, and the end portion 211A of the core 211 is bent in the plane direction in addition to the thickness direction of the timepiece 1, so that the end portion 211A of the core 211 is connected to the inner peripheral surface of the casing 31. Since it can be arranged closer to 31A, the timepiece 1 can be further miniaturized.

(10) Since the core 211 on which the amorphous foil 2110 is laminated is held by the antenna frame 213, the antenna 21 can be stably and securely fixed to the ground plane 37, and the antenna 21 can be easily incorporated into the timepiece 1.
In addition, since the coil 212 is wound in a state where the core 211 is held by the antenna frame 213, it is possible to prevent the conductive wire constituting the coil 212 from being damaged and cut at the edge of the core 211.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the following description of each embodiment, the same components as those already described are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted or simplified.
In the first embodiment, the back cover and the dial are made of a non-conductive member. In this embodiment, the dial 35 is also made of a non-conductive member, but the back cover 33A is made of metal. It is made. Along with this, at the end 221A of the core 221, the substantially arc-shaped amorphous foil 2211 is laminated on the dial plate 35 side which is the opposite side of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the timepiece 1A of the present embodiment.
The antenna 21A is configured by winding a coil 212 around a core 221 on which amorphous foils 2210 and 2211 are laminated.
The storage portion 216A of the antenna frame 213A is formed so that the straight portion 221C and both end portions 221A of the core 221 have the same depth. A flat, substantially U-shaped amorphous foil 2210 is laminated on the storage portion 216A, and a substantially arc-shaped amorphous foil 2211 is further laminated on the amorphous foil 2210. That is, a plurality of amorphous foils 2211 are stacked on the dial 35 side of the amorphous foil 2210, and the thickness dimension of the core 221 at both ends 221A is larger than the thickness dimension of the core 221 at the straight line portion 221C. In addition, the storage portion 216A in which the cores 221 of both ends 221A are stored is shallower than the storage portion 217 (FIG. 5) of the first embodiment because the amorphous foil 2111 is not stacked on the back cover side. It has become.

  A core groove 372 is formed on the surface of the base plate 37A on the back cover 33A side at a position corresponding to both ends 221A of the antenna 21A. The core groove portion 372 accommodates the amorphous foil 2211 laminated on both end portions 221A of the antenna 21A and part of both end portions of the antenna frame 213A.

  In the thickness direction of the timepiece 1A, a portion of the ground plate 37A that overlaps at least a portion of the coil 212 is provided with a through-hole 371 that penetrates in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1A. It is in a state of being inserted into the through hole 371. Further, a part of the end portion 221A of the core 221 that is thicker than the number of laminated amorphous foils 2211 does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the coil 212 on the dial plate 35 side to the dial plate 35 side.

  The planar arrangement is the same as that of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the plane arrangement is approximately 1 o'clock so as to be spaced apart from the end 221A of the core 221 arranged in the 9 o'clock direction. Batteries 452, drive coils 422 and 432 are arranged in the reference vibrator 492, 3 o'clock or 4 o'clock direction in the 6 o'clock direction, respectively. Thereby, interference with the interlinkage magnetic field of the antenna 21A by the battery 452, the reference vibrator 492, the drive coils 422, 433, and the like is prevented.

In this embodiment, in addition to the effect by 1st Embodiment, there exist the following effects.
(11) It has a dial plate 35 formed of a non-conductive member, and is set so that the thickness dimension of the end portion 211A is larger on the dial plate 35 side than the thickness dimension of the linear portion 221C of the core 221. Therefore, it is easy to receive radio waves entering from the dial plate 35 side. Therefore, even if the back cover 33A is made of metal, the radio wave receiving sensitivity can be improved by increasing the magnetic flux collecting effect from the dial plate 35 side.

(12) Since the amorphous foil 2211 and part of both ends of the antenna frame 213A are accommodated in the core groove 372 of the ground plane 37A, the thickness dimension of the entire watch 1A is not increased, and the thickness direction of the antenna 21A Can be secured. Further, since the ground plane 37A supports the time display means and the like, the shape of the conventional ground plane can be adopted as it is for the portions other than the core groove portion 372, and the design change can be reduced. Furthermore, since the amorphous foil 2211 is housed in the core groove portion 372, the core 221 is protected from an impact.

(13) Since the ground plane 37 </ b> A has the through hole 371, a part of the coil 212 on the dial plate 35 side can be inserted into the through hole 371 when the antenna 21 is disposed in the exterior case 3. Therefore, even if the antenna 21 is disposed in the exterior case 3, an increase in the thickness dimension of the timepiece 1 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the end 221A thickened by the number of laminated amorphous foils 2211 does not protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the coil 212 on the dial plate 35 side, the part of the end 221A of the core 221 is thickened. An increase in thickness dimension can be avoided.

(14) Since the time information is received via the dial plate 35, the back cover 33A is not particularly limited by materials, and by adopting a conductive member such as a metal material, the finishing texture of the back cover 33A can be improved. Can be improved.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, 3rd Embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna 21B of the present embodiment as viewed from the side. 10A and 10B are views showing the amorphous foils 2410 and 2411 constituting the core 241. FIG. 10A is a plan view showing the amorphous foil 2410 on the dial side, and FIG. 10B shows the amorphous foil 2411 on the back cover side. FIG.
The antenna 21 of the first embodiment is formed by adding a substantially arc-shaped amorphous foil 2111 to both end portions 211A of the core 211 in FIG. 5 and laminating, but in the present embodiment, FIG. 9 and FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, after the amorphous foil 2411 is laminated only on one end 241A of the core 241, the amorphous foil 2410 is further laminated. In the antenna frame 213B, a storage portion 216B is formed at a position corresponding to the linear portion 241C and the other end portion 241B, and a storage portion 217 deeper than the storage portion 216B is formed at a position corresponding to one end portion 241A. Has been. And the thickness dimension of one edge part 241A is set larger than the thickness dimension of the linear part 241C.

  Further, a circuit board 40A for an antenna using a flexible substrate is attached to the surface of the antenna frame 213B on the other end 241B on the back cover side (lower side in FIG. 9). A plurality of tuning elements 44 of the antenna 21 are mounted on the circuit board 40A. Here, the circuit board 40A is fixed to the ground plate by sandwiching the circuit board 40A together with the antenna frame 213B by screws 215 (FIG. 8) inserted into the holes 214, whereby the circuit board 40A is fixed to the circuit board 40 (FIG. 1).

In this embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects, the following effects can be obtained.
(15) With respect to one end portion 241A of the core 241, the reception sensitivity can be improved by making the thickness dimension larger than the thickness dimension of the linear portion 241C by the amorphous foil 2411, and the other end of the core 241 can be improved. With respect to the end 241B, the space in the casing can be used effectively by arranging the circuit board 40A for the antenna. Thereby, the receiving sensitivity of the antenna 21B can be synergistically improved with the effective use of the space in the casing.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, 4th Embodiment of this invention is described based on drawing.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the antenna 21C according to the present embodiment as viewed from the side. 12A and 12B are diagrams showing the amorphous foils 2510 and 2511 constituting the core 251. FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the amorphous foil 2510 on the dial side, and FIG. 12B shows the amorphous foil 2511 on the back cover side. FIG.
The antenna 21B (FIG. 9) of the third embodiment described above is formed so that the entire one end 241A of the core 241 is thicker than the straight portion 241C. However, the antenna 21C of the present embodiment is not shown in FIG. 11, at least a part of one end 251A of the core 251 is formed to be thicker than the straight portion 251C.

As shown in FIG. 12, one end 251A of the core 251 is formed by laminating an amorphous foil 2511 having a smaller plane area than the amorphous foil 2411 of the third embodiment, and further laminating an amorphous foil 2510. It is. In the antenna frame 213C, a storage portion 216B is formed at a position corresponding to the straight portion 251C and the other end portion 251B, and a storage portion 217A deeper than the storage portion 216B is formed at a position corresponding to the one end portion 251A. Has been. The storage portion 217A has a smaller storage volume than the storage portion 217 (FIG. 9) of the third embodiment because the area of the amorphous foil 2511 is smaller than that of the amorphous foil 2411. For the core 251, the thickness dimension of one end 251A is set to be partially larger than the thickness dimension of the linear part 251C.
As in the third embodiment, a circuit board 40B for an antenna using a flexible board is attached to the surface on the back cover side (lower side in FIG. 11) of the antenna frame 213C at the other end 251B. A plurality of tuning elements 44 are mounted on the circuit board 40B.

In this embodiment, in addition to the above-described effects, the following effects can be obtained.
(16) Even if the space for increasing the thickness dimension of the core 251 cannot be secured due to restrictions on the arrangement of the members housed in the exterior case, the one end 251A of the core 251 Even if it is slight, the reception sensitivity can be improved by partially increasing the number of laminated amorphous foils 2511.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
The timepiece of the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that of the timepiece 1 of the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, a description will be given with reference to a detailed drawing showing a more specific structure.

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the timepiece 1B according to the present embodiment.
The timepiece 1B is also a radio wave correction clock that receives a standard radio wave as an external signal on which time information is superimposed and corrects the display time. The timepiece 1 </ b> B includes an antenna 51, and the antenna 51 is supported and fixed to the main plate 50. Here, the ground plane 50 is formed in a substantially circular planar shape, and each component of the timepiece 1 </ b> B is disposed on the ground plane 50.

The watch 1B includes, as main components other than the antenna 51, a second motor 411 that drives a second hand 351 (FIG. 2), an hour / minute motor 421 that drives an hour hand 353 and a minute hand 352 (FIG. 2), and a date indicator (see FIG. (Not shown), a calendar motor 431 that drives a battery, a battery storage unit 541 that stores a battery 452 as a power source, and an external input device 3A that can be operated by a user from the outside, such as a crown.
FIG. 13 is a view as viewed from the opposite side (back cover side) of the time display side of the timepiece 1B. In this figure, the upper direction is the 3 o'clock direction of the timepiece 1B, the lower direction is the 9 o'clock direction, and the right side The direction is 12 o'clock and the left is 6 o'clock.

  Between the second hand and the second motor 411, there is provided a second hand wheel train 522 that transmits the driving force from the second motor 411 to the second hand, and between the hour and minute hands and the hour / minute motor 421, the hour / minute motor 421. An hour / minute hand train wheel 527 for transmitting the driving force from the hour hand and the minute hand is provided.

The second motor 411 is formed of a stepping motor, and is disposed closer to the center side of the ground plane 50 than the antenna 51 in the approximately 9 o'clock direction of the timepiece 1B.
The second hand wheel train 522 includes a second intermediate wheel 5221 that meshes with the rotor of the second motor 411 and a fourth wheel 5222 that meshes with the second intermediate wheel 5221. A second hand is fixed to the fourth wheel & pinion 5222. When a motor pulse is passed through the stepping motor of the second motor 411, the rotor is rotated by electromagnetic induction. This rotational movement is transmitted while being decelerated at an appropriate reduction ratio (speed increase ratio) in the order of the second intermediate wheel 5221 and the fourth wheel & pinion 5222, and the second hand rotates at a predetermined speed of 1 pulse per second.

Similar to the second motor 411, the hour / minute motor 421 is formed of a stepping motor, and is arranged in the approximately 3 o'clock direction of the timepiece 1B.
The hour / minute hand train wheel 527 includes a fifth wheel & pinion 5271 meshing with the rotor of the hour / minute motor 421, a third wheel & pinion 5272 meshing with the fifth wheel & pinion 5271, a second wheel & pinion 5273 meshing with the third wheel, A minute wheel 5274 meshing with the vehicle 5273 and an hour wheel 5275 meshing with the minute wheel 5274 are provided. The second wheel 5273 and the hour wheel 5275 are arranged coaxially with the fourth wheel 5222, and a minute hand is fixed to the second wheel 5273 and an hour hand is fixed to the hour wheel 5275. When a motor pulse is applied to the hour / minute motor 421, the rotor is rotated by electromagnetic induction. This rotational movement is transmitted while being decelerated at an appropriate reduction ratio (speed increase ratio) in the order of the fifth wheel 5271, the third wheel 5272, and the second wheel 5273, and the minute hand rotates at a speed of making one round in one hour. The rotational movement of the center wheel & pinion 5273 is transmitted while being decelerated at an appropriate reduction ratio (speed increase ratio) in the order of the minute wheel 5274 and the hour wheel 5275 in order, and rotates at a speed at which the hour hand makes one round in 12 hours. Move.

  Here, the second motor 411 and the hour / minute motor 421 are arranged at positions substantially opposite to each other. In other words, the second motor 411 and the hour / minute motor 421 are located at substantially the center of the main plate 50 (that is, the rotation center of the second wheel 5273, the fourth wheel 5222, and the hour wheel 5275, and the rotation center of the pointer). It is arranged almost on the opposite side.

Similar to the second motor 411 and the hour / minute motor 421, the calendar motor 431 is formed of a stepping motor and is arranged in the direction of approximately 5 o'clock of the timepiece 1B.
Between the date wheel and the calendar motor 431, a calendar wheel train 533 for transmitting the driving force from the calendar motor 431 to the date wheel is provided. The calendar wheel train 533 includes a date turning first intermediate wheel 5331 meshed with the rotor, a date turning second intermediate wheel 5332 meshed with the first intermediate wheel 5331, and a date turning meshed with the second intermediate wheel 5332. A rotating wheel 5333 is provided. The date indicator driving wheel 5333 has a gear on the dial side through the main plate 50, and this gear is meshed with the internal gear of the date dial. Note that the position of the date indicator in the plane direction is determined by meshing between the gear and the internal gear, and a jumper that is conventionally used for positioning the date indicator is not provided.

  When a motor pulse is passed through the calendar motor 431, the rotor rotates by electromagnetic induction. This rotation is transmitted in the order of the date turning first intermediate wheel 5331, the date turning second intermediate wheel 5332, and the date turning wheel 5333, and the date indicator is rotated by the rotation of the date turning wheel 5333, and the displayed date is changed. .

A battery 452 is stored in the battery storage unit 541. The battery 452 is a secondary battery. The timepiece 1B obtains driving energy by power generation of the solar panel 36 (FIG. 2) disposed on the time display side. That is, in the present embodiment, unlike the above-described embodiments, both the dial and the back cover are made of non-conductive members. The electric power generated by the solar panel 36 is stored in the battery 452. The battery storage portion 541 is disposed in the approximately 1 o'clock direction of the timepiece 1B, and is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the main plate 50.
Here, the battery storage portion 541 is disposed on the outer peripheral side (outside) of the main plate 50 with respect to the hour / minute hand train wheel 527.

FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of the antenna 51 with the coil 512 removed as viewed from the time display side (base plate 50 side). The antenna 51 includes an antenna frame 513 as a core holding member substantially along the outer edge of the ground plane 50, a core 521 housed in the antenna frame 513, a coil 512 (FIG. 13) wound around the antenna frame 513, and an antenna frame. The circuit board 40C (FIG. 13) arrange | positioned at the back cover side of 513 is provided. In FIG. 14, the coil 512 and the circuit board 40C are omitted. In addition, in one bending portion 556 (the left bending portion 556B in the figure) of the antenna frame 513, the core 521 is broken in the middle and is partially omitted.
As shown in FIG. 13, such an antenna 51 is arranged along the outer edge of the main plate 50 in the direction of about 9 o'clock of the timepiece 1B, and is arranged over a region from about 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock of the timepiece 1B as a whole.

The antenna frame 513 is formed continuously from the linear coil winding portion 555 around which the coil 512 is wound, flange portions 558 formed at both ends of the coil winding portion 555, and the respective flange portions 558, and is not illustrated. And a curved portion 556 that is curved along the outer periphery of the main plate. Fixing holes 557 for fixing the antenna frame 513 to the ground plane 50 with screws are provided at both ends of the antenna frame 513 (ends of the respective curved portions 556).
The antenna frame 513 is made of a nonconductive material such as a synthetic resin such as a liquid crystal polymer.

  Here, the coil 512 cannot be unwound toward the bending portion 556 by the flange portion 558. The flange portion 558 is provided with a locking claw 559 for engaging the antenna 51 with the ground plane 50.

  The wire diameter and the number of turns of the coil 512 wound around the coil winding portion 555 are set in consideration of the material of the coil 512, the reception sensitivity of the antenna 51, and the like. Note that the surface of the coil 512 is coated with an adhesive in advance, and the coil 512 is bonded to each other by winding the coil 512 while applying hot air with a heater.

The antenna frame 513 is continuously stored so as to open on the surface facing the ground plane 50 (the side on which the locking claw 59 is provided in FIG. 14) and straddle the coil winding portion 555 and the curved portions 556 on both sides. A portion 560 is formed. The storage unit 560 stores a core 521 having substantially the same shape as the storage unit 560.
Here, the storage portion 560 in the coil winding portion 555 has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape, but the cross-sectional shape of the storage portion 560 in the coil winding portion 555 is substantially L-shaped or plate-shaped. May be.
In addition, the coil winding part 555 does not exist inside the coil 512 (FIG. 13), and the antenna frame 513 may be comprised by 2 components which consist of a pair of curved part 556A, 556B. That is, both ends of the core 521 are covered and held by the curved portions 556A and 556B, so that the strength of both ends of the antenna 51 is ensured, but the coil is wound around the center of the core 521. As a result, the strength of the central portion of the antenna 51 can be ensured. Therefore, it is not always necessary to cover the center portion of the core 521 with the coil winding portion 555, and the antenna frame 513 may not include the coil winding portion 555.
On the other hand, the shape of the antenna 51 in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1B is substantially the same as the antenna of the fourth embodiment. That is, the number of stacked cores 521 is partially increased, and the cores 521 are partially thickened. Therefore, the antenna frame 513 is formed with a storage portion 560 that stores the core 521, but the curved portion 556 </ b> B of the antenna frame 513 is partially formed with a storage portion 561 that is deeper than the storage portion 560. ing.

The core 521 is formed by laminating a plurality of amorphous metal thin plates mainly composed of Co. For example, about 30 to 40 amorphous metal thin plates of about 0.01 mm are laminated. The amorphous metal thin plates are bonded to each other with an adhesive, and are fixed to the storage portion 560 with an adhesive filled in a gap with the storage portion 560.
The thickness dimension of one end side of the core 521 (the curved part 556A side where the circuit board 40C is disposed) is substantially equal to the thickness dimension of the central part of the core 521. On the other hand, the thickness dimension of the other end side of the core 521 (the curved portion 556B side where the circuit board 40C is not disposed) is partially larger than the thickness dimension of the central portion of the core 521. That is, the core 521 provided on the curved portion 556B side has a portion where the number of laminated amorphous metal thin plates is partially large.
The cross-sectional shape of the storage portion 560 formed in the coil winding portion and the one curved portion 556A is substantially U-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the storage portion 560 formed in the other curved portion 556B is substantially L-shaped. Is formed. In the storage portion 560 of the curved portion 556B, a deep-bottom storage portion 561 having a U-shaped cross section formed partially deeper than the other is formed corresponding to the portion where the number of stacked cores 521 is large. .
The core 521 is housed in the housing portion 560 and the deep-bottom housing portion 561, and is protected from being damaged by an external impact or the like.

  The circuit board 40C (FIG. 13) is formed of a flexible board made of an insulating material. The end of the coil 512 is connected to the circuit board 40C by solder, and a plurality of tuning elements 481 of the antenna 51 are provided. Has been implemented. Here, the core 521 provided in one bending portion 556A does not have a large number of layers as the core 521 of the other bending portion 556B, and a space between the bending portion 556A and the back cover is secured. Thus, the circuit board 40C on which the electric elements are mounted is efficiently stored.

FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of a state before the antenna 51 is supported and fixed to the ground plane 50. In FIG. 15, the circuit board 40C is omitted.
The antenna 51 is disposed along the outer edge of the ground plane 50. Below, the structure for fixing the antenna 51 to the ground plane 50 is demonstrated.
A substantially rectangular opening (through hole) 566 that matches the shape of the coil winding portion 555 and the flange portion 558 is formed in a portion of the ground plane 50 where the coil winding portion 555 and the flange portion 558 of the antenna 51 are accommodated. Yes. Most of the opening 566 penetrates with a triangular plate-like bottom 567 at two corners. The main plate 50 includes a block 569 outside the opening 566. As shown in FIG. 13, the block 569 has locking portions 570 each having a rectangular parallelepiped hole at both ends of the lower portion of the wall 568.

The antenna 51 is supported and fixed as follows.
The locking claw 559 provided in the flange portion 558 of the antenna 51 is inserted into the locking portion 570 provided in the ground plate 50, and at the same time, the fixing holes 557 at both ends of the antenna frame 513 are provided in the ground plate 50. Fit into the cylindrical pin 571. Thereafter, a screw is screwed into the pin 571 to fix the entire antenna 51 to the ground plane 50.

  The main components and necessary parts described above are attached, and the ground plane 50 to which the antenna 51 is fixed is incorporated in an exterior case (not shown) as a movement, and the timepiece 1B is obtained.

FIG. 16 shows a circuit block that is an internal configuration of the timepiece 1B.
The timepiece 1B is substantially the same as the timepiece 1 of the first embodiment. The timepiece 1B counts time, receiving means 2 as communication means for receiving radio waves including time information, a drive control circuit 4A, drive means 4B for driving hands. Counter unit 4C, an electric power supply unit 4D for supplying electric power, and an external input device 3A such as a crown.

  Here, although the core formed of the amorphous foil is used for the antenna 51, the core is not limited to this and may be formed of ferrite. In this case, the core is manufactured by molding ferrite and heat-treating it. The appearance of the core is the same as that of the core 251 (FIG. 11) on which the amorphous foil 2510 is laminated in the fourth embodiment. That is, it has the edge part curvedly formed in the both sides of the linear part of a center part, respectively.

The frequency of the radio wave received by the antenna 51 is switched by turning on or off the switch 22C (FIG. 3) by a frequency switching control signal output from the drive control circuit 4A. As a result, for example, in Japan, two types are output from the standard radio wave output station of Otakado and Mt. (East Japan) with a transmission frequency of 40 kHz and the standard radio wave output station of Mt. Hagane (West Japan) with a transmission frequency of 60 kHz. It is configured to be able to switch and receive a long wave standard radio wave having a frequency of.
Furthermore, in addition to 40 kHz and 60 kHz, in the case of a three-frequency configuration that receives 77.5 kHz in Germany, etc., by switching both the capacitance and inductance (antenna inductance) of the antenna circuit by switching the switch 22C. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure by which an impedance is changed and reception radio frequency is switched.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the receiving means 2 includes an antenna 51, a tuning circuit 22, a receiving circuit 23, and a time data storage circuit 24 that stores time information. Here, a description of the receiving circuit 23 is added.
As shown in FIG. 17, the receiving circuit 23 amplifies the long wave standard radio signal received by the antenna 51, and a band pass filter 232 that extracts only a desired frequency component from the amplified long wave standard radio signal. A demodulation circuit 233 for smoothing and demodulating the long wave standard radio signal, an AGC (Automatic Gain Control) circuit 234 for controlling the gain of the amplification circuit 231 and controlling the reception level of the long wave standard radio signal to be constant, and demodulation And a decoding circuit 235 for decoding and outputting the long wave standard radio wave signal.
The time information received and signal-processed by the receiving circuit 23 is output and stored in the time data storage circuit 24 as shown in FIG.
The reception circuit 23 starts receiving time information based on a reception control signal output from the drive control circuit 4A by a preset schedule, a forced reception operation by the external input device 3A, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the pulse signal from the pulse synthesis circuit 4A1 is input to the drive control circuit 4A. The pulse synthesizing circuit 4A1 divides the reference pulse from the reference vibrator 4A11 such as a crystal vibrator to generate a clock pulse, and generates a pulse signal having a different pulse width and timing from the reference pulse.

The drive control circuit 4A outputs a second drive pulse signal PS1 that is output once per second to drive the second hand, and an hour / minute drive pulse signal PS2 that is output once per minute to drive the hour / minute hand. Output to the hour / minute drive circuit 42 to control the driving of the hands. That is, each drive circuit 41, 42 drives a second motor 411 and an hour / minute motor 421 including a stepping motor driven by a pulse signal from each drive circuit 41, 42, and is thereby connected to each motor 411, 421. The second hand, the minute hand and the hour hand are driven. Each pointer, motors 411 and 421, and drive circuits 41 and 42 constitute time display means for displaying the time. In addition, as a time display means, you may drive an hour hand, a minute hand, and a second hand with one motor.
The drive control circuit 4A also outputs a signal to the calendar drive circuit 43 and controls the driving of the date dial by the calendar motor 431 formed of a stepping motor.

The counter unit 4C includes a second counter circuit 4C1 that counts seconds and an hour / minute counter circuit 4C2 that counts hours and minutes.
The second counter circuit 4C1 includes a second position counter 4C11, a second time counter 4C12, and a coincidence detection circuit 4C13. Both the second position counter 4C11 and the second time counter 4C12 are counters that loop at 60 counts when a signal of 1 Hz is input, that is, 60 seconds. The second position counter 4C11 counts the drive pulse signal (second drive pulse signal PS1) supplied from the drive control circuit 4A to the second drive circuit 41. That is, the position of the second hand indicated by the second hand is counted by counting the drive pulse signal for driving the second hand.
The second time counter 4C12 normally counts a 1 Hz reference pulse signal (clock pulse) output from the drive control circuit 4A. When the time information is received by the receiving means 2, the counter value is corrected according to the second data in the time information.

Similarly, the hour / minute counter circuit 4C2 includes an hour / minute position counter 4C21, an hour / minute time counter 4C22, and a coincidence detection circuit 4C23. Both the hour / minute position counter 4C21 and hour / minute time counter 4C22 are counters that loop when signals for 24 hours are input. The hour / minute position counter 4C21 counts the drive pulse signal (hour / minute drive pulse signal PS2) supplied from the drive control circuit 4A to the hour / minute drive circuit 42, and counts the position of the hour / minute hands indicated by the hour and minute hands. ing.
The hour / minute time counter 4C22 normally counts 1 Hz pulses (clock pulses) output from the drive control circuit 4A (more precisely, 1 Hz is counted 60 times when counted). When the time information is received by the receiving means 2, the counter value is corrected in accordance with the hour / minute data in the time information.

The coincidence detection circuits 4C13 and 4C23 detect coincidence of the count values of the position counters 4C11 and 4C21 and the time counters 4C12 and 4C22, and output a detection signal indicating whether or not they coincide to the drive control circuit 4A. .
When a mismatch signal is input from the match detection circuits 4C13 and 4C23, the drive control circuit 4A continues to output the drive pulse signals PS1 and PS2 until the match signal is input. For this reason, during normal hand movement, when the counter value of each of the time counters 4C12 and 4C22 is changed by the 1 Hz reference signal from the drive control circuit 4A and does not coincide with the position counters 4C11 and 4C21, the drive pulse signals PS1 and PS2 are output. As the hands move, the position counters 4C11 and 4C21 coincide with the time counters 4C12 and 4C22. By repeating this operation, normal hand movement control is performed.
When the time counters 4C12 and 4C22 are corrected with the received time information, the drive pulse signals PS1 and PS2 are continuously output until the counter values of the position counters 4C11 and 4C21 coincide with the counter values. Is fast-forwarded and corrected to the correct time.

  On the other hand, each time the detection holes 5271A, 5272A, 5273A, 5222A, and 5275A (FIG. 13) coincide with each other, the photosensor detects light reception and detects that the current state is on the hour. When a signal is output to the drive circuit 43 and calendar information is received by the receiving means 2, this calendar information is output to the calendar drive circuit 43.

  The power supply unit 4D includes a power generation device 4D1 as a power generation unit configured by a self-winding generator or the like, and a battery 452 that stores the power generated by the power generation device 4D1.

  Also in this embodiment, the core 521 provided on the curved portion 556B side is provided with a portion where a large number of amorphous metal thin plates are partially laminated on the back cover side. As with the embodiment, the second embodiment, and the fourth embodiment, the time information can be satisfactorily received via the non-conductive back cover. Thereby, time adjustment and calendar adjustment can be performed more reliably.

According to such 5th Embodiment, there exist the following effects besides having the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment.
(17) The amorphous foil is laminated and disposed in the storage portion 561 at the bottom of one curved portion 556B of the antenna frame 513, so that the number of amorphous foils can be determined by the number of amorphous foils in the coil winding portion 555 and the other curved portion 556A. By increasing the number of layers, the magnetic flux entering the coil 512 from the back cover side can be easily collected and the magnetic collecting effect of the core 521 is enhanced. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the limited space in the casing and improve the radio wave reception sensitivity. Further, since the core 521 is housed in the housing portions 560 and 561, the amorphous foil that has been easily cracked even after heat treatment can be protected from an impact caused by dropping or the like, and the durability of the core 521 can be improved. it can.

(18) Since the antenna 51 is locked by four positions apart from the two positions of the locking portions 570 provided on the ground plate 50 and the both ends of the antenna 51, the antenna 51 can be stably fixed to the ground plate 50. Fluctuation due to vibration of the antenna 51 having a relatively heavy weight can be reduced. In addition, since the antenna 51 is directly fixed to the ground plane 50, it is not necessary to hold the antenna 51 with parts other than the ground plane 50, and the antenna 51 can be accommodated efficiently in space.

(19) The antenna 51 can be reliably locked by being fixed by the both ends of the antenna frame 513 and the locking claw 559 and the locking portion 570 being engaged, and more stably fixed to the ground plane 50. it can.

(20) Since the shape of the antenna frame 513 is formed in a bow shape along the outer edge of the substantially circular ground plane 50, the antenna 51 can be accommodated efficiently in space. Even if the antenna frame 513 has a bow shape, both ends of the antenna frame 513 are screwed, and the locking claws 559 provided at both ends of the coil winding portion 555 are locked by the locking portions 570. Thus, the antenna 51 can be stably fixed to the ground plane at four points apart.

(21) The synthetic resin antenna frame 513 is fixed without directly fixing the core 521. Therefore, since no extra force is directly applied to the core 521, breakage or distortion hardly occurs, and reception sensitivity can be stabilized.
Further, since the gain control of the amplifier circuit 231 is performed by the AGC circuit 234 (FIG. 17), the reception signal level can be made constant regardless of the electric field strength.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.
That is, the present invention has been illustrated and described primarily with respect to particular embodiments, but without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention relative to the embodiments described above. Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art in terms of shape, material, quantity, and other detailed configurations.

The shape of the antenna is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, with respect to the planar shape of the antenna, in the first embodiment, each end of the core may not be curved and may be an antenna that extends linearly from one end to the other end. Or it is good also as an antenna by which the intermediate part of the core was formed in planar arc shape, and both ends were comprised in planar linear form.
Also, the position of the antenna is not limited to the 9 o'clock direction in the casing as in each of the above embodiments, but in any position in the outer case in consideration of the position of the crown of the crown, the axis of the button, etc. An antenna can be placed.

As the antenna, an insulating tape may be interposed between the core and the coil.
The antenna may be one in which the linear portion of the core is wound and fixed with an insulating tape together with the antenna frame, and a coil is wound around the linear portion and the antenna frame from above the insulating tape. Thereby, while being able to insulate a coil and a core reliably with an insulating tape, even if a core is formed in cross-sectional rectangle shape, it can prevent that a coil cuts off at the edge of a corner of a core.

The thin film magnetic body forming the core is not limited to a cobalt-based amorphous metal but may be a foil (thin plate) of iron-based amorphous metal or the like.
In addition, as a core, the thickness dimension of an edge part should just be set larger than the thickness dimension of a linear part at least, and it is restricted to the laminated structure of amorphous foil (thin board) like each embodiment. Alternatively, an amorphous material core having a different structure may be used. Alternatively, a ferrite core may be used.

The antenna frame is not limited to one in which the cross-sectional shape of the storage portion is formed in a substantially U shape, but may be one in which the cross-sectional shape of the storage portion is formed in a substantially L shape.
Further, instead of the antenna frame, a plastic plate-shaped base plate may be used as the core holding member so as to cover the surface on the back cover side and the laminated end surface of the amorphous foil. There is an effect of reinforcing the amorphous foil laminated by such a base plate.

  The exterior case is not limited to a metal case as a whole. For example, the outer case may be configured by attaching a metal cover such as stainless steel or titanium to the surface of a plastic case. Further, the outer case may be made of a nonconductive material such as a synthetic resin or ceramic, and may be made of a metal layer formed by applying a surface treatment such as a metallic coating to these plastics. .

In the first embodiment, the non-conductive member is used for both the dial and the back cover. However, the dial is not limited thereto, and the dial is made of a conductive member. For example, the dial is made of stainless steel or brass. It may be formed of a metal material such as titanium. In this case, since the dial plate does not have translucency, a solar panel is not provided, and accordingly, a primary battery such as a silver battery may be adopted as the battery.
Moreover, in 2nd Embodiment, although the electroconductive member was used for the back cover, you may comprise the back cover also with the nonelectroconductive member similarly to the dial.
In each of the above embodiments, the exterior case is configured to include a casing, which is a trunk, a cover glass, and a back cover. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a one-piece type in which the trunk and the back cover are integrated. The outer case may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the glass plate is fitted in the outer ring of the back cover. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration, and the glass members are scattered only at positions facing the axis at the end of the core. It is also conceivable that the entire back cover is made of a glass member.

  The electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna according to the present invention is not limited to an analog timepiece having hands as in the above-described embodiments, and may be a digital type. In the case of a digital timepiece, it can be constituted by a liquid crystal panel, a circuit board, a battery, etc., and has a smaller number of parts than an analog timepiece, so that it can be a very thin timepiece.

  The radio information received by the antenna is not limited to long wave standard radio waves including time information. For example, even when receiving time information, a weak radio wave of 300 MHz band, a specific low power radio of 400 MHz band, Bluetooth (Bluetooth) of 2.4 GHz band, or the like may be used as the radio signal. When receiving these radio waves, since the frequency is high, the number of turns of the coil may be small, and the antenna can be small.

  In addition to the wireless communication using radio waves, other wireless communication methods such as an electromagnetic coupling method and an electromagnetic induction method may be used. Note that the electromagnetic coupling and electromagnetic induction methods require communication devices to be close to each other, but a non-magnetic material such as stainless steel can be transmitted through a metal portion.

Furthermore, wireless information communicated using an antenna is not limited to time information. For example, an IC card function may be built in the watch 1 and used to transmit and receive information such as train commuter passes and various prepaid IC cards. For example, an IC chip and an antenna may be incorporated in the exterior case so that information can be exchanged by placing a wristwatch close to a ticket gate using a smart card, an entrance / exit management machine, various billing machines, or the like. In this case, it is not necessary to insert and remove the IC card separately, and it is only necessary to bring the hand with the watch close to it, so that the operability can be greatly improved.
Therefore, the antenna built in the outer case of the present invention may be used exclusively for reception as in the case of receiving standard radio waves, or for transmitting and receiving information like a tag using a non-contact IC. These may be used, or may be used exclusively for transmission, and these may be appropriately selected according to the type of electronic timepiece to which the present invention is applied, that is, the electronic device with a built-in antenna.

  The present invention can be used for an antenna-type electronic timepiece such as a radio-controlled timepiece.

It is the top view seen from the back cover side which shows the timepiece of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view of the timepiece of the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the receiving circuit of the said embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the antenna of the said embodiment. It is a sectional side view which shows the antenna of the said embodiment. It is a figure which shows the thin film magnetic body which comprises the antenna of the said embodiment, (A) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a dial, (B) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a back cover. . It is a figure explaining the effect of this invention, (A) is a side view of this invention, (B) is a side view of a comparative example. It is side sectional drawing of the timepiece of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side sectional drawing which shows the antenna of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the thin film magnetic body which comprises the antenna of the said embodiment, (A) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a dial, (B) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a back cover. . It is a sectional side view which shows the antenna of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the thin film magnetic body which comprises the antenna of the said embodiment, (A) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a dial, (B) is a top view which shows the thin film magnetic body by the side of a back cover. . It is a top view which shows the timepiece of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of what removed the coil from the antenna of the embodiment. It is a perspective view of the state before the antenna of the said embodiment is supported and fixed to a ground plane. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the said embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the receiving circuit of the said embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A, 1B ... Timepiece (electronic timepiece with built-in antenna), 2 ... Receiving means, 3 ... Exterior case, 21, 51 ... Antenna, 33, 33A ... Back cover, 37, 37A, 50 ... Ground plate, 40, 40A, 40B, 40C ... circuit board, 211, 221, 241, 251, 521 ... core, 211A, 221A, 241A, 251A ... end (extension part), 211C, 221C, 241C, 251C ... linear part (coil part), 212, 512 ... coil, 213, 213A, 213B, 213C, 513 ... antenna frame (core holding member), 216, 216A, 216B, 217, 217A, 560, 561 ... storage part, 371 ... through hole, 372 ... core groove part 566: Opening (through hole), 2110, 2111, 2210, 2211, 21410, 2411, 210, 2511 ... Amorpha Foil (thin-film magnetic material).

Claims (5)

An exterior case,
An antenna arranged in the exterior case for receiving external wireless information;
Receiving means for processing external wireless information received by the antenna;
An electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna comprising a time display means,
The antenna is configured to include a core and a coil wound around the core,
The core is configured to include a coil portion provided inside the coil, and extending portions respectively extending on both sides of the coil portion,
The coil portion and the extending portion are composed of a thin film magnetic body laminated along the thickness direction of the watch,
The number of thin film magnetic bodies stacked in at least a portion of the extended portion is greater than the number of thin film magnetic bodies stacked in the coil portion, and in the direction along the thickness direction of the timepiece, An electronic timepiece with built-in antenna, wherein a thickness dimension of the part is larger than a thickness dimension of the coil portion. The electronic watch with a built-in antenna according to claim 1,
The antenna has a core holding member made of a non-conductive member in which a storage portion capable of storing the extended portion of at least one of the cores is formed.
An electronic timepiece with built-in antenna, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the storage portion in a cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the coil is formed in a substantially U shape or a substantially L shape. In the electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna according to claim 1 or 2,
The exterior case has a back cover, and in the exterior case, a ground plate that supports the time display means is disposed to face the back cover,
The antenna built-in electronic timepiece is characterized in that the antenna is fixed to the surface of the base plate on the back cover side, and a core groove part capable of accommodating at least a part of the extension part is formed. In the electronic timepiece with an antenna according to claim 3,
In the thickness direction of the timepiece, a through-hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the timepiece is provided in the base plate in a portion overlapping at least a part of the coil.
The antenna built-in electronic timepiece, wherein the extended portion in which the thin film magnetic body is laminated more than the coil portion does not protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the coil. In the electronic timepiece with a built-in antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A circuit board on which the receiving means is mounted;
The circuit board is formed so as not to overlap the coil in the thickness direction of the timepiece and to overlap at least a part of the core in the thickness direction of the timepiece. Electronic clock.

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