JP2013050421A - Watch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a watch which is excellent in esthetic appearance.SOLUTION: The watch 1 comprises: a case 2 having a ring-like shape; a rear lid 3 to be attached to the rear side of the case 2; and fixing means 30 which has a fixing function for fixing the rear lid 3 to the case 2. The fixing means 30 is composed of a plurality of engagement pieces arranged to the rear lid 3 in an inner space 50 surrounded by the case 2 and the rear lid 3; bolts 8 as fixing members for respectively fixing engagement pieces 4 with the rear lid 3 in the inner space 50; and a recess formed in an inner circumference 25 of the case 2, and has engagement sections 27 to be engaged with respective engagement pieces 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to a timepiece.

  As a conventional wristwatch, a wristwatch including a ring-shaped case and a back cover attached to the back side of the case is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the wristwatch described in Patent Document 1, the back cover is fixed to the case via bolts (screws). The bolt is tightened from the outside of the case toward the back cover. For this reason, the head of the bolt (screw head) is exposed, and there is a problem that the aesthetic appearance is impaired for the wristwatch.

JP 2010-127765 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a timepiece having an aesthetic appearance.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
The watch of the present invention includes a ring-shaped watch case,
A back cover mounted on the back side of the watch case;
Fixing means for fixing the back cover to the watch case;
The fixing means includes at least one engagement piece disposed on one member of the watch case and the back cover in a space surrounded by the watch case and the back cover,
A fixing member for fixing the engagement piece to the one member in the space;
It is provided in the other member of the timepiece case and the back cover, and has an engaging portion that engages with the engaging piece.
As a result, the fixing member for fixing the watch case and the back cover is disposed in the space surrounded by the watch case and the back cover, and cannot be visually recognized from the outside. Thereby, the timepiece has an excellent aesthetic appearance, and the aesthetics are improved.

In the timepiece of the present invention, the back cover has a protrusion formed to protrude on the front side surface,
It is preferable that the engagement piece is disposed on the top of the protrusion.
Thereby, an engagement piece can be arrange | positioned so that the one part may protrude outside a protrusion. And the part which this engagement piece protruded can engage with an engaging part.
In the timepiece of the present invention, it is preferable that the protrusion is a ring-shaped portion along the edge of the back cover.
Thereby, when arrange | positioning several engagement piece on the top part of a rib, the said engagement piece can be arrange | positioned at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of a rib. And by such arrangement | positioning, the engagement force by several engagement piece can be disperse | distributed uniformly, Therefore, a back cover is stably mounted | worn to a case.

In the timepiece according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the engaging portion is formed by a concave portion formed in an inner peripheral portion of the timepiece case.
Thereby, a recessed part can be made into the ring-shaped part along the inner peripheral part of the case for timepieces. Then, the engagement piece can face the concave portion having such a shape at any position in the circumferential direction, and a part of the engagement piece can enter. Thereby, the engagement piece can be easily and reliably engaged with the engagement portion formed of the recess.

In the timepiece of the present invention, it is preferable that the engagement piece holds a part of the timepiece case between the edge of the case back.
As a result, the fixing function of the fixing means is improved by the amount of the pinched portion, that is, the fixing force is increased, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the back cover attached to the watch case from being unintentionally detached. Can do.

In the timepiece of the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the engaging pieces are arranged around the central axis of the timepiece case.
Thereby, a plurality of engagement pieces can be arranged at equiangular intervals around the central axis of the watch case. And by such arrangement | positioning, the engaging force by several engaging piece can be disperse | distributed uniformly, Therefore, a back cover is stably mounted | worn to a case reliably.

In the timepiece of the present invention, the fixing member is preferably a bolt.
One member is formed with a female screw into which a bolt is screwed at a position where the engagement piece is disposed. Then, when the bolt is screwed into the female screw, the engagement piece is securely fixed to one member. Thus, by using the bolt as the fixing member, the engagement piece can be easily and reliably fixed with a simple configuration (operation) of “screwing”.

In the timepiece of the present invention, it is preferable that the timepiece case and the case back are made of different materials.
This makes it possible to use constituent materials suitable for the watch case and the back cover. For example, ceramics having excellent aesthetic appearance and strength can be used as the constituent material of the case, and stainless steel that can be grounded (grounded) to the movement can be used as the back cover.
According to the present invention, the timepiece is excellent in aesthetic appearance.

It is a perspective view which shows embodiment at the time of applying the timepiece of this invention to a wristwatch. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view sequentially illustrating a process of assembling the wristwatch illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view sequentially illustrating a process of assembling the wristwatch illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view sequentially illustrating a process of assembling the wristwatch illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a region [A] surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, the timepiece of the present invention will be described in detail based on a preferred embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.
<First Embodiment>
1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment in which the timepiece of the present invention is applied to a wristwatch, FIGS. 2 to 4 are cross-sectional views sequentially showing the process of assembling the wristwatch shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a region [A] surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line in FIG. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the upper side in FIGS. 1 to 5 is referred to as “upper”, “upper” or “front”, and the lower side is referred to as “lower”, “lower” or “back”.

A wristwatch (hereinafter simply referred to as a “watch”) 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a case (watch case) 2, a back cover 3, a bezel 7, a cover glass (windshield) 5, and a band 20. . As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, in the timepiece 1, the back cover 3 is fixed to the case 2 via fixing means 30.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the internal space 50 of the timepiece 1 (the space surrounded by the case 2, the back cover 3, the bezel 7, and the cover glass 5), in order from the side where the cover glass 5 is provided, A ring member (dial ring) 13, dial 6, solar cell 70, and movement 9 are accommodated. In addition, an hour hand 101, a minute hand 102, and a second hand 103, which are hands (hands) 10, are rotatably supported on the movement 9. In addition to the hour hand 101, the minute hand 102, and the second hand 103, the pointer 10 includes a 24-hour hand (small hand) 104 and a day-of-the-week hand (small hand) 105. It is rotatably supported. The pointer 10 is housed in the internal space 50 of the timepiece 1 together with the movement 9. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the case 2 is configured by a ring-shaped (ring-shaped) member. A bezel 7 is attached and fixed to the front side portion of the case 2. The back cover 3 is attached and fixed to the back side portion.
A winding stem pipe (not shown) is fitted into the outer peripheral portion 23 of the case 2, and the crown 12 is rotatably provided on the winding stem pipe. By rotating the crown 12, the torque is transmitted to the movement 9. As a result, the pointer 10 is driven to rotate, so that the time to be displayed can be adjusted.
Moreover, the outer peripheral part 23 of case 2 is provided with the lug 24 as a connection part to which the band 20 is connected on both sides via the central axis. The band 20 is used when the watch 1 is worn on the arm.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, an enlarged portion 26 whose inner diameter is increased is formed on the upper portion of the inner peripheral portion 25 of the case 2. The enlarged diameter portion 26 serves as an insertion portion into which a rib 71 of the bezel 7 described later is inserted.
The bezel 7 is constituted by an annular eggplant member. A rib 71 along the circumferential direction projects from the lower portion of the bezel. A packing 80 made of an elastic material is disposed in a compressed state between the rib 71 and the enlarged diameter portion 26 of the case 2. Thereby, the liquid tightness and airtightness between the bezel 7 and the case 2 are maintained.
The inner peripheral portion 72 of the bezel 7 is formed with a reduced diameter portion 73 whose inner diameter is reduced. The cover glass 5 can be placed on the reduced diameter portion 73. A packing 90 is disposed between the inner peripheral portion 72 of the bezel 7 and the outer peripheral portion 51 of the cover glass 5 in a compressed state. Thereby, the liquid tightness and airtightness between the bezel 7 and the cover glass 5 are maintained.

The cover glass 5 has a disk shape and is made of a transparent member. The “transparent member” refers to a member having transparency with a visible light transmittance of about 50% or more. “Transparent” includes colorless and transparent as well as colored (colored) transparency.
It does not specifically limit as a constituent material of the cover glass 5, For example, inorganic glass etc. are mentioned. Examples of the inorganic glass include soda lime glass, borosilicate glass, hard rex (reinforced inorganic glass), clear rex (non-reflective treatment), spinel glass, sapphire glass, and the like. Since inorganic glass has high material strength (strength), for example, deformation and cracking due to pressurization and impact can be reduced, scratches are difficult to be made, and specularity can be improved. Thereby, the intensity | strength of cover glass 5 itself can be made high and visibility can be improved.

  In addition, a disc-shaped movement 9 is fixed to the case 2 via a movement fixing member 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the movement 9 includes a shaft 91 that rotatably supports the hour hand 101, the minute hand 102, and the second hand 103, and a shaft 93 that rotatably supports the 24-hour hand 104 and the day hand 105. The shaft 91 is disposed at the center of the movement 9, and each shaft 93 is disposed at a position different from the shaft 91, that is, spaced around the shaft 91.

The movement 9 drives (rotates) the hour hand 101, the minute hand 102, and the second hand 103 through the shaft 91 by the electric power supplied from the solar battery 70, and the 24-hour hand 104 and the day hand 105 are moved through the shafts 93. It has a built-in mechanism for driving through The mechanism is not particularly limited. For example, an electric double layer capacitor for storing the electromotive force of the solar battery 70, a lithium ion secondary battery, a crystal oscillator as a time reference source, and an oscillation frequency of the crystal oscillator. A semiconductor integrated circuit that generates a driving pulse for driving the watch, a step motor that drives the wheel train mechanism every second in response to this driving pulse, and a wheel train mechanism that transmits the movement of the step motor to the pointer Etc. can be used.
The movement fixing member 40 has a ring shape, and an outer peripheral portion 401 is fitted to the inner peripheral portion 25 of the case 2, and an inner peripheral portion 402 is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the movement 9. Thereby, the movement 9 is reliably fixed to the case 2 via the movement fixing member 40.

  On the movement 9, a solar cell 70 having a disk shape (plate shape) is stacked and installed. The solar cell 70 is electrically connected to the movement 9, can generate electric power by receiving light, and can supply the electric power to the movement 9. As the solar cell 70, for example, a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor stacked and joined can be used. A p-type semiconductor is a high-purity silicon semiconductor in which a small amount of a trivalent element such as boron is mixed. An n-type semiconductor is a pentavalent semiconductor such as arsenic in a high-purity silicon semiconductor. These elements are mixed in a very small amount. When the solar cell 70 having such a configuration is irradiated with light, electrons and holes are generated inside the silicon due to the photoelectric effect. Moreover, in the pn junction part which is a boundary part of a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor, the positively charged hole among the generated electrons and holes is an electron having a negative charge to the p-type semiconductor side. Is separated and guided to the n-type semiconductor side. Thereby, each semiconductor is charged positively and negatively, and a potential difference is generated, so that electric power can be supplied to the movement 9. The vicinity of the pn junction is a depletion layer.

Further, in the solar cell 70, insertion holes 701 through which the shafts 91 and 93 are inserted are formed at positions corresponding to the shafts 91 and 93 of the movement 9.
Further, the dial 6 is disposed on the solar cell 70 in an overlapping manner. The dial 6 is composed of a disk-shaped member and has light transmittance as a whole. Thus, when light is irradiated from the front side, the light can pass through the dial 6. This transmitted light is received by the solar cell 70. In addition, it does not specifically limit as a constituent material of the dial 6, For example, the plastic comprised with the material containing at least 1 sort (s) selected from a polycarbonate (PC) and an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS resin). In addition to materials, soda glass and quartz glass can be used.
The dial 6 is formed with insertion holes 63 through which the shafts 91 and 93 of the movement 9 are inserted.

  A plurality of first display portions (scales) 64 having a function of displaying the time indicated by the hour hand 101, the minute hand 102, and the second hand 103 are arranged on the front surface of the dial 6. These first display portions 64 are intermittently arranged along the circumferential direction of the dial 6 and correspond to time “1” to “12”. The time can be confirmed by the positions of the hour hand 101, the minute hand 102, and the second hand 103 pointing to the first display unit 64, respectively.

  In addition, a plurality of second display portions (scales) 68 are arranged on the front side surface of the dial 6 at portions different from the first display portion 64. These second display portions 68 include numbers “1” to “24” that allow the time to be confirmed by the 24-hour hand 104 pointing. In addition, on the second display unit 68, “Mon (month)”, “Tue (Tue)”, “Wed (Wed)”, “Thu (Thu) can be confirmed by the day hand 105 pointing. ) "," Fri (Fri) "," Sat (Sat) "," Sun (Sun) ".

As shown in FIG. 4, an annular ring member 13 is interposed between the dial 6 and the reduced diameter portion 73 of the bezel 7. For example, the position of the dial 6 in the thickness direction of the timepiece 1 can be regulated by the ring member 13.
The ring member 13 has a thickness that gradually decreases inward, whereby an inclined surface 131 is formed. The inclined surface 131 can be provided with a scale, for example. Thereby, the ring member 13 can also have a function as a dial.

A back cover 3 is attached to the back side of the case 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the back cover 3 has a disk-shaped main body 31 and ribs (protrusions) 32 that are formed to protrude from the front surface 311 of the main body 31.
When the back cover 3 is attached to the case 2, the front surface 311 of the main body 31 comes into contact with the back surface 28 of the case 2. Thereby, the position of the thickness direction in the timepiece 1 of the back cover 3 is regulated.
Further, a recess 29 is formed on the back surface 28 of the case 2. A packing 60 made of an elastic material is installed in the recess 29. The packing 60 is in a compressed state between the recess 29 and the front surface 311 of the main body 31. Thereby, the liquid tightness and airtightness between the case 2 and the back cover 3 are maintained.

  The rib 32 forms an annular shape (ring shape) along the edge of the main body 31 (the back cover 3). Thereby, a plurality of engagement pieces 4 to be described later can be arranged on the rib 32 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction thereof, that is, can be arranged at equal angular intervals around the central axis of the case 2. . With such an arrangement of the engagement pieces 4, the engagement force by the engagement pieces 4 can be evenly distributed, so that the back cover 3 is stably and securely attached to the case 2.

  In addition, it does not specifically limit as a constituent material of the case 2, the back cover 3, the bezel 7, and the pointer 10, For example, various metal materials (including alloys) such as stainless steel, titanium, or a titanium alloy are used. Can do. In addition to the various metal materials, ceramics can also be used as the constituent material of the case 2. The case 2 made of ceramics is excellent in aesthetic appearance, strength, and the like.

  The case 2 and the back cover 3 may be made of the same material as each other, but are preferably made of different materials. In this case, the case 2 can be made of ceramics, and the back cover 3 can be made of the various metal materials. As described above, in the timepiece 1, the case 2 and the back cover 3 are configured separately, so that the constituent materials of the members (the case 2 and the back cover 3) can be made different. And the constituent material suitable for each member can be used. Specifically, ceramics having an excellent aesthetic appearance are used for the constituent material of the case 2, and stainless steel that can be grounded (grounded) to the movement 9 can be used for the back cover 3, for example.

  On the other hand, in a conventional wristwatch in which a case (watch case) and a back cover are integrally formed, it is difficult to separate constituent materials between the case and the back cover. For example, when ceramic is used as the constituent material, the case and the back cover are made of ceramics at once. When stainless steel is used as the constituent material, the case and the back cover are collectively set. It will consist of stainless steel.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the fixing means 30 for fixing the back cover 3 to the case 2 includes a plurality of engaging pieces 4 arranged in the internal space 50, and the engagement pieces 4 in the internal space 50. It has a bolt 8 as a fixing member for fixing each of the combined pieces 4, and an engaging portion 27 provided in the case 2 and with which each engaging piece 4 engages.
Each engagement piece 4 is configured by, for example, a strip-shaped plate piece (small piece). The constituent material of the engagement piece 4 is not particularly limited, and for example, a relatively hard metal material such as stainless steel can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each engagement piece 4 is arrange | positioned on the top part 321 of the rib 32 of the back cover 3, respectively at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the engaging pieces 4 protrudes outward from the outer peripheral portion 322 of the rib 32 (hereinafter, the protruding portion is referred to as a “projecting portion 41”). By disposing each engagement piece 4 in this manner, the protruding portion 41 can be reliably engaged with the engagement portion 27 of the case 2.

Further, each engagement piece 4 is formed with a through hole 42 penetrating in the thickness direction at a portion opposite to the protruding portion 41. The bolt 8 is inserted into the through hole 42.
Each bolt 8 is a fixing member that fixes the engaging piece 4 to the rib 32 of the back cover 3. As shown in FIG. 5, a female screw 323 into which the bolt 8 is screwed is formed at the top portion 321 of the rib 32 at a position where each engagement piece 4 is arranged. When the bolt 8 inserted through the through hole 42 of the engagement piece 4 is screwed into the female screw 323, the engagement piece 4 is securely fixed to the rib 32.
Thus, by using the bolt 8 as a fixing member, the engagement piece 4 can be easily and reliably fixed with a simple configuration (operation) of “screwing”.

The engaging portion 27 is configured by a concave portion formed in a ring shape along the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral portion 25 of the case 2. Each engaging piece 4 faces this engaging part 27, and the protrusion part 41 can engage (refer FIG. 5).
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each engagement piece 4 is a part of the case 2 between the edge portion (front surface 311) of the main body portion 31 of the back cover 3, that is, the case 2 in the illustrated configuration. The portion 22 between the back surface 28 and the engaging portion 27 can be clamped. Thereby, the fixing function in the fixing means 30 is improved, that is, the fixing force is increased. Therefore, the back cover 3 attached to the case 2 can be reliably prevented from unintentionally leaving the case 2.

With the fixing means 30 configured as described above, the bolt 8 that fixes the case 2 and the back cover 3 is disposed in the internal space 50 and cannot be visually recognized from the outside. Thereby, the timepiece 1 becomes excellent in aesthetic appearance, and aesthetics are improved.
On the other hand, in the case of fixing the case and the back cover by tightening the bolt from the outside of the case toward the back cover like a conventional wristwatch, the head (screw head) of the bolt is exposed. . For this reason, in the conventional wristwatch, the aesthetic appearance is impaired and lacks aesthetics, that is, the appearance is not good.
Also, the fixing means 30 has an effective configuration when it is desired to make the constituent materials different between the case 2 and the back cover 3.

Next, the assembly sequence when assembling the timepiece 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[1] As shown in FIG. 2, the case 2 and the back cover 3 are prepared, and the back cover 3 is temporarily attached from the back side of the case 2. At this time, the packing 60 is disposed in the recess 29 of the case 2 in advance. As a result, the packing 60 is compressed between the case 2 and the back cover 3.
[2] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, each engagement piece 4 is arranged at a predetermined position of the rib 32 of the back cover 3, that is, at a position where the female screw 323 is formed. In this state, each engagement piece 4 is fixed with a bolt 8. Thereby, as described above, each engaging piece 4 engages with the engaging portion 27 of the case 2, and thus the back cover 3 is permanently attached (fixed) to the case 2. Even if the back cover 3 is pulled from the outside (the back side), it cannot be detached from the case 2 substantially.
[3] Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a unit (module) in which the movement 9, the solar cell 70, and the dial 6 are assembled in advance in a space surrounded by the case 2 and the back cover 3. The ring member 13 is disposed on the upper side after storing from the front side. Then, the bezel 7 on which the cover glass 5 is mounted in advance is fixed to the case 2.

The timepiece 1 is assembled by sequentially performing such operations.
Ceramics is generally a brittle material. When the case 2 is made of the ceramics, the case 2 is configured so that the back cover 3 is directly engaged with and attached to the case 2. Cracks and the like may occur.
However, in the timepiece 1, the back cover 3 is configured to be fixed to the case 2 via the fixing means 30. Such a configuration is preferable because even when the case 2 is made of ceramics, the occurrence of the cracks and the like in the case 2 is reliably prevented.

  As described above, the timepiece 1 is such that the movement 9 is driven by the power from the solar cell 70. For this reason, the timepiece 1 can omit the work of removing the once attached back cover 3 and reattaching it, unlike the conventional timepiece in which the back cover 3 is repeatedly attached and detached for battery replacement. . For such a timepiece 1, the fixing means 30 that is substantially impossible to be detached from the case 2 even if the case back 3 is pulled from the outside is an effective configuration.

As described above, the timepiece of the present invention has been described with respect to the illustrated embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each part constituting the timepiece can be replaced with any structure that can exhibit the same function. can do. Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.
Further, the fixing means for fixing the case back to the watch case has a structure having a plurality of engaging pieces in the above embodiment, but is not limited to this. For example, a single ring shape is used. You may have the structure which has the engagement piece to make.
Further, in the embodiment, the fixing means has the engaging piece arranged on the back cover and the engaging portion with which the engaging piece engages is provided in the watch case, but is not limited to this. The joining piece may be disposed on the watch case, and the engaging portion may be provided on the back cover.

  1 …… Wristwatch (clock) 2 …… Case (clock case) 22 …… Part 23 …… Outer peripheral part 24 …… Lug 25 …… Inner peripheral part 26 …… Expanded part 27 …… Engagement part 28 …… Back side 29 …… Recess 3 …… Back lid 31 …… Body 311 …… Front side 32 …… Rib (projection) 321 …… Top 322 …… Outer peripheral 323 …… Female thread 4 …… Engagement Piece 41 …… Projection portion 42 …… Through hole 5 …… Cover glass (windshield) 51 …… Outer peripheral portion 6 …… Dial plate 63 …… Insertion hole 64 …… First display portion (scale) 68 …… Second Display part (scale) 7 …… Bezel 71 …… Rib 72 …… Inner circumference 73 …… Reduced diameter part 8 …… Bolt 9 …… Movement 91, 93 …… Shaft 10 …… Pointer (needle) 101 …… Hour hand 102 …… minute hand 103 …… second hand 104 …… 24 hour hand (small hand) 105 …… Day of the week hand (small hand) 12 …… Crown 13 …… Ring member (dial ring) 131 …… Inclined surface 20 …… Band 30 …… Fixing means 40 …… Movement fixing member 401 …… Outer peripheral portion 402 …… Inner circumference 50 …… Internal space 60 …… Packing 70 …… Solar cell 701 …… Insertion hole 80, 90 …… Packing

Claims (8)

A ring-shaped watch case;
A back cover mounted on the back side of the watch case;
Fixing means for fixing the back cover to the watch case;
The fixing means includes at least one engagement piece disposed on one member of the watch case and the back cover in a space surrounded by the watch case and the back cover,
A fixing member for fixing the engagement piece to the one member in the space;
A timepiece having an engagement portion that is provided on the other member of the timepiece case and the back cover and engages with the engagement piece. The back cover has a protrusion formed to protrude on the front side surface,
The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the engagement piece is disposed on a top portion of the protrusion.   The timepiece according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is a ring-shaped portion along an edge of the back cover.   The timepiece according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the engagement portion is formed by a concave portion formed in an inner peripheral portion of the timepiece case.   5. The timepiece according to claim 2, wherein the engagement piece sandwiches a part of the timepiece case between the edge of the case back.   The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the engagement pieces are arranged around a central axis of the timepiece case.   The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is a bolt.   The timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the timepiece case and the case back are made of different materials.

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