JP2015055578A - Solar watch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solar watch with excellent esthetic appearance and capable of achieving a good power generation efficiency.SOLUTION: The solar watch comprises: a solar battery cell 5 including a power generation layer that generates power depending on incident light; a dial face including a decorative member formed thereon, and arranged on an incident side of light of the solar battery cell which is provided on a portion overlapping with the decorative member in plane view; and power generation restriction means for not causing current to flow through a part of the solar battery cell 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to a solar watch.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a solar watch that operates using an electromotive force of a solar cell has attracted attention (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). In such a solar watch, it is necessary to receive a sufficient amount of light so that the solar cell can generate a sufficient electromotive force. Therefore, conventionally, as a dial for a solar watch, generally a plastic member having high light transmittance has been used.

  However, plastic lacks a high-class feeling compared with common metal materials such as Au and Ag, and has a poor aesthetic appearance. Therefore, a timepiece dial in which a metal film is attached to a plastic substrate via an adhesive has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2002-148366 A JP 11-326549 A

  Therefore, it is conceivable to employ a dial made of a metal material having a high-class feeling in the solar watch. However, in this case, the decorative portion of the dial made of a metal material becomes a shadow, so that the solar cell cannot exhibit its original power generation capability, and power generation efficiency is reduced.

  One aspect of the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and has an object of providing a solar watch that has an excellent aesthetic appearance and can obtain good power generation efficiency. To do.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, a solar cell including a power generation layer that generates power based on incident light, and a dial on which a decorative member is formed and disposed on the light incident side of the solar cell, A solar watch including a power generation suppressing means provided in at least a part of a portion overlapping the decorative member in a plan view, and configured to prevent electricity from flowing to a part of the solar battery cell. Provided.

  According to the solar watch which concerns on a 1st aspect, a photovoltaic cell can be made not to function in at least one part of the part which overlaps with a decoration member by an electric power generation suppression means. Thereby, the photovoltaic cell can remove a resistance component by making the shadowed part of the decorative member not contribute to power generation. Therefore, even if a metal member is used as the decorative member, a decrease in power generation efficiency due to the resistance component is suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an excellent aesthetic appearance and good power generation efficiency.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said power generation suppression means is an opening part provided in the transparent electrode provided in the said dial side of the said electric power generation layer.
According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent current from flowing through the transparent electrode in which the opening is formed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the photovoltaic cell from generating power at the portion where the opening is formed.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said opening part has a shape corresponding to the said decoration member in the state seen planarly.
According to this configuration, since the opening has a shape corresponding to the decorative member, the shadowed portion of the decorative member can be efficiently removed.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said electric power generation suppression means is a slit provided in the transparent electrode provided in the said dial side of the said electric power generation layer.
According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent current from flowing through the transparent electrode in which the slit is formed. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the photovoltaic cell from generating power at the portion where the slit is formed.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said slit has a shape corresponding to the outer-periphery edge part of the said decoration member in the state planarly viewed.
According to this configuration, since the slit has a shape corresponding to the decorative member, the shadow portion of the decorative member can be efficiently removed.

The said aspect WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said electric power generation suppression means is a through-hole formed in the said photovoltaic cell.
According to this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the photovoltaic cell from generating power at the portion where the through hole is formed.

In the above aspect, the through hole preferably has a shape corresponding to the decorative member in a plan view.
According to this configuration, since the through hole has a shape corresponding to the decorative member, the shadowed portion of the decorative member can be efficiently removed.

The front view which shows schematic structure of the solar watch which concerns on 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the solar watch which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is a top view. The graph for demonstrating the effect of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the principal part structure of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a top view in the electrode of a photovoltaic cell, (b) is the plane which showed the corresponding relationship of a photovoltaic cell and a dial face. Figure. The figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the laminated body of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and a dial. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a top view in the electrode of a photovoltaic cell, (b) is the top view which showed the correspondence of a photovoltaic cell and a dial face . The figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the laminated body of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a dial. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (a) is a top view in the electrode of a photovoltaic cell, (b) is the top view which showed the correspondence of a photovoltaic cell and a dial face . The figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the laminated body of the photovoltaic cell which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, and a dial.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a solar watch of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the drawings used in the following description, in order to make the features easy to understand, there are cases where the portions that become the features are enlarged for the sake of convenience, and the dimensional ratios of the respective components are not always the same as the actual ones. Absent.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a solar watch according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the solar watch.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the solar watch 1 includes a case 2 and a pair of bands 3 connected to the case 2. The case 2 is formed of a metal material such as stainless steel or a resin material such as plastic resin. As shown in FIG. 2, a movement 4, a solar battery cell 5, a dial 6, and a secondary battery 7 are accommodated in the case 2.

  A transparent cover (not shown) made of glass or resin is press-fitted into the case 2 via a resin or metal press-fit ring (not shown) on the dial 6 side (clock face side). It is fixed. Further, a back cover (not shown) is screwed onto the movement 4 side (the back side of the watch) via a packing (not shown), and the inside of the case 2 is secured by the back cover and the transparent cover. ing.

As shown in FIG. 1, the case 2 is provided with a crown 19 as an operator and two operation buttons 11a and 11b. The crown 19 is connected to the movement 4.
The movement 4 includes a hand movement mechanism 4 a to which an analog pointer consisting of a second hand 21, a minute hand 22 and an hour hand 23 is connected. The hand movement mechanism 4 a is on the display surface side through a through hole provided in the dial 6 and the solar battery cell 5. Has been drawn to. This hand movement mechanism 4a functions as a time display unit for displaying a set time (usually the current time) by rotationally driving the analog hands (second hand 21, minute hand 22 and hour hand 23). The movement 4 is driven by electric power supplied from the secondary battery 7 or the solar battery cell 5.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the solar battery cell 5, FIG. 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3 (b) is a plan view. As shown in FIG. 3A, the solar battery cell 5 includes a pair of electrodes 30, 31 and a power generation layer 32 sandwiched between the electrodes 30, 31.

  The electrode (transparent electrode) 30 disposed on the upper surface side (the dial 6 side) of the solar battery cell 5 is made of a transparent electrode material. In the present embodiment, the electrode 30 is made of, for example, ITO (indium tin oxide) and has a thickness of about 70 nm.

  On the other hand, the electrode 31 disposed on the lower surface side (the movement 4 side) of the solar battery cell 5 does not need to be transparent, and is made of a metal material such as SUS and has a thickness of about 0.1 mm. The power generation layer 32 is composed of, for example, an amorphous silicon layer having a thickness of about 500 nm, and has a function of generating power based on incident light.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.3 (b), the photovoltaic cell 5 consists of circular shape in the state planarly viewed, for example. The solar battery cell 5 is manufactured by, for example, separating a 17-inch size general-use solar panel. Such a solar panel includes a metal layer constituting the electrode 30 after separation, a semiconductor layer constituting the power generation layer 32 after separation, and an electrode layer constituting the electrode 31 after separation. including.

  Therefore, if the solar cell panel is cut as it is, when the cut surface is deformed, the electrode layer (electrode 31) and the metal layer (electrode 30) come into contact with each other to cause a short circuit, and the sun after singulation There arises a problem that the secondary battery 7 cannot be satisfactorily charged from the battery cell 5.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the solar panel is separated into pieces, only the metal layer constituting the electrode 30 is previously patterned into the shape of the solar battery cell 5 by laser processing. After patterning only the metal layer, each solar battery cell 5 is separated into pieces by cutting the solar battery panel in the portion where the processing pattern is formed in the metal layer. A metal layer is not formed on the portion where the processing pattern is formed. Therefore, even when the cut surface is deformed when the solar cell panel is cut, occurrence of a short circuit due to contact between the electrode layer and the metal layer is prevented.

  In the solar cell 5 manufactured through such a process, the end faces of the power generation layer 32 and the electrode 31 coincide with each other, and the end face of the electrode 30 enters the inside of the end faces of the power generation layer 32 and the electrode 31. Yes. In the present embodiment, the solar battery cell 5 is configured by, for example, a single 17-inch solar battery panel divided into 126 pieces.

  The electrodes 30 and 31 are electrically connected to the secondary battery 7. The power generated by the power generation layer 32 is charged in the secondary battery 7. In the present embodiment, the secondary battery 7 is composed of, for example, a lithium ion battery or a nickel metal hydride battery.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dial 6 includes a substrate 6a and a decorative member 6b. The substrate 6a is made of a light-transmitting substrate such as plastic. The light that has passed through the substrate 6 a enters the solar battery cell 5. Therefore, in order to obtain a sufficient power generation amount in the solar battery cell 5, it is preferable to use a substrate 6a having a high light transmittance.

  In the present embodiment, the decorative member 6b is made of, for example, a metal material such as Au or Ag in order to give a sense of quality. The decorative member 6b is a member that contributes to aesthetics such as a time number or a pattern of a watch, for example. Therefore, the dial 6 according to the present embodiment has a very high-class feeling and a high added value with an excellent aesthetic appearance.

  On the other hand, the decorative member 6b made of a metal material is a light-shielding member having a low light transmissivity, for example, a transmittance of 5% or less, although an excellent aesthetic appearance and a high-class feeling can be obtained as described above. Therefore, the light incident on the dial 6 can be transmitted through the substrate 6a and incident on the solar cell 5 side, but is blocked without passing through the decorative member 6b. For this reason, in the solar battery cell 5, the decorative member 6 b of the dial 6 becomes a shadow.

  The inventors of the present invention have found that in a conventional solar battery cell, when the current becomes difficult to flow in a portion that is a shadow of incident light (a portion where the incident light is blocked), the power generation efficiency decreases. This is because the shadowed portion described above becomes a resistance component and the original power generation capability cannot be exhibited.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing IV characteristics for explaining the effect of the solar battery cell 5 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis represents Voc (open circuit voltage) in the solar battery cell 5, and the vertical axis represents Isc (short circuit current) in the solar battery cell 5. In the graph of FIG. 4A, Bright full indicates a case where 100% light is received at a certain illuminance. Dark full refers to the dark current when 100% light is blocked. Bright 1/2 indicates a case where the light receiving area is halved. When there is no ITO in the light shielding portion, Voc does not change and Isc becomes 50%. FIG. 4B is a graph in which the IV characteristics in the case where the opening 30a is not formed in the electrode 30 in the Bright 1/2 of FIG. Since the opening 30 a is not formed in the electrode 30, the light-shielded portion of the solar cell becomes a resistance component, and Voc is reduced as compared with the case where the opening 30 a is formed in the electrode 30. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of the IV characteristic of Bright1 / 2 in FIG. 4B.

  Moreover, FIG. 5 is a figure which shows the principal part structure of the photovoltaic cell 5 which concerns on this embodiment, FIG.5 (a) is a top view in the electrode 30 of the photovoltaic cell 5, FIG.5 (b) is FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a correspondence relationship between solar cells 5 and a dial 6. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a stacked body of solar cells 5 and dial 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the solar battery cell 5 according to the present embodiment has an opening (power generation suppression) as shown in FIGS. Means) 30a is formed. The opening 30a is formed simultaneously when the electrode 30 is patterned by laser processing as described above. The opening 30a has a shape corresponding to the decorative member 6b.

  Here, the shape corresponding to the decoration member 6b means that when the opening 30a overlaps with the outer shape of the decoration member 6b in a plan view, the outer shape line of the opening 30a overlaps with the outer shape line of the decoration member 6b or slightly. It means to protrude greatly. According to this, the area of the opening 30a is equal to or slightly larger than the portion where the shadow is caused by the decorative member 6b.

  In this embodiment in which the opening 30a is formed in the electrode 30, it can be seen that Voc is increased as compared to the case where no opening is formed. This means that the portion shaded by the incident light being blocked by the decorative member 6b becomes a resistance component, and the power generation efficiency is lowered.

  According to the present embodiment, the solar battery cell 5 can be prevented from functioning at the portion where the opening 30 a is formed in the electrode 30. That is, the solar battery cell 5 does not take out the power generated by the electrode 30 from the power generation layer 32 to the secondary battery 7 in the portion where the opening 30 a is formed. That is, in the solar battery cell 5, the resistance component is removed by not allowing the shadowed portion of the decorative member 6b to contribute to power generation. Thereby, even when the solar battery cell 5 according to the present embodiment includes the decorative member 6b made of a metal member having low light transmittance, a decrease in power generation efficiency due to the resistance component is suppressed.

  Therefore, according to the solar watch 1 which concerns on this embodiment, while having the dial 6 using the decoration member 6b which consists of metals, while having the outstanding aesthetic appearance, favorable electric power generation efficiency can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment)
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The difference between this embodiment and 1st Embodiment is the structure of a photovoltaic cell, and a structure other than that is common. Therefore, in the following description, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure as 1st Embodiment, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the solar battery cell according to the present embodiment, FIG. 7A is a plan view of the electrode 30 of the solar battery cell 5A, and FIG. 7B is a solar battery cell 5A. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the correspondence between the dial and the dial 6; Moreover, FIG. 8 is a figure which shows the cross-sectional structure of the laminated body of 5 A of photovoltaic cells and the dial 6. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the solar cell 5 </ b> A according to the present embodiment has a slit formed in a portion of the electrode 30 that overlaps the decorative member 6 b (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 8) in a plan view in order to solve the decrease in power generation efficiency. Power generation suppression means) 30b.

  The slit 30b has a shape corresponding to the decorative member 6b. Here, the shape corresponding to the decorative member 6b means that when the slit 30b overlaps the outer shape of the decorative member 6b in a plan view, the outline of the slit 30b overlaps or slightly larger than the outer shape line of the decorative member 6b. It means to protrude. According to this, the area surrounded by the slit 30b is equal to or slightly larger than the area where the shadow is produced by the decorative member 6b.

  According to the present embodiment, the solar battery cell 5 can be prevented from functioning in the portion where the slit 30 b is formed in the electrode 30. Thereby, the solar battery cell 5A can remove the resistance component by making the portion where the slit 30b is formed, that is, the portion which is a shadow of the decorative member 6b, not to contribute to power generation.

  Therefore, also in the solar cell 5A according to the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, even when the decorative member 6b made of a metal member having low light transmittance is provided, a decrease in power generation efficiency due to the resistance component is suppressed. be able to. Therefore, according to the solar watch provided with the solar battery cell 5A according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain an excellent aesthetic appearance and good power generation efficiency.

(Third embodiment)
Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The difference between this embodiment and 1st, 2nd embodiment is the structure of a photovoltaic cell, and a structure other than that is common. Therefore, in the following description, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same structure as 1st, 2nd embodiment, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the solar battery cell according to the present embodiment, FIG. 9A is a plan view of the electrode 30 of the solar battery cell 5B, and FIG. 9B is a solar battery cell 5B. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the correspondence between the dial and the dial 6; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional configuration of a stacked body of solar cells 5B and dial 6.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the solar battery cell 5 </ b> B according to this embodiment has a through-hole (power generation suppression) as shown in FIGS. Means) 35.

The through hole 35 has a shape corresponding to the decorative member 6b. Here, the shape corresponding to the decorative member 6b means that when the through hole 35 overlaps the outer shape of the decorative member 6b in a plan view, the outline of the through hole 35 overlaps the outer shape line of the decorative member 6b or slightly. It means to protrude greatly. According to this, the area of the through hole 35 is equal to or slightly larger than the area where the shadow is generated by the decorative member 6b.
As shown in FIG. 10, the through hole 35 is formed in a state of penetrating the electrode 30, the power generation layer 32, and the electrode 31 in the solar battery cell 5 </ b> B.

  According to the present embodiment, the solar battery cell 5B loses the power generation function in the portion where the through hole 35 is formed. Thereby, the photovoltaic cell 5B can remove a resistance component by making the part in which the through-hole 35 was formed, ie, the part used as the shadow of the decoration member 6b, not to contribute to electric power generation.

  Therefore, also in the solar battery 5B according to the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, even when the decorative member 6b made of a metal member having low light transmittance is provided, the power generation efficiency is reduced due to the resistance component. Can be suppressed. Therefore, according to the solar watch provided with the solar battery cell 5B according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain an excellent aesthetic appearance and good power generation efficiency.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the content of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the main point of invention, it can change suitably.
For example, in the said embodiment, although the case where the planar shape of the photovoltaic cell 5, 5A, 5B was circular was mentioned as an example, the shape of the photovoltaic cell 5, 5A, 5B is not limited to this. For example, the planar shape of the solar cells 5, 5 </ b> A, and 5 </ b> B may be a polygonal shape such as a triangle, a quadrangle, and an octagon, an ellipse, or a rhombus.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the opening part 30a, the slit 30b, or the through-hole 35 was formed with respect to each of the some decoration member 6b in the photovoltaic cell 5, 5A, 5B was mentioned as an example, it is limited to this. Not. For example, in the solar cells 5, 5 </ b> A, and 5 </ b> B, even if the opening 30 a, the slit 30 b, or the through hole 35 is partially formed in a part of the portion overlapping the decorative member 6 b, the above-described resistance component is removed. Can be obtained. Therefore, power generation efficiency can be improved.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where the opening part 30a, the slit 30b, and the through-hole 35 had the shape corresponding to the decoration member 6b in the photovoltaic cell 5, 5A, 5B was mentioned as an example, it is not limited to this. For example, the opening 30a, the slit 30b, and the through-hole 35 may have a smaller planar shape than the decorative member 6b, and in this case, the effect of removing the resistance component is obtained by being a shadow of the decorative member 6b. Can do. Therefore, power generation efficiency can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Solar watch 5, 5A, 5B ... Solar cell, 6 ... Dial, 6b ... Decoration member, 30 ... Electrode (transparent electrode), 30a ... Opening part, 30b ... Slit, 35 ... Through-hole

Claims (7)

A solar cell including a power generation layer that generates power based on incident light;
A decorative member is formed, and comprises a dial disposed on the light incident side of the solar cell,
The solar battery includes a power generation suppression unit that is provided in at least a part of a portion that overlaps the decorative member in a plan view and prevents electricity from flowing through a part of the solar battery. The solar watch according to claim 1, wherein the power generation suppression unit is an opening provided in a transparent electrode provided on the dial side of the power generation layer. The solar watch according to claim 2, wherein the opening has a shape corresponding to the decorative member in a plan view. The solar watch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the power generation suppression unit is a slit provided in a transparent electrode provided on the dial side of the power generation layer. The solar watch according to claim 4, wherein the slit has a shape corresponding to an outer peripheral edge portion of the decorative member in a plan view. The solar watch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the power generation suppressing unit is a through hole formed in the solar battery cell. The solar watch according to claim 6, wherein the through hole has a shape corresponding to the decorative member in a plan view.

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