JP5568497B2 - Clock with solar battery - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a timepiece with a solar battery, and more particularly to a wristwatch or other timepiece in which a solar battery is disposed on the back side of a dial.

  In the timepiece disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a solar cell is provided on the back side of the dial, and the solar cell receives light transmitted through the dial to generate operating power. The watch also includes an antenna for receiving satellite signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. The satellite signal is used to correct the internal time. And, if metal is present above the antenna (watch windshield side), the satellite signal reception performance is significantly lowered. Therefore, in this watch, the electrodes of the solar cell are not arranged above the antenna.

JP 2010-96707 A

  In the above-described conventional timepiece, the antenna is disposed at the 12 o'clock or 6 o'clock position of the dial, and the date window is disposed at the 3 o'clock position of the dial. However, in order to make the date wheel visible from the date window, an opening for exposing a display member such as the date wheel must be provided in a portion directly below the date window in the solar cell. In this case, there exists a problem that the electric power generation amount of a solar cell will reduce.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is to provide the timepiece with a solar cell which can display information, such as a date, without reducing electric power generation amount.

In order to solve the above problems, a timepiece with a solar battery according to the present invention includes a transparent dial, a power generation cell of a solar battery partially disposed on the back side of the dial, and the solar battery. An antenna disposed in a non-arranged area where power generation cells are not disposed, and the dial has an opening for displaying information in an area overlapping the antenna, and is further disposed on the front side of the antenna, An information display plate whose surface is partially visible through the opening; and a drive mechanism for driving the information display plate, including a portion formed of a non-conductive material, and at least one of the drive mechanisms The unit is provided on the front side of the antenna, and the antenna is a high-frequency radio wave receiving antenna that receives a satellite signal for correcting the internal time .

  According to the present invention, since an opening for displaying information such as date is formed in a region of the dial overlapping with the antenna, there is no need to provide a special opening for displaying information on the solar cell. Thus, information such as date can be displayed without reducing the amount of power generation.

1 is a plan view of a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the calendar mechanism of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing in the III-III line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the IV-IV line of FIG. 6 is a plan view of a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch according to Modification 1. FIG. 10 is a plan view of a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch according to Modification 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing in the VII-VII line of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a case 1 that is an exterior of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100, a dial 2 that is arranged in the case 1, and an hour hand 3, a minute hand 4, and a second hand 5 that are hands indicating time. Further, a crown 6 and buttons 7 are arranged on the side surface of the trunk 1 on the 3 o'clock side for the user to perform various operations. A band fixing portion 8 for fixing the band extends from the side surface of the trunk 1 on the 12 o'clock side and the 6 o'clock side. Further, a date window 2a is opened at the 6 o'clock position on the dial 2, and a part of the surface of the date wheel 42 is exposed from the date window 2a.

  In addition, the design of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 shown in the figure is an example. In addition to those shown here, for example, the barrel 1 may be square instead of round, and the presence / absence, number, and arrangement of the crown 6 and the button 7 are arbitrary. Further, in the present embodiment, the hands are three hands of the hour hand 3, the minute hand 4, and the second hand 5, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even if the second hand 5 is omitted, the day of the week, the time zone or the presence / absence of summer time, the radio wave The reception status, remaining battery level, pointers for various displays, date display, and the like may be added.

  Further, in this specification, the term satellite radio wave wristwatch refers to a wristwatch that receives a satellite signal from a satellite that transmits information on a date and time, such as a GPS satellite, and the date included in the satellite signal. It is used to indicate a wristwatch having a function of correcting the internal time, which is information on the time held in the wristwatch, based on information related to the time, that is, reference information. However, the present invention may be applied not only to a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch but also to a radio-controlled wristwatch that receives a general standard radio wave and corrects the internal time. Furthermore, it may be applied not only to a wristwatch but also to a table clock or a wall clock.

  In the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100, a windshield made of a transparent material such as glass is attached to the trunk 1 so as to cover the dial 2. A back cover is attached to the body 1 on the opposite side of the windshield. In the present specification, hereinafter, the direction in which the windshield of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 is arranged (front side in FIG. 1) is the front side or upper side, and the direction in which the back cover is arranged (back direction in FIG. 1) is back side or bottom. Call the side.

  A solar cell 11 is disposed on the back side of the dial 2 and power is generated by light incident from the front side. Therefore, the dial 2 is made of a synthetic resin material such as plastic that transmits light to some extent. As shown in FIG. 1, the solar cell 11 has a substantially circular shape, and a rectangular cutout portion 11b is formed at the 6 o'clock position. On the back side of the dial 2, a patch antenna 14 for receiving a satellite signal is arranged in the area (non-arranged area) of the notch 11b. Here, the rectangular cutout portion 11b is formed in the solar cell 11 in accordance with the planar shape (rectangular shape) of the patch antenna 14, but the antenna for receiving a time correction signal as the shape of the cutout portion 11b. Of course, other shapes corresponding to the above shapes or other shapes unrelated to the antenna shape may be adopted. Note that a plurality of power generation cells 11 a each including a semiconductor thin film and electrodes are formed on the surface of the solar cell 11 (see FIG. 2). The patch antenna 14 is provided with a feed pin 14b so as to penetrate the thickness direction thereof, and the surface on the front side serves as a receiving surface 14a for receiving radio waves from the satellite. The receiving surface 14a of the patch antenna 14, the light receiving surface of the solar cell 11, and the dial 2 are provided in parallel to each other, and all face the front side.

  By the way, in general, in a radio timepiece that performs time adjustment using a standard radio wave transmitted from a ground station using a long wave band, a so-called bar antenna in which a coil is wound around a magnetic core such as a ferrite or an amorphous alloy is used. Many. In contrast, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 according to the present embodiment receives a signal transmitted from a satellite using a UHF band having a much higher frequency. For this reason, the patch antenna 14 is used as a small antenna suitable for receiving a UHF band signal. And since a satellite signal is a high frequency, if the electrode of the solar cell 11 is arrange | positioned at the front side of the patch antenna 14, the receiving sensitivity will fall remarkably. Therefore, as described above, the notch portion 11b is formed in a part of the solar cell 11, and the patch antenna 14 is disposed there so that the electrode of the solar cell 11 is not disposed above the receiving surface 14a. In place of the patch antenna 14, a chip antenna or an inverted F antenna may be employed.

  FIG. 2 shows a satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 in which the front side members such as the case 1, the dial 2, the solar battery 11, and the date indicator holder 46 (to be described later) are removed so that the calendar mechanism can be seen. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

  A base plate 40 made of a synthetic resin such as plastic is accommodated in the case 1 of the satellite radio wave watch 100, and various mechanisms of the satellite radio wave watch 100 are supported by the base plate 40. For example, a pointer shaft 44 such as a minute hand shaft, an hour hand shaft, and a second hand shaft is supported at the center portion of the main plate 40, and motors 20, 22, and 24 for driving various mechanisms of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 are provided at the 12 o'clock position. It is supported. The motors 20, 22, and 24 are covered with magnetic resistant plates 58 and 60 (see FIG. 3). A winding stem 41 to which the crown 6 is attached protrudes from the 3 o'clock side surface of the main plate 40. A sensor is assembled on the proximal end side of the winding stem 41 to electrically detect that the user has performed an operation such as pulling out or rotating the crown 6. The ground plane 40 may be formed of other materials such as metal.

  A circuit board 54 is disposed on the back side of the base plate 12, and a battery support frame 50 is disposed on the back cover side. On the circuit board 54, the patch antenna 14 is provided, and a controller for controlling the operation of the satellite radio wave wristwatch 100 and a receiving circuit for processing the received satellite signal are also provided.

  The battery support frame 50 is also preferably made of a synthetic resin such as plastic. A battery 48 is supported on the battery support frame 50 and is fixed to the base plate 40 by a pressing plate 52. The battery 48 is located behind the motors 20, 22, 24, that is, at the 12 o'clock position. In this embodiment, the battery 48 is a rechargeable secondary battery, and a button-type lithium secondary battery is used. And the electric power generated by the solar cell 11 is accumulated. In addition, as a secondary battery, you may use a lithium ion capacitor and a nickel metal hydride battery other than a lithium battery, for example.

  A date wheel 42 is disposed on the front side of the main plate 40. The date indicator 42 is an annular thin plate member, and 62 teeth 42a are formed on the inner peripheral side corresponding to the number of days per month. Further, numbers 1 to 31 are printed on the surface, and any number can be seen from the date window 2a. The tip of the tooth 42a of the date dial 42 is covered with an edge portion of a date dial presser 46 formed in a plate shape, whereby the date dial 42 is rotatably held.

  A calendar wheel train including a date indicator wheel 38 and intermediate wheels 34, 32, 30, 28, and 26 is disposed inside the date wheel 42, and the rotational force of the rotor 20a of the motor 20 is adjusted by the calendar wheel train. The date indicator 42 is transmitted to the turning wheel 38, and the date indicator 42 is rotated counterclockwise by the date indicator driving wheel 38. Specifically, the intermediate wheel 34 that meshes with the date indicator driving wheel 38 includes only two teeth 34a that are arranged 180 degrees apart, and the motor 20 makes a half turn clockwise over one day. . Thus, the date indicator driving wheel 38 is driven to rotate once a day by the teeth 34a, and the date indicator wheel 38 is rotated counterclockwise by one day (360/31 °) in conjunction with the date indicator driving wheel 38. A date jumper 36 is also arranged inside the date dial 42. The date jumper 36 has a bent main body portion, and from the bent portion, a spring portion 36b whose tip is elastically contacted between adjacent teeth 42a in the date indicator 42 extends toward the date indicator 42 side. Yes. Thereby, the position shift of the date indicator 42 can be prevented. A cam surface 36 a is formed on the side surface of the main body portion of the date jumper 36 on the intermediate wheel 34 side. The teeth 34a of the intermediate wheel 34 periodically come into contact with the cam surface 36a, and the teeth 34a are separated from the cam surface 36a immediately before the teeth 34a mesh with the date driving wheel 38. The main body of the date jumper 36 is supported on the base end side so as to rotate by a small angle and is urged clockwise. For this reason, when the teeth 34a are separated from the cam surface 36a, the date jumper 36 main body rotates clockwise by a small angle in FIG. Thus, when the date indicator driving wheel 38 rotates the date indicator 42, the urging force of the spring portion 36 b is reduced so that the date indicator driving wheel 38 can easily rotate the date indicator 42. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the solar cell 11 is arranged at a slight distance on the back side of the dial 2, and the date indicator 42 is arranged at a small distance on the back side. Has been. The patch antenna 14 is disposed behind the date wheel 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, on the front side of the patch antenna 14, a date jumper 36, a part of the date indicator holder 46, a part of the date indicator 42, a part of the intermediate wheel 34, a part of the main plate 40, and characters A part of the plate 2 is arranged. However, all of these are made of a synthetic resin such as non-conductive plastic and do not affect the antenna reception sensitivity, or the effect is negligible. Moreover, the patch antenna 14 is arrange | positioned in the notch part 11b of the solar cell 11 as mentioned above. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the date indicator driving wheel 38 and the intermediate wheels 32, 30, 28, and 26 adjacent to the patch antenna 14 are also made of synthetic resin such as plastic. For this reason, the patch antenna 14 can sufficiently receive a satellite signal having a relatively high frequency by sufficiently exhibiting the reception sensitivity. Note that gears that are sufficiently away from the patch antenna 14, such as the intermediate wheels 28 and 26, may be made of metal in order to increase strength and reduce costs.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the date jumper 36 is disposed on the pointer shaft 44 side of the top of the feeding pin 14b of the patch antenna 14, the date indicator 42 is disposed on the opposite side, and the date window 2a is It arrange | positions rather than the top part of the electric power feeding pin 14b on the outer peripheral side. Further, as described above, the main body portion of the date jumper 36 has a bent shape, but the top portion of the power supply pin 14b is positioned inside thereof. By arranging as described above, the space on the front side of the patch antenna 14 can be effectively used. Further, the position (the tip position of the spring portion 36b) where the date jumper 36 suppresses the rotation of the date indicator 42 is located above the patch antenna 14 (front side), like the date window 2a. It is possible to easily prevent the date indicator 42 from being displaced. Further, the power supply pin 14b, the date jumper 36, and the date indicator 42 are all arranged at positions where they do not overlap in plan (as viewed from the windshield side). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an opening 46a is formed in the date dial holder 46, and a top portion of the power supply pin 14b is arranged in the opening 46a. For this reason, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 can be thinned. Instead of forming the opening 46a in the date dial holder 46, a concave portion may be formed on the back surface of the date dial holder 46, and the top of the power supply pin 14b may be allowed to escape into the concave portion. Even in this case, the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 can be similarly thinned.

  In the above description, the date window 2a, which is an opening for displaying information, is arranged above the patch antenna 14. However, whether calendar information other than the day such as year or month, or satellite signals are being received. Information indicating the status of the satellite radio-controlled wristwatch 100 (status information) such as whether or not the stopwatch function is in operation, time information such as hour, minute, second, country name, city name related to the currently displayed time, Alternatively, an opening for displaying world clock information such as time difference may be provided. In this case, an information display board for displaying such information may be disposed on the back side of the opening. The information display board does not necessarily have an annular shape, and may have a disk shape or a fan shape.

  Furthermore, in the above description, only one opening for displaying information is provided above the patch antenna 14, but a plurality of openings may be provided. For example, a day window 2b may be formed in addition to the day window 2a above the patch antenna 14 in the dial 2 as in a satellite radio wave wristwatch 100a shown in FIG. In this case, a day wheel 60 is also provided above the patch antenna 14. The day window 2b is preferably provided closer to the pointer shaft 44 than the feeding pin 14b. In this case, the date jumper 36 is disposed at a position other than above the patch antenna 14. The day wheel 60 is also preferably made of synthetic resin such as plastic.

  Furthermore, a plurality of information may be displayed by one opening. For example, an inverted T-shaped information display window 2c is formed in a region above the patch antenna 14 in the dial plate 2 as in the satellite radio wave wristwatch 100b shown in FIG. 6, and the city name is displayed from the horizontal bar portion in the information display window 2c. A part of the city display wheel 102 for display may be exposed, and a part of the date wheel 104 may be exposed from the vertical bar part. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, a city display wheel 102, which is an annular thin plate member, is rotatably disposed on the outer peripheral side, and a date wheel 104, which is an annular thin plate member having a smaller diameter than that, is disposed on the inner peripheral side. You may arrange | position so that rotation is possible. Further, the jumper 108 for suppressing the movement of the city display vehicle 102 may be disposed above the patch antenna 14. In this case, the tip of the tooth formed on the inner peripheral side of the city indicator wheel 102 is covered with a city indicator wheel retainer 106, and the tip of the tooth formed on the inner peripheral side of the date indicator 102 is A vehicle presser 110 is put on. The city display wheel 102, the date wheel 104, the city display wheel holder 106, and the date wheel holder 110 are all preferably made of synthetic resin such as plastic.

  In the above description, the solar cell 11 is provided with the notch 11c, and the patch antenna 14 is disposed in the plane area of the notch 11c. However, in the present invention, the notch is not necessarily provided in the solar cell 11. 11c may not be provided. In this case, only the substrate of the solar cell 11 may be arranged on the front side of the patch antenna 14. Alternatively, on the front side of the patch antenna 14, a substrate of the solar cell 11 and a dummy cell formed thereon may be arranged. Unlike the power generation cell 11a itself, the dummy cell is formed of only a semiconductor film without including an electrode. Even if it does in this way, since the electrode of the solar cell 11 is not arrange | positioned at the front side of the patch antenna 14, favorable receiving sensitivity can be exhibited. In this case, an opening for exposing an information display board such as the date wheel 42 is provided at a position corresponding to the opening of the date window 2 a or the like in the solar cell 11. Alternatively, the substrate of the solar cell 11 is formed of a transparent material such as glass, and only the substrate of the solar cell 11 is disposed on the front side of the patch antenna 14 so that the information about the date wheel 42 and the like is transmitted through the substrate. The display board may be visible.

  Furthermore, the solar battery 11 does not need to be formed by forming all the power generation cells 11a on a common substrate, and includes a plurality of substrates, and one or more power generation cells 11a are formed on each substrate. Also good. In this case, each substrate is accommodated in the trunk 1 such that the power generation cell 11 a is not disposed on the front side of the patch antenna 14.

  According to each of the embodiments described above, an opening for displaying information such as date, city name, day of the week, etc. is formed in the area overlapping the patch antenna 14 in the dial 2, so that the solar cell 11 has a special display for displaying information. There is no need to provide an opening. For this reason, various information can be displayed without reducing the power generation area of the solar cell 11. Further, since at least a part of the plate-like member for displaying information and its driving mechanism is formed of a non-conductive resin, the reception sensitivity of the patch antenna 14 is not adversely affected. Further, since the motors 20, 22, 24 and the magnetic-resistant plates 58, 60 are concentratedly arranged on the 12 o'clock side opposite to the patch antenna 14, these members do not adversely affect the reception sensitivity of the patch antenna 14. It will end.

  1 trunk, 2 dial, 2a date window, 3 hour hand, 4 minute hand, 5 second hand, 6 crown, 7 button, 8 band fixing part, 11 solar cell, 11a power generation cell, 11b notch part, 14 patch antenna, 14a reception Surface, 14b Power supply pin, 20, 22, 24 Motor, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 Intermediate wheel, 36-day jumper, 38-day wheel, 40 Ground plate, 41 winding stem, 42-day wheel, 44 Pointer shaft, 46 Date wheel holder, 48 battery, 50 battery support frame, 52 holding plate, 54 circuit board, 58, 60 magnetic-resistant plate, 100 satellite radio wave watch.

Claims (6)

A dial having translucency;
A solar cell power generation cell partially disposed on the back side of the dial;
An antenna disposed in a non-arrangement region where the power generation cells of the solar battery are not disposed,
Wherein the dial, the opening for the information displayed in an area overlapping the antenna is formed, further,
An information display board that is arranged on the front side of the antenna and whose surface is partially visible through the opening;
Including a portion formed of a non-conductive material, and a drive mechanism for driving the information display board,
At least a part of the drive mechanism is provided on the front side of the antenna,
The solar cell timepiece , wherein the antenna is a high-frequency radio wave receiving antenna that receives a satellite signal for correcting an internal time . The solar cell timepiece according to claim 1 ,
The solar cell and the antenna are spaced apart in the thickness direction of the solar cell,
The information display board is disposed between the solar cell and the antenna.
A solar cell watch characterized by the above. In the timepiece with solar cell according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The information display board includes a portion formed of a non-conductive material,
A solar cell watch characterized by the above. In the timepiece with a solar cell according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The part of the drive mechanism is provided on one side across the top of the power feed pin provided in the antenna, and the visible part of the information display board is provided on the other side.
A solar cell watch characterized by the above. The timepiece with solar battery according to claim 4 ,
The part of the drive mechanism is a jumper that suppresses the movement of the information display board.
A solar cell watch characterized by the above. The timepiece with a solar cell according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The information display is one or more of time information, calendar information, world clock information, and status information.
A solar cell watch characterized by the above.

Images