JP7279742B2 - Equipment case manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a device case.

2. Description of the Related Art Inorganic glass or organic glass (such as acrylic glass) has been conventionally used as windshield members and decorative members (decorative members) of device cases such as watches.
Inorganic glass has a high surface hardness and is scratch-resistant, but is heavy and when used as a windshield member or the like, the overall equipment becomes heavy.
In addition, since inorganic glass is difficult to shape, it is difficult to apply it to various decorative parts having a highly designed shape.

On the other hand, organic glass is lighter in weight than inorganic glass and easier to shape, and therefore can be applied as windshield members and decorative members (decorative members) of various shapes.
However, the surface hardness of organic glass is low, and it is easily scratched or scratched during repeated use. For this reason, especially when organic glass is used as a windshield member, there is a possibility that visibility may deteriorate due to repeated use.

In this respect, for example, Patent Literature 1 describes the optical and mechanical surface finishing of a wristwatch case or the like by coating semi-finished plastic products with a hard lacquer.
Therefore, it is conceivable to apply such a surface coating treatment to organic glass made of acrylic resin or the like so as to have a surface strength close to that of inorganic glass.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-164010

However, just by applying a hard coating to the surface of organic glass, the surface hardness can only be improved by about 3H in terms of pencil hardness, and damage to the glass surface cannot be sufficiently prevented. It is difficult to achieve impact resistance.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is an apparatus equipped with a glass unit that is lightweight and has excellent workability like organic glass while realizing surface hardness and impact resistance equivalent to those of inorganic glass. It aims at providing the manufacturing method of a case.

In order to solve the above problems, a method for manufacturing a device case according to the present invention includes:
A first unit member in which a second layer made of organic-inorganic copolymer glass is superimposed on the surface of a first layer made of organic glass is fitted into a fitting portion formed in the case main body to form the first unit. a first step of fixing a member in the fitting portion of the case body;
A second unit member in which a second layer made of organic-inorganic copolymer glass is superimposed on the surface of a first layer made of organic glass is fitted into a groove formed in the case main body to form the second unit member. a second step of fixing in the groove;
including
In the first step, the overlapping surface of the first layer and the second layer in the first unit member is formed so as to be lower than the upper end surface of the fitting portion,
The second step is characterized in that the overlapping surface of the first layer and the second layer in the second unit member is formed so as to be positioned lower than the upper end surface of the groove.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device case with a glass unit that is lightweight and has excellent workability, such as organic glass, while achieving surface hardness and impact resistance equivalent to those of inorganic glass.

1 is a front view of a timepiece according to this embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of main parts taken along line II-II of FIG. 1; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which a conventional glass unit is fitted to a case body; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state in which the glass unit is fitted to the case body with its joint portion exposed to the outside of the case body;

An embodiment of a device case and a timepiece according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. Although various technically desirable limitations are attached to the embodiments described below for carrying out the present invention, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the timepiece according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, a watch 100 in this embodiment has a device case 1, and a display section 2 and a module 3 housed in the device case 1. As shown in FIG.

The device case 1 of the present embodiment includes a case body 10 formed in a hollow short column shape, and a glass unit (a first glass unit 4 and a second glass unit 4 to be described later) which is a unit member attached to the case body 10. and a glass unit 5).
As shown in FIG. 1, the case body 10 has an opening 11 on the surface side of the timepiece 100 (viewing side of the timepiece).
The case body 10 is made of hard synthetic resin such as super engineering plastics such as ABS resin and polyarylate (PAR), or engineering plastics such as polyacetal (POM) and polycarbonate (PC). Note that the material forming the case main body 10 is not limited to those exemplified here.
A pair of band attachment portions 12 to which a band (not shown) is attached are provided on the outer surface of the case body 10 at opposing positions (upper and lower positions of the watch 100 in FIG. 1).
Operation buttons 13 are provided on the sides of the case main body 10 (left and right positions of the watch 100 in FIG. 1) for the user to perform various input operations.

The display unit 2 is housed inside the case body 10 .
In this embodiment, the display unit 2 has a liquid crystal display panel 21 having a digital display function. The liquid crystal display panel 21 of the display unit 2 displays, for example, the time and calendar.
Note that the display unit 2 is not limited to having the liquid crystal display panel 21, and may have, for example, an organic EL display.
Further, the display unit 2 is not limited to a digital display unit, and may be an analog display unit including a dial and hands, or a display unit having both an analog method and a digital method. good too.

A module 3 for operating the display unit 2 is accommodated inside the case main body 10 .
In the module 3, for example, a circuit board on which various electronic components (not shown) are mounted is accommodated in a housing made of resin or the like.
A battery (not shown) is provided in the module to supply power to each part of the clock.

A fitting portion 14 for fitting the first glass unit 4 as a windshield member is formed in the opening 11 on the surface side of the case body 10 .
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line II-II in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 11 has an inward flange 141 projecting from the inner surface of the case body 10 toward the inside of the case body 10 at a position below the upper end surface of the case body 10 by a predetermined depth. is provided.
In this embodiment, the fitting portion 14 is configured by the inner surface of the case body 10 in the opening 11 and the inward flange 141 .

The first glass unit 4 is fitted in the fitting portion 14 so as to close the opening 11 .
The first glass unit 4 (windshield member) is formed by superimposing an organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 as a second layer on the surface of an organic glass 41 as a first layer.
The organic glass 41 is, for example, acrylic glass or the like.
The organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 is, for example, obtained by copolymerizing an inorganic glass component such as SiO ₂ glass and an organic monomer. As the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43, it is preferable to use one having a surface hardness equivalent to that of inorganic glass (for example, a pencil hardness of about 9H).
The thickness of the organic glass 41 and the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 (for example, about 2 mm) is appropriately set according to the size and application of the device case 1, but the thickness of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 (Fig. 2, for example, about 0.5 mm) is thicker than the height A (see FIG. 2) from the upper end surface of the fitting portion 14 to the upper surface of the first glass unit 4, as will be described later.
The organic glass 41 and the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 are made of a transparent adhesive, a double-sided tape (a tape composed only of an adhesive without a base material, such as a highly transparent adhesive transfer tape, is preferable), or the like. are bonded via an adhesive layer 42 composed of Further, in this embodiment, a printed layer 44 on which various characters and the like are printed is provided on the back side (lower side in FIG. 2) of the organic glass 41 .

The first glass unit 4 (windshield member) is fitted into the opening 11 via, for example, a waterproof ring (not shown) or the like, and is held on the upper surface of the inward flange 141. It is fixed in the fitting portion 14 by ultrasonically welding the portion of the organic glass 41 to the upper portion.
The method of fixing the first glass unit 4 (windshield member) in the fitting portion 14 is not limited to ultrasonic welding, and may be fixed by various types of welding or adhesion.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting portion 14 fits the first glass unit 4 (windshield member) into the fitting portion 14 from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the first glass unit 4 (windshield member). It is formed so that the upper end surface thereof is positioned higher than the superimposed surface of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 (that is, the lower surface of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43).
In this embodiment, the upper surface of the first glass unit 4 is positioned higher than the upper end surface of the fitting portion 14, and the design is such that the first glass unit 4 rises above the upper end surface of the case body 10. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the height A from the upper end surface of the fitting portion 14 to the upper surface of the first glass unit 4 is the thickness T of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 (that is, the thickness T of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43). height from the overlapping surface of the polymerized glass layer 43 to the upper surface of the first glass unit 4).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a groove portion 15 as a fitting portion is formed on the upper surface of the case body of the present embodiment so as to surround the opening portion 11. The groove portion 15 has a second 2 glass unit 5 (decorative ring member) is fitted.
As with the first glass unit 4 (windshield member), the second glass unit 5 (decorative ring member) is formed by superimposing an organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 53 on the surface of organic glass 51 . and the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 53 are bonded via the adhesive layer 52 .
Specific materials of the organic glass 51, the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 53, and the adhesive layer 52 are the same as those of the organic glass 41, the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 43, and the adhesive layer 42 of the first glass unit 4 (windshield member). Since it is the same, the explanation is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the groove portion 15 fits the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) into the groove portion 15 from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member). It is formed so that the upper end surface thereof is positioned higher than the superimposed surface of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 53 (that is, the lower surface of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 53).
The second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) is fixed in the groove 15 with an adhesive 54 .
The method of fixing the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) in the groove 15 is not limited to fixing with the adhesive 54, and for example, the organic glass 51 is ultrasonically welded to the bottom surface of the groove 15. It may be fixed by various kinds of welding such as double-sided tape or the like.

Next, the operation of the device case 1 and the timepiece 100 to which it is applied according to this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, when assembling the device case 1, the display unit 2, the module 3, and the like are housed in the case main body 10. As shown in FIG.
Then, the first glass unit 4, which is a windshield member, is fitted into the opening 11 of the case body 10 via a waterproof ring or the like, and the organic glass 41 portion is ultrasonically welded to the inward flange 141 and the inner surface of the case body 10. The first glass unit 4 (windshield member) is fixed in the fitting portion 14 by moving the first glass unit 4 (windshield member).
Further, the second glass unit 5, which is a decorative ring member, is fitted into the groove 15, and the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) is attached to the groove 15 by adhering it to the bottom surface of the groove 15 with an adhesive 54. fixed inside.
As a result, the timepiece 100 including the device case 1 of this embodiment is completed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing how the conventional windshield member 6 is attached to the fitting portion 14 of the case body 10. As shown in FIG.
A conventional windshield member 6 shown in FIG. 3 has a hard coating layer 62 provided on the surface (upper side in FIG. 3) of organic glass 61 such as acrylic glass. A printed layer 63 is provided on the back surface of the organic glass 61 (the lower surface in FIG. 3).
The windshield member 6 having such a conventional structure has a surface hardness of about 3H in terms of pencil hardness even if the hard coating layer 62 is provided. Therefore, the surface of the windshield member 6 is likely to be scratched or scratched during use.

In addition, FIG. 4 shows that, as in the first glass unit 4 (windshield member) of the present embodiment, an organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 is superimposed on the surface of the organic glass 71, and the organic glass 71 and the back surface side A cross-section of the main part showing how the glass unit 7 (windshield member), which is bonded to the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 provided with the printed layer 74 via the adhesive layer 72, is attached to the fitting portion 14 of the case main body 10. It is a diagram.
In FIG. 4 , when the fitting portion 14 fits the glass unit 7 into the fitting portion 14 from the direction orthogonal to the surface of the glass unit 7 , the upper end surface of the fitting portion 14 overlaps the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 . It shows the case where it is positioned lower than the surface (that is, the lower surface of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73).
That is, in the case main body shown in FIG. 4, the height A from the upper end surface of the fitting portion 14 to the upper surface of the glass unit 7 is equal to the thickness T of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 (that is, the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 from the overlapping surface of the glass unit 7 to the upper surface of the glass unit 7 ), and the junction between the organic glass 71 and the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 is exposed to the outside of the case body 10 .
In this case, even when the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 is superimposed on the surface of the organic glass 71 in the glass unit 7, if a continuous impact such as a pendulum test is applied, the impact may cause the organic glass 71 and the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer 73 to break apart. Chipping (peeling) occurs at the outer peripheral portion from the joint portion with the copolymer glass layer 73, and the outer peripheral portion of the glass unit 7 is gradually scraped and damaged.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, the glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) in which the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 are superimposed on the surfaces of the organic glasses 41 and 51 are , 51 and the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 are attached so that the superimposed surfaces of the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 are positioned lower than the upper end surfaces of the fitting portion 14 and the groove portion 15. The joint portions between the organic glasses 41 and 51 and the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 are arranged so as not to be exposed to the outside of the case body 10 .
As a result, the surface hardness of the glass units 4 and 5 (windshield member and decorative ring member) can be made equivalent to that of inorganic glass, and the organic glasses 41 and 51 and the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 Glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) that can withstand continuous impacts such as pendulum tests by preventing damage such as chipping (peeling) and scraping of the outer periphery from the joint part A device case 1 can be provided.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the glass units (the first glass unit 4 and the second glass unit 5) are formed by superimposing the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 on the surfaces of the organic glasses 41 and 51. ) is used as a windshield member or a decorative ring member, and the fitting portion 14 and the groove portion 15 in which it is fitted are arranged so that the glass units 4 and 5 are inserted into the fitting portion 14 and the groove portion 15 from a direction orthogonal to the surfaces of the glass units 4 and 5. It is formed so that when it is fitted in the groove portion 15 , its upper end surface is positioned higher than the overlapping surfaces of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 .
As a result, the surface hardness of the glass units 4 and 5, which are the windshield member and the decorative ring member, can be made equivalent to that of inorganic glass (for example, about 9H in pencil hardness). It can prevent scratches and scratches.
In addition, since the overlapping surfaces of the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53, which are the joint portions between the organic glasses 41 and 51 and the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53, are not exposed to the outside of the case body 10, the To provide an equipment case 1 equipped with glass units 4, 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) capable of preventing damage such as chipping (peeling) and scraping, and capable of withstanding continuous impact such as a pendulum test. can be done.
Furthermore, since the glass units 4 and 5 are formed by bonding the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 with high strength to the lightweight organic glasses 41 and 51, the impact resistance equivalent to that of the inorganic glass is thus achieved. It is possible to reduce the weight of the glass units 4 and 5 (the windshield member and the decorative ring member) as compared with the case where the entire glass units 4 and 5 (the windshield member and the decorative ring member) are formed of inorganic glass while ensuring the properties and the like.
Further, the glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) can be welded to the case body 10 or the like made of a resin material at the portions of the organic glasses 41 and 51 . Therefore, it is possible to easily fix the glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) to the case main body 10 .
Further, since the glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) are obtained by superimposing the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layer 43 on the organic glass 41 and 51, they are easier to process than the inorganic glass and the inorganic glass. It can be made into various shapes such as a ring shape, which is difficult to manufacture with glass. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is improved, and an excellent design can be realized.
When the device case 1 including such glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) is applied to the timepiece 100, the windshield members and the like are less likely to be scratched, so that they can be used repeatedly. visibility can be maintained.
In addition, since it has excellent shock resistance, it can be used safely even in sports watches that are expected to be used in harsh environments.
Furthermore, since the entire glass units 4 and 5 (windshield members and decorative ring members) can be made lighter as described above, when applied to a watch that requires weight reduction, such as a running watch. , excellent visibility, shock resistance, and weight reduction of the entire timepiece can be achieved, and a light and easy-to-run timepiece can be provided.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the windshield member and the decorative ring member are composed of the glass units 4 and 5 in which the organic/inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 are superimposed on the organic glasses 41 and 51 is shown as an example. However, the member composed of the glass units 4 and 5 is not limited to the windshield member and the decorative ring member.
The glass units 4 and 5 can be widely applied as members used in parts where high surface hardness and impact resistance are required. You may use the same glass unit as.

Moreover, the second layer superimposed on the surface of the organic glass 41 that is the first layer is not limited to the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53 . For example, instead of the organic-inorganic copolymer glass layers 43 and 53, the glass units 4 and 5 may be configured by superimposing an inorganic glass layer as a second layer.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case body 10 is made of a hard synthetic resin, but the material forming the case body 10 is not limited to resin, and examples include titanium and stainless steel (SUS). may be made of a hard material such as metal.
In this case, the first glass unit 4 (windshield member) and the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) are fixed to the fitting portion 14 and the groove portion 15 of the case body by a method such as adhesion.

Further, in the present embodiment, the device case 1 including the first glass unit 4 (windshield member) and the second glass unit 5 (decorating ring member) is the case of the watch 100, but the device case is not limited to being applied to watches.
For example, the device case of the present invention may be applied to device cases for pedometers, heart rate meters, altimeters, barometers, etc., and device cases for terminal devices such as mobile phones.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalent ranges thereof. .
The invention described in the scope of claims originally attached to the application form of this application is additionally described below. The claim numbers in the appendix are as in the claims originally attached to the filing of this application.
[Appendix]
<Claim 1>
a unit member in which a second layer harder than the first layer is superimposed on the surface of the first layer;
a case body having a fitting portion for fitting the unit member;
with
The fitting portion is formed such that when the unit member is fitted in the fitting portion, the upper end surface thereof is positioned higher than the overlapping surface of the second layer. equipment case.
<Claim 2>
The first layer is organic glass,
the second layer is an inorganic glass layer or an organic-inorganic copolymer glass layer,
2. The device case according to claim 1, wherein said unit member is a glass unit.
<Claim 3>
The case body has an opening,
The fitting portion is formed in the opening,
3. The device case according to claim 1, wherein the unit member is a windshield member that closes the opening.
<Claim 4>
The case body has a groove portion that is the fitting portion,
The device case according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the groove is formed in an annular shape, and the unit member is a decorative ring member fitted in the groove.
<Claim 5>
A device case according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
a display unit accommodated in the device case;
and a module for operating the display unit.

1 device case 2 display unit 3 module 4 first glass unit (windshield member)
5 Second glass unit (decorative ring member)
10 Case body 11 Opening 14 Fitting portion 15 Groove 41 Organic glass 51 Organic glass 42 Adhesive layer 52 Adhesive layer 43 Organic/inorganic copolymer glass layer 53 Organic/inorganic copolymer glass layer 100 Clock 141 Inward flange

Claims (6)

A first unit member in which a second layer made of organic-inorganic copolymer glass is superimposed on the surface of a first layer made of organic glass is fitted into a fitting portion formed in the case main body to form the first unit. a first step of fixing a member in the fitting portion of the case body;
A second unit member in which a second layer made of organic-inorganic copolymer glass is superimposed on the surface of a first layer made of organic glass is fitted into a groove formed in the case main body to form the second unit member. a second step of fixing in the groove;
including
In the first step, the overlapping surface of the first layer and the second layer in the first unit member is formed so as to be lower than the upper end surface of the fitting portion,
In the second step, the overlapping surface of the first layer and the second layer in the second unit member is formed so as to be lower than the upper end surface of the groove. How the case is made. In the first step, the first unit member is fitted into the fitting portion formed in the case body via a waterproof ring, and the first layer of the first unit member is ultrasonically welded. 2. The method of manufacturing a device case according to claim 1, wherein the first unit member is fixed in the fitting portion by a. 3. The manufacturing of the device case according to claim 1, wherein in the second step, the second unit member is fixed in the groove by adhering the second unit member to the bottom surface of the groove with an adhesive. Method. 4. The method of manufacturing a device case according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the first unit member is a windshield member that closes the fitting portion. 5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the groove is formed in an annular shape, and the second unit member is a decorative ring member fitted in the groove. How the case is made. 6. The apparatus case manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein a display unit and a module for operating the display unit are accommodated in the case main body.

Images