JPH07198866A - Dial for timepiece and its production method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a timepiece dial, whose face colors are not limited, provided with a solar battery by providing a coated member composed of a light transmission member forming a resin film on both its faces on the light receiving face side of the solar battery. CONSTITUTION:A coated member 21 is provided on the light receiving face side of a solar battery 11. The coated member 21 is constituted of a light transmission member 13 forming a resin film 15 on both of its faces. Furthermore, the solar battery 11 is composed of a noncrystal silicon film, a monocrystal silicone film or a compound semiconductor film of a thin film. Special deep purple of the solar battery cannot be seen due to the coated member 21. Paper, cloth or ceramics can be applied as the light transmission member 13 for constituting the coated member 21 and polyethylene terephthalate is used as the resin film. The surface of the solar battery 11 cannot be seen from the surface of the timepiece on a dial 19 and the coated member 21 can be looked. Accordingly, almost colors required as the dial 19 can be obtained and no condition on design can be eliminated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dial plate which is a time display means of a timepiece having a solar cell and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a solar cell in a timepiece having a solar cell is generally used on the dial surface under the windshield so that it can be seen from the outside because it absorbs light to generate electricity. It has become a means.

With such a means, the solar cell has a unique deep purple color, so that the color and design of the dial plate are greatly restricted when the appearance is harmonized as a timepiece.

Therefore, it is conceivable to provide coloring means on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-29641.

The coloring means described in this publication uses microcapsules of cholesteric liquid crystal, which are applied as binders to the surface of solar cells.

[0006]

However, with the means described in this publication, there are few colors that can be selected as the color of the dial, and the color becomes darker, and the color of the dial surface is limited.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a structure of a timepiece dial including a solar cell in which the color of the dial surface is not limited, and a manufacturing method for forming this configuration. Is.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the timepiece dial and its manufacturing method of the present invention employ the means described below.

The timepiece dial of the present invention is characterized by having a solar cell and a covering member made of a translucent member having resin films formed on both sides and provided on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell.

According to the method of manufacturing a timepiece dial of the present invention, a resin film is formed on both surfaces of a translucent member to form a covering member,
The coating member is processed into a predetermined shape, and the coating member is formed on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell.

The timepiece dial of the present invention is characterized by having a solar cell and a covering member made of ceramics and provided on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell.

According to the method of manufacturing a timepiece dial of the present invention, a ceramic material containing a binder is put into a mold and subjected to a pressure treatment, and then a first firing treatment and a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature. A second baking treatment is performed at a temperature, and then a barrel treatment is performed.

[0013]

In the dial plate of the present invention, the solar cell on the incident light side of the solar cell is provided with a coating member made of a light-transmissive member having resin films formed on both sides or a coating member made of ceramics.

Therefore, the surface of the solar cell cannot be seen from the front side of the timepiece, but the covering member arranged on the solar cell can be seen. Therefore, the unique color of the solar cell disappears.

Further, by selecting the material and the color of the translucent member or the covering member, the color of the dial face is not limited, and most of the colors required for the dial for a timepiece are obtained, and the color is designed. The restriction of can be eliminated.

In particular, it is a great effect of the present invention that a white dial plate which cannot be obtained by a conventional timepiece equipped with a solar cell is obtained.

In the present invention, the light for irradiating the solar cell is incident on the covering member. Then, the translucent member or the covering member does not block 100% of the light radiated to the solar cell, and ½ to 2/3 of the light radiated to the covering member passes through the covering member and is reflected by the sun. The battery is illuminated. Then, the solar cell is irradiated with light, and electromotive force for driving the timepiece is generated.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to form a solar cell on almost the entire face of the dial plate, the decrease of the incident light is compensated by the increase of the light receiving area, and a sufficient electric power for driving the timepiece can be obtained.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of a timepiece dial in an embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing method for forming this construction will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.
Will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a timepiece dial in an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which the dial of the present invention is incorporated in a timepiece. First, the structure of the timepiece dial in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pointer 3 is provided in an outer casing 35 provided with a windshield 29 made of transparent glass or sapphire.
A movement 33 for driving 1 is provided. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a quartz oscillator and a semiconductor integrated circuit for driving the pulse motor are provided in the movement 33.
The wheel train mechanism for driving the hands 31 is provided.

The dial 1 is used as the time display means of the clock.
9 is arranged on the lower surface side of the windshield 29, and the dial plate 19 is provided with a solar cell 11.

The detailed construction of the dial 19 of the present invention is shown in FIG.
Will be explained. The dial 19 has a dial 1 on its lower surface.
Two dial feet 17 for fixing the 9 to the movement 33 are provided.

A covering member 21 is provided on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell 11.
To provide. And this covering member 21 is a resin film 1
The transparent member 13 is formed with 5 on both sides. Further, the solar cell 11 is composed of a thin non-single crystal silicon film, a single crystal silicon film, or a compound semiconductor film.

In the timepiece of the present invention, the covering member 21 is provided on the upper surface of the solar cell 11. Therefore, the unique dark purple color of the solar cell 11 cannot be seen.

The translucent member 13 which constitutes the covering member 21.
Can be paper, cloth, or ceramics, and the resin film 15 is polyethylene terephthalate (PE
T) is used.

The dial plate 19 described with reference to FIG.
Although the dial 17 is provided, the dial 17 may not be formed.

When the dial foot 17 is not formed, for example, a protrusion or a notch is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the dial 19 so that the dial 19 for the movement 33 shown in FIG.
Should be positioned.

Further, the dial 1 for the movement 33
As a fixing means of 9, the movement 33, the dial 1
It is also possible to provide a groove corresponding to 9 and dispose the dial 19 in this groove to fix the dial 19 to the movement 33.

Next, a method of manufacturing the timepiece dial shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, two dial feet 17 are formed on a substrate (not shown) made of a metal material such as brass by means of spot welding or bonding.

The dial foot 17 positions the movement 33 and the dial 19 relative to each other, and is fixed to the movement 33 by screwing from the side surface of the dial foot 17.

Next, an insulating film (not shown) is formed on the entire surface of the substrate by using a sputtering device. As this insulating film, a silicon oxide film is provided with a film thickness of about 100 nm.

Next, an electrode film (not shown) is formed using the same sputtering device. For this electrode film, aluminum containing about 1% by weight of silicon is used. This electrode film may be formed on the entire surface or may be partially formed on the insulating film.

When the electrode film is partially formed, a metal mask is used. The metal mask is made of a thin metal material, and an opening is provided in a region where the electrode film is formed. Then, the metal mask having the opening is formed on the substrate, placed in a sputtering apparatus, and an electrode film is formed in the opening.

Next, a solar cell layer (not shown) made of a thin non-single crystal silicon film is formed on the upper surface of the electrode film. This solar cell layer is composed of an amorphous silicon film as non-single crystal silicon, and has a p-i-n structure as a conductivity type.

The formation of this solar cell layer is performed by using a plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus. Silane gas (SiH ₄ ) is used as the reaction gas, p-type conductivity type amorphous silicon is formed by adding phosphine gas (PH ₃ ) as an impurity, and n-type conductivity type amorphous silicon is formed as an impurity by diborane gas. It is formed by adding (B ₂ H ₆ ). Note that i-type amorphous silicon may be formed without adding impurities.

The thickness of the p layer and the thickness of the n layer are 5 respectively.
The thickness of the i layer is 50 to 300 nm.

The solar cell layer made of amorphous silicon having the pin structure is continuously formed in the plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus.

Next, a transparent electrode film (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the solar cell layer using a sputtering device to obtain a solar cell 11. The transparent electrode film is indium tin oxide (IT
O) is used.

A metal mask is used when the transparent electrode film is partially formed. The metal mask is made of a thin metal material, and an opening is provided in a region where the transparent electrode film is formed. Then, a metal mask having an opening is overlaid on the solar cell layer and placed in a sputtering apparatus to form a transparent electrode film in the opening.

On the other hand, the covering member 21 is formed as described below. Resin films 15 on both sides of the translucent member 13
Is formed between the resin films 15 coated with the adhesive,
The transparent member 13 made of Japanese paper is sandwiched.

Then, while heating to a temperature of about 80 ° C.,
Pressure is applied from both sides to integrate the translucent member 13 and the resin film 15 with an adhesive.

After that, the covering member 21 is formed by cutting into the same size as the substrate on which the solar cell 11 is formed.

After that, a time scale, characters, and marks are formed on the covering member 21 every 5 minutes or every 1 minute by a printing method.

Then, the covering member 21 is further applied to the solar cell 11
It is joined to the inside of the frame 37 on the upper surface of the substrate using an ultraviolet curing adhesive. As a result, the timepiece dial including the covering member 21 on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell 11 is completed.

In the above description of the embodiment, the light-transmitting member 13 is made of Japanese paper, but cloth or ceramics can be used as the light-transmitting member 13 in addition to the Japanese paper.

Further, the time scale, characters and marks were formed after the light transmissive member 13 was integrated with the resin film 15. However, after the time scale, characters and marks were formed on the surface of the light transmissive member 13, the resin film was formed. You may integrate 15 and the translucent member 13.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the structure of the timepiece dial will be described.

In the dial plate for a timepiece of the second embodiment, the difference in structure from the dial plate described with reference to FIG. 1 is that the first covering member is provided on the solar cell 11 via the intermediate member 27. 23
And the second covering member 25 is provided. The configuration of the solar cell 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment described with reference to FIG.

As described above, by providing the gas layer determined by the thickness of the intermediate member 27 between the first covering member 23 and the second covering member 25, the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Has the effect described.

The first effect of the structure shown in FIG. 3 is that the light transmitting member 13 having a small thickness can be used, and the amount of light incident on the solar cell 11 can be increased.

The second effect is that the gas layer between the first covering member 23 and the second covering member 25 causes a light scattering phenomenon to improve the light utilization efficiency.

The manufacturing method of the dial 19 shown in FIG.
First, the first covering member 23 and the second covering member 25 are formed by the same method as the dial 19 shown in FIG. Then, the first covering member 23 and the second covering member 25 are joined via the intermediate member 27. Further, the covering member may be joined onto the solar cell 11 by the same method as in the first embodiment.

Next, the results obtained by using the timepiece dials according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be shown. As described above, Japanese paper was used as the translucent member 13, and polyethylene terephthalate having a film thickness of 0.03 mm was used as the resin film 15.

When the electromotive force of the solar cell is 1.0 when the surface of the solar cell is not covered, the transparent member 13 having the resin film 15 of the present invention formed on the surface of the solar cell. When arranged, an electromotive force of 0.45 is obtained.

The value of the electromotive force of 0.45 is almost the same as the electromotive force of 0.47 when the resin film 15 is not formed.

Therefore, it can be seen that the resin film 15 hardly reflects or absorbs light.

When the timepiece dial of the present invention was incorporated into a timepiece, the timepiece did not stop due to insufficient electromotive force and operated normally.

This contributes greatly to the improvement of power generation efficiency and the reduction of power consumption of the timepiece by improving the solar cell.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that even if the transparent member 13 is cloth or ceramics, the same effect as that of the above-described paper is obtained. Regarding this ceramic,
Example will be described in detail.

Next, a timepiece dial according to a third embodiment of the present invention having a structure different from those of the covering members of the first and second embodiments will be described with reference to the plan view of FIG.

In the third embodiment, the covering member 21 arranged on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell 11 is made of a ceramic material made of alumina or zirconia. That is, the resin film used in the first and second embodiments is removed from the translucent member and used as the covering member 21.

Since the structure of the solar cell 11 is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, the description of the structure of the solar cell 11 will be omitted.

By disposing the covering member 21 made of a ceramic material on the upper surface of the solar cell 11, the solar cell 11 can be also used in the third embodiment as in the first and second embodiments.
The peculiar color of is lost.

Further, by adding the additive to the ceramics to form the covering member 21, not only white but also a color dial can be obtained, and the restriction on the design can be eliminated.

The covering member 21 made of a ceramic material has a thickness of 0.03 mm to 0.8 mm.

This is because in the covering member 21 made of a ceramic material having a thickness of less than 0.03 mm, cracks and chips occur in the manufacturing process described below. Therefore, the covering member 21 having a thickness of less than 0.03 mm cannot be adopted.

Further, in the covering member 21 having a thickness larger than 0.8 mm, the transmittance of incident light becomes low and the solar cell 11
The amount of light reaching the power source is reduced, the power generation efficiency of the solar cell 11 is reduced, sufficient electromotive force is not obtained, and the timepiece stops. Moreover, with the thick covering member 21, the thickness of the timepiece main body becomes large.

For the above two reasons, the limit value of the thicker covering member 21 is 0.8 mm.

The covering member 21 preferably has a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm for easy handling. The covering member 21 having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less may be used by being attached to another substrate, or a plurality of ceramics may be laminated to form the covering member 21.

Next, a manufacturing method for forming the covering member 21 shown in FIG. 4 will be described. In the following description of the manufacturing method, the manufacturing method of the solar cell 11 is the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment.
Since it is the same as the embodiment described above, the description of the method for manufacturing the solar cell 11 is omitted.

First, a mixture of ceramic material such as alumina or zirconia and a binder is put into a mold.

Here, alumina or zirconia having a particle size of 0.3 μm is used, and 3.0% of a binder is added.

Here, the purity of alumina or zirconia is 9
9.9% or more is used, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used as the binder.

After that, the mold containing the ceramic material and the binder is subjected to a pressure treatment using a pressing device. The pressure during this pressure treatment is 1 ton / cm ² .

At this time, the covering member 21 has not only the outer shape but also the projection 21a, the display window 21 for displaying the date and the day of the week, the central hole 21c for projecting the hour wheel, the hour wheel and the second hand shaft. Are formed at the same time.

Then, a first firing process is performed to remove the binder made of polyvinyl alcohol added to the ceramics. This first firing process is 1200 ° C.
To about 1400 ° C., the firing time is 120 minutes, and the firing atmosphere is in the air. By the first baking treatment for removing the binder, the outer dimensions are slightly reduced, but the thickness is hardly changed.

After that, the second baking treatment is performed at a higher temperature than the first baking treatment. The second firing process is performed at a temperature of 1500 ° C. to 1900 ° C., which is a temperature at which the ceramic is melted, and a firing time of 300 minutes. The firing atmosphere is hydrogen.

Since the second firing process is performed at the temperature at which the ceramic material melts as described above, the particle size thereof becomes larger than 0.3 μm.

By increasing the grain size of the ceramic, the light transmittance of the covering member 21 can be increased. The reason why the transmittance is improved by the particle size increasing process is that the reflected light on the surface of the covering member 21 can be reduced.

Then, using a grinding device, the covering member 21
The undulations generated on the surface of are removed and the surface is flattened. This grinding process may be performed on both sides simultaneously, or may be performed on one side by attaching ceramics to a processing jig using wax. The grinding process is performed using diamond abrasive grains or a diamond grindstone.

The size of the grinding process is about 0.3 mm. That is, at the end of the pressing process with the mold, the dimension is set to be 0.3 mm thicker than the final finished dimension of the covering member 21.

After that, the ceramic is subjected to a third firing treatment at a temperature lower than that in the second firing treatment, that is, from 1200 ° C. to 1400 ° C., under the condition that the firing time is 120 minutes. This third firing process is performed in the atmosphere to remove the dirt attached to the surface.

After that, the covering member 21 is formed by using a barrel device.
Barrel processing. In addition, this barrel processing is copper (Cu)
Do it with a ball.

By this barrel processing, the surface roughness of the covering member 21 is reduced, and the light transmittance of the covering member 21 is improved. Further, by barreling, it is possible to remove burrs generated on the outer edge portion and the corner portion of the covering member 21,
In addition, roundness can be formed at the corners.

After that, the ceramic is subjected to a fourth firing treatment at a temperature lower than that of the second firing treatment, that is, from 1200 ° C. to 1400 ° C., under the condition that the firing time is 120 minutes. The fourth firing process is performed in the atmosphere to remove dirt adhering to the surface and perform a surface cleaning process.

After that, a time scale, a character, or a mark is formed on the surface of the covering member 21 every 5 minutes or 1 minute.

The covering member 21 is attached to the frame plate 37 provided in the peripheral portion of the covering member 21 shown in FIG. 2 by using the two protrusions 21a provided in the 12 o'clock direction and the 6 o'clock direction. The covering member 21 is fixed by attaching it to the solar cell 11 or the base plate of the movement 33.

As a result, it is possible to obtain the timepiece dial provided with the covering member 21 made of white ceramics and arranged on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell 11. The coating member 21 made of ceramics has a transmittance of 45% to 60%, and a sufficient electromotive force to drive the timepiece. The transmittance of the covering member 21 made of ceramics can be controlled by the purity of the ceramic material, its particle size, the firing temperature, its time, and its atmosphere.

In the pressure treatment of the ceramic material and the first and second firing treatments performed using the mold described above, if the surface flatness and the thickness variation can be reduced, the thickness control can be performed. The grinding process for surface flatness and the third firing process after this grinding process can be omitted.

The color covering member 21 becomes red when chromium (Cr) is added to the ceramic material, and the blue covering member 21 is obtained when cobalt (Co) is added to the ceramic material.

[0093]

As is apparent from the above description, in the timepiece dial of the present invention, the covering member is provided on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell. As a result, a timepiece dial having a dial surface of which the color is not limited can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a timepiece dial and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a timepiece to which the timepiece dial according to the embodiment of the invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a timepiece dial and its manufacturing method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a structure of a timepiece dial and a manufacturing method thereof according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 solar cell 13 translucent member 15 resin film 19 dial 21 cover member

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A timepiece dial comprising: a solar cell; and a cover member, which is made of a light-transmissive member having resin films formed on both sides thereof and is provided on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell. 2. A solar cell, two coating members which are provided on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell and which are made of a light-transmissive member having resin films formed on both sides, and an intermediate member which is provided between the coating members. Dial for watch. 3. The timepiece dial according to claim 1, wherein the translucent member is made of paper, cloth, or ceramics. 4. A timepiece dial having a solar cell and a covering member made of ceramics and provided on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell. 5. A timepiece dial having a solar cell and a coating member made of ceramics composed of alumina or zirconia and provided on the light-receiving surface side of the solar cell. 6. A timepiece characterized in that a resin film is formed on both surfaces of a translucent member to form a covering member, the covering member is processed into a predetermined shape, and the covering member is formed on the light receiving surface side of the solar cell. For manufacturing dials for business. 7. A resin film is formed on both surfaces of a light-transmissive member to form a first covering member and a second covering member, and the covering member is processed into a predetermined shape so that the light receiving surface side of the solar cell is formed. A method of manufacturing a timepiece dial, comprising forming a first covering member and a second covering member via an intermediate member. 8. A method of manufacturing a timepiece dial, wherein a ceramic material containing a binder is put into a mold, pressure treatment is performed, firing treatment is performed, and then barrel treatment is performed. 9. A ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold and subjected to a pressure treatment, and then a first firing treatment and a second firing treatment at a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature. Then, a method of manufacturing a timepiece dial, characterized by performing barrel treatment. 10. A method of manufacturing a timepiece dial, characterized in that a ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold, pressure treatment is performed, firing treatment is performed, grinding treatment is performed, and then barrel treatment is performed. . 11. A ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold and subjected to pressure treatment, followed by a first firing treatment and a second firing treatment at a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature, followed by grinding. A method for manufacturing a timepiece dial, which comprises processing and then barreling. 12. A ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold and subjected to a pressure treatment, and then a first firing treatment and a second firing treatment at a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature, followed by grinding. And then barrel treatment, and then the third firing treatment at a temperature lower than the second firing treatment temperature, the method for producing a timepiece dial. 13. A ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold to be subjected to a pressure treatment, followed by a first firing treatment and a second firing treatment at a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature, followed by grinding. Processing, then a third firing treatment at a temperature lower than the second firing treatment temperature, then a barrel treatment, and then a fourth firing treatment at a temperature lower than the second firing treatment temperature. A method of manufacturing a dial for a watch, which is characterized in that it is performed. 14. A ceramic material containing a binder is placed in a mold and subjected to pressure treatment, followed by a first firing treatment and a second firing treatment at a temperature higher than the first firing treatment temperature, followed by grinding. Processing, then a third firing treatment at a temperature lower than the second firing treatment temperature, then a barrel treatment, and then a fourth firing treatment at a temperature lower than the second firing treatment temperature. Further, after that, a time dial, a character and a mark are formed on the light-receiving surface side, and a manufacturing method of a timepiece dial.