JPH0980169A - Internal illumination type clock device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an internal illumination type clock device which makes it possible to visually recognize a luminous hand and a time index with small power consumption in a dark place. SOLUTION: At least hour hand 6 and a minute hand 7 of hands are formed of luminous hands, and a front surface cover 9 disposed forward of the hands is formed of light-condensing resin. Random reflecting means 10 is formed in the shape of a time index such as a time scale or time display characters on the back surface of the cover 9. When the luminous hands are flashed by a manual switching operation or by supplying power to the hands by a bright and dark sensor, the luminous hands emit lights, which are introduced to the cover 9, propagated by repeatedly colliding with the fluorescent dye or inner surface of the front cover in the cover 9, collided with the random reflecting means, random reflected thereat and radiated forward. When it is observed from the forward by the random reflection, the time indices are floated and observed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an internally illuminated timepiece device in which a time index in an alarm timepiece or the like can be visually recognized even in a dark place.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, as an internally illuminated analog timepiece capable of visually recognizing the time in a dark place while sleeping, there is an internally illuminated timepiece or the like in which a miniature light bulb is provided on a pointer so that the dial face and the pointer can be visually recognized. is there. Further, it is also practiced to provide a light emitting source such as an LED or an EL element on the pointer so that the position of the pointer can be recognized even in a dark place.

[0003]

The one using a miniature electric bulb has a problem that it consumes a large amount of power during lighting and is not suitable for a battery-powered timepiece. Further, in the case where the light emitting source is provided on the pointer, there is a problem that power consumption becomes large if the index such as the time scale can be read in a dark place. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an internally illuminated timepiece device in which a pointer that emits light with low power consumption in a dark place and a time indicator pointed by the pointer can be visually recognized.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, in the internally illuminated timepiece device of the present invention, at least the hour hand and the minute hand of the hands are luminous hands, and the front face located in front of these hands. The cover is made of light collecting resin. Then, on the back surface of the front cover, the diffuse reflection means for diffusely reflecting the light, which is taken in and propagated from the light emitting needles from the light emitting needles, is formed in the form of the time index in the form of the time index. It is characterized by making the time visible.

[0005]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a front frame 1 and a rear frame 2 form a frame body in which various elements of a timepiece are housed. The front shape of the front frame 1 is substantially circular, and the front side is provided with a pointer accommodating portion 1a formed of a polygonal recess centering on the shaft hole portion. A watch mechanical body 3 is attached to the center of the rear surface of the front frame 1. A dial 4 using a dark color (for example, black) is attached to the front surface of the pointer storage portion 1a on which characters other than the time index and a pattern (not shown) are printed. From the center of the dial 4, the watch mechanical body 3
The pointer shaft 3a that is provided so as to project to the front protrudes forward. Four pointers, that is, a reference hand 5, an hour hand 6, a minute hand 7, and a second hand 8 are attached to the pointer shaft 3a in order from the dial plate 4 side. The hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 are light-emitting hands using a color EL element that exhibits a bright color (for example, red) even when not emitting light and sufficiently functions as a pointer. The EL element forming the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 is formed to have a small shape and consume less power.

A plate-shaped front cover 9 fixed to the front frame 1 is provided in front of the pointer. The front cover 9 employs a light-collecting resin in which a fluorescent dye is mixed in a transparent plate such as acrylic, and has a property of propagating light taken in from a light emitting needle while diffusely reflecting inside the plate. .

On the back surface of the front cover 9, diffuse reflection means 1 for diffusely reflecting the light taken in from the light emitting needle and propagating forward is provided.
0 is formed in the form of a time index. The time index 10 is
It consists of a time scale 10a and a time display character 10b, and is printed using white paint. Since the time index 10 is formed of white ink, during the process in which the light taken in by the front cover 9 made of a light-collecting resin plate propagates while being diffusely reflected, the time index is diffusely reflected by the time index and is directed in a direction other than the back direction. Since it reflects light, when viewed from the front, the time display means is visually perceived as if it were raised in the color of the dye of the light-collecting resin by contrast with the background color of the dial behind it.

At the upper part of the front frame 1, there is a so-called snooze button for temporarily stopping the alarm for 4 or 5 minutes by pushing it down when an alarm sounds at a predetermined time when the alarm is set. 7
Is provided as the push button 11 also as a light button for emitting light. The push button 11 has a mechanism for pushing down the switch 12 inside the frame body, and can be returned to its original position by a spring (not shown) after the switch is pushed down. As a matter of course, when the push button 11 returns to the original position, the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 are turned off.

A drive motor, a train wheel and the like are housed inside the timepiece mechanical body 3 (all not shown). In addition, the battery box provided at the bottom of the timepiece mechanical body 3 has a battery 13
Is housed, and it is possible to drive the motor and supply electric power to the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7. In the vicinity of the center of the rear surface of the rear frame 2, a handwheel 3b protruding from the timepiece mechanical body 3 is provided so as to be manually operable from the outside. Further, a permanent stop button 14 is provided above the needle driver 3b.

[0010]

[Operation] When the push button 11 is pressed in the dark such as at night, the switch 12 is turned on, and the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 emit light. When the light from the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 is incident on the front cover 9 made of a light-collecting resin in the front, these lights collide with the fluorescent dye dispersed inside and the boundary between both surfaces and repeat diffuse reflection, and the front cover 9 It collides with the time index 10 printed on the back surface of the. Most of the light impinging on the time index 10 is diffusely reflected, and when this light is transmitted from the front boundary and viewed from the front, the time index 1 is reflected by a large number of lights having different reflection angles.
0 stands out in the dye color and is visually recognized. Therefore, the hour hand 6, the minute hand 7, and the time index 10 can be visually recognized, and the time can be sufficiently visually recognized in a dark place.

Next, when the hand is released from the push button 11, the push button is returned to its original position by the spring and at the same time,
The switch 12 is turned off, the power supply to the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 is cut off, the light emission of the EL element is stopped, and the EL element returns to the original state. The operation of other clocks is the same as that of a normal alarm clock.

In the above description, the blinking operation of the hour hand 6 and the minute hand 7 is manually performed.
A brightness sensor such as S may be used to turn on the light only when the surroundings are dark. Further, although the EL element is provided only on the hour hand and the minute hand, it may be provided on the second hand. Further, the light emitting needle is not limited to the color EL element needle, and other light emitting needles such as a needle with an LED may be adopted.

[0013]

According to the present invention, since the front cover located in front of the light emitting needle is made of the light-collecting resin and the irregular reflection means is formed on the front cover in the form of the time index, the brightness of the light emitting needle is small. Can also illuminate the part of the index necessary for reading the time, and can make the pointer and the time index visible with less power consumption.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6, 7 Luminescent hand 9 Front cover 10 Diffuse reflection means (time index)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G04G 9/00 308 G04G 9/00 308C

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. At least an hour hand and a minute hand of the hands are light emitting hands, and a front cover located in front of the hands is formed of a light-collecting resin. The front cover is provided on the back side of the front cover in the front cover. An internally illuminated timepiece device characterized in that diffuse reflection means for diffusely reflecting forwardly the light taken in from the light emitting hands and diffused is formed in the form of a time index.