JPH11281767A - Rotation detector of date indicator and intermediate date driving wheel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely detect the adjustment state of a day wheel in the dating mechanism of a wrist watch. SOLUTION: When an intermediate date driving wheel 4 is rotated by a piezoelectric element 2 and a stator 3, the the date driving wheel gear 6 gears in a notch part 4c. At this moment, the date driving wheel gear 6 moves clockwise and a shaft 7 and a contactor 9 contact. When the date indicator 5 is rotated by a manually driven wheel 12, the date driving wheel gear 6 moves counterclockwise. By detecting the movement of the date driving wheel gear 6 with contactors 9 and 10, the date sending state in automatic/manual is surely detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rotation detection device for a date indicator and an intermediate date indicator wheel suitable for use in an analog wristwatch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An analog wristwatch provided with a date mechanism is known. Date mechanism is "1"
The date dial is printed with the characters ".about.31" in a circular shape, and a mechanism for rotating the date wheel by a predetermined angle near a predetermined time of day (generally at 0:00). The date is displayed by providing a window on the dial and exposing only a part of the date dial.

[0003]

However, in the conventional analog wristwatch, the date cannot be automatically adjusted according to the size of the month or the leap year, so that the user must manually adjust the date, which is inconvenient. Met. Then, the present inventor considered calculating a date according to the calendar with a microcomputer or the like and automatically rotating the date wheel with a motor or the like, but in order to realize this, the following problems were encountered. found.

First, even if the date wheel is automatically controlled according to the calendar, there are cases where the user must manually adjust the date according to the time difference. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the adjustment state of the date wheel by the user on the microcomputer side. Furthermore, in order to incorporate a mechanism for rotating the date wheel into a wristwatch, it is necessary to use a thinner as possible.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a date indicator rotation detecting device capable of reliably detecting a manually adjusted state of a date indicator.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an intermediate date wheel suitable for driving a date wheel of a wristwatch.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hollow disk-shaped date indicator that displays a date by rotating the date indicator, and the date indicator is positioned from the inside. A drive mechanism for driving, and a detection unit that periodically repeats a conductive state and a non-conductive state of contact with the rotation of the date wheel, and controls the rotation angle position of the date wheel according to the conductive state of the detection unit. It is characterized by doing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving mechanism including a date indicator for displaying a date by rotating, a date indicator driving the date indicator, and a swing of the date indicator. A movable unit that moves with the swing of the date wheel while suppressing movement, and a detection unit that detects a rotation state of the date wheel based on the movement of the date wheel, the drive mechanism or the movable unit. It is characterized by having.

Further, in the configuration according to claim 3,
3. The rotation detection device for a date wheel according to claim 2, wherein the movable portion is a leaf spring, and the detection portion includes first and second contacts provided so as to sandwich the leaf spring. The contact is in contact with the leaf spring when the date wheel is automatically driven, and the second contact is in contact with the leaf spring when the date wheel is manually driven. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the first disk vibrated by a piezoelectric element and the first disk are driven.
And a second disk having a notch formed in a peripheral wall thereof.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a date indicator having a conductive portion and a non-conductive portion, and a stator having conductivity and being in frictional contact with the conductive portion or the non-conductive portion of the date indicator. And a brush having conductivity and being in frictional contact with a conductive portion or a non-conductive portion of the date wheel, and a conductive path passing through the stator, the date wheel and the brush is used for rotation of the date wheel. It is characterized in that it is switched accordingly.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First embodiment 1.1. Next, the configuration of the date mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a bottom plate of a date mechanism, on which components described later are provided. Reference numeral 2 denotes a piezoelectric element which is fixed to the bottom plate 1 and expands and contracts according to an applied voltage. Reference numeral 3 denotes a stator, one end of which is a bottom plate 1
And the other end is fixed to the piezoelectric element 2. A triangular point 3a is formed on one side surface of the other end of the stator 3.

As a result, the stator 3 vibrates so that the point 3a draws an elliptical orbit in synchronization with the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element 2. Reference numeral 4 denotes a date-rotating intermediate wheel, which has a disk-shaped large-diameter portion 4b whose peripheral surface is in contact with the stator 3, and which is fixed to be concentric with the large-diameter portion 4b and has a slightly smaller diameter than the large-diameter portion 4b. And is provided rotatably with respect to the bottom plate 1. Further, the peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 4a is cut out in a substantially square shape, and a cutout portion 4c is formed.

Next, reference numeral 5 denotes a date wheel formed in the shape of a hollow disk, and an internal gear 5a is formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. 8
Is a through hole formed in the bottom plate 1, and is formed to be long along the rotation direction of the date indicator 5. Reference numeral 7 denotes a shaft, which is loosely inserted into the through hole 8. Reference numeral 6 denotes a date wheel, which is a five-tooth gear, which is rotatably supported by the shaft 7 and meshes with the internal gear 5a.

A leaf spring 11 has one end fixed to the bottom plate 1 and the other end fixed to the shaft 7. Thus, the leaf spring 11 urges the shaft 7 and the date wheel 6 in the clockwise direction. Further, swinging of the date wheel 5 is prevented by the urging action of the leaf spring 11. Reference numeral 9 denotes a contact, which is disposed so as to come into contact with the shaft 7 when the circumscribed circle C2 of the date driving wheel 6 moves to the position of the circle C1.

Reference numeral 10 denotes another contact, which is arranged so as to contact the leaf spring 11 when the circumscribed circle C2 of the date driving wheel 6 moves to the position of the circle C3. The contacts 9, 10, the leaf spring 11, and the shaft 7 are all made of good conductors. A predetermined voltage is applied to the leaf spring 11, and when the contact 9 or 10 contacts the shaft 7 or the leaf spring 11, the voltage is applied to the contact 9 or 1.
0 is also applied. Next, reference numeral 12 denotes a manually driven vehicle that meshes with the internal gear 5a and drives the date wheel 5 when the user performs a predetermined operation on a crown (not shown).

1.2. Operation of Embodiment 1.2.1. Automatic Update of Date At a predetermined time (generally around 0 o'clock) on each day, the piezoelectric element 2 vibrates, and the date turning intermediate wheel 4 is rotated clockwise only once. Here, since the date driving wheel 6 is urged clockwise, the small diameter portion 4a is
And rotate while sliding on the teeth 6a, 6b.

On the way, the notch 4c is inserted into the tooth 6 of the date wheel 6.
When the position 6a is reached, the teeth 6a engage with the cutouts 4c.
At this time, the circumscribed circle of the date driving wheel 6 moves to the position indicated by C1, and the shaft 7 contacts the contact 9. This allows
A microcomputer (not shown) or the like detects that the date intermediate wheel 4 and the date wheel 6 have meshed.

Next, when the date turning intermediate wheel 4 continues to rotate clockwise, the date driving wheel 6 is rotated counterclockwise by one tooth, that is, "1/5" rotation in conjunction with the date turning intermediate wheel 4. Rotate in the direction. Further, in conjunction with this, the date dial 5 is rotated counterclockwise by one tooth (corresponding to a date range for one day). On the last day of the month in which the number of days in the month is less than “31”, the above operation is repeated a plurality of times, and the correct date based on the calendar is displayed by the date indicator 5.

1.2.2. Manual Update of Date When the user performs a predetermined operation on the crown (not shown), the manually driven vehicle 12 rotates and the date wheel 5 is driven. Thus, a rotational force is also applied to the date driving wheel 6.

However, since the teeth 6a and 6b of the date wheel 6 are locked by the small diameter portion 4a, they cannot be rotated at the same position. Will rotate while being pushed to the position shown in FIG. Thereby, the contact 10 comes into contact with the leaf spring 11,
In a microcomputer or the like, it is detected that the date indicator 5 is manually driven.

2. Second Embodiment Next, a configuration of a date mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, parts corresponding to the respective parts in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, an internal gear 5
A smooth sliding surface 5b is formed instead of a.

In the vicinity of the inner periphery of the upper surface of the date indicator 5, there is formed a pattern portion 5c in which the date indicated by the date indicator 5 is indicated by a pattern of conductive paint and insulating paint. Then, the stator 3 directly contacts the sliding surface 5b, and directly drives the date indicator 5. Reference numeral 30 denotes a brush, which contacts the pattern portion 5c and detects the displayed date based on the conduction / non-conduction state.

That is, a conduction path is formed through the stator 3, the date wheel 5 and the brush 30, and the conduction / non-conduction state of the conduction path is switched as the date wheel 5 rotates. Reference numeral 31 denotes a leaf spring, one end of which is formed integrally with the brush 30 and fixed to the bottom plate 1. The other end is in pressure contact with the sliding surface 5b of the date wheel 5. Thereby, the swing of the date wheel 5 is suppressed.

As described above, in the second embodiment, since the date indicator 5 is directly driven by the piezoelectric element 2 and the stator 3, the intermediate mechanism such as the date intermediate wheel 4 and the date indicator 6 in the first embodiment is used. Can be omitted, and can be realized with a simpler configuration. Furthermore, since the pattern portion 5c can be read by the brush 30, more accurate control of the date wheel 5 becomes possible.

3. Modifications The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above,
For example, various modifications are possible as follows.

(1) In the first embodiment, the small diameter portion 4a
The notch 4c is provided only at one place, but a plurality of (n) notches 4c may be provided at equal circumferential positions, and the date turning intermediate wheel 4 may be rotated by "1 / n" turns per day. .

(2) In the first embodiment, the date feeding state is detected based on the contact state between the shaft 7 and the contact 9; however, the date feeding state can be detected in other modes. is there. An example is shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a leaf spring, and the vicinity of its tip is bent in a substantially V-shape to form a point portion 20a.

The date intermediate wheel 4 is formed of a good conductor. The point portion 20a normally comes into contact with the peripheral surface of the small-diameter portion 4a, and is brought into a non-contact state only when the notch portion 4c faces. According to such a configuration, by detecting the conduction state between the date turning intermediate wheel 4 and the leaf spring 20, it is possible to detect the date feeding state as in the first embodiment.

(3) In FIG. 3, the periphery of the notch 4c (portion indicated by a broken line 4d) may be made of an insulator. In such a configuration, even when the leaf spring 20 comes into contact with the notch 4c, it is possible to detect the date feeding state.

(4) The date feeding state can also be detected by a configuration as shown in FIG. In the figure, on the upper surface of the small diameter portion 4a, an insulating region 4e formed by applying an insulating paint in a fan shape is formed.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a leaf spring, the tip of which is bent in a substantially V-shape to form a point portion 21a. The point portion 21a is pressed against the upper surface of the small diameter portion 4a. According to such a configuration, by detecting the conduction state between the date turning intermediate wheel 4 and the leaf spring 21, it is possible to detect the date feeding state as in the first embodiment.

(5) Further, the date feeding state can be detected by a configuration as shown in FIG. In the figure, an insulating region 4f formed by applying an insulating paint is formed on the peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 4b. It is assumed that the date intermediate wheel 4 and the stator 3 (see FIG. 1) are made of good conductors. According to such a configuration, by detecting the conduction state between the stator 3 and the date turning intermediate wheel 4, it is possible to detect the date feeding state as in the first embodiment.

(6) In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a wristwatch has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to a wristwatch. For example, a moving picture book or mechanical switching of color panels It can also be applied to various uses such as a display device according to the present invention.

[0035]

As described above, according to the constructions of the first to third and fifth aspects, the date feeding state can be reliably detected based on the movement of the date wheel, the drive mechanism or the movable part. According to the configuration of the fourth aspect, the intermediate date wheel can be formed extremely thin.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a date mechanism according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a date intermediate wheel 4;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modified example of the date intermediate wheel 4;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modification of the date driving intermediate wheel 4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modified example of the date turning intermediate wheel 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a date mechanism according to a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottom plate 2 Piezoelectric element 3 Stator 3a Pointed head 4 Day turning intermediate wheel 4a Small diameter portion 4b Large diameter portion 4c Notch portion 4e, 4f Insulation area 5 Date wheel 5a Internal gear 5b Sliding surface 5c Pattern portion 6 Date wheel 6a, 6b tooth 7 shaft 8 through hole 9,10 contact 11 leaf spring 12 manual drive wheel 20,21,31 leaf spring 20a, 21a point part 30 brush

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hollow disk-shaped date indicator that displays a date by rotating, a driving mechanism that drives the date indicator from the inside, and a conductive and non-conductive contact with the rotation of the date indicator A detection unit that periodically repeats a state, wherein the rotation angle position of the date indicator is controlled by the conduction state of the detection unit. 2. A driving mechanism including a date indicator that displays a date by rotating the date indicator and a date indicator driving the date indicator; and a swing of the date indicator while suppressing the swing of the date indicator. A date indicator, comprising: a movable part that moves with movement; and a detection unit that detects a rotation state of the date indicator based on the movement of the date indicator wheel, the drive mechanism or the movable part. Rotation detection device. 3. The movable section is a leaf spring, and the detecting section includes first and second contacts provided so as to sandwich the leaf spring, and the first contact is the date wheel. 3. The leaf spring contacts the leaf spring when it is automatically driven, and the second contactor contacts the leaf spring when the date driving wheel is driven manually. Date rotation detection device. 4. A first disk vibrated and driven by a piezoelectric element, and a second disk fixed concentrically to the first disk and having a notch formed in a peripheral wall. A date intermediate car characterized by comprising: 5. A date indicator having a conducting portion and a non-conducting portion, a stator having conductivity and frictionally contacting a conducting portion or a non-conducting portion of the date indicator, and a date indicator having conductivity. A brush that comes into frictional contact with the conductive portion or the non-conductive portion of the date wheel, wherein a conductive path passing through the stator, the date wheel, and the brush switches with rotation of the date wheel. Rotation detection device.