JPH1152067A - Dial for timepiece - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To hide a solar battery layer arranged beneath a transparent base plate from outside by arranging non-transparent layers with a specific interval on and below the transparent base plate constituting a dial for timepiece, introduce external light making use of the gap formed by arranging non-transparent layer and radiate the solar battery layer. SOLUTION: For a dial for timepiece constituted by arranging a transparent base plate 7 on the surface of a solar battery layer 6, first non-transparent layer 8b formed by a light reflection layer 8a on the side contacting to the upper surface of the transparent base plate 7 are arranged on the transparent base plate 7 with specific intervals to form gaps 15a. On the other hand, a second non-transparent layer 9b formed by a light diffusion layer 9a on the side contacting to the lower surface of the transparent base plate 7 are arranged on the part corresponding to the gap 15a provided on the upper surface of transparent base plate 7 with specific intervals to form gaps 15b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a timepiece dial for use in a wristwatch or the like, and more particularly to a timepiece dial using a solar cell.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A solar cell using natural light as a light source is widely used as a power source for a timepiece. However, since the surface of the solar cell has a unique dark purple color, there may be a problem in terms of decorativeness. . For this reason, in the related art, coloring or patterning is applied to a display portion such as a dial to make the dark purple color peculiar to a solar cell inconspicuous.

As a technique for making the deep purple color of a solar cell inconspicuous, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-244174 discloses a technique.
Is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. HEI 9-203 (1995). In this method, a ceramic material is used for a display plate on which a time character or the like is formed, and further, a convex portion, a concave groove, or the like is formed in the ceramic material to give a pattern tone. By using a white ceramic material, the deep purple color of the solar cell can be made inconspicuous, and a decorative effect can be enhanced by forming a convex portion or a concave groove on the surface.

As another conventional technique, a solar cell in which a colored translucent resin substrate is used as a display panel instead of a ceramic material to reduce the dark purple color of a solar cell is often used.

[0005]

However, by using a white ceramic material or a colored translucent resin material as described above, the dark purple color of the solar cell layer can be made inconspicuous. In addition, there is a problem that the light receiving surface of the solar cell layer and the light transmittance are reduced.

Further, the material of the display panel disposed on the upper surface of the solar cell layer is limited to a white ceramic material or a translucent resin substrate having a light transmitting property, and the decorative character is rich. There were restrictions on making boards.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a non-light-transmitting layer at predetermined intervals on the upper and lower surfaces of a transparent substrate, thereby hiding a solar cell layer disposed below the transparent substrate from the outside,
An object is to irradiate a solar cell layer by introducing external light by utilizing a gap formed by disposing a non-light-transmitting layer.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, a timepiece dial according to the present invention is a timepiece dial having a transparent substrate disposed on the upper surface of a solar cell layer. On the upper surface, a first non-light-transmitting layer having a light reflection layer formed on the side in contact with the upper surface of the transparent substrate is provided at predetermined intervals to provide a gap, and on the lower surface of the transparent substrate, the transparent substrate is provided. A second non-light-transmitting layer in which a light diffusion layer is formed on the side in contact with the lower surface of the transparent substrate is provided at predetermined intervals in a portion corresponding to the gap provided on the upper surface of the transparent substrate to provide a gap; The solar cell layer is irradiated with external light introduced from the gap provided on the upper surface of the solar cell layer from the gap provided on the lower surface of the transparent substrate via the light diffusion layer and the light reflection layer, and is respectively applied to the upper surface and the lower surface of the transparent substrate. The solar cell layer is hidden from the outside by the non-light-transmitting layer Characterized in that was.

Further, in the timepiece dial according to the present invention, the light reflecting layer is preferably made of titanium oxide, aluminum,
The light diffusion layer is formed of any one of silver, and the light diffusion layer is formed of any one of a translucent resin mixed with silicon dioxide particles or glass beads.

Further, the timepiece dial according to the present invention is characterized in that a prism surface is formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate to improve light dispersion.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a timepiece dial according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
FIGS. 3 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
The timepiece dial according to this embodiment is disposed above the movement 1 with the solar cell layer 6 interposed therebetween.
Is formed by a disc-shaped transparent substrate 7 provided with a through hole 4. The movement 1, the solar cell layer 6, and the transparent substrate 7 are supported by the support frame 2 of the watch casing.

The transparent substrate 7 is made of a colorless and transparent acrylic plate, and pattern layers 8 and 9 are formed on its upper and lower surfaces. The pattern layer 8 on the upper surface includes a reflective layer 8a formed on the side in contact with the upper surface of the transparent substrate 7 and a first non-light-transmitting layer 8b covering the upper surface of the reflective layer 8a. The pattern layer 9 includes a diffusion layer 9a formed on the side in contact with the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7, and a second non-light-transmitting layer 9b covering the lower surface of the diffusion layer 9a. The pattern layers 8 and 9
Are arranged at predetermined intervals on the upper surface and the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7, respectively, and gaps 15a and 15b are formed between the adjacent pattern layers 8, 8 and 9, 9, respectively. The pattern layers 8 and 9 are disposed at positions corresponding to the gaps 15b and 15a, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and are adjacent to the end 8c of the pattern layer 8. The end 9 c of the pattern layer 9 on the side is located on the same line 17. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when the pattern layers 8 and 9 are arranged in a stripe pattern, the pattern layers 8 and 9 appear alternately and the transparent substrate 7 is formed.
When viewed from above, the internal solar cell layer 6 is hidden from view. The pattern layers 8 and 9 and the gaps 15a and 15b are
All have the same width dimension. In this embodiment,
The end 8c of the pattern layer 8 and the end 9c of the pattern layer 9 are the same line 1
Although it is located on the top 7, it goes without saying that the end 8c and the end 9c may slightly overlap.

The light reflecting layer 8a, which forms the lower layer of the pattern layer 8, is made of titanium oxide, aluminum, silver or the like having a high light reflectance, and is formed on the upper surface of the transparent substrate 7 by vapor deposition. Or print or attach a separate sticker. On the other hand, the first non-light-transmitting layer 8b forming the upper layer of the pattern layer 8 is formed by forming a metal thin film on the upper surface of the light reflecting layer 8a by vapor deposition or sputtering. The first non-light-transmitting layer 8b is made of a colored metal, so that light transmission is blocked. In addition, various metal colors can be selected, and a pattern can be provided.

On the other hand, for the light diffusion layer 9a constituting a part of the pattern layer 9 on the lower surface side, silicon dioxide particles or glass beads having a high diffusion rate are used. Then, these silicon dioxide particles or glass beads are mixed in a transparent resin, and this transparent resin is formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7 by printing at predetermined intervals. The transparency of the light diffusion layer 9a is ensured by using transparent silicon dioxide particles or glass beads. In addition, it is also possible to obtain a diffusion effect by directly forming fine unevenness or satin pattern on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7 instead of the glass beads or the like. On the other hand, the second non-light-transmitting layer 9b forming the lower layer of the light diffusion layer 9a is formed by forming a metal thin film on the lower surface of the light diffusion layer 9a by vapor deposition or sputtering. Since the light diffusion layer 9a is nearly transparent, the metal color of the second non-light-transmitting layer 9b is matched with the first non-light-transmitting layer 8b to obtain a uniform color while changing the color of both. By providing a pattern, the decorativeness of the dial surface can be enhanced, and the range of options can be expanded. The first and second non-light-transmitting layers 8b and 9b
Can be formed by printing without being limited to metal evaporation or sputtering.

The time character (not shown) of the timepiece dial is formed directly on the transparent substrate 7 or a smooth clear layer is formed on the transparent substrate 7 and printed on the clear layer. Alternatively, it is formed by attaching small pieces.

The pattern of the pattern layers 8 and 9 may be a concentric ring, a radial pattern, a lattice pattern, or the like, in addition to the stripe pattern shown in FIG.

Next, a light path in the timepiece dial having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the above configuration, the gap 15 a of the pattern layer 8 formed on the upper surface side of the transparent substrate 7 forms the light guide surface 11 for light, while the transparent substrate 7
The gap 15b of the pattern layer 9 formed on the lower surface side of the substrate forms an irradiation surface 13 to the solar cell layer 6. External light 12 such as sunlight
Is guided from the light guide surface 11 into the transparent substrate 7 and hits the light diffusion layer 9a. Then, the hit light is applied to the light diffusion layer 9.
a is irregularly reflected by the silicon dioxide particles constituting a,
Spreads irregularly. The diffused light impinges on a light reflecting layer 8 a provided on the upper surface side of the transparent substrate 7 and is reflected therefrom, from the irradiation surface 13 on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7 to the light receiving surface 14 of the solar cell layer 6.
Irradiated toward As described above, the external light 12 guided from the light guide surface 11 is irradiated from the irradiation surface 13 to the light receiving surface 14 of the solar cell layer 6 while repeatedly diffusing and reflecting light in the transparent substrate 7. The solar cell layer 6 can be illuminated uniformly to obtain a sufficient amount of light. In addition, the irradiation surface 13 on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7 has fine irregularities or a satin pattern as compared with the mirror surface, so that the amount of light irradiated to the light receiving surface 14 of the solar cell layer 6 increases. It is desirable to have a good surface state.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a prism surface 16 is formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate 7 to increase the light diffusion efficiency.
The prism surface 16 is formed in the gap 15b of each pattern layer 9, and when the dial is used for a wristwatch, the angle is about 7 °.
Good thing is 0-100 degree, about 90 ~
It is desirable that the pitch is 100 degrees and the pitch is about 30 to 50 μm. In addition, the prism surface 16 is processed directly on the transparent substrate 7 or
Alternatively, a lens film on which a prism surface is formed may be attached to the transparent substrate 7.

As described above, since the prism surface 16 is arranged near the light receiving surface 14 of the solar cell layer 6, the light dispersion area is increased, and at the same time, the light is more concentrated and the light receiving surface 14 of the solar cell layer 6 is formed. The amount of irradiation to the substrate increases, and more power generation can be obtained.

In both the first and second embodiments, an acrylic plate is used as the transparent substrate 7. However, the material is not limited to this as long as the material has a high light-guiding property.

[0021]

As described above, according to the timepiece dial of the present invention, the non-light-transmitting layers are arranged at predetermined intervals on the upper surface and the lower surface of the transparent substrate. The solar cell layer disposed below the transparent substrate can be shielded from the outside, and the dark purple color peculiar to the solar cell is hidden, so that the decorative effect as a display panel can be enhanced. Further, by giving various colors and patterns to the non-light-transmitting layer, the decorative effect can be further enhanced.

In addition, it is possible to irradiate the solar cell layer with a sufficient amount of light by introducing external light using gaps between the non-light-transmitting layers disposed at predetermined intervals and diffusing and reflecting the external light. Thus, there is an effect that sunlight sufficient for driving as a clock can be given to the solar cell layer.

By unifying the patterns and colors of the combined patterns of the non-light-transmitting layers formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the transparent substrate, an integrated dial can be formed on the same plane. By changing the pattern and color of the combination pattern of the non-light-transmitting layers formed in the above, it is possible to obtain a timepiece dial with variations.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of a timepiece dial according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the timepiece dial according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view schematically showing the path of light introduced into the dial of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a second embodiment of the timepiece dial according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 6 solar cell layer 7 transparent substrate 8 pattern layer 8a light reflection layer 8b first non-light-transmitting layer 9 pattern layer 9a light diffusion layer 9b second non-light-transmitting layer 11 light guide surface 12 external light 13 irradiation surface 14 light receiving surface 15a gap 15b gap

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Toshio Hosoya, 2666-3, Funatsu, Kawaguchiko-machi, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture Inside Kawaguchiko Seimitsu Co., Ltd. (72) Nobuo Ito 6-11-12, Honcho, Tanashi-shi, Tokyo Citizen Watch Corporation Tanashi Factory

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A timepiece dial in which a transparent substrate is disposed on the upper surface of a solar cell layer, wherein a light reflecting layer is formed on the upper surface of the transparent substrate on the side in contact with the upper surface of the transparent substrate. A non-light-transmitting layer is provided at predetermined intervals to provide a gap, and a second non-light-transmitting layer having a light diffusion layer formed on the lower surface of the transparent substrate on the side in contact with the lower surface of the transparent substrate is provided. A gap is provided at predetermined intervals in a portion corresponding to the gap provided on the upper surface of the transparent substrate, and a gap is provided. External light guided from the gap provided on the upper surface of the transparent substrate passes through the light diffusion layer and the light reflection layer. The solar cell layer is irradiated from the gap provided on the lower surface of the transparent substrate through the solar cell, and the solar cell layer is hidden from the outside by the non-light-transmitting layers respectively disposed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the transparent substrate. Clock dial. 2. The timepiece dial according to claim 1, wherein the light reflection layer is formed of any one of titanium oxide, aluminum, and silver having a high reflectance. 3. The timepiece dial according to claim 1, wherein the light diffusion layer is formed of one of silicon dioxide particles and a translucent resin mixed with glass beads. 4. The timepiece dial according to claim 1, wherein a prism surface is formed on a lower surface of the transparent substrate.