JPS6031138Y2 - Electronic clock input switch structure - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to an input switch structure for an electronic timepiece.

Conventionally, time adjustment in electronic watches, especially digital display type electronic watches, is mostly done by pressing a button, and one operation produces one correction pulse to adjust the counter to be corrected. Something that advances step by step,
Alternatively, there are devices that fast-forward at a constant speed by forming a correction signal of a constant frequency by pressing and holding the button, but in the first example, for example, to correct the minute digit, it is necessary to press the button up to 5 times. It is necessary and complicated,
In the second example, if the feed speed is slow, it takes a long time to press the push button, and if the feed speed is fast, the adjustment time may be passed.

On the other hand, a switch mechanism using the crown rotation method was also considered, but since there is no number of correction signals (number of correction pulse inputs) formed per one rotation of the crown, when the amount of correction is large, the number of turns of the crown increases and is cumbersome. It was amazing.

Furthermore, a mechanism has been proposed in which the frequency of the correction signal is changed depending on the speed at which the crown is turned, but because the rotation speed of the crown and the number of correction signals generated are not proportional, the timing may be too fast to adjust. It was difficult to use as it passed through the .

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional adjustment input mechanism described above, and to provide a switch structure that allows time adjustment using an operation method that is very similar to the crown operation of a conventional hand display type wristwatch. It is about providing.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an input switch structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. The crown is firmly fixed, and its position is regulated by a groove in a metal base plate 7, which is the main board of the watch, and is held rotatably.

Therefore, the winding stem 1 has a rotation center axis parallel to the upper and lower surfaces of the base plate 7.

The ratchet wheel 2 has a square center hole that engages with the corner portion 1a of the winding stem 1, and is connected to the winding stem 1 and rotated integrally with the winding stem 1.

The Tsuzumi wheel 2 further meshes with a pinion 3a of a modified transmission wheel 3 whose rotation centers are perpendicular to each other.

Therefore, the modified transmission wheel 3 has a rotation center axis perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the main plate 7.

The modified transmission wheel 3 is composed of a pinion 3a and a gear 3b fixed to the pinion 3a, and is rotatably held in a train wheel bridge 10 by a shaft 9.

Regarding the modified transmission wheel 3, the gear 3b further meshes with the switch wheel 4.

The switch wheel 4 is equipped with a contact spring 5 provided as a movable contact member, and a seat 6 is fixed to the switch wheel 4 as a stopper for the contact spring 5 to rotate.
, contact spring 5, and seat 6 are configured to rotate integrally.

The switch wheel 4 is rotatably held between the base plate 7 and the gear train bridge 10.

Note that the contact spring 5 has a shape shown in FIG.

The circuit board 8 has three conductive patterns 8a to 8C formed as fixed contacts, and the conductive patterns 8a to 80
The surface is in contact with the contact spring 5, and the circuit board 8 and the ground plate 7 are in contact with each other.
the train wheel bridge 1 so that the contact spring 5 is bent and inserted between the
0 and the main plate 7 and parallel to the main plate.

Sliding contact portions 5a and 5a' provided at one end of the contact spring 5
is in contact with the circuit board 8, and the other end 5b is in contact with the ground plate 7.

Although not shown in the figure, the ground plate 7 is connected to the power supply level VDD.
are connected so that

FIG. 4 shows the pattern shapes formed on the circuit board 8. Patterns 8a, ab, and 8c are conductive patterns for fixed contacts, and patterns 8 dt 8 eg
8f is a dummy pattern used as a spacer to smooth the movement of the contact spring 5, and is not electrically connected to anything else and is not involved in the switching operation itself.

Here, the operation of the input switch of this embodiment will be explained.

When the winding stem 1 is rotated by rotating the crown, the correction transmission wheel 3 is rotated via the suspension wheel 2, and the switch wheel 4, contact spring 5, and seat 6 are also rotated together. .

Each of the above-mentioned members can be
They rotate in exactly the same way, just in opposite directions.

The sliding contact portions 5a, 5a provided at one end of the contact spring
' slides and rotates on the pattern of the circuit board 8, and the other end 5b
rotates while sliding on the main plate 7.

The state of contact between the contact spring 5 and the patterns 8a, ab, and 8c of the circuit board 8 is shown in FIGS. The members are omitted.

When the contact spring 5 is in the state shown in FIG. 5a, that is, the sliding contact portion 5a of the contact spring 5 is in contact with the conductive pattern 8c, or starts to rotate counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. The sliding contact portion 5a is separated from the pattern 8a, and the sliding contact portion 5a' is now in contact with the pattern 8a.

When the contact spring 5 further continues to rotate counterclockwise, the sliding contact part 5a' separates from the pattern 8a and the sliding contact part 5a comes into contact with the pattern 8b, as shown in FIG. 5C. 5a, 5a' are disconnected from patterns 8a, 8b, 8c.
Repeat the sequence 8a → 8b → 8C → 8a → 8b →...
The switching operation will be performed in this order.

At this time, the other end 5b of the contact spring is always in contact with the base plate 7 and rotating.

Similarly, when the contact spring rotates clockwise, 8a → 8C → 8b
→8a→8C→8b...The switching operation is repeated in this order.

In this case, since the contact spring 5 has two sliding contacts and three fixed contacts, six disconnection/connection operations (that is, six switching operations) are performed per one rotation of the contact spring.

In accordance with the above operation, the sliding contact portion 5a is
, 5a' contacts any of the patterns 8a, 8b, and 8c once, a correction pulse signal is generated, and the correction pulse signal is transmitted to the correction signal input terminal in the clock circuit. is supplied to perform corrective action.

That is, six correction pulse signals are generated per one rotation of the contact spring 5, and the contents of the counter to be corrected are incremented by one step for each correction pulse signal.

In addition, the contact spring rotates left and right in conjunction with the clockwise rotation of the crown, and the order of input to the three contact patterns 8a, 8b, and 8c changes, so the direction of rotation is identified and the amp count and down count are performed. , it is easy to not only advance but also reverse the contents of the counter.

As detailed above, according to the present invention, it is possible to generate a pulse signal at any speed completely proportional to the rotational speed of the crown from side to side, and therefore it is possible to advance or reverse the contents of a counter, etc. However, by adjusting the rotation speed of the crown, you can freely adjust the rotation speed, so electronic watches,
In particular, when used to correct the timekeeping contents of a digital watch, the display can be corrected using an operating method similar to the crown operation of a conventional pointer display type wristwatch.

Furthermore, since the number of component parts is small, it is easy to manufacture.

In this embodiment, a metal base plate is used, and the base plate is maintained at the power supply voltage level and is always in contact with the other end 5b of the contact spring. However, if a base plate made of insulating resin is used, , a further substrate with a contact surface held at the power supply potential level is arranged between the movable contacts and the watch board, or a conductive layer is formed on the ground plane surface and the conductive layer is connected to the power supply potential level. In this case, it may also be used as a contact surface with the terminal end 5b of the contact spring 5.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a plan view of the input switch structure, Figure 2 being a sectional view, Figure 3 being a perspective view of the contact spring, and Figure 4 being a perspective view of the contact spring. FIGS. 5A to 5C are plan views showing the conductive patterns on the circuit board, and are operation plan views for chronologically explaining the positional relationship of the contacts due to the rotation of the contact springs. 1... Winding stem, 1a... Corner of winding stem, 2
...Tsuzumi gear, 3...Modified transmission gear, ah...Modified transmission Ekana, 3b...Modified transmission gear, 4...・Switch wheel, 5...Contact spring, 5aw5a'...Sliding contact part, 6...
...Seat, 7...Main plate, Bottom...Circuit board, 8a, 8b. 8c... Conductive pattern, 8 dq 8 eg
8 f...Dummy pattern.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A winding stem having a central axis of rotation parallel to the surface of a watch base plate such as a main plate, a first gear that rotates integrally with the winding stem, and a gear perpendicular to the face of the watch base plate. a second gear having a rotational center axis and meshing with the first gear; a second gear having a rotation center axis perpendicular to the surface of the clock substrate of the present invention and rotating in conjunction with the second gear; In an input switch structure for an electronic watch, the structure includes a movable contact and a fixed contact provided in correspondence with the movable contact, comprising: a first switch substrate having a conductive pattern formed as the fixed contact; A second substrate having a contact surface is disposed above and below the contact surface of the movable contact with a gap in between, and parallel to each other so that the surface on which the conductive pattern is formed and the contact surface face each other. one end of the movable contact is always in contact with the contact surface of the second substrate, and the other end of the movable contact is connected/disconnected with the conductive pattern of the first substrate as the movable contact rotates. An input switch structure for an electronic clock characterized by the following structure. 2. The input switch structure for an electronic timepiece according to claim 1, wherein the second substrate is a metal base plate.