JP2000121760A - Middle-frame structure of electronic clock with alarm - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the middle-frame structure of an electronic clock with alarm that can securely generate an alarm sound and has simple structure. SOLUTION: In the middle-frame structure of an electronic clock with alarm for generating an electronic sound by a piezoelectric element 1 being mounted to a terminal from a module 30 and a rear lid while the module 30 is mounted to a clock case 9 via a middle frame 23, the middle frame 23 is provided with an inner step part 27 that is engaged to the module 30 inside, an outer step part 28 that is engaged to a core 8a of a rear lid 8 outside, a cut-out part 24 that is engaged to a pipe 22 of the clock case 9 at an outer wall, a projecting part 25 that projects inside from a lower part, and a guide part 26 for guiding a coil-shaped terminal at its tip. The terminal is inserted into the guide part 26, at the same time the module 30 where the middle frame 23 is fitted is mounted to the clock case 9, and the rear lid 8 is screwed into the clock case 9. On completion such mounting, the guide part 26 of the middle frame 23 is located between the piezoelectric element 1 and the module 30 while the rear lid 8 is screwed into the clock case 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm for notifying an alarm of a set time or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an electronic timepiece with an alarm for notifying an alarm, a piezoelectric element is mounted on a back cover. When a signal is supplied from a module to the piezoelectric element through a coil-shaped terminal, the piezoelectric element vibrates. Alarm sound. In this type of electronic timepiece with alarm, when the back cover is screwed into the watch case, the rotation of the back cover causes the terminal to be dragged in the rotating direction, causing poor contact with the piezoelectric element, causing variations in the alarm sound, Some alarm sounds did not sound. The following technique is disclosed as a method for solving this.

FIG. 3 shows a first example of the prior art. FIG.
(A) is sectional drawing of the timepiece with an alarm in a prior art. FIG. 3B is a partially enlarged sectional view of a portion A in FIG. 3A. Hereinafter, it will be elucidated based on the drawings.

The watch glass 2 is held on the upper surface of a watch case 9, and a screw-type back cover 8 is mounted on the lower surface. The piezoelectric element 1 is joined to the inner surface of the screw-type back cover 8 with an adhesive or the like. The alarm coil 6 is elastically provided between the module 10 having the dial 3 on the upper side and the transmission pin 6a. The terminal 5 is provided on the module 10 and is connected to an upper part of the auxiliary terminal spring 5a. Middle frame 4
The module 10 is disposed inside the body of the watch case 9 and holds the module 10.

[0005] The auxiliary terminal spring 5a is formed by a rotation stopper.
Positioned on the middle frame 4, the lower portion is provided so as to engage with the back cover 8, and the engagement portion with the back cover 8 is such that a convex portion having a thickness greater than the thickness of the piezoelectric element 1 is provided inside the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the back cover 8. It is provided straddling the piezoelectric element 1. An insulation (bush) 7 for holding the transmission pin 6a is press-fitted into the stepped hole in the auxiliary terminal spring 5a. The insulation (bushing) 7 has a gap (play) in the thickness direction with respect to the transmission pin 6a and the auxiliary terminal spring 5a fitted in the holes of the insulation (bushing) 7.
This prior art is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No.
3-58782).

Next, a second example of the prior art is shown in FIG.
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the alarm-equipped timepiece. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged sectional view of a portion B in FIG. 4A. Hereinafter, it will be elucidated based on the drawings.

[0007] The watch glass 2 is fixed to the upper surface of the watch case 9, the back cover 8 is attached to the lower surface, and an inner case 19 is disposed inside. The module 20 is attached to the inner case 19. I have.

The module 20 includes a circuit board 18 attached to the lower housing 11 via an insulating sheet (not shown), a liquid crystal device attached to the upper housing 14 into which the lower housing 11 is fitted, and which visually displays time and the like. And an interconnector 16 provided between the circuit board 18 and the display member 15 to supply a signal from the circuit board 18 to the display member 15.

The module 20 is assembled by engaging a mounting plate 17 such as a main plate with the upper housing 14, and is inserted into the watch case 9 in this assembled state. Then, the holding member 13 is moved to the inner case 19.
, The watch module 20 is fixed in the watch case 9.

The piezoelectric element 1 is attached to the inner surface of the back cover 8 by bonding or the like. In order to energize the piezoelectric element 1, a coil-shaped elastic member 12 for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element 1 and the circuit board 18 is arranged between the piezoelectric element 1 and the circuit board 18. A pin 12a made of a material is press-fitted.

The elastic member 12 comes into contact with the piezoelectric element 1 through the holding member 13 in a state where the pin 12a is press-fitted. In order to perform this insertion in the loose insertion state, the insertion hole has a diameter larger than that of the elastic member 12 at a substantially central portion of the inclined support portion 13a provided with elasticity by partially bending the holding member 13 downward. Is formed. Thereby, the elastic member 12 is inserted through the insertion hole while being elastically supported by the support portion 13a of the holding member 13.

In this conventional structure, when the back cover 8 is rotated in the direction of arrow C and screwed into the inner case 19, the pin 1 pressed into the elastic member 12 as shown in FIG.
2a comes into contact with the electrode of the piezoelectric element 1, and the elastic member 12
And the pin 12a is bent in the rotation direction, and the holding member 13
Is elastically supported by the supporting portion 13a. This prior art is disclosed in a public patent publication (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-20258).

[0013]

However, in the first conventional example, the number of parts is large and the structure is complicated, and particularly, it is difficult to regulate and fix the position of the auxiliary terminal spring 5a.

In the second prior art, the support 1
Since 3a is always in contact with the piezoelectric element 1, the piezoelectric element 1 is shaved by rotating the back cover 8, and the clock is likely to stop due to the shaved powder. In addition, the piezoelectric element 1 is scraped, causing a change in the thickness of the piezoelectric element 1, thereby causing a problem that the alarm sound changes and the timbre and volume are reduced. Further, since the support portion 13a is always in contact with the piezoelectric element 1, there is a problem that the tone and volume of the alarm sound are reduced.

Further, since the support portion 13a has a structure for elastically supporting the elastic member 12, when the contact resistance of the pin 12a in contact with the piezoelectric element 1 is high, the rotation of the back cover 8 causes the pin 12a and the support portion to rotate. 13a is dragged in the rotational direction,
In some cases, a problem occurred in contact between the piezoelectric element 1 and the pin 12a. Further, it was difficult to keep the elastic force of the support portion 13a constant and to stabilize it.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.
An object of the present invention is to provide a middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm which can surely generate an alarm sound and has a simple structure.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to the first aspect of the present invention. In the middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm, which is mounted and generates an electronic sound by a terminal from the module and a piezoelectric element mounted on the back cover, the middle frame has an inner step part engaged with the module on the inside, and an outer part on the outside. An outer step portion that engages with the core of the back cover, a notch portion that engages with the pipe of the watch case on the outer wall, a protruding portion that protrudes inward from the lower portion, and a guide that guides the coil-shaped terminal at its tip. And the module is mounted on the watch case, and the back cover on which the piezoelectric element is mounted is screwed into the watch case. Sa Characterized in that the guide portion of the inner frame which is fixed by said the core of the back cover and the watch case module is located between the module and the piezoelectric element.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to the second aspect of the present invention is the same as that of the first embodiment. The guide portion is cylindrical, and chamfered portions are formed on both end surfaces of the opening.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to the third aspect of the present invention. The guide portion is insulative and located at a position not in contact with the piezoelectric element.

(Operation) As described above, according to the middle frame structure of the electronic timepiece with alarm of the present invention, the middle frame is fixed by the watch case, the core of the back cover, and the module.
The coil-shaped terminal can be reliably fixed at a proper position. Further, the guide portion of the middle frame for regulating the position of the coil-shaped terminal is located between the piezoelectric element attached to the back cover and the module, and is located at a position where the guide portion does not contact the piezoelectric element. In addition, since the guide portion has a rigid structure (a structure in which the guide portion is not easily deformed), the contact force between the piezoelectric element and the coil-shaped terminal is always stable. As a result, the tone and volume of the alarm are always stable.

[0021]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an electronic timepiece with an alarm using a middle frame of the present embodiment,
2A and 2B show a middle frame of the electronic timepiece with an alarm according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the middle frame, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing an AB cross section in FIG.
FIG. 2C is a view taken in the direction of the arrow C, showing a partial side surface viewed from the direction of the arrow C in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the middle frame 23 includes an inner peripheral portion of the watch case 9 for holding the watch glass 2, an outer peripheral portion of the module 30 having the dial 3 on the upper portion, and a step provided on the outer peripheral portion. 30a and the upper surface of the core 8a of the back cover 8, respectively, to hold the module 30 vertically and radially.

The back cover 8 is detachably attached to the watch case 9 by screwing, and the piezoelectric element 1 is attached to the inner surface of the back cover 8 by bonding or the like. The piezoelectric element 1 vibrates when energized to generate an alarm sound. To energize the piezoelectric element 1, the piezoelectric element 1 and the module 30
Between them, a coil-shaped terminal 21 for electrically connecting them is arranged. The terminal 21 comes into contact with the piezoelectric element 1 through a guide portion 26 provided on the middle frame 23.

The terminal 21 has elasticity which can be expanded and contracted by winding a conductive wire in a coil shape. Electrodes are exposed on the module 30 and the piezoelectric element 1 corresponding to the terminal 21, and when the terminal 21 comes into contact with these electrodes, an alarm generation signal from the module 30 is supplied to the alarm piezoelectric element 1.

The middle frame 23 is made of a resin having an insulating property, and has a ring shape as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. An inner step 27 that engages with the inner cover 30a, an outer step 28 that engages with the core 8a of the back cover 8 on the outside, and a projecting part 25 that has a fan-like shape that projects inward from the lower part and narrows toward the tip.
And a guide portion 26 for guiding the coil-shaped terminal 21 at the tip thereof.

The guide portion 26 has a cylindrical shape, and has an opening 29 through which the terminal 21 is inserted at a substantially central portion. Further, the inner diameter of the opening 29 is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the terminal 21, and chamfers 26a and 26b are formed on both end surfaces of the opening. This chamfer 2
6a and 26b, the terminal 21 can be connected to the guide 2
6 can be easily inserted into the opening 29, and when the back cover 8 is rotated and screwed into the watch case 9,
It is possible to prevent the coil-shaped terminal 21 from being caught on the guide portion 26. In addition, a cutout portion 24 is formed on the outer wall of the middle frame 23 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C so as to be engaged with the pipe 22 of the watch case shown in FIG. ing. This regulates the position of the middle frame 23 in the rotation direction.

A case where the module 30 is mounted on the watch case 9 using the middle frame 23 in the present embodiment will be described below. The coil-shaped terminal 21 is inserted into a guide portion 26 provided in the middle frame 23, and the inner step 27 of the middle frame 23 is engaged with the step 30 a of the module 30,
The middle frame 23 is mounted on the module 30. In this case, since the middle frame 23 has the protruding portion 25 and the guide portion 26, the positioning when the middle frame 23 is mounted on the module 30 becomes easy, and the mounting of the middle frame 23 to the module 30 becomes easy.

Next, the module 30 to which the inner frame 23 is attached is attached to the watch case 9, and the back cover 8 to which the piezoelectric element 1 is attached is screwed to the watch case 9. The module 8 is engaged with the outer step portion 28 of the middle frame 23, and at the same time, the coil-shaped terminal 21 is inserted into a guide portion 26 provided on the middle frame 23 to be in contact with the piezoelectric element 1. Installation is complete.

At this time, the guide portion 26 of the middle frame 23 fixed by the watch case 9, the core 8 a of the back cover 8 and the module 30 is positioned between the piezoelectric element 1 and the module 30. And the guide part 26 is the piezoelectric element 1
It is configured to be in a position where it does not contact. That is, a gap is provided between the guide portion 26 and the piezoelectric element 1. As a result, the guide portion 26 did not cut the piezoelectric element 1, and the clock did not stop due to the cut powder. In addition, there was no change in the thickness of the piezoelectric element 1 due to the scraping of the piezoelectric element 1, and the alarm sound did not change and the timbre and volume did not decrease.

Although the middle frame in the present embodiment has been described using an example in which a resin material is used as a material, the middle frame is not particularly limited as long as it has an insulating property.

[0031]

As described above, according to the center frame structure of the electronic timepiece with alarm according to the present invention, the center frame is fixed by the watch case, the core of the back cover, and the module.
The coil-shaped terminal can be reliably fixed at a proper position.

The guide portion of the middle frame is located between the piezoelectric element and the module, and is configured so that the guide portion does not contact the piezoelectric element. In addition, the guide portion has a rigid structure (guide). Since the structure is such that the portion is hardly deformed), the contact force between the piezoelectric element and the coil-shaped terminal is always stable, and the alarm generation signal from the module can be reliably supplied to the piezoelectric element. Therefore, it is possible to output the alarm sound without any conduction failure, and the tone and volume of the alarm are always stable.

Further, the inner diameter of the guide portion provided on the middle frame is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the terminal, and further, since the chamfered portions are formed on both end surfaces of the opening of the guide portion,
The terminal can be easily inserted into the guide portion of the middle frame, and the coil-shaped terminal can be prevented from being caught on the guide portion when the back cover is rotated and screwed into the watch case.

Further, since the middle frame according to the present invention is provided with the protruding portion and the guide portion for regulating the position of the coil-shaped terminal, the positioning between the middle frame and the module is simple, so It is easy to attach the middle frame.

Further, the middle frame structure of the present invention has a small number of parts, is simple in structure, and can reduce the cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic timepiece with an alarm using a middle frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a middle frame according to the embodiment of the present invention,
Sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to a first example of the related art.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to a second example of the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piezoelectric element 2 Watch glass 3 Dial 8 Back cover 8a Core 9 Watch case 21 Coiled terminal 22 Pipe 23 Middle frame 24 Notch 25 Projection 26 Guide 26a, 26b Chamfer 27 Inner step 28 Outer step 29 Opening 30 Module 30a Step of module

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm in which a module is attached to a watch case via a middle frame, and an electronic sound is generated by a terminal from the module and a piezoelectric element attached to a back cover. The frame has an inner step engaging the module on the inside, an outer step engaging the core of the back cover on the outside, a notch engaging the pipe of the watch case on the outer wall, and protruding inward from the lower part. A projecting portion, and a guide portion for guiding the coil-shaped terminal at the tip thereof, respectively, the terminal is inserted through the guide portion, and the module with the middle frame attached is attached to a watch case, A back cover to which the piezoelectric element is attached is screwed into the watch case, and a guide portion of a middle frame fixed by the watch case, the core of the back cover, and the module is used for the piezoelectric element and the module. Intermediate frame structure alarm electronic timepiece, characterized in that positioned between the. 2. The middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to claim 1, wherein said guide portion is cylindrical and chamfers are formed on both end surfaces of the opening. 3. The middle frame structure of an electronic timepiece with an alarm according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion is insulative and does not contact the piezoelectric element.