JP2013122423A - Movement and electronic watch - Google Patents

Abstract

A movement and an electronic timepiece capable of improving the degree of freedom of arrangement of circuit boards and electrodes.
A movement 3 includes a solar cell 5 that generates power by incident light, a secondary battery 6 that is charged by power generated by the solar cell 5, power that is generated by the solar cell 5, and a secondary battery. 6, a drive mechanism 41 that is driven by at least one of the electric power supplied from 6 to rotate the pointer, a housing 42 that houses the drive mechanism 41, and a circuit that is connected to the solar battery 5 and the secondary battery 6. The solar cell 5 and the circuit board 71 are disposed on opposite sides of the housing 42, and one of the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A of the solar cell 5 and the one electrode And one of the positive electrode E2C and the negative electrode E2A of the circuit board 71 is electrically connected via a metal member (pressing member 47) constituting the housing 42.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a movement and an electronic timepiece including the movement.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an electronic timepiece having a solar cell and a secondary battery that is charged by electric power generated by the solar cell, and a movement that displays time by driving with electric power supplied from these is known ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
In addition to the above configuration, the electronic timepiece described in Patent Document 1 includes a circuit board that supplies power generated by a solar battery to a secondary battery and performs power control such as charging of the secondary battery. Such a circuit board and solar cell are provided on opposite sides of the movement, and the circuit board electrode and the solar cell electrode are electrically connected by a compression coil spring provided in a hole penetrating the movement. Connected.

JP 2005-98711 A

  However, in the electronic timepiece described in Patent Document 1, since the circuit board electrode and the solar cell electrode are electrically connected by a compression coil spring, the circuit board according to the position of the electrode in the solar cell. It is necessary to arrange the electrodes. In such a configuration, there is a problem that not only the degree of freedom of arrangement of the circuit board in the movement but also the degree of freedom of arrangement of electrodes on the circuit board is limited.

  The objective of this invention is providing the movement and electronic timepiece which can improve the arrangement | positioning freedom degree of a circuit board and an electrode.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the movement of the present invention is used in an electronic timepiece and displays a time by rotating a pointer, a solar cell that generates power by incident light, and a power generated by the solar cell. A secondary battery that is charged with electric power, a power that is generated by the solar battery, and a drive mechanism that is driven by at least one of the electric power supplied from the secondary battery and rotates the pointer, A housing that houses a drive mechanism; and a circuit board that is connected to the solar battery and the secondary battery, the solar battery and the circuit board being disposed on opposite sides of the housing, respectively. One of the positive and negative electrodes of the solar cell, and one of the positive and negative electrodes of the circuit board and one of the substrate-side electrodes corresponding to the one of the battery-side electrodes. And it is characterized by being electrically connected through a metal member constituting the casing.

In addition, as a circuit board, the circuit board which comprises a circuit block, the control circuit and oscillator which control the said drive mechanism are mounted, and the electric current conduction path (wiring) was formed can be illustrated.
According to the present invention, one battery side electrode of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the solar cell and the substrate side electrode corresponding to the one battery side electrode among the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the circuit board constitute a casing. Electrically connected through a metal member. According to this, it is possible to connect the one battery side electrode and the one substrate side electrode by being routed by the metal member. For this reason, it is not necessary to arrange | position each electrode in a corresponding position on both sides of a housing | casing like the case where the above-mentioned compression coil spring is used. Accordingly, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the circuit board with respect to the housing can be improved, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of electrodes on the circuit board can be improved.

In addition, when the electrodes are connected using the compression coil spring described above, if the positive electrode and the negative electrode are separated from each other in the solar cell, the circuit is sized according to the arrangement position of the positive electrode and the negative electrode. It is necessary to form a substrate. In such a case, when the size of the circuit board increases, the cost of wiring by gold plating or the like increases, and the manufacturing cost of the circuit board increases.
On the other hand, as described above, it is not necessary to form a large circuit board by drawing and connecting the one battery-side electrode and the one substrate-side electrode using a metal member. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the circuit board, and hence the manufacturing cost of the movement.
Furthermore, since the metal member that connects the electrodes is a metal member that constitutes the casing, an increase in the number of parts can be suppressed, and in this respect also, the manufacturing cost of the movement can be further reduced. Further, when the electrodes are connected only by the metal member, it is not necessary to use the compression coil spring described above, so that the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

In addition, a solar cell with a different size may be newly adopted for the movement from the viewpoint of power generation performance. However, changing the size of a movement that is being standardized is not preferable because it is necessary to create an outer case according to the size of the movement. On the other hand, by improving the degree of freedom of arrangement of electrodes on the circuit board, solar cells of various sizes can be attached to the movement without changing the size of the movement.
Note that the electrodes of the solar cell are excluded from the power generation area in the solar cell. For this reason, when the solar cell has a plurality of cells (power generation units), if the electrodes are provided in a concentrated manner, it is difficult to equalize the area of each cell. On the other hand, the degree of freedom of electrode placement on the circuit board is improved by the above-described configuration, so that the degree of freedom of electrode placement can be improved also in the solar cell. Therefore, the area of each cell can be made uniform (optimized) easily, and the quality of the solar cell can be improved.

  In the present invention, the other battery side electrode among the positive electrode and the negative electrode included in the solar cell and the other substrate side electrode corresponding to the other battery side electrode among the positive electrode and the negative electrode included in the circuit board are electrically connected. The casing has a hole penetrating through the casing at a position corresponding to the other battery-side electrode and the other substrate-side electrode, and the conductive The elastic body is preferably disposed in the hole.

Note that the conductive elastic body can employ the above-described compression coil spring, and can also employ a leaf spring, conductive rubber, or the like.
According to the present invention, since the other battery side electrode and the other substrate side electrode are connected by the conductive elastic body, the electrical connection between these electrodes can be reliably maintained. Therefore, the electric power generated by the solar cell can be reliably supplied to the circuit board.

In the present invention, the electrode connected by the metal member is preferably a ground electrode. Furthermore, the electrode is preferably a positive electrode.
According to the present invention, by using an electrode connected by a metal member as a ground electrode, various metal members constituting the housing can be used as the metal member. Therefore, it is possible to reliably connect the one battery side electrode and the one substrate side electrode with the metal member, and it is possible to reliably suppress an increase in the number of parts of the movement.
In the case of an electronic timepiece, since the positive electrode is often the ground electrode, the electrode connected by the metal member described above is used as the positive electrode, so that the configuration of the movement is not changed. On the other hand, in recent years, some integrated circuits (ICs) constituting the control circuit have a negative electrode as a ground electrode. When such a control circuit is employed, the negative electrode is used as a ground electrode. Also good.

In the present invention, when the battery voltage of the secondary battery is higher than the power generation voltage of the solar battery, the circuit board includes a backflow prevention device that prevents a backflow of current to the solar battery, and the backflow prevention device , Provided on the path connecting the other battery side electrode of the positive and negative electrodes of the solar battery and the electrode corresponding to the other battery side electrode of the positive and negative electrodes of the secondary battery. Preferably it is.
According to the present invention, since the backflow prevention device is provided on a path through which current flows between the solar cell and the secondary battery, it is possible to reliably prevent backflow of current to the solar cell. Therefore, the reliability of the movement operation can be improved.

In this invention, it is preferable that the said metal member has an elastic part which contacts either one of said one battery side electrode and said one board | substrate side electrode in a pressing state.
According to the present invention, the metal member can be brought into contact with the electrode at the elastic portion in a pressed state, so that any one of the metal member, the one battery-side electrode and the one substrate-side electrode described above can be used. It is possible to reliably maintain an electrical connection state with the electrode. Therefore, the electric power generated by the solar cell can be reliably supplied to the circuit board.

In the present invention, the metal member is preferably a pressing member that presses and fixes at least one of the circuit board and the secondary battery to the housing.
According to the present invention, the increase in the number of parts of the movement can be reliably suppressed by using the pressing member provided in the housing as the metal member. In addition, since such a pressing member covers a wide range of the casing, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the circuit board in the casing and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the electrodes in the circuit board can be further improved.

Or in this invention, it has a date indicator which displays a date, and it is preferable that the said metal member is a date indicator holding | suppressing the said date indicator to the said housing | casing.
According to the present invention, as the metal member connecting the one battery-side electrode and the one substrate-side electrode, the pressing member described above is used by using the date indicator pressing the date indicator. Similarly, an increase in the number of parts of the movement can be reliably suppressed.

The electronic timepiece of the invention has the above-described movement.
According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve an effect similar to the effect that the above-described movement can exhibit, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the electronic timepiece.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic timepiece according to a first embodiment of the invention. The top view which shows the external appearance of the electronic timepiece in the said 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows the movement in the said 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the movement in the said 1st Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the movement of the electronic timepiece which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the principal part of the movement of the electronic timepiece which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic timepiece 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic timepiece 1 according to this embodiment includes a movement 3 having a main body 4, a solar battery 5, a secondary battery 6, and a circuit block 7, and an outer case 2 that houses the movement 3 therein. With. And this electronic timepiece 1 controls the drive of the main-body part 4 with the electric power supplied from the solar cell 5 and the secondary battery 6 other than charging the secondary battery 6 with the electric power generation electric current of the solar cell 5, The said main-body part 4 is an analog electronic timepiece that displays the internal time (time measured inside the electronic timepiece 1) by 4.

  In such an electronic timepiece 1, the conductive elastic body C in which the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A included in the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C and the negative electrode E2A included in the circuit board 71 included in the circuit block 7 are configured by coil springs. Are not connected to each other. That is, in the electronic timepiece 1, one of the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A and the electrode corresponding to the one of the positive electrode E2C and the negative electrode E2A are connected by the conductive elastic body C, and the positive electrode E1C and The other electrode of the negative electrode E1A and the electrode corresponding to the other electrode of the positive electrode E2C and the negative electrode E2A are connected by the conductive elastic body C (C1, C2) and the connection member B. Such a configuration is one of the features of the electronic timepiece 1 according to the present embodiment.

  Specifically, in the electronic timepiece 1, the negative electrode E1A and the negative electrode E2A of the electrodes E2 of the circuit board 71 are electrically connected by the conductive elastic body C2. Further, the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C of the electrodes E2 of the circuit board 71 are connected by the conductive elastic body C and the connection member B. With such a configuration, restrictions on the arrangement position of each electrode are relaxed, so that the degree of freedom in arrangement of the electrode E2 in the circuit block 7 (circuit board 71) is improved and the circuit block 7 (circuit board 71 in the electronic timepiece 1). ) Can be improved. In addition, the circuit board 71, and thus the circuit block 7, can be reduced in size, and the manufacturing cost of the electronic timepiece 1 can be reduced.

In addition, as such a connection member B, a lead wire, a printed circuit board, etc. are employable. However, the addition of such a member causes an increase in the number of parts of the movement 3 and thus the electronic timepiece 1. For this reason, in this embodiment, the metal member which comprises the housing | casing 42 which the main-body part 4 which rotates the hand 23 according to internal time has is used as the connection member B, and it connects with the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the electronic timepiece 1 that employs a pressing member 47 that holds the secondary battery 6 and the circuit block 7 against the casing 42 as the metal member will be described.

[Appearance structure of electronic watch]
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the appearance of the electronic timepiece 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic timepiece 1 includes an outer case 2 that accommodates the movement 3 therein, and a disc-shaped dial plate is provided on the inner peripheral side of the outer case 2 via an annular dial ring 21. 22 is arranged as a time display unit.
In the approximate center of the dial 22, the fourth wheel, the second wheel, and the like that constitute the main body 4 of the movement 3 and support the hands 23 (second hand 231, minute hand 232 and hour hand 233) for displaying the internal time. A hole 221 through which the hour wheel (not shown) is inserted is formed. The movement 3 is arranged on the back side of the dial 22 (the side opposite to the side on which the user observes the dial 22).

  The opening on the surface side of the exterior case 2 (the side on which the user observes the dial plate 22) is closed with a cover glass 24, and the user can visually recognize the dial plate 22 and the pointer 23 through the cover glass 24. Has been. Further, the outer case 2 is provided with a crown 25 and operation buttons 26 and 27 for performing an internal time correction process and the like.

[Composition of movement]
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the movement 3. Specifically, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the movement 3 as viewed from the side opposite to the dial 22 side.
The movement 3 displays the internal time by rotating the hands 23 according to the internal time. As shown in FIG. 3, the movement 3 includes a main body 4, a solar battery 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 4), a secondary battery 6, and a circuit block 7.

[Configuration of main unit]
The main body 4 is driven under the control of a later-described control circuit 74 of the circuit block 7 and displays the internal time by the hands 23. Although not shown in detail, the main body unit 4 includes a drive mechanism 41 and a housing 42 in which the drive mechanism 41 is housed. Among these, the drive mechanism 41 has a step motor and a plurality of gears to which the driving force of the step motor is transmitted, and the plurality of gears are pivotally supported on a ground plate (not shown) constituting the housing 42. Has been. As these gears, the drive mechanism 41 includes a fifth wheel, a fourth wheel, a third wheel, a second wheel, a minute wheel, and an hour wheel.

In such a drive mechanism 41, the rotation of the step motor is transmitted to the fourth wheel via the fifth wheel engaged with a gear attached to the step motor. A second hand 231 is attached to the tip of the fourth wheel, and the fourth wheel rotates once in 60 seconds.
The third wheel meshes with the fourth wheel, and the minute hand 232 is attached to the tip of the second pinion of the second wheel that meshes with the third wheel. The second wheel rotates once per hour according to the rotation of the third wheel. The second wheel is meshed with the minute wheel, and the hour wheel is meshed with the hour wheel.
An hour hand 233 is attached to the tip of the hour wheel. This hour wheel rotates once in 12 hours according to the rotation of the minute wheel. With such a drive mechanism 41, the hands 23 display the internal time.
The configuration of the housing 42 will be described in detail later.

[Configuration of solar cell]
The solar cell 5 is disposed between the dial plate 22 and the housing 42, generates power by light incident through the dial plate 22, and outputs the generated current to the secondary battery 6 through the circuit board 71. To do. Although not shown, the solar cell 5 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape similar to that of the housing 42 when viewed from the direction in which the dial 22 is observed. In the center of the solar cell 5, a hole through which the above-mentioned fourth wheel, second wheel and hour wheel (not shown) are inserted is formed.
As shown in FIG. 1, such a solar cell 5 includes a plurality of cells 51 (three cells 51 in the present embodiment) that generate electric power in response to incident light, and a connection portion that connects the cells 51 in series ( And a pair of electrodes E1 (battery side electrodes).

Among these, the pair of electrodes E1 has a positive electrode E1C and a negative electrode E1A, and outputs the generated current generated in each cell 51 to the electrode E2 of the circuit board 71. As shown in FIG. 3, the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A are formed in the solar cell 5 formed in substantially the same outer shape and dimensions as the casing 42, and in the vicinity of the ends opposite to each other across the center of the solar cell 5. Is formed. The positive electrode E1C is a ground electrode of the solar cell 5.
A connection mode between the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A and the positive electrode E2C and the negative electrode E2A of the circuit board 71 will be described in detail later.

[Configuration of secondary battery]
The secondary battery 6 is composed of, for example, a titanium-lithium ion secondary battery, and supplies driving power to the control circuit 74 of the circuit board 71. More specifically, the secondary battery 6 supplies drive power to the control circuit 74 when the power generation by the solar battery 5 is not sufficient.
The secondary battery 6 is supplied with the generated current generated by the solar battery 5 through the wiring formed on the circuit board 71, and the secondary battery 6 is charged by the generated current. The secondary battery 6 is housed in a battery housing part 45 (see FIG. 4) described later of the housing 42. At this time, the positive electrode E3C that is the ground electrode of the secondary battery 6 is connected to the positive electrode E2C that is the ground electrode of the circuit board 71 via the pressing member 47 (see FIG. 4) provided in the casing 42. The negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6 is connected to the negative electrode E4A of the circuit board 71 via a lead plate 46 (see FIG. 4) provided in the housing 42.

[Configuration of circuit block]
The circuit block 7 is driven by electric power supplied from at least one of the solar battery 5 and the secondary battery 6 to control the operation of the electronic timepiece 1 as a whole. The circuit block 7 includes a circuit board 71, an oscillator 72 mounted on the circuit board 71, a backflow prevention device 73, and a control circuit 74.
As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit board 71 is formed to have a size of about ３ of the case 42 when viewed from the direction in which the dial 22 is observed. The circuit board 71 is provided on the opposite side of the casing 42 from the solar cell 5 side (the dial 22 side), and is pressed and fixed to the casing 42 by a pressing member 47 described later.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, such a circuit board 71 is a board having an electrode E2 (positive electrode E2C and negative electrode E2A), an electrode E4 (negative electrode E4A), and a current conduction path (wiring). And the electric power input from the solar cell 5 via the said negative electrode E2A is input into the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6 via the negative electrode E4A.

The oscillator 72 includes a crystal resonator, generates a clock signal having a predetermined frequency, and outputs the clock signal to the control circuit 74.
The backflow prevention device 73 is provided on a path connecting the negative electrode E2A in the circuit board 71 and the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6. The backflow prevention device 73 is configured by a diode or the like. Then, when the power supply voltage of the secondary battery 6 is equal to or lower than the power generation voltage by the solar battery 5, the backflow prevention device 73 allows conduction of the generated current from the solar battery 5 to the secondary battery 6. On the other hand, the backflow prevention device 73 prevents conduction of current from the secondary battery 6 to the solar battery 5 when the power supply voltage of the secondary battery 6 is higher than the power generation voltage by the solar battery 5.

  The control circuit 74 measures the internal time based on the clock signal input from the oscillator 72. And the control circuit 74 outputs a pulse signal to the step motor which comprises the above-mentioned drive mechanism 41, and makes the said drive mechanism 41 display an internal time. Such a control circuit 74 is connected to the positive electrode E2C in addition to being connected to the wiring connecting the backflow prevention device 73 and the negative electrode E4A.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the movement 3.
Among the electrodes E2 (substrate-side electrodes), the positive electrode E2C that is a ground electrode is connected to a pattern PT extending (overhanging) from the circuit substrate 71, as shown in FIG. The pattern PT is pressed by an elastic portion 471 of the pressing member 47 described later, and thereby the electrical connection between the positive electrode E2C and the pressing member 47 is ensured.

[Structure of casing, and connection mode between solar cell and secondary battery and circuit board]
As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 42 includes two holes 43 and 44, a battery storage unit 45, a lead plate 46, and a pressing member 47, in addition to the above-described ground plate.
The holes 43 and 44 are formed so as to penetrate the housing 42 along the direction in which the user observes the dial plate 22. The conductive elastic body C (C1) is disposed in the hole 43 formed at a position corresponding to the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 in the casing 42 among the holes 43 and 44. In addition, a conductive elastic body C (C2) is disposed in the hole 44 formed at a position corresponding to the negative electrode E1A of the solar cell 5.

The conductive elastic body C (C1, C2) is composed of a compression coil spring. Among these, the conductive elastic body C1 electrically connects the positive electrode E1C and the pressing member 47, and the conductive elastic body C2 is connected to the negative electrode E1A and the casing 42 on the side opposite to the dial plate 22 side. The circuit board 71 positioned is electrically connected to the negative electrode E2A. At this time, the conductive elastic bodies C1 and C2 are respectively disposed in the holes 43 and 44 in a compressed state, and the conductive elastic bodies C1 and C2 include the solar cell 5, the circuit board 71, and the presser. A biasing force is applied to the members 47 in the direction of separating them. For this reason, these conduction | electrical_connections can be aimed at reliably.
In the present embodiment, the conductive elastic bodies C1 and C2 are configured by compression coil springs. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the biasing force is applied to the solar cell 5, the circuit board 71, and the pressing member 47. Thus, other configurations may be adopted as long as they can be conducted to each other.

The battery storage unit 45 is formed as a recess opening on the opposite side of the housing 42 from the dial 22 side, and the secondary battery 6 is stored in the battery storage unit 45 as described above. In the battery housing 45, one end of a lead plate 46, which is a conductive metal member, is disposed.
The lead plate 46 extends along the edge of the battery housing 45 from the one end in contact with the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6 and is interposed between the housing 42 and the circuit board 71. A bent portion 461 that is bent toward the circuit board 71 and is elastically deformable is provided on the other end side of the lead plate 46. When the lead plate 46 and the circuit board 71 are pressed toward the housing 42 by a pressing member 47 described later, the bent portion 461 is a negative electrode E4A that constitutes the electrode E4 for the secondary battery in the circuit board 71. And contact at a predetermined pressure. Thereby, the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6 and the negative electrode E4A of the circuit board 71 are electrically connected.

The pressing member 47 is a flat plate spring that constitutes the casing 42, and is formed to have a size that covers substantially the entire surface of the casing 42 opposite to the dial 22. The pressing member 47 functions as a secondary battery pressing member that presses the secondary battery 6 into the battery housing 45 and also functions as a circuit block pressing member that presses and fixes the circuit block 7 to the housing 42.
The pressing member 47 connects the positive electrode E3C of the secondary battery 6 and the pattern PT connected to the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71. A part of the pressing member 47 is connected to the conductive elastic body C <b> 1 described above, whereby the pressing member 47 is also electrically connected to the positive electrode E <b> 1 </ b> C of the solar cell 5. A connection portion of the pressing member 47 with the positive electrode E2C is an elastic portion 471 that is elastically deformed when the pressing member 47 is fixed to the casing 42, and the elastic portion 471 contacts the pattern PT with a predetermined pressure. To do.
Thus, in the circuit board 71, the positive electrode E2C (ground electrode) is connected to the positive electrode E1C (ground electrode) of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E3C of the secondary battery 6 via the pressing member 47 as a metal member of the present invention. (Ground electrode) is electrically connected.

  As described above, the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 are connected via the conductive elastic body C1 and the pressing member 47. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, it is necessary to form the circuit board 71 in a dimension that includes the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A that are arranged apart from each other in the solar cell 5 when viewed from the direction in which the dial 22 is observed. Therefore, the circuit board 71 and, consequently, the circuit block 7 can be downsized.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
The electronic timepiece 1 according to the present embodiment described above has the following effects.
The positive electrode E1C included in the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C included in the circuit board 71 are electrically connected to each other via a holding member 47 that is a metal member constituting the housing 42, in addition to the conductive elastic body C1. . According to this, the positive electrodes E1C and E2C can be connected by being routed by the pressing member 47. For this reason, it is not necessary to arrange each of the positive electrodes E1C and E2C so that the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C are directly connected to the conductive elastic body C1 penetrating the casing 42, respectively. Therefore, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the circuit block 7 (circuit board 71) with respect to the casing 42 can be improved, and the degree of freedom of arrangement of the electrode E2 (particularly the positive electrode E2C) on the circuit board 71 can be improved.

  Here, when the positive electrode of the solar cell and the positive electrode of the circuit board are connected only by the conductive elastic body C1, the solar cell 5 in which the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A are provided separately from each other is employed in the electronic timepiece 1. Then, since it is necessary to provide a positive electrode and a negative electrode on the circuit board according to the positions of the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A, it is necessary to enlarge the circuit board. In such a case, the wiring cost in the circuit board increases, and as a result, the manufacturing cost of the circuit board increases.

On the other hand, the position of the positive electrode E2C on the circuit board 71 can be freely set by drawing and connecting the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C via the pressing member 47, so that the circuit board 71 does not have to be formed large. Also, these positive electrodes E1C and E2C can be connected. Therefore, since the circuit board 71 can be reduced in size, the manufacturing cost of the circuit board 71 and, consequently, the circuit block 7 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the movement 3 and the electronic timepiece 1 can be reduced. In the present embodiment, it is not necessary to enlarge the circuit board 71 to include the positive electrodes E1C and E2C when viewed from the direction in which the dial 22 is observed. For this reason, the circuit block 7 in the electronic timepiece 1 can be downsized to about 2/3 as compared with a circuit block having dimensions including the positive electrodes E1C and E2C.
Furthermore, since the pressing member 47 is a metal member constituting the casing 42, it is not necessary to separately provide a metal member for connecting the positive electrodes E1C and E2C. Therefore, the increase in the number of parts of the movement 3 can be suppressed, and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

Further, since the degree of freedom of arrangement of the electrode E2 on the circuit board 71 is improved, the size of the movement 3 and thus the outer case 2 can be changed by changing the arrangement position of the electrode E2 or changing the circuit board 71. Various sizes of solar cells can be mounted on the movement 3 without changing the size.
In addition, the electrode E1 is excluded from the power generation area in the solar cell 5. For this reason, when the electrodes E1 (the positive electrode E1C and the negative electrode E1A) are provided in the solar cell 5 in a concentrated manner, it is difficult to equalize the area of each cell 51 (the area of the surface on which light is incident). On the other hand, since the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the electrode E2 in the circuit board 71 improves, also in the solar cell 5, the freedom degree of arrangement | positioning of the electrode E2 can be improved. Therefore, the area of each cell 51 can be easily uniformed (optimized), and the quality of the solar cell 5 can be improved.

  The negative electrode E1A included in the solar cell 5 and the negative electrode E2A included in the circuit board 71 are directly connected by the conductive elastic body C2. According to this, the electrical connection between these negative electrodes E1A and E2A can be reliably maintained. Therefore, the electric power generated by the solar cell 5 can be reliably supplied to the circuit block 7 and the reliability in the operation of the movement 3 can be improved.

  The positive electrodes E1C and E2C connected to each other by the pressing member 47 are ground electrodes. According to this, the positive electrodes E1C and E2C can be electrically connected not only through the pressing member 47 but also through other metal members constituting the housing 42. Therefore, electrical connection between the positive electrodes E1C and E2C can be reliably achieved, and an increase in the number of parts of the movement 3 and, consequently, the electronic timepiece 1 can be reliably suppressed.

  The backflow prevention device 73 is provided on a path through which current is conducted between the solar cell 5 and the secondary battery 6. That is, the backflow prevention device 73 is provided on a path connecting the negative electrode E1A of the solar cell 5 and the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6. According to this, the backflow of the electric current from the secondary battery 6 to the solar cell 5 can be prevented reliably. Therefore, it can suppress that a malfunction arises in the solar cell 5. FIG.

  The pressing member 47 has an elastic portion 471 that is elastically deformed and connected in a pressed state to the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71. According to this, the electrical connection between the pressing member 47 and the positive electrode E2C can be reliably maintained. Therefore, the electric power generated by the solar cell 5 can be reliably supplied to the circuit block 7.

  As described above, by using the pressing member 47 provided in the housing 42 as a metal member that electrically connects the positive electrodes E1C and E2C, an increase in the number of parts of the movement 3 can be reliably suppressed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, such a pressing member 47 covers a wide range of the casing 42, and therefore, the degree of freedom in arrangement of the circuit block 7 (circuit board 71) and the circuit block 7 (circuit board 71). ) Can further improve the degree of freedom of arrangement of the electrode E2.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The electronic timepiece according to the present embodiment employs a date indicator holder, which is a metal member that holds the date wheel against the housing, as the connecting member B, and electrically connects the positive electrodes E1C and E2C by the date wheel holder. This is different from the electronic timepiece 1. In the following description, parts that are the same as or substantially the same as those already described are assigned the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the electronic timepiece 1A according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic timepiece 1 </ b> A according to the present embodiment has the same configuration and functions as the electronic timepiece 1 except that the case 42 </ b> A is used instead of the case 42. The casing 42A has the same configuration as the casing 42 described above. In addition, the housing 42A includes a date display unit 48 that displays the date counted by the control circuit 74, a first support unit 91 and a second support unit 92 that support the step motor 411 that constitutes the drive mechanism 41, And an interposition body 93.

  The date display unit 48 includes a date wheel 481 on which a number indicating the date is written on a surface facing the dial 22. Although not shown in detail, the date wheel 481 rotates while meshing with the gears constituting the drive mechanism 41 described above, and displays the date through a hole formed in the dial 22. Such a date indicator 481 is attached in a state of being positioned in a cross-section with respect to the housing 42 </ b> A by a date indicator holder 915 provided in the first support portion 91.

The first support portion 91 and the second support portion 92 are provided at positions where the coil 413 is sandwiched between the magnetic core 412, the coil 413, the stator 414, and the coil lead substrate 415 constituting the step motor 411 in the housing 42 </ b> A.
Among these, the second support portion 92 includes a hole portion 921 that penetrates the housing 42 </ b> A, a screw pin 922, and a screw 923. Then, the dial plate 22 is inserted into the hole 921, the hole 4142 of the stator 414, the hole 4122 of the magnetic core 412, and the screw pin 922 inserted from the dial 22 side into the hole 931 formed in the interposition body 93. A screw 923 is screwed from the side opposite to the side. Thereby, the magnetic core 412 is fixed to the housing 42A.

The first support portion 91 is provided at a position closer to the date indicator 481 than the second support portion 92. The first support portion 91 includes a hole portion 911 that passes through the housing 42A, a screw pin 912, screws 913 and 914, and a date indicator holder 915 that is the connecting member B described above.
The screw pin 912 is made of a conductive material such as metal. Similar to the screw pin 922, the screw pin 912 is fitted into the hole 911 from the dial 22 side, and the end opposite to the dial 22 side is from the hole 911 to the dial 22 side. Projects to the opposite side. This end is inserted through the hole 4141 of the stator 414, the hole 4121 of the magnetic core 412, and the hole 4151 of the coil lead substrate 415. Then, a conductive screw 914 (for example, a metal screw) is screwed to the end portion from the side opposite to the dial plate 22 side, thereby fixing the magnetic core 412 to the housing 42A.

  Between the head portion 9141 of the screw 914 and the coil lead board 415, a part of the pressing member 47, a part of the circuit board 71, and the circuit board 71 extend in this order from the head 9141 side. A part of the pattern PT is arranged. Therefore, by tightening the screw 914 to the screw pin 912, the screw pin 912, the screw 914, and the pressing member 47 can be brought into contact with each other with a high contact pressure, thereby ensuring electrical conduction between them. be able to.

On the other hand, a conductive screw 913 (for example, a metal screw) for fixing the date dial holder 915 is screwed into an end portion of the screw pin 912 on the dial plate 22 side.
The date dial holder 915 is a flat metal member, a hole 9151 through which the screw 913 is inserted, a presser 9152 that holds the date dial 481 against the casing 42A, and between the casing 42A and the dial 22. And an elastic part 9153 connected to the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 arranged in the solar cell 5.
Among these, the elastic portion 9153 is formed at the end portion of the date dial holder 915 so as to be elastically deformable. The elastic portion 9153 is configured to come into contact with the positive electrode E1C with a predetermined pressure when the solar cell 5 is set in the battery housing portion 45.
Such a date dial holder 915 is fixed to the screw pin 912 by a screw 913 that is inserted through the hole 9151 and screwed into the screw pin 912 from the dial 22 side. By tightening the screw 913 to the screw pin 912 at this time, the screw pin 912 and the date wheel presser 915 can be brought into contact with each other with a high contact pressure, thereby ensuring electrical conduction between them. .

  By configuring as described above, the date indicator holder 915 connected to the positive electrode E1C can be electrically connected to the holding member 47 via the screw pin 912 and the screw 914. The presser 915 can be reliably dropped to the ground. Therefore, the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 connected to the pattern PT can be reliably electrically connected.

According to the electronic timepiece 1A according to the present embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the electronic timepiece 1 described above can be obtained, and the following effects can be obtained.
The positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 are connected to the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 via the date indicator holder 915 that holds the date indicator 481 of the date display unit 48 on the housing 42A. The pattern PT to be connected is electrically connected. According to this, by using each of the members as a metal member for connecting the positive electrodes E1C and E2C, the number of parts of the movement 3, and thus the electronic timepiece 1A, is increased as in the case of the electronic timepiece 1 described above. Can be reliably suppressed.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the electronic timepiece according to the present embodiment, the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 are electrically connected through another metal member without using the conductive elastic body C1. Thus, the electronic timepiece 1 is different. In the following description, parts that are the same as or substantially the same as those already described are assigned the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the electronic timepiece 1B according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic timepiece 1 </ b> B according to the present embodiment has the same configuration and function as the above-described electronic timepiece 1 except that the conductive elastic body C <b> 1 and the pressing member 47 include a pressing member 47 </ b> A. .
The pressing member 47 </ b> A functions as a secondary battery pressing member that presses the secondary battery 6 into the battery housing portion 45, as well as the pressing member 47 described above, and also a circuit block pressing member that presses and fixes the circuit block 7 to the housing 42. Also works. The pressing member 47A includes the above-described elastic portion 471, and connects the positive electrode E3C of the secondary battery 6 and the pattern PT connected to the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71.

In addition, in the pressing member 47A, an end portion on the opposite side to the elastic portion 471 side extends to the dial plate 22 side along the outer shape of the casing 42, and the positive end E1C of the solar cell 5 is provided at the extending end. And an elastic portion 47A1 that is electrically connected to each other. The elastic portion 47A1 is elastically deformed when the pressing member 47A is attached to the housing 42, and is connected to the positive electrode E1C with a predetermined pressure. For this reason, conduction between the positive electrode E1C and the pressing member 47A, and consequently conduction between the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C is maintained.
As described above, the positive electrode E2C (ground electrode) of the circuit board 71, the positive electrode E1C (ground electrode) of the solar cell 5, and the positive electrode E3C of the secondary battery 6 (through the pressing member 47A as the metal member of the present invention). Ground electrode).

According to the electronic timepiece 1B according to the present embodiment described above, the same effects as the electronic timepiece 1 described above can be obtained, and the following effects can be obtained.
That is, the holding member 47A that presses and fixes the secondary battery 6 and the circuit block 7 to the casing 42 is in direct contact with the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5, and the positive electrode E1C and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 are electrically connected. Connect to. According to this, it is not necessary to provide the above-mentioned conductive elastic body C1, and it is not necessary to form the hole 43 in the housing. For this reason, the number of parts of the electronic timepiece 1B can be reduced, and the manufacturing process of the electronic timepiece 1B can be simplified. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the electronic timepiece 1B can be further reduced as compared with the electronic timepieces 1 and 1A.

[Modification of Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In each of the above embodiments, the positive electrode E1C of the solar cell 5 and the positive electrode E2C of the circuit board 71 are connected to the pressing members 47 and 47A that hold the secondary battery 6 and the circuit block 7 against the housing 42, and the date wheel 481. It was set as the structure electrically connected by members, such as the date indicator holder | retainer 915 pressed on the body 42A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the positive electrodes E1C and E2C may be electrically connected by other metal members constituting the housing.
The electrodes electrically connected by the metal member of the present invention are not limited to the positive electrodes E1C and E2C of the solar cell 5 and the circuit board 71, but may be negative electrodes E1A and E2A. You may electrically connect through another metal member. In this case, the conductive elastic body C may or may not be used.

In each said embodiment, although the positive electrode E1C and E2C of the solar cell 5 and the circuit board 71 were made into the ground electrode, this invention is not limited to this. That is, the negative electrodes E1A and E2A may be ground electrodes.
In each said embodiment, although the backflow prevention apparatus 73 was provided on the path | route which connects the negative electrode E1A of the solar cell 5 and the negative electrode E3A of the secondary battery 6, this invention is not limited to this. That is, the backflow prevention device 73 is not essential in the present invention, and the backflow prevention device 73 may be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the pressing member 47 as the metal member of the present invention is a flat metal that presses and fixes the secondary battery 6 to the battery housing 45 and presses and fixes the circuit block 7 to the housing 42. Although it is made of a member, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, any metal member that holds at least one of the secondary battery 6 and the circuit block 7 against the casing 42 may be used.
In each of the embodiments described above, the electronic timepieces 1, 1A, 1B are configured as analog watches, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, you may employ | adopt this invention for other timepieces, such as a table clock.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A, 1B ... Electronic timepiece, 3 ... Movement, 5 ... Solar cell, 6 ... Secondary battery, 41 ... Drive mechanism, 42, 42A ... Housing, 44 ... Hole, 47, 47A ... Holding member (made of metal Member), 71 ... circuit board, 73 ... backflow prevention device, 471 ... elastic part, 915 ... date wheel holder (metal member), 9153 ... elastic part, B ... connecting member (metal member), C ... conductive elasticity Body, E1 ... electrode (battery side electrode), E2 ... electrode (substrate side electrode), E1A ... negative electrode (other battery side electrode), E1C ... positive electrode (one battery side electrode), E2A ... negative electrode (other substrate side) Electrode), E2C ... positive electrode (one substrate side electrode), E3A ... negative electrode (negative electrode of secondary battery), E3C ... positive electrode (positive electrode of secondary battery).

Claims (8)

A movement that is used in an electronic watch and displays the time by rotating the hands,
A solar cell that generates power by incident light;
A secondary battery charged with electric power generated by the solar cell;
A drive mechanism that rotates the pointer by driving with at least one of the power generated by the solar cell and the power supplied from the secondary battery;
A housing that houses the drive mechanism therein;
A circuit board connected to the solar battery and the secondary battery,
The solar cell and the circuit board are disposed on opposite sides of the housing, respectively.
One of the positive electrode and negative electrode of the solar cell, and one of the positive electrode and negative electrode of the circuit board, one of the substrate side electrodes corresponding to the one of the battery side electrodes constitutes the casing. A movement characterized by being electrically connected through a metallic member. The movement according to claim 1,
Conductivity for electrically connecting the other battery side electrode of the positive and negative electrodes of the solar cell and the other substrate side electrode of the positive and negative electrodes of the circuit board corresponding to the other battery side electrode. Having an elastic body,
The casing has a hole penetrating the casing at a position corresponding to the other battery side electrode and the other substrate side electrode;
The movement characterized in that the conductive elastic body is disposed in the hole. In the movement according to claim 1 or 2,
The movement connected to the metal member is a ground electrode. The movement according to claim 3,
The circuit board includes a backflow prevention device that prevents a backflow of current to the solar battery when the battery voltage of the secondary battery is higher than the power generation voltage of the solar battery,
The backflow prevention device connects the other battery side electrode of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the solar battery and the electrode corresponding to the other battery side electrode of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the secondary battery. A movement characterized by being provided above. In the movement according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The metal member has an elastic portion that is in contact with either the one battery-side electrode or the one substrate-side electrode in a pressed state. The movement according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The metal member is a pressing member that presses and fixes at least one of the circuit board and the secondary battery to the housing. The movement according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Has a date wheel that displays the date,
The metal member is a date indicator holder that holds the date indicator against the casing. An electronic timepiece having the movement according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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