JP6821474B2 - Radio clock - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a radio clock having a built-in antenna.

For wristwatches and wall clocks, acquire accurate time information using standard radio waves, GPS (Global Positioning System) radio waves, Bluetooth (registered trademark), FM waves, and other external radio waves, and correct the current time to the acquired time information. Radio clocks are known. Such a radio-controlled clock has a built-in antenna so that an external radio wave can be acquired at a desired timing.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic clock with a built-in antenna in which a slot antenna for receiving GPS radio waves is housed inside an outer case. A slot antenna is an antenna in which a slit-shaped hole called a slot is formed in a metal plate. In Patent Document 1, a dielectric is arranged in the vicinity of the slot of the slot antenna so that GPS radio waves can be received even in an outer case having a small diameter such as a wristwatch.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-118045 (pages 6 to 7, FIG. 2)

By the way, if metal is present around the antenna, radio waves are blocked and the receiving sensitivity of the antenna is lowered. Especially for radio-controlled timepieces, since there are a metal case and many metal members around the antenna, the distance between the antenna and the metal members greatly affects the reception performance. In order to maintain the reception performance of a radio-controlled timepiece using a slot antenna, it is necessary that the slot antenna and the drive mechanism are fixed at a certain distance.
However, Patent Document 1 does not consider the definition and fixation of the distance between the slot antenna and the drive mechanism, and there is a possibility that the reception performance may vary due to manufacturing variations and the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a radio wave capable of suppressing variations in reception performance of a slot antenna due to manufacturing variations or the like due to a positioning structure that defines and holds a distance between the slot antenna and the drive mechanism. Provide a watch.

In order to solve the above problems, in the radio-controlled timepiece according to the present invention, between the outer case, the cover glass that closes one of the openings of the outer case, the lid that closes the other opening, and the cover glass and the lid. A radio-controlled timepiece having a drive mechanism that is arranged to measure time and a slot antenna that is arranged between the cover glass and the drive mechanism and has a slot portion formed along the outer circumference of the drive mechanism, and is inserted into the slot portion. The dielectric has a defining portion that defines the distance of the slot antenna to the driving mechanism and a fixing portion for fixing the dielectric to the driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism is engaged with the fixing portion. It is characterized by having a positioning portion for positioning and fixing the dielectric with respect to the drive mechanism.

With this configuration, since the drive mechanism and the antenna body can be defined and held at a fixed distance, it is possible to suppress variations in reception performance and maintain a constant antenna sensitivity.

In this radio-controlled timepiece, feeding portions are provided on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the slot portion, respectively, and the dielectric can be inserted into the slot portion at both end positions of the slot portion and positions corresponding to the feeding portions.

As a result, by arranging the dielectric material at the slot end where the electric field is concentrated, the wavelength shortening effect can be efficiently obtained, so that the antenna can be miniaturized and good reception performance can be obtained.

In this radio-controlled timepiece, the shape of the dielectric is substantially rectangular, and the shape of the slot portion can be a shape that follows the shape of the insertion portion of the dielectric.

As a result, the shape of the slot insertion portion and the slot portion of the dielectric can be made rectangular, the manufacture of the dielectric can be facilitated, and the diversity of the design is contributed.

In this radio-controlled timepiece, the dielectric has a portion larger than the width of the slot portion, and may have a holding portion that defines and holds the distance of the slot antenna to the drive mechanism.

As a result, the distance between the slot antenna and the drive mechanism can be accurately positioned.

In this radio-controlled clock, a support that defines the distance of the slot antenna to the drive mechanism and supports the slot antenna, and a support that is at least partially arranged on the side opposite to the support side of the slot antenna and fixes the slot antenna. It can be configured to have an engaging body having an engaging portion.

As a result, the distance of the slot antenna to the drive mechanism can be easily defined and held by the engagement of the dielectrics, and good reception performance can be obtained.

According to the radio-controlled clock of the present invention, the variation in the reception performance of the slot antenna can be suppressed by the positioning structure capable of defining and holding the slot antenna and the drive mechanism at a fixed distance.

It is a top view of the radio-controlled timepiece of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing in the AA cross section of the radio-controlled timepiece of FIG. It is a top view of the antenna of 1st Embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view of the cross section of FIG. It is an exploded perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the slot antenna of the radio-controlled timepiece of 1st Embodiment, a dielectric, and a drive mechanism. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration different from FIG. 5 of the slot antenna, the dielectric, and the drive mechanism of the radio-controlled timepiece of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view for explaining a configuration different from FIGS. 5 and 6 of the slot antenna, the dielectric, and the drive mechanism of the radio-controlled clock of the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the radio clock for demonstrating the 1st modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view of the radio-controlled timepiece of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly process of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the radio clock for demonstrating the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a partially enlarged view of the cross-sectional view of the radio-controlled timepiece of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the assembly process of FIG. It is a top view of the antenna of the 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view of the antenna of the modification of the 2nd Embodiment.

The radio wave clock of the present invention has a slot antenna, is inserted into the slot portion of the slot antenna, and is provided with a dielectric material fixed to the drive mechanism, so that the antenna size is reduced due to the wavelength shortening effect according to the dielectric constant. In addition, it is possible to suppress manufacturing variations due to the specification of the distance to the drive mechanism of the slot antenna. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In each figure, the dimensions and scale of each part are appropriately different from the actual ones for the sake of explanation.
In the following description, the distance in the direction substantially perpendicular to the visual plane such as time information is defined as the thickness of the electronic clock, and the direction in the visual plane is defined as the horizontal direction.

[First Embodiment]
The configuration of the electronic clock according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the electronic clock 100. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the electronic clock 100 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of an antenna body built in the electronic clock 100.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electronic clock 100 has an information display unit 20, an antenna body 40, a dielectric 510, and a drive mechanism 30 arranged inside a tubular outer case 10, and time information received by the antenna body 40. This is a radio-controlled timepiece in which the drive mechanism 30 corrects the time measuring information based on the external signal having the above, and displays the corrected time on the information display unit 20.

An information display unit 20 is arranged on the visible surface side of the electronic clock 100, and an antenna body 40 and a dielectric 510 are arranged between the information display unit 20 and the drive mechanism 30. More specifically, the dielectric 510 is arranged between the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30. The position of the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30 is defined by the dielectric 510.

The outer case 10 has a tubular structure having two openings composed of a body 11 and a bezel 12, and is formed by processing a metal or resin such as stainless steel or titanium. The body 11 and the bezel 12 may be formed as an integral body.
One side of the opening of the outer case 10 is closed by the cover glass 13, and the other side is closed by the back cover 14. The viewing surface side refers to the side blocked by the cover glass 13.

The outer shape of the cover glass 13 is substantially the same as the inner circumference of the bezel 12, and the outer case 10 is closed by sandwiching, for example, packing, etc., so as to prevent water droplets and dust from being mixed. It is made of a transparent glass material or a resin material such as plastic or acrylic, and has radio wave transmission.

The back cover 14 is substantially the same as the inner circumference of the body 11, and is configured to block the outer case 10 with a packing or the like sandwiched so as to prevent water droplets and dust from being mixed. In addition, it can be closed by welding or the like. Further, the back cover 14 and the body 11 can be integrated.
On the outer peripheral side surface of the outer case 10 (particularly the body 11), an operation button 15 and a crown 16 for manually adjusting the time by the user, receiving radio waves, and operating various other functions are provided.

The information display unit 20 has a dial 21, a dial ring 22, and a plurality of pointers 23, and displays the time measured by the drive mechanism 30 and other functions.

The dial 21 is a plate material formed in a shape that matches the inner peripheral shape of the exterior case 12, and an hour character 27 for indicating, for example, a time display is arranged on the surface thereof. Further, a hole for inserting the pointer shaft to which the pointer 23 is attached is formed at a position corresponding to the central axis x of the electronic timepiece 100, and the pointer 23 is arranged so as to sandwich the pointer 23 with the cover glass 13. A material such as plastic or metal can be used for the dial 21.

The dial ring 22 has a ring-shaped structure arranged along the outer circumference of the dial 21 (inner circumference of the bezel 12), and has a display portion on the surface for displaying the time and the state of various functions. For example, in the electronic clock 100 of FIG. 1, RX (during reception), OK (successful reception), and NO (failure of reception) indicating the radio wave reception status by the antenna body 40 are formed between 11:00 and 1:00.

The pointer 23 is rotatably arranged between the dial 21 and the cover glass 13, and is rotationally driven in response to the drive of the drive mechanism 30, such as the time and functional status displayed on the dial 21 or dial ring 22. Point to the information of. In the present embodiment, the pointer 23 is composed of three hands, a second hand 24, a minute hand 25, and an hour hand 26, and is rotatably attached to the central axis x of the electronic clock 100. The configuration of the pointer 23 is not limited to this, and includes an auxiliary needle attached to a small window showing information such as the day of the week and reception status.

The drive mechanism 30 includes a control circuit 31, a drive device 32, a reception circuit 33, and a battery 34, and controls timing and other functions, controls the drive of the pointer 23, processes an external signal input from the antenna body 40, and the like. .. Further, on the antenna body 40 side of the drive mechanism 30, there is a positioning portion 35 for defining and fixing the position of the dielectric 510.

The positioning portion 35 can be formed on a part of the cover portion 37 of a non-conductive material such as plastic that covers the members of the drive mechanism 30, as well as the train wheel receiving and step of the train wheel arranged on the drive mechanism 30. It can be formed on a part of a magnetic resistance plate for suppressing the influence of the magnetic field of the motor. It can also be configured as a separate member that engages with the drive mechanism 30.

The control circuit 31 is arranged on the substrate 36 and includes an oscillation circuit, a frequency dividing circuit, a microcomputer, and the like, and in addition to measuring time based on the oscillation circuit, input / output of a signal for controlling the operation of the drive device 32 and the reception circuit 33. Perform output processing, etc.

The drive device 32 has a train wheel composed of a step motor and a plurality of gears, and a pointer 23 is attached to some gears via a pointer shaft. The pointer 23 can be rotationally driven via a gear by driving the step motor based on the timekeeping information output from the control circuit 31.

The receiving circuit 33 is arranged on the substrate 36, converts the radio wave received by the antenna body 40 into a data signal, and outputs the data signal to the control circuit 31. The receiving circuit 33 may include an impedance matching circuit and a balanced / unbalanced conversion circuit depending on the configuration of the antenna body 40.

The battery 34 is a power source that supplies electric power to the control circuit 31, the driving device 32, the receiving circuit 33, and the like, and a primary battery or a secondary battery can be used. In particular, when a secondary battery is used, as shown in FIG. 2, a solar panel 37 that generates photovoltaic power is arranged between the dial 21 and the antenna body 40, and the power generated by external light such as sunlight is used as the secondary battery. It can be configured to store electricity in a battery.

The solar panel 37 is a substantially circular flat plate that converts light energy into electrical energy, and a hole through which the pointer shaft to which the pointer 23 is attached is formed at a position corresponding to the central axis x. At this time, the dial 21 is made of a material having at least transparency to a wavelength at which the solar panel 37 can generate photovoltaic power. Further, it is preferable that the solar panel 37 is arranged inside the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40.

The antenna body 40 is an antenna that receives radio signals such as standard radio waves and GPS satellite radio waves, and as shown in FIG. 3, a slot portion 41, a feeding portion 42a, and a feeding portion 42b, which are C-shaped openings in a metal substrate. Is configured as a slot antenna formed by. Further, the antenna body 40 is arranged between the dial 21 and the drive mechanism 30. Further, a hole for communicating the pointer axis of the pointer 23 is formed at a position corresponding to the central axis x of the electronic clock 100. The slot portion 41 is the same in the front and back directions.

The feeding portion 42a and the feeding portion 42b are formed at positions facing each other with the slot portion 41 sandwiched so that the feeding to the antenna body 40 becomes a balanced feeding to both sides of the slot portion 41. Moreover, in order to achieve impedance matching with the receiving circuit 33, the slot portion 41 is formed so as to be arranged at one of the two ends. The power feeding unit 42a and the power feeding unit 42b are electrically connected to the receiving circuit 33 and the control circuit 31 via the power feeding pins 43A and 43B and the wiring on the circuit board 36.
The feeding pins 43A and 43B are, for example, rod-shaped conductive members, which can be formed of a stretchable spring pin, or may be formed into a leaf spring or a bump shape.

The dielectric 510 is arranged between the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30, and a part of the dielectric 510 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40. Further, the dielectric 510 is fixed to the drive mechanism 30.
Thereby, the distance of the antenna body 40 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 is defined. Further, by arranging the dielectric 510 in the vicinity of the antenna body 40, the antenna body 40 can be miniaturized due to the wavelength shortening effect.

As the dielectric 510, a high-dielectric material such as alumina or silicon nitride having a dielectric constant of about 8 to 10 or zirconia having a dielectric constant of about 28 to 33 can be used. With each as the main material, the dielectric constant can be adjusted according to the amount of additives contained or partially replaced. Further, if the influence of the surrounding metal is relatively small, a resin material can also be used.

The definition and fixing of the distance between the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30 by the dielectric 510 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a cross section of FIG. 2 for explaining the configurations of the dielectric 510, the antenna body 40, and the drive mechanism 30, and the configurations necessary for the explanation are described.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the dielectric 510 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40 and projects above the slot portion 41. Here, assuming that the width of the slot portion 41 is W ₁ , the dielectric 510 includes an insertion portion 511 having a width W ₁ or less and a defining portion 512 having a width W ₂ larger than W ₁ . The defining portion 512 defines the distance of the antenna body 40 with respect to the dielectric 510.

The antenna body 40 inserted into the insertion portion 511 from the cover glass 13 side (upper side of the paper surface) is in contact with the regulation portion 512 and does not advance to the drive mechanism 30 side. That is, the holding surface 514, which is the surface of the defining portion 512 on the cover glass 13 side, defines the distance of the antenna body 40 to the drive mechanism 30 and functions as a holding portion for holding the antenna body 40.

The width of the insertion portion 511 is not necessarily limited to W ₁ or less, and includes a permissible value to the extent that the insertion portion 511 is press-fitted into the slot portion 41. If there is play between the antenna body 40 and the defining portion 512, a part of the antenna body 40 may be fixed to the outer case 10, but the width of the defining portion 512 may be the same as W ₁ or the press-fitting may be performed. By making it slightly larger than possible, the antenna body 40 and the dielectric 510 can be securely fixed, and the connection with the outer case 10 becomes unnecessary, so that the impact resistance can be improved.

Further, the dielectric 510 has a fixing portion 513 having a width W ₃ larger than the width W ₂ and is engaged with the positioning portion 35 of the drive mechanism 30. That is, the width W ₃ of the fixing portion 513 corresponds to the width of the portion engaged with the positioning portion 35. This defines the position of the dielectric 510 with respect to the drive mechanism 30.

The method of forming the dielectric 510 having three widths W ₁ to _W-3 described above may be formed, for example, by processing a single member, but may be formed by assembling a plurality of members. When forming from a plurality of members, each member may be made of the same material, or different materials may be used. When different materials are used, the permittivity of the member inserted into the slot portion 41 may be set to be higher than the permittivity of the other members in order to effectively shorten the wavelength.

The positioning portion 35 is composed of a substantially plate-shaped member and is arranged along the dielectric 510, covers the fixing portion 513 of the dielectric 510, and has an opening region having a width of W ₂ or more and less than W ₃ . Thereby, the movement of the dielectric 510 in the vertical and horizontal directions can be regulated.

By defining the positions of the dielectric 510 with respect to the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30, the positions of the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30 (distance in the thickness direction and the position in the horizontal direction of the electronic clock 100) are defined. To. As a result, the distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 is maintained at a predetermined distance, so that the variation in the reception performance of the antenna is suppressed and the antenna sensitivity can be maintained at a predetermined value.

The antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30 may be fixed by using screws 60 as shown in FIG. 4 (b). By adopting such a structure, the distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 can be more reliably defined and maintained, so that the variation in reception performance can be suppressed and a constant antenna sensitivity can be maintained. In addition, the antenna body does not need to be connected to the outer case and is fixed more firmly, so that the impact resistance is improved.

Next, the assembly of the dielectric 510, the antenna body 40, and the drive mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a part of the electronic clock 100, and describes a configuration necessary for explanation.

In FIG. 5, the positioning portion 35 is formed on a holding member 38 which is a member separate from the drive mechanism 30, and is configured to be fixed to the drive mechanism 30 so as to sandwich the fixing portion 513 of the dielectric 510.
First, the dielectric 510 is arranged at a predetermined value on the drive mechanism 30. At this time, the drive mechanism 30 may be provided with a guide groove or a guide portion for arranging the dielectric 510 so that the position can be provisionally determined.

Next, the holding member 38 is arranged so as to sandwich the fixing portion 36 of the antenna body 40, and is fixed to the drive mechanism 30. For example, the drive mechanism 30 is provided with a screw hole 61, and the positioning portion 35 is provided with a through hole 62 at a position corresponding to the screw hole 61 so that the screw 63 and the screw hole 61 are screwed together. Can be fixed.
Further, the holding member 38 is provided with a power supply pin insertion hole 64 through which the power supply pins 43A and 43B can be inserted, and one end of the power supply pins 43A and 43B is connected to the terminal of the substrate 36 via the power supply pin insertion hole 64. Will be done.

Next, the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40 is inserted up to the holding surface 514 of the defining portion 512 of the dielectric 510. As a result, the other ends of the feeding pins 43A and 43B are connected to the feeding portion 42a and the feeding portion 42b of the dielectric 510, respectively.

From the above description, the positions of the antenna body 40 and the drive mechanism 30 can be defined by the dielectric 510, and can be electrically connected via the feeding pins 43A and 43B.

The positioning unit 35 is not limited to a configuration formed separately from the drive mechanism 30. FIG. 6 shows another configuration example of the positioning unit 35. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view in which the configuration of the positioning portion 35 is different from that in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the positioning portion 35 is formed on the antenna body 40 side of the drive mechanism 30. One end of the fixing portion 513 of the dielectric 510 is inserted into the positioning portion 35 and fixed.
After defining the position of the dielectric 510 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 in this way, the method of arranging and fixing the feeding pins 43A and 43B and the antenna body 40 is the same as that of FIG. 5 described above. Omit.

In the description of FIGS. 5 and 6, the positioning unit 35 has been described as having a configuration that covers the width W ₃ of the dielectric 510 in the entire range, but the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the range is sufficient to fix the position, the configuration may be a partially covered portion, and the number of covered portions does not have to be one, and may be a plurality. When a plurality of covering portions are arranged, they may be arranged at equal intervals.

Although the positioning portion 35 has been described as having a covering portion corresponding to the fixing portion 513 of the dielectric 510, the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration may be used as long as it regulates the movement of the dielectric. FIG. 7 shows another configuration example of the dielectric and the positioning portion. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view in which the shape of the dielectric and the configuration of the positioning portion 35 are different from those in FIGS. 5 and 6.

7, a dielectric 520 has a dielectric 510 and defining portion 522 of the insertion portion 521 and the width _{W 2} of similarly width _{W 1} of FIG. 5, _{W 2} and the fixed portion 523 of the same width _{W 3} It is configured to have. In other words, without a region having a width W _3, it has a configuration defining portion 522 of the width W ₂ also serves as a fixed portion 523.
The drive mechanism 30 is formed with a concave positioning portion 35. The width of the concave positioning portion 35 is substantially the same as the width W ₃ (W ₂ ) of the dielectric or small enough to be press-fitted, and the fixing portion 523 of the dielectric 520 is inserted into the positioning portion 35. By doing so, the positions of the dielectric 520 and the drive mechanism 30 are fixed.

The method of arranging the feeding pins 43A and 43B and arranging and fixing the antenna body 40 on the holding surface 524 of the dielectric 520 after defining the position of the dielectric 520 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 in this manner is described above. Since the description is the same as that in FIG. 5, the description will be omitted.

With the above configuration, the shape of the dielectric 520 is a shape having two steps of width as compared with the dielectric 510 having three steps of width, so that the processing of the dielectric can be facilitated. Further, since the fixing method to the drive mechanism 30 can be a simple method of insertion into the recess, the manufacturing process can be simplified.

In the case is configured to insert a dielectric a region having a width W ₃ in the recess-like positioning portions 35 as described above, the width W ₃ of the fixed portion 523 be smaller than the width W ₂ of the defining portion 522 Good. By making the width W ₃ of the fixed portion 523 smaller than the width W ₂ , the width of the positioning portion 35 is also reduced, so that the ratio to the drive mechanism 30 can be reduced and other parts and the like can be easily arranged. Can be done.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the electronic clock has a positioning structure capable of defining and holding the slot antenna and the drive mechanism 30 at a fixed distance, so that the reception performance of the slot antenna varies. It can be suppressed.
It is also possible to adjust the length of the insertion portions 511 and 521 of the dielectrics 510 and 520 in the thickness direction to specify the distance between the antenna body 40 and the dial 21 or the solar cell 37.

In the first embodiment described above, the shapes of the dielectrics 510 and 520 are such that the widths of the dielectrics 510 and 520 in the cross-sectional shape are W ₁ , W ₂ , and W ₃ from the cover glass 13 side to the back cover 14 side. Although the description has been made assuming that the shape is gradually increased in order, the shape of the dielectric is not limited to this.
Next, two modified examples will be described as an example using a dielectric having a shape different from that of the first embodiment.

[First Modified Example of First Embodiment]
A first modification of the first embodiment of the radio-controlled timepiece of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view at a position corresponding to the AA cross section in FIG. FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the configuration of the dielectric of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an assembly process of the dielectric, the drive mechanism, and the antenna body corresponding to FIG. 9.
In the following description, the same members as those in the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the dielectric 530 inserted through the antenna body 40 has a substantially T-shaped cross section, and the antenna body 40 is held on the cover glass 13 side via the antenna body holding portion 44. By fixing the back cover 14 side to the drive mechanism 30, the distance h2 of the antenna body 40 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 is defined.

The dielectric 530, a defining portion 532 is a predetermined width _{W 4} in the cover glass 13 side, a configuration having an insertion portion 531 which is narrower _{W 5} in width than the width _{W 4} of the defining portion 532 to the back cover 14 side Is. In the present embodiment, a fixing portion 533 is included as a part of the insertion portion 531.
The insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40, and is arranged so that the antenna body 40 and the holding surface 534 which is the surface of the defining portion 532 of the dielectric 530 on the back cover 14 side are in contact with each other. To. Further, the antenna body holding portion 44 is arranged on the cover glass 13 side of the defining portion 532.

The antenna body holding portion 44 is an auxiliary member for defining the positions of the antenna body 40 and the dielectric 530, and is shaped so as to cover the antenna body 40 and the dielectric 530 along the defining portion 532. As a result, the dielectric 530 has a structure sandwiched between the antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44. The antenna holding portion 44 is made of a non-conductive member such as plastic.
By forming the dielectric 530 into a T shape, it can be easily processed as compared with the dielectric 510 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44 are fixed with screws 61. Thereby, the position of the antenna body 40 with respect to the dielectric 530 is defined.
The antenna body holding portion 44 does not have to be arranged along the entire range of the antenna body 40 and the dielectric 530, and may be a range sufficient to hold the antenna body 40 and the dielectric 530. Further, the portion to be covered or the portion to be fixed by the screw 61 may be one place, or the part to be covered may be divided into a plurality of places and each may be fixed. When there are a plurality of locations, they may be arranged at equal intervals along the dielectric 530.

The method of fixing the antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44 is not limited to this, and for example, the width of the slot portion 41 is made slightly smaller than the width W ₅ of the insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530 and fixed by press fitting. It can be configured. In this case, since the antenna body holding portion 44 and the screw 61 are unnecessary, the number of parts can be reduced and the thickness can be suppressed. As described above, any configuration may be adopted as long as it can be fixed.

The drive mechanism 30 is formed with a recess 39 at a position facing the dielectric 530. The width of the recess 39 is substantially the same as the width W ₅ of the insertion portion 531 (fixing portion 533) of the dielectric 530, and is fixed by inserting the fixing portion 533 region of the insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530, and is fixed to each other. The position of can be specified. The recess 39 corresponds to the positioning portion of the present invention.
The width of the recess 39 can be made slightly smaller than the width W ₅ so that the fixing portion 533 can be press-fitted into the recess 39, so that the fixing portion 533 can be fixed more reliably.

The distance h2 to the antenna body 40 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 corresponds to a value obtained by subtracting the thickness of the antenna body 40 and the depth of the recess 39 of the drive mechanism 30 from the length of the insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530, and is inserted. A desired value can be obtained by adjusting the length of the portion 531 and the depth of the recess 39.

As described above, even if the dielectric 530 has a T-shape, the distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 can be defined and maintained at a desired distance.

The assembly process of the antenna body 40, the dielectric 530, the antenna body holding portion 44, and the drive mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10C.

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, the insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40. The dielectric 530 is inserted until the antenna body 40 comes into contact with the holding surface 534 of the defining portion 532.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the antenna body holding portion 44 is arranged from the side opposite to the side where the antenna body 40 is inserted (cover glass 13 side) so as to cover the defining portion 532 of the dielectric 520. To do. As a result, the defining portion 532 of the dielectric 530 is in a state of being sandwiched between the antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44. Then, by fixing the antenna body holding portion 44 and the antenna body 40 with the screws 61, the position of the antenna body 40 with respect to the dielectric 530 can be accurately defined.

Regarding the method of fixing the antenna body 40, 1 is an engaging portion in which a part of the antenna body holding portion 44 is extended to the outer peripheral edge of the antenna body 40 and hooked on the back cover 14 side of the antenna body 40 to engage and fix the antenna body 40. It may be configured to have one or more. In this case, the screw 61 becomes unnecessary, the number of parts can be reduced, and assembly can be facilitated.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10C, the region of the fixing portion 533 of the insertion portion 531 of the dielectric 530 to which the antenna body 40 is fixed is inserted into the recess 39 of the drive mechanism 30 and fixed. By the above assembly process, the completed configuration of FIG. 9 can be obtained.

[Second variant of the first embodiment]
A second modification of the first embodiment of the radio-controlled clock of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view at a position corresponding to the AA cross section in FIG. FIG. 12 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the configuration of the dielectric of FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an assembly process of the dielectric, the drive mechanism, and the antenna body corresponding to FIG.
In the following description, the same members as those in the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the duplicated description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the dielectric 540 inserted through the antenna body 40 has a substantially T-shaped cross section, and the upper dielectric 545 supporting the antenna body 40 and the T-shaped upper dielectric. It is a two-body structure with a lower dielectric 546 provided with a recess 547 that fits and engages with 545. The upper dielectric 545 corresponds to the support of the present invention and the lower dielectric 546 corresponds to the engaging body of the present invention.

Of these two upper dielectrics 545 and lower dielectrics 546, the upper dielectric 545 is arranged on the cover glass 13 side, and the lower dielectric 546 is arranged on the back cover 14 side.
The upper dielectric 545 is sandwiched and held between the antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44 which is an auxiliary member. This configuration is similar to the dielectric 530 described above. The lower dielectric 546 is inserted and fixed in the recess 547 of the drive mechanism 30.
The upper dielectric 545 and the lower dielectric 546 are fitted and fixed. Thereby, the distance h3 of the antenna body 40 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 is defined.

Top dielectric 545, having a defined portion 542 is a predetermined width _{W 6} in the cover glass 13 side, the insertion portion 541 is narrower _{W 7} in width than the width _{W 6} of the defining portion 542 to the back cover 14 side It is a composition. Similar to the first modification of the first embodiment described above, the insertion portion 541 of the upper dielectric 545 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40, and the back of the defining portion 542 of the antenna body 40 and the upper dielectric 545. The antenna holding portion 44 that holds the antenna body 40 is arranged from the cover glass 13 side of the defining portion 542 so as to be in contact with the holding surface 544 that is the surface on the lid 14 side.

The lower dielectric 546 has a width W ₈ wider than W _{7 in} cross section, and has a recess 547 having a width W ₇ on the cover glass 13 side. The insertion portion 541 of the upper dielectric 545 is inserted and fixed in the recess 547 of the lower dielectric 546.
By forming the dielectric 540 into a two-body structure consisting of an upper dielectric 545 and a lower dielectric 546, more dielectrics are used as compared with the dielectric 540 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, stable reception sensitivity can be obtained.

The configuration of the antenna body holding portion 44 and the fixation with the antenna body 40 are the same as those of the first modification described above, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

The drive mechanism 30 is formed with a recess 39 at a position facing the lower dielectric 546. The width of the recess 39 is substantially the same as the width W ₈ of the lower dielectric 546, and is fixed by inserting the lower dielectric 546, so that the positions of the recesses 39 can be defined. That is, the lower dielectric 546 has a fixing portion 543 that is inserted into the recess 39. The recess 39 corresponds to the positioning portion of the present invention.
The width of the recess 39 can be made slightly smaller than the width W ₈ so that the fixing portion 543 of the lower dielectric 546 can be press-fitted into the recess 39, so that the recess 39 can be fixed more reliably.

The distance h3 to the antenna body 40 with respect to the drive mechanism 30 corresponds to the distance from the upper surface of the drive mechanism 30 to the lower surface of the antenna body 40, and can be set to a desired value by adjusting the depth of the recess 39.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, if the antenna body 40 is supported by the holding surface 548, which is the surface of the lower dielectric 546 on the cover glass 13 side, the antenna body 40 can be fixed more stably and the position can be defined. In this case, the lower dielectric 546 also serves as the defining portion. Further, the holding surface 548 corresponds to the holding portion of the present invention.
If the antenna body 40 can be fixed by the holding surface 548, or the antenna body 40 can be sandwiched and held by the holding surface 544 of the upper dielectric 545 and the holding surface 548 of the lower dielectric 546, the antenna body holding portion It is also possible to configure the structure without using 44 or the screw 61. This reduces the number of parts and facilitates manufacturing.

As described above, even if the dielectric has a two-body structure, the distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 can be defined and held at a desired distance.
In FIG. 12, it is described that the width W ₆ of the defining portion 542 of the upper dielectric 545 and the width W ₈ of the lower dielectric 546 are substantially the same, but the size is not limited to this, and they are different. Can be set to width. For example, the center of gravity can be stabilized by making the width W ₆ smaller than the width W ₈ .

The dielectric constants of the upper dielectric 545 and the lower dielectric 546 can be appropriately selected for the purpose of reducing the influence of the surrounding metals, and materials having the same dielectric constant may be used or different from each other. Dielectric constant materials can also be used. In particular, in order to effectively shorten the wavelength of the slot portion 41 formed in the antenna body 40, it is desirable that the dielectric constant of the upper dielectric 545 is equal to or higher than the dielectric constant of the lower dielectric 546.

When a brittle ceramic material is used for the upper dielectric 545, by using a resin material for the lower dielectric 546, the upper dielectric 55 is held while being suppressed from cracking and can be easily fixed to the drive mechanism 30. Can be done.

The assembly process of the antenna body 40, the dielectric 540, the antenna body holding portion 44, and the drive mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (d).

First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the insertion portion 541 of the upper dielectric 545 is inserted into the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40. The upper dielectric 545 is inserted until the antenna body 40 comes into contact with the holding surface 544 of the upper dielectric 545.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, the antenna body holding portion 44 is inserted from the side opposite to the side where the antenna body 40 is inserted (cover glass 13 side) so as to cover the defining portion 542 of the upper dielectric 545. Deploy. As a result, the defining portion 542 of the upper dielectric 545 is sandwiched between the antenna body 40 and the antenna body holding portion 44. Then, by fixing the antenna body holding portion 44 and the antenna body 40 with the screws 61, the position of the antenna body 40 with respect to the upper dielectric 545 can be accurately defined.
Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, the fixing portion 543 of the lower dielectric 546 is inserted so as to be in contact with the recess 39 of the drive mechanism 30.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 13D, the insertion portion 541 of the upper dielectric 545 is inserted into the recess 547 of the lower dielectric 546 and fixed. As a result, the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 are fixed, and the positions can be defined. By the above assembly process, the completed configuration of FIG. 12 can be obtained.

The order of the steps of inserting the upper dielectric 545 shown in FIG. 13 (b) into the antenna body 40 and the step of inserting the lower dielectric 546 into the recess 39 of the drive mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 13 (c) is as follows. The reverse is also possible. Further, after inserting the antenna body 40 shown in FIG. 13B into the upper dielectric 545, the lower dielectric 546 and the upper dielectric 545 may be first fitted and then fixed to the recess 39. ..

In the first embodiment described above, the dielectric is described as having a shape that is inserted along the entire area of the slot portion, but the dielectric is partially arranged in a portion that affects the antenna sensitivity. May be.
Next, a configuration example in which the region through which the dielectric is inserted into the slot portion is different from that of the first embodiment will be described.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 14 is a plan view of the antenna body 40 of the second embodiment of the radio clock of the present invention. In the structure of FIG. 14, a dielectric 550 is inserted through both ends of the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40. The sensitivity of the slot antenna is determined according to the electric field generated in the antenna body 40, and the electric field is particularly concentrated at the end of the slot portion 41. That is, it suffices if the positions of the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 can be defined with respect to the end portion of the slot portion 41.

As shown in FIG. 14, the dielectric 550 has a substantially arcuate shape along the slot portion 41 so as to be arranged within a predetermined distance from the ends 45a and 45b of the slot portion 41, respectively. The arc length in a plan view is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the size is such that the antenna body 40 is stable.
Further, the drive mechanism 30 corresponding to the dielectric 550 is provided with a positioning portion similar to that of the above-described embodiment.

The wavelength shortening effect due to the insertion of the dielectric 550 is also greatly affected by the arrangement at the ends 45a and 45b of the slot portion 41, and the slot length can be effectively shortened.
Further, since it is arranged only partially as compared with the configuration in which it is arranged in the entire area of the slot portion 41, the amount of the dielectric 550 used can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
In order to make the arrangement more stable, the dielectric 550 can be arranged in a region other than the end portion of the slot portion 41.

As described above, by inserting the dielectric 550 only through both ends 45a and 45b of the slot 41 of the antenna body 40, the distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 in the region contributing to the antenna sensitivity is made constant. It can be held, and stable reception sensitivity can be maintained as in the first embodiment.

[Modified example of the second embodiment]
FIG. 15 is a plan view of the antenna body 40 of a modified example of the second embodiment of the radio-controlled clock of the present invention. The difference from the second embodiment described above is that the shape of the vicinity of both ends of the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40 is rectangular, and the rectangular dielectric 560 is inserted therethrough. is there.
When ceramics having a higher dielectric constant of the dielectric 560 than resin or the like are used, the ceramics are fragile materials, it is difficult to form them into a complicated shape, and processing costs are high.

By forming the rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 15, it is possible to facilitate the processing of the dielectric 560 even when a fragile material such as ceramics is used. Further, the vicinity of the end portion of the slot portion 41 is rectangular, and the other region is arcuate so that the dielectric 560 inserted through the slot portion 41 moves along the arcuate slot portion 41. It is possible to prevent it from being stowed, and it is possible to reliably position it.

It should be noted that the part of the slot portion 41 shown by the broken line circle 47 in FIG. 15 that changes from the arc shape to the rectangular shape causes a current loss at the corner portion when the shape has a sharp corner, and the reception sensitivity is lowered. Therefore, it is preferable to make the shape so that the transition is smooth.

As described above, the antenna sensitivity is contributed by making the shape of the vicinity of both ends 45a and 45b of the slot portion 41 of the antenna body 40 rectangular or larger and inserting the dielectric 560 into a rectangular shape. The distance between the drive mechanism 30 and the antenna body 40 in the region can be kept constant, and stable reception sensitivity can be maintained as in the first embodiment.

The second embodiment and the modified examples of the second embodiment can be appropriately adopted for the first embodiment and the modified examples thereof.

10 Exterior case 13 Cover glass 20 Information display 21 Dial 22 Dial ring 23 Guideline 30 Drive mechanism 31 Control circuit 32 Drive device 33 Reception circuit 34 Battery 35 Positioning unit 36 Board 37 Solar panel 38 Holding member 40 Antenna body 41 Slot part 42a , 42b Power supply part 43A, 43B Power supply pin 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560 Dielectric 511, 521, 531, 541 Insertion part 512, 522, 532, 542 Regulation part 513, 523, 533, 543 Fixing part 545 Upper Dielectric 546 Lower Dielectric W ₁ , W ₂ , W ₃ , W ₄ , W ₅ , W ₆ , W ₇ , W ₈ Width of Dielectric

Claims (5)

An outer case, a cover glass that closes one of the openings of the outer case, a lid that closes the other opening, a drive mechanism that is arranged between the cover glass and the lid to perform timekeeping, and the cover glass. A radio-controlled clock having a slot antenna arranged between the drive mechanism and a slot portion formed along the outer periphery of the drive mechanism.
A dielectric material to be inserted into the slot portion is provided.
The dielectric has a defining portion that defines the distance of the slot antenna to the driving mechanism and a fixing portion for fixing the dielectric to the driving mechanism.
The radio-controlled timepiece is characterized in that the drive mechanism engages with the fixing portion and has a positioning portion for positioning and fixing the dielectric with respect to the driving mechanism. The slot antenna has feeding portions on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the slot portion, respectively, and the dielectric is inserted into the slot portion at both end positions of the slot portion and at positions corresponding to the feeding portion. The radio clock according to claim 1, wherein the radio clock is characterized by the above. In a plan view, the shape of the insertion portion into the slot portion of the dielectric is substantially rectangular.
The radio-controlled timepiece according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shape of the slot portion of the portion through which the dielectric is inserted is a shape that conforms to the shape of the insertion portion of the dielectric. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the defining portion has a holding portion that is larger than the width of the slot portion and that defines and holds the distance of the slot antenna to the driving mechanism. Radio clock. The dielectric is arranged on a support that defines the distance of the slot antenna to the drive mechanism and supports the slot antenna, and at least a part of the dielectric is arranged on the side opposite to the support side of the slot antenna. The radio-controlled clock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the radio clock has an engaging body having an engaging portion with the supporting body for fixing the antenna.

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