JPS5816151B2 - densid cay - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electronic timepiece using a highly elastic elastomer display element made of rubber or the like in an electro-optical display device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid crystal display device is an example of a low power consumption electro-optic display device used in a low power consumption electro-optic display used in a digital display.

This liquid crystal display device has electrodes formed on the surfaces of two flat glasses, an insulating spacer partially interposed between the glasses, and a space surrounded by the insulating spacer filled with liquid crystal. A voltage is applied between the electrodes to change the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules, and the resulting light scattering or polarization effect is used for display, and is particularly useful for liquid crystal display devices used in electronic watches, etc. In this case, some disadvantages can be listed below.

In other words, (1) Liquid crystal display devices disposed inside electronic watches have space constraints and problems with the operating voltage applied between the electrodes, so not only table clocks but also mobile watches in particular, Currently, it is necessary to limit the gap to 20 microns or less, which requires a large number of processing steps such as liquid crystal filling and hermetic sealing, which is cumbersome, poor in mass production, and expensive.

(2) The amount of liquid crystal used in a liquid crystal display device is extremely small, and in order to prevent deterioration of the liquid crystal when assembling the liquid crystal display device, strict measures are taken to prevent impurities such as moisture from entering the liquid crystal. I had to manage it.

(3) When a voltage is applied between the electrodes of a liquid crystal display device, an electrolytic phenomenon occurs, which significantly accelerates the deterioration of the liquid crystal itself, making it practically difficult to use it with direct current voltage drive.

An object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive electronic timepiece using a field-effect solid-state display device, which is a novel low-power consumption device that eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of liquid crystal display devices. .

The following will explain based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an elastomer display device according to the invention, with reference numeral 1 indicating the entire elastomer display device.

The structure will be described below. Reference numeral 2 is a flat transparent substrate having electrical insulation properties such as glass, and transparent electrodes 33 and 3b are formed on the surface of this substrate 2 by means such as vapor deposition.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a display element made of a transparent and highly elastic elastomer such as silicone rubber, which itself is a flat thin film with a thickness of about 6 microns. A reflective layer 6 made of indium In or the like is formed on the interface between the elastomer display element 4 and the conductive rubber 5.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an adhesive with which the peripheral edge of the elastomer display device 1 is sealed and fixed.

The area where this adhesive T is used is the elastomer display element 4.
In order to reduce fixation distortion at the peripheral edge of the elastomeric display device 1 including the conductive rubber 5 and the conductive rubber 5, elastic adhesion is preferably performed using a rubber adhesive.

Note that 8 is an optical filter that absorbs harmful light rays, such as ultraviolet rays and infrared rays, or both, which are irradiated onto the elastomer display element 4. If this optical filter is an infrared absorbing filter, the elastomer It is possible to avoid unnecessary temperature rise of the display element 4, prevent thermal stress distortion of the elastomer display element 4, and when the optical filter is an ultraviolet absorbing filter, the ultraviolet rays of the elastomer display element 4 can be prevented. Furthermore, by combining both filters, it is possible to simultaneously absorb ultraviolet rays and infrared rays.

Further, in this embodiment, the optical filter 8 is disposed on the substrate 2, but the substrate 2 itself may be an optical filter.

The display principle of the elastomer display device 1 based on the above configuration will be described.

In the figure, a state is shown in which no voltage is applied between the transparent electrode 3a and the conductive rubber 5, and the incident light A passing through the transparent electrode 3a passes through the elastomer display element 4 and then passes through the reflective layer. 6, there is no visual difference from the part where no transparent electrode is formed.

On the other hand, in the figure, the voltage of the battery 9 is applied between the transparent electrode 3b and the conductive rubber 5, and in this state, the elastomer display element 4 is in contact with the reflective layer 6, facing the transparent electrode 3b. A diffusely reflecting surface 4a (hereinafter referred to as frost) is generated on the surface of the transparent electrode 3b, which is deformed into an uneven shape by electrostatic force.
The incident light B passing through is diffusely reflected by the frost 4a, causing the shape of the transparent electrode 3b to become cloudy, thereby performing a field effect type display operation.

From this state, by cutting off the voltage applied between the transparent electrode 3b and the conductive rubber 5, the cloudy part caused by the frost 4a that has been generated on the surface of the elastomer display element 4 is erased. .

In this way, the elastomer display device 1 is a low power consumption field effect solid state display device that does not involve current in display operation, and its operating voltage depends on the thickness of the elastomer display element 4, for example, the thickness of the elastomer display element 4. If the diameter is 6 microns, the display can be operated with a voltage of about 60 volts.
And the response was less than about im5ec.

Furthermore, since the structure is such that the elastomer display element 4, which is an insulating rubber, is interposed between the transparent electrode 3b and the conductive rubber 5, there is no need to worry about an electrical short circuit between the transparent electrode 3b and the reflective layer 6. Therefore, the elastomer display element 4 can be made thinner and the elastomer display device can be made thinner, and since no flowable material is used unlike a liquid crystal, the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy.

Furthermore, the elastomer display element 4 itself is solid and can be easily processed into any planar shape, and is a frame for filling and hermetically sealing liquid crystal with fluidity as seen in liquid crystal display devices. In order to eliminate the need for an insulating spacer constituting the body, the elastomer display device 1 can be made to have an irregular shape on a plane, for example, while avoiding the arrangement of other timepiece parts, so that it can be placed effectively in the space inside the watch.

In addition, in the figure, the elastomer display device 1 is driven by a DC voltage from a power source 9, but this is because the electrolysis phenomenon that causes deterioration of the liquid crystal, which occurs when driving the liquid crystal with a DC voltage of 1, does not occur in the elastomer display element 4. It can be driven not only by AC voltage but also by DC voltage.

In particular, when an elastomer display device is driven by DC voltage, dynamic drive with fewer lead terminals of the display device can be achieved.

In this case, the segment designation terminal and digit designation terminal of the display device are driven by applying phase pulses to increase the number of digits displayed on the clock, for example, when the display contents are month, day of the week, date, hour, and minute.

When a multi-digit display is desired in combination with seconds, the number of lead terminals can be particularly reduced, simplifying the structure and greatly contributing to the reliability and downsizing of the timepiece.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a specific elastomer display device 1a used in an electronic timepiece based on the elastomer display device of FIG.

2 is a glass substrate, 6 is a reflective layer that can be seen through the glass substrate 2, and a conductive rubber 5 is disposed below the reflective layer 6 as shown in FIG.

10. 11, 12, 13, and 14 are transparent electrodes formed on the lower display surface of the glass substrate 2, respectively; 10 indicates the 10 o'clock digit, 11 indicates the 1 hour digit, 12 indicates the 10 minute digit, and 13 indicates the 1 hour digit.
The minute digit display 14 is a colon display in which the digits of the hour digit display and the minute digit display are divided and arranged, and the blinking of this colon display is used to display the advancing operation of seconds.

Reference numeral 15 denotes an IJ terminal electrically led out from each transparent electrode segment for hour, minute, and colon display to the side of the elastomer display device 1a, and is formed on the lower surface of the glass substrate 2 at the same time as the transparent electrodes. It is a transparent electrode.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an adhesive for sandwiching and integrally fixing the elastomer display element 4 between the glass substrate 2 and the conductive rubber 5 shown in FIG. Since the elastomeric display element 4 is covered with adhesive, the elastomer display element 4 is shielded from the outside air, and deterioration of the elastomer display element 4 is prevented.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic timepiece using the elastomer display device 1a.

16 is a piezoelectric type resonator, and in this example, a crystal resonator with a natural frequency of 32,768 Hz is used, and it cooperates with the crystal standard oscillation circuit 17 to obtain a highly accurate frequency reference signal of 32,768 Hz. There is.

Although not shown in the figure, it is clear that this crystal standard oscillation circuit 17 is provided with resistors and capacitors that form an oscillation circuit system as external components.

18 is a frequency dividing circuit, and 32768 from the oscillation circuit 1T.
Divide the frequency reference signal of Hz to H(z).

19 is a clock circuit that counts this IHz frequency-divided signal, which includes a sexagesimal counter that counts seconds,
It is composed of a sexagesimal counter that counts in minutes and a 12-decimal counter that counts in hours. Each time signal is converted into a code by 20 decoders, and a drive circuit 21 controls the display of the elastomer display device 1a. The connection is configured to

Each of the above-mentioned circuits 17 to 21 is integrally formed into a block from a C-MOS IC, and is shown as a portion surrounded by a dotted line 23 in the figure.

A battery power supply 23 supplies power to the C-MOS IC 22, and the clock operation is maintained by this battery power supply 23.

The booster circuit 24 operates by indirectly receiving power from the battery power source 23 in response to a clock signal taken out from an intermediate stage of the frequency dividing circuit 18.

This booster circuit 24 includes one that uses a flyback voltage using a coil, one that boosts the voltage by the winding ratio between the primary winding and the secondary winding of a transformer, or a Kotscroft circuit that uses a diode and a capacitor. Either a Walton circuit or a Zienkel circuit is used, and this booster circuit 2
4 is selectively applied to each transparent electrode of the elastomer display device 1a via the drive circuit 22, and a time display according to the contents of the counting circuit 22 is performed.

As described above, by carrying out the present invention, since the elastomer display element is a chemically stable solid compared to a fluid liquid crystal, it is easy to handle and can be mass-produced, and the space inside the electronic watch can be saved. This greatly contributes to making electronic watches thinner, smaller, and lower in cost, as it allows for a structure that effectively arranges the elements.

Furthermore, since the elastomer display device is a field-effect solid state display device, there is no electrolysis phenomenon seen in liquid crystals, etc., and the display can be driven by either direct current or alternating current, and it can also be used as a long-time clock with the limited battery capacity of electronic watches. There are various effects such as extending the lifespan of the electronic timepiece.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the elastomer display device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the elastomer display device used in the electronic timepiece of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic timepiece of the present invention. 1.1a...Elastomer display device, 4...
... Elastomer display element, I ... Adhesive, 8.
...Optical filter, 16...Crystal resonator, 11...Crystal standard oscillation circuit, 18...
... Frequency divider, 19... Timing circuit, 21...
... Drive circuit, 23 ... Power supply, 24 ...
...Booster circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A crystal standard oscillation circuit having a crystal oscillator serving as a time reference, a frequency dividing circuit that divides this signal, a timer for displaying this signal as a time, a drive circuit, and an elastomer display device. The elastomer display device includes a transparent electrode formed on a transparent substrate surface having electrical insulation properties, and a transparent electrode formed on the transparent substrate surface having the transparent electrode. a transparent elastic elastomer layer having electrical insulation properties; a conductive reflective layer formed on the surface of the elastomer layer opposite to the transparent substrate; and a conductive reflective layer disposed on the reflective layer surface. An electronic watch comprising conductive rubber. 2. A crystal standard oscillation circuit with a crystal oscillator serving as a time reference, a frequency dividing circuit that divides the frequency of this signal, a timer that displays the time of this signal, a drive circuit, an elastomer display device, and a power source for operating these. and a booster circuit, the elastomer display device having a transparent electrode formed on the surface of a transparent substrate having electrically insulating properties, and a transparent electrode having electrically insulating properties formed on the surface of the transparent substrate having the transparent electrode. A transparent elastic elastomer layer, a conductive reflective layer formed on a surface of the elastomer layer opposite to the transparent substrate, and a conductive rubber disposed on the reflective layer surface. An electronic timepiece characterized by having a sealing structure that covers a peripheral portion of the elastomer display device. 3 A crystal standard oscillation circuit with a crystal oscillator serving as a time reference, a frequency dividing circuit that divides this signal, a timer that displays this signal as time, a drive circuit, an elastomer display device, and a power source to operate these. and a booster circuit, the elastomer display device having a transparent electrode formed on the surface of a transparent substrate having electrically insulating properties, and a transparent electrode having electrically insulating properties formed on the surface of the transparent substrate having the transparent electrode. A transparent elastic elastomer layer, a conductive reflective layer formed on a surface of the elastomer layer opposite to the transparent substrate, and a conductive rubber disposed on the reflective layer surface. . An electronic timepiece, characterized in that the transparent substrate is provided with an optical filter for removing harmful rays that reach the elastomer layer.