ELECTRONIC WATCH COMPRISING A WATCH/TRANSPONDER CHIP

Abstract: In an electronic watch (1) comprising a case (2) and a time indication device (6) carried by a support (12) accommodated in the case (2), and a watch chip (13), also carried by the support (12), for controlling the time indication device (6), and a transponder chip (14) and a transponder coil (15), the transponder chip (14), just as the watch chip (13), is carried by the support (12), and both chips (13, 14) are formed by a combined chip configuration on a common substrate (19).

Description: Electronic watch comprising a watch/transponder chip The invention relates to an electronic watch comprising a case and a time indication device carried by a support accommodated in the case, and a watch chip, which is also carried by the support, for controlling the time indication device and a transponder chip accommodated in the case, and a transponder coil, which is also accommodated in the case and which is electrically connected to the transponder chip, via which transponder coil the transponder chip can communicate with at least one transponder communication device. Such an electronic watch of the type defined in the opening paragraph is commercially available in a variety of variants, from which it is known. In all variants of the known watch the means for realizing the watch functions and the means for realizing the transponder function have been implemented at least substantially independently of one another. The known watch in particular comprises a separate watch chip and a separate transponder chip, which is a comparatively expensive construction, which is also problematic since the electrically conductive connections which may be required between the watch chip and the transponder chip also have to be provided separately, which is unfavorable for a high reliability. It is an object of the invention to provide an improved construction for a watch of the type defined in the opening paragraph. To achieve this object, according to the invention, a watch of the type defined in the opening paragraph is characterized in that the transponder chip, just as the watch chip, is carried by the support, and the transponder chip and the watch chip have been realized on a common substrate, which substrate is connected to the support. This makes it possible to achieve a particularly cheap, reliable, compact and space-saving construction of substantially the entire electronic circuitry of such a watch. Moreover, it is thus achieved that substantially any desired number of electrically conductive connections can be provided between the watch chip and the transponder chip, which can easily be realized internally in the chip, thereby enabling watch functions and data functions obtained by means of the transponder communication to be combined in a simple manner and, consequently, a multitude of hitherto unknown or unattainable potential functions of such a watch to be realized. In a watch in accordance with the invention it has proved to be advantageous if the transponder coil, which is electrically connected to the transponder chip, is also connected to the support. This is also advantageous for a compact construction. Moreover, such a construction is advantageous in view of simple to realize and reliable electrically conductive connections between the transponder chip and the transponder coil. It has further proved to be advantageous if the support is formed by a dial plate. The above-mentioned aspects as well as further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the two embodiments described hereinafter by way of examples and will be elucidated by means of these two embodiments. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing, which shows two embodiments to which the invention is not limited. Figure 1 is diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a watch in accordance with a first embodiment the invention, comprising a support for a time indication device, which support is formed by a dial plate whose surface which is not visible from outside the watch carries a substrate with a watch chip and a transponder chip. Figure 2, in the same way as Figure 1, shows a watch in accordance with a second embodiment the invention, comprising a support for a time indication device comprising a liquid crystal display and a driver for this liquid crystal display, which support is formed by a dial plate whose surface which is not visible from outside the watch carries a substrate with a watch chip and a transponder chip. Figure 1 shows an electronic watch 1 in the form of a wrist watch. The watch 1 has a case 2, which basically comprises a ring part 3, an upper part 4 made of a transparent material and connected to the ring part 3 in an impervious - preferably watertight - manner not shown, and a substantially dish-shaped bottom part 5 made of an electrically conductive material - preferably a metal - and also connected to the ring part 3 in an impervious - preferably watertight - manner. A watch-strap T is attached to the ring part 3. The case 2 accommodates a clockwork mechanism forming a time indication device 6. The time indication device 6 formed by the clockwork mechanism 6 comprises a pair 7 of hands, of which both hands 8 and 9 can be driven by drive means 10, represented diagrammatically as a shaft. The two hands 8 and 9 cooperate with indication means 11 of the time indication device 6, shown only diagrammatically in Figure 1. The indication means 11 are formed, for example, in known manner by a circular minute scale with additional inscription. The indication means 11 are mounted on a support 12 accommodated in the case 2 in that it has been snapped into the ring part 3. The support 12 at the same time constitutes a so-called dial plate. In a manner not shown the support 12 also carries the time indication device 6, the drive means 10 passing through the support 12. The watch 1 further includes a watch chip 13 accommodated in the case 3, which chip serves to control the time indication device. The watch 1 further includes a transponder chip 14 accommodated in the case 2. Moreover, there has been provided a transponder coil, which is likewise accommodated in the case 2 and which is electrically connected to the transponder chip 14, via which coil the transponder chip can communicate with at least one transponder communication device. In the watch 1 as shown in Figure 1 the support 12 for the indication means 11 is advantageously constructed at least partly - but preferably wholly as in the present case - as a printed circuit board and the transponder coil 15 is essentially constituted by conductor tracks 16 formed directly on the support 12. With respect to the transponder coil 15 and its conductor tracks 16 it is to be noted that for the sake of clarity Figure 1 shows only those parts of the transponder coil 15 and its conductor tracks 16 which are disposed in the area of the cross-sectional plane in the drawing and does not show those parts of the transponder coil 15 and its conductor tracks 16 which are disposed behind the cross- sectional plane in the drawing. As regards the transponder coil 15 it is to be noted that the transponder coil 15 in the watch 1 shown in Figure 1 is formed by conductor tracks formed in the support 12 by means of a screen-printing process. In the present case the transponder coil 15 is disposed on that surface of the support 12 which faces the bottom part 5, so that the transponder coil 15 is not visible from outside the watch 1. In addition to the transponder coil 15 the support 12 in the watch 1 shown in Figure 1 also carries the transponder chip 14. The transponder chip 14 is electrically connected to the transponder coil 15 via electrically conductive connections 17, shown only diagrammatically in Figure 1. In addition to the transponder coil 15 and the transponder chip 14 the support 12 in the watch 1 shown in Figure 1 also carries the time indication device 6 as well as the watch chip. The watch chip 13 is electrically connected to the time indication device 6 via further electrically conductive connections 18. In the watch 1 shown in Figure 1 the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13 have been realized in a particularly advantageous manner on a common substrate 19, as is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1. The substrate 19 is connected to the support 12, so that in this way both the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13 are carried by the support 12. Both the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13 are thus connected electrically to the electrically conductive connections 17 and 18 in a manner not shown. The substrate 19 together with the two chips 13 and 14 carried by this substrate are accommodated in a dome-shaped protective cover so as to protect them. Finally, it is to be noted that the case 2 of the watch 1 accommodates a battery 21. The housing 22 of the battery 21 is clamped into a holder 23 which is mechanically and electrically connected to the bottom part 5 by means of a mounting bracket 24 which is fixedly connected to this holder. One terminal 25 of the battery 21 is electrically connected to a supply conductor track 27 on the support 1 via a spring contact 26 soldered to a the supply conductor track 27. The battery 21 serves for the power supply to the time indication device 6, the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13, to which the supply voltage can be applied via the supply conductor track 27 in a manner not shown. Figure 2 shows a further watch 1. This watch 1 has a time indication device 6 whose indication means is formed by a liquid crystal display device 28. The liquid crystal display device 28, frequently referred to as LCD, is connected to an electronic control device 29, which is frequently referred to as LCD driver. The LCD 28 and the LCD driver 29 are connected to the support 12 in a manner not shown, which support takes the form of a printed circuit board. The control device 29 is electrically connected to the watch chip 13 via electrically conductive connections 30. In the watch 1 shown in Figure 2 the watch chip 13 and the transponder chip 14 have been realized again on one common substrate 19, which is connected to the support 12. The transponder chip 14 is electrically connected to the transponder coil 15 via electrically conductive connections 31 led through the support 12. In the present case the transponder coil 15 is constituted by conductor tracks 16 formed on the support 12 by means of an etching process. The transponder coil 15, i.e. its conductor tracks 16 are arranged on that surface of the support 12 which faces the transparent upper part 4 of the case 2. In this way, it is achieved that the transponder coil 15 is visible through the upper part 4, so that a person who views such a watch 1 can be discern that it is a watch 1 with a transponder communication facility. Furthermore, it is thus achieved that the transponder coil 15 can be used as a design feature. Moreover, this provides more room on that surface of the support 12 which faces the bottom part 5, for example in order to accommodate larger integrated circuits. In the two watches 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 it has been achieved in a simple manner that they comprise a transponder coil 15 which can be manufactured at very low cost and which also has the advantage that it can be manufactured very accurately, as a result of which the characteristics of these transponder coils 15 are within a very narrow tolerance range. Moreover, it is very advantageous that the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13 are realized on a common substrate, i.e. form a single-chip configuration, because as a result of this it is not necessary to have two separate chips and, consequently, it is not necessary to provide any off-chip connections between two separate chips. This is particularly advantageous because it possible to provide practically any number of on-chip electrically conductive connections between the transponder chip 14 and the watch chip 13 on the common substrate 19, as a result of which watch functions and data functions made possible by the transponder communication can be combined in a simple manner and, as a consequence, a multitude of hitherto unknown or unattainable potential functions of such a watch to be realized, which is advantageous in view of attaining as many as possible functions for such a watch. The invention is not limited to the two embodiments described in the foregoing. For example, a transponder coil can alternatively have conductors tracks on both surfaces of a support.

Claims: o Claims: 1. An electronic watch comprising a case and a time indication device carried by a support accommodated in the case, and a watch chip, which is also carried by the support, for controlling the time indication device and a transponder chip accommodated in the case, and a transponder coil, which is also accommodated in the case and which is electrically connected to the transponder chip, via which transponder coil the transponder chip can communicate with at least one transponder communication device, characterized in that the transponder chip, just as the watch chip, is carried by the support, and the transponder chip and the watch chip have been realized on a common substrate, which substrate is connected to the support. 2. A watch as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the transponder coil, which is electrically connected to the transponder chip, is also connected to the support. 3. A watch as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support is formed by a dial plate.

Inventors: BERGER DOMINIK, STAUDINGER MAX, BERGER, DOMINIK, STAUDINGER, MAX
Applicants: KONINKL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV, PHILIPS NORDEN AB, KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
Application year: 1998
Main classification: H04B1
IPC codes: G04G17