Patent Publication Number: US-6657922-B2

Title: Electronic watch

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electronic watch having a built-in antenna. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     As a type of an electronic watch, a radio wave watch with a built-in antenna is known. This type of watch has a watch case  1  made of a plastic, as shown in FIG.  6 . The watch case  1  has two band connecting potions  2  which are provided at positions in the twelve o&#39;clock side and the six o&#39;clock side, although only that of the twelve o&#39;clock side is shown in this figure. In the band connecting potion  2  in the twelve o&#39;clock side, a containing concavity  3  is formed so as to open upwardly. In the containing concavity  3 , an antenna  4  is contained. The antenna  4  is a bar antenna which comprises an iron core and a coil wounded around the core. Around the entirety of the periphery of the antenna  4 , a cushion member  6  made of rubber sheet or the like is wounded. The upper portion of the containing concavity  3  is closed by a covering member  5  for covering the antenna  4 . The covering member  5  comprises a plastic panel. The entirety of the periphery of the covering member  5  is welded to the watch case  1  around the upper portion of the containing concavity  3  by a welding method, e.g., a ultrasonic welding or the like. 
     At the central portion of the upper surface of the watch case  1 , a watch glass  8  is provided to attach to the watch case by welding. On the periphery of the upper surface of the watch case  1 , a bezel  7  is installed at a position between the covering member  5  and the watch glass  8 . Inside the watch case  1 , a watch module  9  is installed. The watch module  9  has at least one of the analog function and the digital function. The watch module  9  is electrically connected to the antenna  4  which is contained in the containing concavity  3 . On the lower surface of the watch case  1 , a case back  10  is attached through a waterproof ring  10   a.    
     However, the electronic watch with such a structure has the following problems. 
     That is, in such an electronic watch, the whole surface of the covering member  5  which covers the antenna  4  is exposed outside. When such an electronic watch is dropped by accident in the state that the side of the watch glass  8  takes a lower position, the electronic watch rotates so that the antenna  4  takes a lower position because of the large weight of the antenna. As a result, the outer surface of the covering member  5  comes into collision with a floor or the like, and the welding portion of the covering member  5  receives a direct impact from the floor or the like to be cracked or destroyed. 
     The electronic watch having such a structure has also following another problem. 
     That is, the electronic watch requires to wound a cushion member  6  around the antenna  4  in order to protect the antenna  4  from such an impact. When wounding the cushion member  6  around the antenna  4 , the size of the antenna  4  comes to be larger, and as a result, the entirety of the watch must be large-sized. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the invention is to provide an electronic watch having an antenna and a covering member for covering the antenna, in which the covering member is hard to be cracked or destroyed by an impact caused by dropping or the like. 
     In order to solve the above-described problem, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the electronic watch comprises: a watch case with a containing concavity which is formed in a peripheral portion thereof; an antenna contained in the containing concavity; a covering member fixed to the watch case, for covering the containing concavity containing the antenna; and a casing member provided with a supporting member which is attached to a periphery of the watch case to hold down the covering member, covering at least a portion of the covering member. 
     According to the invention, because at least a portion of the covering member which is fixed to the watch case, for covering the containing concavity containing the antenna is covered and held by a supporting member which is attached to a periphery of the watch case, it is possible to undertake a part of the impact caused by dropping or the like, by the supporting member. Accordingly, it is possible to protect the covering member from cracking or destruction caused by the impact of dropping or the like. 
     In this case, it is preferable to provide a cushion member between the covering member and the supporting member. 
     According to the electronic watch having such a structure, it is possible to weaken the impact caused by dropping or the like and accordingly to protect the covering member and antenna contained in the containing concavity from the impact caused by dropping and the like. Further, because it is unnecessary to wound a cushion member around the antenna which is required for the conventional technique, the size of the whole antenna is not required to be large. As a result, it is possible to miniaturize the whole electronic watch. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electronic watch, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main portion of the watch case in FIG. 1, in a state of removing the bezel; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines A—A of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing the state of the main portion of the watch shown in FIG. 3 dropping down; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of an electronic watch, according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the main portion of a conventional electronic watch; and 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the state of the main portion of the conventional watch shown in FIG. 6 dropping down. 
    
    
     PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Hereinbelow, a first embodiment of the electronic watch according to the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to  4 . In these figures, the same numbers are attached to structural members, elements or the like corresponding to those of the conventional technique shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. 
     The electronic watch according to the invention comprises a watch case  1  made of a plastic. The watch case  1  comprises a pair of band connecting portions  2  which are disposed at opposed positions in six o&#39;clock side and twelve o&#39;clock side thereof. As shown FIGS. 1 and 2, at the position in the band connecting portion  2  in the twelve o&#39;clock side, an antenna attachment portion  11  is provided as a body so that the top end thereof is projected a little in the nine o&#39;clock direction, that is, left direction in FIG.  2 . In the antenna attachment portion  11 , a containing concavity  12  for containing an antenna  4  therein is formed in a peripheral portion thereof so that the containing concavity  12  is opened in the upper side. The antenna  4  is adhered to the bottom surface of the antenna attachment portion  11  in the containing concavity  12  by using a pressure sensitive adhesive double coated tape  13 . To the upper portion of the antenna attachment portion  11 , a covering member  14  for covering the antenna  4  is fixed so as to form the containing concavity  12  together with the antenna attachment portion  11 . The covering member  14  is also made of a plastic panel, like the conventional example. The covering member  14  comprises an upper wall portion and a side wall portion, to form a space which is opened in the lower side. The upper wall portion of the covering member  14  has a conical shaped section and a thickness larger than that of the side wall portion. The entirety of the periphery of the covering member  14  is welded to the antenna attachment portion  11  around the containing concavity  12  by ultrasonic welding or the like. 
     On the peripheral portion of the upper surface of the watch case  1 , a ring-shaped bezel  15  which is a casing member is installed, as shown in FIG.  1 . On the bezel  15 , a supporting member  16  made of a plastic is formed to project. The supporting member  16  is disposed to cover about a half in a three o&#39;clock direction side, that is, in the right side in FIG. 1, of on the covering member  14 . In the upper surface of the covering member  14 , a shallow recess portion  14   a  with a shape into which the lower surface of the supporting member  16  fits is formed, as shown in FIG.  2 . The supporting member  16  comprises a supporting upper wall portion and a supporting side wall portion, and at least a portion near the watch glass  8  of the supporting upper wall portion has a thickness larger than that of the supporting side wall portion, as shown in FIG.  3 . In the periphery of the band connecting portions  2 , a fastening recess portion  12   a  which enables receiving the top end  16   a  of the supporting side wall portion of the supporting member  16  therein to perform fastening, is formed. Further, between the supporting member  16  and the covering member  14 , a cushion member  17  which is made of a rubber sheet is provided, as shown in FIG.  3 . In the most upper surface of the covering member  14  in the shallow recess portion  14   a , a flat surface  14   b  is formed. The cushion member  17  is placed on and adhered to the flat surface  14   b . The covering member  14  is held down by the supporting member  16  of the bezel  15  through the cushion member  17 , with keeping this state. 
     In the electronic watch, a portion of the covering member  14  which is fixed to the antenna attachment portion  11  which has the containing concavity  12  containing the antenna  4  therein, that is, approximately the right half of the covering member  14  in FIG. 1, is covered and held down by the supporting member  16  of the ring-shaped bezel  15  which is attached to the periphery of the watch case  1 . Therefore, even if the electronic watch is dropped by accident in the state that the side of the watch glass  8  takes a lower position and the watch case  1  rotates so that the antenna  4  takes a lower position because of the large weight of the antenna, the supporting member  16  of the ring-shaped bezel  15  functions as a buffer for the covering member  14  and the antenna  4  contained therein. Accordingly, the covering member  14  can be protected by the supporting member  16  so that the welding portion of the covering member  14  is not cracked nor destroyed. 
     In the embodiment, because the cushion member  17  is provided between the supporting member  16  and the covering member  14 , it is possible to further reduce the impact to the covering member  14 , caused by dropping or the like. As a result, it is possible to protect not only the covering member  14  but also the antenna  4  which is contained in the containing concavity  12 . Therefore, the electronic watch is different from the conventional technique in that it does not require to wound a cushion member  6  around the antenna  4  in order to protect the antenna  4 . As a result, the size of the whole antenna  4  does not get large and accordingly, the containing concavity  12  does not require a large size. As a result, it is possible to make the entirety of the watch small-sized. 
     Next, a second embodiment of the electronic watch according to the invention will be described with reference to FIG.  5 . In the figure, the same numbers are attached to structural members, elements or the like corresponding to those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to  4 . 
     The electronic watch according to the second embodiment is different from that of the first embodiment in the shapes of a covering member  20  for covering the antenna  4  which is fixed to the antenna attachment portion so as to form the containing concavity  12 , and of a supporting member  21  of the bezel  15 , for holding down the covering member  20 , with covering a portion of the covering member  20 . Except such different points, the electronic watch according to the second embodiment has approximately the same elements, material, and structure as those of the first embodiment. 
     That is, a ring-shaped bezel  15  which is a casing member and is made of a plastic, is installed around the watch glass  8  on the upper surface of the watch case  1 . The covering member  20  is made of a plastic panel and has a large thickness approximately entirely. In the lower surface of the covering member  20 , a recess portion  20   a  is formed to form a containing concavity  12  which is the space for containing the upper portion of the antenna  4  therein. In the upper surface of the covering member  20  in the side near the watch glass  8 , another recess portion  22  is formed for fitting the supporting member  21  of the bezel  15  therein. The supporting member  21  is attached to the bezel  15  at a position in the twelve o&#39;clock side as a body, to project from the periphery of the bezel  15 . The supporting member  21  is disposed to fit in the recess portion  22  of the covering member  20  and hold down the covering member  20 . Further, between the supporting member  21  of the bezel  15  and the covering member  20 , a cushion member  17  which is made of a rubber sheet is provided. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the covering member  20  has a flat surface in the recess portion  22 . On the flat surface, the cushion member  17  is adhered. The covering member  20  is held down by the supporting member  21  of the bezel  15  through the cushion member  17 , with keeping this state. 
     In the electronic watch, the recess portion  22  is formed in the upper surface of the covering member  20  which is fixed to the antenna attachment portion  11  which has the containing concavity  12  containing the antenna  4  therein, and the supporting member  21  of the bezel  15  which is installed to the periphery of the watch case  1  is fitted in the recess portion  22  to hold down the covering member  20  from the above. The supporting member  21  undertakes a portion of the impact caused by dropping or the like to some extent, and accordingly, the covering member  20  can be protected by the supporting member  21  so that the welding portion of the covering member  20  is not cracked nor destroyed. In the embodiment, because the cushion member  17  is provided between the supporting member  21  and the covering member  20 , in the recess portion  22 , it is possible to further reduce the impact to the covering member  20 , caused by dropping or the like. As a result, it is possible to protect not only the covering member  20  but also the antenna  4  which is contained in the containing concavity  12 . As a result, it is possible to make the entirety of the watch small-sized, like the first embodiment.