Electronic timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11073621-B2
Application number	US-201816141001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2018
Priority date	Sep 26, 2017
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

An electronic timepiece includes a dial, a solar battery on a rear surface side of the dial, and an antenna on a rear surface side of the solar battery so as to receive a radio wave. The solar battery includes a solar cell for generating power and a first non-power generating section which transmits the radio wave to the antenna. The solar cell includes a metal electrode, a semiconductor layer on the dial side of the metal electrode, and a transparent electrode on the dial side of the semiconductor layer. The metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the first non-power generating section, and the semiconductor layer is included within at least a portion of the first non-power generating section. The solar battery further includes a non-conductive member which regulates light transmittance on the dial side of the semiconductor layer in the first non-power generating section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:
an optically transparent dial;
a solar battery disposed on a rear surface side of the dial; and
an antenna disposed on a rear surface side of the solar battery so as to receive a radio wave,
wherein the solar battery includes:
one or more solar cells for generating power; and
a first non-power generating section which transmits the radio wave to the antenna,

wherein each of the one or more solar cells includes a metal electrode, a semiconductor layer stacked on a dial side of the metal electrode, and a transparent electrode stacked on a dial side of the semiconductor layer,
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the first non-power generating section, and the semiconductor layer is included within at least a portion of the first non-power generating section, and
wherein the solar battery further includes a non-conductive member which regulates light transmittance on the dial side of the semiconductor layer in the first non-power generating section.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the solar battery includes a plurality of the solar cells,
wherein the solar battery includes a second non-power generating section located between an adjacent pair of the solar cells, the second non-power generating section being a cell division section,
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the second non-power generating section, and
wherein the semiconductor layer is included within at least a portion of the second non-power generating section.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2 ,
wherein a second non-conductive member which regulates light transmittance is disposed on the dial side of the semiconductor layer in the second non-power generating section.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 ,
wherein the non-conductive member disposed in the first non-power generating section and the second non-conductive member disposed in the second non-power generating section are formed of the same material.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the solar battery includes a plurality of the solar cells,
wherein the solar battery includes a second non-power generating section located between an adjacent pair of the solar cells, the second non-power generating section being a cell division section,
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the second non-power generating section, and
wherein the semiconductor layer is excluded from the second non-power generating section, the second non-power generating section having a width between an adjacent pair of solar cells that is equal to or smaller than a predetermined dimension.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the one or more solar cells is disposed radially inward from an outer peripheral edge of the solar battery,
wherein the solar battery includes another non-power generating section located between a periphery of the one or more solar cells and the outer peripheral edge, and
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the another non-power generating section, and the semiconductor layer is located within at least a portion of the another non-power generating section.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 6 ,
wherein another non-conductive member which regulates light transmittance is disposed on the dial side of the semiconductor layer in the another non-power generating section.

8. The electronic timepiece according to claim 7 ,
wherein the non-conductive member disposed in the first non-power generating section and the another non-conductive member disposed in the another non-power generating section are formed of the same material.

9. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first non-power generating section overlaps the antenna in a plan view.

10. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the antenna is a patch antenna.

11. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the antenna is a patch antenna including a radiation electrode,
wherein the semiconductor layer and a discrete part of the transparent electrode are disposed inward of an outer peripheral edge of the radiation electrode in a plan view, and
the first non-power generating section surrounds the discrete part of the transparent electrode in the plan view.

12. The electronic timepiece according to claim 11 ,
wherein a discrete part of the metal electrode is disposed inward of the outer peripheral edge of the radiation electrode in the plan view.

13. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first non-power generating section continuously extends to an outer peripheral edge of the solar battery in a plan view, and
the first non-power generating section overlapping the antenna in the plan view.

14. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer peripheral edge of the antenna is surrounded by the solar cell in a plan view.

15. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the solar battery includes a plurality of the solar cells,
wherein, in a plan view, the solar cells respectively have a shape surrounded by two edges radially extending from a plane center of the solar battery and an edge extending along an outer peripheral edge of the solar battery, and
wherein, in the plan view, the antenna is not overlapped by any part of any of the solar cells.

16. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 ,
wherein the solar battery includes a plurality of the solar cells, and
wherein, in a plan view, the first non-power generating section is in contact with only one of the solar cells.

17. An electronic timepiece comprising:
an optically transparent dial;
a solar battery disposed on a rear surface side of the dial; and
an antenna disposed on a rear surface side of the solar battery so as to receive a radio wave,
wherein the solar battery includes:
one or more solar cells for generating power; and
a first non-power generating section which transmits the radio wave to the antenna,

wherein each of the one or more solar cells includes a metal electrode, a semiconductor layer stacked on a dial side of the metal electrode, and a transparent electrode stacked on a dial side of the semiconductor layer,
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are excluded from the first non-power generating section, and the semiconductor layer is included within at least a portion of the first non-power generating section, and
wherein the solar battery further includes a colored non-conductive member on the dial side of the semiconductor layer in the first non-power generating section.

18. An electronic timepiece comprising:
an optically transparent dial;
a solar battery disposed on a rear surface side of the dial; and
an antenna disposed on a rear surface side of the solar battery so as to receive a radio wave,
wherein the solar battery includes:
one or more solar cells for generating power; and
a first non-power generating section which transmits the radio wave to the antenna,

wherein the solar cell includes a metal electrode, a semiconductor layer stacked on a dial side of the metal electrode, a transparent electrode stacked on a dial side of the semiconductor layer, and a protective layer stacked on a dial side of the transparent electrode,
wherein the metal electrode and the transparent electrode are exc

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Baba Norimitsu
• Mukaiyama Keiichi

Classifications

• G04R60/10 Primary

  inside cases · CPC title

• G04G19/02

  Conversion or regulation of current or voltage · CPC title

• G04G21/04

  using radio waves (radio-controlled time-pieces G04R) · CPC title

• G01S19/14

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G04C10/02 Primary

  the power supply being a radioactive {or photovoltaic} source · CPC title