Electronic timepiece

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11199817-B2
Application number	US-201816182223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2018
Priority date	Nov 7, 2017
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

An embodiment of an electronic timepiece includes a cylindrical exterior case, a bezel and a windshield member. In the exterior case, a circuit board is housed. The bezel is formed of a metal material to be ring-shaped, includes an inward flange part that projects from an inner side surface toward a center of the ring-shaped bezel, is arranged on an outer upper side of the exterior case and is electrically connected with the circuit board. The windshield member is formed of a transparent dielectric substance, arranged in the bezel and supported by the inward flange part. The bezel is configured to resonate with a radio wave having a desired frequency by adjustment of at least one of (i) a relative permittivity of the dielectric substance and (ii) an area of an overlap region where the inward flange part and the windshield member overlap each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:
a cylindrical exterior case in which a circuit board is housed;
a bezel which is formed of a metal material to be ring-shaped, includes an inward flange part that projects from an inner side surface of the ring-shaped bezel toward a center of the ring-shaped bezel, is arranged on an outer upper side of the exterior case, and is electrically connected with the circuit board; and
a windshield member which is formed of a transparent dielectric substance, arranged in the bezel, and supported by the inward flange part,
wherein the inward flange part includes a first stage flange and a second stage flange which is formed on a further lower side than the first stage flange and projects further toward a center of the bezel than the first stage flange,
wherein the windshield member is arranged on an upper surface of the first stage flange,
wherein the bezel is electrically connected to the circuit board via a connecting member that contacts the circuit board and a lower surface of the second stage flange,
wherein the bezel is configured to have a predetermined resonance frequency such that the bezel resonates with a radio wave having a predetermined frequency corresponding to the predetermined resonance frequency,
wherein the predetermined resonance frequency of the bezel is set based on (i) a relative permittivity of the dielectric substance which forms the windshield member and (ii) an area of an overlap region where the first stage flange of the inward flange part and the windshield member overlap each other,
wherein the dielectric substance is formed of a material having a predetermined relative permittivity and the windshield member and the inward flange part are arranged such that the area of the overlap region is set to be a predetermined area, the predetermined relative permittivity and the predetermined area of the overlap region being set such that the bezel is configured to have the predetermined resonance frequency.

2. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is a first predetermined resonance frequency, the dielectric substance is formed of a material having, as the predetermined relative permittivity, a first predetermined relative permittivity, and in a case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is a second predetermined resonance frequency that is lower than the first predetermined resonance frequency, the dielectric substance is formed of a material having, as the predetermined relative permittivity, a second predetermined permittivity that is higher than the first predetermined permittivity.

3. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein in the case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is the first predetermined resonance frequency, the windshield member and the inward flange part are arranged such that the area of the overlap region where the inward flange part and the windshield member overlap each other is set to be a first predetermined area as the predetermined area, and in the case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is the second predetermined resonance frequency that is lower than the first predetermined resonance frequency, the windshield member and the inward flange part are arranged such that the area of the overlap region is set to be a second predetermined area as the predetermined area, the second predetermined area being wider than the first predetermined area.

4. The electronic timepiece according to claim 3 , wherein the radio wave having the predetermined frequency includes a radio wave transmitted from a satellite.

5. The electronic timepiece according to claim 2 , wherein the radio wave having the predetermined frequency includes a radio wave transmitted from a satellite.

6. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein in a case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is a first predetermined resonance frequency, the windshield member and the inward flange part are arranged such that the area of the overlap region where the inward flange part and the windshield member overlap each other is set to be a first predetermined area as the predetermined area, and in a case in which the predetermined resonance frequency is a second predetermined resonance frequency that is lower than the first predetermined resonance frequency, the windshield member and the inward flange part are arranged such that the area of the overlap region is set to be a second predetermined area as the predetermined area, the second predetermined area being wider than the first predetermined area.

7. The electronic timepiece according to claim 6 , wherein the radio wave having the predetermined frequency includes a radio wave transmitted from a satellite.

8. The electronic timepiece according to claim 1 , wherein the radio wave having the predetermined frequency includes a radio wave transmitted from a satellite.

Assignees

• Casio Computer Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uematsu daisuke
• Sano Takashi
• Kawaguchi Yohei
• Ichimura Tatsumi
• Yasuda Takumi

Classifications

• G04G21/04

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

• G04B39/00

  Watch crystals; Fastening or sealing of crystals; Clock glasses · CPC title

• G04R60/08 Primary

  inside bezels · CPC title

• G04R20/02

  the radio signal being sent by a satellite, e.g. GPS · CPC title

• G04G17/06

  Electric connectors, e.g. conductive elastomers · CPC title