Timepiece with internal antenna

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9977406-B2
Application number	US-201715634432-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 1, 2009
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A timepiece includes a case that is made of a conductive material, a bezel that is made of a nonconductive material, a patch antenna that is disposed inside the case and at the back side of the dial, and a bezel that is made of a ceramic.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A timepiece, comprising:
a case;
a nonconductive dial having a display side and a back side opposite the display side;
a solar panel disposed on the back side of the dial, the solar panel receiving light incident from the display side of the dial on a light-receiving side of the solar panel adjacent to the back side of the dial; and
an antenna disposed within the case and on a back side of the solar panel opposite the light-receiving side of the solar panel,
wherein the solar panel includes a through hole and the antenna is disposed at a position overlapping the through hole in a plan view.

2. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the antenna has a ceramic dielectric body and a conductive antenna part disposed on the dielectric body.

3. The timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiver that is disposed on a circuit board and that processes a signal received by the antenna;
wherein the antenna is disposed on an antenna substrate that is separate from the circuit board.

4. The timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a circuit board; and
a battery;
wherein the battery is disposed at a space where the circuit board is not disposed and the battery and the circuit board overlap in a lateral view.

5. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the through hole is rectangular.

6. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the case is made of SUS or titanium alloy.

7. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
the dial is made of polycarbonate.

8. The timepiece described in claim 1 , further comprising:
a ceramic bezel; and
a crystal disposed within an inside circumference of the bezel.

9. The timepiece described in claim 1 , wherein:
a back cover that is made of a conductive material.

10. A timepiece comprising:
a case;
a dial formed of a nonconductive material;
a solar panel having an opening and being disposed on a back side of the dial opposite a display side of the dial, the solar panel receiving light incident from the display side of the dial; and
an antenna disposed on a back side of the solar panel opposite a light receiving side of the solar panel and at a position overlapping the opening in a plan view,
wherein the opening in the solar panel is a through hole.

11. The timepiece described in claim 10 , wherein:
the antenna includes a dielectric and a conductive antenna feed formed on the dielectric.

12. The timepiece described in claim 10 , wherein:
the antenna is configured to receive a circularly polarized signal transmitted from a positioning information satellite.

13. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a circuit board, wherein the antenna is disposed on an antenna substrate which is separated from the circuit board.

14. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a circuit board; and
a battery,
wherein the battery is disposed at a space where the circuit board is not disposed and the battery and the circuit board overlap in a lateral view.

15. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a hand; and
a stepper motor configured to drive the hand,
wherein the stepper motor and the antenna do not overlap in the thickness direction of the timepiece.

16. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a bezel connected to the case, wherein the bezel is made from a nonconductive material.

17. The timepiece described in claim 10 , wherein:
the opening is formed in a center of the solar panel in the plan view.

18. The timepiece described in claim 10 , wherein:
the dial further includes a date window, and
the opening is disposed at a position overlapping the date window in the plan view.

19. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a base plate disposed between the solar panel and a circuit board, the base plate including an opening through which the antenna extends,
the opening in the base plate is formed of a same shape, formed of a same size, and formed in a same plane position as the opening in the solar panel.

20. The timepiece described in claim 10 , further comprising:
a base plate disposed on the back side of the solar panel; and
a plurality of staffs extending from a side of the base plate facing the back side of the solar panel,
wherein the solar panel includes a plurality of through holes receiving the plurality of staffs, and
the opening is disposed interior to the plurality of through holes.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Fujisawa Teruhiko

Classifications

• H01Q1/273

  Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals · CPC title

• G04C10/02

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

• H01Q9/0407

  Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna (dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40) · CPC title

• H01Q1/52

  Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure (absorbing means H01Q17/00) · CPC title

• G04R20/04

  Tuning or receiving; Circuits therefor · CPC title